Please note that I am posting this piece of news for only my Catholic brothers and sisters who do not have access to the latest news. It is not a piece for discussion by any parties. As far as I am concerned we have total obedience to our clergy which include the priests, bishops, archbishops and of course the Pope. Of course, we may not always agree or like the person but we have to respect the decision when it is made by them because they in turn have to prayerfully get their guide from Jesus Christ. For Jesus has asked them to feed and watch my lambs.
According to Malaysiakini,
‘Vatican support for Allah signature campaign’
Joe Fernandez | Mar 17, 09 2:34pm
A signature campaign that activists in Sabah and Sarawak have initiated on the right of Christians in Malaysia to use the term ‘Allah’ for God is said to have received the support of the Vatican.
Kota Kinabalu church activist Ronnie Klassen said Herald editor Father Lawrence Andrew, who is in Rome on a periodic visit to the Vatican, had indicated this in an email dated March 14, in reply to his request for views and support of the signature campaign.
It is understood that the contents of the email could not have been penned without the prior approval of the Holy See.
Lawrence wrote: “We must all realise that this is not an ‘Allah’ issue alone. The ‘Allah’ issue has become the vehicle to ensure that our federal constitution is not buried and Syariah law becomes the law of the country. This is the real danger.”
He cited contradictions in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s recent public statements that indicate inherent ‘danger’ for the status of the federal constitution.
As I had said before, the matter is not just banning The Herald from using Allah but there are parties who are waiting to get our Bibles in Bahasa Malaysia to take out the word Allah as well. If that’s not enough, there are attempts to even stop our brothers and sisters who only speak Bahasa Malaysia not to use it too. Therefore, I don’t think any Catholics should still doubt the decision made my our Archbishop to bring this matter to court. Total obedience also means not challenging the wisdom of the Archbishop and his clergies in the public to proof yourself wiser.
I also noted that some parties have asked people to write to the Holy See to protest the action taken by our Catholic church. I respect their action and I applaud them for their faithfulness to their belief and their efforts.
March 18th, 2009 at 2:38 am
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
A Common Word between Us and You
(Summary and Abridgement)
Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.
The basis for this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbour is thus the common ground between Islam and Christianity. The following are only a few examples:
Of God’s Unity, God says in the Holy Qur’an: Say: He is God, the One! / God, the Self-Sufficient Besought of all! (Al-Ikhlas, 112:1-2). Of the necessity of love for God, God says in the Holy Qur’an: So invoke the Name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him with a complete devotion (Al-Muzzammil, 73:8). Of the necessity of love for the neighbour, the Prophet Muhammad r said: “None of you has faith until you love for your neighbour what you love for yourself.”
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ u said: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. / And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. / And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)
In the Holy Qur’an, God Most High enjoins Muslims to issue the following call to Christians (and Jews—the People of the Scripture):
Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a common word between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him). (Aal ‘Imran 3:64)
The words: we shall ascribe no partner unto Him relate to the Unity of God, and the words: worship none but God, relate to being totally devoted to God. Hence they all relate to the First and Greatest Commandment. According to one of the oldest and most authoritative commentaries on the Holy Qur’an the words: that none of us shall take others for lords beside God, mean ‘that none of us should obey the other in disobedience to what God has commanded’. This relates to the Second Commandment because justice and freedom of religion are a crucial part of love of the neighbour.
Thus in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, we as Muslims invite Christians to come together with us on the basis of what is common to us, which is also what is most essential to our faith and practice: the Two Commandments of love.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,
And may peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad
A COMMON WORD BETWEEN US AND YOU
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,
Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and contend with them in the fairest way. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who go aright.
(The Holy Qur’an, Al-Nahl, 16:125)
(I) LOVE OF GOD
LOVE OF GOD IN ISLAM
The Testimonies of Faith
The central creed of Islam consists of the two testimonies of faith or Shahadahsi, which state that: There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God. These Two Testimonies are the sine qua non of Islam. He or she who testifies to them is a Muslim; he or she who denies them is not a Muslim. Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad r said: The best remembrance is: ‘There is no god but God’….ii
The Best that All the Prophets have Said
Expanding on the best remembrance, the Prophet Muhammad r also said: The best that I have said—myself, and the prophets that came before me—is: ‘There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things’iii. The phrases which follow the First Testimony of faith are all from the Holy Qur’an; each describe a mode of love of God, and devotion to Him.
The words: He Alone, remind Muslims that their heartsiv must be devoted to God Alone, since God says in the Holy Qur’an: God hath not assigned unto any man two hearts within his body (Al-Ahzab, 33:4). God is Absolute and therefore devotion to Him must be totally sincere.
The words: He hath no associate, remind Muslims that they must love God uniquely, without rivals within their souls, since God says in the Holy Qur’an: Yet there are men who take rivals unto God: they love them as they should love God. But those of faith are more intense in their love for God …. (Al-Baqarah, 2:165). Indeed, [T]heir flesh and their hearts soften unto the remembrance of God …. (Al-Zumar, 39:23).
The words: His is the sovereignty, remind Muslims that their minds or their understandings must be totally devoted to God, for the sovereignty is precisely everything in creation or existence and everything that the mind can know. And all is in God’s Hand, since God says in the Holy Qur’an: Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the sovereignty, and, He is Able to do all things (Al-Mulk, 67:1).
The words: His is the praise remind Muslims that they must be grateful to God and trust Him with all their sentiments and emotions. God says in the Holy Qur’an:
And if thou wert to ask them: Who created the heavens and the earth, and constrained the sun and the moon (to their appointed work)? they would say: God. How then are they turned away ? / God maketh the provision wide for whom He will of His servants, and straiteneth it for whom (He will). Lo! God is Aware of all things. / And if thou wert to ask them: Who causeth water to come down from the sky, and therewith reviveth the earth after its death ? they verily would say: God. Say: Praise be to God! But most of them have no sense. (Al-‘Ankabut, 29:61-63)v
For all these bounties and more, human beings must always be truly grateful:
God is He Who created the heavens and the earth, and causeth water to descend from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you, and maketh the ships to be of service unto you, that they may run upon the sea at His command, and hath made of service unto you the rivers; / And maketh the sun and the moon, constant in their courses, to be of service unto you, and hath made of service unto you the night and the day./ And He giveth you of all ye ask of Him, and if ye would count the graces of God ye cannot reckon them. Lo! man is verily a wrong-doer, an ingrate. (Ibrahim, 14:32-34)vi
Indeed, the Fatihah—which is the greatest chapter in the Holy Qur’anvii—starts with praise to God:
In the Name of God, the Infinitely Good, the All-Merciful. /
Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds. /
The Infinitely Good, the All-Merciful. /
Owner of the Day of Judgement. /
Thee we worship, and Thee we ask for help. /
Guide us upon the straight path. /
The path of those on whom is Thy Grace, not those who deserve anger nor those who are astray. (Al-Fatihah, 1:1-7)
The Fatihah, recited at least seventeen times daily by Muslims in the canonical prayers, reminds us of the praise and gratitude due to God for His Attributes of Infinite Goodness and All-Mercifulness, not merely for His Goodness and Mercy to us in this life but ultimately, on the Day of Judgementviii when it matters the most and when we hope to be forgiven for our sins. It thus ends with prayers for grace and guidance, so that we might attain—through what begins with praise and gratitude— salvation and love, for God says in the Holy Qur’an: Lo! those who believe and do good works, the Infinitely Good will appoint for them love. (Maryam, 19:96)
The words: and He hath power over all things, remind Muslims that they must be mindful of God’s Omnipotence and thus fear Godix. God says in the Holy Qur’an:
… [A]nd fear God, and know that God is with the God-fearing. / Spend your wealth for the cause of God, and be not cast by your own hands to ruin; and do good. Lo! God loveth the virtuous. / …. (Al-Baqarah, 2:194-5)…
[A]nd fear God, and know that God is severe in punishment. (Al-Baqarah, 2:196)
Through fear of God, the actions, might and strength of Muslims should be totally devoted to God. God says in the Holy Qur’an:
…[A]nd know that God is with those who fear Him. (Al-Tawbah, 9:36) ….
O ye who believe! What aileth you that when it is said unto you: Go forth in the way of God, ye are bowed down to the ground with heaviness. Take ye pleasure in the life of the world rather than in the Hereafter ? The comfort of the life of the world is but little in the Hereafter. / If ye go not forth He will afflict you with a painful doom, and will choose instead of you a folk other than you. Ye cannot harm Him at all. God is Able to do all things. (Al-Tawbah, 9:38-39)
c
The words: His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things, when taken all together, remind Muslims that just as everything in creation glorifies God, everything that is in their souls must be devoted to God:
All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth God; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things. (Al-Taghabun, 64:1)
For indeed, all that is in people’s souls is known, and accountable, to God:
He knoweth all that is in the heavens and the earth, and He knoweth what ye conceal and what ye publish. And God is Aware of what is in the breasts (of men). (Al-Taghabun, 64:4)
As we can see from all the passages quoted above, souls are depicted in the Holy Qur’an as having three main faculties: the mind or the intelligence, which is made for comprehending the truth; the will which is made for freedom of choice, and sentiment which is made for loving the good and the beautifulx. Put in another way, we could say that man’s soul knows through understanding the truth, through willing the good, and through virtuous emotions and feeling love for God. Continuing in the same chapter of the Holy Qur’an (as that quoted above), God orders people to fear Him as much as possible, and to listen (and thus to understand the truth); to obey (and thus to will the good), and to spend (and thus to exercise love and virtue), which, He says, is better for our souls. By engaging everything in our souls—the faculties of knowledge, will, and love—we may come to be purified and attain ultimate success:
So fear God as best ye can, and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And those who are saved from the pettiness of their own souls, such are the successful. (Al-Taghabun, 64:16)
c
In summary then, when the entire phrase He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things is added to the testimony of faith—There is no god but God—it reminds Muslims that their hearts, their individual souls and all the faculties and powers of their souls (or simply their entire hearts and souls) must be totally devoted and attached to God. Thus God says to the Prophet Muhammad r in the Holy Qur’an:
Say: Lo! my worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for God, Lord of the Worlds. / He hath no partner. This am I commanded, and I am first of those who surrender (unto Him). / Say: Shall I seek another than God for Lord, when He is Lord of all things? Each soul earneth only on its own account, nor doth any laden bear another’s load…. (Al-An’am, 6:162-164)
These verses epitomize the Prophet Muhammad’s r complete and utter devotion to God. Thus in the Holy Qur’an God enjoins Muslims who truly love God to follow this examplexi, in order in turn to be lovedxii by God:
Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love God, follow me; God will love you and forgive you your sins. God is Forgiving, Merciful. (Aal ‘Imran, 3:31)
Love of God in Islam is thus part of complete and total devotion to God; it is not a mere fleeting, partial emotion. As seen above, God commands in the Holy Qur’an: Say: Lo! my worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for God, Lord of the Worlds. / He hath no partner. The call to be totally devoted and attached to God heart and soul, far from being a call for a mere emotion or for a mood, is in fact an injunction requiring all-embracing, constant and active love of God. It demands a love in which the innermost spiritual heart and the whole of the soul—with its intelligence, will and feeling—participate through devotion.
c
None Comes with Anything Better
We have seen how the blessed phrase: There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things—which is the best that all the prophets have said—makes explicit what is implicit in the best remembrance (There is no god but God) by showing what it requires and entails, by way of devotion. It remains to be said that this blessed formula is also in itself a sacred invocation—a kind of extension of the First Testimony of faith (There is no god but God)—the ritual repetition of which can bring about, through God’s grace, some of the devotional attitudes it demands, namely, loving and being devoted to God with all one’s heart, all one’s soul, all one’s mind, all one’s will or strength, and all one’s sentiment. Hence the Prophet Muhammad r commended this remembrance by saying:
He who says: ‘There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things’ one hundred times in a day, it is for them equal to setting ten slaves free, and one hundred good deeds are written for them and one hundred bad deeds are effaced, and it is for them a protection from the devil for that day until the evening. And none offers anything better than that, save one who does more than that.xiii
In other words, the blessed remembrance, There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things, not only requires and implies that Muslims must be totally devoted to God and love Him with their whole hearts and their whole souls and all that is in them, but provides a way, like its beginning (the testimony of faith)—through its frequent repetitionxiv—for them to realize this love with everything they are.
God says in one of the very first revelations in the Holy Qur’an: So invoke the Name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him with a complete devotion (Al-Muzzammil, 73:8). ^
LOVE OF GOD AS THE FIRST AND GREATEST COMMANDMENT IN THE BIBLE
The Shema in the Book of Deuteronomy (6:4-5), a centrepiece of the Old Testament and of Jewish liturgy, says: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! / You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.xv
Likewise, in the New Testament, when Jesus Christ, the Messiah u, is asked about the Greatest Commandment, he answers u:
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. / Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, / “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” / Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ / This is the first and greatest commandment. / And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ / On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40)
And also:
Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” / Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. / And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. / And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)
The commandment to love God fully is thus the First and Greatest Commandment of the Bible. Indeed, it is to be found in a number of other places throughout the Bible including: Deuteronomy 4:29, 10:12, 11:13 (also part of the Shema), 13:3, 26:16, 30:2, 30:6, 30:10; Joshua 22:5; Mark 12:32-33 and Luke 10:27-28.
However, in various places throughout the Bible, it occurs in slightly different forms and versions. For instance, in Matthew 22:37 (You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind), the Greek word for “heart” is kardia, the word for “soul” is psyche, and the word for “mind” is dianoia. In the version from Mark 12:30 (And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength) the word “strength” is added to the aforementioned three, translating the Greek word ischus.
The words of the lawyer in Luke 10:27 (which are confirmed by Jesus Christ u in Luke 10:28) contain the same four terms as Mark 12:30. The words of the scribe in Mark 12:32 (which are approved of by Jesus Christ u in Mark 12:34) contain the three terms kardia (“heart”), dianoia (“mind”), and ischus (“strength”).
In the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! / You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength). In Hebrew the word for “heart” is lev, the word for “soul” is nefesh, and the word for “strength” is me’od.
In Joshua 22:5, the Israelites are commanded by Joshua u to love God and be devoted to Him as follows:
“But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Joshua 22:5)
What all these versions thus have in common—despite the language differences between the Hebrew Old Testament, the original words of Jesus Christ u in Aramaic, and the actual transmitted Greek of the New Testament—is the command to love God fully with one’s heart and soul and to be fully devoted to Him. This is the First and Greatest Commandment for human beings. ¯
In the light of what we have seen to be necessarily implied and evoked by the Prophet Muhammad’s r blessed saying: ‘The best that I have said—myself, and the prophets that came before me—is: ‘There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things’ xvi, we can now perhaps understand the words ‘The best that I have said—myself, and the prophets that came before me’ as equating the blessed formula ‘There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things’ precisely with the ‘First and Greatest Commandment’ to love God, with all one’s heart and soul, as found in various places in the Bible. That is to say, in other words, that the Prophet Muhammad r was perhaps, through inspiration, restating and alluding to the Bible’s First Commandment. God knows best, but certainly we have seen their effective similarity in meaning. Moreover, we also do know (as can be seen in the endnotes), that both formulas have another remarkable parallel: the way they arise in a number of slightly differing versions and forms in different contexts, all of which, nevertheless, emphasize the primacy of total love and devotion to God xvii.
(II) LOVE OF THE NEIGHBOUR
LOVE OF THE NEIGHBOUR IN ISLAM
http://acommonword.com/index.p.....ge=option1
March 18th, 2009 at 2:51 am
My dear Lilian.
If Shariah Law is allow to practised in UK, why it can’t be practised in Malaysia since the King is a Muslim, the PM is a muslim and majority of the population are muslim?
Sharia law in UK
Rowan Douglas Williams is an Anglican bishop and theologian. He is the current (104th) Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was the subject of a media and press furore in February 2008, following a lecture he gave to the Temple foundation at the Royal Courts of Justice[16] on the subject of ‘Islam and English Law’. He raised the question of conflicting loyalties which communities might have, cultural, religious and civic and argued that theology has a place in debates about the very nature of law ‘however hard our culture may try to keep it out’ and noted that there is in a ‘dominant human rights philosophy’ a reluctance to acknowledge the liberty of conscientious objection. He spoke of ’supplementary jurisdictions’ to that of the civil law.[17] Noting the anxieties which the word Sharia provoked in the West he drew attention to the fact that there was a debate within Islam between what he called “primitivists” for whom, for instance, apostasy should still be punishable and those Muslims who argued that Sharia was a developing system of Islamic jurisprudence that such a view was no longer acceptable. He made comparisons with “Orthodox Jewish practice” (Beth Din) and with the recognition of the exercise of conscience of Christians.[16]
His words were critically interpreted as proposing a parallel jurisdiction to the civil law for Muslims (Sharia), and was the subject of demands from elements of the press and media for his resignation.[18] He also attracted criticism from elements of the Anglican Communion.[19]
In response, Williams stated in a BBC interview “… certain provision[s] of Sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law; … we already have in this country a number of situations in which the internal law of religious communities is recognised by the law of the land as justified conscientious objections in certain circumstances in providing certain kinds of social relations” and that “we have Orthodox Jewish courts operating in this country legally and in a regulated way because there are modes of dispute resolution and customary provisions which apply there in the light of Talmud.”[20] Williams also denied accusations of proposing a parallel Islamic legal system within Britain.[19] Williams also acknowledged that Sharia, “In some of the ways it has been codified and practised across the world, it has been appalling and applied to women in places like Saudi Arabia, it is grim.”[21]
On 4 July 2008 Sharia again became a topic of media interest, following comments by Lord Phillips, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. He supported the idea that Sharia could be reasonably employed as a basis for “mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution”. He went further to defend Williams’s position from earlier in the year, explaining “It was not very radical to advocate embracing sharia law in the context of family disputes, for example, and our system already goes a long way towards accommodating the archbishop’s suggestion.” and “It is possible in this country for those who are entering into a contractual agreement to agree that the agreement shall be governed by a law other than English law.”[
If Christian in the West can accept Shariah, why can’t Christian in Malaysia?
Cheers
March 18th, 2009 at 9:19 am
arah – You just don’t get the meaning when I said the matter is not for discussion, right? Where in my post did I indicate anything about asking for lengthy opinions like the two you left above. Well, I am sorry but we Christians are taught to love our neighbour without discerning race, religion, financial background or anything like that. So, I find your reminder ‘Love of the neighbour in Islam’ a bit of an extreme. Sorry, I know you mean well but I find your insistence to publish so many words and so many verses from both our Holy Books a bit pushy. I’d rather spend my days doing something frutiful than to compare notes. God doesn’t need me to know all the texts from every Holy Book. He needs me to just do it – His Will, i.e.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
My dear Lilian
Can you stop people from discussion? Even the government can’t do that with their ISA.
Almighty God the Creator does not want us to be a blind follower. we have to know our priority and search for the truth.
Let me share a story of a Christian Missionary from Jordan. Sorry it’s a long story but worth reading
Ruba Qewar, Jordanian Missionary
I was born in Denmark and was raised Christian in Jordan all my life,
my father was a pastor of 4 churches, my mother is one of the
strongest Christian woman leaders in the Jordanian society. I was a
youth leader in the church and I was a supervisor in the church
community for the Christian theology and I know a lot about it but
never narrowed my mind and put that dark sheet on my eyes, I was
seeking because I never found my peace till I became a Muslim. And it
took me a long process to be convinced in Islam.
It started since I was a kid, I hated Islam, when I was in the 10th
grade, I saw one day a girl is praying, I kicked her and pushed her
while she was kneeling down (sajedah), I have fought with girls in
high school and I wanted to show them how educated I am, so I used to
bring the Bible with me all the time and read in loud, or write a
verse on the board as (today’s tip). When it’s Ramadan, I used to eat
in front of the girls while fasting (I ask Allah to forgive me and
give me Mercy), I was a serious trouble maker.
In the eleventh grade, I remember one day we had an Islamic class in
Zarqa High School, and I wanted to stay and listen to the teacher,
they said that the Bible is Muharraf (interpreted and altered) I
started to become mad and I explained to them that the Bible has been
written as 4 different books in the same time different places from 4
different people (Mathew, Mark, Luke and John), so one of the girls
said: “So you’re saying that the evil spirit have written the books!”
I got really angry and I left the class and I didn’t want to talk to
any of the girls.
The girls in the class were wondering about me and they wanted to know
what’s my deal, so they came and started asking me questions about my
religion and I was answering them and showing them in the Bible and
give them proofs to convince them about Christianity, until one day,
the teacher called me and asked me to stop talking about my religion
because it’s illegal, I told her that I have nothing to do with it,
she said: “I have a recorded tape of your voice talking to the girls
about it” that made me really mad, and I started to have not only hate
but anger and I wanted to bring all the Muslims to Christianity, I
even invited my Muslim friends to the church many times to convert
them to Christianity.
After I graduated from the high school, I went to study in Mu’ta
University, year 1999, but I haven’t finished the whole year and I
went out – by Allah will – and I knew that the approval of the
immigration to the Unites States of America is coming soon. At that
time I was an official missionary because I studied also the theology
in the Christian theology university in Jordan and I was trying to
convert Muslims to Christianity and bring the faraway Christians to
the church.
Yes, I immigrated to TX, USA year 2002, trying to start from the
scratch, I was going to the Arabic Dallas Baptist Church , and my
uncle is the pastor of this church. I didn’t like living there so my
family contacted a certain Christian family for me to go to Arizona
and try to build myself, but once I couldn’t find a financial support,
the family asked me to go back to Texas and stay with my family. So I
went back home and my parents with my little brothers went back to
Jordan in order for my father to continue his ministry in the
churches, but I stayed with my brother and my sister and I am the
oldest. I found a job and I started to study in the college. I kept
myself going to the church, doing some activities, even sending some
programs to the church in Jordan and help them out with the Bible
studies for the Sunday Schools.
In December 2003 my father died – diagnosed by the Cancer, but that
didn’t stop me from keeping myself going in life.
I tell you that I came to USA to make some Christian ministries .. and
my aim was to reach the Arab Muslim and bring them to Christianity
since the USA is a free country and you have the right of thoughts and
talk
So .. I met some friends in the college and we started to talk about
Islam .. And I know the Bible from the beginning to the end, I was
arguing hard trying to convince them about Christianity.
Until they brought me the guy Mostafa Belhour – who is my husband now
- to debate .. And it started to be like a race with him since he has
great knowledge about Quran and Sunnah .. And I didn’t like him at
all. Most of the time, we were adding gas to the fire and sometimes we
reach to dead ends, he was a real good speaker .. And I am the
stubborn. I finally got tired and exhausted.
Anyway .. My mom was coming on Sep 2005 and I thought it’s a good
excuse to get away from the debate because it started to make me so
agitated ..
For me it would be really insulting if I loose the debate .. So I told
my friends .. I need to go!! but that guy called me by my name and
said: “I need a proof” I asked: what are you talking about? He said:
“search the whole Bible .. You will never find one verse that Jesus
says about himself that he’s God .. He never said(I am God)” .. I
found that it’s my opportunity to tell him about Christianity and
bring him to Jesus (who I believed that he’s the savior and the son of
God)
I asked with a sarcastic method: “what are you talking about.. Of
course there is tens of verses say that Jesus is God” .. He said:
“show me the proof” I went home and that question stuck in my mind.
I opened the Bible and started to search, then I went to some internet
resources, then to some books.
Then I asked my mom and I went with her through a discussion .. she
said: “well there is no specific verse laterally saying that Jesus
said about himself he’s God, but he said; (whoever saw me saw the
father)” I said: “but the father and the son are not the same” she
said: “but you know that they have the same level in power as they are
a part of the Trinity (The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit)”
So the 1st one has no proof .. Now let’s go to the second one: Jesus
is the son!
I started to search more .. I found that it’s written in the Gospel -
in the Bible – called “John” this Equation: “in the beginning, the
word was with God …” ok?? So the word is Jesus who is created from
the beginning and he was WITH God ..
Then the same verse says: “and the word was God” John 1:1 so hold
on!!! God = (equals) Jesus and God WITH Jesus
ohuh .. Wrong mathematical statement .. How the heck would Jesus be
God and with God at the same time? This is not something can make any
kind of sense
So I left that verse for a minute and went to another one .. To the
1st letter of john chapter 5 and verse 7 says: ” 7For there are three
that bear record (witness) in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost: and these three ARE ONE. ” I said yeay .. Here is the
proof, The Father=The Son=The Holy Ghost (Spirit)
Then the next verse 8 says: ” 8And there are three that bear witness
in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three
agree IN ONE.” The Spirit (Holy Spirit), The Water (The Father) and
the Blood (The Son). How would it be 3=1 and 3IN1 at the same time ..
It’s just completely different meaning.
3=1 means they are all in the same level, the same power, the same
content (i.e. The water has 3 different mentalities liquid, solid and
gas) and 3in1 is like 3 relative people carry the same family name but
they are completely different people with different mentalities and
personalities.
In addition, if I believe that God is 3, then why would I have one
creation? For example if I get 3 artists to draw a tree for me, each
one will have his own style and way of drawing that tree according to
his way of thinking, and if the 3 in one God are creating the
creature, then each one of them will create it in a different way,
even if they have the same aim, but they would create it in their own
way!
Anywho! I said there are some conflicts in this Bible, where did I get
this book from?? I know that Jesus called himself the son of God
because he’s Jewish and it’s not something new that the Jewish call
themselves the “children of God” and they are humans
Jesus was sitting by himself and pray! Who was he praying for? For
himself? He was calling God, and the scripture of the Bible show that
in different places, for example: “ 25At that time Jesus answered and
said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou
hast hid these things from the wise and prudent” Mathew 11:25 “39And
going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face
and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass
away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but
as You will and desire.” Mathew 26:39 “42Again a second time He went
away and prayed, My Father, if this cannot pass by unless I drink it,
Your will be done.” Mathew 26:42 “23And after He had dismissed the
multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was
evening, He was still there alone.” Mathew 14:23 “44So, leaving them
again, He went away and prayed for the third time, using the same
words.” Mathew 26:44 “35And in the morning, long before daylight, He
got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed” Mark
1:35 “46And after He had taken leave of them, He went off into the
hills to pray.” Mark 6:46 “21Now when all the people were baptized,
and when Jesus also had been baptized, and [while He was still]
praying, the [visible] heaven was opened” Luke 3:21 “16But He Himself
withdrew [in retirement] to the wilderness (desert) and prayed.” Luke
5:16 “12Now in those days it occurred that He went up into a mountain
to pray, and spent the whole night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12
In additional I had that memory flashed in my mind when I was studying
the Christian theology .. A British professor came to our college and
he was teaching us the history of the Bible script .. And I remember
he said exactly: “well … I went to the museum in England to see the
Bible manuscripts and all what I saw torn, burned lost papers spread
allover the place” so what is that in my hand?
And where all those words came from????
If I am going to worship A PERFECT GOD who is the complete of
everything how would I believe in imperfect book???
This is not right!!!
I started to think .. If one day lost all the holy books in the
world .. and we asked people to get a new exact book. There is no body
can get an exact book of the Bible because we have too many versions,
and they are still discovering new different scripts till now .. But I
can find may be a million Muslim can bring me an identical Quran who
is kept from the beginning .. Isn’t that amazing!!
Then I went through the theory of crucifying Jesus on the cross .. Did
he really die??
I started to think of the Gospels that we have between our hands is it
the real Bible?? The ones who wrote the Bibles are Jewish people who
followed Jesus Christ and wrote a biography about him .. They saw him
dying on the cross .. Is it necessary to be the same person on the
cross??
The verse in Quran says: “shobbeha behi” “157. That they said (in
boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of
Allah.”;- But they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was
made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of
doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow,
for of a surety they killed him not:- 158. Nay, Allah raised him up
unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise” Quran 4:157-158 so
the people who saw Jesus is someone who looks exactly like Jesus ..
So what we have in our hands is only a biography of Jesus 75% or more
of it is altered
And now I got the result in my hands: Jesus is not God, not even the
Son of God .. I got scared and I started to panic,
All those years … 24 years in my life that I was studying is only a
theory
24 years worshipping the wrong God
24 years went as a lie!!!
I wanted to kill myself and I felt that the ground that I am standing
on is just shaking and I felt so scared
I wanted to go back from the beginning and start my search all over
again to prove the opposite .. I went so quiet .. Don’t know what
next!! I am destroying my life ..
I started to think .. I believe in Jesus now that he’s only a human
and he’s a prophet from God and I believe in all the prophets .. I
have one problem with Mohammad (Peace be upon Him)
I never exposed about his life and all what I know is things that the
Christian planted in my mind .. But how the people praise him all the
time as the greatest prophet??
I said.. How could be a problem and the holy book Quran came from
heaven through him (Peace Be Upon Him) .. He must be really special ..
So it’s not a problem to believe in one more prophet ..
In addition that I know there is an illegal Gospel called Barnaby that
the churches don’t believe in it because there is the verse were Jesus
talk about the next prophet called Ahmad!!!
I left my room after great meditation and thinking about it and
searching .. And called my old friends who didn’t see me for 2
months ..
I went to see them at home and I was praying to Allah and crying: “if
that’s the right way, you change my life .. If it’s not so let me die
now in an accident before I reach my friends and take me to heaven ..
I am looking for the truth and I am calling you to take me to heaven
whatever happens”
So I reached to my friends and I have tears in my eye .. And they
thought something happened .. And there were my husband (the
debater) .. They were waiting a word from me to tell them what
happened .. I said:
ÇÔåÏ Ãä áÇ Çáå ÇáÇø Çááå .. æÇÔåÏ Ãä ãÍãÏ ÑÓæá Çááå
Ash-hadu Anna La Elaha Illa Allah, Wa As-hadu Anna Mohammad Rasool
Allah
I declare that there is no God but only One Allah, and I declare that
Mohammad is the prophet of Allah (Peace be upon Him)
For 2 minutes they were quiet with no word
They looked at me and my husband started to laugh like crazy
He said: shut up .. Don’t lie
It was October 3rd I believe
I said I am not lying and I started to cry
He said.. You said the other day that if you say the shahdatein (the
Islamic declaration statement) with no believes that won’t let you be
Muslim!!! Don’t be lying
I said: I am not lying .. Tomorrow is the first day of Ramadan .. You
are going to teach me how to pray and make wodoo2 (The washing method)
and everything
When he heard me saying that .. He hugged me and started to cry like a
baby
And really I learned all that in one night .. And I bought a hijab
(veil) and my other girl friend showed me how to put it on and
everything
I hide my Islam for two weeks ..
During that time I went to imam and had the shaahdah (announced my
Islam) and I was learning from the Quran and trying to make some
comparison from both books and it was hard for me at the beginning to
leave the Bible .. But il hamdullelah (Thanks Allah) I am over it now
I hid my Islam from my family and I was praying at night 2am or 3 so
no body can see me doing anything suspicious ..
One day I was going to school and I had my backpack with me and have
my Quran and hijab .. Suddenly my hijab fell down from the bag on the
stairs at home and my sis was behind me, she saw it but didn’t know
what is it till night when she woke up and saw me praying, so she told
my family members .. And here comes the trouble
They yelled at me, insulted me, called me words and used the fraud
language. They hit me to death and threatened me and I was calm, but
leaved the house praying that Allah lead them to Islam.
I lived about 2 months with my girl friend .. Until my husband Mostafa
and I got married il hamdulellah (Thanks to Allah) .. I lost my family
but I gained a new Muslim family at the mosque who took care of me and
really helped me ..
I went through a lot of depression aftermath because of that
beating .. Till now I still receive at least 25 phone calls and emails
– daily – from all over the world insulting me and threatening me and
all that
Other than the phone calls that I receive .. I even have debates with
the biggest Christian Professors (in the Christian Theology) from
Jordan and the USA on the phone .. debating about religions and trying
to bring me back to Christianity.
subhan Allah (The praises are for Allah) … I used to hold the Bible
in my hand and they have the Quran .. now the table has been turned
around!
However I learned a lot from this very short time .. I learned
something called patience and humbling .. and I meditate now and think
of the stories of the prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) who was
insulted and how did he take all that .. my story is nothing to him
and wow .. I learn a lot..
I probably lost my sharaf (The Noble honor of the family) and honor in
front of some people but I am so proud and I have the sharaf coming
from Allah .. and amazing! You can’t imagine what kind of happiness
and peace that I am living in even all that insulting ..
I really changed than before .. I am a completely different person ..
even my husband noticed that. I learned how to be quiet and patient
with people even to the ones who insult me all the time .. I learned
how to smile in the worst and hardest times .. even if lost my jobs ..
but Allah is compensating me with everything
it’s all about to have the intern peace inside you .. you really can’t
find peace from people around you, not even by your environment .. it
has to be by your convention and by your mind .. by loving Allah and
giving him your heart. If you worship Allah and follow his orders, you
are certainly going to be happy because the sins make you feel guilty
and they take your peace away
I look at the people faces and see their tears, sadness; because they
are away from the Creator.. sometimes I see their hearts are dark and
they can’t let that candle burn in them because they are so much
caught with their problems and busyness in life.
All what I know now, my aim in this life is to worship and pray for
Allah and follow his orders and rules, and make good works for His
Sake.
I hope you enjoyed my story and be strength for your soul
My official website: http://www.creativeruba.com/islam
My blog: http://www.revert2islam.com
My Youtube videos: http://www.youtube.com/rubaqewar
Al-Afaaf Project: http://revert2islam.com/vb/sho.....6#post2306
Jazakom Allah kheir
Ruba
“Ruba Qewar”
March 18th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
arah – Eh, you think this is public forum or what lah? This is my blog and I can. Deal with it.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
OOpp sorry la auntie,
In other blogs, they accept discussion but you blog is just one way traffic and not allow to discuss.
No hard feeling.
May Almighty God the Creator show us the truth.
AMEN
March 19th, 2009 at 10:48 am
arah – There is a BIG difference between discussion and pushing your belief to me. You have been doing nothing but copy and pasting lengthy articles into my comment board. And those are not facts but other people’s version of why they jump ship which I am not interested to hear. The reason I leave all your comments is to illustrate how obstinate people are. I had said clearly from the first para that I do not wish to discuss because this post is about the Pope and I am not worthy to talk about any issues when the Pope has made a decision. Therefore, you show a clear disrespect to my wish, of not engaging me into any discussion in this post. Never mind, we understand…..We are so used to this.
July 8th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
2:256 (Y. Ali) Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.
# 5:17 (Y. Ali) In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ the son of Mary. Say: “Who then hath the least power against Allah, if His will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all every – one that is on the earth? For to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between. He createth what He pleaseth. For Allah hath power over all things.”
August 21st, 2009 at 12:22 am
Firstly, Christians and Muslims DO NOT WORSHIP THE SAME GOD.
Christians should use the word Allah only in languages such as Arabic, where the word for God is Allah and there is no other word for God. Other languages have a word for God. Allah should not be used in these languages, especially in English, French etc.
Since we do not worship the same God, Muslims have a right to forbid other religions from using Allah. The following referenced quotes will show that Allah dictated the Quran to Mohammad. The Quran is in contradiction of everything that Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ taught us in the Holy Gospels.
Charity should not be at the expense of truth. Truth and Charity go hand in hand. God is Truth. God is Love.
• The God of Christianity is Trinitarian: Three Persons in ONE GOD = Father, Son and Holy Spirit
That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
ISLAM: So believe in God and His messengers and do not speak of a ‘Trinity’ – stop, (Qur’an 4:171, M. A. S. Abdel-Haleem;
Christ is God’s Word and His Spirit (4:171/169). but created (3:59/52)
• We Christians believe in one Lord Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons) NICENE CREED. For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son – John 3:16,
ISLAM: God is One, the Eternal God. He begot none, nor was He begotten. Qur’an 112:1-4 Never has God begotten a son, nor is there any other god besides Him. Qur’an 23:91
• Christians profess in the Apostles Creed: He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried. Apostles Creed: died and was buried. And if Christ be not risen again, your faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins. Corinth:15:17
ISLAM: they crucified his shadow 4:157/156. but Christ himself was not crucified 4:157/156; Nor did he die 4:157/156
• Christian NICENE CREED He rose again on the third day, and ascended into heaven. He sits on the right hand of the Father and will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead.
ISLAM. When Christ came into the heavens (cf. 4:158;5:109/108). God asked him saying (5:116) . “O Jesus, did you say, ‘I am Son of God, and God?’” (cf 5:116) And Jesus answered (5:116) 23. “Be merciful to me Lord. Thou knowest that I did not say it, nor do I count myself above being Thy servant, but erring men wrote that I said this word, and spoke falsely against me, and they have been deceived.” (cf. 5:116-118).
Matthew 24:24 “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible.”
“An error is the more dangerous the more truth it contains.” – Henri-Frederic Amiel 1821-1881
“That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright. But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight.” – Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809-1892
August 21st, 2009 at 12:38 am
By the way, I am a Roman Catholic and a member of the mystical body of Christ. I am grateful to God for the gift of my Catholic Faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Who said,”I Am the Way, The Truth and The Life.
Alla dictated that Christians and Jews should be killed…Alla also promised his followers a sexual paradise after death, is very different from the
True God of Christianity who said: Eye has not seen nor ear heard what thing God has prepared for those who love him.
August 26th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
My dear Celine
I believe the Jesus most important commandments in Mark 12:28-31
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (NIV, Mark 12:28-31).
Why Jesus said One not Three, anywhere in the bible that Jesus taught anything about Trinity?
What Catholic Encyclopedia explain ed about Allah
The name of God in Arabic.
It is a compound word from the article, ‘al, and ilah, divinity, and signifies “the god” par excellence. This form of the divine name is in itself a sure proof that ilah was at one time an appellative, common to all the local and tribal gods. Gradually, with the addition of the article, it was restricted to one of them who took precedence of the others; finally, with the triumph of monotheism, He was recognized as the only true God.
In one form or another this Hebrew root occurs in all Semitic languages as a designation of the Divinity; but whether it was originally a proper name, pointing to a primitive monotheism, with subsequent deviation into polytheism and further rehabilitation, or was from the beginning an appellative which became a proper name only when the Semites had reached monotheism is a much debated question. It is certain, however, that before the time of Mohammed, owing to their contact with Jews and Christians, the Arabs were generally monotheists.
The notion of Allah in Arabic theology is substantially the same as that of God among the Jews, and also among the Christians, with the exception of the Trinity, which is positively excluded in the Koran, cxii: “Say God, is one God, the eternal God, he begetteth not, neither is he begotten and there is not any one like unto him.”
His attributes, denied by the heterodox Motazilites, are ninety-nine in number. Each one of them is represented by a bead in the Moslem chaplet, while on the one hundredth and larger bead, the name of Allah itself is pronounced.
It is preposterous to assert with Curtiss (Ursemitische Religion, 119) that the nomadic tribes of Arabia, consider seriously the Oum-el-Gheith, “mother of the rain”, as the bride of Allah and even if the expression were used such symbolical language would not impair, in the least, the purity of monotheism held by those tribes. (Cf. Revue Biblique, Oct., 1906, 580 sqq.)
Let it be noted that although Allah is an Arabic term, it is used by all Moslems, whatever be their language, as the name of God.
Please provide your proved that Allah dictated that Christian and Jews to be killed. Did Muhammad (peace be upon him) killed or hurt any Christian?
August 27th, 2009 at 9:50 am
My dear Arah,
I am not a Protestant. I do not endlessly search Sacred Scripture (the Bible) for proof texts to authenticate teachings such as the Trinity that have been a part of the Christian religion since its inception. It is true that the Bible doesn’t explicitly use the word Trinity. Nevertheless, scripture is replete with references to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each of whom are referred to as God. Jesus Himself said, “The Father and I are one.” John 10:30. He also referred to Himself as the great, I AM as God had called himself to Moses. “Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you before Abraham was made, I am.” John 8:58. Jesus also asked His apostles to go throughout the world and baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the first letter of St John 5:7, it says, “There are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.” I can go on and on, but I hope you get the point. The grounds for belief in the Trinity are solid according to Scripture and Sacred Tradition.
The fact that Mohammed knew about the Trinity and positively denied it when he was concocting his religion and his god means that this Allah and the Christian God are not the same since they have different attributes. Whatever the etymology of the word Allah, after Mohammed, the word assumed a tainted meaning to Christians who used it before if they spoke Arabic. It now referred almost exclusively to the Mohammedan deity who was not Trinity, who did not beget a Son nor was he begotten and there is no mention of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Quran 4:171 mistakenly refers to the Trinity as the Father, Son and the Virgin Mary. Even in its refutation of another religion, the Quran is in error regarding what Christians believe. This demonstrates that the Quran wasn’t written by anyone with even a little bit of common knowledge about Christianity leave alone by a god, unless it was an ill-informed and stupid god.
You mentioned in your post that Allah is the term used for their god by all Muslims regardless of their language. Allah has moved from being the word for God in the Arabic language to being the proper name of the Islamic deity. For that reason, Christians who are not Arabs should not use this word as confusion will ensue. For example, people will start saying we worship the same god and that there’s no difference between the Christian, Trinitarian God and the Mohammadan Allah.
As for Allah commanding his followers to kill Christians and Jews, just read the filthy Koran 9:29 where it says,”Kill those who do not believe in Allah, nor hold that forbidden which is forbidden by Allah and his messenger, nor acknowledge Islam even if they are the Jews and Christians, until they pay the jizya with willing submission and feel themselves humiliated.”
Mohammed did indeed harm a lot of people. He murdered all men of the Banu Qurayza and then, along with his band of brigands, enslaved and raped their women and children on the same day. There are lots more of these examples, but my fingers grow tired of writing about Mohammad’s debauchery and murder. Never mind what Mohammed did 1400 years ago, just read the newspaper which is full of stories of Muslims murdering Christians all over the world on a daily basis. They are following the example of Mohammed.
In conclusion my dear Arah, loving your neighbour doesn’t mean sugar coating the truth or swallowing their bullshit.
August 28th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Dear Arah,
I noticed that you have connected your name to a link: Converts to Islam. I wonder why you have to do that on this site?
If these converts are Christian then they are guilty of apostacy and carry the burden of eternal damnation if they die without repentence and returning to the Christian Faith. We Catholics pray for them too that they see the error of their ways.
However, you may wish to visit these two sites and learn the untold truth from fellow muslims who have finally seen the light and want to deliver their sisters and brothers from this great lie:
One from an ex-Muslim Canadian who had to change his name to Dr. Ali Sina and go into hiding for fear of being killed by his peaceful Muslim brothers. see http://www.faithfreedom.org
and: Shortcut to: http://www.islam-watch.org/Abu.....index.html
Hope these links will be an eye opener to you.
September 1st, 2009 at 1:11 am
My dear Celine de Silva
Many don’t believe the bible because they said the bible contradicted and very difficult to understand, what are your comment
1: In Matthew 4:5-8 the Devil took Jesus to the pinnacle and then to the mountain, while in Luke 4:5-9 he took him to the mountain and then the pinnacle.
2: In Matt. 21:12-19 Jesus cleansed the temple and later cursed the fig tree, while in Mark 11:13-15 he cursed the fig tree and later cleansed the temple.
3: In Matt. 8:28-32 Jesus caused devils to enter swine and later called Levi (Matt. 9:9), while in Luke 5:27-28 Jesus called Levi and later caused devils to enter swine (Luke 8:26-33).
4: In Mark 1:12-13 Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and later John was arrested (Mark 6:17-18), while in Luke 3:19-20 John was arrested and later Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13).
5: In Mark 2:13-17 Matthew was called by Jesus and later the tempest was calmed (Mark 4:35-40), while in Matt. 8:18, 23-27 the tempest was calmed and later Matthew was called (Matt. 9:9-17).
6: In Matt. 8:1-4 Jesus cleansed the leper and later healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15), while in Mark 1:29-31 Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and later cleansed the leper (Mark 1:40-44).
7: In Matt. 8:28-32 Jesus caused devils to enter swine and later appointed the 12 apostles (Matt. 10:1-4), while in Mark 3:13-19 Jesus appointed the 12 apostles and later caused the devils to enter the swine (Mark 5:1-13).
8: In Luke 3:19-20 John the Baptist was arrested and later Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39), while in Mark 1:29-31 Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and later John was arrested (Mark 6:17-18).
9: In Luke 3:19-20 John was arrested and later the storm was calmed (Luke 8:22-25), while in Mark 4:35-40 the storm was calmed and later John the Baptist was arrested (Mark 6:17-18).
10: In Luke 5:27-32 Levi (Matthew) was called and later the storm was calmed (Luke 8:22-25), while in Matt. 8:18-27 the storm was calmed and later Levi was called (Matt. 9:9-17).
11: In Matt. 8:14-15 Jesus cured Simon’s mother-in-law and later John the Baptist was arrested (Matt. 14:3-5), while in Luke 3:19-20 John was arrested and later Jesus cured Simon’s mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39).
12: In Matthew 21:1-11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and later purified the Temple (Matthew 21:12-16), while in John 2:13-25 and 3:1-12 he purified the Temple and later entered Jerusalem (John 12:12-16).
13: In Matt. 8:28-32 Jesus caused devils to enter swine and later paid tribute to John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11-14), while in Luke 7:24-28 Jesus paid tribute to John the Baptist and later caused devils to enter swine (Luke 8:26-33).
14: In Luke 22:14-21 Jesus said after supper that the hand of his betrayer was with him on the table, while in Matt. 26:21 and Mark l4:18 Jesus made this statement during supper.
15: And lastly, in Matt. 8:23-27 Jesus calmed the storm and later appointed the 12 apostles (Matt. 10:1-4), while in Mark 3:13-19 Jesus appointed the 12 apostles and later calmed the storm (Mark 4:35-41).
Although only 15 examples of chronological contradictions were given, literally scores are available. Their very existence accounts for the fact that no one has ever been able to write one long continuous narrative encompassing all four gospels. It can’t be done without taking liberties with the text by adding and subtracting as expediency dictates in direct defiance of Rev. 22. The common defense that these events occurred more than once is without merit since many of them are unique. Therefor the bible is not gods word, since gods word has to be perfect and cannot contain many chronological contradictions, since only one chronological order can be right, the other has to be wrong.
WHat say U?
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:07 am
My dear Arah,
I told you in my post before that I am not a Protestant. That means I’m not a scripture quoting, rootin’ tootin’, hootin’ holerin’, let’s jump for Jesus Evangelical from down South who likes thumping the Bible and looking for proof texts. Let me explain. Think of the Bible as a finger and the truth as a forest. The finger points to the forest. People like you and some Christians for that matter, fixate on the finger. I don’t. This means that I don’t get stumped when presented with things like you have so graciously brought forward because I’m concerned with the forest. I’m concerned with the truths that Sacred Scripture attest to.
Jesus Christ never said that He was going to write a book. He said He was going to build a Church on a rock who He named Peter (the first pope). That is why I am a Catholic and not a Protestant. I do not believe in Bible only or sola scriptura as promoted by some grumpy Germans and Swiss in the 16th century. I believe in Sacred Scripture illuminated by Sacred Tradition and the Church. The Church existed before the Gospels did.
The Bible was not dictated by God. It was inspired by Him. The authors are human and as you so rightly point out, their humanity is evident by their varying versions of events that they describe. Do you honestly believe that you’re the first to see these chronological anomalies or contradictions as you call them? Why weren’t these edited by the Church over the past 1900 years so that people like you wouldn’t be able to point them out?
Without going on and on, the reason is that they aren’t important. You know the old saying, “Two Jews, three opinions.” Here we have four Jews. They differ on a few things, like maybe Jesus ate lunch before He performed a certain miracle, or maybe He ate it after. He could have eaten soup according to one Gospel or a cheese sandwich according to another. These details don’t matter and reflect the humanity of the authors. The divine inspiration is what moves these authors to be of one account in so far as the moral lessons and the miraculous events themselves actually occurring. They are of one accord on matters of faith, morals and doctrine. You would have a point if for example, one Gospel said that Jesus rose from the dead and another said He wasn’t even crucified. That would definitely cause problems because if Christ didn’t rise from the dead, our faith is in vain according to St. Paul. You will never see this. That is what is referred to as infallibility of scripture. Scripture confirms and attests to the teachings that were passed on by Christ to the Apostles and are foundational to our Christianity. These have always been taught by the Church as part of the deposit of faith.
The Quran is different. According to your religion, Mohammed didn’t write it. He was in fact, illiterate. The Quran is supposedly authored, not inspired by Allah. The Quran was dictated to Mohammed by your Allah through the angel Gabriel. This is not the Quran according to Hamid, Abdul, Jabar or Arah. This is the Quran of Allah alone. There’s no room for human error here. You have Allah, an angel and an illiterate who couldn’t even change things if he wanted to. The only way to account for the errors in the Quran are that Allah can’t remember what he said a few pages before, or the angel didn’t hear him correctly or Mohammed was mad and was hearing voices or maybe he just made the whole thing up.
All the best,
Celine
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:27 pm
My dear Celine de Silva
You wrote the following
“…Alla dictated that Christians and Jews should be killed……”
Please show me your reference?
Cheers
September 4th, 2009 at 4:07 am
Dear Arah,
I tried to copy the arabic text which I have. This link is not taking the arabic script so here is an answer to your question. references..plenty in the Quran:
Hope this enlightens you to the truth.
________________________________________________
???? = fight ??? = kill
2:191: And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah), unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.
· Slay the unbelievers wherever you find them(2:191)
9:123 : O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are close to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who are the Al-Muttaqun (the pious – see V.2:2).
· Make war on the infidels living in your neighboorhood (9:123)
9:5
9:5 : Then when the Sacred Months (the Ist, 7th, 11th, and 12th months of the Islamic calendar) have passed, then kill the Mushrikun (see V.2:105) wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush. But if they repent and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat, then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful
·When opportunity arises, kill the infidels wherever you catch them (9:5)
9:29 : Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. New Translation for the Western mind. Changed word Kill to Fight.
Kill the Jews and the Christians if they do not convert to Islam or refuse to pay Jizya tax
· Kill the Jews and the Christians if they do not convert to Islam or refuse to pay Jizya tax (9:29)
3:85: And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.
· Any religion other than Islam is not acceptable (3:85)
9:30: And the Jews say: ‘Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouths. They imitate the saying of the disbelievers of old. Allah’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth!
· The Jews and the Christians are perverts; fight them (9:30)
??? = kill
5:33 : The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off on the opposite sides, or be exiled from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and a great torment is theirs in the Hereafter.
· Maim and crucify the infidels if they criticise Islam. (5:33)
9:28 O you who believe (in Allah’s Oneness and in His Messenger (Muhammad SAW)! Verily, the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and in the Message of Muhammad SAW) are Najasun (impure). So let them not come near Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) after this year, and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you if He will, out of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
· The infidels are unclean; do not let them into a mosque (9:28)
22:19 These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord; then as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling water will be poured down over their heads.
· Punish the unbelievers with garments of fire, hooked iron rods, boiling water; melt their skin and bellies (22:19)
22:20 With it will melt or vanish away what is within their bellies, as well as (their) skins.
22:21 And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them).
22:22 : Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein, and (it will be) said to them: “Taste the torment of burning!”
???? = fight ??? =Kill
47:4 So, when you meet (in fight Jihad in Allah’s Cause), those who disbelieve smite at their necks till when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly (on them, i.e. take them as captives). Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them without ransom), or ransom (according to what benefits Islam), until the war lays down its burden. Thus [you are ordered by Allah to continue in carrying out Jihad against the disbelievers till they embrace Islam (i.e. are saved from the punishment in the Hell-fire) or at least come under your protection], but if it had been Allah’s Will, He Himself could certainly have punished them (without you). But (He lets you fight), in order to test you, some with others. But those who are killed in the Way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost,
· Do not hanker for peace with the infidels; behead them when you catch them (47:4)
8:65 O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast persons amongst you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast persons they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are people who do not understand.
· The unbelievers are stupid; urge the Muslims to fight them (8:65)
3:28 Let not the believers take the disbelievers as Auliya (supporters, helpers, etc.) instead of the believers, and whoever does that will never be helped by Allah in any way, except if you indeed fear a danger from them. And Allah warns you against Himself (His Punishment), and to Allah is the final return.
· Muslims must not take the infidels as friends (3:28)
8:12 : (Remember) when your Lord inspired the angels, “Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite over all their fingers and toes.”
· Terrorise and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Qur’an (8:12)
8:60 And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery, etc.) to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides whom, you may not know but whom Allah does know. And whatever you shall spend in the Cause of Allah shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated unjustly.
· Muslims must muster all weapons to terrorise the infidels (8:60)
33:26 And those of the people of the Scripture who backed them (the disbelievers) Allah brought them down from their forts and cast terror into their hearts, (so that) a group (of them) you killed, and a group (of them) you made captives.
33:27: And He caused you to inherit their lands, and their houses, and their riches, and a land which you had not trodden (before). And Allah is Able to do all things.
New translations have replaced the word murder with “FIGHT
(ARABIC KORAN SAYS MURDER – KATELOU- THEM) them and Allah will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame, He will help you
Conditions to lie set by Muhammad
Islam is the only world-religion that implies in its scriptures that it is ever permissible (or even encouraged) to lie. In his Sira, Muhammad authorized lying to improve the chances of successful assassinations, for example in the case of Shaaban Ibn Khalid al-Hazly and Bin Kaab.
Muhammad said: “Lying is wrong, except in three things: the lie of a man to his wife to make her content with him; a lie to an enemy, for war is deception; or a lie to settle trouble between people” [Ahmad, 6.459. H]
3:54 : And they (disbelievers) plotted [to kill 'Iesa (Jesus) ], and Allah planned too. And Allah is the Best of the planners. changed word to planners
Muhsin Khan: And they (disbelievers) plotted [to kill 'Iesa (Jesus) ], and Allah planned too. And Allah is the Best deceiver
Allah the best Deceiver
From WikiIslam
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The Quran openly states many times that Allah is the ‘best deceiver’. The root word used in these verses is Makr which means deception. The majority of Quranic translations erroneously translate this term; as can be seen in the following quotes and analysis.
Although there are many places in the Quran that use the same word (makir) in reference to Allah [1] this article will focus only on the verses in which Allah describes himself as the ‘best deceiver’.
Contents
[hide]
1 To deceive – A definition
2 Quran verses
2.1 Quran 3:54
2.2 Quran 7:99
2.3 Quran 8:30
2.4 Quran 10:21
2.5 Quran 13:42
3 Literal meaning of Makr
4 The deception of the translators
4.1 Quran 3:54
4.2 Quran 7:99
4.3 Quran 8:30
4.4 Quran 10:21
4.5 Quran 13:42
4.5.1 Analysis
5 Apologetics
5.1 Dr. Jamal Badawi
5.2 IslamQA.com
5.3 Harun Yahya
5.4 Allah only deceives Enemies of Islam
5.4.1 Allah deceives Muslims
5.4.2 Allah created Christianity by his deception
5.4.3 Conclusion
6 References
7 See Also
8 External Links
September 4th, 2009 at 11:34 am
My dear Arah,
I hope this will be posted. These are not my references. Since you ask for them, here are the references from the Quran. Yes Allah dictated to Mohammad that Christians and Jews should be killed and still worse…Here are the verses from the Quran.
You see Arah, you will never find such verses in the Holy Gospels the inspired word of God, the events in the life of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ who said forgive, pray for them… Jesus Our God the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity said, I Am The Way, The Truth and The Life, no one comes to the Father but through Me…
VERSES FROM THE QURAN:
2:191: And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah), unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.
9:123 : O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are close to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who are the Al-Muttaqun (the pious – see V.2:2).
9:5 : Then when the Sacred Months (the Ist, 7th, 11th, and 12th months of the Islamic calendar) have passed, then kill the Mushrikun (see V.2:105) wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush. But if they repent and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat, then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful
9:29 : Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. New Translation for the Western mind. Changed word Kill to Fight.
5:33 : The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and their feet be cut off on the opposite sides, or be exiled from the land. That is their disgrace in this world, and a great torment is theirs in the Hereafter
3:85: And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.
9:28 O you who believe (in Allah’s Oneness and in His Messenger (Muhammad SAW)! Verily, the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and in the Message of Muhammad SAW) are Najasun (impure). So let them not come near Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) after this year, and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you if He will, out of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
9:30: And the Jews say: ‘Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouths. They imitate the saying of the disbelievers of old. Allah’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth!
22:19 These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord; then as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling water will be poured down over their heads.
22:20 With it will melt or vanish away what is within their bellies, as well as (their) skins.
22:21 And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them).
22:22 : Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein, and (it will be) said to them: “Taste the torment of burning!”
47:4 So, when you meet (in fight Jihad in Allah’s Cause), those who disbelieve smite at their necks till when you have killed and wounded many of them, then bind a bond firmly (on them, i.e. take them as captives). Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them without ransom), or ransom (according to what benefits Islam), until the war lays down its burden. Thus [you are ordered by Allah to continue in carrying out Jihad against the disbelievers till they embrace Islam (i.e. are saved from the punishment in the Hell-fire) or at least come under your protection], but if it had been Allah’s Will, He Himself could certainly have punished them (without you). But (He lets you fight), in order to test you, some with others. But those who are killed in the Way of Allah, He will never let their deeds be lost,
8:65 O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast persons amongst you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast persons they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are people who do not understand.
3:28 Let not the believers take the disbelievers as Auliya (supporters, helpers, etc.) instead of the believers, and whoever does that will never be helped by Allah in any way, except if you indeed fear a danger from them. And Allah warns you against Himself (His Punishment), and to Allah is the final return.
8:12 : (Remember) when your Lord inspired the angels, “Verily, I am with you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite over all their fingers and toes.”
8:60 And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery, etc.) to threaten the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others besides whom, you may not know but whom Allah does know. And whatever you shall spend in the Cause of Allah shall be repaid unto you, and you shall not be treated unjustly.
33:26 And those of the people of the Scripture who backed them (the disbelievers) Allah brought them down from their forts and cast terror into their hearts, (so that) a group (of them) you killed, and a group (of them) you made captives.
33:27 : And He caused you to inherit their lands, and their houses, and their riches, and a land which you had not trodden (before). And Allah is Able to do all things.
New translations have replaced the word murder with “FIGHT
(ARABIC KORAN SAYS MURDER – KATELOU- THEM) them and Allah will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame, He will help you
Conditions to lie set by Muhammad
Islam is the only world-religion that implies in its scriptures that it is ever permissible (or even encouraged) to lie. In his Sira, Muhammad authorized lying to improve the chances of successful assassinations, for example in the case of Shaaban Ibn Khalid al-Hazly and Bin Kaab.
• Muhammad said: “Lying is wrong, except in three things: the lie of a man to his wife to make her content with him; a lie to an enemy, for war is deception; or a lie to settle trouble between people” [Ahmad, 6.459. H]
3:54 : Muhsin Khan: And they (disbelievers) plotted [to kill 'Iesa (Jesus) ], and Allah planned too. And Allah is the Best deceiver
Allah the best Deceiver
The Quran openly states many times that Allah is the ‘best deceiver’. The root word used in these verses is Makr which means deception. The majority of Quranic translations erroneously translate this term; as can be seen in the following quotes and analysis.
Although there are many places in the Quran that use the same word (makir) in reference to Allah [1] this article will focus only on the verses in which Allah describes himself as the ‘best deceiver’.
September 11th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
My dear Arah,
Hope all is well with you! Haven’t heard from you for a while.
Take care & God bless!
September 15th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Er… Granted, this is off-topic (and I hope the the owner of this blog won’t be offended by this off-topicness)
I assume Ms/Mrs. Celine de Silva is from the US based on a post about Protestants that seems to fit into the fundamentalist Protestants in southern US. I consider myself to be a non-denominational Protestant who has leanings towards the Assembly of God. I have much to learn about other Christian denominations in general especially about Anglicanism and Catholicism and this blog is where I get views about Catholicism. Due to the background of the owner of this blog, I find it interesting as I share the same problems with her regarding the issue of Chinese traditions and Christianity.
I just wish to point out that Protestants are not a single group and each group vary from one to another. Although there are a lot of differences between Protestantism in general is different from the Catholic church, I view that both branches have things in common especially when it concerns the Nicene Creed. Protestant life has a Biblical basis. I view that Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants are different parts of the body of Christ.
September 24th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
My Dear PC
Since you appear to be searching for the truth and have expressed an interest in learning about Catholicism from this blog which is also where you get your views from, I will try to answer some of your questions and clarify others. I am Canadian.
In the Old Testament we read in Jeremiah 29:13. You shall seek me, and shall find me: WHEN YOU SHALL SEEK ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART.”
In the New Testament Jesus says, “Ask…. For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened”. Mathew 7:7,8.
If we seek the truth with a sincere and open heart we will find it. Then with the grace of God, we must be ready to accept this truth even if it is not to our liking. We must then trust God and follow where ever He leads us to.
You are right in saying that Protestants are not a single group. There are over 38,000 Christian denominations and growing, small wonder with each one interpreting the bible and coming to over 38,000 conclusions. 38,000 disunited groups!! Jesus said, “… that they may be one, as we also are one” John 17:22.
Catholicism is not a denomination. As I have stated in one of my previous posts, Jesus Christ said He was going to build a Church on a rock who He named Peter the first pope. (See Mathew 16:18). This is why I am a Catholic and not a Protestant. I do not believe in Bible only or Sola Scriptura.
I believe in 1. Sacred Scripture illuminated by 2. Sacred Tradition – In Galatians 1:14, Paul speaks of his “abundant zeal for the traditions of my fathers.” and 3. the Church. “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.” Luke 10:16
The Church existed before the Gospels did. In Catholic life, sacred scripture is illuminated by sacred tradition, interpreted and handed down through the apostles and their successors – Pope, bishops and priests. “Neglect not the grace that is in thee, which was given thee by prophesy, with imposition of the hands of the priesthood.” Timothy 4:14. And again, St. Paul says, “Take heed to yourselves, and to the whole flock, wherein the Holy Ghost hath placed you bishops, to rule the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood”. Acts of Apostles 20:28”
THE NICENE CREED: The Nicene Council, also known as First Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church, was held in 325 in the town of Nicaea (modern Iznik, Turkey) and is perhaps one of the most important councils in Christian history. It was originally called by Emperor Constantine in order to address the challenges posed by Arianism. The council established the foundations of orthodox Christian belief with the Nicene Creed: It was the first of its kind, and is noted for being among the most important in defining Christianity.
A second council was also held in Nicaea in 787 which validated the veneration of images and sent out an order to restore images in churches throughout the Roman Empire.
So you see, the Catholic Church existed for over 1500 years before Protestants and Evangelicals.
Your view that Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants are different parts of the body of Christ is wrong.
The body of Christ cannot be divided. St. Paul speaks of ONE BODY “And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body…” Col:3:15 A body has one head, one heart, one intellect and one will together with eyes, ears, mouth, limbs… etc. which is connected to the one head and cannot exist separately. So is it with the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ Himself. One head with many members attached to the same body.
It is a historical fact that Martin Luther the founder of Protestantism was a Catholic for 34 years, an Augustinian monk for 16 years and a Catholic priest and theologian for 10 years, when he broke away from the Catholic Church in 1517. So you will see things in common with the Nicene Creed which in the year 325, the Catholic Church called the Council of Nicea to establish as the foundation of orthodox Christian belief and most important in defining Christianity.
Jesus said: “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Mathew 7:21
Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life. He said: Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. Apocalypse of John 3:20
You may find the links below helpful in learning about the Catholic Faith and Church.
As for the issue of Chinese traditions and Christianity, I will try to answer it at another time.
Please pray for me as I shall pray for you.
God Bless you!
Celine
http://www.boston-catholic-jou.....echism.pdf
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/
http://www.crossroadsinitiativ.....hurch.html
1. [PDF] The Baltimore Catechism
2. CHURCH FATHERS: Home
3. Early Church Fathers | Fathers of the Church | Patristic …
January 12th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Man, you guys are free…
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;- Shakespeare 1594
cheers,
djohn