The Difference Is In The Details

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From "Amla already reveres Jesus" in the Citizen, South Africa:

OH Christian from Ferndale, you certainly made me laugh, when I read, "your Muslim slip is showing" (The Citizen, August 14).

I think your prayers have been answered. Hashim Amla has come to know Jesus, as has the entire Islamic world.

You see, Christian from Ferndale, all Muslims adore, love and respect Jesus as a holy prophet of God, as our Koran has taught us.

The only difference is, unlike you, we don’t pray to him as a god.

SHAMEEMA BHYAT

By way of background, apparently a South African sports broadcaster named Dean Jones was fired from his position because he referred to Hashim Amla, a muslim sports figure, as a "terrorist." A Christian from Ferndale wrote saying that we need to pray that Amla "may come to know Jesus, who is the Way and the Truth and the Life."

Of course, the idea that they revere Jesus as a prophet is, to say the least, overstated. Yes, they revere Jesus as a prophet -- but not the Jesus taught in the Bible. The Jesus described in the Bible is not revered by them because they would have to view that Jesus as a fiction or a blasphemer in order to assign him the role of being a mere prophet. If you are going to take Jesus at all, you need to take Him as He is presented in the most accurate and authoritative works on His life -- the books of the New Testament. To accept Him on any other terms is not to accept Him at all.

Comments

Weekend Fisher said…
If they really believed he was a prophet, they'd honor his words. So at a point like that in the conversation, I'd probably choose to start by breaking down the arrogant claim that they "know Jesus" even as a mere prophet.

* I'd ask: What did Jesus say are the most important commands of the law? (If they don't know, I'd tell them: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself", then ask whether Mohammed ever taught that those were the most important commands of the law; he didn't.)

* I'd ask them to recite what Jesus taught about loving enemies, or recite his most famous blessings, and if they couldn't I'd let them hear some of the real Word of God and make their own decisions about whether Mohammed ever said anything of the sort.

* I'd poitn out that The Bible says that those who know Jesus strive to get rid of anger, malice, bitterness, and rage. And I'd ask does "the entire Islamic world" (or any noticeable part of it) make that their priority? Does the Qur'an ever teach to get rid of anger, malice, bitterness, and rage?

So I'd start nice and basic: Jesus was more than a prophet, but they don't even know him as that, otherwise their region of the world would be a whole different place. If they really believed he was a prophet, they'd honor his words.
8/17/2006 05:32:00 AM
Anonymous said…
The islamic world believes in the original old testament, which no christian possesses. Like the jews didn't believe in Jesus, better known as Isa, just as the christians dont believe in Muhammed. By the way, the bible was revealed in a language close to arabic, called arameic. Check it up. Dont slam islam bcs of the US government and their proganda. Does the bible teach peace, bcs every single world war was initiated by christians, murdering and raping thousands, like US soldiers were doing in iraq, afghanistan and vietnam. Whats worse is they do it in the name of God, as clearly verbalised by Bush. If thats the case, then thats really sad. And if someone can use the word 'mere' before the word prophet, well that only indicates a vile disrespect against their own bible, who reveres many of Gods chosen prophets. Shame. Shameema
12/13/2008 11:31:00 AM
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