Glad to hear the Baha’i Faith is not connected to Benjamin Cream, etc.
Truth does not contradict itself…and for those who are Catholics are blessed with the understanding of Christ handed down by the Apostles who were with Him for over 3 years. Upon Christ’s resurrection from death, the power of death itself was broken, and for us to receive His Body and Blood through Eucharist are also blessed with eternal life and living out Its graces.
Christ did not pick 1 apostle; He picked 12. Twelve also represents the 12 tribes of Israel. The Church began at Pentecost through the Holy Spirit Who then guided them through recalling Christ’s words, praying and dialoguing. The Bible took many years and many people to assemble. The early Church Fathers continued the work of the Apostles after their death, and Christ was defined as True God and True Man at the Council of Nicea, because there were many of those who broke off from the Apostolic tradition creating what was then defined as heresies.
Furthermore, the Holy Spirit guided the Apostles and Church Fathers through hermeneutical discoveries of rediscovering the Old Testament in light of the New Testament, thus Christ The Word bringing to fulfillment and complete understanding the mysteries that were revealed in the Old but brought to life in the New.
The Hebrew Catholics are a fascinating group in that they are Jewish, wish to retain Jewish customs but are finding Christ as Savior and Messiah in the New Testament within the Catholic Church. They are discovering so many passages or references in the Old Testament that are now revealed to them in the New. They are helping us Gentiles see our faith and salvation history in a deeper and more enriching light. The Hebrew Catholics are finding themselves experiencing their Jewishness more deeply and completely as Catholics than as Jews without Christ.
We are continuing to discover and learn more about our faith…Judaism is over 5,600 years old according to their calendars. The Holy Land truly is the land of the Bible. The Jewish people were expelled against their will by the ancient Romans.
So, back to Islam, it revolves its understanding of Christ and the ancient Jewish prophets through Mohammed who lived 600 years after the Apostles. He had no witnesses. His actions appeared to contradict the 10 Commandments which the Christians still observed as the Jews. Mohammed’s last words were ‘kill the infidel’, while Christ’s were to ‘forgive one’s enemies’.
Another interesting action of the Christian saints is that they each give us new insight of our faith and life in Christ in ways the help us according to our times. And all their new insights simply uphold our understanding of Christ, their newness never contradicting Who He is or What He says or Does…Islam does. Islam upholds all those who live their faith in God, but those who believe in a polytheistic god, as they claim we do, are not saved and are condemned to hell.
There are passages to the Quran that were written after Mohammed’s death. Many Moslems are not aware of the hadiths of Medina. There are other passages in references to every day life that are very unusual…put it that way.
Finally, with the divisions of Christians, it was Martin Luther, again one person, arbitrating alone who decided to remove 7 books of the Bible because they contradicted his Sola Scripture base. Now in the USA, with our highly individualistic society, there are 34,000 Christian denominations and sects, continually splintering the Word of God when Christ called us to be one.
I do believe God reveals Himself to people all over the world since the beginning of time, many coming to believe in the Divine through nature and the stars. But it was to the Jewish people that He nurtured from quasi-wild people themselves into godly, wise, and moral people, and they began in ancient, barbaric times. The 10 Commandments I find most simple and brilliant, saying it all and through it God reveal the nature of His personhood to the Chosen People. I have read the Code of Hammurabi of ancient lands of Iraq, assume nearing the Tigris River as well, but I found it circling, highly verbose, and repetitious. Nevertheless, it contained common, universal morals reflected in the 10 Commandments.
I can read the Old Testament, its language and imagery, and can relate it to today. So it is still usable after so many thousands of years. It is the story of faith of Christ’s ancestors. Reading the Old Testament as a Catholic at Mass draws us into ancient times, to re-experience their lives and struggles, and how all was the walk that led to the environment and times that Jesus was then called into the world. And from Him and His apostles, and the Sacraments–the fruits of the Covenant, I am not inclined to anything else. Our faith is one of constant new discovery and challenges.
