The great wall of China
By Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times
Like it or not, but Islam and Christianity have been two missionary religions, which have been struggling to win the hearts and minds of humanity for centuries and they are not going to change their character, just because some agnostics or atheists do not like it. As a Muslim, belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I believe that the Holy Prophet Muhammad and his follower, the Messiah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani, came to unite all religions and mankind by emphasizing religious freedom for everyone and the fact that the founders of all other religions, Confucius, Buddha, Tao, Krishna, Ram, Moses and Jesus were prophets of God. Islam gives a unifying paradigm and recognizes the spiritual experience of all people over the millennia, whereas, Christianity always demonstrates an obsession with Jesus and in this age of information wants to pull us back two thousand years ago to a society, when heroes were elevated to be gods. We have two other man-gods from Jesus’ time, Emperor Augustus and Apollonius of Tyana.
If we are to believe in human gods we may as well believe in millions of Hindu gods. After all why should the Christian stories be more acceptable than the Hindu myths, except that the Western civilization gave us our present day science and technology.
On a side note, it would be relevant to add here that the Western civilization did extensively borrow from the Chinese and the Islamic Heritage.
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Islam is not new to China. Emperor Hongwu (1328 – 1398) was the founder of the Ming dynasty and ordered construction of several mosques in Nanjing, Yunnan, Guangdong and Fujian and had inscriptions praising the Prophet Muhammad placed in mosques. He rebuilt the Jinjue Mosque in Nanjing. He also wrote a 100 word praise on Islam, Allah and the prophet Muhammad. He had around 10 Muslim generals in his military, including Chang Yuchun, Lan Yu, Ding Dexing, Mu Ying, Feng Sheng and Hu Dahai. In addition, Hongwu’s spouse, Empress Ma, was a Muslim. Hui scholars like Yusuf Haji Chang have claimed the Emperor was a Muslim himself as well, due to his intimate relations with Muslims. Zheng He (1371–1433) the greatest Chinese Admiral was also a Muslim. His voyages and immigrants of Chinese descendant played a major role in converting Indonesians to Islam. Several sources note that some of the members of the Wali Songo (the nine revered saints of Islam in Indonesia, especially in Java, because of their historic role in the spread of Islam in Indonesia) had Chinese blood in them.
It may not be easily visible to most Chinese, but Islam and Christianity are vying to become the paradigm, for the human civilization in our global village. Muslims have always believed in sharing the democratic values of Islam and Universal Brotherhood with all humans and here I will offer only two proofs of the Christian missionary zeal. Firstly, is a book by Pope Benedict XVI, Without Roots: The West, Relativism, Christianity, Islam? Secondly, it is a fact that the Christian mission is very active in China, in its own way, if you have been following news in the Muslim Times.
From the time I was capable of conceiving an idea, and acting upon it by reflection, I either doubted the truth of the Christian system, or thought it to be a strange affair; I scarcely knew which it was: but I well remember, when about seven or eight years of age, hearing a sermon read by a relation of mine, who was a great devotee of the church, upon the subject of what is called Redemption by the death of the Son of God. After the sermon was ended, I went into the garden, and as I was going down the garden steps (for I perfectly recollect the spot) I revolted at the recollection of what I had heard, and thought to myself that it was making God Almighty act like a passionate man, that killed his son, when he could not revenge himself any other way; and as I was sure a man would be hanged that did such a thing, I could not see for what purpose they preached such sermons. This was not one of those kind of thoughts that had anything in it of childish levity; it was to me a serious reflection, arising from the idea I had that God was too good to do such an action, and also too almighty to be under any necessity of doing it. I believe in the same manner to this moment; and I moreover believe, that any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be a true system.[1][2]
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ (Matthew 25:34-45)
Indeed, Allah will say to his servant when He will be taking account of him on the Day of Judgment, ‘O’ son of Adam, I was hungry and you did not feed me.’ He will answer: ‘How could I feed you? You are the Lord of the worlds!’ He will say: ‘Did you not know that my servant so and so who is the son of so and so felt hunger, and you did not feed him. Alas, had you fed him you would have found that (i.e. reward) with Me.’ ‘O’ son of Adam, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink.’ He will reply: ‘How could I give You drink? You are the Lord of the worlds!’ He will say: ‘Did you not know that my servant so and so, the son of so and so was thirsty and you did not give him drink. Alas, if you had given him, you would have found that (i.e. reward) with me.’ ‘O’ son of Adam, I became sick and you did not visit Me.’ He will answer: ‘How could I visit You? You are the Lord of the worlds!’ He will say: ‘Did you not know that my servant so and so, the son of so and so became sick and you did not visit him. Alas, had you visited him, you would have found Me with him.’
Surely, the Believers, and the Jews, and the Christians and the Sabians — whichever party from among these truly believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good deeds — shall have their reward with their Lord, and no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve. (Al Quran 2:63) And: Surely, those who have believed, and the Jews, and the Sabians, and the Christians — whoso believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good deeds, on them shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Al Quran 5:70)
It is not the business of any Christian writer or preacher to dilute Christianity to suit the general educated public. The doctrine of the incarnation was to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, and so will it always be, for the doctrine not only transcends reason; it the paradox par excellence; and it can be affirmed only by faith, with passionate inwardness and interest. The substitution of reason for faith means the death of Christianity.
Epilogue
Chinese will soon realize that the tools to promote Christianity among the Chinese masses will not be logic, reason, dialogue, rationality or science. The real and the main weapon will be advertisement! What do I mean? The Christian apologists will be advertising, consciously or unconsciously, Santa Claus, Christmas, Good Friday, Easter and humanitarian work by Red Cross, note the word cross in ‘Red Cross!’ Yes, yes indeed, cross will be beamed at your television screens day in and day out, in soap opera, in bought advertisements for different goods, documentaries, movies and even programs for the Chinese children, until some of them begin to believe that Jesus died for them. If you do not believe that Jesus died for you and Confucius, Buddha and Tao did teach us rational thinking, then you may need to give equal time to Islam on the airways, because only Islam with its rational foundation and rich heritage will be able to withstand Christian onslaught of constant flashing of crosses, in different sizes and colors, on the three billion unsuspecting Chinese eyeballs, sometimes overtly and sometimes in hidden subliminal messages!
There are thirty million Chinese Muslims. It would board well for Chinese future, if her leadership would engage these citizens in national media positively and use them as a vehicle to usher in a new age of harmony, freedom, rationality and prosperity for every Chinese. This may be the only means to prevent the quagmire between Christianity and rationality, articulated so eloquently by Soren Kierkegaard, from engulfing 1.5 billion Chinese people. Leaning towards Islam would not only be good religion and history but, also good politics. Long live humanity!
Reference:
1. Thomas Paine Collection. First published 1776. Forgotten Books, 2007. Page 335.
A watershed moment for China: Islam or Christianity? https://t.co/3INlWjjXQe pic.twitter.com/CwNZQRCa1i
— Zia H Shah (@ZiahShah1) March 16, 2016
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Categories: Agnosticism, Asia, Atheism, Buddhism, China, CHRISTIANITY, Highlight, Hinduism, Islam, Islamophobia, Judaism, Religion
Faith and reason: an invitation to the Christians
Albert Einstein said, “The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge.”
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” Galileo Galilei
Thomas Paine writes in the Age of Reason, “The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall.”
To read further:
http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2011/12/religion/christianity/faith-and-reason-an-invitation-to-the-christians
Two natures of Jesus: another Christian mystery
If one tries to genuinely understand or conceptualize the dual or hybrid nature of Jesus rationally, one is likely to be led to truth, away from Trinitarian faith to Unitarianism, be it Christianity, Judaism or Islam. Jesus is a man and God the father is divine.
In logical terms Jesus cannot be man and God at the same time. Like a man cannot be a rock or an apple, at the same time; men, rocks and apples are different things!
Humans and God are different things, but the paradoxical Christian affirmation is called a mystery because you cannot logically explain how Jesus can be both things at once. This is why the rational and insightful Christian theologians label the Christian dogma as mysteries for you cannot logically understand them. Either you adamantly stick to them in the name of faith or you trade them for some other better theology!
Historically, the debate about dual nature of Jesus can be examined in the first few Ecumenical councils and in the sixteenth century in the debate between Martin Luther and Calvin. it is convenient to read some mythical or legendary Jesus, in the prologue of the Gospel of John, but as soon as we start examining the ramifications of divinity of Jesus and the three persons and one being of Trinity, flood gates of contradictions and irrationality open up, that completely wash away any semblance of reasonability in the Christian theology!
http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2011/12/religion/christianity/two-natures-of-jesus-another-christian-mystery
King David glorifying God the Creator, without knowing an iota about Jesus
King David was a Jewish prophet 7-8 centuries before Jesus and has plenty of coverage in the Old Testament in the Bible. In the Psalms we can read time and again, how the King or the Prophet David glorifies, God the Creator or God the Father, without knowing anything about Jesus, as he preceded him by centuries. David prays:
LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
(Psalm 8:1-4, New International Version)
So, what I want to suggest for my Christian readers is that to know God, we do not need to necessarily know about Jesus Christ and he forms no part of Divinity, as we can see His Majesty in the prayers of David, without any reference to Jesus! The Christians either have to claim that David did not know what he is talking about and take the wrath of 15 million Jews or accept that Jesus forms no part of divinity!
Islam and Muslims do not equal terrorism
We have scores of articles here to illustrate that there are some Muslim Terrorists, just like there have been and are Christian and Jewish terrorists, but Islam and Muslims do not equal terrorism.
Keep reading the Muslim Times and find for yourself.
Recruiting the four Horsemen of Neo-atheism into Cavalry of Islam
First a few words about the big picture. Atheists are right in exposing the irrationality of the Christian dogma. However, the Christians are right in as far as their claim that there needs to be a Creator of this universe, Who employed natural means to do His work. However, both parties in their self-conceit are not listening to how Islam resolves their conflict; Islam as understood by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Christopher Hitchens, Prof. Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Prof. Richard Dawkins have been called the four horsemen of neo-atheism. That is old news. The latest is that I have just recruited them as volunteers for army of Islam; they form my meager cavalry, which will establish the philosophical superiority of Islam over Christianity. They will work hard for every day of their God given life, for the cause of Islam, without any worldly compensation from me.
Every time they make a good case for evolution, for common lineage of all life forms on planet earth, they establish the truth of Islam as opposed to the dogma of Christianity. In my previous writings I have shown, how evolution, by showing that Adam and Eve were not the first human couple, strikes a death blow to the dogma of Original Sin. I appreciate the clarity of thinking of my cavalry, except in the areas of their blind spots, where they are blinded by their ideology, so I will continue to use their scholarship suitably. With this army of only four, I will fight in all directions, East, West, North and South, by the Grace of Allah. We will fight not with swords or arrows, not even with pen, just one mouse and a key board, which I bought for twenty dollars of my hard earned money! My mouse and key board will just properly direct their words. To make sure that my horsemen do not double cross me and start fighting their own battles, I will need to suitably expose their blind spots of understanding also, so they submit to the will of Allah and continue to serve Islam. Read on, and in the words of Sir Francis Bacon’s advice, “Read not to contradict … but to weigh and consider.”
It is not politically correct to condemn Deism, after all it was the religion of the Founding Fathers of USA and of the celebrated Albert Einstein. In God Delusion, one of my horsemen, Prof. Richard Dawkins applauds the religion of Einstein and in a debate with John Lennox, says that a plausible case could be made for a Deist’s God. But, when it comes to Theism, Christianity and Islam, my horsemen use a broad brush and condemn both equally, without realizing that Islam is much closer to Deism than Christianity.
http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2011/12/religion/recruiting-the-four-horsemen-of-neo-atheism-into-cavalry-of-islam
Christianity: Should it evolve into Islam?
Every Christian and Muslim, who is knowledgeable about commentary or exegesis of the scriptures, knows that verses cannot be interpreted in isolation and are understood in the context of their neighboring verses and ultimately in the context of the whole of the scripture. This poses a very special problem for the Bible, if all of it is not literal or even inspired word of God then how can you interpret some genuine verses in light of forgeries and hotch-potch out there? Does the presence of forgeries in the Bible make the whole field of exegesis hocus-pocus? How can you understand word of God in light of fiction and make belief without making the whole affair a joke?
To see my collection of more than 100 articles about Christianity, click here.
If Jesus Christ died for three days he could not be eternal, at least not any longer
The three persons in Trinity, God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are allegedly co-eternal and co-equal according to the official Christian belief. But, Trinity has only one claim to fame, it is Paradox Par Excellence. From whatever angle you examine it, it yields new proofs against itself.
First of all the term ‘begotten,’ suggests that Jesus the Son was not eternal with God the Father. Secondly, when he died for three days after crucifixion, he lost any claim to eternity. In other words, Jesus is not eternal at all, he is not of the same substance as the Eternal God the Father.
Time to move on from Trinitarianism, not to atheism but to genuine Unitarianism!
Ebionites and the Jews
One of the confusions often created by Christian apologists is as to what is the Orthodox view in Christianity, Unitarian or Trinitarian? The simple answer is that the Jews are strict monotheists and so were the early Christians. They were circumcised according to the Jewish tradition. It was a political move of St Paul to give up circumcision to recruit the gentiles. There are so many proofs for the open minded Christians to see that Unitarian Monotheism was the Jewish position and also position of Jesus Christ and the early Christians. The Exhibit that I want to present in this comment are the ‘Ebionites.’ Each of my comments here is a separate evidence against the dogmas of Christianity especially ‘Trinity.’
Encyclopedia Britannica says about Ebionites, a group of early Christians, as it explains that they did not consider Jesus to be God but a Prophet:
“Ebionite.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 06 Jan. 2010 .
Please change: “the fact that the founders of all religions, Confucius, Buddha, Tao, Krishna, Ram, Moses and Jesus were prophets of God.” to
“the fact that the founders of all other religions, Confucius, Buddha, Tao, Krishna, Ram, Moses and Jesus were prophets of God.
Zia Shah mentioned in one of his articles of the proof that Adam and Eve were not the first hunan couple. I would like to know where I can find that article? Thank you very much for your help.
Every proof of evolution is a proof of the fact that the Prophet Adam and Mother Eve were not the first humans as they lived about 6000 years ago. The best proofs of common lineage of all life forms on the planet earth are biogeography and molecular biology and you can search my articles on these subjects.
Additionally, the fact that Adam and Eve are not the first human couple becomes a powerful argument against Original Sin. I am linking an article, where you will find the link of my Muslim Sunrise article about Original Sin:
http://alislam.us/2011/11/28/evaluating-original-sin-against-scientific-discoveries/
If this does not answer your question please let me know.
Best Regards
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community launches a new state of the art website, to engage Christian, agnostic and atheist readers.
Especially check out the Homepage and page about ‘Revelation,’ which is important as the secular world is in denial of it altogether.
Find the link in the Muslim Times or try: http://islamforwest.org/
Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Sir David Attenborough on God
Sir Attenborough certainly stands in awe of the majesty of nature but raises the question of suffering to deny God. Let me quote here the concluding paragraph, in the later editions of the legendary book of Sir Charles Darwin, on the Origin of Species that can make one quickly conceptualize the role of suffering in the grand scheme of things:
Once the question about suffering is understood as a tool for evolution, as Charles Darwin suggested, then one is ready to fully appreciate the beauty of God’s creation as suggested by many of the verses of the Holy Quran.
I am Chinese-Christian…and I converted to Christianity because I wanted to, not because of my atheist family or anyone evangelizing…
You are sincerely invited to now also study ‘Islam for the West’. Please click on the relevant icon on our website. (It is also for the East!!!!! May be we need to change our headings, because we know that Eastern Christians are in fact better Christians than the Western ones).
Beg your pardon? Eastern Christians are better than Western ones? What a dick comment to make – and how does one gauge that with any authenticity? You cannot know the heart or passion of every muslim – let alone christian, or human being. You are passing a judgement – and it is simply your opinion. God judges. Not theologians. Not journalists. NOT dawaa carriers nor evangelicals.
It’s no more secret (through global media and press), that the western governments (particularly US , UK, Norway and Germany) had been investing immensely (from 2002 to until credit crunch in 2009)in China to preach, promote and spread protestant Christianity at a massive scale, notoriously known as ‘Underground’ churches. This irrationally enthusiastic campaign finally checked by economical crisis in 2009.
Obviously there were two main reasons for this all out efforts.
1-To topple the communist regime with an influential sizable people (I guess the target was or would be around at least 10% to 15%) who could have been persuaded to be called for a regime change rising like Arab rising somehow. OR at least try to make the number increase in communist party key figures that could design or support the (economical) policies favourable in their economical or geopolitical interests.
2-Second obvious and logical reason is fear of Islam. Due to communist era especially so-called ‘cultural revolution’ by Mao, people of China (probably except Muslims) have been empty minded at least in faith matters. So an invitation to a faith can and will greatly attract them and with less effort and arguments. Well needless to mention, Christianity is without any arguments.
China already has had significant Muslim population that has active prominent political and strategic roles participation throughout the history. Moreover naturally and historically China always has enjoyed close friendly relations with Muslims countries now particularly with Oil nations.
So the fear was or is that if this number (Muslim) increases among communist Party elite in particular it could or would deteriorate further already worse relations.
But perhaps this fear also roots back to ingrown jealously and grudge against Islam.
Communist party realized this in time. They shut down many underground illegal churches and recently has invested to erect own funded Churches where they may have a close watch and control. But most importantly western efforts have been severely hit by economical crunch which has almost staggered this menace.
I was watching a video by ‘journeymanpictures’ (from Australia) showing a newly built church in main city of Beijing or Shanghai and it main entrance reads ‘PEACE BE WITH YOU’. Very strange and ironic? They now even have copied Islamic salutes and greetings to fool innocent Chinese.
They will be making a fatal mistake if they think they can fool innocent Chinese by investing huge money on Bible printing and making churches with glamorous outlooks and stealing Islamic excerpts. Chinese are extremely wise deep inside. They keep quiet seem no thinking but then would come a genius in the end.
Ahamdiyyaat the true Islam is the destiny of Chinese people. Inshallah!
The chinese people have been starved spiritually! Their country a ruthless regime. I believe there are times to be passive and have missionaries quietly planting faith there. And times to be far more aggressive. The boots of the mujahadeen – and lots of young missionaries would dominate easily much of china. Something to consider.
Might have to stop there. Christianity in its Catholic and Protestant forms are evangelical and obsessive. This is truth. The Orthodoxy does not proselytize. Isa al-Masih is also the one Muslims claim to wait for, should I not be mistaken. The reverence of Saints is not deification, but the preservation of history. As for the obsession with Jesus…well, that is kind of the point, is it not?
Then there’s Hindus. They are what is called in circles of study related as a henotheistic religion. It means they do not directly believe in one God, but they do. The Supreme God is Brahman, who is the only one true God. They just see these millions of Gods as incarnations of that one true God. The Upanishads even likens this to the number of people on Earth.
Jews once upon a time were henotheist as well. This is why they have so many names for God- a relic of their old legacy.
I believe Islam has a certain form and function to the message of God. I don’t believe we should be aggressive towards their faith provided we engage in firm reasoning when we have discourse.
Christianity has been rife with schisms and heresy beyond imagination just as much as Islam has been used to justify cultural changes.