Pope
Benedict XVI
"sincerely regrets" offending Muslims with his reference to an obscure
medieval text that characterizes some of the teachings of Islam's founder as
"evil and inhuman,"
the Vatican
said Saturday.
But the statement stopped short of the
apology demanded by Islamic leaders around the globe, and anger among
Muslims remained intense.
In a broader talk rejecting ay religious
motivation for violence, Pope Benedict cited the words of a Byzantine
emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as
"evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the
faith."
The actual quote
"The emperor comes to speak about
the issue of jihad, holy war," the Pope said. "He said, I quote, 'Show me
just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only
evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he
preached." (Benedict quoted from a book recounting
a conversation between 14th century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel
Paleologos II and an educated Persian on the truths of Christianity and
Islam.)
The Pontiff didn't endorse that
description, but he didn't question it, and his words set off a firestorm of
protests across the Muslim world.
The new Vatican secretary of state,
Cardinal Tarcisio
Bertone, said the Pope's position on
Islam is unmistakably in line with Vatican teaching that says the church
"esteems" Muslims.
Some Islamic responses
In West Bank attacks on four churches,
Palestinians used guns, firebombs and lighter fluid, leaving church doors
charred and walls scorched by flames and pocked with bullet holes. Nobody
was reported injured. Two Catholic churches, an Anglican one and a Greek
Orthodox one were hit. A Greek Orthodox Church was also attacked in Gaza
City.
A group calling itself "Lions
of Monotheism" told The Associated
Press by phone that the attacks were a protest of the pope's remarks on
Islam.
The grand sheik of Cairo's Al-Azhar
Mosque, the
Sunni Arab
world's most powerful institution, condemned the pope's remarks as
"reflecting ignorance."
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi, whose Southeast Asian nation has a large Muslim population, demanded
that Benedict retract his remarks and not "take lightly the spread of
outrage that has been created." (Associated Press, September 16th,
2006)
What Do You Think?
What is your response to what the
Pope said? Before you decide, here are some facts about Mohammed and
Islam. I took these facts from a series of articles I did on Islam a few
years ago. If you are interested in reading those articles then look them
up on my web site,
www.tmoments.com.
Look for them in the cult category section.
Mohammed’s biography
At age 40, Mohammad left his camel
business for the spiritual realm, proclaiming heavenly revelations (Koran)
from Allah, a revived moon god. In addition to his efforts to build a new
religion through these revelations, Mohammad also employed militarily means
(Holy War, Jihad) to force his beliefs on others. He was rather ruthless
at times, not unlike the terrorists we have seen in this century. For
example, after defeating a Jewish settlement, he beheaded 700-1,000 of the
surviving men, and sold the remaining women and children into slavery.
Mohammad’s character also lacked great integrity. His greed was manifested
in the large amount of accumulated loot he amassed through numerous raids on
innocent towns and caravans over the years. He was noted for a quick
temper and often killed debating opponents. Mohammad lacked a great deal
as a family man, he boastfully established a harem of 16 wives, two slaves
and four mistresses. One of his wives was only 8 years old when he took her
to bed. Of course he rationalized these actions by claiming Allah’s
leading and approval. He often stated, “It was the revelation and will of
Allah to do so.” (Page 387, Gate Breakers
Fleming)
Basic tenets of Islam
Here are some of the basic tenets of Islam,
the religion that Mohammad created.
·
The Koran is the holy book of Islam; it is the
Muslim bible.
·
Allah is the
god of Islam; prior to Muhammad, he was a moon-god deity.
·
Islam means submission to Allah.
·
Muslims do not believe Jesus died on the cross.
·
Muslims do not believe Jesus paid the penalty
for man’s sins on the cross as the Bible teaches.
·
Islam teaches a different resurrection of
Christ, He is only a part of the general resurrection on the last day.
·
Jesus is nothing more than a prophet; He is
only one of many prophets who tried to persuade people about the truth of
Allah.
·
Jesus is not the Savior of men, nor the Son of
God.
·
The Islam religion is filled with rules,
regulations, and rote habits. It is a religion based on righteousness by
works.
Major doctrines of Islam
Angels
The chief angel is Gabriel, who is said to
have appeared to Muhammad.
Holy Books
There are five holy books mentioned in the
Koran: 1) The scrolls of Abraham (now lost), 2) The Tawrat (the Torah) given
to the prophet Moses, 3) The Zabur (the Psalms) given to the prophet David,
4) The Injil (the Gospel) given to the prophet Jesus, and 5) The Quran
revealed to the prophet Muhammad.
The Prophets
Muhammad is the greatest of 28 prophets to
which the Qumran refers.
The end times
·
Muslims do believe in a Holy War (The Jihad),
it is the 6th pillar of their faith. Most Islamic believers
though do not follow the example of Mohammad in this regard.
·
Many Islamic based countries do not allow the
presence of Christianity to be taught in their countries. Although they
regard Jesus as a prophet, they believe His followers are infidels, who will
contaminate their beliefs. (Gate Breakers
378-397)
Islam’s differences with Christianity
God
·
According to Muslims, god is Allah, a force,
not a god who desires a personal relationship.
·
According to Christianity, Allah is a false
god. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is God, there are no
others. The God of the Bible desires a personal relationship with His
created.
Sin
·
According to Muslims, sin is a choice.
·
According to Christianity, all men are born
with sin.
The Koran
·
According to Muslims, the Koran is the
inerrant, syllable-by-syllable, dictated word of Allah.
·
According to Muhammad, much of the New
Testament’s account of Jesus has been corrupted.
·
According to Christians the Bible is the only
inspired, inerrant Word of God. The Koran is a false gospel born out of
hell.
Jesus
·
According to Muslims, Jesus Christ was not
crucified, as Christianity claims. It was Judas who died on the cross, not
Christ. Christ was neither Savior nor the Son of God as Christians claim,
but only one of the prophets who tried to persuade people of the truth about
Allah (the revived old moon god).
·
According to Christians Jesus Christ was the
Son of God who died for all men’s sins.
Salvation
·
According to Islam salvation is based on
self-earned works. A Muslim must work his way toward God through good
deeds. Here are some of the good deeds a Muslim must accomplish to get
to heaven.
-A
Muslim must publicly repeat the Shahadah, which means, “There is no god
but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s apostle.”
-Muslims
must pray five times a day. They are to kneel and bow in the direction of
Mecca.
-Muslims
must give 2.5% of their income to the poor.
-All
Muslims must fast during Ramadan: the highest holy season (The Muslims
9th month). The fasting must be done during the daylight hours.
-Muslims
are expected to go to Mecca at least once in their lifetime and pay homage
to Allah at the temple.
-Muslims
believe in holy wars called Jihads. A majority of Muslims believe this
refers to the Holy War that goes on in one’s own heart. But a growing
number of other Muslims are reverting back to the way Mohammad interpreted
it, to coerce by force those who resist Islam. And if this means taking
their lives then so be it.
Final Thoughts
According to Christianity, salvation is not
based on any system of works or deeds, but only on God’s grace. There is no
salvation outside of believing in Jesus Christ. He is the only way to
salvation. All other ways are false, and are nothing more than a ploy by
the evil one. There is nothing a Christian can do to earn His salvation;
there is not a works system leading to salvation. All that God asks us to
do in receiving His free gift of salvation is to turn away from our sins
(repentance), and accept Jesus as lord and Savior (belief).
John 14: 6 Jesus said to
him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father
but through Me.
Romans 8:9 However, you
are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells
in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong
to Him.
Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For
by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Mark 1: 15 “The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the
gospel.”
John 11 25-26 25 Jesus
said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live
even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never
die. Do you believe this?”
Romans 10: 9 that if you
confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
So, was the Pope right or wrong?
How would advise him now?
Let me know!
