Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Islam and The Bible #1 and #2
Theological Education Institute ^ | 9/27/2001 | Rev. John C. Rankin, Theological Education Institute

Posted on 10/12/2001 10:19:27 AM PDT by ArGee

Islam and the Bible #1, #2

September 27, 2001
Rev. John C. Rankin, Theological Education Institute (TEI)
750 Main Street, Suite 1300, Hartford, CT 06103
860/246-0099;
e-mail: update@teihartford.com;
website: www.teihartford.com.

A Vision for "First the Gospel, Then Politics..."
A Passion for "The Love of Hard Questions"

Dear Friends in Christ:

As I begin this series, I aim to be concise. My goal is to distill for you summary truths about Islam and the Bible. At all times, feel free to have me explain something futher in a subsequent email installment, or to question my sources, reasonings, etc. In each email I intend to address two stated subjects, and I will number them sequentially thoughout the entire series.

Godspeed,

John


1. The nature of the Bible and the nature of the Qur'an

The Bible (which means "the Book") is composed of 66 books written over thousands of years by many different and highly literate people, Hebrews and Christians, tracing back to Adam, who lived the story of God's presence in their lives. It is attested to by a whole redemptive community over time, as inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible starts with the historical story of creation, identifies the story of the first sin, and traces the story of redemption to the first and second comings of the Messiah. The Bible, on its own terms, expects all of its claims to be tested by the disciplines of history, science, law and reason; indeed, the Bible is the source for these disciplines, and it invites the toughest questions of its skeptics.

The Qur'an (which means "Recitation") is the holy book of the religion of Islam (a word which means "submit"). The Islamic people are known as Muslims. The origin of this word is uncertain, either from a people in sixth century A.D. who originally followed a prophet named Maslamah, or it may mean "traitor," used originally as a derogatory word by those who opposed Islam, but later adopted as a badge of honor by followers of Islam. The Qur'an is composed of 114 Surahs. The first Surah is short and gives a model prayer for Muslims. Surahs 2-114 do not have a historical or theological order, but they go in order from the longest to the shortest. Surahs may be regarded as chapters, but not in the biblical sense of an ordered larger text. Rather, each Surah is regarded as a distinct revelation given by the Muslim god Allah to the otherwise illiterate Muhammad (ca. 570-632 A.D.), during the last 22 years of his life. The Qur'an is designed for recitation by faithful Muslims who are expected to submit to it without questions.

Thus, we note some crucial distinctions. The Bible starts with the origin of history, and traces history to the time of Jesus's first disciples, and is written by many people over thousands of years who belong to a redemptive community. The witness of many, where cross-examination of truth claims is assumed. The Qur'an comes through one man over 22 years, starts with a doctrinal prayer, and is historically and theologically unordered thereafter. The witness of one, where there is no cross-examination of truth claims.

2. The God of the Bible and Allah of the Qur'an

The God of the Genesis 1-2 is Yahweh Elohim. In the Hebrew, these names by definition refer to the true Creator who is greater than space, time and number, and who spoke the creation into being. In contrast, the pagan gods of Babylon, Athens, Rome, Egypt, the Indus River Valley et al. were all limited, petty, jealous and capricious deities -- smaller than and subsequent to the material universe. Some skeptics since the 1850s have tried to argue that Yahweh was a Hebrew tribal deity, one of many pagan deities in the ancient Near East. But to do so, they had to twist Scripture and history, and be intellecually dishonest concerning scholarly research.

The name of Allah comes from a pagan male deity in Arabia at the time, who had his female consort, Al-Lat. The Qur'an represents Allah as the true and all-powerful god. But in historical terms, we shall see how Muhammad elevated a local tribal deity to be the One God, in order to advance his stature as the Prophet of the One God.

Thus we see a conflict, which solid historical work reveals: Unbelievers seek to reduce the true God in Genesis to the level of a pagan and limited deity; the god of Islam is in reality an obscure pagan deity who has been raised to the level of being the "One God."


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Philosophy
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-52 last
To: eclectic
Consider this proposition: the Qur'an was dictated to Mohammed by Satan disguised as archangel Gabriel. Any rebuttals?

Nope, how about "I agree!"

41 posted on 10/12/2001 4:53:22 PM PDT by Alas
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: ArGee
bump for later
42 posted on 10/12/2001 4:56:56 PM PDT by Robert Lomax
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JARthur
BI-Ble means two books

It's actually the old word for papyrus, based on the name of the Phoenicean city Byblos from where papyrus was imported. Papyrus is what they used to use to write on, like paper. Paper as a word is the modern form of the old word papyrus.

43 posted on 10/12/2001 5:10:04 PM PDT by RightWhale
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Prodigal Daughter
I didn't know that "quoran" means "recitation".

Akin to...

07121 qara' {kaw-raw'}

a primitive root [rather identical with 07122 through the idea of
accosting a person met]; TWOT - 2063; v

AV - call 528, cried 98, read 38, proclaim 36, named 7, guests 4,
invited 3, gave 3, renowned 3, bidden 2, preach 2, misc 11; 735

1) to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to call, cry, utter a loud sound
1a2) to call unto, cry (for help), call (with name of God)
1a3) to proclaim
1a4) to read aloud, read (to oneself), read
1a5) to summon, invite, call for, call and commission, appoint,
call and endow
1a6) to call, name, give name to, call by
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to call oneself
1b2) to be called, be proclaimed, be read aloud, be summoned,
be named
1c) (Pual) to be called, be named, be called out, be chosen

Hmmm, Koran could be a word play with...

07160 qaran {kaw-ran'}
a primitive root; TWOT - 2072; v
AV - shine 3, has horns 1; 4

1) to shine
1a) (Qal) to send out rays
1b) (Hiphil) to display or grow horns, be horned

44 posted on 10/12/2001 5:23:00 PM PDT by Thinkin' Gal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ArGee
"This is indeed a difficult thing to understand and it takes some serious discipleship to deal with it."

Maybe, but consider this...I would have had a lot more confidence in Moses on the day of departure if I had witnessed all of plagues and works God had wrought. The Red Sea would have sealed the deal for me. Then I could have made that long hike.

45 posted on 10/12/2001 5:32:00 PM PDT by bluecollarman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: ArGee
To put it in the broadest terms, Christianity accepted the entire Hebrew Bible into its own two-testament Bible as the true word of God. The God of Christians is most definitely the same as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the God of Hebrew history. Christianity grew out of, and fulfilled, Judaism. That is very evident throughout Paul's epistles. Or consider what Christ says to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Recent research suggests that huge numbers of the earliest Christian converts were Jews, and that that is one reason why the new religion spread so quickly throughout the Roman Empire--wherever communities of Jews were already established.

In contrast, although Muslims say they "Respect" the Bible, the Quoran contradicts it in numerous regards. The Bible says that God's blessing and favor passed from Isaac to Jacob, but Muslims say it really passed to Ishmael--one of numerous such differences. For a Christian it is hard to see how Islam can be anything but a heresy. (Yes, I know many Freepers don't like the word, because it makes them think of the Spanish Inquisition and they want the freedom to think what they like. But simply put, any "heresy" is a false version of a religion that cannot be squared with the true one.) If Islam is true, then Judaism and Christianity must be wrong on many critical points--including especially the nature of Jesus.

It was for that reason that Christians all through the middle ages referred to Mohammed as Mahound, and identified him with the Devil.

Notice that I am not arguing intolerance toward all Muslims. That is another issue. But I am saying that the Koran cannot be squared with the Bible. It often echoes it, but it also distorts and contradicts it in numerous ways.

46 posted on 10/12/2001 5:38:24 PM PDT by Cicero
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cernunnos
I bet you have a Christian grandma praying for you! (Well, I don't "bet" anymore but you know what I mean.)
47 posted on 10/12/2001 6:42:22 PM PDT by Prodigal Daughter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: Argee
Thanks for the flag! I enjoyed the article! bttt
48 posted on 10/12/2001 7:34:31 PM PDT by JMJ333
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: ArGee
Thanks for the ping. Interesting read.
49 posted on 10/12/2001 8:04:07 PM PDT by nopardons
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: bluecollarman
I would have had a lot more confidence in Moses on the day of departure if I had witnessed all of plagues and works God had wrought.

Yeah, you'd think, wouldn't you? Yet all those who asked Aaron to cast a calf of gold and then held an orgy of worship to it were witnesses to all of G-d's wonders. They knew because they had seen, yet they still doubted the moment the wonders stopped.

People are fickle. There's no two ways about it. And our faithlessness is not cured by G-d's miracles.

Shalom.

50 posted on 10/15/2001 6:32:49 AM PDT by ArGee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: JMJ333; nopardons
Don't forget to check out messages #3 and #4 here.

Shalom.

51 posted on 10/15/2001 6:37:13 AM PDT by ArGee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: ArGee
bttt
52 posted on 11/30/2002 8:15:21 PM PST by aposiopetic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-52 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson