Originally posted by Arkaleus
What if a person came and said, "Jesus was a mad man, possessed of devils, and he cured the possessed by the power of beelzebub." This was said of
him by his own people. What do you say of that?
You don't have to ask what if on this question. Someone beat you to that one by almost 2,000 years.
Matthew 12:22-26
Then they brought him (Jesus) a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people
were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself
will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
The people (Pharisees ) that made these claims were fearful of losing their position of power. Jesus message was that you must serve to become a
leader, and they didn't like that. So, they accused him of many things.
I'm siding with Ben El because I believe that the Bible is the very word of God. It has shown it's truthfulness by it's many fulfilled prophecies.
In short God has shown us the end from the beginning, proving he is the Creator. What verses in the Koran accomplish this?
The Koran attempts to mimic the Torah (First 5 books of the Bible) and sets up laws, regulations, and standards for people to follow to be allowed
into heaven. People cannot accomplish these things, and the Bible even says that the Law was given to show man's weakness. To prove to you that you
could never live in a perfect way that would prove yourself worthy to enter heaven.
The solution is that God came down to us as Jesus, and took that punishment that we deserved. If you accept His Son and the sacrifice he made you are
accepted by God. If you reject his Son, then you are rejected by God. That's the truth plain and simple.
Allah is not the same god as the Hebrew God. Allah requires you to live like this, and do that, and fast this way, and...It's similar to the original
Hebrew law. The Koran claims that you must earn your way into paradise by your acts of worship and service. I tell you that this is impossible! Can
you quote enough scriptures, or fast enough days, or pray enough hours to become perfect like God? Can you build a tower to reach Heaven, or maybe a
ladder? It can't be done, and the only solution is for God to reach to you since you can't reach him. He did so in giving us his only son, and if
you reject his son then you reject the path that God created to reach heaven. You can't build the path yourself.
I would also point out the fact that Jesus said never said to kill those who did not believe. It is that individual's decision, and they are
accountable for their own behavior. If you don't believe that Jesus was God's son, then that's your choice. You are not evil for not believing. My
religion does not call for your beheading. It is God's job to judge your actions in this manner and not men.
The Koran teaches to kill those who do not convert. Does this sound like a God who cares, and allows free-will? I argue that it does not. Free-will is
stripped away in Islam, and laws and regulations are loaded onto the backs of Mohammad's followers.
Does my signature make more sense now? You see Religion #1 is Islam. I just stripped away the names to take away bias, and let people judge between #1
and #2 by actions alone.
[Edited on 28-9-2004 by dbates]