Islam & Christianity Align
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Topic: Islam & Christianity Align
Posted By: Bismarck
Subject: Islam & Christianity Align
Date Posted: 02 November 2006 at 8:07pm
Unitarian Trinitarianism
The Trinity of Christianity is Father, Holy Spirit, Son. Almighty God is the
Father, the Messiah is the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the "Breath of God"
(Genesis 2:7) that gives Spiritual Life, Spiritual Rebirth (John 3), Spiritual
Resurrection. The Bible says that Prophets are "under the influence of the
Holy Spirit" when they prophecy God-breathed words (Mark 12:36). The
Holy Spirt, or Holy Breath of God -- spiritus means 'breath' in Latin
-- is the connection or bridge between Holy God and sinful man.
But, the Messiah is a metaphor for the Church, which is called "the Body
of Believers" (John 2:21). The Messiah represents the Spiritual Temple,
the Body of Believers in the Messiah, those who do and heed God's Will as
shown by their acceptance of Yeshua as Messiah.
So, the Trinity is a metaphor for "GOD the Father, in contact with the
BODY of BELIEVERS, through the HOLY SPIRIT". This is just the fulfillment
of Numbers 11:29, Moses' wish that:
But Moses said to him, Enviest thou for my sake? would that all
Jehovah's people were prophets, [and] that Jehovah would put his Spirit
upon them!
The Holy Spirit is a manifestation of God, like an Angel (Islam interprets it
as the Angel Gabriel, Jibril). And the Son is the Body of Believers. The
Trinity is just a description of how the One True God manifests Himself to
and through His believers.
The Trinity describes how Almighty God connects to Believing Mankind.
Indeed, the first use of the word was by Tertullian in about 200 CE. He
coined the word from the Latin words Tri + Unitas, meaning "Three
in Unity" or "Three in Unison". Note that it does not mean "Three in
One"; the Latin for that would be Tri + Unus or Triune. But
Tertullian did not say Triune, he said Trinity. "The Devil's in the
details" as they say, but those Latin word suffixes make allot of difference
in this case.
Today, much of Christendom says that Almighty God is "Triune". But that
is clearly a corruption of the original intent of Tertullian when he
said "Trinity". Tertullian's "Trinity" is not at odds with Islam. Mankind
who Truly Believes can, by God's Grace, be in Unison and Harmony and
Alignment with Almighty God -- even though no mortal man will ever be
equivalent to Almighty God.
Old Christianity, as of 200 CE, was not in conflict with the strict Unitarian
Monotheism of Islam.
Fall of Man / Original Sin
Exodus 22:10 says:
I SHALL VISIT THE SINS OF THE FATHERS UPON THE SONS TO THE FOURTH
AND FIFTH GENERATION, SAYETH JEHOVAH
Eve and Adam sinned. All mankind is scarred by that sin, and we live in a
state of war and strife and imbalance because of it. This is "Physical Sin".
If you break your arm, it's broken and requires weeks to heal. Likewise,
the terrible sin of Eve and Adam cast them from Paradise and all mankind
still struggles to regain their lost roots. We are, as it were, born with
"broken arms" because of Eve and Adam's Fall.
But this is not the same as "Legal Sin". That is, while you do bear the
scars of Eve and Adam's folly (Ex 22:10), you are not "legally responsible"
for their actions and Almighty Allah will not condemn you for the actions
of others as long as you (truly) live a Righteous Life. So, the Fall of Man
imparts an Original [Physical] Sin to all mankind -- we're all born with
broken arms metaphorically -- as Christianity holds. And yet, the Fall of
Man imparts no "Legal Sin" to all mankind, explaining Islam's rejection of
the "Original [Legal] Sin" doctrine.
In short, there is no conflict. As per Exodus 22:10, all man is born
handicapped from the "Physical Sin" of their forebears. But, upon birth ,
you have no "Legal Sin", and Almighty God will not condemn you if your
acts themselves are good.
For example, in Jeremiah 26:3, written around 600 BCE, shortly before the
fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, Almighty God warns that
He might relent if the Judeans stopped their sinful ways. The
possibility that the Judeans could turn to God and still be conquered is
because of "Physical Sin" -- by sinning, you dig yourself into a hole, you
acquire a "Sin Debt", and sometimes it really is too late (if your previous
sins were eggregious enough). Indeed, 2 Kings 23:26-27 and 2 Kings 24:
2-4 both tell us that Judah was conquered even despite the great and
heroic piety of Josiah (r. 639-609 BCE). That is, even though Josiah was
one of Judah's greatest Kings, on par with Hezekiah and David, even so
Josiah's reforms were not enough to prevent Judah from being conquered
-- the sinse of Manasseh and Amon had been too grievous.
These examples from the Old Testament show that, just as Almighty God,
YHWH Elohim, warns you in Exodus 22:10, you do pay the piper for the
sins of your parents and forebears. (NOTE: this is one reason to live
righteously, so that your children are not burdened by your sins -- God
will "hold you responsible" for your sinful deeds through your children.)
Thus, even though Josiah was ultra-righteous, he only managed to stay
Judah's destruction, not prevent it altogether.
This clearly demonstrates the difference between "Physical Sin" and "Legal
Sin". The Jewish and Christian notion of "Original Sin" is the former. The
Sin of Adam and Eve is still visited upon Mankind today, we are born
"Deep in Sin", deep in a hole, with "broken arms" -- as clearly
shown by the universal suffering of mankind (Adam and Eve's children)
amidst war, slavery, famine and disease. See?!? If you sin, your children
will suffer, even as Adam and Eve's children (all of us) suffer for their sin!
That is "Physical Sin", Adam and Eve sinned and so we are all born amidst
woe and suffering (Ex 22:10).
But that is not "Legal Sin" -- Almighty God will not, we believe, look down
upon Josiah and condemn him for living righteously on Doomsday.
Likewise, if you live Righteously, even though you may still suffer
somewhat, because of the Fall of Man, Almighty God will not, we don't
believe, hold you "accountable" and condemn you on Doomsday.
That is the difference between "Original [Physical] Sin" (Jewish & Christian
Fall of Man) and "Legal Sin" (which Islam says is wholly your own).
Again, Islam is not in conflict with Jewish and Christian traditions on this
point.
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