Sunday, 22 May 2016
Jonathan McLatchie's Apologetics Academy, Yusuf Bux, Ijaz Ahmad and Debates!
For the last couple of days at least it's become a regular theme on Facebook where Jonathan McLatchie has been challenging Yusuf Bux to debate while refusing to debate Ijaz Ahmad of Calling Christians.
Jonathan had an opportunity to debate Yusuf Bux in South Africa. The organisers messed Yusuf around - Yusuf was up for a debate back then. If Jonathan really wanted to debate him he and his organisers they would have made it happen.
From what I recall from Yusuf, the organisers made it very difficult for Yusuf. He eventually walked away as he felt he was being messed about. I and he suspect they made it difficult for Yusuf because Jonathan's organisers felt Yusuf Bux would connect with the live audience much better than Jonathan and Jonathan's eventual opponents. Were folk like Brian Marrian and Rehan Khan lacking confidence in Jonathan hence why Yusuf Bux (an experienced public speaker) was not selected? It's all speculation now.
I have a great deal of respect for Yusuf Bux, he is passionate in reaching out to Christians in South Africa. He and his family have been working tremendously hard and resourcefully in propagating Islam and helping Muslims.
Yusuf is a public speaker. I don't think he styles himself as a debater. He delivers talks in churches and mosques concerning Islam - primarily on pure Abrahamic monotheism. He tries to communicate to the average Christian - the lay Christian - so he simplifies his argumentation. He chooses not to get involved in overly technical and philosophical discussions. That's his prerogative.
From my understanding, he was able to effectively communicate with the audience in his debates with Rudolph Boshoff and his debate with James White while his respective opponents were not connecting with the audience.
At times we, in this internet apologetics niche community, miss the point that most people out there aren't apologetically aware so some of the arguments and points we discuss in our niche community are totally foreign to the wider audience. Yusuf Bux tries to communicate with the wider audience.
Now I must say, it's curious to see Jonathan angle for a debate with Yusuf Bux after he intimated Yusuf's arguments are dated and weak. Admittedly, I do have reservations about some of the arguments that do come out of SA. Nevertheless, the point here is why would Jonathan decide to target Yusuf for a debate while Jonathan continually avoids Ijaz Ahmad's debate challenges. Ijaz is a hardened apologist and debater who chooses to involve himself in technical discussions about Christian theology - it's what he specialises in.
You see, Jonathan has come off really poorly in his interactions with experienced Muslim apologists. He struggled in his debate with Shabir Ally and struggled in his debate with Yusuf Ismail. Ijaz Ahmad and myself have corrected him and refuted him on many points over the last few months - at times on some very basic stuff highlighting his inability in dialogue with Muslims who are more experienced and aware apologetically. [NOTE: Just so pride does not kick in, Jonathan hasn't struggled because he is not smart or somehow deficient - it's because he is supporting obviously flawed ideas such as the Trinity and Bibilcal inerrancy.]
Debating people who struggle with English and who aren't involved in apologetics deeply is one thing but it's a totally different proposition to debate somebody who is hardened and aware apologetically. Something Jonathan has learned the hard way.
Jonathan, Ijaz Ahmad is waiting for you to agree to debate him. Whilst he is waiting, how about you stop asking Yusuf Bux to debate you. I understand you have been under the mentorship of Sam Shamoun - he has been avoiding YT debates for years now. He knows he will struggle in such a debate arena hence his avoidance.
How Sam Shamoun Clowns Apologists Like Tony Costa and Jonathan McLatchie (ft Iaz Ahmad!)
South African Christian-Muslim Apologetics Review Yusuf Bux and Rudoplh Boshoff (Ad Lucem)
Some past responses to Jonathan McLatchie
Ijaz's responses to Jonathan McLatchie on Calling Christians
Did Ravi Zacharias Spread a False Story About Ahmed Deedat?
An Invitation for Tony Gurule of Ratio Christi To Investigate Doubts About Trinitarian Christian Theology
James White's Bigoted Comments About Middle Easterners, Africans and Asians
A Response to Trinitarian Claims on John 17:5, John 17:3 and 1 John 5:20
James White, Trinitarian Scholar, Squirms
More Poor Scholarship from Dr James White: More Women in Hell Hadith
James White: Show Me Where Prophet Muhammad Said He was the Last Prophet p
Prophecies of the Messiah - Reza Aslan
British Muslims Protested to Defend Jesus p
Sharia Law against terrorism
Christians having dreams and converting to Islam
Conversions to Islam
Learn about Islam
Email: yahyasnow@yahoo.co.uk
An Invitation for Tony Gurule of Ratio Christi To Investigate Doubts About Trinitarian Christian Theology
A few colleagues and I have recently been engaging Tony Gurule of Ratio Christi on matters pertaining to Christian theology.
I want to bring up 3 points that have stood out in some of the conversation I've been involved in and/or seen.
Distinction between Being and Person, in the Bible?
Firstly, I did ask Tony Gurule for a BIBLICAL distinction between being and personhood as Trinitarians believe God is One Being and 3 Persons.
Tony could not furnish such a distinction. In that case, I would say to Tony and other Trinitarians that you are getting this distinction between being and personhood form Church Tradition - thus not being true to the concept of Sola Scriptura (drawing from Scripture alone). Tony would argue it's was philosophy and not church tradition. However, this is where the semantics come in.
The distinction is not taught by the Bible - even experienced Trinitarian apologists like James White cannot come up with a Biblical distinction.
Where did the distinction come from? And what is it?
Tony is right, it's philosophy. I'm right too, it's church tradition. It can be both. It is both :)
Christians from the 4th century onwards began to develop their philosophy about God in argument with those they deemed to be heretics and in interaction with material in the Bible - the NT especially. So the philosophy of 3 persona came about through the Church. It's Church tradition.
Now Trinitarian Christians have a framework (a philosophy aka Church/Creedal tradition) with which they view the Old Testament and New Testament.
The Catholics are upfront in admitting to Church tradition, evangelicals such as Tony Gurule are reticent to do so as they openly profess to be Sola Scriptura.
However, it's obvious Church tradition has influenced Evangelicals. Not only with regards to the philosophy of the Trinity but also with regards to the Books in the NT. The Church decided which books were to be included in the NT canon - that's to say later Church tradition tells evangelicals and other Christians which books are "inspired" - the original authors did not claim inspiration. In some cases there was controversy. For instance, the Book of Revelation was mired in controversy as the Church could not decide whether to include it in canon initially.
My point here, although Church tradition seems like a dirty concept in certain evangelical communities, there's no escaping evangelicals are prone to Church Tradition when it comes to the canon and the Trinity belief.
Trinitarians may be told the Trinity is clearly deduced from the Bible but if it was so clearly taught in the Bible and so easily to come to through exegesis (rather than eisegesis) then why were there centuries of squabbling - sometimes vicious squabbling over these matters?
Can Jesus sin according to Christianity?
I personally do not believe that He was able to sin (from the human nature of course).
Side note: There are differing opinions on this topic though. The two terms are impeccability and peccability. Some people believe that Jesus was not able to sin, and He did not, but other people believe that He was able to sin, but He did not. So, although the two groups differ on the "could," both groups believe that He did not.
Hold on, Tony and other Christians are in opposition to Matthew. Matthew does not appear to have the same belief - he seemingly believes Jesus could be tempted (thus inferring he believed Jesus could sin):
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Mat 4:1
The same applies to Mark, he too seemingly believed Jesus could be tempted and thus presumably could sin:
and He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels ministered to Him. Mark 1:13
How can one who cannot sin be tempted? It seems authors of Mark and Matthew had different views to Tony and other evangelicals.
Heresy: separating the two natures
Tony seemingly separated the idea of Jesus' dual natures. He stated "the human nature is completely distinct and separate".
Perhaps Tony was unaware, in separating the two natures one falls into the ancient "heresy" of Nestorianism. Admittedly, Nestorius took it to the level of believing Jesus was two persons but Tony's "separating" of the two natures is akin to how Nestorius came to the view Jesus was two persons. Christian theologians believe the two natures are actually unified. Here's RC Sproul warning against separating the two natures:
We can distinguish the two without separating them. But when the human nature perspires, it is still united to a divine nature that does not perspire. [What is the Trinity, RC Sproul, Loc397]
The teaching do not mix nor separate the natures of Jesus is one which Trinitarian theologians use to keep their flock away from Eutyches' monophysite understanding and Nestorius' Nestorianism.
A message to Trinitaian Christians from a Muslim
If you'rea Trinitarian, I suspect you will have a few doubts about Trinitarian theology. Explore those doubts.
Ponder upon the Trinity dilemma in this video. This is a powerful point to get people asking questions about the Trinity belief.
The Trinity Dilemma
Historically, the early Church Fathers did not believe in the Trinity concept.
Speaking of the pre-Nicenes, New Testament scholar Robert M. Grant perspicaciously explains that "Christology of [early Christian apologists..is essentially subordinationist. The Son is always subordinate to the Father who is the one God of the Old Testament." [Dr Edgar G. Foster]
Just to show how late the Trinitarians formed the final formulation of the Trinity doctrine, as late as 380 AD the Church still had not unanimously agreed to include the Holy Spirit as a divine being. Through Gregory of Nazianzen, as late as 380, we see there was a running debate as to what to believe about the Holy Spirit. How can there have been a Trinity teaching passed down through apostles concerning the Holy Spirt if Christians were undecided on what to believe about the Holy Spirit?
"Gregory of Nazianzum could still say in 380, Some of our theologians consider the Holy Spirit to be a certain mode of the Divine energy, others a creature of God, others God Himself. Others say they do not know which opinion they ought to accept, out of reverence for the Scriptures which have not clearly explained this point." [Sourced from Patrick Navas]
It's well known Jesus' statements were not of a Trinitarian but what you may be unaware of, Paul and Peter made statements which seemingly refute the idea of the Trinity:
In 1 Cor 8:6 Paul spells out the identity of God and identifies Him as the Father:
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
In Acts 2:36 Peter is purported to have said:
"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."
Notes from Sean Finnegan's interview with Patrick Navas: Is the Trinity Biblical
Tovia Singer: Does the New Testament Teach Jesus is God?
Why Islam
Monday, 16 May 2016
Did Abu Bakr and Umar Slap Their Daughters?
A comment on a Hadith which may be confusing some people. This Hadith has Abu Bakr "slap" Aisha and Umar "slap" Hafsa. However, I did a brief search of the Arabic word used in the hadith - the word used for slapped - on an Arabic website. The website said the word وجاء is like طعن. I checked this word which the site gave as a synonym and it doesn't mean slap - it seems more like poke.
There's also a forum discussion saying it doesn't mean slap but poke here. Here's the relevant bit from the comment explaining it:
The translation of the Hadith is wrong because the word which was used in the Hadith, in Arabic is " فوجأت " which means I poked or hit. This is a form of teaching or alerting about an incident you do not approve besides this is an act that does not cause harm at all.
Example: If your brother does something wrong or you knew he is doing something wrong, you may come to him and poke him with your hand on his waist or shoulder as a way to show your frustration and disapproval for what he does. The same applies here..
Notice the word slapped is used in this translation:
Jabir b. 'Abdullah (Allah be pleased with them) reported:
Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) came and sought permission to see Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). He found people sitting at his door and none amongst them had been granted permission, but it was granted to Abu Bakr and he went in. Then came 'Umar and he sought permission and it was granted to him, and he found Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) sitting sad and silent with his wives around him. He (Hadrat 'Umar) said: I would say something which would make the Prophet (ﷺ) laugh, so he said: Messenger of Allah, I wish you had seen (the treatment meted out to) the daughter ofKhadija when you asked me some money, and I got up and slapped her on her neck. Allah's Messenger (mav peace be upon him) laughed and said: They are around me as you see, asking for extra money. Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) then got up went to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) and slapped her on the neck, and 'Umar stood up before Hafsa and slapped her saying: You ask Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) which he does not possess. They said: By Allah, we do not ask Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) for anything he does not possess. Then he withdrew from them for a month or for twenty-nine days. Then this verse was revealed to him:" Prophet: Say to thy wives... for a mighty reward" (xxxiii. 28). He then went first to 'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) and said: I want to propound something to you, 'A'isha, but wish no hasty reply before you consult your parents. She said: Messenger of Allah, what is that? He (the Holy Prophet) recited to her the verse, whereupon she said: Is it about you that I should consult my parents, Messenger of Allah? Nay, I choose Allah, His Messenger, and the Last Abode; but I ask you not to tell any of your wives what I have said He replied: Not one of them will ask me without my informing her. God did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He has sent me to teach and make things easy.
However, in this translation (from the site where I looked into the Arabic word) in their English translation they do not use the word slap but rather poke:
Abu Bakr once came and sought permission to see the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He found people sitting at his door and none amongst them had been granted permission, but it was granted to Abu Bakr and he went in. Then came ‘Umar and he sought permission, and it was granted to him, and he found the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sitting, sad and silent, with his wives around him. He [‘Umar] said, “I wanted to say something which would make the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, laugh, so he said, “Messenger of Allaah, I wish you had seen [the treatment meted out to] the daughter of Khaarijah [i.e., his wife] when she asked me for some money; I got up and poked her on her neck.” The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, laughed and said:“They are around me, as you see, asking for provision.” Abu Bakr then got up, went to ‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, and poked her on the neck, and ‘Umar stood up in front of Hafsah and poked her saying, “You ask the Messenger of Allaah for that which he does not possess?” They said, “By Allaah, we do not ask the Messenger of Allaah for anything that he does not possess.” Then he withdrew from them for a month or for twenty-nine days after which this verse was revealed to him
I think it would be extremely unwise and unfair to say they slapped their daughters (to hurt them) in the light of this information.
A comment on a Hadith in Sunan Abu Dawud
What is Isnad in Hadith Studies
Islamophobes: Think Before you Quote from Tareekh al Tabari
Explanation: Sun Sets in Murky Water Hadith (Sunan Abu Dawud, Musnad Ahmad)
False Stories About Prophet Muhammad - By Ehteshaam Gulam
Did Prophet Muhammad Say "Love of the homeland is part of faith"
Why Islam
However, in this translation (from the site where I looked into the Arabic word) in their English translation they do not use the word slap but rather poke:
Abu Bakr once came and sought permission to see the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He found people sitting at his door and none amongst them had been granted permission, but it was granted to Abu Bakr and he went in. Then came ‘Umar and he sought permission, and it was granted to him, and he found the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sitting, sad and silent, with his wives around him. He [‘Umar] said, “I wanted to say something which would make the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, laugh, so he said, “Messenger of Allaah, I wish you had seen [the treatment meted out to] the daughter of Khaarijah [i.e., his wife] when she asked me for some money; I got up and poked her on her neck.” The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, laughed and said:“They are around me, as you see, asking for provision.” Abu Bakr then got up, went to ‘Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, and poked her on the neck, and ‘Umar stood up in front of Hafsah and poked her saying, “You ask the Messenger of Allaah for that which he does not possess?” They said, “By Allaah, we do not ask the Messenger of Allaah for anything that he does not possess.” Then he withdrew from them for a month or for twenty-nine days after which this verse was revealed to him
I think it would be extremely unwise and unfair to say they slapped their daughters (to hurt them) in the light of this information.
A comment on a Hadith in Sunan Abu Dawud
What is Isnad in Hadith Studies
Islamophobes: Think Before you Quote from Tareekh al Tabari
Explanation: Sun Sets in Murky Water Hadith (Sunan Abu Dawud, Musnad Ahmad)
False Stories About Prophet Muhammad - By Ehteshaam Gulam
Did Prophet Muhammad Say "Love of the homeland is part of faith"
Why Islam
A comment on a Hadith in Sunan Abu Dawud
Note: this is a weak Hadith. It's been classified as weak by Al-Albani see here. If you come across an Islamophobe asking you to explain it, tell them it is weak.
A man from the Ansar called Basrah said:
I married a virgin woman in her veil. When I entered upon her, I found her pregnant. (I mentioned this to the Prophet). The Prophet (ﷺ) said: She will get the dower, for you made her vagina lawful for you. The child will be your slave. When she has begotten (a child), flog her (according to the version of al-Hasan). The version of Ibn AbusSari has: You people, flog her, or said: inflict hard punishment on him.
Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted by Qatadah from Sa'd b. Yazid on the authority of Ibn al-Musayyab in a similar way. This tradition has been narrated by Yahya b. Abi Kathir from Yazid b. Nu'aim from Sa'id b. al-Musayyab, and 'Ata al-Khurasani narrated it from Sa'id b. al-Musayyab ; they all narrated this tradition from the Prophet (ﷺ) omitting the link of the Companion (i.e. a mursal tradition). The version of Yahya b. Abi Kathir has: Basrah b. Aktham married a woman. The agreed version has: He made the child his servant.
Although it's weak, there some explanation of the statement "the child will be your slave":
The meaning of " take the born child as your slave" has been explained by al-khattabi who said, " I know no scholar who disgaree with the freedom of the child who came through adultery when the mother is free woman. Thus, the meaning of this statement , if this narration is proven authentic, that the prophet wanted him to look after the child and raise him well so and in return the child will serve hi like a slave due to his goodness and kindness towards him".
See here for more discussion and explanation of this weak hadith here:
http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/archive/index.php/t-11618.html
What is Isnad in Hadith Studies
Islamophobes: Think Before you Quote from Tareekh al Tabari
Explanation: Sun Sets in Murky Water Hadith (Sunan Abu Dawud, Musnad Ahmad)
False Stories About Prophet Muhammad - By Ehteshaam Gulam
Did Prophet Muhammad Say "Love of the homeland is part of faith"
Why Islam
Although it's weak, there some explanation of the statement "the child will be your slave":
The meaning of " take the born child as your slave" has been explained by al-khattabi who said, " I know no scholar who disgaree with the freedom of the child who came through adultery when the mother is free woman. Thus, the meaning of this statement , if this narration is proven authentic, that the prophet wanted him to look after the child and raise him well so and in return the child will serve hi like a slave due to his goodness and kindness towards him".
See here for more discussion and explanation of this weak hadith here:
http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/archive/index.php/t-11618.html
What is Isnad in Hadith Studies
Islamophobes: Think Before you Quote from Tareekh al Tabari
Explanation: Sun Sets in Murky Water Hadith (Sunan Abu Dawud, Musnad Ahmad)
False Stories About Prophet Muhammad - By Ehteshaam Gulam
Did Prophet Muhammad Say "Love of the homeland is part of faith"
Why Islam
Saturday, 14 May 2016
Quran’ic Exegesis of al-Ikhlas as a Corrective of Trinitarian Theo-Christology by Ali Ataie
(v. 1) As stated earlier, the word Allah is the proper Name of God that shares an etymology with the Hebrew (in pluralis majestatis) Elohim (אֱלֹהִים), probably from the root a-li-ha (ألِهَ) meaning “to go to and fro in fear and perplexity” or from aleph-waw-lamed (אול), meaning “strength and power” and related to the Arabic Form II awwala (أول), “to interpret” or “find the origin of.” Ash’arite theologians offer the following brief definition of Allah: “A proper name denoting the Essence (which is) the Necessary Existent; the one deserving of all perfection and transcendent above all deficiencies” (علم على ذات الواجب الوجود، المستحق لجميع الكمالات المتنزه عن جميع النقاءص).
The Qur’an is confirming in principle that the God of Muhammad is the same God of the biblical prophets, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The word Ahad (أحد) is taken by Suyuti as either a permutative (بدل) or a second predicate (خبر ثان), with Huwa as subject and the Exalted Expression (لفظ الجلالة), i.e. Allah, as first predicate.
Tantawi says that the Exalted Expression as predicate indicates the occasion of the surah’s Revelation (سبب النزول) in which a group of Jews approached the Prophet asking about the identity of his God - “Who is He (Huwa)?” This is described in detail by al-Wahidi. As discussed in chapter two, the pronoun Huwa, spelled ha-waw and meaning “He (is),” is close to the meaning of the enigmatic tetragrammaton (Shem HaMeforash) spelled yod-he-waw-he (יהוה), if we consider this to be the imperfect tense of the verb hawah (הוה), meaning to “to be,” thus “He is” (yihweh), and translated as ὁ ὤν ([“I am] He who is”) in the LXX (from the 1p sing. Ehyeh [Exo. 3:14]). According to the Mishnah, the Shem HaMeforash was only articulated in the Temple by the High Priest (HaCohen HaGadol) and was believed to be the most exalted Name of God, the actual Name of His Essence in distinction to “Allah/Elohim” which indicated His Essence. Thus Huwa, or Hahut (هاهوت) according to Ibn al-’Arabi, is believed to be al-Ism al-’Azam (الإسم الأعظم), the very Name of God’s Essence according to al-Razi.
To put it in Philonic terms, Allah (الله)/Elohim (אֱלֹהִים) = Ho Theos (ο θεος) while Huwa (هو)/Yihweh (יהוה) = Ho On (ὁ ὤν).
The usage of Ahad as opposed to Wahid (واحد) is intended to confirm the fundamental creedal statement of the Children of Israel (بني إسرائيل), i.e. the Shema of Deut. 6:4: “Hear O Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One (Echad)” (שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד); and confirmed by Christ in Mark 12:29 (ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι πρώτη ἐστίν ἄκουε Ἰσραήλ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν).
Also, while wahid denotes one numerically and thus does not negate the existence of other “ones,” ahad, being also anarthrous, denotes utter uniqueness, one of a genus. In addition, Ahad negates the henotheism of the pre-Islamic Arabs who certainly affirmed that Allah was Wahid, but also acknowledged the existence of lesser deities.
With respect to Christianity, the Qur’an repudiates the belief that God has a “Son” (ولد) in the Trinitarian sense by stating that “Allah is only One (واحد) God” (Q 4:171.5). Thus while Allah is numerically one (واحد), the term wahid also denotes His “internal oneness,” i.e. He is only one person (hypostasis; Arab. nafs; Heb. nefesh); there is no multiplicity in the godhead and He shares His Essence with no one and nothing else.
This is the heart of the Qur’an’s critique of Trinitarianism. There are not multiple hypostatic (personal) pre-eternals; the attributes (sifat) of God are not separate and distinct hypostatic entities. The usage of Ahad in this ayah (112:1), however, denotes God’s “external oneness” thus not allowing any creature to be the incarnation of that indivisible Essence (ousia) since He is transcendent of space, time, and materiality, contra both Incarnational Modalism (Monarchism) and Trinitarianism. In this vein, Hosea (11:9) says: “Indeed I am God and not man” (כִּי אֵל אָֽנֹכִי וְלֹא־אִישׁ).
Taken from Ali Ataie's FB
WHAT IS THE POSITION OF THE HOLY QUR’AN ON THE PREVIOUS SCRIPTURES AND THE PRESENT DAY “BIBLE”? By Aqil Onque
Why Islam
Why Islam
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Muslim Discusses John 3:16 - Aqil Onque
THE CHRISTIAN LIE OF BLOOD AND SACRIFICIAL ATONEMENT AND JOHN 3:16
In refuting the current day Christian Apologist and polemist, I will be looking a bit deeper at the pivotal verse of Christian faith and doctrine found in the book of John, 3:16. This may in fact be the most quoted verse in the Bible, while also the most misunderstood or misplaced one as well. The Christian propagates this verse and hails it at the nonbeliever at any chance possible. But, it is the false notion and misunderstanding in which they assault people that is the problem, as we will come to see here.
The aforementioned verse is not an isolated verse that can be cited without looking at the doctrinal implications behind it, or the contradiction thereof. And, though many things are left for interpretation, the Bible enthusiasts love to decorate this verse with all of the extra curricula doctrine that was not taught by Jesus himself. For instance, they love to imply that this verse is referring to the alleged death and resurrection of Jesus. However, such a doctrine and belief was NEVER taught by Jesus. We are hard pressed to find any teaching of Jesus, from the words of Jesus, that his mission was to come and die and be resurrected for the sins of man to be forgiven. Rather, it is Paul who said that, “If Christ was not raised, then your faith is in vain…” 1 Corr 15:14-17. But given this Pauline reality and teaching, everything is viewed through his theology and doctrine. Just look at the fact that John 3:16 does not have any mention of Jesus dying or being raised up. Rather, it just mentions that out of the love of God, He gave Jesus. Yet, for some reason, no Christian will quote this verse without telling you that it means the death and resurrection of Jesus! Why? Because they have been brainwashed and indoctrinated to do so. Putting this aside, let us look at some of the theological consequences and relationships of John 3:16 with Christian doctrine.
I would like to examine this verse in relation to five core Christian beliefs, and then refute each of these beliefs as non biblical and contradictory, all the while connecting it to the conclusion of John 3:16, while showing that John 3:16, in fact, does not support such false claims, not even the love of God as the bible thumper tries to impress upon us. The five core beliefs are as follows:
1. The sole need of blood for atonement (fabrication)
2.
The human god sacrifice (fabrication)
3.
The Original sin (fabrication)
4.
The holy God versus the unholy man (fabrication)
5.
The unconditional love and forgiveness
(fabrication)
Before we explore these five core Christian beliefs,
let us first have a look at the verse in John under discussion.
“For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
There are four clear declarations in this verse,
namely:
1
That God loved the world
2
That, because of this love, God gave
His son
3
That God only has One and only One son
4
And that whoever believes in this son,
will not perish but have everlasting life.
A few words about these points, before we look at our
five core Christian beliefs in relation to the verse itself and the idea of the
love, unconditional love of God as implied and declared by Christians.
When we truly
examine this and the Christian doctrine, we must conclude that this expression
of love is either a farce and a lie, or that the god of John 3:16 has failed
miserably in truly expressing his love. Why is that, do you ask? Consider this.
The verse clearly connects the fact that the son was given, due to the love of
God for the world. In other words,
giving the son was God’s way of expressing His love to the world. But, the problem arises in a related doctrine
of the Christian, which is in Predestination. The Christian believes that it is solely God
that elects His believers and man has absolutely no role in receiving the grace
of God. This is most clear in the
statement of Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9. If
it is God alone that elects those who will believe, without any action of man
that would warrant election or rejection, then this expression of giving the
son, so that to believe in him would allow for eternal life, all because of the
love of God for the world, is a hoax and a lie! How could anyone benefit from the son, when
ultimately, God is the one that elects those who will in fact believe? This
idea is akin to saying, if I have ten or more children and I promised to buy
them all new cars because of my love for them, but I know that I will only
allow a few of them to drive, while the others will never be able to, then how
is this act of buying them cars a true expression of my love? For my expression
brings absolutely no benefit to them, which means that either, my expression of
loving in giving them the cars (giving his son) was either a deceptive lie, or
I failed in truly loving them all as I stated, for I was only able to benefit a
few, in spite of my statement to all. And
the intent for benefit is clearly made clear, for accepting the son is what is
said will allow for eternal life. Evidently, God’s intent was to benefit by the
giving of the son. But in what way did
those benefit, who were never elected by God? So it is clear that this verse and what it
attempts to propose is inconsistent and incongruous with what was stated by
Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9.
The next two points; one is the idea that God gave His
son. Was this giving of His son freely
and unconditional? What was the mission of his son? Did the son know his
mission? Was this mission ever declared by God? Was this mission ever declared
by the Son? What does son mean here? Is
this some special kind of son? Which
joins the us to the point of this verse in which it says that he is the one and
Only son, only begotten son! In actual fact, God has many sons in the Bible! Adam is called the son of God. Angels are called the sons of God. So, what is it about this sonship that is so
special? Could it be the idea that Jesus was the only begotten son? Well, this is false also, as God himself declares
that he had begotten David, Psalms
2:7. Thus, it is impossible for God to
have only one begotten son since there are more than one begotten sons clearly
attributed to God in the Bible.
Lastly, let’s look
at the idea that believing in the son brings everlasting life. Well, again, according
to Christian doctrine, God is the sole decider of those elect. Man has absolutely no part to play in the
election of God. Thus, believing in the
son means nothing, because if God didn’t elect you, your belief means nothing.
It would just be a wasted life and this is most evident in the words of Jesus
in the book of Matthew, 7:21-23, where he says:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of
my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that
day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out
demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I
will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
So,
it becomes quite clear that the Christian finds himself in a serious quagmire.
On the one hand, he wants to believe in Christ for salvation, even though he
really has no ability to decide this since only God chooses the elect. Furthermore, if in fact he did believe, this
belief of his does not assure him salvation as was promised, due to the fact
that many will be rejected by Christ! So,
basically, damned if you don’t and maybe damned if you do as well. As we can see, it is not such a win-win
situation as the Christians might espouse it to be. Good luck!
Now
that we have briefly dealt with John 3:16, let us turn our attention to the
five core Christian beliefs that fail to measure up against the verse under
discussion and are either contradicted by it, or contradict it. Through this,
we will be able to conclude that the Christian doctrine and faith ultimately
fails because it is a self defeating doctrine and theology from the position of
its scripture and non-scripture based beliefs.
1.
THE
SOLE NEED OF BLOOD FOR ATONEMENT (FABRICATION)
The Christian has
been tricked and programmed into accepting a completely fabricated doctrine as
it relates to the scriptural position on atonement and the use of blood. The Christian
new blood doctrine absolutely stresses the fact that blood is the ONLY means to
forgiveness and that without blood, there is no remission of sin. This idea is found in the book of Hebrews,
9:22.
However, there are
a number of problems with this belief. First
and foremost, such an understanding was never believed or understood by the Jewish
community at any time in history and this is a very essential point to consider.
Furthermore, there is NOTHING in the Old
Testament that supports such an exaggerated and forged belief. Rather, the Old Testament states the opposite
and promotes repentance and forgiveness without any blood sacrifice. For example, refer to Ez. 33:11-16, Ez. 18:20-24,
2Chr. 7:14, Is. 55:7, Hos. 6:6, Ps. 51:17, 1Sam. 15:22, and others. We see in these verses that blood is not at
all a necessity for atonement and forgiveness. On the contrary, the Old Testament clearly
states that one can easily petition God for forgiveness through prayer and
repentance while never needing to use any blood sacrifice. Moreover, any use of a blood sacrifice would
and could never be completed without prayer and petitioning God for atonement.
Then, here comes Christianity and turns this practice completely upside down so
that they can usher in this exclusively blood atonement doctrine that could
only be satisfied by the sacrifice of the blood of a human god, an incarnate
god!
Further, the main
catalyst for this doctrine of blood atonement is found in the book of Hebrews
and it has become common knowledge that the scholars of the Bible agree almost
unanimously that the author of the book of Hebrews is UNKNOWN! Thus, we are
burdened with an unknown doctrine, presented by an unknown author! Are we really to take this seriously?
Another point to consider
is the fact that the sin offering was predominantly for “unintentional” sin. Though there are some cases in which it
extended outside of that, the common practice and stance was that it was for
unintentional sins, brought with confession for atonement. Please see, Lev. 5:14-19, Lev. 7:7-11, Num.
15:27-30 to substantiate this point. Since blood sacrifice was not required for
all sins and intentional and severe sins demanded much more than any blood
atonement could offer, how did we get to the doctrine that, without the
spilling of blood, there is no remission of sins? Who taught this ideology? Was it Abraham, Moses, or Jesus? Who? The author of the book of Hebrews, that’s who!
And who might that have been? I hope you understand the bewildering nature
of this issue now.
To close this
point, I would like to cite a very insightful verse from the Qur’an that truly
puts this discussion in its proper context. In Surah Hajj, 22:37, after
mentioning about the animals of sacrifice, though in a different context, but
very relevant in principle, it states:
“Their meat
will not reach ALLAH, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from
you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify ALLAH for that
[to] which He has guided you; and give good tiding to the doers of good.”
This verse makes
it quite clear that God is concerned with our obedience and devotion to Him,
not with the blood involved in any act. The
blood does not reach God; but rather, the demonstration and striving of the
servant to do their best to satisfy the commands of their Lord.
As we can see,
this verse of John 3:16 has almost no relevance when it comes to the issue of
blood atonement. If the Christians
insist that we, as humanity, needed an ultimate blood sacrifice, thus God,
knowing this, out of His love sent Jesus for this, then we have to beg the
question, did we in fact need a blood sacrifice for atonement in the first
place? The burden of proof is upon the
Christian to prove this! And we know
that can’t be done from the Old Testament, as we have proven! So, what do they have to prove their case? We
think nothing, but we will wait and see.
2.
THE HUMAN GOD SACRIFICE
(FABRICATION)
The great Christian reformer and theologian of
the 16th century, Martin Luther, commenting on the self loathing and
despised doctrine of Christianity, said the following; “The most damnable and
pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man is that somehow he can
make himself good enough to deserve to live with an all Holy God.”
Echoing such a mentality, the Christians berate
the world with quotes and doctrines of self loathing and self despised rhetoric
that traps the individual into a downward spiral of moral regress in order to build
up the human /god doctrine. To read some
of the earliest writings from the church fathers on how they viewed the self
and the world will make you lose your lunch in your lap if you were not
prepared. One can get a glimpse of this
sinister doctrine by reading the writings of Paul in the New Testament. For instance read the more famous support for
this in Romans 3:10-18. And then there
is the infamous quote, (always out of context), of Isaiah 64:6, in which it
states that our righteousness is like that of filthy rags. Such non contextual quotes, along with other
passages, have a twofold effect and both are ungodly and unproductive. The first is that such a pathetic disposition
prepares you for the blasphemous doctrine of incarnation of God. For one is so filthy, that God won’t even look
his way! Thus, the only way that God can
help man is if God becomes man! Then die,
so that the holy blood of the incarnate god can be spilled for the remission of
sins for man once and for all! The second effect is that such a doctrine
instills in the subconscious of the self a feeling of contentment with being
lowly and a lack of aspiration for rising above and challenging oneself to be
better in deeds before God. Why would
one exert oneself in good works when deeds are regarded as filthy rags anyway? So, remain pathetic and depend upon some
divine savior.
This doctrine is again in opposition to the Old
Testament teachings and understandings of the people for over thousands of years
before the New Testament and the new Christian faith. One will find explicit and strong verses like
Jeremiah 17:10, which states; “I the Lord search the heart and examine the
mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds
deserve.” Such a verse, along with what
we read in Psalms 37:27-29 as well as many other verses, all show that God is
expecting good deeds from us. They are to
be done earnestly, as a token of deep gratitude to God and a petition to God
for His favor and reward, not in boast.
The new doctrines taught by the
Christians of this idea of self-worthlessness is paralyzing and un godly, to
say the least.
Now, let us look a bit at this need for a
human/god and its related belief. Given
that we have proven from the Bible that God actually encourages us to do good
works and to expect to be rewarded for it, we are in no need for God to come
down himself and save us. God does not
deem us unclean and unworthy; but rather, God wants to see the best from
us. He wants to bring out the best in us
and have us achieve our maximum human potential, which is to be as righteous
and faithful as possible. All for His glory! Not that we sit on our unholy bottoms waiting
for some savior to rescue us from our lowly despised states! NO! Rise
up and be counted and do your level best before God, for your salvation depends
on it! In the Qur’an, 17:13-14, God
says, “And [for] every person, We have imposed his fate upon his neck,
and We will produce for him on the day of Resurrection a record which he will
encounter spread open. [It will be said], Read your record! Sufficient is
yourself against you (or for you) this day as accountant.”
In conclusion of this second point, as this
relates to John 3:16, after looking at the historical picture of relationship
that man has with God in trying his best to work righteousness and earn His
favor, we see that we are not by default despised and filthy and unworthy
before God. Rather we have an honor and dignity that God gave us above
everything in creation, as is
beautifully articulated in the Qur’an when it states, 17:70, “Indeed, We
have honored, (dignified) the children of Adam…” So we sit not inept, but
empowered by God to be His representative and to lead the true way of life back
to Him. We are not pathetic and in need
of a savior to come die for our sins. What we are in need of is the Divine
Watch of our Lord and His guidance through His Scripture and Messengers and His
forgiveness as we traverse this path. Thus we conclude that the Bible itself,
the Old Testament and even passages in the New Testament refutes the idea of
John 3:16, as commonly interpreted to us by the bible thumpers.
THE ORIGINAL SIN (FABRICATION)
In what has remained to be the irrefutable refutation
of this Christian doctrine, the most clear and explicit verses of Ezekiel
18:1-24, we cite for you in this point.
“The word of the Lord came to me: “What do
you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:
“ ‘The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? “As
surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will
no longer quote this proverb in Israel.
For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong
to me. The one who sins is the one who will die. “Suppose there is a righteous
man who does what is just and right. He does not eat at the mountain shrines or
look to the idols of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or have sexual relations with a woman
during her period. He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in
pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked. He does not lend to them at interest or
take a profit from them. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges
fairly between two parties. He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign Lord. “Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does
any of these other things (though the
father has done none of them): “He eats at the mountain shrines. He defiles his
neighbor’s wife. He oppresses the poor and needy. He commits robbery. He does
not return what he took in pledge. He looks to the idols. He does detestable
things. He lends at interest and takes a profit. Will such a man live? He will
not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death;
his blood will be on his own head. “But suppose this son has a son who sees all
the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such
things: “He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of Israel. He does
not defile his neighbor’s wife.
He does not oppress anyone or require a pledge
for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and
provides clothing for the naked. He withholds his hand from mistreating the
poor and takes no interest or profit from them. He keeps my laws and follows my
decrees. He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. But his
father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his
brother and did what was wrong among his people. “Yet you ask, ‘Why does the
son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and
right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The one
who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the
parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of
the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will
be charged against them. “But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins
they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right,
that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the offenses they have
committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they
have done, they will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?
declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased
when they turn from their ways and live? “But if a righteous person turns from
their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the
wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person
has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of
and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.”
This is the Jewish teaching on sin! This was
Jesus teaching on sin! This was Moses and Aaron and all of the Prophets and
Messengers teaching on sin! So where did we get this doctrine of original sin
from? Yep, you guessed it. Paul again! As he make this doctrine clear in Romans
5:19 and most explicit in 1 Corinthians 15:22. But, how does he promote such a
doctrine so fundamentally opposed to the Jewish teaching? The secret to the
answer lies in the fact that Paul was adamant about being the appointed apostle
of Jesus that would preach to the Gentiles! Why? Because he knew quite well
that his new message could no way resonate with a serious Jewish audience. For
they knew such ideas as original sin, incarnate, human sacrifice and all of
these paganistic influences into their Jewish faith was unacceptable.
A quick consideration to ask you, as we discuss
original sin, that you keep in mind that this is the same doctrine responsible
for the corrupted belief that will put millions of innocent children into the
blaze of hell, all because of the fact that sin is supposedly inherited. And
because God is so holy and sin is so lowly, that even a baby who have not
accepted the only means of sin remission, which is the blood of Jesus, will be
cast into hell, because God can’t bear to look at him. Yes, an innocent baby is
not even spared from original sin. Just something to keep in mind
In conclusion of this third point, as it relate
to John 3:16, it is obviously clear that original sin doctrine is a concocted
heretical belief. This being proven by the extensive quote from Ezekiel
18:1-24. This being the case, if no one can die for the sin of another, then
what purpose would a savior who die for your sins be? Again, proving the fallacy of the verse of
John 3:16
THE HOLY GOD VERSUS THE UNHOLY MAN (FABRICATION)
Though this is not a doctrine of the Christians
as stated, the concept is one deeply entrenched into the thoughts and theology
of the Christians. Now, we will all proclaim the Exaltedness of God and how far
removed He is from being associated in being and essence with man! But never
will we stoop to such a low opinion of God, that he has made the human being so
vile and corrupt and wicked and filthy and stained and detestable and unworthy
and inept that the only way that this creation of His could ever receive
redemption and salvation is if God himself had to come and die!
How would you feel if your father considered you
so despicable that he didn’t even want
you to tell people you were his son? He was so ashamed of you that he could not
even bear to look at you! You were so
worthless, that no matter what you did, even of good, it amounted to absolutely
nothing? How would you feel? Well, try to understand that this is the way the
Christians view God over man. They may deny it, because who would in their
right mind accept such an idea? But, when you explore the theology and doctrine
of the Christians, this is what you will come up with! Such beliefs is the
essence of making the idea of the
incarnate god a savior for man. Have you ever talked with a Christian? Have you
ever heard him say, we are too unclean? What do you think he means? Ask him.
But in the meantime, lets quote again Martin Luther, the leader of the
Protestant reformation and movement of
the 16th century; he said:
“The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind
of man is that somehow he can make himself good enough to deserve to live with
an All Holy God.” And this is just one quote. There are literally tons of such
expressions from the early church fathers on this idea.
Now, the question that needs to be asked and
addressed is this, how did man ever have any kind of fruitful personal
relationship with God prior to the advent of Jesus? If the Christians believes
that God has such a loathing attitude towards man because he is stained with
sin, then how did man last the tolerance of God for so long? Of course, we see
a quite different narrative in the Old Testament, as well as the Qur’an. We
seen several quotes from the Old Testament, and here is one most intimate verse
about God and His relationship with man. In the Qur’an 2:186; “And when my
servant ask you [O Muhammad], concerning
Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he
calls upon Me. So, let them respond to Me
[by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly]
guided.”
Now we are interested in the Christians
answering these questions, for it is their theology and doctrine that promotes
it. We would like to hear what they really have to say about it and their proof
texts from the Old Testament.
In conclusion of this fourth point, as it
relates to the verse John 3:16, if it is proven, and we believe that it is,
that the relationship between God and man was not as strained as the Christians
would have us to think, then there would be no need for a savior, as man could,
as he was turning to god in repentance long before the arrival and departure of
Jesus! Further, if this doctrine is true, then another question arises. Why
were the first followers of Jesus, even after his departure, still making sin
and guilt offerings? If Jesus act on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice, then
what were Peter and James and the others still making sacrifices at the temple?
It’s makes absolutely no sense! Just a bit more to think about and another
question to ask our Christian friends pushing the bible down your throat. Take
a minute to clear your throat, and ask a couple of questions yourself. So, we see again the failure of John 3:16.
What need was there for a savior, a divine savior, when man was already turning
to God for forgiveness? Forgiveness? That brings us to our next and final
point.
THE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND FORGIVENESS
(FABRICATION)
It would be such a nice flowery message to have
one believe, that no matter what, God loves you; this is especially the case
for the Christian since already they understand how loathsome they are to God
because of sin. Though the two beliefs are clearly contradictory to each other,
it seems that doesn’t cause much care to the Christian. But this is what their
faith adheres to. Now, the concept of love is probably thee greatest emphasis
of Christians as it relates to God, and it’s clear that John 3:16 has a great
deal to do with that. However, does the claim hold up? When we examine the
Christian doctrine and theology against the Old Testament passages we are faced
with some serious problems and these problems seems to never stop popping up. Here
I want to look at two main problems. The first is that, the view that the Christians
have of the love of God is not supported by the Old Testament. Which lends to
the belief that either God has changed, and changed drastically or that the New
Testament projection of God is a forged doctrine foreign to the earlier
revealed scriptures. And the second problem is that the concept of forgiveness
in the New Testament and amongst the Christians is misleading, even to a lie. For
if the idea that God MUST take every sin into account and that it MUST be
punished, then where is the reality of forgiveness in this? It’s nonexistent!
You cant have absolute retribution and at the same time claim forgiveness!
Now, let us explore these two problems facing
the Christian theology and doctrine and expose them for what they are.
The Christian, when asked about the love of God
will tell you that God love all and that Christians love all. But neither is
true, and this is proven from the Old Testament and the New Testament. For it
states in the Old Testament, Deut. 7:9-11, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his
covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his
commandments. But those who hate him he will repay to their face by
destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you
today.” Does this sound
unconditional to you? God is faithful… keeping His covenant of love to… those
who love him and keep His commandments… Now, is this the same God of the New
Testament? Did something change along the way? Please help us understand how
all of a sudden now in the New Testament, supposedly, God loves everyone no
matter what.
How about Psalms 7:11 “God is a righteous
judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.”
These are verses that no Christian can explain
how they coincide with their concept of God, all the long in their delusion
they believe something contrary. It is for proofs like these that we really
have to scrutinize the New Testament message and the Christian doctrine. For it
fails the test, over and over again and presents an unsupported theology that
can’t be substantiated by or through the former scriptures. Unconditional love
from God is not a biblical concept and it never has been, until the Christians
arrived and tried to make this the message of Jesus decades to centuries later
after Jesus.
Then
there is the case of forgiveness, or should we say the absence of forgiveness.
While the doctrine of the Christian is staunch on the consequence of sin is
death and that no sin can go unpunished, they are either deluded or sinful
liars to turn around and try to preach that the god of this doctrine is also
forgiving. It’s impossible for both to
be true! If God is forgiving, then He won’t punish every sin, as He will
forgive. That’s the whole purpose of forgiving, so as to not punish for the sin
committed. However, if one insist that all sins must be punish, then by default
that eliminates any idea of forgiveness, for retribution was exacted. Look at
what it states in the Bible; 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are
called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn
from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their
sin and will heal their land.” How
do we get around such explicit verses that crushes the Christian doctrine? If
there is any truth to the Old Testament, then we are forced to abandon the New
Testament. For they both can’t be correct. This reminds me of the piercing declaration
in the Qur’an 2:113 where it states, “The Jews say "The Christians have
nothing [true] to stand on," and the Christians say, "The Jews have
nothing to stand on," although they [both] recite the Scripture. Thus the
polytheists speak the same as their words. But Allah will judge between them on
the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ.” Certainly, some insightful words to conclude
with, so reflect, will you!
In conclusion of this fifth point, as it
relates to John 3:16, we have seen that the God of the Old Testament has a
particular love that is reserved for those who love Him and keep His
commandments. That He is angry at the wicked and punishes them. Yet, at the
same time, he encourages His faithful to repent and do good deeds to petition
His forgiveness. This does not sound like the God of John 3:16, who promotes an unconditional love, yet has seen
the need to send himself to come die for all sins, because he needs to spill
blood to forgive. And again, if the Old Testament is true, which the Christians
believe is the case, then John 3:16 and a great deal of the New Testament
material can’t be true as well.
This concludes our look at 5 core beliefs of
the Christian faith and how they all are proofs against the often quoted verse
of John 3:16. Moreover, we showed how the Christian doctrine and theology is
filled with contradictory precepts and unsubstantiated claims. All of this
through textual proofs and sound reasoning, we provided. We now invite our Christian friends to go back
and investigate your doctrine and theology and correct it as needed and see
that your path is neither consistent with itself nor other previous scriptures.
This we hope is enough to awaken you all to the facts of your misguidance and
serve as an impetus to your finding the truth.
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