to Sidda, ref to Adib Farakish

Submitted by M. al-Content (Portugal), Mar 20, 2006 at 17:31

Oh, and I had been counting on you to explain it ! Your water analogy seems good to me, though some Christians would fall back on the idea that the trinity is a 'mystery':

Colossians 2:2 '...that they may know the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ...'.
1 Timothy 3:16 '...the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit...'.
So, the early Christians also found it difficult to explain, and Jesus himself does not really explain it in John 14, though he is clearly talking about it (v9 "Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father").

Like you, I don't plan on getting into a prolonged discussion about this, but I think Adib's questions are important because they are about THE major theological point on which Islam diverges from Christianity, and which makes Islam much closer to Judaism : who was, or is, Jesus ? Understanding what Christians have traditionally believed about him, whether rightly or wrongly, is crucial to understanding the development of Western society, in law, art, and attitude, and by explaining some of this to Muslims you may be able to help them understand the current troubles a little better. I certainly hope so.

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