Friday, 31 October 2008
-
Can Christians Acknowledge Muhammad As a Prophet?
Guest submitted by irishgrrl690
My father and I both think that Muhammad was a prophet. I know that in itself isn't so strange, but my mother says that no "good" Christian would believe that Muhammad was a prophet and, much less, had the ear of God. I don't see why that's not possible and I also don't see why we can't acknowledge Islam's prophet when they acknowledge all of ours.
This is one of those ongoing debates that my dad and I have with my mom. We believe in some non-biblical, spiritual concepts like reincarnation and also that Muhammad was a pretty awesome prophet who (if nothing else) preached similar ideals to Judeo-Christianity. To mother, these two beliefs are practically blasphemy. So maybe I'm not Lutheran--although that's how I worship and live? I'm a Christian Spiritualist? I think it's ridiculous that she considers me UN-Christian even though I still believe in Christ as the Son of God. Isn't the that whole point of being called a Christian?
We still only pray to capital-g-o-d. Just because my dad and I take a more theologically open-minded approach to it doesn't make us heathens; it makes us henotheistic and I don't see why that's a problem. Early Jews and Christians were also henotheistic. You can do this (in my opinion) insofar as you also follow the rule of your religion: worship no other gods before me. Just because I acknowledge Muhammad as a prophet (the last one) doesn't mean I now worship a different God. So, can someone explain to me how this is un-Christian? Because I don't get it.
Is it possible for God to have spoken through Muhammad? Can you be a Christian and acknowledge Muhammad as a true prophet?
-
recommend
- recs 2
-
share
-
email
- sent 0
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to revelife's Revelife Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in revelife's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
Comments (169)
I already had a big discussion on this on another entry. But I think that it's ridiculous that some Christians call others "bad Christians" just because they accept, for example, Muhammad as a prophet, that there are other gods like Buddha, Allah, and they are not false gods. I try to be respectful to Christians and Christianity, but it pisses me off when they don't respect mine.
i've never really pondered it... but now that i'm forced to, i agree that Muhammad was a prophet. i don't see how that'd be challenging to my faith at all. Christianity has a huge problem of trying to prove its own worth by attempting to paint other faiths as worthless (reminds me of the way the Republican campaign has handled this election, actually........). Christians should realize that a true faith can stand on its own, without needing to make comparisons.
henotheism is tricky, and i've always heard the term "monolatry" used more frequently. but in monolatry, you're free to worship other deities.
I would say the problem lies in the fact that Mohammad apparently taught that Christ was not divine.
Is it *possible* that God spoke through Mohammed?
Well, seeing as how the Koran contradicts the Bible....I'm not really sure how that would work.
As far as Mohammed being a prophet....I'm not 100% sure on the definition of a prophet...but if someone can be a 'prophet of the devil' then I guess Mohammed could have been that. He taught things that go against the Word of God....I don't think that someone could be a prophet of God and yet do that.
No.
Also, Islam does not teach principles similar to Christianity...especially when coming to salvaic principles.
mutually exclusive belief structures can not be justified both as truth, and to believe something in contray to one tradition is to not believe it at all. It negates itself
@laytexduckie@xanga - But by your very argument, it is clear that you don't respect MY beliefs. When Jesus says that he is the way the truth and the life, that no man can come to the Father but by him...he's making a definitive statement. The principles of Christianity state that there is no way to heaven but through Christ. For me to state that I can believe that Muhammad, Buddha, or Shiva are also valid ways is in contrary to my stated belief in Christianity. Any 'Christian' who professes that there are any other correct ways is NOT a Christian.
So if your statement is that to respect you I have to agree that you are also right then no, I cannot say that I agree that your religion is correct..
However, if you mean that I believe that as a human being you have the RIGHT to believe and to worship as you will, then yes, I do respect your views.
I think Christian can and should accept Mohammad as a prophet. Muslims accept Jesus Christ as a prophet and they accept all peoples of Abrahamic faiths...
As a Muslim, I have always accepted Christians for what they are. I wonder why certain Christians can not do the same for Muslims.
@no_more_grace@xanga - So I guess 1 billion or so Muslims count as "devil worshippers" right?
@desertrose2890@xanga - Honestly, as a Christian, I believe that Muslims are not worshipping God, but rather more than likely a demon (or perhaps the devil himself). I understand that that's not the 'politically correct' thing to say, but it is how I believe. Ultimately, I believe that Muslims have been deceived.
Also, simply believing that Jesus is a prophet is not 'good enough'. Christians believe that He is God, and not MERELY a prophet. For a Christian, someone else believing that Jesus is a prophet is somewhat of a moot point.
Well, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are all inter-related. The same region, and therefore culture produced all three, and share some fundamentals in common. Muslims regard Jesus as a prophet, so it would at least seem arrogant not to return the favor.
[I don't see why that's not possible and I also don't see why we
can't acknowledge Islam's prophet when they acknowledge all of ours.]
They believe that Jesus existed but they do not accept or believe what Jesus taught. That he died on the cross for our sins. Jesus warned us about listening and believing in false prophets. Was Jesus lying or telling the truth? Why would you believe that Muhammad is the last prophet? What about all the other prophets that came after him such as Joseph Smith or Ellen White?
@no_more_grace@xanga - That's fine. You are entitled to your belief. What would be truly sad is if you actually acted on your prejudice. Im assuming you don't have any Muslim friends so you are perfectly entitled to not like Muslims and to think that we horrible, evil people. What I dare you to do is actually spend time with a Muslim...you'd be surprised at how NOT "scary" we are. In fact, Muslims are decent human beings and they want the same things that you want and feel the same emotions as you. At the end of the day, we all bleed the same color regardless of who we pray to. Im sorry that you do not see it that way...
@desertrose2890@xanga - Counterquestion. Do you regard Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha' as a prophets of God? Why not, since the Baha'i faith recognizes Muhammad, when interpretedly 'correctly.'
I think that Christians are in the same boat regarding Muhammad.
Also, I'm curious what you mean "accept Christians for what they are." If you mean that you think that Christians are mistaken on some aspects of God's truth (for instance, believing in the crucifixion/resurrection of Christ, the trinity, etc.), but that they have that right as people and that God will sort it all out in the end, I think that most Christians are right there with you. Or if you didn't mean that, what did you mean?
-NDSR
@no_more_grace@xanga - @desertrose2890@xanga - A good deal of Christian theology holds that everyone who is not a follower of Christ is enslaved to sin/Satan. It's nothing particular about people of Muslim faith.
I'd have to read the Koran before I could decide what I think. I really don't know anything about Islam teachings.
@Evowookiee@xanga - Amen! Very well stated. Thanks.@desertrose2890@xanga - You need to read Evowookiee's comment and you will understand (hopefully) why we can not acknowledge other gods.
@desertrose2890@xanga - Um....actually it's you who are making the assumptions. I do not think that Muslims are 'scary' (I never said that). I actually know quite a few Muslims, and one of my best friends in the past was a Muslim (she moved very far away, and honestly, I suck at the whole distance thing; I have remained very close friends with only very few friends that have moved).
I'm not sure why you thought from what I wrote that I would believe Muslims to be horrible and evil people. I mean, first of all, people are individuals. It would be wrong for me to try to make some statement like "ALL Muslims are evil, horrible, nice, etc"....all the Muslims that I've met have been friendly and caring, but obviously I haven't met every Muslim on the planet. I'm sure that some of them are jerks, just like some Christians are jerks, and some atheists are jerks, and some Buddhists are jerks....
@no_more_grace@xanga - I dunno. If someone called me a devil-worshiper, I might also assume that they think I'm an unkind person, and to be feared.
@sirnickdon - I dont know much about Christian theology and I wont go into any specifics about my own belief system because I hold religion to be private. What I will say is that I have many Christian friends and I feel like they are entitled to believe whatever they want to believe. IF they hold certain things to be God's Truths then that is fine by me. All I am asking for is that, as a Muslim, I be given the same respect from certain Christians. I don't argue with anyone, I don't hold my belief to be better than others...I simply accept people whose beliefs are different than mine. The same goes for Bahai's and everyone else.
No.
Deity. If you are a Christian, you believe Jesus is the fulfillment of everything prophesied in the Talmud. That is a core belief of Christianity that doesn't allow for Muhammad's teachings about "spirituality," God, or especially how to get saved from your sins/go to heaven. M also denied the deity of Christ, and the Trinity, saying he was just a prophet. The deity of Christ and the Trinity are also core to Christianity. If you don't believe in the Christ as the personal, incarnate fulfillment of all divine prophecy, and in his Deity as a part of the Trinity, you may be something, but you're not Christian.
One Way. Furthermore, in John 14:6 Jesus says that He Himself is the only way to God, while M taught other ways to God. Islam teaches that M brought the fulfillment of Christianity, making the gospel obsolete, which is a lie. While the Jewish faith awaited a fulfillment and a messiah, the Christian faith merely awaits his return, not the coming of something else. Christianity teaches quite firmly that anyone teaching a different "good news" (gospel), about how to approach God, is not a part of the Christian faith, but perverts it (Gal. 1:6-7). Even if an angel did come to tell Muhammad the things upon which he based Islam, not only would Muhammad be "accursed" (Gal 1:9) but the angel also (Gal 1:8).
False Prophecy. Christianity further dictates that a prophet should be considered false if his prophecies prove false. Many of Muhammad's prophecies never happened or were proven wrong, including the year he predicted the Muslims would enter Mecca, and the destruction of Medina and the coming of the Antichrist seven months after the conquest of Constantinople.
Legalism/Fear. There are other reasons why calling oneself a Christian would preclude acknowledging Muhammad; personally I think the clearest one is legalism and fear. Christianity, except in some fringe heretical sects, holds to the perseverance of the saints, AKA eternal security. This is the idea that once you are saved, you are saved permanently. Aside from the fact that Muhammad actually traded some of his followers to bargain for his political goals (c.f. bargaining with Suhail, Muhammad returns followers to their pagan leaders, including Abu Jabbar, Sahih
al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 50, Number 891), Muslim teaching argues that you can only work really hard to be a good person and hope Allah likes you in the end. The whole focus of Islam falls on being good enough for God, like racking up heaven points, but you never know how many you need, so you have to keep on trying in fear, lest you let God down and be rejected. Jesus taught an end to legalism, that salvation is secure, and it is by God's grace, not a person's actions. Once saved, a person is changed by God, and begins to change the way they live because God works that change in them. This view of salvation as a work of God, not a work of man, is central to Christian teaching and lifestyle, and anathema to Muhammad.
Forced Conversions. Last but not least, Jesus taught that believers should accept violence against themselves, and be gentle. There is no room for forceful religious conquests, which is why Christians understand that the crusades and the conquistadors were patently wrong. Christ's gospel was relational, dealing with the value of individual lives. Muhammad, however, was a sociopolitical theorist, not an arbiter of the indwelling work of God in individual people's lives, so he taught the opposite of Jesus, to convert people by force and fear, killing those who refuse to convert.
Can a Christian accept a man to be a true prophet, who teaches that followers of Christ are infidels? It doesn't make any sense.
@desertrose2890@xanga - That being said, I am 100% with you.
Except that I do argue with people, though I try to restrict myself to arguing with people who wish to argue back.
I hope I don't come across as disrespectful to you in any way.
-NDSR
@sirnickdon - Personally, as a Christian, I believe that people really are either worshipping God or the devil, even if they don't realise it or they don't claim any sort of religious affiliation. I personally believe that people are either on God's side or the enemy's side....so if you're not on God's side....well, you get the idea. So if pressed, I would say that ANYONE who doesn't worship God is ultimately, worshipping the devil. Again, is that a PC thing to say? Of course not, but it is how I honestly believe.
@no_more_grace@xanga - Right, I think that's core Christian theology. I'm just saying that to anyone on the outside, you either have to explain yourself pretty fully, or expect to be understood as thinking that Muslims are monsters.
quick answers: no.
why? because he is what the bible calls a false prophet.
what about christians who say otherwise? they lack biblical discernment. They are in need of sound biblical teaching. There is a nonzero chance that they aren't christians.
Muhammed taught that Jesus was not divine; therefore, what he taught was the dead opposite of Christianity. He denied the fundamental, central thing that makes Christianity what it is: that Christ, our Savior, was God in the flesh.
It makes no logical sense for a Christian (one who believes that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and that He Himself is God) to also believe that Muhammed was a prophet, because Muhammed's teachings went completely against the Christian concept of Christ as God. The Muslim concept of God is inescapably different from the biblical Christian concept of God.
@no_more_grace@xanga - Good point. You're on one side or the other. Everyone is an enemy of God unless he submits to Him, and if He provided one Way, by providing our own way we just reject God all the more.
@Evowookiee@xanga - Islam is VERY similar to Christianity actually.