God is One. Humanity is One

Christianity and Islam: Where Do They Meet and Where Do They Part Ways?

Dr. H. A. Morrsi

• Editorial: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Año: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781662429033
• Categoría: Teologia e religione
• Categoría: Teologia islamica

Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad are the primary windows through which the children of Abraham see God, learn, and reflect. This is the theme of this book, with emphasis on Islam and Christianity, the world's two largest religions who claim more than half of the world population as followers.

This book highlights the articles of faith and practices in both religions. It also explores points of agreement and disagreement on the concept of God, the nature of Jesus and Muhammad, as well as, the concept of salvation.

With more than four billion people calling themselves Christians and Muslims today, the readers are encouraged to explore and contribute on how to reach better understanding and dialogue between these two great religions which, in the author's opinion, is needed for world peace.

A Humble Invitation

Any fair-minded individual who reads this study will see that Jesus never taught Trinity, original sin, or blood atonement. The disciples and early followers of Jesus never prayed to him, never considered him to be divine, and never thought that he came to pay with his life for anyone’s sins (Acts 2:22).

When the early followers of Jesus called him the “Son of God,” nobody meant that he is divine. They were devout Jews and the term was commonly used for all those who were humble servants of God.

Paul, a man who never met Jesus, never learned first-hand from him, and was not one of his twelve disciples, claimed that Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Paul (originally, Saul of Tarsus), a Roman Jew, was the first to claim the divine son-ship of Jesus and without the shedding of (human-divine) blood, there is no remission of sin (Hebrew 9:22). Neither claim was ever taught by Jesus. After Paul and more than three hundred years later, the two Councils of Nicaea adopted the Trinity, a theological doctrine based on the Athanasian (Bishop of Alexandria) Creed. Thus, Christianity as we know it today, were born in Europe, not based on the teaching of Jesus, but on the teachings of Paul and the three Catholic Creeds: Nicene, Apostles’, and Athanasian, formulated by the Roman Catholic Councils.

The Creeds emphasized the incarnation of God in human form, that Jesus is the “Begotten Son of God” who came to die on the cross for our sins. The title of Mary as the “mother of God” was also enshrined in the Catholic life by council doctrines.

The name of Jesus, the humble prophet of God, born in Bethlehem of Galilee, Prophet to the lost sheep in the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24) and sent by God to confirm the Law (of Moses) and the Israelite Prophets before him (Matthew 5:17), was hijacked, used and abused by Paul and the Holy Roman Catholic Church, the Holy Roman Emperors, and the Holy Roman Catholic Councils to establish a new “religion” in Rome, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire.

Since this new religion was not based on divine mandate, it relied heavily on the councils to issue theological concepts that no one can logically understand or can trace its roots in previous revelations. The church called them “mysteries” and told the “flock” to cancel their logic and accept whatever they were told with “blind faith.” The church also forbade the believers from owning a copy of the Bible and told them that only the priest can interpret the faith for them. An army of hierarchy was instituted to tighten the grip on the “flock” by claiming: There is no salvation outside the Holy Roman Catholic Church!

The newly formed Catholic Church prosecuted anyone who dared to challenge its authority, collaborated with the rich and influential royalty, and even dared to claim that its archbishop is infallible and its priests can grant forgiveness from sin. As a matter of fact, at one point, the Catholic Church was selling indulgences for “parcels of property in paradise.” And all were done in the name of Jesus.

Now, and after two thousand years, a budding movement of intelligent Christian scholars and independent thinkers are beginning to realize the discrepancy between what Jesus taught and what the church claimed. The discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library (hidden treasure of manuscripts including the Gospel of Thomas that dates to only two hundred years after Jesus was discovered when a wall collapsed in an old monastery in upper Egypt), has shed new fascinating lights on the true Jesus and his ministry.

My own prediction is that one day soon, the “Injeel of Jesus,” meaning the revelation given by God Almighty to Jesus, will be unearthed and Christians will learn much more true details about this great Prophet and Messiah.

Interestingly, everything that has been unearthed about Jesus’ nature and message is more compatible with Islam than with Christianity. When I brought such observation to the attention of a notable scholar, his answer was: “We, Christians, must discover things for ourselves to be able to accept it and then begin our journey back to Jesus and the God of Jesus. This journey, i...