format_quote Originally Posted by
QuranStudy
I have no intention of offending any Christian here, but I really need their point of view on these quotes as they are bugging me
Thanks.
QuranStudy, can I ask you why these particular quotes are bugging you?
Chances are, you will not get many people to reply to you - my guess is for these reasons:
- People may feel you are trying to attack or discredit their holy book, which they hold sacred
- It is difficult, if not impossible, to take Bible quotes out of context
- The quotes you have chosen, are of the obscure and controversial variety, which have probably been much debated and never truly answered ...
Other non-Muslims have explained this in other threads very well indeed, but for the sake of this thread I will try to recap:
You have to understand that the Bible and the Qu'ran are very different books, and consequently Christians do not read and understand Bible verses in the same way as Muslims do with Qu'ran verses.
Consequently Muslims cannot try to read the Bible in the same way in which they read the Qu'ran ... or if they try they will come away confused and bewildered.
Muslims believe that the Qu'ran is God's direct word, dictated to Muhammed, who recited it over a period of some 30 years (am I right?). God's chosen language is Arabic, translations into other languages are considered inferior and distorted (am I still right?)
Christians believe that the Bible describes the history of God's relationship with his people. It was written by many people, in different languages, over hundreds of years - and on top of that, it was translated into many different languages and Bible versions.
Christians trust the Bible to be true, not because it has been restricted to one person, one period in time or one language ... but because God protects his word and has divinely inspired the different authors to pass on his message to mankind.
The very fact that despite the many writers, languages and ages, the Bible message remains so constant and points towards Jesus, lets Christians believe that it is indeed the word of God!
I have heard it said, that God's revelation to his people is not the Bible (the written word), but Jesus' life (the living word). In other words, Jesus is the fulfilment of God's word!
And I rather like that explanation!
Undeniably, there are parts in the Bible, which seem contradictory, confusing or even disagreeable. But those are not reasons to disregard the Bible as God's word.
Perhaps you cannot see that, because it seems to be a real stumbling block to Muslims - but you may find that Christians are not particularly troubled by these things.
Lengthy discussions about the Bible and the Qu'ran in this forum, have made me realise that our holy books clearly demonstrate the fundamental differences between our faiths:
Muslims believe the Qu'ran to be God's revelation to his people, which needs to be obeyed on a daily basis.
Christians believe the Bible to be God's revelation to his people, which needs to be applied to the daily life.
Or in other words:
Islam focusses on the importance of obedience to Allah.
Christianity focusses on the importance of being in relationship with God.
I should add that these are my personal views only, and that I am by no means a scholar of Bible, Qu'ran or indeed religious studies!
I kind of hope that this may be
the end of futile Bible/Qu'ran debates and arguments ... although I feel that may be wishful thinking ... :rollseyes
If you are interested in understanding how Christians read and apply the Bible, it may be better to start with the basics, rather then with complicated and controversial verses. :)
peace.