Hi Bushmaster,
One thing I have learned through posting here and through the many debates I have been through is to always have respect for other people's faiths and never attack. If I did that in the past I am Sorry.
[16] Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.
Now let's go through some Quranic verses:
[2] Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam)."
Yes Bushmaster, we believe in what was revealed. We believe that All prophets starting from Adam to Muhammad who preached the same message. Which is to BELIEVE in the one God and to acknowledge his judgment and rulings on earth.
One thing you need to know about the Quran though. You can not pick one verse and make a whole conclusion out of it. I could do the same thing from the bible. In order to understand, you have to gather all the verses concerning some topic and see how they all fit together. This way you are being fair to what you are reading and also fair to yourself.
Now this continues:
[2] So if they believe as ye believe, they are indeed on the right path; but if they turn back, it is they who are in schism; but Allah will suffice thee as against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
Now reading more Quranic verses will make the picture clearer:
[3] There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, "That is from Allah," but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!
[4] Of the Jews there are those who displace words from their (right) places, and say: "We hear and we disobey"; and "Hear what is not Heard"; and "Ra'ina"; with a twist of their tongues and a slander to Faith. If only they had said: "What hear and we obey"; and "Do hear"; and "Do look at us"; it would have been better for them, and more proper; but Allah hath cursed them for their Unbelief; and but few of them will believe.
"Thus says YAHWEH of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them, ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day; yet they did not listen to me, or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of YAHWEH their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips. Cut off your hair and cast it away; raise a lamentation on the bare heights, for YAHWEH has rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.’ For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, says YAHWEH; they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it. And they have built the high place of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says YAHWEH, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter: for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth; and none will frighten them away. And I will make to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall become a waste. At that time, says YAHWEH, the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its princes, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be brought out of their tombs; and they shall be spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which they have gone after, and which they have sought and worshiped; and they shall not be gathered or buried; they shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. Death shall be preferred to life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family in all the places where I have driven them, says YAHWEH of hosts. You shall say to them, Thus says YAHWEH: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return. I have given heed and listened, but they have not spoken aright; no man repents of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Every one turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. Even the stork in the heavens knows her times; and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming; but my people know not the ordinance of YAHWEH. "How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of YAHWEH is with us’? But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. The wise men shall be put to shame, they shall be dismayed and taken; lo, they have rejected the word of YAHWEH, and what wisdom is in them?" (Jeremiah 7:21)
Interestingly we see this:
"This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the offerings made by fire to YAHWEH, consecrated to them on the day they were presented to serve as priests of the LORD; YAHWEH commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, on the day that they were anointed; It is their due forever throughout their generations. This is the law of the burnt offering, of the cereal offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the consecration, and of the peace offerings, which YAHWEH commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to YAHWEH, in the wilderness of Sinai." (Leviticus 7:35)
also you can read:
[5] O followers of the Book! indeed Our Messenger has come to you making clear to you much of what you concealed of the Book and passing over much; indeed, there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah;
[4] O ye People of the Book! believe in what We have (now) revealed, confirming what was (already) with you, before We change the face and fame of some (of you) beyond all recognition, and turn them hindwards, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers, for the decision of Allah Must be carried out.
and that includes the pure message of Islam.
But what is the Gospel of Jesus according to the Quran?
[61] And when Isa son of Marium said: O children of Israel! Surely I am the messenger of Allah to you, verifying that which is before me of the Taurat and giving the good news of an Messenger who will come after me, his name being Ahmad, but when he came to them with clear arguments they said: This is clear magic
That is the Gospel revealed to Jesus(pbuh) according to the Quran.
What is the Quran say about all those Christians sects and Christians in general?
[43] But sects from among themselves fell into disagreement: then woe to the wrong-doers, from the Penalty of a Grievous Day!
Also,
[4] O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not "Trinity" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah: Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs.
Now, do you understand what the word "BELIEVE" mean in the Quran?
If you believe in God as described in the Quran then you are a submitter to God (A Muslim). If you believe in Jesus as God then you do not believe of course. "BELIEVE" in the Quran means to believe the proper way as described in the Quran (that is concerning believing in God himself)
But what does it mean when we say we believe in past revelations?
We believe it was revealed to all prophets and that all prophets came with the same message.We believe it WAS revealed, and we believe in all prophets, but what is the final authority that confirms and verify? It is the Quran. The Quran says people distorted it, especially in the OT. The Quran refer to those who wrote about Jesus (which is the gospels you have today) as "they follow nothing but conjuncture" .
We believe it was revealed but is it still pure?
God says in the Quran:
[5] They do blaspheme who say: "Allah is Christ the son of Mary." But said Christ: "O Children of Israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with Allah,- Allah will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help.
I am not here to argue about the verses anyway, just trying to make the picture clearer for you to understand.
Yes the Quran say good things about priests and such, but it is always preceded by the word "BELIEVE" and I explained what it means in the Quran and how it is understood. SO if those Christians believed just like we Muslims believe then they are saved, if they see Jesus(pbuh) as God then they don't believe.
Now you may ask why God changed things.
Well, you can read the bible and see many examples of abrogation. God abrogate whatever he wants and how sees fit. We are in no position to argue with why God did this and that. It is God's will that determines what stays and what not.
[5] O followers of the Book! indeed Our Messenger has come to you making clear to you much of what you concealed of the Book and passing over much; indeed, there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah;
Now, you may ask about the Gospels today. Many people wrote about Jesus after his departure. Until 300AD the gospel as we almost see today is what you have in hand. Don't forget that they included what they considered to be true. I may disagree and you may agree, it is always up to the person to decide. You may ask, why did God allow Christianity to distort like that? I would say he did not. Look at all the other false religions such as HINDUS? Did God allow it or did these people made it?
Didn't God give us the free will? Yes.
If you have specific questions, I would rather answer you from verses you quote and don't understand. After all, it is essential to read all the verses concerning one topic and not only pick on one verse.'
Peace