Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| momineqbal |
| 03/18/01 at 20:11:40 |
| [slm] I was once asked by a revert to Islam, that is it okay for us to use bible to prove certain points to non-muslims (for example coming of our Prophet [saw] , while at the same time trying to prove it to them that it is corrupted and cannot be considered God's word? Isn't there a contradiction in this stance? What do people think on this question? Wassalam Eqbal |
| Re: using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| bhaloo |
| 03/18/01 at 23:29:40 |
| slm I do it all the time, or at least when I used to go up against missionaries. I don't see any contradiction here. Yes, we believe their book has been altered and has not been preserved. So your question is why use that as proof? Well whatever is in the Bible that matches with the Quran and authentic Sunnah, then there is no problem in that portion from the Bible. |
| Re: using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| Arsalan |
| 03/18/01 at 23:39:27 |
| [slm] The bible is corrupted, but it doesn't mean that there is absolutely NO truth left in it. There are many statements in the book itself which are true. But there are also many that are additions/modifications to/of the original text. How do you differentiate between the two types? For Muslims, it's pretty simple. If it agrees with the Islamic teachings, it's true. If it disagrees with it, it's false. If it doesn't agree or disagree, then we don't know of its validity. |
| Re: using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| momineqbal |
| 03/19/01 at 12:58:20 |
| Walaikum Assalam! As muslims we can know what is true in the bible and what is not, because we would judge it in the light of Qur'an. But thinking from a christian's perspective if at one moment we are trying to prove to him/her that Bible is corrupted and at the next moment telling him/her that "look this is what bible says, and Qur'an says the same" then we should be able to prove first which part is corrupted and which part is not. From whatever debates I have heard on it I think it is very difficult unless you prove to the non-muslim first that Qur'an is God's word and then pick parts from the bible which agree with Qur'an. So I would think that the best approach would be first to try to convince the christians that Qur'an is indeed God's word and then back it up with what bible says in the light of the Qur'an and not vice versa. I might be wrong, but I would like brothers and sisters to elucidate more on what they have said. Wassalam Eqbal |
| Re: using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| Kathy |
| 03/19/01 at 15:38:41 |
| [slm] For me, using something that I took as the law (the bible) and discrediting it - was the best way. In my experience, it would have been a mute point to use a book I knew nothing about or believed in to defend the (Muslims) point of view. |
| Re: using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| UmmZaid |
| 03/19/01 at 22:36:59 |
| Salaam 'Alaikum I guess that, like the cheese, I stand alone on this one. I don't think the Bible should be used to "prove" Islam to non Muslim Christians or Jews. I don't think it's necessary. Fundamentalists or Evangelicals only make up about 20-25% of America's Christians. There are many Christians out there in the remaining 75-80% who don't believe the Bible is the literal truth, or who don't even read it. All I know is that if some Muslim had come up to me when I didn't really know Islam (though I was not Trinitarian and never self-identified as a Christian), and started pointing out inconsistencies in the Bible, I woulda been like "Yeah, and?" I think a lot of the Christians whom I am related to or grew up with would react the same way. I think if you want to reach that audience which is very highly educated, prosperous, and socially active, you should take from the Qur'an and Sunnah what speaks to them, and package it in an intellectually engaging manner. A lot of da'wa material seems aimed that that 20-25% who take the Bible very literally, and not towards the rest of the non Muslim Christian and Jewish population. Just my opinion. |
| Re: using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| jannah |
| 03/20/01 at 00:04:07 |
| slm, I think I agree with UmmZaid, while it's necessary to point out the errors in the Bible etc to show the fallacy of it's message most Christians already know about them!! The one's that believe in the Bible will tell you.. well it doesn't matter about the words.. it's belief etc etc and they can always come up with responses to the contradictions you point out. It's better to be positive in your dawah and show what Islam is and how much more sense it makes than any other way of life etc... |
| Re: using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| Saleema |
| 03/21/01 at 12:22:07 |
| Assalam ualykum, I disagree. Even if they say that it's all about "belief," on what do they base that belief on? The Bible of course, more sepcifically, Paul's letters. Since most hardly ever touch the Bible, they probably wouldn't know. I think pointing out that contradictions do exist, they will have to admit that. And then you ask them so which one of these is true? Or do they beleive that God cannot make up his mind? And if they refuse to see any of this, then they aren't even worth talking to. They aren't sincere. As for it's a "feeling I get," or "it's all about faith," you can ask, "Well, Hindus get the feeling that they are right, so does that mean that they are right? Are people's feelings right all the time? Or if they say that they are at peace, so what? Hindus are at peace with themselves too. This argument, a friend used it on me. She started up the conversation. She said that when she prays she feels at peace and so she knows that Christianity is right. And then she asked me if I felt at peace when I prayed. I said of course I do. Many people feel at peace with themselves when praying to their version of God or when praying to gods. Her eyes actually popped out of her sockets. She wouldn't beleive that I was telling the truth. She says, "are you sure?" So I asked her "Are *You* sure?" :) And so then she changed the subject. Where needed, of course one should use the positive approach. There's a difference between attacking someone's belief and intellectual debate. When you see a moron, leave him be. When you aren't talking to a moron, use good judjment. wassalam, Saleema |
| Re: using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| BrKhalid |
| 03/21/01 at 14:46:57 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) [quote]is it okay for us to use bible to prove certain points to non-muslims? [/quote] One way you could look at it is that if you are trying to prove a point, then you should use all the evidence available to you. If you know that the person you're talking to will be affected by you highlighting contradictions, then its probably worth going down that route. But, as has been said, if you come across other types who will be obstinate then its probably a no go. It just highlights to me how important it is to understand the person you're talking to in order to decipher how best to approach them. So what's my answer? It depends |
| Re: using bible to prove our point to non-muslims! |
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| chachi |
| 03/25/01 at 15:41:05 |
Hmm x-tian theology is a closed system nothing outside it can be used to disprove it so you must prove it's fallacies within itself |
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