Potemkin village: An impressive façade or show designed to hide an undesirable fact or condition. — Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition
On March 28, 2018, Christians and Muslims gathered at the Al Hussein Cultural Center in Amman, Jordan to celebrate the Annunciation. The driving force behind this was the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM), also located in Amman.[1]
Prior to the celebration, Fr. Rif’at Bader, Director of CCSM, said:
…the message of the first Islamic Christian celebration of the “Feast of the Annunciation” in the Kingdom is to entrench values of brotherhood and to further consolidate Muslim-Christian relations in Jordan and abroad…Fr. Bader said that the ceremony…indicates that the contents of the Noble Quran and the Holy Bible are congruous with regards to the personality of Virgin Mary.[2]
On the day of the celebration, Fr. Bader addressed those gathered:
Following the birth of Lord Jesus, the archangel told the shepherds, “I bring you good news”. Today, on the Feast of Annunciation, Archangel Gabriel tells Virgin Mary, “Hail Mary, full of grace”. This is reported in Gospel of Luke and Surat Al-Imran. It is the propitious annunciation which revealed the Advent of Lord Jesus Christ who disseminated the message of love and peace…We have gathered here today as one family to say that we support the establishment of new and distinguished relations between Muslims and Christians not only in our holy country, but rather throughout the world.[3]
Do the Christian and the Muslim understandings of the Annunciation really have so much in common that Christians and Muslims can celebrate it together “as one family”?
Here is what the Bible says about the Annunciation in Luke 1:26-38:
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God…For with God nothing will be impossible.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.[4]
This is summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
The Holy Spirit prepared Mary by his grace…It was quite correct for the angel Gabriel to greet her…In Mary, the Holy Spirit fulfills the plan of the Father’s loving goodness. With and through the Holy Spirit, the Virgin conceives and gives birth to the Son of God.[5]
And the website of which Fr. Bader is the Editor-in-Chief, Abouna.org, has this to say about the Annunciation:
The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord celebrates the coming of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce to her the special mission God had chosen for her in being the mother of His only Son…When we repeat the words of the angel by praying the Hail Mary, the word of God germinates in our soul. Christianity is this never-ending event of encounter with God made present in the maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.[6]
So in the Christian Annunciation, we see that the angel Gabriel came to Mary and announced that she was to bear the Son of God.
Here is how the Muslim Annunciation is presented in the Koran in Chapter 19, Verses 16-21:
And mention in the Book (the Qur’an, O Muhammad, the story of) Maryam (Mary), when she withdrew in seclusion from her family to a place facing east. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Ruh [angel Jibrail (Gabriel)], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects. She said: “Verily, I seek refuge with the Most Gracious (Allah) from you, if you do fear Allah.” (The angel) said: “I am only a messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son.” She said: “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?” He said: “So (it will be), your Lord said: ‘That is easy for me (Allah). And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (Allah), and it is a matter (already) decreed (by Allah).’”[7]
There is a slightly different version in the Koran Chapter mentioned by Fr. Bader, Surat Al-Imran (Chapter 3, Verses 45-47):
(Remember) when the angels said: “O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allah gives you the glad tidings of a Word [“Be!” – and he was! i.e. ‘Isa (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary)] from Him, his name will be the Messiah ‘Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), held in honour in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allah.” “He will speak to the people, in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous.” She said: “O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me. [sic]” He said: “So (it will be) for Allah creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: “Be!” – and it is.
However, this Jesus was not to be the son of Allah. After his birth this Jesus proclaimed from the cradle that he was only a prophet (Koran 19:30), and there are numerous Koran verses in which Allah states that Jesus was not his son (e.g., 4:171, 5:17, 5:72, 9:30, 19:35, and 112:3), but rather only one Messenger among others (e.g. 3:49, 4:159, 5:75, and 61:6).
And, not surprisingly, Muhammad himself referred to Jesus as just another prophet.[8]
These two Annunciation stories share this in common: Mary was approached by an angel named Gabriel who told her she would bear a son sent to her by a Supreme Being.
But there is a fundamental difference: with the CCSM understanding of the Annunciation, that Supreme Being is the Christian Triune God; with the Muslim understanding of the Annunciation, that Supreme Being is Allah. As I have written before, the Christian Triune God and Allah are completely different entities.[9] This difference is emphasized when we consider who is being announced.
In the Christian Annunciation story, Mary’s son is the Son of God. In the Muslim Annunciation story, Mary’s son is just another in a line of Prophets, and her son’s status as the Son of God is specifically denied by Allah in many Koran verses and by Muhammad himself.
So we can see that the Christian Annunciation story is completely different from the Muslim Annunciation story in terms of the nature of the person being announced, making these two Annunciation stories mutually exclusive. Only by ignoring this fundamental, undesirable fact can Fr. Bader and other Christians laud the idea of Christians and Muslims celebrating the Annunciation together “as one family.”
Thus another Potemkin Village is built for the sake of “Interfaith Dialogue.”
Dr. Stephen M. Kirby is the author of five books about Islam. His latest book is The Lure of Fantasy Islam: Exposing the Myths and Myth Makers.
[1] “Jordanian Christians, Muslims celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation,” Abouna, March 29, 2018; accessible at http://en.abouna.org/ar/holylands/jordanian-christians-muslims-celebrate-feast-annunciation.
[2] Munir Bayouk, “Fr. Bader: The celebration of Annunciation consolidates brotherhood,” Abouna, March 27, 2018; accessible at http://en.abouna.org/en/print/12738.
[3] Fr. Rif’at Bader, “Fr. Bader calls for distinguished relations between Muslims and Christians,” Abouna, March 31, 2018; accessible at http://en.abouna.org/en/print/12767.
[4] The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006)
[5] Catechism of the Catholic Church (Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, 1994), Nos. 722-723, p. 191.
[6] “The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord,” Abouna, March 25, 2014; accessible at http://en.abouna.org/en/content/solemnity-annunciation-lord.
[7] These verses and the subsequent verses are from Interpretation of the Meanings of The Noble Qur’an, trans. Muhammad Muhsin Khan and Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali (Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Darussalam, 2007).
[8] Abu al-Fida’ ‘Imad Ad-Din Isma’il bin ‘Umar bin Kathir al-Qurashi Al-Busrawi, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), abr. Shaykh Safiur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, trans. Jalal Abualrub, et al. (Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Darussalam, 2000), Vol. 3, p. 32.
[9] “Do We All Believe in the Same God?” FrontPage Mag, December 22, 2014; accessible at http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dr-stephen-m-kirby/do-we-all-believe-in-the-same-god.
PATRICIA FRANCES KOENIG says
That meeting was a bad thing. It confuses Catholics about the danger of Islam. I have read history and I know that Islam has attacked Christendom for 1400 years. And it continues.
Lydia Church says
Yes, these are completely different accounts in each text.
There is NO COMMON GROUND between Christianity and islam. None!
All this ‘interfaith dialogue’ is nothing more than a bridge leading to the one world religion under antichrist. Christians can have NOTHING to do with other gods. The Biblical God is distinct from all other ‘gods,’ and the religion of Christianity is exclusive, the Bible is the only ‘holy book.’
Do not be deceived!
mortimer says
JIHAD BY INTERFAITH DIALOGUE – Jihad of the Tongue = Taqiyya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If5gXh7uVIo
mortimer says
DECEPTION THROUGH DHIMMI THEOLOGY – Jihad by Interfaith Dialogue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRVcjlqu0XI
patriotliz says
I further expand his 4 Jihads…into Civilization Jihad via—-
Stealth Jihad
Political Jihad (using “useful infidels” Leftists to be champions for Islam)
Sharia Court Jihad
Media Jihad
Terror-murder-violent Jihad
Intimidation/harassment Jihad–(Strike FEAR in the hearts of the unbelievers;
“You’re an Islamophobe”)
Legal Jihad (concerning issues of hijab, prayer rooms in public, discrimination lawsuits)
Educational Jihad (Muslim schools; TAQIYYA indoctrination in public schools)
“Multicultural tolerance” Jihad
”Interfaith” Jihad
Money Jihad (from rich Arab Muslim countries to build Mosques, Islamic Centers, fund
Universities to have Islamic Studies)
Hijrah Jihad (or Demographic Jihad)
Reproduction Jihad (polygamy and fertility rate greater than native population)
Victimhood Jihad
Segregation (self-imposed) Jihad (“No Go” zones; Islamic colonies)
Mosque-building Jihad (the command and control centers for civilization Jihad)
Hari Singh says
He forgot Jihad by immigration, as is happening in Europe and the USA. Those who being non-Muslims facilitate this immigration are Jihadists as well, as they act for Islam and ultimately against their societies.
Nan says
Right you are!! Do not be deceived by such foolishness!!
J D S says
There can never be a religious coexistence between Christians and muslims. Not a coexistence like that of Christians and Jews because Jews and Christians believe in the same God. Jews of course do not believe Jesus to be the one and only Messiah,, still Christians believe the Jews hold still special place with God. Not so with islam.
God placed his blessings on the Jews…He told Ishmael that he would make of him (his seed) a great nation but He did not place his blessings on Ishmael or the nation that sprang from him. They like Ishmael were and are..outcast and if Muslims do not recognise Jesus as THE SON OF GOD and take on the characteristics of the religion, Christianity, that He and his early followers founded, then there could never be any coexistence between Christians and muslims.
Satan is much involved here and driving a wedge into and between
many individuals and religions on earth. That’s what Satan does. We
should abhor him and drive him out and help bring some unity in the world.
gravenimage says
The main reason there cannot be religious coexistence between Christians and Muslims is that Islamic texts tell Muslims to oppress and murder Christians.
John Stefan Obeda says
It is against God’s will, a sin really, for Christians to hold divine services or even meetings in which the truths of Scripture are denied, meetings with people who deny the truths of Scripture that Jesus is God and the Saviour of the world from sin and death and the power of the devil, a meeting in which the Muslims come not to listen and be instructed in truth, but to simply ignore the truths of God. .Shame on Christians who themselves deny the truth by not speaking it to be God’s truths and they try to make things appear good when their denial is right in their face. 2 Corinthians 6. “What fellowship has light with darkness? etc
Carol (the 1st) says
GI…Don’t leave out that an equally “main” reason is what they do to themselves and their own humanity. In the case of Islam I believe it clearly warrants rejection (total if possible) and not coexistence. Look at a product like Ibrahim Itace M. (we don’t know his past activities but they likely are a dreadful match-up with his Islamic brainwashing).
This article sheds a lot of light on why Ibby just can’t stop gnawing on the bone of the TRINITY. It’s a big hurdle for Islam! And here I thought the reason he hated it so much was because the Holy Spirit dares to imply something truly spiritual is part and parcel of the human being. Ibby wants to hang tough for big daddy Islam!
gravenimage says
John and Carol, I agree about this “interfaith” nonsense. Still, the most glaring point is that Muslims want to subjugate or murder us.
James Whitney says
Fr. Bader completely overlooks the fact that Qur’an 9.30 says that those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God are accursed. Thus, in the eyes of fundamental Islam all Christians are accursed. Remember, in Islamic theology the Qur’an is not just the inspired of God, but was dictated to Muhammed by God through the Angel Gabriel.
Shirley says
https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliapugachevsky/reasons-why-you-need-to-start-singing?utm_term=.rtNkvPQ0A#.nqyblaprz
Sorry for this another thema.
But it is so important for our health and happyness.
Think about it.
Please read the artikel and please share it with your family and all friends.
Stay healthy.
Save Europe says
Potemkin? As in ‘Battleship Potemkin’. Very Freudian and sadly apocryphal.
Salome says
More likely as in Potemkin Village, these being facades of villages set up on Catherine the Great’s imperial progress route through Russia, by General Potemkin, to make Russia seem more prosperous than it was.
gravenimage says
Exactly, Salome–that is the reference.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potemkin_village
CogitoErgoSum says
In the Bible God tells us Jesus is His Son. In the Quran Allah tells us that Jesus is NOT his son. For me to think the God of the Bible is the same as Allah of the Quran, I have to accept that God is a liar. If I accept that God is a liar, then neither book can be trusted.
Lydia Church says
God does not exist in contradiction, He is not the author of confusion but of truth.
It is NOT the same god!
CogitoErgoSum says
God in one book speaks of Himself as being the Truth. The god in the other book boasts that he is the Greatest of Deceivers. There is no deception in the Truth. I would not trust a single word of the Quran. I will celebrate when the Truth becomes known to all.
Granddaddy says
“Fr. Bader said that the ceremony…indicates that the contents of the Noble Quran and the Holy Bible are congruous with regards to the personality of Virgin Mary.”
The Church is taking lying lessons from the Muslims now? What does the “personality” of Mary have to do with anything? Besides that, the idea of interfaith in Islam means that if you’re not a Muslim, then you must convert (9:5, 9:29). That’s what interfaith means to Muslims.
Nan says
Correct, do not fall for this interfaith crap mixing Islam with Christianity. Huge mistake. Fr. Bader and his
ilk are useful idiots, useful to the Anti-Christ, that is. Appeasement does not work either. Remember the
French priest who had throat slashed by muslims after appeasing the slime in his own Catholic church!!!
Tom says
Correct, do not fall for this interfaith crap mixing Islam with Christianity. Huge mistake. Fr. Bader and his
ilk are useful idiots, useful to the Anti-Christ, that is. Appeasement does not work either. Remember the
French priest who had throat slashed by muslims after appeasing the slime in his own Catholic church!!!
mortimer says
TAQIYYA AS INTERFAITH DIALOGUE.
Stephen M. Kirby correctly points out the difference in the stories of Mary in the NT and Koran. Practically, two different people.
The Koranic version seems to be a fable. If Mary is a Muslim, why does she speak to a man (angel) unchaperoned? Why does she not where a full face veil?
The Koranic stories are always full of details that can’t be explained with logic … they are self-contradictory and contradict the NT as well. Since the NT was ‘GIVEN’ by Allah, Muslims cannot claim that Allah botched it, since Mohammed affirmed the NT’s inspiration, preservation and authority.
The differences in the Koranic story of Mary are enough discredit the Koran … since the Koran affirms the NT, but is DIFFERENT from the Koran, therefore the Koran is false and therefore a false revelation to a false prophet. There is no other possible conclusions. The Koranic dilemmas is that the Koran affirms the NT.
infidel says
In tweets posted in Arabic from his verified handle @Dhahi_ Khalfan, Dubai’s head of general security Dhahi Khalfan said, “Pakistanis pose a serious threat to the Gulf societies because they bring drugs to (our) countries.” He also posted a picture of three alleged Pakistani smugglers standing before a drug haul. Khalfan tweeted to his 2.66 million followers that it was a “national necessity” to “stop the recruitment of Pakistani labour.”
In the same series of tweets, he went on to ask, “Why are Indians disciplined while sedition, criminality and smuggling in the Pakistani community are rampant?” Khalfan also suggested Pakistanis should be subjected to increased inspection, similar to what Bangladeshis face “because of the criminal tendencies.” “We became strict with the Bengalis because of the criminal tendencies they have shown. Pakistanis must be placed under an increased level of inspection,” he posted. Bangladeshis are loosely referred to as Bengalis in some countries. To translate Khalfan’s tweets, TOI referred to the English translations as reported in uaeviral.com.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pakistanis-a-threat-to-gulf-says-dubais-security-boss/articleshow/63618981.cms
Keys says
The Christian Annunciation is blasphemy to a muslim, because …
The Christian Trinity appears in Matthew’s and Luke’s account of the Annunciation. God the Father (1) through his angel tells Mary she will conceive through the power of the Holy Spirit (2) coming upon her and give birth to the Son of God (3), who she is to call Jesus (the Incarnation).
We all know the Mohammadan penalty for blasphemy.
Let’s celebrate our differences and blasphemy !
MFritz says
“The driving force behind this was the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM)”
The most important sentence. The other side is neither interested in this, nor does it have any compromise to offer.
dumbledoresarmy says
Offtopic, BUT: I bring some news from Australia. An opportunity for my fellow Aussie jihadwatchers to actually DO something not in cyberspace but in the street, in public.
Because of recent events on the border between Israel and Jihad-Armed-Camp-Gaza, the usual suspects, i.e. Muslims and their proto-dhimmi water-carriers and Useful Idiots – are getting ready to hold a Let’s-Hate-Israel rally in Melbourne (Melbourne which is home to the single largest Jewish community in Australia; there are more Jews in Melbourne than in any other city or region in Australia) this weekend, 7th April.
However: a feisty Israeli-Aussie named Avi Yemini and some of his friends in the Australian Liberty Alliance and in Q Society are organising a *counter* rally.
“Members of Q Society and ALA together with friends from the Australian Jewish community are organising an impromptu ‘Israeli Embassy’ on Swanston Street opposite to the State Library to offer Melbournians the facts about the situation around Gaza and the recent terror attacks.”
Timing: from 2 till 3.30 pm.
All details – both of the Enemy’s event, and of the proposed riposte – are conveniently summarised here:
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm?blog_id=67281
Thursday, 5 April 2018
Melbourne: Australia, April 7th: A Call to Stand Up Against Muslim Jew-Haters And Their Dhimmi Fellow-Travellers
One may also consult Avi Yemini’s Facebook page (just search his name, and it should come up).
I strongly encourage any Aussie jihadwatchers here reading this, to go along, if you possibly can, to the counter-rally on 7th April at 2 pm (ideally, aim to turn up in small groups – threes and fours and fives – from about 1 pm onward, oh-so-casually). Wouldn’t it be terrific if the pro-Israel – and therefore, counter-jihad – gathering were BIGGER, visibly bigger, and also much better behaved, than the anti-Israel Muslim-and-associated-Jewhaters and freedom-haters loudmouth mob?
It’s a long, long way to Melbourne from other parts of Australia; but if you do happen to live in or near Melbourne, or can *afford* to travel from other locations – notably Canberra and Sydney – do please make the effort. The bigger and more visible the Resistance, the better.
gravenimage says
I hope lots of decent Aussies turn out to counter this claptrap.
DDA, please let us know how it goes!
Carol (the 1st) says
Can that be serious? They’re actually openly calling it a Let’s HATE Israel rally! Doesn’t Australia have hate speech laws?
dumbledoresarmy says
Carol – sorry – I should have made things clearer. I’m not sure what the Muslims-and-associated-Jewhaters are calling their rally – probably something about Gaza and the poooooor ‘palestinians’ (sic). The term “Let’s Hate Israel rally’ is *my* label for that event… because that’s what these ‘rallies for ‘Palestine” tend to be.
R Russell says
This is the last place I expected to find Chrislam. – the Middle East.
Father forgive them, they no not what they do.
Les says
I’m praying that the Triune God will allow Mary the Mother of God to convert the barbaric Muslims just like Our Lady of Guadalupe converted the barbarians now known as Mexicans
Salome says
I just want to know what Catholic’s brainwave it was to celebrate the Annunciation during Holy Week. It gets transferred, folks, to the first available day after the Easter Octave (or perhaps in the Easter Octave, knowing the things that have happened to the Calendar in recent years).
john says
What aload of crap, non of it makes sense to me. I never read the bible or the quran. I dont need to tho to know that its all crap and muslims are still the idiots and mental nutjobs i see and hear all the time. I used to like fairy tales when i was young but i grew out of it. Some people just want to carry on believing, mixed in with a bit of OCD there places for people like that.
Keys says
Beware, when
Into the mirror you stare
Seeing god
Standing there.
Seeing the universe
“There’s no god”,
You curse.
I’m sure there’s only this earth
And death after birth.
You see, Nothing, else possible, after me.
Carol (the 1st) says
John…Hey! You ever look around at the universe at night? It’s a scary place! I want my talisman.
FYI says
Awkward facts for muslims,christians and interfaith dhimmis..
1)The islamic Gabriel,called jibreel ,is defined as follows..
“The angel Gabriel is the enemy of the Jews”
sahih al bukhari vol 4 book 60 no 3329
I am certain that the likes of Fr Bader don’t know this.
Yes,allah’s jibreel is anti-Semitic:such an “angel” of course cannot belong to the God Of Moses given God’s strong connexion with the Jews(as pointed out by Jesus Christ in John 4 v 22 “It is from the Jews that salvation comes”.So what sense then would it make for islam’s jibreel to be the enemy of the Jews?Absolutely NONE!)
And given allah’s hatred of the Jews {k2 v 65} and jibreel’s anti-Semitic nature isn’t it most unlikely that
in relation to encountering Mary(..Jewish…)jibreel is the same as the ACTUAL Angel Gabriel(who,being the property of the God of Moses is hardly likely to be an enemy of the Jews)
2)In Luke 1 v 46-56 we have Mary’s Song of Praise.
Where does this leave allah’s warning to anyone caught listening to …{the JEWISH woman MARY,mother of Christ} since Her prayer is clearly the Song of a Songstress?
“on the day of resurrection,
allah will pour molten lead into the ears..
of whoever sits listening to the song of a songstress”
{reliance of the Traveller umdat al salik r40.1}
Clearly the ACTUAL God would find such a song pleasing.
But would allah not be angry at anyone caught listening to a woman singing a song,especially a JEWISH woman, as it clearly indicates in umdat al salik r.40?Would they have to have molten lead pored into their ears?
Surely a JEWISH woman singing the “song of a songstress” would enrage allah.
God,on the other hand would be ok with it:but then as the likes of Fr Bader and fraudulent francis,his heretical apostate “pope” don’t understand..
the islamic koranic allah is NOT the Judeo-Christian Biblical God
islam’s anti-Semitic jibreel is NOT the Biblical Angel Gabriel
islam’s isa is NOT Jesus Christ of Nazareth and the NT
That the Biblical Angel Gabriel is converted into jibreel “the enemy of the Jews”,shows you how islam has warped everything to the point that even God becames a counterfeit caricature “allah”, a god who
{again Fr Bader won’t likely know..} curses the Jews and the christians k9:30
WPM says
Islam counterfeits everything then proclaims it superior ,it is like a knock off watch it looks good on the outside ,but its crap under the surface always breaks and never tells the right time, truth like the right time of day is a unknown to Islam the cheap knock off religion of the world. There is always plenty of suckers in the world ready to buy into a knock off .What do the so call “great ” Jewish and Christian leaders today buy into these knock offs of there religion so easily ?Is there faith so shallow their can not see that this false god allah is by his holly books commanding his followers to wipe out both Christians and Jews??Why do they want to lead their flocks into a lions den? There real job is to up hold their faith ,not bend and twist it to advance a religion that mocks their own ,has no respect for Christian or Jewish faith ,that by it scriptures commands all to convert to Islam or die.
Tjhawk says
Love the knock off watch analogy. Good one.
gravenimage says
I *wish* Islam was no more harmful than a cheap knock-off watch–it is much more malignant.
WPM says
The analogy is Islam is fake false like a cheap watch it mocks truth ,it cannot even tell the right time of day. I never said denied truth was a good harmless thing ,or no knowing the time of day was not dangerous .If leaders of both Christian and Jewish flocks let in the wolves of Islam they are not doing their jobs of protecting their flocks.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
Annunciation in the Bible and that of the are virtually thé same that jesus was conceived miraclously without Union between man and woman except that mithraist christians assumé such miracle as proof of his divinity, which is blasphemous.
gravenimage says
In other words, Christianity and Islam are just about the same, except that Muslims will murder Christians over their differences…
John Stefan Obeda says
Jesus is God not because the Word became a human being; He is God because the Word always was God.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
John Stefan ,It is a lie inspired by the Satan you Call holy spirit holy inserted in John. “word “means word of command “Be”and jesus became. Fools !!
Kepha says
“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.” (Luke 1:30-32). Matthew reminds us, “…and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:21–Iesous/Jesus being the Greek form of the Hebrew Yeshua/Joshua, which means “God saves”).
While I think this sort of “interfaith” exercise is contrary to Scripture and thus very ill-advised, I hope it may bring Muslims to consider the claims of the real Jesus of the Old and New Testaments.
As I look as al-Imran and other parts of the Islamic tradition, I miss the salvific note. The story seems to owe more to the Protevangelion and Infancy Gospels (late, and no part of Scripture) than to the Gospels of Luke and Matthew.` Muhammad’s understanding of Christian Scripture seems to be a mix of midrash (such as taking over the story of Abraham breaking Terah’s idols from the Jewish Midrash Rabbah), post-biblical popular devotion of both Christians and Jews, apocryphal material, and a few bits and pieces of actual Scipture. As an example of the latter, I think that the Islamic account of the return of Jesus is a corruption of Paul’s teaching in the Thessalonian Epistles. The adoration of Mary and Muhammad’s very mistaken belief that the Christian Trinity consists of God, Jesus, and Mary probably came from observation of popular Christian devotions rather than actual understanding of Christian Scripture and theology. I remain very much intrigued about where Muhammad got the idea that Jews see Ezra as “Son of God” in the way Christians see “Jesus”. I note that there is considerable lore about Ezra in post-biblical Judaism (including the apocryphal books of I and II Esdras, preserved by Christians and in the Mishna), but I find only the Qur’an testifying to a Jewish divinization of Ezra.
Perhaps a comparison of Muhammad with the western New York boy Joseph Smith will reveal that while they came up with oddly similar religions, Joseph Smith actually seems to have read the Bible, at least enough for him to produce a quaint imitation of the King James Version.