Greetings Casey,
Thanks for sharing your comments…
You are attempting to read the Qur'an like it was the Bible - thus you're not reading the Qur'an correctly...
The authors of the Koran made it abundantly clear that they used the Holy Bible as their source material.
Hence, it is absolutely prudent to compare the Koran to its source material…
Deceptively simple…
It is not a narrative of Jesus' birth or life, the Gospels relate that information to us - rather the Qur'an CONFIRMS the good news of the Gospels.
Please tell me exactly what the “good news” is….
In the verses above, Jesus' mention is followed by a statement from God explaining one of Jesus' tasks as a teacher.
Are you ready to admit that you made an improper comparison of sura 21 to Luke 12….?
If the Qur'an truly confirms the Gospels as the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) said that it did, then you can ease up on the critical nature of comparison and search for those connections obviously placed there by Inspiration.
Where does it say that he said that….?
After all, the story of Jesus' birth is in the Gospels of the Bible.
And…a version is also mentioned in the Koran….question is…which one do you adhere to since they differ from one another….
The divisiveness purposely introduced into Judeo-Christianity by Jesus' teachings is one of those undeniable connections: For the Prophet to have understood the goal of these teachings by himself would be extremely extraordinary, since God's intention of fragmenting Judeo-Christian religions using the preaching and self-exaltation that men enjoy so much had not manifested itself fully in the Prophet's day.
First of all, Muhammad never penned the Koranic text as we know it today.
Secondly, the authors who did pen the text clearly stated that they copied the Biblical scriptures….
Hence…it should come as no surprise to you that the Koran proclaims Jesus’ divinity.
Thus the acknowledgment in the Qur'an of the divisions and disagreements that Christians were to devolve into based on Jesus' teachings must indeed have been inspired by God, to Whom all will return anyway.
Please cite the ayahs showing your position…
According to the Christian Encyclopedia there are currently over 34,000 schisms within the Body of Christ, ie. His admitted followers.
How many are in Islam?
There are at least three separate references in the Qur'an to this intention of God's to break the power of the "righteous" of Judeo-Christian religions or denominations, who, like the Pharisees, once they group together after a time always become self-righteous and begin oppressing the poor and casting others out - consigning them to hell or whatever.
Understanding this intention in the Qur'an where it is stated clearly helps to understand the same in the Bible when Jesus speaks of bringing a sword rather than peace, and especially in the prophetic books where this intention is clearly laid out in metaphor.
Then please cite them…
We followers of Christ have been given much through teachings that basically allow us to rely completely on God's Mercy while seeking God.
Jesus forgave us blasphemy against Himself and the Father, forbidding only blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
We know God's Mercy saves us if we believe in Jesus Christ, thus our doctrinal disputes are completely unnecessary and fabricated by men who would lead us into their paths rather than the path of Jesus - who is the only WAY through which Knowledge of God is gained.
All other men are hirelings, thieves, or wolves, according to Jesus.
That should be obvious to us today as we have followed man after man and our world situation as Christians has not improved one iota - it's deteriorated, in fact.
If Jesus set us free, let's take Him up on that. Let's find out what other flocks Jesus has that will be under One Shepherd when He returns, because those flocks will hear His voice too.
You forgot to mention that Jesus is God Almighty…
If you read the Qur'an with the intention of searching out the righteousness taugh within it, you can't help but come to the conclusion that Islam will hear His voice when He comes.
All followers of Islam will suffer the second death because they deny that Jesus is God in the flesh, as stated in their own Koran…
More than anything else the Qur'an stresses compassion towards the poor, widows, destitute, orphans, and strangers among God's people. It stresses Mercy and Allah as Most Merciful of all, Oft-Forgiving.
Wrong.
The authors that spliced together the Koran (as we know it today) were more concerned with juxtaposing torture scriptures for non believers, and sensory pleasure scriptures for the believers…
How did Jesus say we would be judged on His return?
"And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
"Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
"Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
"Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." (Matthew 25:32-46)
This is the voice of Jesus that reverberates throughout the Qur'an, though through the words and person of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh).
Oh really…?
Then please cite some of your Koranic references…..
Jesus, after all, witnessed to us the Character of God, so whether Jesus, whom the Gospel says is One with God, or God Himself inspired the Qur'an, we do know it is more consistent with God's Character than our own Old Testament is.
The NT states that Jesus is God. Period.
Just as does the Koran. Period.
I have already shown you this - but you don't "have the time" to spend looking into the matter.... :roll:
Give it a chance, please, Apple Pie, you may be wonderfully suprised as I was. Two years ago in my ignorance of Islam I was looking to see if Muhammed (pbuh) was the expected "Anti-Christ". Since then I've learned the definition of antichrist from John and glimpsed the character of Muhammed (pbuh) as a righteous man and Prophet, all by just reading what Jesus has led me to read through the Holy Spirit that keeps kicking my rear end to understand what's happening around me today.
Genocide by war was something I though impossible for my country to do before. When it began happening, and I learned that it was happening to righteous people who could be negotiated with because under Christ we are brothers, Jesus answered my prayers for Knowledge of God as He's always promised He would do.
Well… I was wonderfully surprised when I discovered that the Koran proclaims that Jesus Christ is God Almighty!!!
This becomes clear to anyone who takes the time to study the Arabic of the Koran instead of Yusuf Ali (hint, hint)…
Perhaps when you can take the time to do this, then you will be saved from the second death path that you are now currently on…
He'll answer all of us. Christians have been given much - as free peoples through Christ much is also expected today.
And…not the least of which is to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh…
Thanks…