Christianity QA

Question:

Two excellent books on this subject are by Karen Armstrong "The Battle for God" and "A History of God". They explore the cultures that give rise to each religion and their purposes. Please remove nospam in email address to contact me.

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Dear friends, I copied this article that is written by Harun Yahya from http://www.islamdenouncesterrorism.com/ I think it is very interesting so take a look at it please. "People Of The Book" & The Muslims The Natural Alliance Between Christianity, Judaism and Islam by Harun Yahya Islam is a religion of peace, love and tolerance. However, today, some circles have been trying to portray Islam with a wrong image. They are trying to create a false image, as if there is a conflict between Islam and the adherents of two other monotheistic religions. Yet, the outlook of Islam on Jews and Christians, who are named as "the People of the Book" in the Koran, is very friendly and tolerant. The attitude of Islam towards the People of the Book developed during the years of the birth of Islam. As known, at that time, Muslims were a minority, who were struggling to protect their faith under pressures and tortures of the pagans of the city of Mecca. Due to the severe persecution, some Muslims decided to flee Mecca and take refuge in a safe country with a just ruler. Prophet Muhammad told them to take refuge in King Nedjashi, the Christian king of Ethiopia. The Muslims following this advice found a very fair administration that embraced them with love and respect when they went to Ethiopia. The King Nedjashi refused the demands of pagan messengers who asked him to surrender Muslims to themselves and announced that Muslims could live in his country freely. Such attitudes of Christian people that are based on the concepts of compassion, mercy, modesty and justice, constitute a fact that God has pointed out in the Koran. A verse of the Koran states as follows: . You will find the people most affectionate to those who believe are those who say, ‘We are Christians.’ That is because some of them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant. (Surat al-Ma’ida, 82) The Common Beliefs and Values of the People of the Book with Muslims Beliefs of Christians and Muslims are common in many aspects. Similarly, also Judaism shares many beliefs with Islam. All the true adherents of these three great religions: . believe that God has created entire universe out of nothing and He dominates all existence with His omnipotence. . believe that God has created man and living beings in a miraculous way and that man owns a spirit granted by God. . believe that beside Jesus Christ, Moses or Mohammed, God sent down, throughout the history, many Prophets like Noah, Abraham, Isaac or Joseph and they love all these prophets. . believe in resurrection, the existence of Paradise and Hell, existence of angels and believe that God has created our lives upon a destiny. The beliefs of the People of the Book are in harmony with Muslims not only in terms of faith related issues but also regarding moral values. Today, in a world where such immoralities as adultery, homosexuality, drug addiction and a model of egoist, self-seeking, cruel people have been becoming widespread, the People of the Book and Muslims share same virtues: Honor, chastity, humbleness, self-sacrifice, honesty, compassion, mercy and love without any expectation in return. According To The Koran, Muslims, Jews And Christians Should Live In Friendship It is evident there are ample grounds for an alliance between the "People of the Book" and the Muslims. This is also very evident in the Koran. In the related verses of the Koran, there is a significant difference between the People of the Book and the idolaters. This is especially emphasized in the area of social life. For example, it is said concerning the idolaters: "(they) are unclean, so after this year they should not come near the Masjid al-Haram (Kaaba)." (Surat at-Tawba: 28) Idolaters are people who obey no divine law, have no moral precepts and who can commit every kind of degrading and perverse deed without hesitation. But the People of the Book, while they rely basically on God’s revelation, have moral precepts and know what is lawful and what is not. For this reason, if one of the People of the Book cooks some food, it is lawful for Muslims to eat it. In the same way, permission has been given to a Muslim man to marry a woman from among the People of the Book. On this subject God commands: Today all good things have been made lawful for you. And the food of those given the Book is also lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. So are chaste women from among the believers and chaste women of those given the Book before you, once you have given them their dowries in marriage, not in fornication or taking them as lovers. But as for anyone who disbelieve, his actions will come to nothing and in the hereafter he will be among the losers. (Surat al-Mai’da: 5) These commands show that bonds of kinship may be established as a result of the marriage of a Muslim with a woman from the People of the Book and that those on each side of the union can accept an invitation to a meal. These are the fundamentals that will ensure the establishment of equitable human relationships and a happy communal life. Since the Koran enjoins this equitable and tolerant attitude, it is unthinkable that a Muslim could take an opposing view. Monasteries, Churches And Synagogues Should Be Respected Another important fact we learn from the Koran is that Muslims must respect Jewish and Christian places of worship. In the Koran, the places of worship of the people of the book, i.e. monasteries, churches and synagogues, are mentioned as places of worship protected by God. .if God had not driven some people back by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where God’s name is mentioned much, would have been pulled down and destroyed. God will certainly help those who help Him – God is All-Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Hajj: 40 ) This verse shows to every Muslim the importance of respecting and protecting the sanctuaries of Christians and Jews. Indeed, in the Koran, God commands Muslims not to harbor any enmity toward any people. In many verses, friendship is recommended even with the idolaters. God even refers to the idolaters at war with Muslims like this: "If any of the idolaters ask you for protection, give them protection until they have heard the words of God. Then convey them to a place where they are safe." (Surat at-Tawba: 6) Jews and Christians, however, are much closer to Muslims than idolaters. Each of these religions has its book, that is, they are subject to a revelation sent down by God.  They know what is right and what is wrong, what is lawful and what is unlawful. They know they will give an account to God and they love and revere His prophets. This shows that Muslims and the people of the book can live easily together and cooperate. The Common Enemies of the Faith Another important fact that draws Christianity, Judaism and Islam together is the atheist philosophies that are influential in our age. Among the most well-known and the most harmful philosophies of our age can be listed as materialism, communism, fascism, anarchism, racism, or secular humanism. Many people who believed in the fake diagnoses, deceiving descriptions and explanations of these ideas on universe, society and man, lost his faith or doubted it. What is more, these ideologies have dragged people, societies and nations into great crisis, conflicts, and wars. Their share in pains and troubles that humanity suffer today is immense. While they deny God and creation, all above-mentioned ideologies are based on a common basis, a so-called scientific basis; the theory of evolution by Charles Darwin. Darwinism constitutes the basis of atheist philosophies. This theory claims that, living beings have evolved as a result of coincidences and by means of a struggle for life. Therefore, Darwinism gives this deceptive message to the minds of the people: "You are not responsible to anyone, you owe your life to coincidences, you need to struggle, if necessary need to oppress others to win. This world is a world of conflict and interest". This evil morality advises people to be egoist, self-seeking, cruel and oppressive. It destroys such virtues like mercy, compassion, self-sacrifice, humbleness, the very moral values of the three great monotheistic religions. Facing this fact, it is necessary for the people of the Book and the Muslims to cooperate, who believe in God and accept the good morals that He teaches. The followers of these three religions should expose to the world the fallacy of Darwinism, which does not have any scientific basis but is tried to be preserved for the sake of materialist philosophy. They should cooperatively carry out an intellectual struggle against all other deceptive thoughts that serve atheism. Once this is realized, the world will, in a very short time, embrace peace, tranquillity and justice. Conclusion: "Let’s Come to a Common Term" At a time when anti-religious, atheist and materialist ideologies surround the world, similarities among Theistic religions should be emphasized and a cooperation should be established for common aims. Concerning the People of the Book, God gives Muslims a command in the Koran; to call them to a common term: O People of the Book! come to a common term as between us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than God. (Surat al ‘Imran, 64) This is our call to Christians and Jews indeed: As people who believe in God and follows His revelations, let’s come together with a common term which is "faith". Let’s love God, Who is our Creator and Lord, and follow His commands. And let’s pray God to lead us to even a straighter path. When Muslims, Christians and Jews come together with a common term this way; When they understand that they are the friends not enemies of one another, When they see that the real enemy is atheism and paganism, … read more »

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