Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity fitting together?

[rossum]

That was the worst thing that he could have done,

You should look at your rhetoric here. The “worst thing”? Is it really worse than, say, procuring an abortion for his twelve-year-old mistress who he has made pregnant? And then killing her parents to keep things secret. It is easy to imagine far worse things he could have done.

going into a mosque in the first place, kissing the Qur’an and in the Blue Mosque which was a Christian Church, praying towards Mecca.

You should look at the facts first. The Blue Mosque has always been a mosque, it was built after the Ottoman conquest. Hagia Sofia, which is nearby, was once a Christian church, was turned into a Mosque and is now a museum. And well worth a visit too.

You should look at a map. Jerusalem is between Istanbul and Mecca. In Istanbul it is impossible to tell whether someone is praying towards Mecca, or towards Jerusalem. Wouldn’t Christian charity require you to put the best interpretation on the Pope’s actions?

rossum

 

[1voice]

After all Pope John Paul II went into a Mosque in 2001. As he entered the mosque the Pope’s shoes were removed and he put on white slippers and kissed a copy of the Qur’an to show respect - but not complete agreeance with all the teachings contained in the Qur’an, since it teaches some anti-Christian things as well as concepts compatible with our faith. In 2006 Pope Benedict entered the Blue Mosque in Turkey and prayed towards Mecca. Again it doesn’t mean that he agrees with EVERYTHING Islam teaches (it has things that are anti-Christian as well as good things).

So they provide us with a standard and tell us that yes you definetly could go into a Zen Temple to learn Zen, so long as you remember not to embrace things in their faith that are not COMPATIBLE and so cannot be inspired.

Hope that helps!

… I cant envision Jesus or one of his Apostles kissing the Quran.

 

[Contarini]

… I cant envision Jesus or one of his Apostles kissing the Quran.

Fortunately, the actions of Jesus are not limited by your imagination.

 

[rossum]

… I cant envision Jesus or one of his Apostles kissing the Quran.

1 God is everywhere.
2 Jesus is God.
3 Hence Jesus is everywhere.
4 Each copy of the Qur’an occupies some space.
5 Jesus is present in that space.
6 Hence Jesus is present in every copy of the Qur’an.
7 Conclusion: whoever kisses a copy of the Qur’an is also kissing Jesus.

rossum

 

[Fone_Bone_2001]

What truth is there in Islam, it is all built on lies.

On some matters Islamic doctrine agrees with Christianity. On some matters Islamic doctrine disagrees with Christianity.

If you are a Christian, hn160, then whether you admit it or not, you do actually believe there is some truth in Islam.

Of course, there is certainly error too.

We do not worship the same God as Muslims. We worship a Triunre God, Thee Persons in One, look at the Athanasian Creed. Muslim worship a god named Allah.

“Allah” is not a name: it is an Arabic word that means “the God.” As such, Arabic-speaking Christians call God “Allah” too.

Christians, Jews, and Muslims all believe in and direct their prayers and worship to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

It would therefore be more accurate, hn160, for you to simply say that because God is Triune, Muslims misunderstand the Being they worship in some critical ways.

 

[hn160]

On some matters Islamic doctrine agrees with Christianity. On some matters Islamic doctrine disagrees with Christianity.

If you are a Christian, hn160, then whether you admit it or not, you do actually believe there is some truth in Islam.

Of course, there is certainly error too.

“Allah” is not a name: it is an Arabic word that means “the God.” As such, Arabic-speaking Christians call God “Allah” too.

Christians, Jews, and Muslims all believe in and direct their prayers and worship to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

It would therefore be more accurate, hn160, for you to simply say that because God is Triune, Muslims misunderstand the Being they worship in some critical ways.

The Muslim god Allah is not the same as the Christian God. I agree that Allah means god but if you would ask any Muslim and if he is truthful, he would tell you the same thing.

The only truth that is in Islam is that which is written on Muslim hearts as St. Paul said, this goes for all pagans. As far as Muslims worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that is pure western fiction.

Who are you to question if I am a Christian?

 

[hn160]

You should look at your rhetoric here. The “worst thing”? Is it really worse than, say, procuring an abortion for his twelve-year-old mistress who he has made pregnant? And then killing her parents to keep things secret. It is easy to imagine far worse things he could have done.

You should look at the facts first. The Blue Mosque has always been a mosque, it was built after the Ottoman conquest. Hagia Sofia, which is nearby, was once a Christian church, was turned into a Mosque and is now a museum. And well worth a visit too.

You should look at a map. Jerusalem is between Istanbul and Mecca. In Istanbul it is impossible to tell whether someone is praying towards Mecca, or towards Jerusalem. Wouldn’t Christian charity require you to put the best interpretation on the Pope’s actions?

rossum

If I was the Pope, I would have not done it. The problem is that the west wants to be politically correct. Call it for what it is.

 

[1voice]

1 God is everywhere.
2 Jesus is God.
3 Hence Jesus is everywhere.
4 Each copy of the Qur’an occupies some space.
5 Jesus is present in that space.
6 Hence Jesus is present in every copy of the Qur’an.
7 Conclusion: whoever kisses a copy of the Qur’an is also kissing Jesus.

rossum

LOL!!!
Yeh … Ok …
sooooo You could kiss the Communist Manifesto or Mein Kampf … or the north end of a south bound … welllll … you get my point.

orrrr

Kissssss … uhhhh whatever suits your … “logic”… ??? … no problem.

 

[Fone_Bone_2001]

Who are you to question if I am a Christian?

Calm down. I didn’t question if you were a Christian - rather, I presupposed you were because you identify as one.

As such, I presupposed - and still do - that you believe the following things: that there is one God, that He is the Creator of all that exists, that He is all-powerful, all-knowing, just, merciful, that He revealed Himself to Abraham and his descendents and the prophets, etc.

All of those things Muslims believe too. We Christians think Muslims are wrong on some things, and regardless of what you claim for rhetorical purposes, we Christians also think Muslims are right about some things. It’s imprecise and unhelpful to generalize that “there is no truth in Islam.”

 

[1voice]

Originally Posted by 1voice
… I cant envision Jesus or one of his Apostles kissing the Quran.

Fortunately, the actions of Jesus are not limited by your imagination.

… I depend on the evidence.
God destroyed his own temple … twice… when his own people embraced the lie.
Having shown the level of contempt that he has for one perversion of truth (within his own chosen nation) … why would he favor another?

 

[rossum]

God destroyed his own temple … twice… when his own people embraced the lie.
Having shown the level of contempt that he has for one perversion of truth (within his own chosen nation) … why would he favor another?

The Temple was a Jewish Temple, not a Christian Temple. The Jews worship a single God, not a Trinity. Moslems also worship a single God, not a Trinity. The Trinity was never worshiped in the Jewish Temple.

rossum

 

[1voice]

The Temple was a Jewish Temple, not a Christian Temple. The Jews worship a single God, not a Trinity. Moslems also worship a single God, not a Trinity. The Trinity was never worshiped in the Jewish Temple.

rossum

That has nothing to do with how God honors truth.

 

[Fone_Bone_2001]

The Temple was a Jewish Temple, not a Christian Temple. The Jews worship a single God, not a Trinity. Moslems also worship a single God, not a Trinity. The Trinity was never worshiped in the Jewish Temple.

rossum

Rossum, that’s not actually as clever - or as true - as I suspect you meant it to be.

I am a Christian. The God that I worship was indeed the God worshiped in the Second Temple. To claim otherwise is to defy the irrepressibly relevant fact that Christianity began as a Jewish sect and is fundamentally and irreversibly rooted in Judaism.

I don’t care about how far apart in faith the people I’m debating are: whether it’s a fundamentalist Protestant or a Buddhist who is insisting that Jews, Christians, and Muslims don’t share the same God, I will still vigorously correct the error.

(If you’re wondering, here is the more rational way to describe it: the Christian Jews, unlike the group that evolved into what scholars today call the Rabbinic Jews, came to regard the Jewish God as Triune. The Rabbinic Jews, obviously, disagreed. By the time the difference between them had solidified, the Christians had long since been admitting Gentiles into their faith as well. The disagreement over the nature of God does not mean some other god sprang into being - even in mere thought. It is, rather, a disagreement over the nature of the God we both share. That both cannot be right does not mean that two different gods are involved.)

 

[CompSciGuy]

Originally Posted by 1voice
… I cant envision Jesus or one of his Apostles kissing the Quran.

… I depend on the evidence.
God destroyed his own temple … twice… when his own people embraced the lie.
Having shown the level of contempt that he has for one perversion of truth (within his own chosen nation) … why would he favor another?

I’m 100% with 1voice on this matter. Consider how Jesus reacted to the Pharisees and others who failed to see his role as Messiah as foretold by the prophets. If you think that Jesus would be some ecumenical peacenik who goes around kissing Qurans, then it’s only because you haven’t been reading the scriptures.

 

[CopticChristian]

A friend of mine lent me his World Religions(Huston Smith) text book. I ended up reading the chapters on Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The 3 religions all shared notable storys and teachings such as:

Mara trying to tempt Buddha (Jesus in the desert with the Devil)
The ideas of acceptance of God.
The stages of life (Sacraments),
The idea of letting go of material items to follow God or a deeper calling.
The 10 Commandments and Path of Renunciation (refrain from certain things for God)
Love, joy, and peace and a lifestyle free from guilt.

These are all deep basic ideas that all trace back to morality, and the idea of 1 God; living a better lifestyle. In a sense, they all seem the same on ground level. Is it possible to be Christian but agree and follow some Hinduist and Buddhist ideas?

He also has a video series. He is a Methodist. He spent time researching, was in a Zen temple and when all was done he remained a Methodist. I believe that he was explaining elements of all of these that showed that people around the world are called. This is consistent with Paul, God is impartial, God of all…Jew, Gentile, Barbarian…The Church states that there are those called to God in ways we do not understand.

In the end there is The Church.

 

[Agnikan]

Ma Durga

 

[rossum]

My apologies for not expressing myself more clearly, I agree that the Abrahamic religions worship the same God, the “God of Abraham”. They each see that God is different ways, and have their disagreements about the details, but those are not really important.

rossum

 

[Fone_Bone_2001]

My apologies for not expressing myself more clearly, I agree that the Abrahamic religions worship the same God, the “God of Abraham”. They each see that God is different ways, and have their disagreements about the details, but those are not really important.

rossum

Okay, thank you. I believe it is important for people to see that multiple religions - despite their disagreements about Him - happen to share the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

While I actually do believe the disagreements/differences matter as well - after all, whether or not Yahweh became incarnate as a man, or even whether such a thing is possible, has monumental consequences - I nonetheless tend to emphasize that adherents of the so-called Abrahamic faiths all direct their prayers and worship to the same God.

 

[1voice]

My apologies for not expressing myself more clearly, I agree that the Abrahamic religions worship the same God, the “God of Abraham”. They each see that God is different ways, and have their disagreements about the details, but those are not really important.

rossum

The disagreements … are the difference between heaven … and hell … for eternity.

Acknowledging that God exists … and knowing/ obeying his will … are two completely separate issues. God’s entire purpose in revealing his existence and his plan was in order to remedy the human condition … and save us from eternal hell.

Jesus said… Those that hear my words … and obey them … they are my family (those that will be saved).
Paul the Apostle of Jesus said that if anyone teaches another gospel … that person, as well as those that accept the falsehood, are wrong … and doomed (they are not part of God’s family).

Abraham obeyed God … therefore God called Abraham a righteous man and rewarded him for his faith … which was expressed by his trust and obedience. Abraham was given authority (and family membership) because he submitted to God’s authority. Through the centuries following Abraham’s covenant with God … God appointed sons and daughters of Abraham, who proved that they had the same kind of faith… and, through them, revealed his plan to send a Messiah for Israel as well as for the entire human race.

Of the 3 major religions that acknowledge the God of Abraham … only one has gotten the point … and only one has taught the promise of salvation through acceptance of God’s son Jesus the one true Messiah … which was the God of Abraham’s most vital focus throughout history.

 

[rossum]

The disagreements … are the difference between heaven … and hell … for eternity.

One of the things I don’t like about some forms of the Abrahamic religions is the desire to see other people suffer in Hell for eternity because they didn’t learn the right version of the religion. Abraham, Moses and the other Biblical patriarchs worshiped a single God, YHWH, just as Jews, Muslims and Unitarians do today. The Trinity was only introduced in New Testament times.

Is your version of God so narrow minded that He cannot allow for the differences in approach between different people?

If belief in the Trinity was not essential for Abraham or Moses, then why is it essential today? Are you positing a changing, relative, requirement for belief?

rossum