Aziz,
You provided a thoughtful response to the first excerpt of Peter Kreefts book, Between Allah & Jesus. However, seeing some of the comments people are posting has me wanting to bring them into the dialogue.
First, Andrew asks a good question about you: What does it mean when you say you are a member of “Ismail’ branch of the Shi’a school of jurisprudence?
Secondly, I find myself wanting to apologize for the comments that are being posted on you blog from Christians. I’m sorry for their lack of desire to understand. Does this happen to you often? Do you find yourself embarrassed by some fellow Muslims the way I am about some fellow Christians?
Robert
(Be sure to check this blog and Aziz’s blog, City of Brass often during this series)
posted May 20, 2010 at 6:38 pm
The debate over whether Allah and Jesus are loosely related can’t be reduced to logic, as the article strives to do. Logic is what we engineers and scientists employ. Philosophers employ a meager and unsatisfactory form of logic. That is my first problem with the article.
My second problem is the lack of anything pointing to the fruits of each belief system (Islam vs Christianity). Jesus said “by their fruits you shall know them”. Look at the rotten fruits of Islam: Jihad, Sharia Law, mobs in the streets, beheadings. Look at the fruits of Christianity, whose God is NOT Allah: benevolence that the rest of the world only dreams about, organizations such as the Christian Childrens Fund, World Vision, Samaritans Purse, The Salvation Army. Show us their Islamic counterparts. There are none. Islam is a religion of bad fruit and ritualistic chanting; Christianity is a religion of love, sacrifice, and service. Jesus preached “a servant’s heart”; Muhammed preached war and conquest.
posted May 21, 2010 at 5:32 pm
It says in God’s word that the Jesus said I am the Father are one and the Holy Spirit is the Third person of God the Father and Jesus even said before Abraham I am. God is spirit and in those days they will not worship me[Jesus] on this moutain or in Jerusalem but those that worship me with worship me in spirit and in truth. The spirit that denies that Jesus came in the flesh is the spirit of antichrist. It is not by might and not by power but by my spirit says the Lord. Even the spirit of antichrist was happening during the time that Jesus was walking on the earth. Jesus said that even now the spirit of antichrist is here. Jesus is a gentleman and does not force people to believe but to show them love and by that love people will come to repentance and confess with their mouths that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He is Lord.
posted May 31, 2010 at 3:06 pm
For someone with an Open mind and heart and truly just want an understanding of religion and not concerned who is right or wrong, I do find that many Christians hold a more Arrogant and unapologetic approach… Maybe becuz I’m here in America, but I have travelled abroad to India, a great melting pot for Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism… I find the Muslims to be very religious and very honorable and peaceful… While again, the Christians feel as if they have to lead a crusade to instill their beliefs upon everyone without acknowledging their own faults… Like the comment from Dan above, he would turn me away from Christianity in a heart-beat… Amy’s approach has a better expression however…