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Differences between Jesus and Muhammad
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Jesus founded Christianity, Muhammad founded Islam. These are the two largest religions in the world with about 1.8 billion and 1.1 billion members respectively. Without a doubt, these men have affected humanity in a powerful way. As religious leaders they laid down many principles to live by.
Both religions have much in common, but differ strongly in other aspects. What were the founders' characters like? How do they compare with each other? What does the Bible and the Quran say about Jesus? What did their teachings and actions induce their followers to do? This article answers these questions by comparing and contrasting some of their actions and teachings.
SOME OF THEIR LAST WORDS
JESUS: "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34. (said while dying on the cross at Calvary after being betrayed and sentenced to die for no legitimate reason).
MUHAMMAD: "May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for they built the places of worship at the graves of the prophets." Bukhari, Vol. 1, #427 [Muhammad had been poisoned years earlier by a Jewish woman whose husband was killed by the Muslims and the poison had slowly worked its effect. He said this while dying in the arms of his wife Aisha].
COMMENT As I've studied both of these men's lives, I find that the above comparison details some of the strongest character differences. Here are their dying words, words that will mark the end of their lives. Christ asks God to forgive His enemies, while Muhammad utters a bitter curse against those who rejected his assertion of prophethood. Wouldn't it have been more appropriate for Muhammad to ask Allah to guide the Christians and Jews while he was dying?
Last edited by wkk5159 on 18-11-2012 12:46 PM
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On SLAVERY
JESUS: had no slaves. Jesus taught to do to others as you would have them do to you. Jesus had no slaves, and it is apparent from His teachings that He would not have slaves. He freed men, not enslaved them. No one wants to be enslaved against their will.
Further, Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:8-10,
"We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers..."
From these verses, we see that forcibly enslaving people, and trading in slaves, are against Christian teachings.
MUHAMMAD: was a slaver. He owned and sold many slaves, both male and female. He said Allah allowed him and his Muslim followers to have sex with their female slaves when the men wanted to. Reference the Quran, Sura (chapters) 33:50, 52, 23:5, and 70:30. Slaves are considered "booty" for Muslims when taken in raids, thus they are Muslim's property. Muhammad felt proud and conceited enough to enslave thousands of people.
The great Islamic historian Tabari wrote regarding Muhammad's sexual intercourse with his slave Mariyah; "he had intercourse with her by virtue of her being his property." [Tabari, Volume 39, page 194].
Muhammad made slaves out of the people he raided and fought against. Most notable were the women and children survivors of Muhammad's massacre of the 800 males (young teens and up) of the Jewish Banu Quraydhah, Sura 33:26. The Sirat Rasulallah - the earliest biography of Muhammad, gives much more detail on pages 461 and on. Shortly after massacring the Jewish males Ibn Ishaq wrote on page 466:
"Then the apostle divided the property, wives, and children of the Banu Qurayza among the Muslims, and he made known on that day the shares of horse and men, and took out the fifth", (Muhammad and his family got one fifth of all the spoils of war). . . Then the apostle sent Sa'd . . . with some of the captive women of Banu Qurayza to Najd and he sold them for horses and weapons."
Bukhari also documents Muhammad owning many slaves - vol. 5, # 541 & vol. 7, # 344. Muhammad had Negro, Arab, Egyptian, male, female, Jewish, Christian, and pagan Arab slaves.
Muhammad also allowed slaves to be harshly beaten. When his wife was being examined as to whether or not she committed adultery, Muhammad's son in law, Ali, brutally beat Aisha's slave in front of Muhammad, in order to insure that she tell the truth about Aisha. Here is the quote from Ibn Ishaq's "Sirat Rasulallah", translated as "The Life of Muhammad", by A. Guillaume, (page 496):
"So the apostle called Burayra (Aisha's slave) to ask her, and Ali got up and gave her a violent beating saying, "Tell the apostle the truth,"....
Muhammad did not stop Ali from beating the slave.
Muhammad also allowed newly captured female slaves to be used for sex. From the Hadith of Sahih Muslim vol. 2, #3371
Abu Sirma said to Abu Said al Khudri: "O Abu Said, did you hear Allah's messenger mentioning about al-azl (coitus interruptus)?" He said, "Yes", and added: "We went out with Allah's messenger on the expedition to the Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing azl" (withdrawing the male sexual organ before emission of semen to avoid conception). But we said: "We are doing an act whereas Allah's messenger is amongst us; why not ask him?" So we asked Allah's messenger and he said: "It does not matter if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born".
And vol. 3, #3432
Abu Said al-Khudri reported that at the Battle of Hunain Allah's messenger sent an army to Autas and encountered the enemy and fought with them. Having overcome them and taken them captives, the Companions of Allah's messenger seemed to refrain from having intercourse with captive women because of their husbands being polytheists. Then Allah, Most High, sent down regarding that: "And women already married, except those whom your right hands possess (Quran - 4:24), (i.e. they were lawful for them when their Idda (menstrual) period came to an end).
COMMENT
Jesus' teachings would preclude people from forcibly enslaving people. "Do to others as you would have them do to you" - Luke 6:31. On the other hand, Muhammad and his soldiers went out and attacked many people and forced them into slavery. Worse yet, Muhammad separated slave families by dividing them up between his soldiers and he allowed the men to rape the female slaves.
Last edited by wkk5159 on 18-11-2012 12:47 PM
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On SIN
JESUS: was born sinless; He lived a sinless life. Jesus asserted his sinlessness.
John 8:46 - "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth why don't you believe me?" Also note 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 John 3:5, Heb. 4:15
MUHAMMAD: was declared to be a sinner - Sura 40:55 - "Therefore have patience; God's promise is surely true. Implore forgiveness for your sins, and celebrate the praise of your Lord evening and morning."
Sura 48:1,2 - "We gave you a glorious victory so that God may forgive you your past and future sins ....."
Muhammad also prayed for forgiveness of his sins, Bukhari volume 9, #482:
"...O Allah! Forgive me the sins that I did in the past or will do in the future, and also the sins that I did in secret or in public.
Further, Muhammad even acknowledged harming or cursing people unjustly. From Sahih Muslim, volume 4, "The Book of Virtue and Good Manners, and Joining the Ties of Relationship, chapter MLXXV
"HE UPON WHOM ALLAH'S APOSTLE INVOKED CURSES WHEREAS HE IN FACT DID NOT DESERVE IT, IT WOULD BE A SOURCE OF REWARD AND MERCY FOR HIM".
Hadith #6287 - "Abu Juraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying, "O Allah, I am a human being and for any person amongst Muslims upon whom I hurl malediction or invoke curse or give him whipping make it a source of purity and mercy."
COMMENT
Jesus was a sinless man – the Son of God. Muhammad was a self proclaimed prophet – a man capable of sinning and making mistakes, having both good and bad traits. At times he was kind, at times he cursed and harmed many people. How much of their nature, or character, was inevitably translated into their respective religion? Jesus was pure and sinless, Muhammad stated that he prayed for forgiveness up to 70,000 times a day! Who would you rather follow?
Last edited by wkk5159 on 18-11-2012 12:49 PM
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Hmm , what about the following from biblical Jesus :
luk19:27
But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
Maybe you did not complete you study. Does the above verse forgive and forget?
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On PUNISHING SINNERS WHO WERE WILLING TO REPENT
JESUS
From John 8:2-11
At dawn He (Jesus) appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap in order to have a basis to accuse Him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with His finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one sir", she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
MUHAMMAD
From the Hadith of Abu Dawud, #4428
"Buraidah said: "A woman of Ghamid came to the Prophet and said: "I have committed fornication", He said: "Go back". She returned and on the next day she came to him again, and said: "Perhaps you want to send me back as you did to Maiz b. Malik. I swear by Allah, I am pregnant." He said to her: "Go back". She then returned and came to him the next day. He said to her: "Go back until you give birth to the child." She then returned. When she gave birth to the child she brought the child to him, and said: "Here it is! I have given birth to it." He said: "Go back, and suckle him until you wean him." When she had weaned him, she brought him to him with something in his hand which he was eating. The boy was then given to a certain man of the Muslims and he (the prophet) commanded regarding her. So a pit was dug for her, and he gave orders about her and she was stoned to death. Khalid was one of those who were throwing stones at her. He threw a stone at her. When a drop of blood fell on his cheek, he abused her. The prophet said to him: "Gently, Khalid. By Him in Whose hand my soul is, she has repented to such an extent that if one who wrongfully takes an extra tax were to repent to a like extent, he would be forgiven". Then giving command regarding her, prayed over her and she was buried.""
COMMENT
Here is a stark contrast between the two men. When Jesus dealt with the adulterous woman, He did not condemn her. He commanded her to go and sin no more. He gave her a chance for redemption – the very model of mercy.
How many people have started out down the wrong street, but years later were able to turn their lives around? Not only in that, but they have been able to help others turn their lives around as well? Jesus offered this chance to the woman. Under the law, the Jews could have stoned the woman to death, but Christ's love and compassion was much greater.
Muhammad’s approach was much different. At first, he tried to dismiss the adulterous woman. She confessed her sin to him, but he refused to hear her and deal with it. Instead, he told her to go back. This occurred three times. Three times Muhammad ran from dealing with the situation. Finally, after the women's consistent confession, Muhammad was forced to confront her sin. He allowed her to give birth, suckle and then wean the child, which could have taken 1 to 3 years. Then she returned and Muhammad had her killed.
This woman not only confessed, but she repented. She was a good mother to her child and she was a responsible member of her community. Couldn't Muhammad have forgiven her as he had so many other types of sinners? Muhammad allowed many others off for the sins they committed. Even people who had killed his family members were forgiven if they confessed he was a prophet of God and there was only one God. But Muhammad was unable to deal compassionately with the woman. He couldn't see beyond his nose. He couldn't see that she had turned her life around, properly raised her child, and was doing the right thing. Muhammad's shortsightedness caused her death.
Muhammad did not even deal with it after Judaic law. In Moses' law, the adulterer was to be stoned to death. Muhammad did not do so, he gave the woman several years to live. Even if you take into account the respite to give birth to a child, Muhammad waited until the woman weaned the child. Surely there were other women who could have nursed the child. Muhammad simply dealt with the situation as best, (or not best) as he could; Muhammad made up his own rules as he went along.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last edited by wkk5159 on 18-11-2012 12:50 PM
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WAR - TREATMENT OF ADVERSARIES
JESUS: In Luke 9:54, 55 Jesus rebuked His disciples when they wanted to destroy a town that rejected Him. Also, in Luke 22:52, Jesus' disciples started to fight against those that came to arrest Jesus, He stopped them, and healed a man injured in the fight.
MUHAMMAD: told his followers to aggressively make war on non-Muslims: 9:5, 29. Sura 9 was one of the last Suras given by Muhammad. Initially, when Muhammad's group was weak, he ordered his followers to try to get along with other people. After the Muslims became powerful, he ordered them to spread Islam by force. Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman continued his wars of aggression. A few of Muhammad’s actions include:
The massacre of approximately 800 Jewish male captives: (noted in Sura 33:26).
He ordered the execution of 10 people when he took Mecca. Three of these people were slave girls who had previously made fun of Muhammad. Refer to "The Life of Muhammad", pages 551 and 552.
He attacked the Jewish city of Khaibar where he took one of the Jewish leaders and tortured him to force him to tell where some buried money was. After the man refused to talk, and was near death, Muhammad ordered that his head be cut off. Refer to "The Life of Muhammad", page 515.
COMMENT
No one would envision Jesus ordering the execution of slave girls for mocking him years earlier. He brought a better message and a better way of life. No one would imagine Jesus having a man tortured to reveal buried money. His life was free of greed.
Muhammad could be a very brutal man. Does killing a few slave girls for mocking him seem justified?. Is having them killed for that justified? Does it seem rational or sensible? Does torturing a man just to get money portray the type of man society should follow, obey, and emulate?
Last edited by wkk5159 on 18-11-2012 12:52 PM
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WOMEN & MARRIAGE
JESUS: was not married. He healed women, forgave women, and encouraged women. The New Testament teaches that husbands should love their wives and not be harsh with them: Col. 3:19, Eph. 5:25, that men and women are equal in Christ - Gal 3:28, that they should be treated with respect - 1 Pet 3:7.
MUHAMMAD: commanded his male followers to beat their disobedient wives. He gave men the right to beat their wives who persistently disobeyed them.
Sura 4:34 "As those you fear may be rebellious admonish, banish them to their couches, and beat them."
The above verse was revealed in connection with a woman who complained to Muhammad that her husband slapped her on the face, which was still marked by the slap. At first Muhammad said to her "Get even with him", but then added 'Wait until I think about it". Later on the above verse was revealed, and Muhammad added, 'We (He and the woman) wanted one thing, Allah wanted another.
The Hadith also said much about women:
Muhammad said that women are generally so evil, that they will make up the majority of people in to hell. Continuing with Bukhari,
Vol. 1, #301: "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women). They [women] asked, "Why is it so, O Allah's Apostle?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands."
Bukhari Vol. 1, #28: "The Prophet said, "I was shown the Hell-fire and the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful." It was asked, "Do they disbelieve in Allah?" (or are they ungrateful to Allah?), he replied, "They are ungrateful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favors and the good done to them...."
Sahih Muslim says they are the minority in Paradise:
Volume 4, #6600: "Imran Husain reported that Allah's messenger said: Amongst the inmates of Paradise the women would form a minority."
By putting these two Hadith together, we find that Muhammad said that women were the minority in Paradise, and the majority in hell. Therefore it is not a statistical ratio due to the possibility that there are more women than men. Muhammad viewed women as more sinful than men. And the reason more women are in hell is because the women were ungrateful to their husbands!
Muhammad also declared that women are less intelligent than men:
Bukhari, Volume 1, #301:
"...Then he (Muhammad) passed by the women and said, "O women, give alms as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." they asked, "Why is it so O Allah's messenger?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah's messenger, what is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence....."
COMMENT
Christ's teachings show that women and men are equal in God's sight. "There is neither male nor female in Christ". Socially, Christ dealt with them according to the Father's mercy.
Muhammad positioned females as in between slave and free. Even today in Islamic countries women are regulated to being second class and controlled by the males. This is because of where Muhammad placed them in his teachings.
Last edited by wkk5159 on 18-11-2012 12:53 PM
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On CHRIST'S IDENTITY
JESUS: said He was the Son of God: John 5:18-27, 10:36, Matt 26:63, 64
[Jesus] asked, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."
Matthew 16: 15-17
JESUS IS THE WORD OF GOD
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
JESUS AS GOD
"Christ Jesus . . . who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men . . ." Philippians 2:5-7
MUHAMMAD: said Jesus was not the Son of God - the Quran makes no distinction among Prophets and Christ is no more than a Messenger:
Sura 5:75 "Christ the son of Mary was no more than a messenger: many were the messengers that passed away before him ..."
The Quran denies Christ's divine origin:
Sura 43:59: "He was no more than a servant: we granted our favor to him, and we made him an example to the children of Israel."
Sura 3:59: "The similitude of Jesus before Allah is that of Adam: he created him from dust, then said to him, "Be": and he was."
COMMENT
Christ, as a great prophet and teacher, also taught that He was the Son of God, the Word of God, the Messiah, and God incarnate. Muhammad denied this. Either Jesus was telling the truth, or he was a liar or lunatic. Both men could not be correct concerning Christ's identity. Remember, Muhammad came wandering out of the desert, with "revelations" some 600 years later. He had little clue as to what he was talking about. He frequently contradicted the Bible that he asserted as the Word of God.
Last edited by wkk5159 on 18-11-2012 12:54 PM
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wkk5159 posted on 18-11-2012 12:34 PM
On SLAVERY
Lets do a comparison on slavery , shall we :
Slavery in bible
(1) Biblical Jesus approves the beating of slaves even though they did not know they were doing anything wrong , luk12:47-48
47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
(2) Biblical Jesus approves of slavery , eph6:5
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 1tim6:1
All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered
The Quran on slavery :
Quran5:89 (sahih international) we are told to free slaves :
But let them who find not [the means for] marriage abstain [from sexual relations] until Allah enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a contract [for eventual emancipation] from among whom your right hands possess - then make a contract with them if you know there is within them goodness and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you. And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek [thereby] the temporary interests of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed, Allah is [to them], after their compulsion, Forgiving and Merciful.
Sahih Muslim 15:4096 we are told to respect slaves :
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: "When the slave of anyone amongst you prepares food for him and he serves him after having sat close to (and undergoing the hardship of) heat and smoke, he should make him (the slave) sit along with him and make him eat (along with him), and if the food seems to run short, then he should spare some portion for him (from his own share)
Again the bible comes up second best .....
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wkk5159 posted on 18-11-2012 12:36 PM
On SIN
Ha ha , biblical Jesus led a sinless life. He told his disciple to steal a donkey , mat21:2-3
2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
Jesus lied saying he will not go to Judea but later he went in secret , joh7:10
However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. 11 Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?”
Hmmm , biblical Jesus sinless after an act of stealing and lying?
Prophet Muhammad(saw) was just a human being who makes mistakes. No issues that he will ask for forgiveness for his mistakes. However here we have a so called man - god that stole and lied .....
What say you?
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sam1528 posted on 18-11-2012 12:49 PM
Lets do a comparison on slavery , shall we :
Slavery in bible
Again the bible comes up second best .....
Poor old low self-esteem complex/syndrome, whether Christianity is best or sesond best is not for you muslim to judge ! Muslim standard ??? Come on ! You can't even address your own malignant issues that are bugging the muslim countries, want to judge others ??? Truly laughable ! To be fair we leave it for the earthlings to judge, ok ?
Back to your twisted facts (again!);
SLAVERY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
As we look into the New Testament, we see a strikingly different picture with regard to the biblical injunctions pertaining to slavery. The New Testament does not contain the specific regulations dealing with slavery that can be found in the Old Testament. In fact, for the most part, the New Testament says very little in its regulation of slavery. And herein lies one of the skeptic’s primary challenges to the New Testament’s stance on slavery. If the New Testament is supposedly a book inspired by an all-loving God, why does it remain virtually silent on slavery? Smith and Hoffman, in their attack on the Bible, stated:
Slave-owning was the order of the day and, so far as we are told, Jesus never attacked the practice. He took the state of affairs for granted and shaped his parables accordingly.... If Jesus had denounced slavery, we should almost certainly have heard of his doing so (Smith and Hoffman, 1989, p. 143).
The other challenge to the New Testament’s stance on slavery centers on the passages that teach slaves to be humble and obedient servants to their masters. In Colossians 3:22, Paul commanded: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord” (NRSV). Although several modern translations insert the word “servants” at the first of this verse, “slaves” is probably a better translation of the Greek word douloi in this passage (Arndt and Gingrich, 1967, p. 205). Other similar passages include 1 Peter 2:18-20, 1 Corinthians 7:21- 24, and Ephesians 6:5-9. Ruth Green, after presenting her case to suggest that the Bible condones slavery, wrote:
Those who deny my contentions about the Bible should turn to the Epistles to see what Paul and Peter have to say about “servants” and masters. Here are only two examples: “Servants, be subject to your masters in all fear” (1 Peter 2:18). “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters . . . with fear and trembling” (Ephesians 6:5). There are many more instructions about slavery in the Christian Holy Book (1979, p. 352).
Does the New Testament remain silent in its condemnation of all slavery? And why does it specifically instruct slaves to be obedient to their masters? First, it must be acknowledged that many of the types of servanthood or slavery in the New Testament are identical to the morally permissible types discussed earlier in this article. For instance, much first-century slavery discussed in the Bible centered on the fact that a person had accrued massive debt, and thus had become a slave or servant due to this debt. As an example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (Matthew 5:25-26). From Christ’s comments, it can be ascertained that the person in this text who does not make the effort to agree with his adversary could risk being thrown into prison until that person “paid the last penny.” This situation involved a revoking of individual freedoms due to the fact that the individual owed an unpaid debt—a debt that originally was owed to the adversary, or one that resulted from a fine imposed by a judge. In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus told a story about a servant who owed his master ten thousand talents. A talent was a huge sum of money that would be the modern equivalent of many thousands of dollars. It could easily have been the case that this servant had become a servant due to this enormous debt, or was being kept a servant because of the debt. Debt slavery was still a very real form of restitution in New Testament times. Such a condition absolutely cannot be used to argue that God is an unjust God for letting such take place. Furthermore, it is a false notion that God condones something just because He mentions it without an immediate condemnation of it in the surrounding verses. Skeptics point to verses like 1 Peter 2:8 and Ephesians 6:5, and then insist that God condones abusive slavery because He instructs servants to be obedient to their masters. But, let us analyze that line of thinking. In Matthew 5:39, Christ instructed His listeners: “Do not resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” Because Jesus told His listeners to be kind and turn the other cheek, does that mean that He condones the actions of the one who did the slapping? Absolutely not! Or what about the fact that Paul, through divine inspiration, instructed his readers to be subject to civil governments and to pay taxes to those governments. Was Paul condoning all practices of all governments to whom his readers would be subject and pay taxes? Certainly not. God never has condoned such unjustified behavior on the part of any individual or group.
Biblical Principles and Abolition
As a concluding argument, let it be clearly stated that the principles set forth by Jesus and His apostles, if followed, would result in the abolition of all types of abusive relationships. Slavery would have been nonexistent if everyone from the first century forward had adhered to Jesus’ admonition in Matthew 7:12: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.” Any discussion of slavery would be moot if the world had heeded the words of Peter: “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another, love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous” (1 Peter 3:8).
Truly, the teachings of the Lord and the apostles would have abolished slavery like no other social reform system ever known. As Herb Vander Lugt accurately observed:
Jesus and the apostles didn’t go on an anti-slavery crusade, because doing so would have been futile and a hindrance to their primary mission. The priority of Jesus was the provision of salvation. For the apostles it was the proclamation of the gospel. But both Jesus and the apostles undermined the basis for slavery by making it clear that God equally loves rich and poor, free and slave, male and female. The apostles also welcomed into the church and gave equal status to all who believed, regardless of race, gender, nationality, or social position (1999, p. 26).
Furthermore, an outright condemnation of kidnapping, or slave trading, is found in the New Testament. In 1 Timothy 1:9-10, Paul wrote:
We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine... (NIV, emp. added).
[size=-1]Other versions render the Greek word andrapodistais as “kidnappers,” or “menstealers,” but it also is translated slave dealers or slave traders (Arndt and Gingrich, 1967, p. 63). Therefore, in keeping with the Old Testament injunction that anyone kidnapping and selling a person involves himself in immoral conduct, Paul certainly distinguished between certain types of slavery practices that were inherently wrong, and others that were not intrinsically sinful.
CONCLUSION
The fact is, certain types of “slavery” not only are permissible, but sometimes necessary to the well-being of a society at large. For the biblical stance on slavery to be condemned as unjust, it must be established that the specific regulations of slavery described in the text are immoral and unfair. However, when closely scrutinized, the biblical stance on slavery aligns itself with true justice. All regulations found therein were established for the just treatment of all parties involved. Many times, slavery as regulated in the Old Testament was a mutually beneficial relationship between servant and master, similar to an employee/employer relationship. Furthermore, slavery often was a substitute for the death penalty—which certain nations deserved. Debt accumulation caused many free persons to sell their labor and become slaves.
The skeptic’s criticism that the New Testament does not speak against the abolition of slavery is misguided for any number of reasons. First, an attempt to generalize and condemn all types of slavery fails to take into account prison, personal debt, indentured servanthood, and a host of other morally permissible situations. Bankruptcy laws, prison terms, community service hours, and garnished wages are morally acceptable modern equivalents to certain types of slavery that were prevalent during the time of the biblical writers. Second, Jesus and the New Testament writers always condemned the mistreatment of any human being, instructing their followers to be kind, loving, and compassionate, whether they were slaves or masters of slaves. In The Social Record of Christianity, atheist Joseph McCabe wrote: “Slavery is the last word that any Christian apologist ought to mention” (1935, p. 27). But he missed one of the main points in the Bible—that point being that everyone is a slave to something. As the apostle Paul wrote through inspiration:
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:16-18).
Some people are slaves to drug addiction, sexual promiscuity, attitudes of pessimism and complaint, or any number of other vices. Others, however, are slaves to righteousness, teaching the Gospel, helping the sick, and taking care of the poor. We each must decide which master we will allow to control our lives. As the psalmist so beautifully stated it many years ago, “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10). God’s injunctions and instructions pertaining to slavery have a clear ring of justice, compassion, mercy, and kindness to them. When analyzed fairly and fully, the idea of slavery gives the honest person one more piece of evidence that points to the perfection of the God of the Bible.
Last edited by wkk5159 on 18-11-2012 01:26 PM
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wkk5159 posted on 18-11-2012 12:38 PM
On PUNISHING SINNERS WHO WERE WILLING TO REPENT
JESUS
The problem with joh8:2-11 is the following , bible NIV (ending of joh7)
The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.]
Caught you trying to lie again. There is no joh8:1-11 in any early text of the bible. Its a later day insertion.
In contrast , Prophet Muhammad(saw) upheld the law. The woman was judged by her book , the Torah and the laws of the Torah was followed. This shows that Prophet Muhammad(saw) was a leader who upheld the law.
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sam1528 posted on 18-11-2012 01:00 PM
Ha ha , biblical Jesus led a sinless life. He told his disciple to steal a donkey , mat21:2-3
...
Again, such a lame answers to attack Jesus personality, you are desperate, don't you ?
On Mathew 21:47-48, a little kid who study bible also know that this is not a theft and on John 7:10;
As with many alleged Bible contradictions, when the context is examined the answer becomes clear. John 7 starts off with Jesus walking in Galilee. His brothers said in verses 3-4, "Depart from here, and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may behold Your works which You are doing. 4"For no one does anything in secret, when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." We see that Jesus' brothers wanted Him to go into Judea publicly; but they did not believe who He was, "For not even His brothers were believing in Him," (v. 5). Jesus responded by telling them to go up themselves because His time had not yet come. The statement "His time had not yet come" refers to both Jesus revealing Himself to the world as well as the time of his death which the Pharisees would later arrange. He sent His brothers on their way. Then in verse 9 it says that Jesus stayed in Galilee. We do not know how long He stayed there but it is evident that Jesus did so for a while and then decided to go up to Judea in secret. "But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as it were, in secret."So we see that inverse 8 that Jesus meant that he was not going up to the feast "right then and there." Jesus then stayed for a time in Galilee and later went up to Judea. There is no problem. Furthermore, it is not a lie when a person decides to do one thing and then later changes his mind to do another. A lie would mean that Jesus knew He was going to do one thing but then deliberately said he would not with the intention of deceiving people. This is not the case and the text doesn't support it.
It is obvious here who is master of deception and manipulation !
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wkk5159 posted on 18-11-2012 12:43 PM
WOMEN & MARRIAGE
The problem you now have is that Quran4:34 , Prophet Muhammad(saw) have already explained what the word 'beat' means in context.
Ata' said: "I asked Ibn `Abbas: 'What is the hitting that is ghayr al-mubarrih?' He replied: '[With] the siwak and the like'." Narrated by al-Tabari in his Tafsir (Dar al-Fikr reprint 5:68).
the so called wife beating
However we have a different scenario in the bible. You don't beat wives , you cut off their hands even though they help you in a scuffle , deut25:11-12
11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
In the bible , the position of a husband is liken to a lord for the wife , eph5:22
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord
Are wives slaves according to the bible?
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wkk5159 posted on 18-11-2012 12:45 PM
On CHRIST'S IDENTITY
Ha ha , on christ identity ???
Where in the word did biblical Jesus claimed he was / is God?? In the contrary , he claimed 2 things
(1) he was / is a messenger of God
(2) he did not come to die for your sins
joh17:3-4
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.
(1) he was sent by God hence a messenger
(2) he has finished his work hence dying for you sins was not in his job scope
Appears that Prophet Muhammad(saw) was / is right all along .....
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wkk5159 posted on 18-11-2012 01:07 PM
Again the bible comes up second best .....
Poor old low self-esteem complex/syndro ... Poor old low self-esteem complex/syndrome, whether Christianity is best or sesond best is not for you muslim to judge ! Muslim standard ??? Come on ! You can't even address your own malignant issues that are bugging the muslim countries, want to judge others ??? Truly laughable ! To be fair we leave it for the earthlings to judge, ok ?
Back to your twisted facts (again!);
Such a long copy paste from you in which you don't even understand. Can you address the following per my post#9
Slavery in bible
(1) Biblical Jesus approves the beating of slaves even though they did not know they were doing anything wrong , luk12:47-48
47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
(2) Biblical Jesus approves of slavery , eph6:5
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
1tim6:1
All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered
Your long winded article does not address the verses quoted. The bible does not even have any injunction to free slaves. Again , the bible comes up second best ....
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wkk5159 posted on 18-11-2012 01:23 PM
Again, such a lame answers to attack Jesus personality, you are desperate, don't you ?
On Mathew ... Again, such a lame answers to attack Jesus personality, you are desperate, don't you ?
On Mathew 21:47-48, a little kid who study bible also know that this is not a theft and on John 7:10;
As with many alleged Bible contradictions, when the context is examined the answer becomes clear. John 7 starts off with Jesus walking in Galilee. His brothers said in verses 3-4, "Depart from here, and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may behold Your works which You are doing. 4"For no one does anything in secret, when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." We see that Jesus' brothers wanted Him to go into Judea publicly; but they did not believe who He was, "For not even His brothers were believing in Him," (v. 5). Jesus responded by telling them to go up themselves because His time had not yet come. The statement "His time had not yet come" refers to both Jesus revealing Himself to the world as well as the time of his death which the Pharisees would later arrange. He sent His brothers on their way. Then in verse 9 it says that Jesus stayed in Galilee. We do not know how long He stayed there but it is evident that Jesus did so for a while and then decided to go up to Judea in secret. "But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as it were, in secret."
So we see that inverse 8 that Jesus meant that he was not going up to the feast "right then and there." Jesus then stayed for a time in Galilee and later went up to Judea. There is no problem.
Furthermore, it is not a lie when a person decides to do one thing and then later changes his mind to do another. A lie would mean that Jesus knew He was going to do one thing but then deliberately said he would not with the intention of deceiving people. This is not the case and the text doesn't support it.
It is obvious here who is master of deception and manipulation !
You don't even understand what you copied pasted.
mat21:2-3 states that biblical Jesus asked his followers to take the donkey and its colt without asking for permission, This is tantamount to stealing. Explain to the benefit of others how you classify the action of taking things belonging to others without asking for permission. Is this 'holy stealing'?
Ha ha , joh7:10 is very clear. Biblical Jesus told his disciples to go to Judea and told them he would not go there. However he went there in secret. Telling one thing and doing another is plain lying no matter how you try to spin. You don't want to be a spin doctor ... do you? If you argue biblical Jesus changed his mine , he would have informed his disciples. He went there in secret .... like a thief ... a lying thief
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wkk5159 posted on 18-11-2012 01:24 PM
!
This is very embarrassing for you. You appealed to joh8:2-11 but the bible stated the following in the end of joh7 (bible niv)
The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53
Ha ha , now you depend on a later day insertion for your case. Hmm , isn't this corruption?
Your face must be red in embarrassment .....
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Fellow Christians, do you all find it amusing and entertaining when debating with muslims ? Anything good will be claimed as their own and anything bad will belong to others...they sometime quote from old testament and criticize it without realising they are shooting their own feet as these verses are found in quran too. The more ridiculous and out-raging is when they try to quote from New Testament, really misquote them out of context...if you want sheer amusement, just drop by...you won't be disappointed. |
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