Christianity vs. Islam

[dybmh]

I am a Christian and I have on occasion read parts of the Quran. This is the major difference between the God of the Quran (Allah) and the God of the Bible and it is significant. In the Bible, God first loved us; unconditionally. No matter what we do He still loves us. In the Quran, Allah’s love is conditional upon obedience. Obey first, then He will love you. Anyone have any thoughts?

Well... ya know... In the Qu'ran... Allah is Mericful. From the very beginning... the very first verse... Allah is "entirely merciful".

maybe that's not what you would call love. But I think Mercy is far more useful than Love. Love can be exploited. Granted that's not the sort of Love you are talking about, but... for the record...

This is the the very begining of how Allah is defined in the Qu'ran:

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. (link)

But I don't blame you for not knowing this. It took me 40+ years to learn this simple rule about Islam:

Don't believe the hype.

 

[dybmh]

One area of difference is story vs non story
The Bible is true story of true history from man going from dust to Glory.
The Koran is not written as story. Jumping around topic to topic to topic.

One area of contrast is how cohesive and tied to God's earlier revelations
The Bible reveals God progressively. Creator, law giver, redeemer
The Koran, seems to me to jump in with idols and the golden calf immediately where the Bible unfold who God is first and keeps deepening who God is rather than starting by saying what God is not.

One area is how close God is to the redeemed relationally
The Bible has the promise of sonship as a promise to the Kings descended form David leading to Jesus leading to 'adoption as sons' of all believers men and women
The Koran says that would be arrogant to wrongly say.... but... on the other hand if God so chose to adopt people would it be arrogant to say God could not do what he pleased?

I appreciate what you're saying. I do. But, it doesn't speak to the issue presented in the OP.

Obviously the two are different religions...That's why some people like Christianity, and some people like Islam, but few people like them both... except for the Baha'i ( bless their hearts ).

But your comment doesn't speak to the nature of G-d... unless I missed it

 

[whirlingmerc]

I appreciate what you're saying. I do. But, it doesn't speak to the issue presented in the OP.

Obviously the two are different religions...That's why some people like Christianity, and some people like Islam, but few people like them both... except for the Baha'i ( bless their hearts ).

But your comment doesn't speak to the nature of G-d... unless I missed it

I did speak partly to the nature of God
but I will try again

In the Bible God is true to Himself and his name is tied to his character which includes lovingkindness I add that in a Trinity there is love and community and communication along with glory from eternity and love is first hand part of God's character Power and glory go together. God is good and God is great and God is love.

In the Koran God is powerful and before the creation was made there would not be anything else to love and in that sense power is more first hand to God's nature and love more secondhand

 

[whirlingmerc]

I appreciate what you're saying. I do. But, it doesn't speak to the issue presented in the OP.

Obviously the two are different religions...That's why some people like Christianity, and some people like Islam, but few people like them both... except for the Baha'i ( bless their hearts ).

But your comment doesn't speak to the nature of G-d... unless I missed it

Man is made in 'the image of God' in both, but that works out in a more relational way in the Bible

In the Bible God is more strongly relational inviting man made in his image to the adaptation as sons, to a familial relation, to 'the marriage supper of the lamb' The redeened are a crown to God. God is a crown to them. Heaven is radically God centered in the Bible.

In the Koran, God is not as relational and more aloof. Ironically heaven is more man centered in the Koran with little prayer or praise toward God and allot of creature comforts toward man. Am I wrong?

And as I pointed out the Bible unfolds who God is over thousands of years and in a consistent way being 'true story' as the late Leslie Newbingen would say

 

[loverofhumanity]

I am a Christian and I have on occasion read parts of the Quran. This is the major difference between the God of the Quran (Allah) and the God of the Bible and it is significant. In the Bible, God first loved us; unconditionally. No matter what we do He still loves us. In the Quran, Allah’s love is conditional upon obedience. Obey first, then He will love you. Anyone have any thoughts?

The Revelation of Muhammad embraces the Bible so God’s unconditional love still continues. God loves us all but more blessings flow to those who obey God’s laws and commandments.

 

[whirlingmerc]

I appreciate what you're saying. I do. But, it doesn't speak to the issue presented in the OP.

Obviously the two are different religions...That's why some people like Christianity, and some people like Islam, but few people like them both... except for the Baha'i ( bless their hearts ).

But your comment doesn't speak to the nature of G-d... unless I missed it

I am a Christian and I have on occasion read parts of the Quran. This is the major difference between the God of the Quran (Allah) and the God of the Bible and it is significant. In the Bible, God first loved us; unconditionally. No matter what we do He still loves us. In the Quran, Allah’s love is conditional upon obedience. Obey first, then He will love you. Anyone have any thoughts?

The particular issue of love is in part that in the Bible fallen man cannot really love God. "we love him because he first loved us. Just as God breaded physical life into Adam, Jesus breathes spiritual life into people as they are saved by the Holy Spirit. God loved the elect from eternity and radically changes their desires from enemies of God to children of God to love Himself.

In the Koran, man is not fallen so much and pulls himself up by his own bootstraps in obedience. God's mercy is mainly toward those who follow him and in response.

 

[whirlingmerc]

The Revelation of Muhammad embraces the Bible so God’s unconditional love still continues. God loves us all but more blessings flow to those who obey God’s laws and commandments.

God is benevolent to all but Fatherly to the redeemed.

A difference is how one is redeemed. The father draws the redeemed in the Bible and they are born again with new and better treasures

Ironically Jesus would say some very religious very obedient looking people did not have the love of God in them. But isn't that human nature to think better of themselves than one ought?

Being redeemed is an act of God in the Bible, perhaps an act of man in the Koran?

 

[whirlingmerc]

The Revelation of Muhammad embraces the Bible so God’s unconditional love still continues. God loves us all but more blessings flow to those who obey God’s laws and commandments.

The love of God in the Bible comes from the amazing strong love the Father had for the Son in the Trinity from all eternity. The church is in Christ and the Father loves them with the love he had every before the world was made

The love of God in the Koran is not Go';s love for God and even the Koran says 'God does not love sinners' and yet in the Bible 'God demonstrated his love for us that while sinners Christ died for us'

"It is no defect of a great fountain that it might overflow"
Jonathan Edwards in the End for which God created the world on creation

 

[Link]

I am a Christian and I have on occasion read parts of the Quran. This is the major difference between the God of the Quran (Allah) and the God of the Bible and it is significant. In the Bible, God first loved us; unconditionally. No matter what we do He still loves us. In the Quran, Allah’s love is conditional upon obedience. Obey first, then He will love you. Anyone have any thoughts?

In English, you can love a person without adoration. Another word for that is compassion.

In Arabic, the word for he doesn't like disbelievers or love in that sense, is hub. You guys see inclusive of compassion type.

The Quran says God has compassion for all things, even the dark enemy of humanity, Iblis.

God compassion in this sense, his love in this sense, is that concerning past destroyed people who mocked the Prophets, he express "O intense grief concerning my servants...."

Mawada is a high level of love for example that includes affection and cannot be applied to abstract concepts. Compassion also cannot be applied to abstract concepts.

Hub can be applied to abstract concepts, for love of the dunya.

In English, love is used and it's by context you know what it means.

In Arabic there is many different words, so it's not as contextually dependent.

 

[sooda]

One area of difference is story vs non story
The Bible is true story of true history from man going from dust to Glory.
The Koran is not written as story. Jumping around topic to topic to topic.

One area of contrast is how cohesive and tied to God's earlier revelations
The Bible reveals God progressively. Creator, law giver, redeemer
The Koran, seems to me to jump in with idols and the golden calf immediately where the Bible unfold who God is first and keeps deepening who God is rather than starting by saying what God is not.

One area is how close God is to the redeemed relationally
The Bible has the promise of sonship as a promise to the Kings descended form David leading to Jesus leading to 'adoption as sons' of all believers men and women
The Koran says that would be arrogant to wrongly say.... but... on the other hand if God so chose to adopt people would it be arrogant to say God could not do what he pleased?

You should read the Bible Unearthed to learn more about the origins of the Hebrews ..

The Bible Unearthed - Wikipedia

 

[sooda]

God is benevolent to all but Fatherly to the redeemed.

A difference is how one is redeemed. The father draws the redeemed in the Bible and they are born again with new and better treasures

Ironically Jesus would say some very religious very obedient looking people did not have the love of God in them. But isn't that human nature to think better of themselves than one ought?

Being redeemed is an act of God in the Bible, perhaps an act of man in the Koran?

Muhammed preached "Save yourselves, I cannot save you. Return to the God of Abraham".

 

[leov]

You should probably read the whole thing.

It's a little unfair to be making sweeping judgements on the quality of the Qur'an without having read the whole thing. It also essential to make some attempt at understanding the terms in which a religious tradition understands and interprets its texts.


God love is unconditional, but not unconditionally to our ultimate benefit of salvation which is dependant on our cooperation with divine grace. (And yes, obedience to the divine will is a part of that cooperation).

"the Cow" would be enough to understand original idea.

 

[AJustA]

hi
only the true creator can lead us into right way of true living , right ?
so who is the right " Creator " on this world ? Jesus ? Allah ? Nature ?

 

[whirlingmerc]

Muhammed preached "Save yourselves, I cannot save you. Return to the God of Abraham".

And perhaps that is a difference. Man cannot save themselves as Psalm 49 says

The depth of the fall requires God to be the one doing the saving work and requires a depth of love on his part to be the one starting it. The cross is not a crutch but a stretcher lifting us to God for new life.

"Salvation is of the Lord"
Jonah

 

[whirlingmerc]

hi
only the true creator can lead us into right way of true living , right ?
so who is the right " Creator " on this world ? Jesus ? Allah ? Nature ?

Since Jesus walked out of his tomb I would listen to Him.
I think we can rule out Nature and go with Natures God

 

[AJustA]

what you mean jesus is the right creator?

 

[whirlingmerc]

You should read the Bible Unearthed to learn more about the origins of the Hebrews ..

The Bible Unearthed - Wikipedia

There are a variety of views but
I would lean toward the archeology of Bryant Wood on that

 

[Link]

The Quran shows and proves beyond doubt, those who deify other then God himself and worship others, do so for their idols of this world which are their own leaders they chose.

Family is important, but God and the path of his guiding by the truth should not be compromised for sake of family.

It's hard to leave idols our family make. Even Mohammad if we blindly follow scholars or disobey God to obey scholars, becomes an idol among our idols and even a less idol compared to the reverence and value we give the scholars we obey.

Neither Christians nor Muslims worship God alone, till, they return their affairs to God and stop idolizing humans to justify their identity that Iblis creates in falsehood in them.

We need leadership true, so God provides that, after the founder, twelve luminaries. It was true of the past, and is true of the family of the reminder today.

"Twelver manner of fruits and the leaves were a healing for the nations" - Revelations.

The rope of God it's upon God to keep going and establish. We need not make our own clergy or authority other then God's appointed exalted leaders.

 

[whirlingmerc]

what you mean jesus is the right creator?

The gospel of John claims Jesus was God's word, the 'let there be' creating the universe.
The epistles have the world not only made by through to Jesus but FOR Jesus.

 

[sooda]

Bryant Wood is agenda driven.. He is an example of pseudoarchaeology.

Bryant G. Wood is a biblical archaeologist and young earth creationist. He is Research Director of Associates for Biblical Research and editor of their quarterly archaeology magazine Bible and Spade, which is explicitly committed to the use of archaeology to demonstrate the historical veracity of the Old and New Testaments.
Bryant G. Wood - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryant_G._Wood