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What is Christianity?
Christianity is a global religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who followers believe is the Son of God. It's a monotheistic faith, meaning Christians believe in one God who exists in three co-equal persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Christianity is based on the Bible, with the Old [...]What is Judaism?
Judaism is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of observing the Mosaic covenant, which they believe was established between God and the Jewish people. The religion is considered one of the earliest [...]What is Islam?
Early Islam or the history of Islam is believed, by most historians to have originated with Muhammad's mission in Mecca and Medina at the start of the 7th century CE. Although Muslims regard this time as a return to the original faith passed down by the Abrahamic prophets, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus, with the [...]Frequently Asked Questions
1.Christianity and Hinduism revere their religious figures as gods or incarnations of God
According to Islam, all these righteous persons were mortal, human prophets of God, like Muhammad, having the same needs that every human being has. They all eventually died, as everyone must.
There are several reasons why they have come to be revered by their followers as 'gods'. One is that their words were misunderstood by the later generations, who mistook their figurative expressions in a literal sense. Another is that the details of their lives were not preserved accurately, and therefore a great many myths have grown up around them, and their works and deeds have been much exaggerated.
2.What is Christianity?
Christianity is a religion which was originally preached by Jesus, but today is based entirely on Paul's teachings.
3.How did the Early Jewish-Christians practise their religion?
The Jewish-Christians practised three daily prayers, male circumcision, ritual washing for purity, fasting, attention to clean/unclean foods, giving charity and pilgrimage to a central temple.
4.Why did Christians turn away from the original message of Jesus?
By the time the New Testament (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John) was written their was a strong trend towards showing how Jewish beliefs were inadequate and no longer valid; reinforced by the wish to break free of strict Jewish laws especially circumcision, ritual purity and dietary code.
Judaism had to be shown as 'the inferior enemy' if the new Christianity was to succeed.
5.What did early Jewish-Christians think of Apostle Paul?
Paul's popularity was in decline between 55-66 CE because missionaries from the Church of Jerusalem publicly rejected his innovation and claim to be an Apostle.
6.When was Christianity born?
After 70CE, Christianity became a new movement. Western Christian
writings after 70CE are a product of that transformation. Christianity became a Mithras-type saviour cult whose hero was not a myth but a real man.
Anyone who questioned Jesus' divinity were viewed as ignorant and inferior, including early Jewish-Christians, Jews, Jesus' closest friends and even family.
7.Were the early Christians Jews?
Yes. Jesus himself and his immediate followers observed all Jewish law, customs and practise.
8.Did Saul kill the early Jewish-Christians?
Prior to becoming a Christian, Saul of Tarsus hated Christians. He made it his goal to capture, then bring Christians to public trial and execution.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
(Acts 8:1-3)
Saul believed that he was serving God by finding Christians, throwing them into prison, and even executing them when possible.
9.How did the early Jewish-Christians view Jesus' resurrection?
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
(Acts 2:22-24)
10.Who seperated Christianity from Judaism?
It was Paul's dramatic conversion to Christianity that resulted in the seperation of Christianity from Judaism. Within months of his disappearing, Jesus' teachings were changed.
11.What happened after Apostle Paul converted to Christianity?
After his conversion, Paul who was the enemy to Christians suprisingly did not go back to Jerusalem to meet learn from, or even apologise to the Apostles.
Instead he went to Arabia, and then returned to Damascus, Syria. After three years, Paul returned to Jerusalem when he spent fifteen (15) days with Peter and met James. He did not meet any of the other Apostles.
12.What dramatic experience made Apostle Paul convert to Christianity?
Their are a number of varying versions of Paul’s vision as he describes it to various different people of different races.
Acts 9:4
Acts 26:14
Acts 9:7
Acts 22:9
2. ACTS 26:14 says they ALL fell to the ground.
3. ACTS 9:7 states that the people who journeyed with Paul didn't see anyone but heard a voice.
4. ACTS 22:9 says that those who were with Paul saw the light but DID NOT hear the voice of the speaker.
13.How did Matthew (Gospel) support Apostle Pauline Christian doctrine?
It did not! Matthew (85 CE) was written for Jewish-Christians who observed the Law and did not wish to break away from Judaism. Matthew is in complete opposition to Pauline doctrine.
14.Where is Pauline Christianity today?
Pauline Christianity forms the majority of Christians today. It is
the dominant and acknowledged mainstream Christian doctrine
upheld.
In recent developments, many Christian scholars are considering
the disturbing possibility the early Jewish-Christian church was
actually correct and the Pauline 'Trinitarian' Christian theology
is error and heresy.
15.How was Christianity made appealing to pagan idol worshippers?
In order to increase the number of Christian converts, Christian
missionaries deliberately adopted pre-existing pagan holy places,
shrines, special days and even pagan statues of God.
Pope Gregory I (540-604 CE), a famous Christian leader encouraged
accomodating pagan customs and beliefs. So if pagans worshipped a
Tree or Spirit abiding in it, rather than shun the pagan worship,
he urged priests to somehow link the worship to Jesus Christ, and
allow them to continue their Tree or pagan idol worship.
16.Should Christians celebrate Jesus on 25th December?
Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ on 25th December is a good example of pagan practise which has been adopted or 'Christenized'. Any believing Christian would avoid the Christmas celebration given its Sun-Baal connections, as 'Jehovah Witness' Christians do.
17.Does the Christian Trinity come from pagan Triadic dieties?
Does the Christian Trinity come from pagan Triadic dieties?
Yes. The core teachings of the Trinitarian Christian churches
today do not come from Jesus.
The three-in-one Gods are pagan concepts that existed long before
Jesus arrived. Later on, Christians adopted this concept and
instantly made Christian doctrine an appealing alternative to the
pagan God worshipping masses.
18.How did Christianity start?
The road from Jesus to the Christian religion that finally emerged in the fourth century, with its myth of Jesus as the son of God solidly in place, is a very long and twisty path.
Christianity was not born of an immaculate conception. It was the product of myriad moments of intellectual labor and negotiated social agreements by the people investing in the experiment.
This discovery has been difficult for many Christians to accept. That is because the traditional picture of Christian beginnings starts with a Jesus who knows in advance what is required of him and his disciples in order to establish the Christian religion.
- Who Wrote the New Testament, Burton Mack, p45
19.Who were the early Christians?
Many scholars object to using the term 'Christian' for the early followers of Jesus. They were still fully Jews who believed that Jesus was the Messiah.
Christianity was a later development, when the believers in Jesus developed their own religion with distinctive Christian beliefs and practices (such as baptism, eucharist, weekly meetings, and so on).
20.What does the Quran say about Jews and Christians?
The Jews say "The Christians have nothing [true] to stand on," and the Christians say, "The Jews have nothing to stand on," although they [both] recite the Scripture. Thus the polytheists speak the same as their words. But Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ.
[Quran 2:113]
21.Do Christians worship Mary?
Yes. Some Christians do worship Mary. Even today, the abstract of that is found in churches where she is called upon as THEOTOKOS in Greek which means "Mother of God", God bearer, one who give birth to God.
There was an idea that Mary was not the mother of God and counsels tried to change her name from THEOTOKOS to CHRISTOTOKOS, or from "Mother of God" to "Mother of Christ" - but this change was rejected.
22.What did Apostle Paul achieve by his Christian conversion?
1. Paul managed to defeat Jesus' Jewish-Christian followers whom he was persecuting by establishing a new version of Christianity which preached exactly what the high priest suggested; that murdering Jesus was not a bad idea after all
2. He defeated Jesus and Peter, the rock on whom Jesus promised to build his church and so became himself the rock of a new church (and Christianity later)
23.I am a Christian and I know my sins are forgiven and I am going to Heaven
24.How did the Christian Trinity come about?
The concept of a dual human and divine nature in the person of Jesus is known as the Hypostatic Union, an essential component of modern Trinitarianism.
Yet it wasn’t until the Council of Chalcedon that we see the emergence of an official doctrine of the Trinity in a form that is recognisable with what Christian Trinitarians believe in today. This took place in the fifth century, over 400 years after Jesus!
The evangelical theologian and Professor Wayne A. Grudem sums this up as follows:
"A precise understanding of how full deity and full humanity" argues Grudem, "could be combined together in one person was formulated only gradually in the church and did not reach the final form until the Chalcedonian Definition in 451 AD
Source: [Grudem, Systematic Theology: Chapter 26 – The Person of Christ, 1994, p. 554.]
25.Does the Quran tell Jews and Christians to refer to their Scriptures (Torah and Bible)?
When the Quran refers to the previous Scriptures (Torah, Gospel etc.), this is understood to mean the original revelations sent to Moses and Jesus, and not the 'corrupted' versions we have today
26.Do all Christians believe Jesus was God or Son of God?
The early Jewish-Christians such as the Ebonites, the Cerinthians, the Basilidians, the Capocratians, and the Hypisistarians. The Arians, Paulicians and Goths also accepted Jesus as a prophet of God.
Even in the modern age there are churches in Asia, in Africa, the Unitarian church, the Jehovah's witnesses, and even the majority of todays Anglican Bishops do not worship Jesus as God.
27.Why did early Christians have church synods and councils?
Priests and bishops would often come together and vote on Christian theological matters due to the disunity, differences and conflict within the Christian denominations.
28.There is only one Bible with one Christian doctrine?
Bible versions translate verses with different explanations. For example, in JUDE 1:5, who saves and then destroys the people of Egypt?
17 Bible versions state the "Lord" did
7 Bibles state "Jesus"
1 Bible claims "God" did
These differences give rise to different Christian theological views.
The Bible verse is at
http://biblehub.com/jude/1-5.htm
29.Does the Old Testament teach the Christian Trinity?
The Old Testament does not teach the Trinity, or even set forth the Messiah would be God. There is no evidence of anyone knowing about, or believing in, the Trinity in all the Jewish literature before Christ, including the Old Testament, the Jewish targums and commentaries, the Apocrypha or other apocryphal literature, or the Dead Sea Scrolls.
30.What is the Christian Trinity?
Orthodox Christian theologians define the doctrine of the Trinity is that the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and together these 'three Persons' make one God; and these three are co-equal and co-eternal, the Son having been 'eternally begotten' of the Father, and Jesus being simultaneously 100% God and 100% man.
Today, many Christians think they are Trinitarians simply because they believe in the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit - but that is not the Trinity!
31.What do Christian 'Trinity' scholars say about the Old Testament?
The distinguished Trinitarian scholar Bertrand de Margerie in his book The Christian Trinity in History (p.3) writes:
"…contemporary exegetes [Bible teachers] affirm unanimously that the Old Testament did not bring to the Jewish people a clear and distinct Revelation of the existence of a plurality of persons in God. In this they agree with the clear and frequent affirmation of Fathers such as Irenaeus, Hilary, and Gregory of Nazianzus: that the doctrine of the Trinity is revealed only in the New Testament."
So any person who lived before Jesus' ministry did not have to believe in the Trinity to be saved because the Trinity is not mentioned in the Old Testament.
32.What do Christian scholars say about the Trinity?
Scholars freely admit that the Trinity is never presented as a complete doctrine in the New Testament, but rather is built from scattered Bible verses.
In the NT there is no explicit statement of the doctrine….
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (p. 1112)
…it is not a Biblical doctrine in the sense that any formulation of it can be found in the Bible….
New Bible Dictionary (p.1221)
The New Testament does not present a systematic presentation of the Trinity. The scattered segments from various writers that appear throughout the New Testament reflect a seemingly accepted understanding that exists without a full-length discussion.
Holman Bible Dictionary (p.1372)
Theologians admit the New Testament does not define the Trinity. Furthermore, there is no clear teaching that salvation depends on the belief in the Trinity.
33.When did Catholic Christianity become official religion of Rome?
In 380 AD, Catholicism became the state religion of Rome. A calendar of feast days was set: Christmas - to mark the birth of Jesus; Easter - to mark the death and resurrection.
34.What happened to Christians who questioned their creed?
- Porphyry (3rd century philosopher) wrote a 15-volume refutation of Christianity, the gospels and resurrection
- Celsus (2nd century philosopher) rejected the impossible concept of the resurrection
The imperialistic power of the church, and its stranglehold on intellectual endeavours was such that the above books and many more perished in the pious book burnings in the 4th century. Today, our knowledge of these books is limited and known through the refutation books which had to quote the destroyed books.
Once Christianity was established as the state religion, it became dangerous, as a subject of Rome, to question the doctrinal version of events.
35.Can Christians eat swine and pork?
Many Christians believe that Jesus abolished the Old Testament dietary laws. The dietary interpretation of Jesus' words (i.e. swine pig consumption) does not exist in the Textus Receptus Bible, the authoritative Greek New Testament text that was accepted by the Christian Church until about 100 years ago.
This parenthetic interpretation of Jesus words was obviously a comment that some Bible scribe wrote in the margin of the text. Later scribes accidentally or deliberately incorporated the marginal comment into the text itself, so the statement appears only in corrupted texts.
But the statement does not appear in the Textus Receptus, so the KJV says nothing about Jesus "declaring all foods clean."
God had clearly prohibited pig, swine and pork in the Old Testament. This verse was over whether or not 'unwashed hands' caused clean food to become unclean.
36.Many Christians believe that Jesus abolished the Old Testament dietary laws
Many Christians believe that Jesus abolished the Old Testament dietary laws. The dietary interpretation of Jesus' words (i.e. swine pig consumption) does not exist in the Textus Receptus Bible, the authoritative Greek New Testament text that was accepted by the Christian Church until about 100 years ago.
This parenthetic interpretation of Jesus words was obviously a comment that some Bible scribe wrote in the margin of the text. Later scribes accidentally or deliberately incorporated the marginal comment into the text itself, so the statement appears only in corrupted texts.
But the statement does not appear in the Textus Receptus, so the KJV says nothing about Jesus "declaring all foods clean."
God had clearly prohibited pig, swine and pork in the Old Testament. This verse was over whether or not 'unwashed hands' caused clean food to become unclean.
37.Can Christians eat pork?
Christians claim that God told Peter, many years after Jesus' crucifixion, that established thousand year old dietary laws no longer applied.
At the time, Peter understood that the vision had nothing at all to do with a change in the dietary laws; but applied to the Gentile men.
38.Can Christians eat pork?
Which creatures did God create to be received as food? Did God create swine, shellfish, rats, maggots, lizards, bats, and moles to be received as food?
Obviously this verse refers to every creature which God created to be received as food (kosher and clean) as established in Old Testament law and other Bible verses.
39.Can Christians eat pork?
The above verse when read in context with previous verses re-affirms God's dietary laws and not abolish them. Even if this verse applies to dietary law it means "do not worry about man-made regulations concerning food and drink." The entire passage is dealing with man-made regulations of human origin.
40.Can Christians eat pork?
Jesus said these words when he sent out seventy Torah-observant Jews.
Should we understand that Jesus allowed his disciples to eat non-kosher, unclean meat? Ofcourse not!
Jesus' disciples would be lodging in Torah-observant Jewish homes, where kosher laws were observed. The disciples understood Jesus when he said, "eat such things as are set before you." He simply meant to be content with the food your host provides.
41.What life did Apostle Paul lead before his miraculous conversion to Christianity?
Paul was known as Saul was a prosecutor and law enforcer for the Romans, the Caiaphas. He was hostile towards Judaism.
42.Who was the founder of Christianity?
Jesus was not the founder of Christianity as we know it today. Most of the New Testament does not even concern the historical Jesus. Paul defines what has became known as Christianity today.
43.What did Apostle Paul do after his miraculous conversion to Christianity?
After his vision, Paul in his own words went into the desert of Arabia for a period, seeking no instruction. These accounts reflect a change in Paul's status: in his own view, he had received a revelation from Jesus/God directly and that elevated his status far higher than Jesus' twelve disciples.
44.What happened when Rome chose Christianity as the state religion?
The Romans adopted the Roman Catholic version of Christianity; and chose the teachings of Paul over Jesus.
45.Did Jesus ever preach Christianity?
No. Neither Jesus or his twelve disciples had any intention of founding a new religion. They believed in maintaining their new faith within the confines of Judaism.
46.What are the origins of Christian church music?
Saint Ambrose (334-397), a keen advocate of church music is credited with introducing it into christian worship.
47.How did early Catholics learn about Christianity?
Early Catholics were taught Christianity by the priests, nuns and at Catholic schools - and not through Bible study. The priests role was to pass on Christian beliefs and practise to his congregation. The priest acted as an intermediary between God and the people; as mankind was regarded as inherently sinful.
Catholics were discouraged from individual Bible study and pushed towards conforming with traditional Church teachings.
48.When was the word 'Christian' first ever used?
When Paul was joined in his missionary by Peter, Antioch became the first outreach centre for the Gentiles; it was here the term 'Christian' was first used.
The author of Acts (Luke, the companion of Paul) is assigning the term Christian to the disciples, all of whom were observant and respectful of Jewish Law.
49.What did Apostle Paul do after he converted to Christianity, on the road to Damascus?
According to historical records, Paul converted to Christianity between 1 to 3 years after Jesus' crucifixion. Following this mystical encounter, Paul disappeared from the scene to emerge 13 years later (47-60 CE) as Paul, a missionary to the gentiles.
50.Was Jesus a Catholic Christian?
Jesus was a Jew and the origins of Christianity are as a reform movement within Judaism. In contrast to this, the Catholic Church believes Jesus' mission was not only for Jews but the whole world.
51.How did Early Christians view the Old Testament?
The superior authority of Christ meant that while the authors of the NT embraced the OT as 'God-breathed' and thus would never feel free to reject any portion of it, they were equally convinced that the ultimate God-intended meaning of any given passage, and of the OT as a whole, was only found when seen in relation to Christ.
For example, for one or more of the Gospel authors, Jesus's birth fulfills Israel's longing for a messiah, his exodus out of Egypt fulfills Israel's exodus out of Egypt, his temptations in the desert fulfills Israel's trials in the desert, his twelve disciples fulfill the mission of the twelve tribes of Israel, his five sets of teachings in Matthew fulfill Moses’s Pentateuch, his sufferings fulfill the call of Israel to be a suffering servant, and his resurrection is the fulfillment of Israel's calling and longing for restoration.
52.In the past, how were the Christians viewed?
Paul's Christianity had a universal ambition; it aspired to bring salvation to the world.
Christianity had to reject the Hebrew representation of scripture, written in the obscure, provincial tongue only the Jews spoke, and to announce the miraculous new revelation of Septuagint, the eternal bible reincarnated in a language that everyone understood.
53.How did the Early Jewish-Christians practise their religion?
The Jewish-Christians practised three daily prayers, male circumcision, ritual washing for purity, fasting, attention to clean/unclean foods, giving charity and pilgrimage to a central temple.
54.Did Jesus claim to be 'King of the Jews'?
A placard where Jesus was accused of claiming to be 'King of the Jews' was nailed to his cross. Today this placard can be found at the Church of Santa Croce in Rome.
55.How was Jesus Jewish?
In many ways, Jesus was Jewish:
He did not preach a new religion
He taught people to do the Will of God; not a new God
He never went to Church
He fully observed the Jewish Law
His followers continued attending and meeting at the Temple
His followers observed the dietary regulations of the Torah and continued the practise of circumcision
Therefore, the early Jewish-Christians did not give up Judaism, nor did Jesus every ask them to do so.
56.What did early Jewish-Christians think of Apostle Paul?
Paul's popularity was in decline between 55-66 CE because missionaries from the Church of Jerusalem publicly rejected his innovation and claim to be an Apostle.
57.Were the early Christians Jews?
Yes. Jesus himself and his immediate followers observed all Jewish law, customs and practise.
58.Did Saul kill the early Jewish-Christians?
Prior to becoming a Christian, Saul of Tarsus hated Christians. He made it his goal to capture, then bring Christians to public trial and execution.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
(Acts 8:1-3)
Saul believed that he was serving God by finding Christians, throwing them into prison, and even executing them when possible.
59.How did the Jews view Apostle Paul?
Paul's salvation theory was considered blasphemy by faithful Jews. The Jews knew Pauls teachings ridiculed all previous revelations from God as expressed through the Torah.
The Jews after all, were the one race of people in the world who were taught God was One, without form or substance, and did not bear the likeness of anything in the universe.
60.According to Apostle Paul, why did God give Jews the Torah?
Paul claimed God gave Jews the Torah so that they could be saved later on by believing in Jesus Christ. This was God's divine plan.
61.How did Apostle Paul differ with the Jewish Rabbis?
The Jewish Rabbis preached a person was saved so long as their intention was to remain within the covenant, and one truly repented and seek forgiveness for their sins.
Paul preached that every person was 'damned' until they was offered salvation. Mans problem was that he was 'in the flesh' in bondage to the Law, sold under Sin, enslaved by the fundamental spirits of the universe (ie. dead).
Paul preached the only cure was liberation from slavery and death by union with Christ, who had conquered death and sin.
62.How did the early Jewish-Christians view Jesus' resurrection?
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
(Acts 2:22-24)
63.Who seperated Christianity from Judaism?
It was Paul's dramatic conversion to Christianity that resulted in the seperation of Christianity from Judaism. Within months of his disappearing, Jesus' teachings were changed.
64.Why Jews do not accept Jesus as the Messiah?
The Bible claims the Messiah will accomplish certain signs:
A. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).
B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).
C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)
D. Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "God will be King over all the world—on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9).
The historical fact is that Jesus fulfilled none of these messianic prophecies.
Christians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming, but Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright, and no concept of a second coming exists.
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65.What does the Quran say about Jews and Christians?
The Jews say "The Christians have nothing [true] to stand on," and the Christians say, "The Jews have nothing to stand on," although they [both] recite the Scripture. Thus the polytheists speak the same as their words. But Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ.
[Quran 2:113]
66.How was Apostle Paul viewed by the Jews?
Although, Paul was of the Jewish background, the Jewish-Christian followers of Jesus rejected Paul and wanted to kill him.
67.Does the Quran tell Jews and Christians to refer to their Scriptures (Torah and Bible)?
When the Quran refers to the previous Scriptures (Torah, Gospel etc.), this is understood to mean the original revelations sent to Moses and Jesus, and not the 'corrupted' versions we have today
68.In the time of Jesus, what qualities would identify the Messiah, to the Jews?
A human empowered by God. Not a God-man, a person of the Godhead or part of a Triune God (Trinity)
From the lineage of Abraham (Gen. 22:18)
From the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10)
A descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:12)
A Lord under Yahweh, the God of Israel (Ps. 110:1)
From amongst their own people (Jer. 30:21)
69.How did the 1st century Jews view the Holy Spirit?
First century Jews believed the Holy Spirit was another name for God, similar to Yahweh, Elohim or El Shaddai - not a separate Person in the Trinity!
There is no record of Jesus ever trying to correct the Jews and prove the Holy Spirit was a third Person in the Trinity.
70.How was Apostle Paul viewed by the Jews?
The Jews and early Jewish-Christians who observed Mosaic Law constantly harassed Paul. They even followed him around and stirred the people against him. To the extent he was often beaten and threatened with death.
71.Jesus claimed to be God. The Jews must have understood this, as they accused him of blasphemy and were ready to stone him?
The Jews were mistaken. Jesus did not claim to be God, claim divinity or commit blasphemy. In the next verse (John 10:34), Jesus tells the Jews to read their own books, Psalm 82:6 where men in power, eminence, dignity, government, judges, magistrates, in high office posts are called Gods too. i.e. the term God does not literally mean GOD.
72.Why do Jews let the hair grow on the sides of there head?
In the Torah, God forbids the cutting of the hair on the sides and the beard
73.How did Jews view the Greek Bible (Septuagint)?
For the Jews, the Septuagint would always be a translation of the Hebrew bible.
74.In the time of Jesus, how were the Jews viewed by the Greeks?
Judaism was views as an inward looking, demoralized by centuries of Roman occupation, declining economic fortunes and ongoing emigration.
75.What is Islam?
Islam means Submission and full surrender to God. In this sense, all prophets, from the start of mankind, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus, and Mohammad (peace upon all of them) are Islam prophets
76.Who is a Muslim?
A Muslim is a follower of the religion of Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion revealed to prophet Muhammad
77.Were all Prophets Muslim?
In essence, all the prophets were Muslim because they preached Monotheism (i.e. the worship of one God, and not the worship false dieties).
78.Do Muslims believe in Prophets?
A Muslim must believe, honour and respect each and every prophet of God
79.Why choose the name MuslimProphets.com?
All Prophets preached Monotheism. The worship of one God and forbade the worship of false diety. Therefore, all Prophets 'in-essence' are considered to be Muslim.
80.Does Islam promote extremism, terrorism and violence?
Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. This was the message of all the prophets and it is from God's way
81.Where can I learn more about Islam?
Their are many online sources of information, such as http://www.onereason.org
82.Do Muslims believe in the Bible?
83.What is the basic teaching of Islam?
It is to make peace with God, which means to submit to and obey God completely
84.How did Islam come into the world?
The religion of Islam in its present form came to us through the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, who lived and preached in Arabia some 1400 years ago (born 571 CE, died 632 CE). However, the Holy Prophet taught that he was not bringing a completely new religion into the world, because the basic principles of Islam had also been preached by all the great founders of the various religions before him. Islam, therefore, did not begin with Muhammad, but was also the religion of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and every other prophet of God.
85.If all prophets taught Islam, what was so different about Muhammad?
The teachings delivered by previous prophets had gradually become lost, altered and obscured. God then sent Muhammad to:
* re-establish those original principles,
* preach other truths which had not been preached before, but were necessary now because mankind had advanced,
* to collect together the best of every religion into one faith.
So Muhammad appeared as the Last Prophet to give to the whole world one, perfect and ever-lasting, religion - Islam.
86.What do I have to do to become a Muslim?
A person becomes a Muslim by declaring in public an oath of: I bear witness that there is no god except Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
87.What do Muslims believe?
The Muslim belief consists of 5 fundamentals:
1. God, Who possess the most perfect and excellent qualities.
2. Angels, who act upon the heart of each person, inspiring him to do good.
3. Prophets and Messengers of God, sent to all the nations of the world, who taught virtue by their own high moral example.
4. Books of God, which were revealed to all the nations through their respective prophets, containing guidance on how man should live and conduct himself.
5. Life after death, when each person shall become conscious of all the deeds, good or bad, he/she did in this life, and shall face the consequences.
88.What is the most important point Islam teaches about belief?
It is this, that belief does not just mean believing something in ones heart, but also acting on the belief. Mere faith counts for nothing if not carried into practice. The purpose of belief is to show us what to do in practice. No 'belief' by itself can bring salvation.
89.What is the basic teaching of Islam about God?
Islam teaches that there is one, and only one, God Who is the Creator and Controller of the entire universe. He is unique in every respect, and there is nothing which bears any likeness to Him. He is the Knower of all things, and has full power over the whole of creation. He does not stand in need of anything at all, while everything is totally dependent on Him. He possesses all the perfect qualities, and man should worship Him, and Him alone.
90.Does Islam give any arguments to prove the existence of God?
The Holy Quran gives three kinds of arguments on this point.
Firstly, it refers us to the physical world which shows great order and arrangement, works according to laws, and where everything has a set purpose in the whole scheme of things. There is also immense beauty in nature which attracts man's heart. Science is discovering more and more of these characteristics of the world all the time. So behind this highly purposeful and beautiful working of nature must be One, single Intelligence of great beauty and attraction.
Secondly, the Quran tells us about the close and deep connection between God and the inner nature of every person. There is an in-built desire in each and every person to search for something higher than oneself, and when in difficulties a person instinctively wants to call upon a Hidden Power to help him.
Thirdly, and most convincingly, Prophets and men of God appeared in every nation in the world and showed their people the reality of God through their teachings and works. Just as most of us learn about science not by making all the discoveries ourselves, but by accepting the work and evidence of those who devote themselves to the study of science, similarly the proof of the existence of God is provided by the lives of the great luminaries whom God sent all over the world for this very purpose.
91.Other religions also teach the existence of God. Is there any difference between their teaching and the Islamic concept of God?
The first major difference is that Islam teaches the absolute one-ness of God, with Whom no one can share in Divinity. No idol or heavenly object, nor any religious or spiritual teacher, can possess some Divine power or attribute.
Secondly, Islam teaches the highest conception of God, and does not accept any limitation to His power and knowledge, while other religions set limits to Him. For instance, Islam rejects the Hindu belief that God is not the Creator of matter and souls but exists alongside them. It also rejects the Christian doctrine that God is unable to forgive sins unless He punishes someone, and so He sent His 'son' to suffer the punishment for the sins of all humanity. Moreover, a son is needed to take the place of the father when the father dies, and clearly this cannot apply if God is perfect.
Thirdly, Islam refutes the idea that any human being, however great, was a 'manifestation' of God on earth, or a Divine incarnate.
92.Which prophets do Muslims have to believe in?
Muslims have to believe in all the prophets and messengers of God, equally, without distinction, wherever they may have appeared.
93.Since Muslims believe in all the Prophets equally, why is Muhammad special?
All Prophets were equally from God, and equally true, but the scope of their missions varied. The messengers before Muhammad were each given teachings limited to their respective nations, because in those times a nation did not have much to do with other nations.
Furthermore, the teachings of each Prophet applied for a limited period of time only, after which God would raise another Prophet to revise some of the teachings for the new circumstances.
The time came to unite all the nations upon a single religion so that mankind may live in peace as one nation. Muhammad, to whom God gave teachings for the whole world for all time to come fulfilled this purpose.
94.Do Muslims believe in scripture other than their own Quran?
Muslims believe the scripture given to other prophets including Moses, David and Jesus have some elements of truth in them. But the Quran is the final revelation from God and takes precedence over other scripture.
95.Is the Star and Crescent a symbol of Islam?
The crescent is not a symbol of Islam, but of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans are those tribes that moved to Turkey from east and middle Asia. They converted to Islam and built a huge Muslim Empire that ruled the whole Muslim world for centuries. When they took Islam as a religion they started using the lunar calendar, the calendar that was used by Muslims, Jews and early Christians. Even today, the flag of Turkey has a crescent on it. There was no crescent on any mosque built before the Ottomans era.
96.How are Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus considered Muslim Prophets, when Islam came 600-years after Jesus?
A Muslim is essentially a person who believes in one God.
All of the prophets of God preached the message of 'Monotheism' (they all called people to the worship of one God). Based on this fact, they are considered 'in-essence', in terms of their basic beliefs to be Muslim.
97.Can Muslims eat Pork?
The Muslim’s diet, like all other aspects of his or her life, is governed by divine law. Muslims (male and female) implement the commandments of Islam because the fundamental concept of Islam is submission to Allah, Almighty God, recognising that in His infinite knowledge, He knows what is best for His creation.
This passage also clearly prohibits the consumption of meat and other products derived from both wild and domestic pigs, including pork, bacon, and ham.
Furthermore, it is not only Muslims who refrain from eating pork, with both Jews and some Christian denominations refraining from doing so, and the Old Testament describing pork as unclean.
98.Do Muslims believe in a God?
Yes, Muslims believe in Allah(God)
Muslims believe that Allah is the all-powerful Creator of a perfect, ordered universe.
He is transcendent and not a part of his creation. He is all-powerful, absolutely Just and He is First, Last, and Everlasting; He was when nothing was, and will be when nothing else remains. Also, There is no other entity in the entire universe worthy of worship besides Him.
This belief in God is how one becomes a Muslim and is similar to the first commandment of Christianity and Judaism: You shall have no other gods before Me.
The Quran presents this belief in Allah as:
Say He is Allah,the One,
Allah the Eternal,Absolute;
He does not beget,not nor is He begotten,
And there is none like Him.
Al-Ikhlas(1:1-4)
99.In Islam, can God become a Man?
God is perfect and He is all powerful. Both Muslims and Christians accept that this is true. The ontological term for this is that God is "immutable" or absolute in His perfect nature. In the Christian faith, God's incarnation is seen as a manifestation of His power, whereas in Islam it is seen as the changing of God's nature. If God is perfect, and God's nature changes, how can He be perfect?
It would have to mean that He was not perfect before and is now perfect, which would not make Him God or that He was perfect before and is now not perfect, which would also not
make Him God.
If God is perfect, then there is no need for Him to become anything, so that He can grant us salvation. Since He's already perfect, loving and merciful, why would He need to change His nature to a weaker, human nature to grant us salvation? That's a contradiction. Therefore, when the Christian argues that God changing His nature makes Him perfect, this is not the case. They need to think before they speak.
If God is perfect and you add something to His nature, does that mean He was not perfect before? Which means He was not a God before this addition?
If God is perfect and you add something to His nature, that would mean He lacked something before and thus could not be a God.
100.Does the Quran encourage violence against the disbelievers (non-Muslims)?
The historical context is that this Quran verse was revealed at the Battle of Badr, a battle in which the pagans of Makkah traveled over 200 miles to destroy the Muslims of Madinah. The Pagans of Makkah had an army of about 1000 while the Muslims were only 300 followers. Muhammad and his followers had suffered severe persecutions and torture for 13 years in the city of Makkah. Having fled from Makkah to the safety of Madinah, they found that they were once again threatened.
It is obvious from historical and textual context therefore that this Quran verse does not promote the killing of innocents.
101.Does Islam encourage violence?
No. Islam forbids violence. It allows for defensive war where if Muslims are attacked first, then they are allowed to fight back.
102.Why should non-Muslims pay the Jizya (tax)?
This Quran verse refers to the Jizya, a tax levied on non-Muslims living in an Islamic State. Also, Muslims would have to pay the Zakah (charity tax) to the Islamic State. It is universally agreed that any civilized government or system requires residents to financially contribute towards its running. In return, the state offers basic services such as education, security, welfare, protection, amenities etc.
103.Are Muslims told to kill polytheists in the Quran?
This Quran verse is often quoted out of context. The preceeding Quran verses inform us there was a war treaty between the Muslims and pagan Arabs, which the pagans of Arabia broke.
Therefore this verse applies to a very specific historical event and applied only to those who broke the agreement.
Naturally, in war violence is expected. If country A declares war with country B because a peace treaty was violated, then both countries will expect their soldiers to kill or be killed.
104.Can the Muslims have non-Muslim friends?
In this verse, the words “Awliya”- plural- or “wali” – singular- has been (badly) translated as “friends” or “friend”; however, the more appropriate translation would be a “guardian, protector, or advocate”. Muslims are to be advocates and protectors for each other. And friends with everyone.
Muhammad was kind to the pagans of Mecca and fought them only when they fought him. He made treaties with the Jews of Madinah and honored the treaties until they broke them. He received the Christians of Najran with kindness in Madinah. They argued with him about Islam, but he treated them with honor and respect.
Some translate this verse to mean that Muslim should not take the Jews and the Christians for friends who are exclusively friends of each other at the exclusion and detriment of the Muslims, as is seen in Zionism and the Islamophobic lobby.
105.Does the Quran encourage Muslims to kill non-Muslims?
This verse was revealed about the Battle of Badr. The pagans of Mecca travelled more than 200 miles to Madinah with an army of about 1000 to kill the Muslims who numbered around 300. The Prophet Muhammad and fellow Muslims had suffered severe persecution, torture and even murder of their brethren for 13 years in the city of Mecca at the hands of these very same pagans.
And once the Muslims had fled Mecca and found a sanctuary in the city of Madinah, they were followed by the pagans of Mecca. By this verse God gave the order to Muslims to fight to defend their lives and faith, as they had previously been forbidden from defending themselves.
106.Why should non-Muslims pay a Jizyah tax?
These verses are also historical in context. They are about the Battles of Mu'tah and Tabuk.
These verse were in reference to The Byzantine Empire instigating war against the Muslims. They murdered an ambassador of Muhammad who was carrying a message to the ruler of Busra. The Chosroe of Persia even ordered his commander in Yemen to kill Muhammad, and they mobilized their forces to fight the Prophet. The Muslims confronted them.
There are many people who misunderstand over the Jizyah (a tax on non-Muslims living under the protection of a Muslim authority) claiming it is discriminatory. But the truth is that Muslims are not exempt from taxes, they just go by a different term.
The tax collected from non-Muslims is only imposed on adult males. It exempts them from military service; affords them protection under the law; and freedom to practice their religion. And Muslim taxes go to welfare programs.
107.Can the Muslims be harsh to non-Muslims?
This verse is speaking about the hypocrites who were among the Muslims in the time of Muhammad. The 'unbelievers who are near you' were, in actuality, non-Muslims posing as Muslims who sought to corrupt the believing Muslims from within. The instruction was to fight them (here, 'fight' means to resist the hypocrites’ skepticism, as we will see in the next verse) without preferential treatment for the social or economic standing.
108.Does the Quran encourage ill-treatment of non-Muslims?
The 'disbelievers' in this verse refers to those who persecuted and attacked the Muslims. This is not a verse directing Muslim to just go out and be awful to non-Muslims.
In fact there is a lot in the Quran and hadith collections that command Muslims to be compassionate and kind to all of God's creation. One such hadith states: Whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of all good. (Muslim, Abu Dawood)
It is also reported by Abu Dawood (a hadith collection) that Muhammad said, 'Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, or curtails their rights, or burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I (Muhammad) will complain against the person on the Day of Judgement.'
109.Why do Muslims say non-Muslims will go to Hell?
One of the basic teachings of Islam is that God does not have a favorable opinion of those who knowingly deny His right to be worshiped alone (as He alone is responsible for our creation, our sustenance, and our judgement) and reject any of His messengers.
This is not to say that there will be conveyor belts for each religion, and we just jump on and go to either Heaven or Hell according to what we call ourselves. Each person will be judged based on their understanding of God's message, as well as his or her capability and intentions to follow the path to God as best he or she could.
Muslims are not allowed to say that someone will go to hell just because they call themselves a Christian, Jew, or Polytheist. Muslims are not allowed to speak without knowledge. And each person's destination in the Hereafter is known only to God.
It is interesting to note that some people of different faiths insist on telling everyone who does not go to their specific place of worship that they will certainly be going to Hell (knowledge they do not have). But when they see this Quran verse, they are upset by it.
110.Why do Muslims sacrifice livestock (goat, sheep, cow etc.) on Eid Al-Adha?
The animal sacrifice is to honor the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael, his eldest son, as an act of submission to God's command. At the point of sacrifice, God intervened and replaced his son with a ram (male sheep) which had been slaughtered instead.
Abraham had passed the test by his willingness to carry out God's command
