Of course, and Catholics believe Muslims distorted scripture as well.
I’m not sure what that has to do with anything. In the case of Muslims, it is a mainstream opinion that Christian scriptures were corrupted to the degree that the “real” teachings of Jesus were lost, and we essentially transgressed the original (Islamic) monotheism that was supposedly contained therein. So that distortion of scripture means that when Christians are called this or that positive term in the Qur’an, it is not necessarily with reference to today’s Christians/Christianity, since Muslims think that Christianity is based on corrupted texts. Whatever Catholics may believe about Muslims corrupting scripture, they apparently don’t think that corruption essentially disqualifies Muslims from worshiping God. So it’s not really comparable.
No, I meant exactly what I wrote.
Okay.
You misread what I wrote, attempted to correct, and berate me for being factually wrong.
Where/how did I berate you?
Islam destroyed pagan temples, but preserved “houses of God”, hence why “some of the most famous mosques in the world” are former churches.
Um…how is turning a church into a mosque preserving it?
Well, for the past hundred years, the United States, France, and Britain have provided material support for the worst and most brutal of dictators (Saddam Hussein, etc.).
Some Arabs may have responded with unjustifiable violence but the vast majority of victims in all of this violence are Muslim Arabs, who are equally disgusted by the violence as we are. Now why don’t they “denounce” violence? Many have, but that’s easy to ignore.
What does any of this have to do with the topic you brought up, which was the preservation of holy sites?
Okay. Here is evidence that as far back as 650+ years ago, they were mocking us for worshiping Christ (God), using terms very close to what I previously wrote (I had this poem in mind when I wrote that):
A poem by Ibn al Qayyim al-Jawziyya from the 14th century “O, Christ worshipers”
This is not some radical opinion. These are the same kinds of objections we’ve been hearing from Islam for 1400 years and counting.
I’ve talked to Muslims and I trust people.
I’ve talked to Muslims, too. That’s why I know that when push comes to shove (i.e., when they’re not trying to convert us), we’re kaffar and mushrikoon and deserve whatever we get for worshiping a false God.
Of course they disagree, and maybe they mock the angry anti-Muslims rants (with good reason), but authentically understanding their point of view means accepting they worship the same God we do, and accepting they believe the same thing in return.
They don’t, though. That’s my point. If you read the Qur’an, you’ll no doubt read a lot of stuff that seems like they do (stuff about “your Lord and my Lord” or whatever), but placed in its proper historical context (e.g., within the context of Muhammad’s
preaching), it is obvious that this is an evangelical tactic and not what they actually believe about Christianity. What they actually believe about Christianity is found elsewhere in their writings (including in the Qur’an), as in the 14th century poem I posted above.
It is a Catholic teaching that we worship the same God as Muslims. The plain language of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says this.
Yeah, I’m not getting into
this again. The catechism is wrong, but I understand that it is the basis of the Catholic understanding on such matters.
The bottom line for Islam, however, is found in S 5:17, part of Surat al-Maeda (the Table), “revealed” in Medina, which says:
YUSUFALI: In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ the son of Mary. Say: “Who then hath the least power against Allah, if His will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all every - one that is on the earth? For to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between. He createth what He pleaseth. For Allah hath power over all things.”
PICKTHAL: They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah’s is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things.
SHAKIR: Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely, Allah-- He is the Messiah, son of Marium. Say: Who then could control anything as against Allah when He wished to destroy the Messiah son of Marium and his mother and all those on the earth? And Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them; He creates what He pleases; and Allah has power over all things.
There you have it. We are disbelievers and blasphemers for believing in the divinity of Christ, according to Islam. And good riddance. Islam certainly does not worship God.
