Thank You for Your Honest Reply

Submitted by TruthWFree (United States), Jul 4, 2009 at 12:25

Wana88,

Thanks for your honest and frank reply. I have known a few Muslims but other than superficially discussion religion, I never got into belief of the violent verses. One Muslim believed that Osama bin Laden was a holy man and that Jews and Mexicans perpetrated 9/11. Maybe he was practicing taqiyya?

You speak of fear relative to your speaking out and I can appreciate that. Even a non Muslim speaking out can be hit unawares by some Islamic zealot following the violent verses of the Quran and that is a major problem and gets back to "do you believe in these verses?". It's too late to judge by actions after the action. This is the reason for my question on belief of the violent verses.

In respect to Old Testament violent verses, I look at these stories as history, not as a way to live. I also see no Jews doing violence in the name of the violent history. Christianity looks to Old Testament prophesies as support for Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Jesus directed attention to these prophesies to His disciples after His Resurrection (see the Gospels). Other than the Ten Commandments as a way to live, I look mainly at the Old Testament as God's interaction with His people (Israel) until the New Covenant with all people in Jesus Christ. Jesus said that if "you believe in me and keep my commands, you will have eternal life, and my command to you is 'love one another'. I can truly believe in all that He said in the Gospels and cause no harm to anyone. He also says that anytime you feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or give drink to the thirsty, you are doing that to me. (What so ever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.)

Although the Trinity is hard for anyone to explain, it comes from the Gospels. Jesus spoke of His Father in Heaven and although usually he referred to Himself as the Son of Man, He did not rebuke Peter when Peter said "You are the Son of God". Also, after His Resurrection, He appeared to the Twelve (a second time) and Thomas, who was not there the first time and did not believe, upon seeing Jesus said "My Lord and my God". Jesus did not rebuke him. Jesus also spoke of the "Spirit of Truth" who will guide you in everything, but indicated that this Spirit would not come while He was still with them. The Holy Spirit came upon the apostles at Pentecost after His Ascension into Heaven. Jesus also said in the Gospels that He was One with the Father, and that "you have seen Me, you have seen the father in response to Phillip who asked Him to "show us the Father". We Christians believe in One God who has manifested Himself to us in Three Persons and I've given you the reason why. I do not believe that we can totally understand God and all his power or put human limits on what He can do.

Maybe you could start a Muslims for Non Violence organization that would begin to draw members and demonstrate that a large majority of Muslims do not believe in the violent ideology of the radical Islamists. How big is the percentage of those who support the violence? I believe that Jesus Christ is God and therefore I believe in all of His statements in the Gospels and I can hurt no one by following them.

I have no problem with Islam competing with Christianity, Buddhism, or any other religion based on its claimed truths and as a way to live, as long as it can be accepted or rejected freely as all religions or no religion. You speak of actions and the problem is that in all Islamic countries, maybe excepting Lebanon for the time being, the non Muslim percentage is almost not existent, and it's not because people can freely choose their religion as we can here in the US.

The heart of the problem is the violent verses and enforcement through fear by the fundamentalists in your religion. I don't think (my opinion) you'll ever have a Reformation in Islam due to these violent teachings which are supposed to be from Allah. The Christian Reformation was about the Church not truly following the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I welcome you as a friend and ask that you look beyond your problem with the Trinity. My intuition is that an all powerful God can manifest Himself to His creation in many ways. I invite you to Christianity.

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