Origins of Christianity credited to Paul
JMD Morgan
HardySpicer
> http://www.thedeenshow.com/videos.php?action=listvideo&sid=42
On the road to Demestos.
captain!
"JMD Morgan" <John...@email.non> wrote in message
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JMD Morgan
By Juan Galvan
Many people may be surprised that Muslims love Mary, the mother of
Jesus. In the Quran, no woman is given more attention than Mary. Mary
receives the most attention of any woman mentioned in the Quran even
though all the Prophets with the exception of Adam had mothers. Of the
Quran's 114 chapters, she is among the eight people who have a chapter
named after them. The nineteenth chapter of the Quran is named after
her, Mariam. Mariam means Mary in Arabic. The third chapter in the Quran
is named after her father, Imran. Chapters Mariam and Imran are among
the most beautiful chapters in the Quran. Mary (peace be upon her) is
the only woman specifically named in the Quran. An authentic Haddith
states that the Prophet said, "The superiority of 'Aisha to other ladies
is like the superiority of Tharid (i.e. meat and bread dish) to other
meals. Many men reached the level of perfection, but no woman reached
such a level except Mary, the daughter of Imran and Asia, the wife of
Pharaoh." (Bukhari 4.643). Indeed, both Mary and Pharoah's wife are an
example (Quran 66:11-12). The Virgin Mary plays a very significant role
in Islam. She is an example and a sign for all people.
In the Quran, Mary's story begins while she is still in her mother's
womb. The mother of Mary, said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate into Thee what
is in my womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou
hearest and knowest all things." (Quran 3:35).
She wanted the baby in her womb to serve only the Creator. When Mary was
delivered, she said: "O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered of a female
child!" (Quran 3:36). She had expected her baby to be a male child who
would grow up to be a scholar or religious leader. However, God had a
better plan. God is the best of planners. Quran 3:36 continues "�and God
knew best what she brought forth- 'And no wise is the male like the
female. I have named her Mariam, and I commend her and her offspring to
Thy protection from Satan, the Rejected.'" Mariam literally means
"maidservant of God."
In Quran 3:37, God states that He accepted Mary as her mother had asked.
He made Mary grow in purity and beauty. She was assigned to the care of
a priest named Zacharias. This is interesting considering few women were
given this opportunity.
"Every time that he entered (her) chamber to see her, he found her
supplied with sustenance. He said: 'O Mary! Whence (comes) this to you?'
She said: 'From God. for God provides sustenance to whom He pleases
without measure.'" (Quran 3:37). Upon hearing Mary's answer, "There did
Zakariya pray to his Lord, saying: 'O my Lord! Grant unto me from Thee a
progeny that is pure: for Thou art He that heareth prayer!'" (Quran 3:38).
Although his wife was barren and he was very old, God blesses Zacharias
and his wife Elizabeth with John. John is known as "John the Baptist" in
the Bible. Zacharias was skeptical after the angels announced John's
birth. The response to his skepticism was "Doth God accomplish what He
willeth" (Quran 3:40). John would become a noble and chaste Prophet as
the angels had stated (Quran 3:39).
The Quran discusses Mary's miraculous conception as well. "Relate in the
Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place
in the East. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We
sent her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all
respects." (Quran 19:16-17). After seeing the angel, she said: "I seek
refuge from thee to (God) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost
fear God." (Quran 19:18). The angel Gabriel responded: "Nay, I am only a
messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a pure son."
(Quran 19:19). Her next response is expected. She asked: "How shall I
have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"
(Quran 19:20). The Angel Gabriel said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith,
'That is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men
and a Mercy from Us.' It is a matter (so) decreed." (Quran 19:21). Mary
then becomes pregnant.
Jesus is a Prophet and a Messenger. A Messenger is a Prophet who is
given revelation from God. Whereas the Torah was revealed to Moses, the
Gospel was revealed to Jesus. Messengers are a mercy, guidance, and sign
from God. "And God will teach him (Jesus) the Book and Wisdom, the Torah
and the Gospel, and (appoint him) as a messenger to the Children of
Israel, (with this message):
'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you
out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and
it becomes a bird by God's leave. And I heal those born blind, and the
lepers, and I bring the dead into life, by God's leave; and I declare to
you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a
Sign for you if ye did believe. (I have come to you) to attest the Torah
which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (before)
forbidden to you. I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear
God, and obey me. It is God Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship
Him. This is a Way that is straight.'" (Quran 3:48-51).
God appointed messengers to help us answer questions such as: What
happens after I die? What's right and wrong? Does a supernatural world
exist? What's the purpose of my creation? Jesus was calling people to
the worship of only God. Only by God's leave was Jesus able to perform
miracles.
"When Jesus found unbelief on their (the disciples) part he said: 'Who
will be my helpers to (the work of) God?" Said the disciples: "We are
God's helpers: We believe in God, and do thou bear witness that we are
Muslims.'" (Quran 3:52).
After conceiving Jesus, Mary went away with the baby to a distant place
(Quran 19:22). "And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a
palm-tree. She cried (in her anguish): 'Ah! would that I had died before
this! would that I had been a thing forgotten!'" (Quran 19:23). "But (a
voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): 'Grieve not! for thy
Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; And shake towards thyself the
trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. So
eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say,
'I have vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter
into no talk with any human being.'" (Quran 19:24-26).
Joseph, the magi, and manger are not mentioned in the Quran. God was
Mary's only Provider. Muslims do not accept the virgin birth of Jesus as
evidence of Jesus' divinity. "The similitude of Jesus before God is as
that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: 'Be.' And he
was." (Quran 3:59). Adam's creation was even more miraculous because he
was born without father and mother. When she brings the baby to her
people, they said: "O Mary! truly a strange thing has thou brought! O
sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a
woman unchaste!" (Quran 19:27-8). Mary then points to the baby. They
said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?" (Quran
19:29). Then a miracle occurs that is not mentioned in the Bible. In
defense of his mother, Jesus said: "I am indeed a servant of God. He
hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; And He hath made me
blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as
long as I live; (He hath made me) kind to my mother, and not overbearing
or unblest; So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die,
and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)!" (Quran 19:30-33).
The virgin birth of Jesus was a sign. "And (remember) her who guarded
her chastity: We breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and
her son a sign for all peoples." (Quran 21:91). All previous Prophets
confirmed the oneness of God, Tawheed. Whereas the Holy Trinity is the
fundamental concept of God in Christianity, Tawheed is the fundamental
concept of God in Islam. God exists independent of religion. Muslims do
not believe in the concept of Holy Trinity (Quran 5:73). God is not
Jesus (Quran 5:72). On the Day of Judgment, when Jesus is asked if he
had called people to worship him and his mother as two gods, Jesus will
say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had
I said such a thing, Thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest
what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest
in full all that is hidden." (Quran 5:116).
People should not worship any of God's creation, including Jesus and
Mary. We must not assign any of God's creation His divine attributes and
characteristics. "He is God the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him
belong the Names Most Beautiful. All that is in the heavens and the
earth magnifies Him; He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise." (Qur'an 59:24).
Although God can do all things, He only does things that are consistent
with His fundamental nature. Begetting a son is not consistent with
God's magnificent nature (Quran 19:92, Quran 19:35). Consistent with His
fundamental nature is forgiveness. Although Adam and Eve could no longer
live in the Paradise, God forgave Adam and Eve for their sin after they
sincerely repented (Quran 2:35-37). We are responsible for our own deeds
and will not be punished for the deeds of another person (Quran
53:38-42). Therefore, Muslims reject the doctrine of original sin.
Although Adam and Eve were punished, God would still be merciful by
sending Guidance to mankind. "We said: 'Get down all of you from this
place (the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me,
and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor
shall they grieve.'" (Quran 2:38).
When people hear the term Islam, they naturally tend to think of the
organized religion of Islam which started in the 7th century CE with
prophet Mohammed. However, in Arabic the word Islam comes from the root
"salema" which means peace, purity, submission, and obedience. In the
religious sense, Islam means peace and purity achieved by submitting to
the will of God and obedience to His law. Muslims are those who submit.
Muslims believe that all those who submitted to the will of God in
line with divine revelation received before the advent of formal Islam
with prophet Mohammed, were themselves also Muslim. So coming from this
understanding, Muslims believe that we are part of one continuing faith
community with Jesus and Mary. Mary, Jesus, and the disciples were all
"Muslims" because they submitted to God.
"Behold! the angels said: 'O Mary! God hath chosen thee and purified
thee - chosen thee above the women of all nations. O Mary! worship thy
Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those
who bow down.'" (Quran 3:42-43).
Another Prophet with a message similar to Jesus' would later be born in
Arabia in the sixth century. He also called people to the worship of
only God. Although unable to read and write, Muhammad (peace be upon
him) would recite beautiful verses of the Quran as they were revealed to
him. The Quran is a beautiful miracle, a sign, a mercy, a warner, and a
guidance for all people. Muhammad is the last Prophet from a line of
Prophets that included Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon
them). All Prophets were models for righteous living. Muhammad's sunnah,
his sayings, example, and traditions, is also considered revelation. His
sunnah is expressed in various books of Haddith.
"Indeed in the Messenger of God you have a good example to follow for
him who hopes for (the Meeting with) God and the Last Day, and remembers
God much." (Quran 33:21).
God created all people to worship Him and to live life based on His
teachings and guidance. "And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which
God (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and
remember with gratitude God's favor on you; for ye were enemies and He
joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren;
and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it.
Thus doth God make His Signs clear to you that ye may be guided." (Quran
3:103).
"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to God),
never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the
ranks of those who have lost." (Quran 3:85).
We accomplish this by bearing witness to God's oneness and accepting His
final revelation in our daily lives. "O ye who believe! Fear God as He
should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam." (Quran 3:102).
There is none worthy of worship but God, and Muhammad is His messenger.
*
End Note: While writing about the Virgin Mary, I wanted to avoid
as much confusion as possible among non-Muslims. My article was written
with a non-Muslim audience in mind. Consequently, I used English terms
and figures familiar to Christians rather than those in Arabic. For
example, "Isa" means Jesus in Arabic, and "Yahya" means John in Arabic.
I also avoided using terms of respectability commonly used among Muslims
such as SWT, PBUH, SAWS, RA, and AS. I apologize if I have offended anyone.
Read more articles by Juan Galvan here.
http://www.islamfortoday.com/galvan.htm
Nebulous
"JMD Morgan" <John...@email.non> wrote in message
news:hbKdnQD9acEpJ9vX...@giganews.com...
An Ode To The Queen
On Her Jubilee Year
Sound drums and trumpets, far and near!
And Let all Queen Victoria's subjects loudly cheer!
And show by their actions that they revere,
Because she's served them faithfully fifty long year!
All hail to the Empress of India and Great Britain's Queen!
Long may she live happy and serene!
And as this is now her Jubilee year,
I hope her subjects will show their loyalty without fear.
Therefore let all her subjects rejoice and sing,
Until they make the welkin ring;
And let young and old on this her Jubilee be glad,
And cry, "Long Live our Queen!" and don't be sad.
She has been a good Queen, which no one dare gainsay,
And I hope God will protect her for many a day;
May He enable her a few more years to reign,
And let all her lieges say - Amen!
Let all hatred towards her be thrown aside
All o'er dominions broad and wide;
And let all her subjects bear in mind,
By God kings and queens are put in trust o'er mankind.
Therefore rejoice and be glad on her Jubilee day,
And try and make the heart of our Queen feel gay;
Oh! try and make her happy in country and town,
And not with Shakespeare say, "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
And as this is her first Jubilee year,
And will be her last, I rather fear:
Therefore, sound drums and trumpets cheerfully,
Until the echoes are heard o'er land and sea.
And let the innocent voices of the children at home or abroad
Ascend with cheerful shouts to the throne of God;
And sing aloud, "God Save our Gracious Queen!"
Because a good and charitable Sovereign she has been.
Therefore, ye sons of great Britain, come join with me,
And welcome in our noble Queen's Jubilee;
Because she has been a faithful Queen, ye must confess,
There hasn't been her equal since the days of Queen Bess.
Therefore let all her lieges shout and cheer,
"God Save our Gracious Queen!" for many a year;
let such be the cry in the peasant's cot, the hall,
With stentorian voices, as loud as they can bawl.
And let bonfires be kindled on every hill
And let her subjects dance around them at their freewill;
And try to drive dull care away
By singing and rejoicing on the Queen's Jubilee day.
May God protect her for many a day,
At home or abroad when she's far away;
Long may she be spared o'er her subjects to reign,
And let each and all with one voice say - Amen!
Victoria is a good Queen, which all he subjects know,
And for that may God protect her from every foe;
May He be as a hedge around her, as He's been all along.
And let her live and die in peace - is the end of my song
Nebulous
"JMD Morgan" <John...@email.non> wrote in message
Nora, The Maid of Killarney
Down by the beautiful Lakes of Killarney,
Oft times I have met my own dear Barney,
In the sweet summer time of the year,
In the silvery moonlight so clear,
I've rambled with my sweetheart Barney,
Along the green banks of the Lakes of Killarney.
The Lakes of Killarney are most lovely to be seen
In the summer season when nature's face is green,
Especially in the beautiful silvery moonlight,
When its waters do shine like silver bright;
Such was the time when me and my Barney
Went to walk by the purty Lakes of Killarney.
My Barney was beautiful, gallant, and gay,
But, alas, he has left me and gone far away,
To that foreign country called Amerikay;
But when he returns we will get married without delay,
And again we will roam by the Lakes of Killarney,
Me and my sweetheart, charming Barney.
And until he returns I will feel rather sad,
For while walking with Barney I always felt glad;
May God send him home again safe to me,
And he will fill my sad heart with glee,
While we walk by the Lakes of Killarney.
I dreamt one night I was walking with Barney,
Down by the beautiful Lakes of Killarney,
And he said, "Nora, dear Nora, don't fret for me,
For I will soon come home to thee;
And I will build a nice cabin near the Lakes of Killarney,
And Nora will live happy with her own dear Barney."
But, alas, I awoke from my beautiful dream,
For, och, if was a most lovely scene;
But I hope it will happen some unexpected day,
When Barney comes home from Amerikay;
Then Barney will relate his adventures to me,
As we walk by the silvery Lakes of Killarney.
We will ramble among its green trees and green bushes,
And hear the sweet songs of the blackbirds and thrushes,
And gaze on its lovely banks so green,
And its waters glittering like crystal in the moonlight's sheen;
Och! how I long to be walking with Barney,
Along the green banks of the Lakes of Killarney.
Of all the spots in Ireland, Killarney for me,
For 'twas there I first met my dear Barney:
He was singing, I remember, right merrily;
And his singing filled my heart with glee,
And he said, "Nora, dear Nora, will you walk with me,
For you are the prettiest girl I ever did see."
"Now, Barney," I said, "you are just mocking me,
When you say no other girl like me you can see";
Then he said, "Nora, you are the only girl I do love,
And this I do swear by the saints above,
I will marry you, dear Nora, without delay,
When I come home from Amerikay."
But when Barney landed in Amerikay,
He courted another girl without dismay,
And he married her in the month of May,
And when I heard it I fainted away;
So maidens beware of such men as Barney,
Or else they will deceive ye with their flattering blarney.