Is Islam a religion of peace? My answer would be much more nuanced than this author's, but I do think that his view point is instructive. It reflects a traditional, unabashed, and forthright assertion of Christ's claims about himself. It is true that modern Biblical scholarship would tend to deconstruct Christ's assertions in a number of ways, but I think that the view presented here is on the ascent.
Another verse that reflects this sort of unvarnished Kingdom-centered thought is in 1 John 5: "We know that are from God, and that the whole world is in the hand of the evil one." I think as Christians are backed more and more into a corner, this will increase. On the other hand, I would treat Buddhism (which is pre-Christian) and Islam (based on a denial of a number of Christian doctrines) very differently.
A short and easy read:
'I get asked this question a lot. This question abounds in Christian circles. While it is a sincere question, I think that it is just based on the fallacy that there is such a thing as a religion of peace outside of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus….
'When asked this question, I always give the same answer: “Nothing outside of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus, is of peace. So is Islam a religion of peace? No! Is Buddhism a religion of peace? No! Is Sikhism a religion of peace? No! Is secular humanism, which abounds in America, a faith system of peace? No! Islam pulls people away from Jesus. Jesus said it Himself, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). Jesus is the author and bringer of peace: John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” Followers of Jesus are the only ones that live in the Kingdom of Light… everyone else, including Muslims, live in the Kingdom of Darkness, where the Devil is the leader. Jesus Himself called the Jews children of the Devil, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” (John 8:44-45). It’s that clear. “In Christ” there is peace. Not “in Christ” there is no peace. Is Islam a religion of peace? Better question: Do followers of Islam “have the Life” (1 John 5:12)?'
From Shawblog
4 comments:
"Shawblog" is not quoting precisely the GOSPEL of St. John. :)
Hi Abu Daoud, :)
peace be upon you
and welcome as a child of THE LIVING GOD. :)
JESUS was speaking to the ones who were trying to kill him.
Never all of the Jews were children of the devil. The Jews are GOD's chosen people. And a true Christian love them too. :)
I hope this was not the intention of "Shawblog".
Instead, it is accurate,
that only with the true peace of JESUS CHRIST there will be peace on earth. Without JESUS it is impossible, absolutely.
Buddhism also claims to be peaceful, but not in the Christian kind. Buddhism is more selfish and passive. Furthermore, Buddhism is adoring demons and discriminating women. It is far more difficult to be a female monk (i.e. Thailand), much more rules to fulfill, et cetera.
If one makes a little bit research, one will find out that nominal Buddhists have attacked Christians in the past.
The calm Buddhists are often searching, the meditations, one can found still better in JESUS. :)
This peace Buddhists never will find. I did meditate in the past with Buddhists, more than a few times. And these people were not able to communicate in a warm manner with others. They searched calm, to control there thoughts, but it help them not to solve their problems, just postponing them.
By the way, the Dalai Lama appears in Western Europe as a prince of peace, but he is a boldfaced liar and misleading many people. He smiles but he is totally ignorant. One thing he says all the time: There is more than one truth and such things. Many Europeans apparently like to hear these false things. Post-modernism also claims, there are more than one truth.
That is not true.
Science do not confirm such things.
There is only one abolute truth.
Otherwise, common sense would suffer real damage. And this one can see above all in our youth. Most universities are ill and corrupt, specially the social sciences. Horrible.
Interesting is also what the Dalai Lama conceal to the listeners and so on. ;)
Buddhism is absolutely irreconcilable and incompatible with JESUS CHRIST. :)
My initial purpose is to welcome you, dear Abu Daoud, you have found the invincible truth, a rock. :)
Everybody on earth and the universe will have to accept it. Love, true love, will beat the devil.
There shall be no doubt.
Never leave JESUS, dear Abu. :)
Our GOD is the only ONE, WHO challenges our soul,
our heart and (!)
our common sense.
There is no other faith, religion, which can compete with THE LIVING GOD. Human beings have invented more than 1000 different religions, and our believe is no invention, it came and comes from HEAVEN. :)
No human being is able to devise and fabricate such a story. And, because of the fact, that so few people read actually the BIBLE, they knew nothing, almost nothing, about it. And most people do not check it, if the BIBLE say the truth or not.
It makes a big difference in believing in THE LIVING GOD or in human beings, foreigners, which most people only see one or two times in their lives, but never would trust their personal wealth in money to them.
Most people are afraid to confirm that they often say things without knowing them really, or that they never checked it, verified it.
In my whole life I met few persons who did have courage in saying: "It can be wrong what I am telling you ... "
Most people speak every day as if they were Einsteins, and they are not. But, they believe every foreigner, and the refuse to believe in THE LIVING GOD. :)
How sad.
The BIBLE is the most profound and most interesting book humanity have. You can read it your whole life, it challenges always your attention.
It is absolutely impossible, that a human or humans invented the storys. There are so many reasons to believe in GOD.
It depends only of your volition, your goodwill. :)
GOD bless you Abu Daoud and your lovely ones.
*** Gratia Gratiam Parit ***
Hello Ginger,
Thank you for your comment, and I was glad to hear about your experience with Buddhism. I will confess to you that I am not an expert on Buddhism, but I am acquainted with the teachings of Buddha, which I find to be illuminated with grace. I say this knowing that he was living before the Messiah came and he did not have any access to even the Torah.
In other words, I suspect that if he had heard the Gospel he would have acccepted it and become a follower of Jesus.
That was my purpose. I am not interested in defending the many different forms of Buddhism as they exist today throughout the world. I believe that Gautama's message about evil arising from desire is like a prelude to the Cross, wherein Christ renounces all desires and thus becomes the source of salvation to all who will receive it as a gracious gift from God.
I also agree with you on the Bible. I have read it several times and read from it almost every day. There is something beautiful and simple about so many of the stories and songs, they supply theologians with ample material for endless study, yet the commands of God are simple and give life to the soul.
Please see my article on why Muslims are attracted to Cristianity--I touch on this topic there.
Peace be with you my dear sister. May our God and Father keep you in eternal life, bought for you by Christ on the Cross, and fill you with the Spirit that binds us together, sanctifying and purifying us as one holy Bride for his Son.
Abu:
VERY interesting perspective... that Buddha would have accepted Jesus - I never thought of that so thanks for the idea. You may be right about that.
Maybe a subissue, but the illusory view of the world that Buddhism teaches (totally unliveable by the way) and the idea that detachment from material and relatioships brings peace is foreign to Christ - so there are stark differences, but I still think you might be right... Buddha would have bowed at the feet of The Lord.
C
It may seem like a peripheral issue, but when I tell people here I am a Christian, they often ask...well, but if you weren't a Christian, what would you be?
Sometimes I say a Buddhist. After Christianity it is by far the most attractive religion to me. I think the kernel of Buddhist thought was indeed intended to be temporary, that is, until the fullness of truth had come.
Like in the parable of the elephant...it is often used to support relativism, but actually it supports the idea that they (the blind) were seeing partially, but that the king was seeing everything--he was seeing things as they really were.
Thus Budddhism, including the eight-fold path, which I think is useful and wise, was meant to be a temporary "holding patttern" until the truth came.
The early Christians (I am thinking of St. Justin Martyr specifically) said that the Creation had been made through the Word, thus traces of the Word were everywhere throughout Creation.
This is the sort of partial, temporary wisdom which I think illuminated the Buddha. But, as Ginger rightly pointed out, the hints of light and divine wisdom in his message have been largely extinguished through the accretion of later additions. The idea that the self is ultiamte illusory I think is the fundamental weakness of Buddhism, and falls short of the gracious doctrine that every individual has the potential to be completed to God, rather than the subliminated or "snuffed out" (Nirvana).
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