In the name of God, the beneficent and most merciful.
“The Quran and the Bible do not contradict each other, except where the Bible contradicts itself.”
I shall begin this article by mentioning a quote from Albert Einstein. A scientist who did not discount the fact that there is a creator of the heavens and the earth.
“Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.” ~Albert Einstein
Current situation right now
The world we live in right now, 2000 years after prophet ‘Isa(Jesus) and 1400 years after prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon them both) is wrought with many challenges to our faith and our decent and moral way of life.
Worldly distractions, temptations and other detractions that make us stray from the right path abound.
But I hope all of mankind would believe in God and be steadfast in following the way in which God has decreed for us.
This world is not permanent. We are transient beings
First and foremost, I’d like to remind myself and to everyone in this world that this world is not permanent. Everything shall come to pass.
“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19)
“From the (earth) did We create you, and into it shall We return you, and from it shall We bring you out once again.” (Quran chapter Ta-Ha. 20:55)
From these 2 similar message from both the Bible and the Quran, we can understand that everything comes from the Creator and to Him shall all things in this world be returned to.
It is with this basic belief that a person has peace in his heart; no matter whatever greatness that has been bestowed on him, or whatever calamity that has befallen him. Because the believing person knows that all these that he faces will all come to pass. Nothing is permanent.
Search for the Truth
The topic at hand is a rather huge undertaking for me as a student of knowledge who has just started to get deeper into his own faith in God. But nevertheless, I strongly believe in writing this out as a way of laying out my own thinking and also to help others out there who are searching out for the truth. May this article reach your heart to get you to search out for the truth yourself.
The need to recognize other religions in this planet
Because the world has become smaller with the advent of high speed communication, mode of transportation and other speedy contraptions; it has become common knowledge to everyone that there are many religions out there, calling out to mankind to acknowledge and to worship God the creator of the heavens and the earth.
There are of course people who reject the idea of God in totality. I will of course address this in another article, to try to explain that rejecting the “idea” of the existence of God is illogical. As a quick insight to this, picture a key.
The question is this: Who made the key, and for what purpose is the creation of this key?
another similar question that every human being asks him or herself: Who made me, and what is the purpose of my existence?
In the bible, there is an answer to this:
“Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)
In the Quran, there is a similar message to that in the Bible:
“I have only created jinns and men, that they may worship Me.” (Quran chapter Adh Dhariyat [The wind that scatter] 51:56)
What does the word “Islam” mean?
At this point I think it will be good to educate and remind everyone in the world the meaning of the word “Islam” in the English language. Islam is an arabic word and it is derived from the root word سلم which means submission to the will of God. It also means peace.
Islam means submission to the will of God.
A person who does Islam, is called a Muslim.
In English, a person who does an action, a suffix “er“ is added to the verb. For example:
Work > worker
Travel > traveller
Recite > reciter
but we don’t say Islam > Islamer
In Arabic, the prefix “mu” is added to the verb. As an example:
سفر (safr = travel) >مسافر (musafr = traveller)
Azan (the call to prayer) > Muazan (the person who does the call to prayer)
Islam (submission to will of God) > Muslim (the person who submits to the will of God)
All religions in this world calls out to us to do good and acknowledge the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Most people after realizing that there are many religions out there, will come to the conclusion that all religions are the same. All of these religions are calling out to mankind for the very things that are already in the basic human natural instinct; that is to do good, have good moral values and to acknowledge that there is a greater power that creates the heavens and the earth.
This basic human instinct is actually ingrained in us all. Ever since we were born. In Islam we call this the state of Fitra.
Fitra means in the pure, sinless, faultless and with the basic understanding of moral values and the acknowledgement and submission to the will of God (Islam).
Prophet Muhammad said, “No child is born except on Al-fitra (Islam) and then his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian (Zoroastrian), as an animal produces a perfect young animal: do you see any part of its body amputated?”
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 441
Some people may also say that all religions have the same goal, it is just that the way to reach the “end goal” is different.
If all religions have the same end purpose but their means to reach this end purpose all differ from each other, which one should we follow?
A skeptical mind will definitely think that all these religions are all man-made! If they are man-made, why then should we follow a man-made religion?
That will surely be FOLLY!
Surely we can’t be following the ways of ALL these religions without questioning them. The only logical question that comes to our mind is:
which is the TRUE path to reach God? How do I know that what I am following is not man-made? Can you prove it?
Produce your proof if truly without doubt your religion is not man-made and completely from God almighty.
Because our topic focusses on the Quran and the Bible, I will only be discussing on the 2 religions that use these books.
Christians hold on dearly to their Bible as the true words of God and they believe that no one will enter paradise unless they be Christians.
People of the Jewish faith also hold their Bible as the true words of God. They too believe that none will enter paradise unless they be Jewish.
Do note that both of these faiths use the same books.
The Jews say: “The Christians have naught (to stand) upon; and the Christians say: “The Jews have naught (To stand) upon.” Yet they (Profess to) study the (same) Book. Like unto their word is what those say who know not; but Allah will judge between them in their quarrel on the Day of Judgment.(Quran, chapter Al Baqarah [The cow] 2:113)
To understand what I mean by quoting this verse from the Quran, watch this dialogue between a Jewish rabbi Tovia Singer and a Christian Dr. William Lane Craig.
What do Muslims say about this?
God says in the Quran:
“And they say: “None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.” Those are their (vain) desires. Say: “Produce your proof if ye are truthful.” (Quran Chapter Al Baqarah [The Cow] 2:111)
Examining the 2 Holy books: The Bible and the Quran
The Bible is regarded by Christians all over the world as the true words of God. Inside it contains the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.
Christians do not believe in any other book to guide them in this world and the hereafter. Because of this, most Christians do not know much about Islam, let alone the contents in the Quran.
The Quran is regarded by all Muslims all over the world as the true word of God. Inside it contains the last revelation from God and it is regarded by Muslims as the Final Testament.
Why do Muslims regard the Quran as the Final Testament? This is because Muslims believe in both the Old and the New Testament that was originally bestowed upon prophet Musa (Moses), prophet Dawud (David) and prophet ‘Isa (Jesus). Peace and blessings to them all.
And prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings to him) was given the final revelations from God through the angel Gabriel (Jibreel) as a rahmah (mercy, compassion) and guidance for all mankind till the end of time.
Before I begin a humble surface examination of the 2 books, I’d like to clear a few common misconceptions about the Quran and get it out of the way first.
Common misconception about the Quran
1) The Quran is not a book. “Quran” means “Recitation”. Quran is something that you recite and listen to. For example, you can only play and listen to music. The sheet music that you see is just a representation of that music. The Quran has been preserved and protected for 1400 years not through storing of the physical book, but through the memorization of all the 114 chapters in totality. Letter for letter. And today, there are millions of Muslims who have memorized the whole Quran. And each Muslim also has at the very least one chapter memorized and that is the first chapter called Fatiha (The Opening).
2) Translations of the Quran are not to be taken as the authentic Quran. As I have presented in my previous article with regards to translations, we must acknowledge that any translations of the Quran done by man inherently come with the translator’s own perception of the meaning of the Quran. It does not necessarily convey the true original meaning of the Quran. Why so? This is because Arabic is a very rich language. A single root word in Arabic can convey multiple meanings. Muslims are exceptionally particular on the authenticity of the Quran. Translations are not considered the authentic Quran. Any ambiguity that arises from these translations should be resolved by referring back to the original source which is in Arabic.
Now that these misconceptions are out of the way, let’s examine the text in the Holy Bible.
Bible is the word of God as claimed by Christians
First and foremost let’s agree that all Christians hold the belief that the Bible is beyond any doubt the word of God, in its entirety. And because of this, the life of a Christian believer must be based on the teachings in the Bible. All the verses in the Bible must serve to guide a person to do good and be morally upright.
A verse from the Bible sums this up:
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2 Timothy 3:16) [King James Version]
There is a difficulty here, because in my study of the Bible, I find a few stories like these below:
Genesis 19:30-38 [King James Version]
And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.(30)
And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:(31)
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. (32)
And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. (33)
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. (34)
And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. (35)
Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. (36)
And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. (37)
And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. (38)
I find it perplexing as to understand what lesson we can learn from this story.
This story is basically that of incest.
Which part of this story can we use for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness?
Prophet Lot as depicted in the Holy Bible. Travesty I say!
Surely we cannot simply READ into this story and try to spin this story and justify there is a moral to this story? What is the moral of the story really? Not to do incest? Surely not, for there is not even another verse that comes after it that tells of prophet Lot’s daughters regretting what they had done and asked for forgiveness from God. There is not even a verse after this that tells of Prophet Lot whether or not he wondered who’s child is inside both his daughters’ womb. No verse that tells of any of these characters in the Bible that they regretted what had happened.
No where in this story it is mentioned that incest is wrong!
Now let’s set aside prejudices and take this story into modern context. For example, if this same story is placed in a regular fiction book or in a film with these characters’ names all changed.
Will you tell this story or show this film to your children or little siblings, just to teach them that incest is wrong?
Genesis 19:30-38 is not only contradictory to 2 Timothy 3:16, it is unspeakably immoral.
Another incest story in the Holy Bible, this time it is between a man’s wife and his son.
Genesis 35:22 [American King james version]
And it came to pass, when Israel dwelled in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
Firstly the name Israel here is referring to prophet Jacob. The verses prior to this gives the man (who’s concubine’s name is Bilhah) the name of Jacob. But when it comes to this verse, the man’s name is changed to Israel.
If I didn’t read this carefully, I would have thought that it wasn’t Jacob’s wife that commited incest with Jacob’s son.
No matter, the point of contention here is this : What part if any, of this story can we use for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness?
Again, there is NO verse that comes after this that mentions of any regret on the part of Jacob’s wife, nor his son. What is mentioned though is that “Israel heard it“. He heard it and….?
Logically, I personally can’t and I won’t be able to draw any good moral conclusion from this story.
This is not an attack against Christianity, but rather to question the relevancy of such stories in a book purported to be the word of God
Thus far as I explore the bible further, I’d like to state that I am NOT attacking or putting down anybody with the Christian faith. What I am doing is putting across the difficulties I faced as I read the bible and studying it now. As I study the bible, I wish to reach a fair conclusion of the matter, to decide for myself whether I can really say that the Holy Bible is truly the word of God.
I also wish to reach a fair conclusion for myself whether I or anybody else for that matter, can use the Bible, word for word, as a guidance for the whole of humanity to the righteous path.
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33) Modern King James Version.
“But Allah doth call to the Home of Peace: He doth guide whom He pleaseth to a way that is straight.” (Quran Chapter Yunus 2:111)
Let’s examine another story in the Holy Bible.
Yet another incest story, between a father and his daughter-in-law.
Genesis 38:2-30 [American King james Version]
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in to her. (2)
And she conceived, and bore a son; and he called his name Er. (3)
And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she called his name Onan. (4)
And she yet again conceived, and bore a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore him. (5)
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. (6)
And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. (7)
And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother. (8)
And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. (9)
–> Let me interrupt here and comment. What Onan did is what is now known as Onanism or the medical term called coitus interruptus.
Onanism...or in modern context Masturbation
And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: why he slew him also. (10)
–> Let me interrupt here and comment. So from here we know that Onanism is wrong. But this is a very graphic way of letting us know. Would you really want to read this to your sister or brother? Or would you read this to your children?
Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at your father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brothers did. And Tamar went and dwelled in her father’s house. (11)
And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. (12)
And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold your father in law goes up to Timnath to shear his sheep. (13)
And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him to wife. (14)
–> Let me interrupt here and comment. So Tamar seeked out Judah and wanting to seek revenge for herself because Judah did not fulfill his promise, which was to marry Shelah to her.
When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face. (15)
And he turned to her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray you, let me come in to you; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What will you give me, that you may come in to me? (16)
And he said, I will send you a kid from the flock. And she said, Will you give me a pledge, till you send it? (17)
And he said, What pledge shall I give you? And she said, Your signet, and your bracelets, and your staff that is in your hand. And he gave it her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him. (18)
–> Again please let me interrupt here and comment. The sexual act between Judah and Tamar. Do we really need to know in detail like this? A wrongful sexual act might I add. All these in the Holy Bible. God forbid!
Judah asking Tamar how much for her harlotry services
And she arose, and went away, and laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. (19)
And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not. (20)
Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place. (21)
And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place. (22)
And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and you have not found her. (23)
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar your daughter in law has played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by prostitution. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. (24)
When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray you, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. (25)
And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She has been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more. (26)
And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. (27)
And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. (28)
And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How have you broken forth? this breach be on you: therefore his name was called Pharez. (29)
And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread on his hand: and his name was called Zarah. (30)
–>Side note: And here, the twins, born out of incest, according to the bible will be the forbears of Jesus Christ!
And that’s it! No repentance made to God for this sinful act at all! No verses after this story about any repentance to God? What does this mean?
Which part of this story can we use for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness?
Why does a book of God as claimed by Christians have these stories inside it?
Why do many Christian preachers like to spin this story into something that has value in it when clearly there is none?
If truly the Holy bible can be used as doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, shouldn’t these clear verses stated below which are already inside the Holy Bible be more than sufficient?
Moses with the commandments
“You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:10) [Modern King James Version]
“And a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, who commits adultery with his neighbors’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:10) [Modern King James Version]
“And the man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be on them.” (Leviticus 20:11) [Modern King James Version]
“And if a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have performed a perversion; their blood shall be on them.” (Leviticus 20:12) [Modern King James Version]
“If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.“
“If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal.“
“If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.“
“If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.“
“If a man lies with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be cut off from their people.“
“Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.“
“If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.“
“If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.“
Maybe these clear verses in the bible are not sufficient. Because I found other stories of the same graphic sexual nature in the Holy Bible!
Here is the story of two sisters named Oholah and Oholibah who became prostitutes in Egypt…
Ezekiel 23:3 [Modern King James Version]
And they fornicated in Egypt; they whored in their youth, their breasts were handled, and there their virgin nipples were worked.
–> whoa this is really heavy…
Ezekiel 23:8-10 [Modern King James Version]
Nor did she leave her fornications from Egypt. For in her youth they lay with her, and they worked her virgin nipples, and they poured their fornications on her.
Therefore I have given her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians on whom she lusted.
They uncovered her nakedness. They took her sons and and her daughters and killed her with the sword. And she became notorious among women, and they executed judgement on her.
–> oh my goodness…that verse is talking about Oholah…the next few verses also of the same nature talks about her sister Oholibah. But it is too much sex here so please look up the verses yourselves…but I’d like to highlight on the following verses that comes afterwards…
Ezekiel 23:20 [New International Version]
There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.
–> WHAT?? Her lovers’ genitals were as big as those of donkeys?? And the spurt of their semen is as strong as those of horses??????
–> All these in the HOLY BIBLE?
Ezekiel 23:21 [Modern King James Version]
So you longed for the wickedness of your youth, when the Egyptians worked your nipples, for the sake of the breasts of your youth.
–> WHAT???????? No doubt that the verses after these are condemning the actions of the 2 sisters. But at what cost to the readers of this Holy Bible???? What are we to make of it when such words conjure up mental images of sexual acts that make the heart goes pumping wild and yet so vividly sinful???
"my heart is pumping too fast....help..."
No matter if Christian scholars take this story as a parable (a story that has a deeper meaning); the fact remains that such graphic indecent story is in a holy book like the Bible should never have been in there in the first place.
There are more such stories of graphic sexual nature in the Holy bible. But I will not list anymore here.
However, as a final take on this, I came across an interview of the Reverend Doctor Yap Kim Hao by the Online Citizen on the topic of homosexuality.
Reverend Doctor Yap Kim Hao
Here is a man learned in the book of God. He is not a lay Christian on the street, but a man with solid credentials;
1)Master of Divinity and Doctor of theology degrees from the Boston University School of Theology
2) Consecrated the 1st Asian Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia in 1968
3) Was made the Visiting Professor of World Christianity at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.
A respectable man no doubt. His statement as reported by the Online Citizen has brought about some controversy within the Christian community in Singapore.
He stated that “the Church (not the Bible) discriminates against gays.“
Is this really true? Is this what the Bible really says about homosexual relations?
From what I can find in the Bible that is MOST clear is this:
“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their heads.” (Leviticus 20:13) [New International Version]
“that is, if he understands that the law is not intended for righteous people but for lawbreakers and rebels, for ungodly people and sinners, for those who are unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers, their mothers, or other people (9), for those involved in sexual immorality, for homosexuals, for kidnappers, for liars, for false witnesses, and for whatever else goes against the healthy teaching(10)”. (1 Timothy 1:9-10) [International Standard Version]
And in the Quran;
“What! do you come to the males from among the creatures, And leave what your Lord has created for you of your wives? Nay, you are a people exceeding limits” (Quran Chapter Ash-Shu’araa’ [The Poets] 26:165-166)
“Would ye really approach men in your lusts rather than women? Nay, ye are a people (grossly) ignorant!” (Quran Chapter An-Naml [The Ants] 27:55)
It is one thing to reach out to this group of people to turn to their Lord for salvation in the hereafter, but to condone such acts and to reinterpret the teachings in the Bible to suit one’s own agenda is totally unacceptable and blasphemous. It goes against the fundamentals of the teachings in the Bible itself.
In the interview Reverend Doctor Yap Kim Hao went on to say: “In a more careful study of the Bible I realised that the words of the Bible were not dictated or handed down by God. Faithful and inspired men and a few women received what they believed to be revelations which were not literal words but interpretations of their understanding of what God had revealed.”
What he is saying here, is an affirmation of what God mentioned in the Quran about the Bible:
“Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:”This is from Allah,” to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby” (Quran Chapter Al-Baqarah [The cow] 2:79)
Reverend Doctor Yap Kim Hao then said this in the interview: “The Christian community must re-study the Scriptures and reflect upon the interpretation of the particular passages relating to same-sex acts and come to their own decision whether the Church’s official teaching that homosexuality is a sin or not.”
Yes re-study the Scriptures; I totally agree. But for this matter those verses which I have quoted above is more than enough to show what the Bible says about the matter. To reinterpret the story of Lot (before him purportedly being drunk and doing perverted acts with his daughters) and to derive meaning contrary to Leviticus 20:13 and 1 Timothy 1:9-10 is simply creating more contradictions in one’s own belief in faith!
God says in the Quran:
“Ye People of the Book! Why do ye clothe Truth with falsehood, and conceal the Truth, while ye have knowledge?” (Quran Chapter Ali-’Imran [The Family of Imran] 3:71)
—> Do note that this “People of the Book” in this verse here is referring to The Jews, Christians and the Muslims as well.
Reverend Doctor Yap Kim Hao has made a good call to all Christians to study the Bible in totality. And with regard to studying the Bible, I am doing just that right now.
I realized the words of God can still be found in the Bible as I cross reference with the Quran. The true words of God ARE in the Bible, but littered with profanities, explicit sexual stories, immoral acts that are recounted in detail as well as other things which are highly suspect. These other things I will write about in my next article as I progress further in my study of the Bible.
If one wants to be assured that one’s belief has to be based on a book of God that is pure and unadulterated, it is only logical to demand for the original source.
And that is what Bible scholars are doing and have been doing. But again, they could only get by with biblical manuscripts that dates back to 300-400 A.D. Nothing prior to that exist today.
A respected Bible scholar by the name of Bart Erhman who has studied the Bible and gone on to search out for the original manuscripts that are in the Greek language has a LOT to say about this.
Listen to what he has to say in this lecture called “Misquoting Jesus: Scribes Who altered Scripture and Readers Who may never know” at Stanford University in 2007.
Watch the rest of the lecture by following the links available in youtube.
Done watching it? Good if you have. If not, then I’ll summarize what he said based on his findings.
In essence, what he said was we don’t have a copy of a copy of a copy ……. of anything of the original.
http://www.bartdehrman.com/books/misquoting_jesus.htm
Read his book here. You may also want to check up on his credentials as well.
http://www.bartdehrman.com/biography.htm
Now this statement is a really bold one indeed.
Because for people who based their faith on the Book of God which is now found to be based on something that is not of the true original scriptures, then what are these people basing their faith on really?
What Bart Ehrman has done has made him agnostic. This is a very sad thing because to lose faith altogether is to be lost in this world and the hereafter.
I urge all of us regardless we are Jews, Christians or Muslims; read, ponder and increase your faith by reading the Old Testament, the New Testament as well as the Last Testament (Quran). All three books. Read them ALL so you may understand that we ALL believe in the same Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.
‘Say: “O People of the Book! come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah.” If then they turn back, say ye: “Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will).’ (Quran Chapter Ali ‘Imran [The family of Imran] 3:64)
Thus far, earlier in this article, I have quoted a number of verses from the Bible along with the verses from the Quran that are very similar in its message.
To me this clearly shows that the Quran and the Bible complement each other. And because of this, it has to come from the same Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.
They do not contradict each other, accept where the Bible contradicts itself.
So let’s move on to other contradictory materials in the Bible.
to be continued..
[/caption]From here, I have another question, why do Christians have statues and images in churches and in their homes? Why are the teachings in the bible not followed?
![lost_in_translation[1]](http://afzainizam.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/lost_in_translation1.jpg?w=194&h=300 "lost_in_translation[1]")
