| Topic: |
DEVELOP > c-Plus-Plus |
| User: |
"small giant" |
| Date: |
10 Jan 2008 02:07:15 AM |
| Object: |
The Islamic and Christian views of Jesus: a comparison |
The person of Jesus or Isa in Arabic (peace be upon him) is of great
significance in both Islam and Christianity. However, there are
differences in terms of beliefs about the nature and life occurrences
of this noble Messenger.
Source of information about Jesus in Islam
Most of the Islamic information about Jesus is actually found in the
Quran.
The Quran was revealed by God to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him), and memorized and written down in his lifetime. Today,
anyone who calls him or herself a Muslim believes in the complete
authenticity of the Quran as the original revealed guidance from God.
Source of information about Jesus in Christianity
Christians take their information about Jesus from the Bible, which
includes the Old and New Testaments.
These contain four biblical narratives covering the life and death of
Jesus. They have been written, according to tradition, respectively by
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They are placed at the beginning of the
New Testament and comprise close to half of it.
Encyclopedia Britannica notes that none of the sources of his life and
work can be traced to Jesus himself; he did not leave a single known
written word. Also, there are no contemporary accounts written of his
life and death. What can be established about the historical Jesus
depends almost without exception on Christian traditions, especially
on the material used in the composition of the Gospels of Mark,
Matthew, and Luke, which reflect the outlook of the later church and
its faith in Jesus.
Below are the views of Islam and Christianity based on primary source
texts and core beliefs.
ISLAM
1. Do Muslims believe he was a Messenger of One God? YES
Belief in all of the Prophets and Messengers of God is a fundamental
article of faith in Islam. Thus, believing in Prophets Adam, Jesus,
Moses, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them) is a
requirement for anyone who calls him or herself a Muslim. A person
claiming to be a Muslim who, for instance, denies the Messengership of
Jesus, is not considered a Muslim.
The Quran says in reference to the status of Jesus as a Messenger:
"The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger before
whom many Messengers have passed away; and his mother adhered wholly
to truthfulness, and they both ate food (as other mortals do). See how
We make Our signs clear to them; and see where they are turning
away!" (Quran 5:75).
2. Do Muslims believe he was born of a Virgin Mother? YES
Like Christians, Muslims believe Mary, Maria in Spanish, or Maryam as
she is called in Arabic, was a chaste, virgin woman, who miraculously
gave birth to Jesus.
"Relate in the Book the story of Mary, when she withdrew from her
family, to a place in the East. She screened herself from them; then
We sent to her Our spirit (angel Gabriel) and he appeared before her
as a man in all respects. She said: I seek refuge from you in God Most
Gracious (come not near) if you do fear God. He said: Nay, I am only a
Messenger from your Lord, to announce to you the gift of a pure son.
She said: How shall I have a son, when no man has ever touched me, and
I am not unchaste? He said: So it will be, your Lord says: 'That is
easy for Me; and We wish to appoint him as a sign unto men and a Mercy
from Us': It was a matter so decreed" (Quran 19:16-21).
3. Do Muslims believe Jesus had a miraculous birth? YES
The Quran says:
"She (Mary) said: 'O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has
touched me.' He (God) said: 'So (it will be) for God creates what He
wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: 'Be!'- and
it is" (3:47).
It should also be noted about his birth that:
"Verily, the likeness of Jesus in God's Sight is the likeness of Adam.
He (God) created him from dust, then (He) said to him: 'Be!'-and he
was" (Quran 3:59).
4. Do Muslims believe Jesus spoke in the cradle? YES
"Then she (Mary) pointed to him. They said: 'How can we talk to one
who is a child in the cradle?' He (Jesus) said: 'Verily! I am a slave
of God, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet;
" (19:29-30).
5. Do Muslims believe he performed miracles? YES
Muslims, like Christians believe Jesus performed miracles. But these
were performed by the will and permission of God, Who has power and
control over all things.
"Then will God say: 'O Jesus the son of Mary! recount My favor to you
and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit
(the angel Gabriel) so that you did speak to the people in childhood
and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and
the Gospel. And behold: you make out of clay, as it were, the figure
of a bird, by My leave, and you breathe into it, and it becomes a bird
by My leave, and you heal those born blind, and the lepers by My
leave. And behold! you bring forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I
did restrain the children of Israel from (violence to you) when you
did show them the Clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said:
'This is nothing but evident magic' (5:110).
6. Do Muslims believe in the Trinity? NO
Muslims believe in the Absolute Oneness of God, Who is a Supreme Being
free of human limitations, needs and wants. He has no partners in His
Divinity. He is the Creator of everything and is completely separate
from His creation.
God says in the Quran regarding the Trinity:
"People of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in
your religion, and attribute to God nothing except the truth. The
Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and His
command that He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe
in God and in His Messengers, and do not say: 'God is a Trinity.' Give
up this assertion; it would be better for you. God is indeed just One
God. Far be it from His glory that He should have a son. To Him
belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. God is sufficient
for a guardian" (Quran 4:171).
7. Do Muslims believe that Jesus was the son of God? NO
"Say: "God is Unique! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not
fathered anyone nor was He fathered, and there is nothing comparable
to Him!" (Quran 112:1-4).
The Quran also states:
"Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about
which they vainly dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of God,
that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a
matter, He only says to it, 'Be' and it is" (Quran 19:34-35).
8. Do Muslims believe Jesus was killed on the cross then resurrected?
NO
""They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought
they did." (Quran 4:156) "God lifted him up to His presence. God is
Almighty, All-Wise" (Quran 4:157) .
CHRISTIANITY
1. Do Christians believe Jesus was a human being and Messenger of God?
YES & NO
With the exception of Unitarian Christians, who like all the early
followers of Jesus, still do not believe in the Trinity, most
Christians now believe in the Divinity of Jesus, which is connected to
the belief in Trinity. They say he is the second member of the Triune
God, the Son of the first part of the Triune God, and at the same time
"fully" God in every respect.
2. Do Christians believe he was born of a Virgin Mother? YES
A chaste and pious human woman who gave birth to Jesus Christ, the
second member of the Trinity, the Son of God, and at the same time
"fully" God Almighty in every respect.
Christians believe however, that while she was a virgin, she was
married to a man named Joseph (Bible: Matthew:1:18). According to
Matthew 1:25, Joseph "kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son;
and he called His name Jesus".
3. Do Christians believe he had a miraculous birth? YES
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary
had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found
to be with child by the Holy Spirit" (Bible: Matthew 1:18)
4. Do Christians believe he performed miracles? YES
"And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to
speak thy word with all boldness, while thou stretches out thy hand to
heal, and sign and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy
servant Jesus (Bible: Acts 4:30).
Christians believe that Jesus performed these miracles because he was
the Son of God as well as the incarnation of God.
5. Do Christians believe in the Trinity? YES
With the exception of the Unitarian Christians, who do not believe in
the Divinity of Christ, the Trinity, according to the Catholic
encyclopedia, is the term used for the central doctrine of the
Christian religion. The belief is that in the unity of the Godhead
there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
These three Persons or beings are distinct from each another, while
being similar in character: uncreated and omnipotent.
The First Vatican Council has explained the meaning to be attributed
to the term mystery in theology. It lays down that a mystery is a
truth which we are not merely incapable of discovering apart from
Divine Revelation, but which, even when revealed, remains "hidden by
the veil of faith and enveloped, so to speak, by a kind of
darkness" (Const., "De fide. cath.", iv). The First Vatican Council
further defined that the Christian Faith contains mysteries strictly
so called (can. 4). All theologians admit that the doctrine of the
Trinity is of the number of these. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes
that of all revealed truths, this is the most impenetrable to reason.
6. Do Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God? YES
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent
the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world
might be saved through Him (Bible: John 3:16).
However, it is interesting to note that the term "son of God" is used
in other parts of the Bible to refer to Adam (Bible: Luke 3:38),
Israel (Bible: Exodus 4:22) and David (Bible: Psalms 2:7) as well. The
creatures of God are usually referred to in the Bible as children of
God.
The role of Paul of Tarsus in shaping this belief and the belief in
Trinity
The notion of Jesus as son of God is something that was established
under the influence of Paul of Tarsus (originally named Saul), who had
been an enemy of Jesus, but later changed course and joined the
disciples after the departure of Jesus.
Later, however, he initiated a number of changes into early Christian
teachings, in contradiction, for instance, to disciples like Barnabas,
who believed in the Oneness of God and who had actually lived and met
with Jesus.
Paul is considered by a number of Christian scholars to be the father
of Christianity due to his additions of the following ideas:
that Jesus is the son of God,
the concept of Atonement,
the renunciation of the Law of the Torah.
Paul did these things in hopes of winning over the Gentiles (non-
Jewish people). His letters are another of the primary sources of
information on Jesus according to the Christian tradition.
The original followers of Prophet Jesus opposed these blatant
misrepresentations of the message of Jesus. They struggled to reject
the notion of the Divinity of Jesus for close to 200 years.
One person who was an original follower of Jesus was Barnabas. He was
a Jew born in Cyrus and a successful preacher of the teachings of
Jesus. Because of his closeness to Jesus, he was an important member
of the small group of disciples in Jerusalem who had had gathered
together following the disappearance of Jesus.
The question of Jesus's nature, origin and relationship with God was
not raised amongst Barnabas and the small group of disciples. Jesus
was considered a man miraculously endowed by God. Nothing in the words
of Jesus or the events in his life led them to modify this view.
The Gospel of Barnabas was accepted as a Canonical Gospel in the
Churches of Alexandria till 325 CE Iranaeus (130-200) wrote in support
of pure monotheism and opposed Paul for injecting into Christianity
doctrines of the pagan Roman religion and Platonic philosophy. He
quoted extensively from the Gospel of Barnabas in support of his
views. This indicates that the Gospel of Barnabas was in circulation
in the first and second centuries of Christianity.
In 325 (CE), a council of Christian leaders met at Nicaea and made
Paul's beliefs officially part of Christian doctrine. It also ordered
that all original Gospels in Hebrew script which contradicted Paul's
beliefs should be destroyed. An edict was issued that anyone in
possession of these Gospels would be put to death.
The Gospel of Barnabas has miraculously survived though.
7. Do Christians believe he was killed on the cross? YES
This is a core Christian belief and it relates to the concept of
atonement. According to this belief, Jesus died to save mankind from
sin. However, this is not stated explicitly in the four gospels which
form the primary source texts of Christianity. It is found, however,
in Romans 6:8,9.
Christians believe Jesus was spat on, cut, humiliated, kicked, striped
and finally hung up on the cross to endure a slow and painful death.
According, to Christian belief, the original sin of Adam and Eve of
eating from the forbidden tree was so great that God could not forgive
it by simply willing it, rather it was necessary to erase it with the
blood of a sinless, innocent Jesus.
Resurrection
The four Gospels and the Epistles of St. Paul are the main sources of
Christianity which discuss the Resurrection of Jesus after his
crucifixion. According to St. Matthew, Jesus appeared to the holy
women, and again on a mountain in Galilee. Mark's Gospel tells a
different story: Jesus was seen by Mary Magdalene, by the two
disciples at Emmaus, and the Eleven before his Ascension into heaven.
Luke's Gospel says Jesus walked with the disciples to Emmaus, appeared
to Peter and to the assembled disciples in Jerusalem. In John's
Gospel, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the ten Apostles on
Easter Sunday, to the Eleven a week later, and to seven disciples at
the Sea of Tiberias.
Another account of the resurrection by St. Paul is found in Bible:
Corinthians 15: 3-8.
According to Christian belief, Resurrection is a manifestation of
God's justice, Who exalted Christ to a life of glory, as Christ had
humbled himself unto death (Phil., 2: 8-9). This event also completes
the mystery of Christian salvation and redemption. The death of Jesus
frees believers from sin, and with his resurrection, he restores to
them the most important privileges lost by sin (Bible: Romans 4:25).
More importantly, the belief in the resurrection of Jesus indicates
Christian acknowledgment of Christ as the immortal God, the cause of
believers' own resurrection (Bible: I Corinthians 4: 21; Phil.,
3:20-21), as well as the model and the support of a new life of grace
(Bible: Romans 4: 4-6; 9-11).
MORE ON ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY
The other Ansar: Companions of Prophet Jesus
John the Baptist: A Prophet of Islam
Muslim-Christian Relations, The Good, the Bad
For further study of a Muslim view of Jesus and Christianity read the
following books:
Jesus, Prophet of Islam by Muhammad 'Ata'ur-Rahim
For Christ Sake by Ahmad Thomson and Muhammad 'Ata'ur-Rahim
For a unique Christian view of the Islamic contribution to the West
read the following book:
Islam and the Discovery of Freedom by Rose Wilder Lane
see this site for more information www.sultan.org
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| User: "cr88192" |
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| Title: Re: The Islamic and Christian views of Jesus: a comparison |
10 Jan 2008 06:04:54 PM |
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"small giant" <mutawafayez@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:e69a73db-2f95-49ec-a846-27a9e8851979@v29g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
<big-snip>
probably going to annoy people by responding to this, but oh well...
well, nevermind that probably the majority of programmers (past observation
mostly, though with an arguably very limited sample base) are either atheist
or agnostic...
now, otherwise, it is probably sufficient to note that the views are
different, between religions, and between people.
now, it can also be noted, that within christianity, there are differences
in belief.
as was noted, there are unitarian sects.
but, as can also be noted, there are also mormons and witnesses, which
further have different beliefs.
now, it can be noted, that the common belief wrt the trinity, is that there
are 3-aspects, but only a single underlying being.
this is very different than saying, for example, that there are 3 beings,
for example, operating in syncronization (which exist in some sects, such as
LDS, but this is not the common belief).
so, one has to live in a world where, basically, different people believe
different things.
to spread beliefs is one thing, and to push them on people is something
different...
for example, whether the sacrifice and atonement are true or not is one
thing, and whether one has to believe in it for it to apply or not is
another.
after all, there are some who believe, it is not particularly what one knows
or believes exactly, that is important, but what it is one does with what
they do know...
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| User: "Richard Carpenter" |
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| Title: Re: The Islamic and Christian views of Jesus: a comparison |
11 Jan 2008 10:04:38 AM |
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"It can also be noted"..."for example"...
....that you're being all kinds of obnoxious. There are far more
appropriate groups for going on about your religious views. Here's a
tip though: trying to use logic to support your thoughts (if such non-
directional rambling can be considered as such) on faith-based ideals
is a complete waste of time.
--
Rich Carpenter
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| User: "red floyd" |
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| Title: Re: The Islamic and Christian views of Jesus: a comparison |
10 Jan 2008 10:44:00 AM |
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small giant wrote:
[spam redacted]
What was your C++ question?
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| User: "Raymond" |
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| Title: Re: The Islamic and Christian views of Jesus: a comparison |
11 Jan 2008 01:27:29 PM |
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red floyd wrote:
small giant wrote:
[spam redacted]
What was your C++ question?
Assertion failed: God, file main.cpp, line 842
--
Raymond
(Trying to help the C++ spirit of that person.)
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