Isaac D wrote:
> Why is it that you think that I will pass this along? I'm telling you
> of a truth, I will do nothing with what you have just written. And
> many of my brothers and sisters will do nothing with it. We don't
come
> in the name of religion, or beliefs. We come in the name of Jesus
> Christ, the Son of God. And if you deny that He is, then you would
> make out the Father, who gave Mohammed what he had, and sent the Son,
> to be a liar. He tells no lies. I will not perpetuate anything like
> this.
> You cannot read a bunch of newsgroups and expect to have it all
> figured out. Where does their knowledge come from that they spread?
It
> doesn't come from anyone here. It doesn't come from the world. Just
as
> they don't sow from themselves, don't expect to spread a seed that
> comes purely from you or a group of other people and expect it to
bear
> fruit and blossom as a tree.
> Isaac D.
> On Sat, 05 Mar 2005 02:30:54 -0800, alpha
<newsgroupaddr...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THIS ARTICLE TO AS MANY WEBSITES, GOOGLE AND
> > YAHOO NEWSGROUPS, AND EMAIL CONTACTS AS YOU CAN. IF EVERYONE WHO
READS
> > IT POSTS IT TO JUST A COUPLE OF GROUPS/PEOPLE EACH IT WILL FOREVER
STAY
> > ON THE NET TO HIGHLIGHT THE ISSUES BELOW...PLEEEEESE DO YOUR
> > BIT!...MANY THANKS AND ENJOY THE READ.
> > The Fundamentals of Christianity and Islam
> > After reading many postings on Christian newsgroups and Muslim
> > newsgroups I have noticed there are many posts which are aimed at
> > converting people from one faith to their own faith but very little
> > effort being made to understand the differences between the
> > Monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Above all
> > there is a mass of postings made by Christians attempting to teach
> > Muslims the message of Jesus and Christianity. I myself am a Muslim
> > (Islam) and find it very disturbing that so many Christians seem to
> > have little to no understanding of just what it is that Muslims
> > believe.
> > Perhaps as a Christian you have no wish to understand either since
you
> > have found a set of teachings that you believe are the truth and
have
> > therefore dismissed all other religions as being false religions.
As a
> > Muslim my religion is Islam and the scripture that I try to live my
> > life by is the Qur'an. In the Qur'an it is written that humans
> > should question all things and that God expects and encourages this
as
> > the way to find truth. Like Christians we also believe that when
you
> > here the truth (be it gods will) you will know it and recognize it
if
> > you use reason. I am sure that as Christians you will believe the
same
> > thing since to encourage blind belief in something is simply to
> > encourage mental suicide. The aim of writing this post is not to
> > attempt to convert Christians to Islam but to point out a
difference in
> > beliefs that will hopefully bring about greater understanding and
> > harmony between the two faiths...As a Christian you can only
benefit by
> > knowing the mindset of someone of a different faith...who knows you
may
> > even end up converting someone with this information.
> > I know that I have benefited by reading bible text to understand
> > where Christian beliefs and mentality is coming from. I am about to
> > attempt to give a crash course on the central Muslim belief without
> > boring you with pages and pages of detail...I am going to try to
> > explain why I choose Islam over Christianity as my religion. Before
I
> > put my case I would like to repeat that both Christians and Muslims
> > believe that when you here truth you know it and cannot find fault
in
> > it nor deny it. As a Muslim I believe that gods people do not live
in
> > one grouping of people on the planet...ie.....come judgment day it
is
> > not going to be all those who called themselves Muslims, or
Christians,
> > or Jews that are going to ascend to heaven but it will be a very
mixed
> > composition of people that does not take into account such
superficial
> > things as religious label be it Jew Christian or Muslim, country of
> > residence, or color of skin, Everyone's fate will be decided by
their
> > actions and the words that flow from their hands and lips. I
believe
> > this is what the prophets were teaching in scripture...one such
example
> > being Jesus when he implied: not all who come with my message are
of
> > Gods people (or something to that effect). Everyone's fate will be
> > determined by Gods judgment and not human judgment since God is the
> > knower of all things both seen and unseen in the heart. To suggest
such
> > a theory as come judgment day all the Muslims/Christians/Jews
living in
> > such and such a country will be "the righteous" and all the rest
> > will face the punishment of God for their sins is a very simplistic
> > black and white view and is far away from a rational mind and the
> > teachings of any religious texts. It is also a very dangerous
fanatical
> > way of thinking. Life would be a lot easier if everyone's labels
> > matched the way they behaved and what was in their hearts but sadly
> > this is far from reality. I think the following quote sums up this
> > belief:
> > "Religion is not a club you can join. Your religion is something
you
> > will drift in and out of throughout your life dependant on your
> > behavior. Your fate salvation and guidance in this life and the
next
> > are not decided by the label you go by. be it agnostic Christian,
Jew,
> > or Muslim, but by your actions, the words that flow from your lips,
and
> > what you truly believe in your heart. This is my religion, your
> > religion, and everybody's religion......the name of this religion
and
> > teaching is XXXXX"
> > Of course this viewpoint is not unique to Islam, which is why I put
> > XXXXX instead of Islam, I'm sure many Christians reading this can
> > relate to this wisdom when they read it, and I'm sure many would
tell
> > me this is Christianity too.
> > Many Christians would be surprised at reading the Qur'an.......the
> > scripture is very much the same as the bible and tells the same
stories
> > of the profits and has the same moral messages...sometimes with
slight
> > variation in historic events but mostly the same. Muslims Claim
that
> > Mohamed was the last profit and was given the message of God so
that he
> > can correct the human Corruption of the original message of the
> > prophets before him, much the same as Christians believe Jesus was
> > given the message of God to confirm what the Jews had already
> > received.........The question begs to be asked What was this
message
> > that god wants us to understand? you can only look at the scripture
of
> > the Jews, Christians, and Muslims to decide....what were the
prophets
> > teaching? What is the common theme found in all the prophets'
> > teachings?
> > Here is the Muslim Version and the crash course in Qur'an!
> > Muslims believe that gods message was that humans should not make
> > partners with god. And that there is only one god and all praise
> > belongs to Him alone. As Christians I am sure this is not a new
concept
> > to you either and that you have read this many times in your own
> > scripture. But what exactly is meant by "do not make partners with
> > God"?. Muslims believe that by making "intercession" between a
> > human and god is the one thing that defines being a believer or
someone
> > who is astray. In other words by assigning authority/power to
anything
> > other than god is in direct contradiction of gods will and message
of
> > unity. When humans assign symbols, statues, create hierarchies in
> > society with saints and kings, and create semi gods like the golden
> > calf the Jews created when Moses went up the mountain or are
tempted by
> > other values such as Abraham was we are at the same time creating
> > division among people and causing people to see others as different
due
> > to the limitations of our senses. If you take away Christian
> > crucifixes, saints (holy men), statues of Jesus, (holy buildings
and
> > shrines), semi gods, nationalism, pictures of idol worship and all
> > forms of "Partners with God" what differences are remaining between
> > mankind???......... NONE! If these semi dietys were removed the
world
> > would have only one religion and total unification. All religions
seem
> > to be preaching the same fundamental beliefs of right over wrong,
good
> > leads to good and bad leads to bad (karma), love concors hate,
> > generosity, charity, and abandonment of the things of this world
that
> > corrupt us. There are countless expressions of the same feelings
> > mankind experiences to be found in a huge variety of separate
religious
> > groups. Does any one religion have the arrogance to claim to have
the
> > monopoly on believing in such things as peace, love, forgiveness,
> > patience, perseverance, etc?..........How many wars have been
fought
> > and how many lives have been lost because of power being assigned
to
> > the things of this life and people assuming they must be different
> > because they have different titles but are in fact feeling the same
> > universal thoughts? .....When you look around you will find that
this
> > is the root cause of all segregation and evil...People kill to
protect
> > (so called) holy buildings and shrines, they will kill to protect
their
> > fellow man and community because they have the same religious label
as
> > him with no regard for the fact someone's true religion is based on
> > his behavior actions and attitude. Even the instincts of atheists
will
> > say that this is what turns them away from religion. One such
example
> > was when the French government recently gave an order to ban all
> > religious symbols in schools because they said it was the root
cause of
> > all conflict between the different faiths.... They even went to the
> > extreme of banning Muslim women from wearing head scalfs because
they
> > said it made them stand out as being different from others.....The
very
> > reason Muslims dress as they do is because Islam teaches them to
dress
> > with plain modest clothing that will guard against being seen as a
> > sexual object and so that people will more easily judge you for
your
> > character over the pressure of superficial beauty. Dress must also
not
> > draw attention with fancy clothing!...So who is to decide what
dress
> > should be the standard and is the most modest and the norm? If you
go
> > so Saudi Arabia all people ware the same modest Muslim clothing and
> > there is no one person standing out from the rest!. ...Muslims
believe
> > that in order to find guidance to the truth you must first give up
all
> > forms of "shirk" (partner worship) and connect with Gods guidance
> > directly without any intercession. Muslims believe Gods central
message
> > was the concept of unity and that this can only be achieved by
giving
> > up the catalyst "shirk" in all its forms. It is the defining line
> > between devotion to God and those who have gone astray with
temptation
> > to invest in something other than God. To become a Muslim, Muslims
must
> > say in the company of other Muslim witnesses, "There is no God but
> > God and Mohamed was the last messenger of God" and also carry out
> > this creed in practice by avoiding all forms of shirk
> > Here are some other examples of "shirk
> > 1. Listening to the directions of another person including
religious
> > directions before listening to your own instincts.
> > 2. Nationalism...since this involves following orders given by
another
> > person's beliefs before listening to your own conscience given by
God
> > 3. Promoting someone or something above the level of ordinary man
(the
> > opposite of modesty)
> > 4. Promoting anything above its natural level....rocks, symbols,
> > statues and buildings etc which many people have been known to
defend
> > with their lives and kill for.
> > 5. Debating with another suggesting that you both believe in
different
> > Gods....hence the saying: "Your God is my God, and My God is your
> > God" which is to be said when another person tries to engage you in
> > religious debate.
> > 6. Giving admiration to another because of the position of
authority
> > over others simply because of wealth, fame, or blood line etc.
> > 7. putting your love and admiration into a sports team to the
extent
> > that you will be hostile to others to protect your love of it.
> > 8. The protection of a group of people based on their title.
> > Ie...taking the side of a person or nation of people simply because
> > they call themselves Muslim or Christian. The shirk in this example
is
> > a case of black and white generalistic group mentality thinking
that
> > all the good people live in one place under one title and all the
bad
> > people live someplace else under another title. A kind of tendency
to
> > judge someone/something as good or bad because of the label
associated
> > with them. Idealistic thinking can be a dangerous thing. In this
case
> > the mere word "Muslims" or "Christians" can become the
> > idealistic object of shirk An imaginary purist army of true
believers
> > that people will support without question. The side you take in a
> > dispute should be based on the persons actions rather than their
> > titles, since somebodys religion is their action rather than their
> > title.
> > Muslims believe that Jesus was a Prophet of God and that he taught
the
> > above message of unity and love to mankind. Muslims believe that
Jesus
> > was not the "son of god" or God himself, but was a man who had
> > weaknesses as we all do and was a "messenger for God". The same
> > goes for the last prophet Mohamed who warned his followers not to
> > worship him or his grave when he died. Muslims believe Mohamed was
born
> > so that mankind was given Gods message of unity one last time and a
> > warning for those who had and will go against this message of love
and
> > unity by practicing shirk. Muslims believe that the only true
guidance
> > in this life is found through giving up all forms of "Shirk" in
> > word and practice. It is the defining line between receiving
guidance
> > and being on the strait path and being missguided. Muslims believe
that
> > when some Christians say: "Jesus the son of God" or "Jesus is
> > God" this is assigning special power to an object/person of this
life
> > (shirk/ Making Partners with God). It is a strong temptation in
life
> > for a person to want to find the comfort of a symbolic focus point
of
> > some kind to express their natural tendancy to give worship and
prayer
> > and request guidance. The Qur'an teaches that this is Satan trying
to
> > tempt mankind with the easy option away from Gods will instead of
the
> > more difficult path of abandoning all "shirk" by worshipping
> > directly. One such funny example of this can be found in the Monty
> > Python movie "the life of brian", everywhere Brian goes he has
> > crowds of followers trying to worship him as a God. When he trips
and
> > stumbles and his shoe falls off, his unwanted followers are quick
to
> > pick it up and raise it to the sky and call it "the HOLY shoe".
> > Mankind has been inventing religions this way since recorded
history.
> > It is the law of association and invention and is defined by the
human
> > trait of wishing to find what it is the soul is looking for in this
> > lifetime by creating a symbolic reference to an idea we all feel
inside
> > (God). In an abstract way this is the direct opposite of the word
> > "faith" which is what the prophets taught us to have. The Qur'an
> > teaches that Jesus was a Prophet of God and that Jesus gave a
message
> > of love, peace, unity, and an example to not Split Gods Divinity
with
> > shirk. Muslims believe that man with human invention has corrupted
> > certain parts of scripture in the bible. Qur'an teaches that
mankind
> > does NOT know what God is , he is unlike anything to which you will
> > hear, smell, see, or think of...Muslims believe God is above the
level
> > of human comprehension,. When you take the belief of "Not making
> > partners with God" and "Recognising but not claiming to know what
> > God is" you have a very simplistic teaching:.....God exists!, there
> > is only one correct answer/reality and one God which is the seat of
all
> > creation and events, , there is the creator and the created, unity
and
> > peace to all through not worshipping anythiny but God
directly.....FULL
> > STOP!....to simplify this message further you can say: Something
> > exists, and we can argue forever over which religion is the truth
but
> > at the end of the day there can logically only be one correct
answer.to
> > what creation is all about...An intresting point to the gravity of
> > shirk is found in the observation of disputes between people. The
next
> > time you witness a debate ask yourself the question: Is their any
shirk
> > being practiced by either side? .....you will find that "Shirk" it
> > is the number one catalyst of difference and dispute in the world
in
> > one form or anouther. I have included at the bottom of this article
> > some examples from the bible, which in my opinion confirm the
scripture
> > has been altered to contradict other parts which have remained
> > authentic to Gods message of unity. Muslims believe that Mohamed
was
> > the last prophet of God sent to conclude the message of unity that
> > Jesus and the prophets before him taught and to put right those
that
> > had strayed once again into partner worshipping in all its forms
but he
> > was rejected by many without the chance of explaining that he was
not
> > teaching a new religion but simply confirming once again the
original
> > message given to the Jews and Christians and to warn those who had
> > corrupted scripture and unity with idol worship teachings and human
> > invention. You can even find the Christian Ten Commandments in the
> > Qur'an. As a Muslim I see a lot of idol worship being practiced by
> > Christians (not all Christians) as well as other religions...i.e.
> > superstition in crosses, the hierarchy of church organisations,
and
> > all worship being channeled in the direction of messengers,
shrines,
> > semi dietys. This to a Muslim is a direct contradiction to Islam
since
> > God expects his followers to set the example of unity in their
actions
> > and teachings and all power and Prayer belongs to God alone.
> > Was Jesus the "Son of God" or "God Himself" or "a messenger
> > prophet of God"?
> > The bible:
> > WORDS
> > Joh 7:16 Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine,
but
> > His
> > who sent Me.
> > Joh 14:24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the
word
> > which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.
> > Joh 12:49 "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the
Father
> > who
> > sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should
speak.
> > WILL
> > Joh 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who
sent
> > me, and to accomplish his work.
> > Joh 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will,
but
> > the will of Him who sent Me.
> > Lu 22:42 saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away
from
> > Me;
> > nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."
> > POWER
> > Joh 5:30 "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My
> > judgment
> > is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the
> > Father who sent Me.
> > Joh 8:42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would
love
> > me,
> > for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own
accord,
> > but he sent me.
> > KNOWLEDGE
> > Mr 13:32 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the
angels in
> > heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
> > Mt 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the
angels of
> > heaven, but My Father only.
> > Joh 7:16 So Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine, but his
who
> > sent me;
> > STATUS
> > Mt 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the
> > kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
> > Mr 10:18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is
> > good
> > but God alone.
> > 8:50 "And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and
> > judges.
> > And So you have understood the fundamental message of Islam and the
> > Koran.
> > The Ten Comandments in the Koran
> > 1. Thou shall not take any god except one God.
> > "There is no other god beside GOD,"(47:19)
> > He is the one God; there is no other god beside Him. ......(28:70)
> > 2. Thou shall make no image of God
> > There is nothing that equals (like) Him. (42:11)
> > No visions can encompass Him, but He
> > encompasses all visions. He is the Compassionate, the
Cognizant.[6:103]
> > "My Lord, make this a peaceful land, and protect me and my children
> > from worshiping idols. (14:35)
> > 3. Thou shall not use God's name in vain.
> > Do not subject GOD's name to your casual swearing, that you may
appear
> > righteous, pious,
> > or to attain credibility among the people. (2:224)
> > 4. Thou shall honor thy mother and father.
> > . ....and your parents shall be
> > honored. As long as one or
> > both of them live, you shall
> > never say to them, "Uff"
> > (the slightest gesture of annoyance),
> > nor shall you shout at them; you
> > shall treat them amicably. (17:23)
> > 5. Thou shall not steal.
> > The thief, male or female, you shall mark their hands as a
punishment
> > for their crime, and
> > to serve as an example from GOD. GOD is Almighty, Most Wise. (5:38
-
> > 39)
> > 6. ..... incur GOD's condemnation upon him, if he was lying. (24:7)
> > Do not withhold any testimony by concealing what you had witnessed.
> > Anyone who withholds
> > a testimony is sinful at heart. (2:283)
> > O you who believe, you shall be absolutely
> > equitable, and observe GOD, when you serve as witnesses, even
against
> > yourselves, or your parents, or your relatives. Whether the accused
is
> > rich or poor, GOD takes care of both. Therefore, do not be biased
by
> > your personal wishes. If you deviate or disregard (this
commandment),
> > then GOD is fully Cognizant of
> > everything you do.[4:135]
> > 7. Thou shall not kill.
> > ....anyone who murders any person who had not committed murder or
> > horrendous crimes, it shall be as if he murdered all the people.
(5:32)
> > "You shall not kill any person - for God has made life sacred -
except
> > in the course of justice. If one is killed unjustly, then we give
his
> > heir authority to enforce justice. Thus, he shall not exceed the
limits
> > in avenging the murder, he will be helped."(17:33)
> > 8. Thou shall not commit adultery
> > You shall not commit adultery;
> > it is a gross sin, and an evil behavior.
> > (17:32)
> > 9. You shall regard the parents, the relatives, the orphans, the
poor,
> > the related neighbor, the unrelated neighbor, the close associate,
the
> > traveling alien, and your servants. (4:36)
> > And do not covet what we bestowed
> > upon any other people. Such are temporary
> > ornaments of this life, whereby we put them to
> > the test. What your Lord provides for you is far
> > better, and everlasting.[20:131]
> > 10. Thou shall keep the Sabbath holy.
> > *the Sabbath was relinquished with the
> > revelation of the Quran. We are told in
> > the Quran that the Sabbath was only
> > decreed for the Jews. (16:124)
> > God, however ,ordered us to make every
> > effort and drop all businesses to attend the
> > equivalent congregational (Friday) prayer. This difference in day
is
> > to distinguish Muslim belief from other beliefs.
> > O you who believe, when the
> > Congregational Prayer (Salat
> > Al-Jumu`ah) is announced on Friday,
> > you shall hasten to the commemoration
> > of GOD, and drop all business. . (62:9)
> > If you wish to find out more about Islam, I would suggest posting
your
> > questions to "mainstream" Islamic websites (sunni) to avoid
> > dangerous sects which promote shirk and miss information.
> > Placing questions in Google newsgroups is not always the best idea
> > since the various faiths in the world go to great lengths to spread
> > miss information about each other in the replies you will
> > receive....much of which will be Qur'anic quotes taken completely
out
> > of context and twisted to give different meaning from people of
other
> > faiths. If you come across such quotations that seem to imply
imorality
> > I would urge you to consider the following question: Is it likely
that
> > a prophet teaching love, peace, forgiveness, etc would be at the
same
> > time be teaching people to act in a unethical way?....or is it more
> > likely that such quotations such as speaking of lawful tactics of
> > warfare or law system are to be used in only a last resort
situation in
> > the protection of Gods message?....If you study the Koran you will
> > notice that Koran does talk about law and punishment which to a
Muslim
> > are a necessary way of bringing about a just society and protecting
> > fundermental beliefs...It must be noted that such laws have a
strict
> > legal framework for deciding when enforcement becomes the last
option
> > available much as people understand the concept of self defense in
> > Christianity in certain curcumstances. Such chapters in Koran are
> > easily miss understood if taken out of context and missing the
relevant
> > information that accompanies them. Much of the information, which
is
> > taken as being harsh by other faiths, is in actual fact describing
> > historical events rather than describing legal rulings which apply
to
> > modern times. Islam is a religion of peace and not a religion of
hate
> > as many will try to promote. If Muslims were to Judge
Christianity's
> > message by the standards of a few people called the Klu Klux Klan
WHO
> > BELIEVE ITS Gods work to burn black people alive at the stake we
would
> > be fools, ignorant, and unjust to do so, much the same as those who
> > associate Islam with the actions of a hanfull of misguided fanatics
are
> > fools and unjust. I think it is much smarter to judge a religion by
its
> > text rather than through those who show the worst example as well
as
> > judge people on an individual basis rather than as a group. I would
> > suggest avoiding all teachings that contradict the above principles
of
> > mono worship if you want to learn more about authentic mainstream
> > Islamic beliefs.
> > PS. A FINAL NOTE: If this article has offended you in any way I
would
> > like to point out this was not my intention to cause offence. I
have
> > received a number of scathing attacks from those following various
> > Christian theologies accusing me of posting miss information about
> > Christianity. If my opinion does not conform to the same ideas you
have
> > yourself about how to interpret bible scripture then this is
because
> > each individual has his own mind and capability to understand
concepts
> > in different ways.... Only God knows which translation of scripture
is
> > true and so I suggest we leave it up to him to put things right
when we
> > all reach the big upstairs instead of attempting to insult and
attack.
> > I have no interest to engage in religious debate with other faiths
> > since I don't believe this is Gods will and the only reply you are
> > likely to get is "Your God is my God, And My God is Your God" also
> > this article is mass posted by multiple people and the poster is
> > probably not the original author anyway...The intention of this
article
> > was to point out the many things Christianity and Islam have in
common
> > as well as highlight that much of the dispute between the different
> > faiths is due to the limitations of understanding each other, which
can
> > be found in the communities of all world faiths. I invite you all
to do
> > the same as I have done and publish your own opinions on what
scripture
> > means to you in the newsgroups of your choice.
> > Kind Regards...and hope my article inspired you with new
> > ideas.........A.
> > KUR'AN
> > In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
> > [3:64]
> > Say, "O followers of the scripture, let us come to a
> > logical agreement between us and you: that we shall not
> > worship except GOD; that we never set up any idols
> > besides Him, nor set up any human beings as lords beside
> > GOD." If they turn away, say, "Bear witness that we are
> > submitters."
> > If you have mass mailing software please put it to good use and
mass
> > mail this article to as many Islamic and Christian websites and
> > newsgroups as possible to help bring about a greater peace and
> > understanding between the different faiths of this world.
|
