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The principal source of Islamic belief and practice is the Quran.

Muhammad claimed that the


Quran was the truth of his god. Furthermore, Islam teaches that the Quran is the eternal
uncreated word of the Islamic godMuhammad being its agent, not its originator. However,
it is impossible to resist the conclusion that historical Islam is definitely shaped by the
manner the man Muhammad was. Islam believes that Muhammad, its prophet, had received
the Quran from the god of Islam beginning in the year 610 AD and ending before his death
in 632 AD.

The Hadith complements the Quran, and is essential to understand the Quran as it provides
its historical context and chronology. It embodies the Sunna, or Tradition, of Muhammads
life, deeds and sayings. The most authentic Sunni hadith collections are those of Imam
Bukhari (810-870 AD), about 200 years after Muhammads death, and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
(818-875 AD). The central Shia Hadith collection is that of al-Kulayni (d. 939 AD). Ibn ishaq
wrote the biography of muhammads life (Sirat Rasul Allah) about 120 years after
muhammads death in 750 AD. Ibn Hisham censored and edited it in 850 AD omitting
disgraceful and derogatory things. Everything written afterwards was censored, embellished
and infused with myths and legends.

The Islamic tradition believes that the Quran is the literal word of the Islamic god. The angel
Gabriel gave it to Muhammad without any real input from the latter. If this being the case,
one wonders why the Islamic god did not hand the Quran to Muhammad in the form of a
book written on plates of stone, the way the living biblical God handed the ten
commandments (the Decalogue) to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 31: 18; 32: 15-16). The
Quran consists of 114 chapters, known as suras, each of which is identified by a number and
a title, such as sura 2 called al-Baqarah (the Cow). Islam teaches that the first sura
Muhammad gave was sura 96, al-Alaq (the Blood-Clot). And the last two suras were sura 5
(al-Maidah) and 9 (at-Tawbah). Where there is conflict, these suras abrogate all the earlier
peaceful and tolerant verses of the Quran. They demand holy war (jihad) against all non-
Muslims forever, including killing, enslaving, looting and raping non-Muslims in the name of
the Islamic god.

The suras are arranged according length, with the longest at the beginning of the Quran, and
the shortest at its end. The one exception is sura 1, al-Fatiha (the Opening), which has seven
verses. The suras are also identified as either Meccan or Medinan, depending on whether
Muhammad gave them before or after his hijrahis departure from Mecca to Medina in 622
AD. Works of Quranic interpretation, or tafsir, abound. One of the earliest and greatest of
these works is the multivolume work of al-Tabari (839-923 AD). For a detailed discussion of
various aspects of the Quran, please see this page.

Islamic scholars (ulama) developed the code of Islamic law known as the Sharia. The Islamic
law is based on four sources: the Quran, the Hadith, the ijmah (the consensus of Islamic
scholars on an issue), and the qiyas (the reasoning on the basis of analogy). Instead of qiyas,
the Shia scholars have ijtihad (individual reasoning). Four legal schools or traditions emerged
in the eighth and ninth centuries: the Hanafi (predominates in central Asia and the Indian
subcontinent), the Maliki (in North Africa), al-Shafi (in Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia), and
the Hanbali (in Saudi Arabia). All the major schools of Sharia agree on more than 70 percent
substantive matters. The study of Sharia is known as fiqh.

The Quran declares that Muhammad came to renew the religion of Abraham (an-Nisa 4:
125). We learn from the Holy Bible that the original religion of Abraham did not consist in
legal codes; but it established a covenant of promise between God and Abraham. God
established this covenant about 430 years before giving the law to Moses (Galatians 3: 17).
The religion of Abraham was not the religion of the law of Moses. It was a religion of faith in
the promises of God. God promised Abraham saying: I will bless those who bless you, and
I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed. (Genesis 12: 3). This has been fulfilled by the birth of Jesus, the promised
Messiah, from the seed of Abraham. Abraham submitted to the love and promises of God by
faith alone. That is why he is called a friend of God, and not a mere slave to Him.

On the contrary, Islam is based on a code of laws (Sharia) that demand the submission to the
will of its god as slaves because of the fear of punishment and the hope of rewards. It leaves
no room for Gods love and friendship. Therefore, contrary to the Quranic statement, Islam
conflicts with the religion of Abraham. The entire doctrine of Islam repudiates the Abrahamic
tradition.

The central shrine of Islam is the Kaaba in the city of Mecca, which is forbidden to non-
Muslims. The Islamic tradition holds that the cubic structure of the Kaaba was built by
Adam, and then rebuilt and purified by Abraham and his son Ishmael. In contrast with that,
the holy Bible tells us that Abraham never traveled to Arabia. History tells us that the Kaaba
was a pagan temple venerated by all the tribes of Arabia. It had 360 idols at the time of
Muhammad who destroyed them. Muslims turn to the direction of the Kaaba when they pray,
and walk around it seven times at their pilgrimage. In one corner of the Kaaba is a small
black stone, perhaps a meteorite or a fragment of an ancient pagan idol, venerated by
Muslims.

About 85% of Muslims belong to Sunni Islam; and 12% to Shia Islam. The root of the schism
between the Sunni and the Shia Muslims goes back to the historical conflict over the
succession of Muhammad. A handful of respected Muslims chose Abu Bakr, Muhammads
close follower, as the first caliph. Others wanted Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammads son-in-law,
to be his successor. Eventually, Ali was assassinated in 661 AD. The Shia movement arose
from the pro-Ali faction. According to the Shia, the leader, or Imam, of the Muslim
community should be a descendant of Ali from his wife Fatima, Muhammads daughter. The
Shia await the twelfth Imam (referred to as Imam Mahdi). In the interim, the Imams full
legal and religious authority is bestowed upon the leading Islamic scholars of the day (called
ulama).

Islamic Sufism appeared in the ninth and tenth centuries, and spread over the entire Islamic
world between 1200 and 1500 AD. It provides the spiritually sensitive Muslim with a retreat
from the legalism of Islam and its rituals. Sufism, heavily influenced by Christian
monasticism, emphasizes a personal relationship with the god of Islam. Historically, it had a
significant role in the spread of Islam. Although some traditional Islamic scholars (e.g. al-
Ghazali) recognize the validity of Sufism as part of Islam, much of Sufi teachings contradict
the fundamental doctrines of orthodox Islam. For instance, the Sufi idea about god is that he
is in all things and all things are in him (Hindu pantheism). All creatures are not distinct from
him. This is a heretical pantheistic concept of God. Another heretical Sufi belief is that man
can become as divine as God by absorption into the being of God, which is called fanna
(annihilationBuddhist nihilism). Some Sufi groups consider themselves above Islamic law
(Sharia).
Islam originated in Hijaz, the northwest region of the Arabian peninsula, with particular
emphasis on the towns of Mecca and Yathrib, subsequently known as Medina. Mecca was a
small commercial center. Yathrib was an agricultural community. Most Arabs at that time
were pastoral nomads. The tribe was their principal form of social and political organization.
It provided them with both a sense of identity and physical security.

Islam unifies everything under religion. It rejects secularism. There is no separation between
Church (Mosque) and State in Islam. Muhammad established the first Islamic state in
Medina. He was its first head of state. Jewish tribes did not support him in Medina.
Therefore, he exiled two of them and massacred the third. At his death on June 8, 632 AD,
Muhammad ruled over much of the Arabian Peninsula. Within 100 years from his death,
Islamic Arab armies established a vast Islamic empire extending from central Asia, through
northern India, the Middle East, North Africa, all the way to Iberia. The conquering Arabs
lived in garrison cities initially. They enjoyed a new affluent life-style supported by taxation
of the conquered lands and booty from ongoing military campaigns.

Jews and Christians, called people of the Book by Islam, in the conquered territories were
designated as dhimmis or protected peoples whose status was inferior to that of Muslims.
Dhimmis were forbidden to propagate their faith or to build new houses of worship. They
were required to pay a special poll tax, the jizya, imposed on non-Muslims only. In many
places and at many times, the dhimmi was required to wear distinguishing clothes, and was
prohibited from bearing arms. The stigma attached to the dhimmi status was one of the
factors that compelled many non-Muslims to convert to Islam.

The five pillars of Islam are:


1. The Shahadah (the Islamic creed), the Muslim profession of faith: There is no god but
god (allah), and Muhammad is his messenger. Reciting the creed in the presence of a
Muslim makes the reciter a Muslim. When a baby is born, his father or grandfather whispers
the creed in his ear to make him a Muslim.
2. Five ritualistic prayers every day following the rite of ritual cleansing (ablution) that
requires washing all exposed parts of the body with water or sand, if water is not available
(al-Maidah 5: 6). If a Muslim touches a non-Muslim after his ablution, he is defiled and will
have to perform the ablution all over again.
3. Zakat (required alms giving).
4. Fast of the month of Ramadan. During the entire month of Ramadan, each Muslim over
age 14 must abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset.
Failure to fast without legitimate excuse is an unpardonable sin (al-Baqarah 2: 183-187).
Islam follows a lunar year which is eleven or twelve days shorter than our solar Gregorian
year. Therefore, the month of Ramadan rotates gradually throughout the seasons.
5. Pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca at least for those that can afford the expenses of the journey
(Al-Imran 3: 97).
In addition, Muhammad in Medina urged Muslims to engage in armed jihad against non-
Muslims.

The religious practices of Islam are more concerned with superficial empty dry rites and
rituals than with the spiritual inner experience of the person and his spiritual transformation.

B. Christianity
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The Holy Bible presents Gods truth in the person of his incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. He is
the only truth of the living God: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and
we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth (John 1: 14; 14: 6).

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ form the foundation of Christianity. The
Christian faith is centered on Christ. Christ is Gods most important self-disclosure in history.
God has revealed himself in human history by a divine person, not by a book. All is of God,
from God, and by God. God is the revealer and revealedthe Father and his Word, the Son.
The Holy Spirit of God is his power at work in the Christian Church. God is transcendent
beyond human imagination, and yet he is immanent intimately concerned with human
welfare and active in human history. In Christ, the believer is reborn and transfigured by
grace. Spiritual renewal and gradual sanctification to conform to the image of Christ are the
central themes in the life of the follower of Christ.

True Christian faith consists of three essential elements: the intellectual element (mental
acceptance of the basic doctrines of Christianity), the affectionate element (the bond of love
between God and the person), and the volitional element (full commitment to follow the
teachings of Christ). Thus, true Christian faith encompasses the totality of the human person:
his intellect, his emotion, and his will. It emphasizes the love of the true living God, and the
love of neighbor.

The basics of the orthodox Christian faith are summarized in this page.

Sectarianism and divisiveness afflict all great religions in varying forms and degrees. All
Christians have the treasure of Christ in their imperfect weak humanity (2 Corinthians 4: 7).
There are three major Christian traditions: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant. A faith
that has about 2.2 billion adherents is bound to have different traditions. Disagreements are
inherent in the fallen nature of humanity. There are differences between these traditions. We
are not attempting to belittle the importance of these differences. However, it is important to
stress the fact that all Christian traditions, including the many conservative Protestant
denominations, share the same core doctrines of the Christian faith, such as the inspiration of
the Holy Bible, the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the virgin birth of Christ, the miracles
of Christ, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the second coming of Christ in glory and
power, the work of the Holy Spirit, salvation, the resurrection of the dead, Gods judgment,
etc. What unites different Christian traditions is far greater than what divides them.

II. THE SEAL OF PROPHETS?


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Many Muslims believe that Jesus ministry was limited to the nation of Israel (al-Maidah 5:
46-47). They attribute the universality of Christianity to the early Gentile Church teachings.
In fact, after his resurrection, Jesus has instructed his disciples to preach Christianity to all the
nations of the earth: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been
given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
(Matthew 28: 18-19; Acts 1: 8).
History tells us that his apostles obeyed his command, traveled far, and proclaimed the gospel
to pagans outside Palestine. For instance, the apostle Paul proclaimed Christianity in Asia
Minor and in Europe. The apostle Matthew evangelized as far as India; the apostle John in
Asia Minor; and Mark the evangelist in North Africa.

The Jesus of the Quran is very different from the Jesus of the holy Bible. Islam teaches that
he was virgin born, and preached the truth. The Bible teaches that he was virgin born, and he
is the truth (the Word of God): Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14: 6). He was not merely an
example of righteousness. He was the atoning sacrifice that allowed mankind to obtain
righteousness. In Christianity, Jesus is the savior and reigning king of kings, whose kingdom
shall have no end (Luke 1: 33; Hebrews 1: 8; 2 Peter 1: 11; Daniel 7: 14, 27).

Islam claims that Jesus is only another prophet like many other messengers of God before
him. It also claims that Jesus was not crucified (al-Nisa 4: 157-159). In fact, non-Christian
sources attest the historical event of his crucifixion.

The central message of Christianity is that Christ is the incarnate Word (Son) of God. He died
on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead three days later. It refutes the central message
of Islam that God has no eternal Son, and that Jesus did not die on the cross and rise from the
dead three days later, and that Muhammad is the seal of the prophets. There is no need for
prophets proclaiming their independent religions after Christ, because:

1. Christ is the incarnate Word (Son) of God. In him, all the prophecies of the first advent
of the Messiah were fulfilled. He is the culmination of all prophecy. Christ, the incarnate
Word of God, is the final revelation of God, in which all partial revelations of old found their
fulfillment. On the other hand, Christianity expects the coming of the false prophet and the
anti-Christ (2 Thessalonians 2: 3; Revelation 19: 20; 20: 10) to be followed by the second
advent of Christ in glory to judge the living and the dead at the end of this age.

2. After his ascension, Christ has sent the Holy Spirit of the living God to indwell the
believers and guide his Church on earth. The Holy Spirit guides the believers in their
fellowship with Christ on earth, strengthens them in the faith, and sanctifies them
progressively: And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out
of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men
shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My
maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy (Acts 2:
17-18; Joel 2: 28-29); clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not
with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of
flesh, that is, of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3: 3). Therefore, there is no need for prophets
inspired by the Spirit of God to provide a new religion after Christ (Matthew 21: 33-44).

3. One of the main reasons for sending prophets is that God wants to improve the morality of
humanity as humanity develops and matures, and becomes receptive to higher ethical
standards. Every major prophet provides further moral development for humanity. For
instance, God gave the prophet Moses a law saying: you shall give life for life, eye for
eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound,
stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21: 23-25). The ancient custom before the time of Moses was
that the punishment should be more than the original injury. The law of Moses moderated the
punishment in order to prevent a series of violent bloody acts that could spiral out of
controlinstead of a tenfold vengeance, there would be equality of suffering. This was a step
upward for human morality.

Then Jesus came fourteen centuries later and raised humanity to the ideal moral standard by
teaching love and forgiveness, in the place of vengeance: You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless
those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully
use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He
makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the
unjust (Matthew 5: 38, 44-45). Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give
place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.
Therefore if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so
doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome
evil with good. (Romans 12: 19-21).

In fact, Jesus implemented this teaching personally to provide the highest example on love
and forgiveness. While he was bleeding and suffering in agony the death pains on the cross,
he did not condemn those who crucified him to death and destruction. Instead, he prayed for
their forgiveness: And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they
crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then
Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do (Luke 23: 33-
34).

Instead of the forgiveness and tolerance that Jesus has taught, the Islamic ethical teachings
are a major step backward in morality (al-Baqarah 2: 178). It teaches killing and intolerance:
Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given (Christians and Jews) as
believe in neither god (the god of Islam) nor the last day, who do not forbid what god and his
apostle (Muhammad) have forbidden, and do not embrace the true faith (Islam), until they
pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued. The Jews say Ezra is the son of God, while
the Christians say the Messiah is the Son of God. Such are their assertions, by which they
imitate the infidels of old. God confound them! How perverse they are (at-Tawbah 9: 29-30);
When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield, strike off their heads, and when you have
laid them low, bind your captives firmly (Muhammad 47: 4).

In addition, Islam permits polygamy (instead of the Christian monogamy), taking concubines
(e.g. Muhammad took Rihana and Mary the Egyptian who were not among his wives), incest
(Muhammad married his daughter-in-law Zaynab bint Jahsh after his adopted son Zayd
divorced her (al-Ahzab 33: 37)), breastfeeding adults, marrying child girls (Muhammad
married Aisha when she was six years old, and consummated the marriage when she was nine
years old, still a child (at-Talaq 65: 4)), beating wives (al-Nisa 4: 34), temporary marriage
which is prostitution, etc. Moses and Jesus never permitted these immoralities.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a godly saintly virgin woman. Muhammads mother was a
pagan woman who worshiped idols, and practiced occult. Jesus was a godly person all his
life. Muhammad worshiped pagan idols until he was forty years of age, and committed grave
immoralities. Jesus was a man of godly peace and forgiveness. Muhammad was a violent
bloody man of the sword.

In contrast with the claim of al-Ahzab 33: 40 that Muhammad is the seal of prophets, the
Holy Bible declares that Christ is the seal of prophethood and the end of Gods revelation to
humankind: God the Father has set His seal on Him (John 6: 27; Mark 12: 1-11);
Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:
10; Luke 20: 9-18). There can be no prophets from the true living God to succeed Christ, his
incarnate Son. In fact, Christ declared: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me (John 14: 6). However, Christ sends apostles and
prophets by his own authority in his own name to pass on his divine revelation and proclaim
his Gospel to the nations (Ephesians 4: 7, 11-16; Acts 11: 28; 15: 32; Revelation 1: 1-3; 11:
3-6). Muhammad proclaimed a different religion and contradicted key teachings of the
Gospel of Christ.

III. LOVE
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One of the most important central teachings of Christianity is the love of God and the love of
neighbor: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3: 16; 17: 24, 26); He
who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4: 8); 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 great commandment. And the second is like it: You
shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22: 37-39). In his teachings and miracles,
Jesus focused human awareness on two most important facts: Gods overwhelming divine
love of humanity, and people accepting that love and letting it flow through them to others.
Love is manifested in relationships. Loving God means giving ourselves totally to him, and
living every day of our lives to please him. This is the highest mode of worship we could
offer to God. We will examine the important relationships in Islam and Christianity.

1. The relationship between the messenger and his god.

The Quran and the Hadith do not speak about Muhammad loving his god, or his god loving
him. Muhammad described himself as a slave of his god (al-Baqarah 2: 23). In fact, in the
one hundred or so names for the Islamic god, there is no word that refers to him as love.

On the contrary, Jesus relationship with God the Father is based on mutual divine love. God
the Father spoke about loving his incarnate Son: While he (Jesus) was still speaking,
behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud,
saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him (Matthew 17:
5; 12: 18; 3: 17). And Jesus stressed his obedience and love to God the Father, without fear
(John 14: 31). The divine love is the supreme example of the ideal pristine love that Christ
taught: As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. This is My
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one
than this, than to lay down ones life for his friends (John 15: 9, 12-13; 3: 16).

Jesus instructed Christians to love both God and their neighbors: 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 great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall
love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the
Prophets (Matthew 22: 37-40; Mark 12: 28-31; John 13: 34-35; 15: 9, 12; Romans 13:
10; 1 John 4: 7-10, 15-16, 20-21; 1 Peter 3: 8-9).
2. The relationship between the messenger and his people.

Although the Quran provides a passing reference for the Islamic gods love (Hud 11: 90), it
emphasizes obedience to the Islamic god as a slave to his master (Qaf 50: 8; al-Anfal 8: 13).
Muhammad used to carry out cruel inhumane punishments he claimed his god demanded
whether by beating, cutting off limbs, stoning to death, etc. In addition, the Islamic god did
not love unbelievers (Al-Imran 3: 32). He leads them astray in order to populate the hell he
had created: If we had so willed, we could certainly have brought every soul its true
guidance: but the Word from Me will come true, "I will fill Hell with Jinns and men all
together (as-Sajdah 32: 13).

The Christian teaching contradicts the Islamic teaching. The eternal divine love between God
the Father and Jesus, his incarnate Son, is reflected in their relationship with humanity. Jesus
assured his disciples that God the Father loved them: For the Father Himself loves you,
because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God (John 16:
27). Jesus also expressed his love to his followers: As the Father loved Me, I also have
loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love,
just as I have kept My Fathers commandments and abide in His love (John 15: 9-10).
In fact, he gave up his bodily life to save them from eternal damnation (John 10: 14-15).
Jesus elevated his disciples to the level of friends: No longer do I call you servants, for a
servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all
things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you (John 15: 15).

In addition to loving his followers, Jesus loved the unbelievers and tried to help them (Mark
2: 17; John 4: 1-26; Luke 7: 36-50; 15: 1-2; 23: 39-43). Jesus also taught that God the Father
is kind to the unthankful and evil (Luke 6: 35; Matthew 5: 45; John 3: 16; Romans
5: 8).

3. The relationship between believers, and unbelievers and enemies.

Although Muhammad called for Muslims to care for each other as brothers (Al-Imran 3:
103; al-Hujurat 49: 10), he instructed Muslims to reject friendships with non-Muslims (al-
Imran 3: 28; al-Maidah 5: 51; al-Mumtahanah 60: 1), and to participate in holy war (jihad)
and kill unbelievers if necessary in order to force them to submit to Islam (al-Tawbah 9: 5,
29; al-Baqarah 2: 193; etc.). Christian and Jewish martyrs are killed for what they believe.
Muslim jihadist martyrs kill for what they believe. Muhammad controlled his followers with
rewards and punishments, and demanded that they do the samereward believers and punish
unbelievers.

The Islamic supremacist teachings (Al-Imran 3: 110, 85; at-Tawbah 9: 28) puff up the ego of
Islamists. Non-Muslims are looked down upon, treated as second-class citizens and sub-
humans (al-Anfal 8: 55; al-Maidah 5: 59-60; al-Baqarah 2: 65; al-Araf 7: 166), and
persecuted in Islamic countries. Their suffering at the hands of Muslims poisons Muslim
societya severe price for advocating hatred.

Love is the very substance of life. It is what nurtures an infant in his crib. It is the mortar of
human society. Islam denies the reality and substance of love. A Muslim man who beats and
murders his mother, sister, wife, or daughter does not love them. Muslims who impose the
humiliating jizya on their non-Muslim neighbors do not love them; etc.
Jesus instructed Christians to love one another as he loved them A new commandment I
give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one
another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another (John 13: 34-35).

In addition, Jesus asked them to love the unbelievers and the enemies, pray for them, preach
the gospel to them, heal their sick, and raise their dead. You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your
enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in
heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the
just and on the unjust. Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is
perfect (Matthew 5: 43-45, 48; Luke 6: 27-28, 32-33, 35; Romans 12: 14). Christianity
teaches forgiveness, and prevents revenge. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but
rather give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the
Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink.
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good (Romans 12: 19-21; Matthew 5: 38-42). Islam demands revenge
(al-Baqarah 2: 178, 194; al-Isra 17: 33; etc.).

In ancient times, Moses had instructed the Jews to love the stranger, for you were
strangers in the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 10: 19; Leviticus 19: 34).

IV. FORGIVENESS
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Christianity teaches that forgiveness is the healing of a broken relationship between Christ
and the penitent sinner. There is only one path to forgiveness and reconciliation with God
accepting the atonement Christ offered on the cross through penitent working faith: God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us (Romans 5: 8; 1 Peter 3: 18). Without Christs atoning death on behalf of the penitent
sinner who puts his faith in Christ, man is hopelessly lost in his sinful ways and corrupted
nature. He (Christ) was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our
iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. And by His stripes we are
healed (Isaiah 53: 5).

The Almighty living God of the Holy Bible gives grace to all those who receive Jesus as Lord
and savior and accept his free gift of atonement. The atonement of Christ guarantees the
forgiveness of all repented sins: if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins (1 John
2: 1-2; Romans 5: 1-2; 1 Peter 2: 24-25; Ephesians 1: 7-8); how much more shall the
blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God,
cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9: 14);
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4: 12). Christians are thereby set free from
the bondage of sin and spiritual death (Romans 6: 6-7; Galatians 5: 13; 1 Peter 2: 16).
Christians are required to forgive others, thereby extending the forgiveness they receive from
God of others.
Islam offers no means by which the Muslim person can be reconciled with the Islamic god
and set free from his sins. There is no mediator for the Muslim person that can plead his case
before the Islamic god. A Muslim person does not have assurance that his repented sins are
forgiven (al-Tawbah 9: 102; al-Nahl 16: 61). The god of Islam gives grace only arbitrarily to
whom he pleases (al-Maidah 5: 18). In fact, a Muslim person can never be sure that he is not
being directed by the Islamic god to do evil, since that god causes people to sin and do evil:
Whom god wills he sends astray, and whom he wills he places on a straight path (al-
Anam 6: 39; Ibrahim 14: 4).

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