Why Christians don't call Jesus by a Special Name?

  • Thread starter Thread starter devonsams
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

devonsams

Guest
Hi, I recently saw a muslim saying that muslims always call his prophets, including Jesus by “Peace be Upon Him” and it means that muslims give more respect and value to him and his teachings than christians who simply call him “Jesus” and that Christians usually ignore or don’t follow the second commandment to take not the name of our God in vain, because Christians are always screaming: Oh My God! and even Jews follow this better than Christians. How do I answer these accusations?
 
devonsams said:
Hi, I recently saw a muslim saying that muslims always call his prophets, including Jesus by “Peace be Upon Him” and it means that muslims give more respect and value to him and his teachings than christians who simply call him “Jesus” and that Christians usually ignore or don’t follow the second commandment to take not the name of our God in vain, because Christians are always screaming: Oh My God! and even Jews follow this better than Christians. How do I answer these accusations?
Click to expand...
Well to your first point we call him by special names ( Christ - anointed one, Emmanuel - God is with us). Using his personal name also reminds us that he was both human and divine. Even at that I bow my head in reverence when I hear his Holy Name. That is a pious custom that has sadly fallen by the wayside.

To your second point I would agree. Originally it might have been a pious cry for delivered in times of adversity, but when used as an invective it is clearly a problem.
 
There is no need to wish that peace “be upon” Jesus, because Jesus IS peace.
 
Tarpeian_Rock said:
There is no need to wish that peace “be upon” Jesus, because Jesus IS peace.
Click to expand...
I’m not so sure that there is no need, God wants our adoration.

Certainly, you are correct that Jesus “IS” peace, but a parallel can be drawn to blessing God…it is quite appropriate to bless God, yet we cannot argue that He truly IS blessed.

See, especially, the Canticle of Daniel and several Psalms of praise where the psalmist blesses God.

Peace and all Good
 
We call Jesus by his name because Christians are adopted sons and daughters, co-heirs with Him. We have the privilege and right to address Him as a brother.

I can’t speak for Muslims in general, but I’ve read that some of the Muslim great apologists believe that concept (adopted sons and co-heirs) to be a great blasphemy. Not only do they regard Jesus as a mere prophet, somewhat less in rank than Mohammed despite the virgin birth, but they also regard humans as subjects of God, not sons. Humans (to that Muslim anyway) are co-equal with the dogs at their master’s feet.

To presume to call God by name, instead of by title, would be an outrageous insult by a Muslim. Therefore, since Christians insist Jesus is God, using His everyday name is insulting to Muslim sensibilities.
 
Jesus is his name.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. (Luke 1:31)

There is no other name by which we must be saved.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

The Apostles and the early Church did everything in the name of Jesus.

*And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." (Acts 3:6)

But Paul was annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. (Acts 16:18)*

The early Church was persecuted for the name of Jesus.

So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. (Acts 5:40)

The name of Jesus is above every other name.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, (Phillipians 2:9)

The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus on January 3 is one of the holiest days on the Church calendar. The martyrs died with the name of Jesus on their lips. The name of Jesus is one of the most powerful prayers. The devil recoils at the name of Jesus. Jesus is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, the first and the last.

There is no other title or word which can express what his name expresses.

-Tim-
 
devonsams said:
Hi, I recently saw a muslim saying that muslims always call his prophets, including Jesus by “Peace be Upon Him” and (1) it means that muslims give more respect and value to him and his teachings than christians who simply call him “Jesus” and that (2) Christians usually ignore or don’t follow the second commandment to take not the name of our God in vain, because Christians are always screaming: Oh My God! and even Jews follow this better than Christians. How do I answer these accusations?
Click to expand...
The Muslim was bear-baiting you with propaganda. Here are the answers:

(1) Christians are co-heirs with Jesus.

Corporate America:
The mailroom clerk calls the Vice President of Operations, “Mr.” or “Sir.”
The Vice President of Finance calls the Vice President of Operations, “Andrew.”

Is the mailroom clerk giving more respect and value to the VP of Operations than the VP of Finance does? No. That’s a foolish idea. If anything, since the VP of Finance works with the VP of Operations every day, he gives him far more respect and value than the mailroom clerk could even imagine.

(2) Sometimes “Oh my God” is a prayer, as in “Oh God help me!” And sometimes “Oh my God” is a curse spoken by someone who doesn’t take religion seriously.

To say “Christians usually ignore…” is an overbroad and misleading statement. Who is really a Christian? Are both the prayerful devout and the cursing apostate to be lumped together as “ignoring” the commandment because the same words are uttered? No. That’s a foolish idea.

If we lump all supposed Christians together, both the devout and the Christians-in-name-only, shouldn’t we also lump all Muslims together and say they are all terrorists?
 
Pax Christi!

Our Lord, the Son of Man, Jesus, Yeshuah, the Master, the Nazarene, the Carpenter, the Babe, the Christ: at His Name every head shall be bowed, and some of us still bow when we hear His Name.

Some still capitalize He, Him and so on.

Yes, it is casually tossed around, and often wrongly so. But not by all Christians, thank God.

God bless.
 
A very common interjection/expletive in Arabic speech is “Wallahi!”, which means “By God!” Muslims don’t seem to have a problem with that; in fact, I remember reading/hearing that Muslims were commanded to use this frequently in their speech, but I don’t have time to hunt for it right now. There is discussion on the internet that it is being used too much.

That said, I don’t misuse the names of deity, especially the Name of Jesus, and for that reason I am not particularly concerned about what Muslims think when I do use the names of deity.
 
devonsams said:
Hi, I recently saw a muslim saying that muslims always call his prophets, including Jesus by “Peace be Upon Him” and it means that muslims give more respect and value to him and his teachings than christians who simply call him “Jesus” and that Christians usually ignore or don’t follow the second commandment to take not the name of our God in vain, because Christians are always screaming: Oh My God! and even Jews follow this better than Christians. How do I answer these accusations?
Click to expand...
There’s various customs the Church has developed in showing reverence to Our Blessed Lord’s name for example making a slight head bow at it’s mention
 
devonsams said:
Hi, I recently saw a muslim saying that muslims always call his prophets, including Jesus by “Peace be Upon Him” and it means that muslims give more respect and value to him and his teachings than christians who simply call him “Jesus”
Click to expand...
  1. Jesus isn’t (just) a prophet; He is God. Do they say “Peace be Upon Him” when referring to Allah? No. So why would they expect us to do what they themselves do not?
  2. They can claim that saying “Peace be Upon Him” means they give Jesus more respect than Christians until they are blue in the face, but I ask you, what is more respectful (a) giving someone whom you regard only as a man a special title; or (b) worshiping Him as God? By the very nature of the fact that they have relegated Jesus to a mere human prophet, it is impossible for them to give Him more respect than Christians, who worship Him as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
 
There’s nothing wrong with calling upon the name of the Lord in a moment of genuine fear or concern (learning that a friend has been badly injured, for example). It’s not always wrong (and sometimes it is quite appropriate) to call on the name of Jesus, or to say “Oh my God!”

But it is completely inappropriate to say, “Oh my God, that guy totally took my parking spot.” Unfortunately, that sort of thing happens all too often.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top