Monday, August 31, 2009

Why does Ramadan get so much publicity?

Ramadan is a time of year when Muslims fast during daylight hours. It happens once a year and lasts around 28 days. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, each year it is 10 or 11 days earlier than the year before. After Ramadan, the next day is Eid, where there are great feasts in the Muslim world. I remember 7 or 8 years ago when Eid was around the same time as Christmas, but this year it will be in September. But something has struck me as funny, and a little bit disconcerting. People seem more aware of Ramadan than Lent. Lent, of course, is the Christian time of penance, fasting and almsgiving. But I find people are more familiar with Ramadan than they are with Lent.

A couple of examples will illustrate this point. I was speaking to a friend of mine at a party one time. I told him that at the time it was Lent. He seemed a little confused as if he wasn't really familiar with Lent. This person was born in Quebec, the most Catholic province in Canada, and is a completely bilingual white man. I indicated that Lent is a time of fasting and so on for Christians, and as though a light went off inside his head, he exclaimed, "Oh, like Ramadan!" It seems to me, it should have been the opposite. He is not Muslim, and although he himself would probably not consider himself Christian, his heritage surely is.

A second example is of another friend, who is also a white Canadian. Although he himself cannot speak French, he has French ancestors (from France), but mostly of Canadian origin. He dated a Muslim girl for several years. They broke up. Later he started dating a Christian girl. One night the topic of Ramadan came up because it had recently started. He perked up. He became interested becuase he said he normally participates in the fasting, not for religious purposes he says, but for the beneficial effects fasting can have on a person, such as self control. He was concerned however, because his new girlfriend was quite Christian and he felt that participating in Ramadan might give her a bad impression. Interestingly, he failed to consider Lent, which would be wholly acceptable to her, regardless of her particular denomination since he would be imitating Christ. My hunch is that he had never even heard of Lent.

But how do these examples exist? In Canada, about 77% of the population considers themselves Christian, and around 44% call themselves Catholic. Compare this to the less than 2% who are Muslim. I think there may be several reasons for this occurrance. One of the main reasons is something I wrote about in a previous post and it has to do with self-hatred. We as a society seem to hate ourselves. The closer we approach our own culture, religion, way of life, historical values, and even skin colour, the more we want to lash out in angry vitriol. Yet, at the same time, we feel compelled to be overly consiliatory when it comes to other cultures and religions. Statement: Christianity is against abortion. Response: "Well, don't tell me what to do about my body! And how dare the Church try to tell me anything! What about when *insert random, unrelated, exaggerated incident(s) from the Church's past*?" But then tell someone about cannibals in a foreign country and say that's morally wrong and people will once again lash out, but this time in defense of that culture. Response: "How dare you try to push your imperialistic ambitions on these poor innocent cultures that are living how they have lived for centuries! Don't push your morals on them! You're worse than they are for judging them!"

What makes this situation even more surprising is that there is good reason to believe that Ramadan is just a Muslim version of Lent. Mohammed came into contact with Christians, albeit nonorthodox ones, and from them took many Christian ideas and changed them in certain ways. He also took pagan beliefs and incorporated them into Islam. The idea of Ramadan came directly from Lent. In the time when Mohammed got his idea, Christians had a very strict regiment during this penitential season, even stricter than Muslims now. There was little or no eating during the day, eating meat was prohibited, including derivatives such as butter, cream, etc. Also, there was much prayer. Mohammed didn't just take the idea of Lent and turn it into Ramadan, he also took many other ideas from Christianity and modified them. He took the idea of monks praying 7 times a day and changed it to Muslims praying 5 times a day. He took everything he wrote about Jesus, the New Testament, and the Old Testament from the Christians he met, including the idea that only Christ and Mary were sinfree their entire lives. He took the ideas to a certain extent. He did not accept that Christ died on the cross for our sins, and fulfilled all of scripture and thus removed the necessity for another prophet (since Christ fulfilled all prophesy). He could not accept this, because this would mean he was no longer a prophet and that he would simply be a follower. So, Mohammed changed things as he saw necessary to give himself his own self-title of prophet. As a warlord, Mohammed spread his message by the sword. Having said this, I believe Muslims worship the same God (although they have an incomplete concept of him), and I believe many Muslims are good people. But we must also not be afraid of the truth.

Somehow, out of a sense of political correctness, we feel compelled to act as a defense lawyer for all "others", while feeling a similar obligation to denigrate our own culture. I'm not saying we should be disrespectful or encourage racism or prejudice. I'm just saying we need to stand up for ourselves, love ourselves, love our culture, our religion, our way of life. We must respect others as well, but not at the expense of our own self-respect.

It is just so very ironic. If someone speaks about 9/11, it is considered terrible to mention anything about Islam, and if someone does mention that the hijackers were Muslim, it is quickly and emphatically followed up with statements about the peaceful nature of "most" Muslims. However, it is considered completely alright to bring up anything about the Church's history when opposing her in some way. I've read articles written for top newspapers in the United States that have been along the lines of the Catholic Church is opposed to abortion, but how dare they speak out against abortion when there was a sex abuse scandal! Or The Catholic Church does not allow women to be priests. How dare they do this, considering all the stuff that happened during the sex abuse scandal! Or The Catholic Church opposes gay marriage. But why not use that money to pay off sex abuse victims instead! Imagine using the same logic when it comes to Muslims. As in "Muslim countries are against same-sex marriage. How dare they! Remember 9/11!" It would seem completely illogical, and it would be! It seems logic is not necessary when bashing the Catholic Church.

I believe it is high time that we put away our self-loathing and rediscover a love for our culture and heritage. There are innumerable things to be proud of when it comes to being Christian, and specifically Catholic. The Catholic Church furthered the idea that scientific laws were rational and that science is possible because everything is not as it is right this moment because God is specifically willing it to be that way (i.e. everything is a miracle). The Catholic Church founded the university system we have today. The Western study of astronomy started with the Church. International Law came from the Church. We built innumerable schools, hospitals, and other places which provide social services. We've campaigned for the poor and abandonned. Monks gathered and transmitted knowledge from the ancient world to our own. You may say others have done this also to some extend, but none come anywhere near the Catholic Church. It is the largest chartible organization on the planet. 22% of hospitals in India are Catholic, even though only 2% of the population is. 50% of AIDS victims in Africa are cared for by Catholic organizations. There are many more statistics like these.

Let us spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and his Church!

60 comments:

  1. Hi Phil,

    I read your blog on an almost daily basis and sometimes agree and sometimes disagree with your viewpoint; but I do always enjoy reading, as it stimulates me to question issues in my faith. I felt compelled today to finally speak on an issue that bugs me about your blog. You end your blog today by posting many great things about the Catholic Church, unfortunately anybody who is non Catholic will most likely have stopped reading long ago as you attack other belief systems so ardently. As Catholics, it is our job to reach out, not condemn, to foster cooperation and unity, not to judge. Why not look at the things Mohammad took from Catholicism and use it as common ground between Muslims and Catholics, instead of condemning him for it. As you may know, Catholics borrowed plenty from the Jewish and Pagan traditions when it was starting out.

    I write, respectfully I feel, not to judge you, trust me I will continue to read. But to try to help you understand, in order to bring people to our great faith don't always be negative. Take that list from your last paragraph and spend a month writing only about those positive contributions the Church has made. It will make a difference, people will say, WOW I didn't realize the Church did this or that. But do it before you have everyone who may be on the fence turned off from your blog.

    I am aware that by now you probably think I am a "liberal" Catholic, which I would not characterize myself as. I AM definitely a post Vatican II Catholic who believes that we do need to evangelize, but as we evangelize we need to do so in a respectful manner, by doing this I believe we would find many more converts to our cause.

    Blessings

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  2. ur wrong, wrong, wrong, our prophet did NOT take ideas from anybody..since I don't want to end up having a pointless argument - I'll just say one thing - You say - "It seems logic is not necessary when bashing the Catholic Church." Seems like you're bashing Islam/Muslims to me. The person who commented above is sensible - a respectful manner is needed to get people to convert - I don't think - and no offense - you're going about the right way to do that.

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  3. Our prophet was educated already - he was given vast knowledge by Allah. He did not need to 'use' bits of Christianity to build up so-called 'ideas' about namaaz and fasting. I think you should do some research on Islam.

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  4. yehhh i totallyy agreee Muhammad didnt use ideas from christians in offering namaz..it was a gift given by Allah! If christianity was a true religion, why isn't there anything mentioned on ABORTION in the bible? And the whole point muslims fast is to draw themselves more closer to Allah, to change oneself physically and mentally! he did not just change anything to make himself a prophet HOWEVER he GAINED PROPHECY from GOD! Also Muahammad never WROTE anything...he was given the HOLY BOOK by GOD too and the christians thereafter copied the HOLY QURAAN.
    To back up my points why don't you watch this video and learn something new!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvxDiOuJNt0

    ANGELA COLLINS a CATHOLIC who converted to ISLAM staright after 9/11! If ISLAM wern't a true religion then there wouldn't be roughly around 2,000 people converting to ISLAM DAILY!!

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  5. hows it our fault sat sum people aren't evn knowledgable on their OWN religion?

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  6. Jealouuuuuuuus...

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  7. Muhammed heard words from satan not god. Dont confuse the two. God would not tell a person that he will recieve 72 virgins in heaven for killing another human being. Yet according to Muhammed God told him this. Also, Muhammed was a pedophile - married a 6 year old girl. Reading the koran is akin to reading mein kumph - both are written by madmen and both are toxic fueled pieces of literature with murder and hate strewn amongst its text.

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  8. ah shuddit. ure jealous.

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  9. u no its funny - every tym a muslim does something wrong,the fact that he is a muslim is highlighted in the news - yet wen u people do something wrong its not - and why? because it doesnt come as a surprise to anybody thats why - and can you please give a more detailed description of this '6 year old girl?'

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  10. sheesh, the very words you've written show jealousy and hate. and I thought that your religion tells yuou to respect other people's religions.

    None of the above insulted anyone in the manner you did. So now who's spreading the hate other than you? And were's your proof that 'the 6 year old girl' objected to being married to the prophet (peace be upon him)? You were'nt there. So quit making assumptions you know nothing about.

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  11. That '6 year old girl's name' was Aisha (radi allahu anhuma) she was the duaghter of Abu Bakr (radi allahu anhu) who gave her hand in marriage to the prophet because he could not think of a better gift to give to his most beloved friend other than that of giving his daughter's hand to her. As for your disgusting assumptions about our prophet - they are claims made out of hatred, You really need to research on Islam with your heart - but first, clear that filthy mind of yours! Marriages like those were allowed in those days! Long before Islam, people were also marrying their blood brothers and sisters! And one more thing. All this your sitting smug in your seat and typing. I'd like to hear you say this to one of my brothers or sisters to their face. It's not a threat. I'm not saying this out of anger. I'm saying it's easy to sit wherever you are and type whatever you want. And that's all you are doing. Don't insult our prophet. You'll be very sorry - whether its in this life or the next.

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  12. yhh i totaly agree dun sit der insultin our propht cus it ain gonna geh u anythin,, n the fact tht aisha hu wos onli 6 wos marid 2 him is nthin bad because he still trreated her fairly n tht her father wnted tu gve her hand...if u think he wos a pedo den he wudve marrid bare women n ny random 1nz bu e dint!! if u relli hav bad asumptions on the propht n islam..y dun u jus keep it tu urself insted of spreadin it..n jus thnk 2 urself wha if some 1 did tht tu ur religion..whud u tke tht NO! so leme gve u sme advice KEPP UR COMMENTS TU URSELF!

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  13. eeeeeeeexxxxxxxacccccccctllly!!!!!!!!!!!

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  14. yeh! we muslims dont chat shit about your religion! why da hll do u go arnd insulting our prophet? (pace be upon him.)
    we believe that Jesus (Isa) (alayhis salam) is the PROPHET of Allah, the ONE and ONLY god not his SON. we respect and love him as we do all the other prophets! You hve no rite 2 go arnd spreading hate! U people don't understand Islam! So dont talk about wat u dont understand! You want tru fact?!
    READ the Quran! Dont mke up tings frm wt u hear frm others!

    ReplyDelete
  15. *peace be upon him
    oh yhh, n 1 lst tng - ur tellin us nt 2 cnfuse Allah wiv Shaytaan? Cummin frm sum1 who's drowning in hate? U'll suffer, nmte, if u dnt opn ur eyes. You r da 1 Shaytaan is whispering to, 2 hav mde sch a mndless comment on our prophet.
    He is the BEST of the prophets. He has all of the prophets qualities, and more! Don't insult him!

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  16. Have you even READ the Quran? No, have you even touched a Quran? I don't think so. If u haven't read it. hw do u no 'sooo much' bout wt happened and wat it says to the people? Your'e nothing but a hate-fueled LIAR!!!

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  17. Many people seem to be saying I am insulting Mohammed because I say he married a 6 year old girl. But that is a factual statement. It's not an insult if it is accurate.

    I believe you should listen to Jesus when he said I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus is the messiah, the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. God the Father called Jesus his Son. The Bible was written by the inspiration of God by followers of Jesus, who gave their lives to proclaim his message. All the 12 apostles, save one, were martyred, yet none so much as lifted a sword in self-defense. They were slaughtered like lambs, pure and innocent. They did this, rather than violate their faith. All heaven and earth must kneel to the name of Christ. He loves you a lot.

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  18. Yes, I believe he may, depending on whether or not in Allah's eyes I am a good enough person - besides, I think that they (above comments) were not referring to you unless you wrote that insulting comment yourself...and if you did - it goes to show that you write religious articles about your own religion and go around insulting others as an anon. I hope you weren't the one who commented. No one said YOU were insulting the prophet... Yes, that's a factual statement - even though, there are still debates today on the actual age of Aisha (radi allahu anhuma)when she got married, though its known that it was when she was young. Since I don't want to get into a pointless argument on whether or not Isa is the son of God, I'd just like to point out - If Jesus does take away the sins of the world, then why are countless people still sinning? I've heard that Jesus does not take away, but HAS taken away the sins of people - so why, as Iv'e said, do people still sin?

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  19. P.s could you please explain your view of the trinity a little in detail? I'm interested in your view, because I've heard so much different views form other people - on the fact that Jesus is the son of God? How exactly?

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  20. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  21. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  22. i am soo with u my sisterr....u guys wud learn the truth tht THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH AND OUR BELOVED MUHAMMED (PEACE BE UPON HIM) IS THE REALL N TRUE MESSENGER OF GOD...N ALLAH HAS NO SONS...NO DAUGHTER..HE IS JUST ONE!!! u will know soooonn because whetevr u say know is wha u think but there is nt long left wen jesus - ISA alaiyas salam wud cme to this world n thn u wud realise tht he is nt the son of god and our propht Muhammad is the LAST AN CHOSEN MESENGER of Allah!
    We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  23. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  24. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  25. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  26. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  27. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  28. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  29. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  30. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  31. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Adam was in the garden of Eden, and there he brought sin into the world by eating the forbidden fruit. This was an act of disobedience to God. He brought death into the world. Because of our sin, we all deserve death, because the wages of sin is death. We cannot eliminate sin, only God can do that.

    Jews made sacrifices as restitution for their sin. These were gifts of animal sacrifices for atonement. But these were not perfect sacrifices. These were not enough to pay for our sin. Jesus made the perfect sacrifice, by taking our sins to the cross. He suffered and died for our sins, and Christ being perfect, the spotless lamb, could make the perfect sacrifice. Therefore, those who become members of Christ can share in this perfect sacrifice and become united with God.

    We cannot merit our own salvation, only Christ's sacrifice on the cross can do this. So we must believe in Jesus and follow his commands. He says we must be baptized and be united with him, and we must give all our sins to him so that he can purify us.

    To answer some questions, I do not post anonymously. I posted the initial article, and any comments made by me have my name marked there.

    The Trinity is a belief about the nature of God. We can believe this because Jesus told us it is true. Jesus is sinless. The Bible teaches us about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

    If I have offended anyone, I am sorry. That is not my intention. Thank you for reading my article and commenting.

    ReplyDelete
  33. As a matter of fact, in Islam, Eve is the one who was tempted by the devil to eat the forbidden fruit - some say he came in the form of a large snake - perhaps as a symbol of slyness? She then persuaded Adam to eat the fruit - Muslims believe that death is inevitable - thats the part I don't understand - don't Christians believe in life in the hereafter too? It seems like you're trying to say that if Adam (alayhis salaam)had not disobeyed, he would not have supposedly brought death to the world - and people, or, you Christians, as you believe, would be living an eternal life in this world? Meaning no next world/hereafter? Thats a little confusing - as Muslims we believe death is inevitable, but it does not occur because we have sinned - merely because its the only way we can move onto the next life - so we are left with our souls, as the body, well, it could be said, is just a vessel.(Correct me, sis, if I'm wrong.)The second point you wrote - summed up, is that if you are a Christian any sin you do in this world will be taken away due to the fact that Jesus 'was crucified?'
    'we must be baptized and united with him, and we must give all our sins to him so that he can purify us' - does this mean that being baptized purifies you completely? What about sins you commit after you are baptized? Do you get punished for them at all, in anyway?
    Thirdly, you say Jesus is sinless - so why does he have to suffer for OUR sins we have committed?
    It doesn't make sense - please explain. By the way, I reckon you should watch this video - just to get some sort of on what we think - it's only fair, since I've read your point of view - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z29jFDmkoEc
    (sis did u watch dis link i sent?If u din' chck it owt would ya)

    ReplyDelete
  34. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  35. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  36. We Muslims are a good people. We are NOT afraid of the truth - there is only ONE god, who has no partner and NO son, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the TRUE last and most beloved prophet -
    La Illaha Illallah -
    Copy and paste if you agree
    my brothers and sisters
    The truth will be known on the last day
    then we shall see.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Islam is the religion which was given to Adam, the first man and the first prophet of Allah, and it was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind. The name of God's religion lslam, wasn't decided by later generations but it was chosen by Allah Himself. (hope ur reedin sister) The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ.
    Jesus (Isa Alaiyhis salam) was sent by Allah who supported him with the Holy Spirit, to tell the world Allah's will.
    Christians say that 'Jesus is the only BEGOTTEN SON' but I say David is also a 'BEGOTTEN' son in the Bible, does that make him a GOD or GOD'S SON?
    The early Christians didn't believe that Jesus was a God or God's son but a servant of God (Allah), what makes you modern christians believe that he is the SON of GOD?
    [Quran 5:75] 'Christ Son of Mary was no more than a Messenger! Many messengers have passed before his time. His mother was a righteous woman...And [like all mortals] both of them had to eat [to live]. See how clear Have We made Our signs for them! Yet, see how they wander astray!!'
    The Bible is not Holy because it has been re-written and editied by men..it also has conflicting verses in both the testaments and I have proof for that!
    Bible Old Testament: -Samuel 6:23 - 'Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death'
    New testament: - Samuel 21:8 - 'But the King took the two sons Rizpah. the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore unto saul. Arrnoni and Mephibosheth: AND THE 5 SONS OF MICHAL, the daughter of saul' so you tell me did Michal have children or not?
    Allah is the unique and specific name of God since Adam and by the way it was there in the bible but removed intentially and replaced by the word God which is vague and non specific.
    Finally i finish off by saying that Islam is a Religion of Peace and Tolerance and it does NOT FORCE anyone to follow it. Islam is concerned with Justice and the Righteousness and in the Hearts of Every Muslim lies the FACT that THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH AND MUHAMMAD (assalatu wassalam) IS THE TRUE MESSENGER OF ALLAH!!
    If you wish to learn more on the TRUTH about Islam then please visit http://www.islam-guide.com/
    GOD BLESS x PEACE x
    xXx54F4xXx

    ReplyDelete
  38. Islam was not given to Adam. Islam or the word Islam do not appear until Mohammed. Claiming that Islam goes back to the beginning of time is simply wrong. Judaism claims a start time, and we believe Jesus was Jewish also, along with most of the first apostles. Some of these Jews followed Jesus and are known as Christian. We would not be dishonest and say Christianity started with Adam, even though we recognize a development of belief which culminates in Christianity.

    Why am I being referred to as "sister"? I am a man.

    I read a little bit of the Qur'an myself today. My impression is that it seems to be a rule book. A Muslim who became Christian said that when he read the Qur'an, he was reading rule lists. But when he read the Bible, he began to cry. I often weep when reading the Bible because it is so beautiful. A famous Russian author once said the Bible could not have been written by men, because nothing on Earth compares to it.

    The earliest Christians always believed Jesus to be God. Christ's divinity is attested to in the Bible, and God speaks directly to the people to make this proclamation. However, Jesus did not toot his own horn. He did not stand up and demand that everyone obey him "or else" and sing praises about himself. He did not write the Bible. It was written by believers, who died with hymns on their lips. Jesus has been around for all eternity. We believe God is one, but three persons. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God refers to himself as "we" and "us". Prophets hundreds and thousands of years before Christ foretold his coming.

    Another impression I get from the Qur'an is that it goes out of its way to attempt to refute other religions. They will set up scenarios just to attempt to disprove Christianity or Judaism. They make people say things they didn't actually say. You believe Mary was sinless and that she conceived without having sex. You go 90% of the way, but not 100%. Mohammed found out about Christianity from other Christians, and that's where he found out about Jesus, and Mary, and the Bible, etc.

    Where is your proof that things were changed in the Bible? There are more copies of the Bible from ancient times than any other book, and they all agree on all points. Scientists say it would be impossible for a book to be changed and not have very different copies. They are all united in what they say. This level of uniformity would not be possible unless nothing was changed.

    India is 13.4% Muslim and 2.3% Christian, yet Christians have established 22% of hospitals. Why have Muslims not done more? If there is no compulsion in religion in Islam, then why are converts executed in public? This happens in places which adhere to Sharia law.

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  39. My sister is right - (and she was referring to me, by the way, not you, wen she told me she hoped i was reading) Adam (alayhis salaam)was the first prophet - as all the prophets were sent to earth by Allah to guide the people towards the right path, then, is it not obvious that he would preach about Islam as the first prophet? The last prophet was sent 'as a mercy to all the worlds' whereas the other prophets were sent to particular nations and tribes who had gone astray to the point where they needed the guidance of a prophet, whom Allah then sent down.
    As for you claiming that the Quran seems to be more of a 'rule-book' - the Quran is a source of guidance -indeed the Quran is a rule - book - these rules are there the reason every other set of general rules are: to keep us from harm, to keep us on the right track, to make sure what we are doing is right. So how is that as a bad thing? If we didn't have rules and regulations everything would be totally messed up - (don't you agree with that, sis?)For some people, these set of rules are a burden - they want to live life Their own way, the way they like it - using your friend's conversion as an example - to some people the reality of Islam is hard to follow because of the amount of things, say, forbidden to us Muslims - in reality though, Islam is very easy to follow as long as you keep a hold on your faith and believe without doubt. It seems very easy to say this - but keeping a hold on faith is not so easy - because different types of people can only take so much - that's why we pray - 'O Allah, do not place on us a burden more than we can take...' (say Ameen, sis!)there are ambiguous verses in the Quran that could have many different meanings if interpreted by different people - in that same way, the earlier books sent down as guidance, Torah, Psalms, etc could be fabricated - I've seen a lot of people on the Internet take wording from the Quran and make it sound misleading - now, a Muslim with weak faith could easily be led astray by doubt when reading these 'claims'. you ask for proof that the Bible was changed? Can you give proof it hasn't changed? We can give proof. Why are there so many different versions of the bible if it hasn't been changed? And only ONE version of the Quran, unchanged through centuries? In the same way that there are Catholics, and Protestants, there are also different 'types of Muslims, Sunni's, Deobandi's etc - but we all follow the SAME Quran, regardless.
    As for your last claim that Muslims should do more in India - you say Christians have done more by building hospitals, e.g. how EXACTLY do you know how much Muslims have done for India? and why compete in that? Anyway, We're coming off the subject here - you're just trying to make out Christians as a better people. I'd like to see where you get all these points from - in the news, Sharia Law is constantly made to look as if completely barbaric - I am not very knowledgeable about the Sharia, as I don't live a country where it is enforced - but I just wanna say, if you believe anything and everything the media saya, then you may as well just walk around with your eyes closed - and just think about This - people have also argued on whether or not people who murder should be killed as well - from one persons point of view, this would go against humanity, and would be cruel - however, if it was one of your own family members who was a victim, you would react in the opposite way and say it was justice. In the same way, the Sharia hands out punishments in accordance with the crime. If you are bringing up these claims just to make Muslims look bad, I suggest you stop. you're wasting your time - people will convert whether or not you want them to - and the fact that more people convert to Islam everyday proves it. I believe that most Christians believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) is the son of God because he was born without a father? Is this right?

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  40. can u plz shut up

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  41. if you try reading the quraan in arabic..wich is the true language its written in then youll really deel something in your hearts because i have definately have examples of Muslims and have seen it with my own eyes..that after reading the Qauraan the true message lightens their hearts...and it is no book of rules...those are the guided things a true MUSLIM should do everyday because it is a guide for this life and the hereafter! i totally agree with you and nowadys i see tons of young chrsitians becomin astray by smoking,having sex,and wht not from my entire life experiences I havent seen a single teenager talking about Christianity or mentioning that they visit churches! it just shows how much they participate within thier religion but young Muslims these days look forward in becoming schilars and lots of them have learnt the entire Quraan!
    how can believers write the bible when they could be writing false things, it cann be biased, however the Quraan was the TRUE WORDS from Allah which is why it is the Most Precious Book on Earth!
    There are 600 mosques and 1400 islamic organizations in England and around my area there has been around 3,4 churches converting into Mosques which shows islam is a very fast spreading religion around!
    The Qu'ran does not teach violence.. It said in the Qu'ran that we (muslims) are to fight as a self defence and for our country (soldiers etc)about having 4 wives our religion doesnt say you can marry them just to "enjoy" them which means you can only marry more than one if you can support and love all of your wives equally.. And females cant marry more than 1 man. the Miracle of the Qu'ran some messages from the Qu'ran prove some scientific facts which couldn't have known in the time of Mohamad (pbuh).
    There is nothing called 'better' in religion. Only one religion exists for people of every faith. Like we Muslims believe that Islam is the only religion that is actually the truth and no other religion can be compared to it. So similarly, people of other religion may have the same point of view. Thus, there is only one religion which is incomparable to any other and that is only and only ISLAM!
    Islam tells us Allah is both The Creator & The Evolver, of all that exits. We know Allah did not evolve us from monkeys, and we know all things are from Allah.
    'The Bible exists in multiple manuscripts, none of them original' - The "original" text itself is not available to us except through these reconstructions - 'the very oldest fragment resembling part of the text of the Hebrew Bible so far discovered is a small silver amulet, dating from approximately 600 BCE'- u said the bible was written by mens..were they eduacted? how did they know what God was saying? was there any evidence that the bible was written by mens? because in the encyclopedia it mentions that the orginal text wasnt is not even available however the Holy Quran wre the direct words starught friom Allah and the bible had over 5,560 copiees handwritten..couldnt it have been modified since al this years?
    54F4 XxX

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  42. The Quraan mentions about the bad things going to take place in the future ..and some are srating to already take place and 1 of them is the excessive drinking of alcohol and the great wars between Israel and the Arabs which would eventually lead to a World War Three!! Adding on..it would also lead to Jesus (Isa Alaiyhis Salam) coming on Earth! Allah mentions about the future because it would then stop the muslims from going astray and act upon their religion as fast as they can becase it is also mentiones that time would fly pass!!
    there has also been blatent miracles and there are videos on the youtube of the Lion saying the word Allah and so a parrot saying words from the Quraan! why isnt there any miracles about Jeuss and the 'Father'?
    The worldwide Growth of Christianity is 2.3% a year and Islam has 2.9% each year!!
    The Muslim Jesus is not divine, but a humble servant of God. He was not crucified - Islam insists that the story of the killing of Jesus is false!!
    One other thing: since Muslims deny the Crucifixion, their emphasis has been on the wonders surrounding the birth of "Jesus Son of Mary", born as his mother sat under a palm tree, and miraculously speaking from within the womb.
    Also by calling God the "father" implies that He had sexual Relations!! Christinaity is very unclear because the thing that you guys want to blame the Quraan and Muahmmad..why don't you face the fact that the new testament is not even the exact words of Jesus himslef, its others words ABOUT Jesus, his original words have been corrupted and may have been lost!
    Muhammad (PBUH) and the Quraan are that which Islam is to follow!!!!
    "The only valid picture of Jesus Christ is that which is to be found in the pages of the Qur'an."

    "So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. (From the NIV Bible, Revelation 2:22-23)" this is the words from the bible is that what it teaches Chrsitains? One example of many: Matthew (1:1-16) claims that there are 27 generations between David and Jesus, Luke (3:23-38) claims 41 generations. These cannot be reconciled. The Bible is not CONSISTENT!
    The Bible is not the big book of everything. The words therein are not the ultimate truth of the universe comared to what the Quraan says about the Universe which by scientific research is becoming to relate to what Quraan is saying!
    Punishments: Murder; Death, Theft; Death, Assault; Death, Pickpocketing; Death, Vandalism; Death, Divorce; Death. Surely this cannot be the law of such a "loving" god.
    Christianity just happened to spread coz it was the religion of a dominant culture and people and it was given a boost by the roman empire that concurred lands!!
    To really understand the Bible and see the truth, one must be very well educated. The mass mind is very powerful. When one studies long enough and acquires advanced knowledge, the truth is utterly shocking!
    54F4 XxX

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  43. Obviously the quran is not going to have different versions, it's a single book. The Bible however is 70+ books written over several centuries. We have copies of the Bible much older than any Quran. Plus, there is a shocking level of agreement among all of them. What you may be confused with is that during the Protestant reformation, 7 books were removed. But up until then, and continuing to this day for most Christians the Bible has remained the same.

    We do not believe Jesus is God because he was born of a Virgin, although that could be considered evidence. Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures which were written hundreds of years before his birth. Also, he did things only God can do like forgive sins and change names. He did all this.

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  44. The reason I made this comparison was a proof that the Bible was changed... and that it's obvious that the Quran truly does contain the words of God as it has been unchanged for centuries...whether there is some sort of agreement in all of them does not matter - it proves that the Bible has indeed been modified - there would have been no need to change the Bible into a newer version if people had just wanted to ADD information - if however, they had wanted to MODIFY information, then it's obvious they had to change the whole of the Bible since it's information to the people would clash with what the older Bible had to say - information could have been added - yet instead, a newer version came out - and unless that information did not go with what was already in the Bible, it would sound merely as if the Bible was contradicting itself - therefore, a newer version had to be written. This is what I'm assuming - so don't take offense or anything - Also, the Quran was revealed in parts too - depending on situations arousing at the time, verses would be revealed containing guidance to the right way and correcting the wrong deeds of the people. But a new version did not come out instead, all of the information was then put together to make the Quran into the Quran - a whole book- Most people only make improvements and write a 'better piece' if they happen to come across errors - just like an old and new draft - therefore, (don't you agree sis) that's proof enough that the Bible was modified to suit the people at that time, and is being modified again, to suit the people of this time.

    I don't know whether it's just coincidence, but at the moment, (sis you better b readin dis - me ye manus ka comment par kar.i was lyk..wow..issi liye kyu ke - me abhi quran par rahi hu, aur me surah Al-Imran par hu, you know the family of Isa(alayhis salaam)aur quran me yeh likha tha ke Isa (alayhis salaam) ke mujize (miracles)dikh kar kuch logh ye samje ge kai ye Allah hai! (ma'zallah)Aur ye kafir logh yahi samajte hai!) Anyway, what I was wanting to say was that I happened to be reading the surah about the family of Jesus in the Quran just a few days ago, and the Quran said that becuase of some of the miracles that Isa (alayhis salam) e.g. heal the leper, cure the sick, make the blind see again, make birds out of clay and give life to them)..etc etc, these miracles would give some people the wrong impression and make them think he was God. And this, you have just proven to me. All you Christians have, as a matter of fact. What more proof can a person want? Everything written in the Quran came true, and will come to pass (such as the signs of the last day) - so how can it be that the Quran is not the word of God and Islam a false religion? Did you know, it's also written in the Quran, some of the signs of the coming of judgment day. this my sister has happened to mention before - signs such as-
    excessive drinking of alcohol,dancing and singing becoming common among the people, and even tall buildings being built! Which of these signs have not come true, I ask you? Some signs are still to come of course. Hey sis, if you can get me some more of these it'd be helpful. Phil here might want a list from us as 'more' proof. ;)

    (safa yar, mere tym aagaya hai. sale red carpet ka tym..ab me kuch bhi nay kar sakte hu. tum ye par to sakte hai na? i'm jus gettin used 2 dis)

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  45. aur ha yar, tum kitni research kar ti ho? me to ye sab aise hi lakh deti hu. us ko bolna ke tumhari saat baat kar! woh to sirf meri baat par dyaan rakhta hai? ey! tumko laghta hai ke mera comments valid hai kya? lyk, u no, rite or wat?
    X4M3YX

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  46. Phil can you please take a note of my comments i have posted1 thnx
    54F4 XxX

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  47. the Quran invites belief, not demands.. It is not simply delivered as: Here is what you are to believe, but throughout the Quran the statements are always: Have you O man thought of such and such, have you considered so and so. It is always an invitation for you to look at the evidence; now what do you believe ?
    To give you an example, John Chapter 14 a certain man said to Jesus: Show us God, and Jesus said: If you have seen me you have seen God. Now without reading on the Christian will say: See Jesus claimed to be God, he said if you have seen me you have seen God. If that is crystal clear then you have a difficult portion when you go back just a few pages to Chapter 5 when another man came to Jesus and said show us God and he said you have never seen God you have never heard his voice. Now what did he mean there if on the other occasion he meant that he was God? Obviously you have made matters difficult by deciding what the first one meant. If you read on in Chapter 14 you will see what he went on to say. He was saying the closest you are going to seeing God are the works you see me doing.

    The Quran makes it clear that Allah has indeed, perfected our "way of life" for us and has conferred on us His favor and has chosen for us to submit to Him in Islam.

    It seems to me that the Bible and the Quran are most definitely from the exact same source and they compliment each other very nicely. In fact, it appears that the Bible does not contradict the Quran, except in the very same places where the Bible contradicts itself!

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  48. soz i forgot to rite my name 54F4 x

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  49. USKI PROFILE PE USKA INFO DEKHO...phil ka zodiac year hai:kutta!!!! dekho na kaise kutte ki tarah bhonkh raha hai!! idiot kahi ka!!!
    APUN KE PROPHET (PBUH) KO INSULT KAR RAHA HAI!!! TAPKA DOUNGA SAMJA KYA...

    keep it up sis
    :D:P:D:P
    frm
    /-\ "I" I-I /-\ |^.

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  50. i no man i saw it KUTTA!! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLL haramii loll oh yhh it wios hanifas bdai 2dI LOL SAFE X HE IS A KUTTA!!! hahahahhahaha

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  51. lool s4f4 dat ws my bro commentin! u thought it was me din yaa! hw olds da lil shorty? u no i chcked owt dat gys profile 2, n saw dat - coincidnce or wat?!
    snd me dat eb add, of da freemason tingy k?
    4m31

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  52. hehehehe
    go bhai and didi
    4334

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  53. i mnt web adress
    hey 4334 :D bout wat u sed

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  54. lol i snt u dah syt fau da freemason tinz..jush chekh ih owt! x

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  55. thanx sis! dis stuff is bear interestin!
    4m3y

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  56. lol seemz lyk tht guy az gone tu sleep no replyz!! hahahaha

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  57. amzy am travelin on lamborgini yh n ma speed is HIGH.geh me..i use leopard print seats AHAHHA

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  58. loooooool! gess wt? ma bro jus rd dat commnt n he ws lyk waat? ma lamboz broken dwn! thnk gdnss! lol 2 wt u sed b4! shuld i gve him a poke? ;)
    x4m31x

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  59. amziiii..ma lamboo is out of fuel noww ah fink ah goda go for sum rezzsstt loll bin aa rideeeeeeeee 4om pas weekk woopp wooopp;):D!1..xx

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  60. looooool..mn...im gonna go 4 a ride soon, if ya no wat i mean...dang fuel! leaks alla tym! Engines busted!.. o.o
    4M31

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