Nice try Jennifer

Submitted by zzazzeefrazzee (United States), Mar 17, 2008 at 13:25

"I never wrote that I thought you were a Muslim, zzazzeefrazzee. Where did that come from?"

Just making the point from the outset, Jennifer, noting more. Is there something wrong with that?

"Back to the point, one glaring difference between Islam and Christianity and Judaism is the principle of Qu'ran 9.111, which states the only guarenteed way of reaching Paradise - which is to die whilst killing the unbeliever."

Please point out where in that specific verse where the words "Only Guaranteed" can be found. I can't seem to find it in any of the English translations, nor do I read it in Arabic. Furthermore, There are many interpretations within Islam as to what is justifiable martyrdom and what is not. For example, the recent bombing of a an Italian restaurant in Islamabad was roundly condemned by Pakistanis as being un-Islamic. The reasons why merit investigation.

As far as the Old Testament (Tanakh) is concerned, there is plenty of comparable God- ordered killing of unbelievers mentioned therein:

Just for starters:

Exodus 34: 1-14
Leviticus 26: -9
Deuteronomy 20:16-18
Joshua 6:21

"The Bible states the only way to Paradise (Old Testament), eternal life in Heaven is through faith alone in Christ alone. "

That's according to those Christians (mainly Protestant)who preach that salvation is only accorded to those who have faith alone , while other Christians (non-Protestant) accord salvation based on their faith as well as their deeds. It's a very old argument, and therefore a great deal of literature about it is available.

"Yes, modern Judaism does not recognize Christ as the Messiah."

Don't you mean to say "Neither Modern, NOR Ancient Judaism?". Why this distinguishing marker?

"But remember, Paul was a Jew, and he wrote most of the New Testament. I don't mean to get into a theological argument; the point is both Christianity and modern Judaism state the need of a Messiah for entrance into Heaven."

Actually, that is a very Christian interpretation, not a Jewish one. In Judaism, the interpretation of the events of the afterlife is very different from the Christian one, and there are also varying interpretations, depending on just which Jewish sect you talk to. Here is just one interpretation, and it is not "messiah-dependent" one as you've outlined:

http://www.askmoses.com/article/135,164/Does-Judaism-believe-in-Heaven-and-Hell.html

"Why would the same "god" give such polar-opposite instruction on a pivotal issue such as eternity?"

As outlined above, this "same" god that you think of as the author of the old Testament is also offering very different instructions to the communities of Christians and Jews. Offering up your Christian beliefs as a form of Judaism, is, well, not an exactly accurate response.

Furthermore, I obviously don't believe that any of these scriptures, whether the Bible or Qur'an are the infalliable words of God alone. Rather, I argue that it is humans who argue over (and even accuse each other of blasphemy, and then proceed to kill each other) over the different interpretations of the nature of said God.

All that I argue is that Allah simply means "God" in Arabic, and the word does not have an exclusively Islamic usage. I am not arguing that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are the same religion. That said, there is a discernible monotheistic tradition expressed therein, is there not?

This argument stands in contrast to the "Allah is a different God" argument, espoused for the most part by English speaking Evangelical Christians.

Have a nice day!

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