Which Sword? Questions for Muslims on Peace and the Quran

I recently read the Quran. As well as reading the Quran, I have finished all the works of Rumi the Sufi. Although I am a Christian, I value all other perspectives and feel that truth is anywhere we choose to look. As long as our view of God is based on love, we can see Him at work in the entire world. I also firmly believe that man's enemy is Satan. I recently discussed these issues in a Muslim forum.

Jesus is a messenger to the Muslims, just as Mohamed is considered a messenger. As I have a broad understanding of many ancient works, I realized something right away about this fact.

Does it seem to be a paradox that Jesus message was to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself? I am unaware of how the Muslim stands with this message so I wanted to get an understanding first hand in their forums. I call this a paradox because Jesus goes on to define the neighbor as the enemy. In Luke 10, this is the story of the good Samaritan. The Samaritans and the Jews were bitter enemies. A Jew fell on the path of life one day and His fellow Hebrews passed him by. Only his enemy stopped to help. The Samaritan went so far as to pay his way at an Inn and offered to come back if he needed more.

The reason I mention this paradox in my mind is simple: Issac is the brother to Ishmael. This means they are family. The entire rivalry is based on a birthright argument as stated in the Bible. Regardless of who was right, we know from God that the family is the most sacred bond that anyone can hold. My questions in the forums was really one of confusion.

How can one brother hate the other brother and still claim to be a follower of Jesus message of love? It seems that this cancels belief in God since Jesus states that a true believer loves his neighbor (even enemy). Since Issac is Ishmael's brother, then the family bond should override this feud over the birthright, even in the eyes of God. Would God approve of this family feud carrying over to bloodshed and violence?

Is it not safer to understand that Satan is the real enemy here? I know it sounds cliché to use Satan, but is it hard to believe a malevolent being exists in our large universe? 90% of our universe is invisible to our senses. It stands to reason that consciousness is not restricted to just visible substance. It also stands to reason a benevolent being, bound by law, would seek to protect us in a way that allows us to learn how to defeat an enemy by truth and not hatred. If God is what He claims, then truth is the sword to use.

Throughout history, the entity known as Satan has sought to divide and conquer. This is the Roman tactic to keep nations subservient to the tyrant. It seems man and God are bound to using man as the proxy for their battle. It seems obvious that a world descending into chaos, brother fighting against brother, is specifically what Satan would want. If peace can come from love, then why is hate trying to dispel hate. Only love, it seems, can dispel hate. Both sides seem to be bound by some cosmic law of free will and influence of that will.

One more question. I see the flaming sword protecting the tree of life as bias and hatred against others. Since Jesus says that the key to eternal life is love for everyone, including God and enemies, is it safe to say that Satan is using this knowledge to blind both brothers to the truth? Is it possible that Jesus was trying to tell us that a true believer brings peace to the world, not with the sword of hate, but with the sword of truth? LOVE?

As I contend HERE , this story we live is a lesson for the development of our sentience. We must make the choice of love or suffer our mistake.

Well if the Bible says Jesus said it then it must be true

But I appreciate the underlying message, very true. Shame it needs religiousityness to make people see its validity

reply to post by SuperiorEd

Does it seem to be a paradox that Jesus message was to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself? I am unaware of how the Muslim stands with this message so I wanted to get an understanding first hand in their forums.

I'm not sure if your aware of this, but, Islam is taught from both the Bible and the Q'uran (however you like to spell it).

Muslims (I am not Islamic but I know a fair few Muslims) believe in Jesus and the teachings of the Bible(including the Old Testament) as well as the teachings in the Q'uran.

From what has been explained to me, the wars such as between Palestinians and Zionists is mainly due to land disputes. The religious differences are just focused on by the MSM and racists venting their own opinions.

You will find that most Arabs are "for" peace in the Middle-East and shun violence of any kind, despite what we hear on the evening news.

Muslims don't generally claim that Ishmael got it any better than Isaac. According to Islam, they were both recipients of Abraham's covenant.

What flaming sword do you refer to?

Originally posted by OccamAssassin
reply to post by SuperiorEd

 

Does it seem to be a paradox that Jesus message was to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself? I am unaware of how the Muslim stands with this message so I wanted to get an understanding first hand in their forums.

I'm not sure if your aware of this, but, Islam is taught from both the Bible and the Q'uran (however you like to spell it

).

Muslims (I am not Islamic but I know a fair few Muslims) believe in Jesus and the teachings of the Bible(including the Old Testament) as well as the teachings in the Q'uran.

From what has been explained to me, the wars such as between Palestinians and Zionists is mainly due to land disputes. The religious differences are just focused on by the MSM and racists venting their own opinions.

You will find that most Arabs are "for" peace in the Middle-East and shun violence of any kind, despite what we hear on the evening news.

That is good to know. The forum replies I received stated that the OT and NT were forgeries to Muslims. This is their cop-out I suppose. I would imagine most Muslims and most Christians are misunderstood by the reputations of the corrupt few at the top. I can honestly say that there are so many divisions, we are not seen clearly by the world. Again, more proof of Divide and Conquer working still to this day. People will never learn from history if they don't bother studying it. As we all know, leaders will claim any false face they can use if it promotes their agendas. More proof the Bible is what it claims. It's never incorrect to it's claims.

Originally posted by babloyi
Muslims don't generally claim that Ishmael got it any better than Isaac. According to Islam, they were both recipients of Abraham's covenant.

What flaming sword do you refer to?

The plan for man could have gone one of two ways. We were offered edication by following God or on our own. We followed the lie of pride. This fall caused our education to be toil of our hands. The prize is the tree of life. The flaming sword of bias and hatred is disbelief. We unlock it with love to gain access. Jesus was the first Adam and last Adam.

1 Corinthians 15:45
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being” ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

“nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many” (Romans 5:14-15).

Genesis 3

17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”

20 Adam[c] named his wife Eve,[d] because she would become the mother of all the living.

21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[e] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.