Part 1
This week I received an e-mail from a Muslim, Mr. Husain, that was severely critical of those who believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. He reasoned that because the Bible was so discredited that our only alternative was to believe in the “only 100% purely existing religion in this world” which “is Islam!” He also advertises his website that he calls the “Niche of Truth.” I wish to examine in this article the assertions Mr. Husain presents that led him to conclude that the Bible was so unreliable that “the truth as Jesus taught is unknown now!”

The Reality of Truth
I commend to everyone the honest pursuit of truth. Truth never fears investigation and a lover of truth will never run from an honest discussion. Those who follow Jesus Christ understand the real battle between truth and error. Jesus wants you to find the truth that will “make you free” (John 8:32). Jesus’ followers are instructed to “give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (I Peter 3:15). Any such defense must be based upon facts, not tradition, feelings or the threats of terror.

Do We Have an Accurate Bible?
Our Muslim critic brings these attacks upon the Bible:

We do not have the original manuscripts (autographs) of the Bible.
The original manuscripts were copied by fallible men and as a result every copy that we posses today contains errors. In fact, no two manuscripts are alike.
Because these errors exist, then whatever was originally in the Bible is “unknowable” today.
The copyists intentionally put their own “mischievous” beliefs into the text since the Bible records examples of sexual sins. One example he cites is that the Bible “displays lady's nude bath! (II Samuel 11:2-5).”
Admissions by Our Critic
Our Muslim critic acknowledges that Jesus, Abraham and Moses were prophets of God. He also acknowledges that when the original documents that comprise the Bible were written, that they were, in fact, the word of God. He asserts that copyists’ errors made these writings so unreliable that they are now “dangerous” and should be kept “under lock and key.” Let us compare the assertions and charges of this fallible man to the promises of Jesus. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

The Testimony of the Manuscripts
The original ancient texts had to be copied by hand in order to be preserved. There are no original manuscripts in existence. However, honest scholars can easily determine if the present Bible was transmitted accurately or if there was some conspiracy to later change the text. We have at least 5,366 manuscripts of the Greek New Testament in existence today, in whole or in part, that testify to the accuracy of the New Testament. There are nearly complete manuscripts that date from 280 to 350 AD and there is a fragment that is dated around 125 AD. For the Old Testament we have the Dead Sea Scrolls that were written around 100 BC, which include a complete scroll of the book of Isaiah, along with other ancient manuscripts.1 What do we find when these scrolls are examined and compared to what we have today?

When the text of Isaiah found in the Dead Sea Scrolls was compared to what had previously been the oldest known text of Isaiah (written 900 years later), the two texts matched word for word with only minor variations.2 Jesus read from one of these texts of Isaiah in His ministry and called it scripture (Luke 4:16-21)! By doing so He gave His approval for the accuracy and authority of these scrolls produced by copyists.

Critics, like our Muslim friend, prey upon the ignorance of others when they talk about the “errors” in the manuscripts. The bulk of these differences are in spelling and word order that have absolutely no affect upon the meaning! For example:

“The king Herod” verses “Herod the king” and
“Jerusalem with Him” verses “all Jerusalem with Him”

are the common kinds of differences that exist in these manuscripts.3

If some men had developed a conspiracy to deliberately change the text, then there should be numerous examples of major differences in these manuscripts. These kinds of differences simply do not exist. In fact, it would have been impossible for any later conspirators to find all the manuscripts that were spread over several countries and then change them (in some cases parts of scripture were copied and buried with the bodies of Christians!). Because we have in our possession these vast numbers of accurate documents, we can be assured that there was no such conspiracy.

The only conspiracy that exists today is found in those that misrepresent the truth about the Bible so as to accommodate some latter-day prophet.

The Bible Tells the Truth
Our critic reveals his own bias against the prophets of the Old Testament when he attacks them for simply telling the truth about the failings of men that followed God. One of the examples he cites is of David and Bathsheba, which is simply a fact of history. David saw her bathing on her roof and, as a result, gave into temptation and sinned. He later was confronted, repented and was forgiven. What is dangerous about that? These and other examples cited by our critic as being added by “mischievous” men are, in truth, God’s words that warn us by example against such sin. In this our God also shows us the way back to Him.

Does our Critic Really Want the Truth?
Yes, truth is attainable, but many are offended by it. Rather than using existing cultural prejudices to judge God’s word or acting out of fear of those who would physically harm others that choose to find and speak the truth, I call upon this critic and all others to enter into an examination of the claims made concerning the identity of Jesus Christ. I will affirm that there is credible evidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. If our critic wishes to affirm the existence of a latter-day prophet, I also will gladly participate in such a discussion.

I challenge everyone to answer this question asked by Jesus Himself: “But who do you say that I am” (Matthew 16:15)? This is a truth that we can know, if we are willing to pursue it and test it. Will you take up this challenge of Jesus? “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority” (John 7:17).

Do you really want the truth?

Part 2
Seeking to convince others to change their beliefs and, as a result, change their lives is a noble pursuit. The Apostle Paul converted many of the hearers that he reasoned with to become believers in Christ (Acts 14:1). Mr. Husain, a confessed Muslim, has attempted to convince me and others through an e-mail to accept his evidence and become a “true follower of only preserved divine revelation on the earth, Islam/Sunni.” So far we have examined the evidence he has used to attack the Bible and found it to be completely lacking. How does the Koran stand against the same kind of objections Mr. Husain brought against the Bible?

Do We Have the Original Manuscript of the Koran?
Mr Husain has asserted that the Koran is the “only purely original manuscript existing revelation on the face of earth for mercy and salvation.” Therefore the Koran could not have any problems with copyist errors. Asserting these things proves nothing, for anyone on earth that wishes to do so can test his claims. When we look at how the Koran came into being, a very different picture emerges from what our Muslim critic has said.

The author of the Koran, Muhammad, could neither read nor write. He did not personally write one sentence of the Koran.4
What he spoke was both memorized and “written down on pieces of leather, on pieces of parchment, on bones, on palm leaves, on stones, on boards, and on other things.”4
After the death of Muhammad there was an effort made to collect and record his teachings in written form. At first, many were reluctant to do this because Muhammad never attempted to do this, nor did he give a commandment to have it done.6
There were many differences in the texts produced through these efforts.5 The different versions were ordered to be destroyed by fire by the Muslim Caliph Uthman and one final text was presented.6
No manuscript of the Koran from this period is in existence today. The earliest documents in existence are fragments that were written over 200 years after the final edition of the Koran.4
Therefore the Koran we posses in fact came to us through copyists who were also “fallible men.”5
Why does our critic fail to mention these things? The same approach he used in his zeal to discredit the Bible would cast even greater doubts on the Koran! In truth the Koran itself would dispute his entire line of argumentation. Muhammad urged Jews to “hold fast by the Book” (Al A'râf 7:169-170), but how could the Jews “hold fast” if there was no reliable book available?

A Comparison of Jesus and Muhammad
Why not look at the New Testament and learn about the claims and teachings of Jesus and also look at the Koran and see exactly what was taught by Muhammad? Why is our Muslim critic and others like him so anxious to close the pages of the Bible to examination and only wish for you to read the Koran?

The Claims and Teachings of Jesus
The birth, life and death of Jesus were foretold in the writings of the Old Testament. How could such detail of His life be given hundreds of years in advance? Listen to the words of Jesus: “Then He said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory” (Luke 24:25-26)? “Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures” (Luke 24: 44-45).

Jesus claimed to be the Son of God and, as a result, freely accepted worship without rebuking the worshippers. When Jesus appeared to His disciples they “came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him” (Matthew 28:9-10). Jesus appeared to Thomas and challenged him to "“Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”" (John 20:27-29).

Jesus claimed that the sacrifice of Himself on the cross would provide the only path to God. “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

The Claims and Teachings of Muhammad
Muhammad claimed to be a prophet of God. “In the year 610 (believed to be the 26th of Ramadan), while in a cave on Mt. Hirah, Muhammad said that the angel Gabriel appeared to him and commanded him to recite (96:1-19). This recitation became the Qur'an.”7
Muhammad claimed to work no miracles.4
Muhammad claimed that the prophets of the Old and New Testament were from God and that that message had been put in writing.4
“He said that the Day of Judgment was coming and that a man's works will be weighed on that day. Those whose good deeds out weigh their bad may, by Allah's grace, be saved and enter Paradise which is full of sensual pleasures.”7
How Can We Know What is true?
Jesus claimed that his identity would be known to all by the greatest of signs, His resurrection from the dead (John 2:20-22, Romans 1:3-4). When you weigh the evidence of the miracles in the ministry of Christ, the fulfilled prophecy of the Old Testament and the eyewitness testimony of the disciples (Acts 2:32, 36; I John 1:1-3), you can conclude that Jesus is indeed the Son of God.

What evidence has been presented by our critic to establish the credibility of Mohammad? There were no miracles worked by him, no fulfilled prophesies of him, he only claimed to have received a message from an angel. While he did affirm that the prophets of the Bible were genuine, those very prophets severely contradict the teachings of Muhammad. Why don’t you weigh the evidence and be the Judge?

A Final Warning
The God of heaven has given one message for mankind to submit to. Men have claimed that angels have spoken to them in every generation. Remember this warning: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9).

Part 3
I received an e-mail from Mr. Husain, a professed Muslim, under the subject title: If you do not know “the ever truth (Islam), verily, you would be eternally lost!” He obviously wants to convince me and others to become a Muslim. He begins by making numerous futile arguments to discredit the Bible. He then reasons that since the Bible cannot be trusted, the only other path that remains is to submit to the Koran. Interestingly, he provides no arguments to show the superiority of the Koran or the way of life it produces. He only gives the threat of eternal damnation as an incentive to become a Muslim.

There is a huge difference between winning the hearts of men and forcing their outward conformity. The one true God knows the hearts of men and how to win them. Ruthless governments, man-made religions and domineering individuals throughout history have captured others and intimidated them to outwardly conform to a random human standard. This kind of slavery causes the men under it to desperately look for a way of escape. For a few, however, this system provides a position of power from which they can cruelly dominate others and feed their own pride.

What is the nature of the one true God?
Mr Husain does mention that God is “gracious” and “merciful” but fails to give us any examples from the Koran of His nature. When men pervert God’s true nature and change it into an image of their own imagination, the results are disastrous. The Psalmist aptly warns of the consequences found in all forms of idolatry: “Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them” (Psalms 115:. Let us examine both the teachings of Muhammad and Jesus as they pertain to the true nature of God.

Jesus displayed the love and mercy of God
Throughout His ministry, Jesus pointed to God’s love as the motivating power to change men. He emphasized the quantity of God’s love in His teaching and would ultimately demonstrate the magnitude of God’s love by sacrificing His own life to save mankind. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, Rom 5:6-. Jesus gave men what they needed and not what they deserved—aptly demonstrating the purity of God’s love.

On one occasion Jesus’ disciples displayed a typical weakness found in men. In their anger, they wanted to call down “fire from heaven” to destroy a Samaritan village. “But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them”” (Luke 9:55-56).

Muhammad gave a law that reflects the nature of men
As you examine the life of Muhammad and his writings, you will find that he had contradictory attitudes towards those who rejected him as a prophet. Towards the end of his life he was openly hostile to those who could not consciously believe his claims. Hear his words as written in the Koran: “The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom (5:33..” For those who want to argue about what Muhammad meant by these things one only need to look at the examples in his life. Consider this event in the life of Muhammad: “Because of the resistance to his proselytizing attempts, he returned to Friday as the day of worship. He began attacking Jews. At first it was one at a time; then later whole villages. After one Jewish town had surrendered, he had 700 to 1,000 men beheaded in one day, and all the women and children sold into slavery."8

Jesus showed the way to forgiveness and salvation
Jesus plainly showed that forgiveness was never within the ability of men alone. They need a Savior—one who could provide a sufficient sacrifice for sin. No Law system could provide forgiveness. While showing the way of truth and righteousness, the Law of God also convinces men of sin. Law alone could only condemn! Jesus gave Himself to meet the righteous requirement of God for forgiveness. When men understand the nature of this great gift and their hearts are melted by it, they will choose to give their lives to the One who gave His life for them. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:20-21).

Muhammad’s view of forgiveness and salvation
In the Koran salvation is wholly based on the efforts of men. "Muhammad utilized the Testament of Abraham to teach that a scale or balance will be used on the day of judgment to weigh good and bad deeds in order to determine whether one goes to heaven or hell (Suras 42:17; 101:6-9)."9 He also taught that sins could be covered by doing good deeds such as prayer and helping the poor. "And keep up prayer in the two parts of the day and in the first hours of the night; surely good deeds take away evil deeds this is a reminder to the mindful [11.114]."

In Islam there is no assurance of salvation. How good is good enough? How can you ever know if you have done enough good deeds to outweigh the bad? The only exception to this is the one who dies as a martyr in a jihad.10

Is there any wonder why men escape the present system of bondage to “paradise” by wearing explosives and detonating it among the “infidels?”

Those governments that are guided by Islamic law logically try to force people into praying and other good works. In some countries there are religious police that forcefully clear out the shopping malls and force everyone to go to the Mosque to pray at the designated time. Many have been beaten and imprisoned because they dared to resist such authority.

The spread of the Gospel and the spread of the Koran
Jesus gave a commission to His apostles to spread the gospel (good news) of His love so that men might willingly believe it and be baptized into Christ (Mark 16:15-16). When this simple message is preached, men respond. In Islamic countries the preaching of this powerful message is forbidden and Christian literature is banned. Their leaders how powerful Jesus’ message of salvation is (Romans 1:16).

Islam has not spread because people read the Koran and are moved by it alone. This religion has spread by physical conquests. “That is still the objective of Islam. That conversion to Islam can be by persuasive means, or by intimidation, torture, and jihad.”10

The one true God wants us to choose to serve Him. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).

What will you conclude?
Which message is from God and which message is from man? You alone must choose. One thing is certain; God will never force you to serve Him.

Bruce, F.F. (1953), The New Testament Documents—Are They Reliable? (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans), fourth edition.
The Reality of Copyists' Errors, http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/608
J. W. McGarvey (1886), Evidences of Christianity, Pages 13-15
The Hutto – El Dareer Debate, Birmingham, Alabama October 21-25, 1974
Edited by Ibn Warraq, The Origins of the Koran: Classic Essays on Islam's Holy Book, Prometheus Books, 1998, http://debate.org.uk/topics/books/origins-koran.html
Ney Rieber, The Compilation Of The Qur'an As Recorded In The Hadith, http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-quran-changed-editing-process.htm
Muhammad, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, http://www.carm.org/islam/muhammad.htm
Dr. Robert Morey, "The Islamic Invasion”, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene OR
Dr. Robert Morey, Islam: Truth or Myth? http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-koran-fairy-tales-dr-morey.htm
Silas, The Spirit of Islam, New York, Madrid, Beslan, http://answering-islam.org/Silas/spirit_of_islam.htm

http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/AnsweringAMuslimCritic.html
Culled from:

belabela:


The Reality of Truth
I commend to everyone the honest pursuit of truth. Truth never fears investigation and a lover of truth will never run from an honest discussion. Those who follow Jesus Christ understand the real battle between truth and error.
Jesus wants you to find the truth that will “make you free” (John 8:32). Jesus’ followers are instructed to “give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (I Peter 3:15). Any such defense must be based upon facts, not tradition, feelings or the threats of terror.

Only if this man had read the bible for himself,he would know what he is talking about is nonsense.

Jeremiah 8:8
How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.

Do We Have an Accurate Bible?
Our Muslim critic brings these attacks upon the Bible:

We do not have the original manuscripts (autographs) of the Bible.
The original manuscripts were copied by fallible men and as a result every copy that we posses today contains errors. In fact, no two manuscripts are alike.

The truth of the matter is there are over 24000 manuscripts of the bible with no two that are identical!
Which is orginal and which is fake?

Because these errors exist, then whatever was originally in the Bible is “unknowable” today.

That is the presumption of the writer.
Many things are still known today from the bible. But guess what? The bible is a mixture of the good,the bad and the ugly. so, basically how does a Christian who claims to follow the bible know what and how to follow certain things and reject certain things?

The copyists intentionally put their own “mischievous” beliefs into the text since the Bible records examples of intimate sins. One example he cites is that the Bible “displays lady's Unclad bath! (II Samuel 11:2-5).”

Is this also inspired? Is this also by/from God? Was God who made her lust? If the below is immoral,then of what moral is it to our women and girls? Can you allow your 10 years old read the below?

Ezekiel 23:20

[size=18pt]There she lusted after her lovers, whose manlinesses were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.[/size]

Admissions by Our Critic
Our Muslim critic acknowledges that Jesus, Abraham and Moses were prophets of God. He also acknowledges that when the original documents that comprise the Bible were written, that they were, in fact, the word of God. He asserts that copyists’ errors made these writings so unreliable that they are now “dangerous” and should be kept “under lock and key.” Let us compare the assertions and charges of this fallible man to the promises of Jesus. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

And today other than reading in Mathew that Jesus utter those words, what proof do we really have to convince us that what is attributed to Jesus was actually spoken by him?

As far as the new testament is concerned,and even the entire bible,all that was spoken by the Prophets are acceptable because they are revelations.but when revelations are mixed with history and the thoughts of men,then what you get is confusion.

In the new testament alone,we have so many instances where the different books give different account about Jesus.at least if that is not contradicting then that is blatant inconsistency.also,from the books attributed to some people,who are assumed to have written those books,we find out from internal evidence in the bible that those men did not write those books completely and that is evidence of tampering.

examples of what I am saying (the book of Deuteronomy is allegedly authored by Moses):

Deuteronomy 34:7
Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.

(note below that Mathew is believed to be the writer and is referring to himself in the 2nd person)

Matthew 9:9
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

CONTRADICTIONS(note I am only giving few bible verses as example.there are many more and in abundance)
WHO INCITED DAVID:GOD OR SATAN?

2 Samuel 24: 1
And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

1 Chronicles 21:1
And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

WAS BABY JESUS’ LIFE THREATENED AND FLED TO EGYPT?

Luke 2:21-24
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

Matthew 2:10-15
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

The Testimony of the Manuscripts
The original ancient texts had to be copied by hand in order to be preserved. [b]There are no original manuscripts in existence. [/b]However, honest scholars can easily determine if the present Bible was transmitted accurately or if there was some conspiracy to later change the text. We have at least 5,366 manuscripts of the Greek New Testament in existence today, in whole or in part, that testify to the accuracy of the New Testament. There are nearly complete manuscripts that date from 280 to 350 AD and there is a fragment that is dated around 125 AD. For the Old Testament we have the Dead Sea Scrolls that were written around 100 BC, which include a complete scroll of the book of Isaiah, along with other ancient manuscripts.1 What do we find when these scrolls are examined and compared to what we have today?

In the above quote (see highlighted words),the man is admitting there is no original manuscripts.yet he is claiming accuracy.

Infact of the thousands of manuscripts that exist no two give the same account.from even the bible we have today,you can see from the verses earlier quoted,to know if this man’s claim of accuracy is in place.

When the text of Isaiah found in the Dead Sea Scrolls was compared to what had previously been the oldest known text of Isaiah (written 900 years later), the two texts matched word for word [b]with only minor variations.[/b]2 Jesus read from one of these texts of Isaiah in His ministry and called it scripture (Luke 4:16-21)! By doing so He gave His approval for the accuracy and authority of these scrolls produced by copyists.

WITH ONLY MINOR VARIATIONS! (please see above highlighted).
So what has the Muslim being shouting ever since more than 1400 years ago?
With any variation,how do we know which one is saying the truth?

Critics, like our Muslim friend, prey upon the ignorance of others when they talk about the “errors” in the manuscripts. The bulk of these differences are in spelling and word order that have absolutely no affect upon the meaning! For example:

“The king Herod” verses “Herod the king” and
“Jerusalem with Him” verses “all Jerusalem with Him”

are the common kinds of differences that exist in these manuscripts.3

If time permit, I can present many examples of contradictions and inconsistencies in the bible text.this man wants us to accept the “minor variations”.in other words he wants us to accept the “half-truths” and “small mistakes”.isnt this supposed to be the “inspired word of God”?

If some men had developed a conspiracy to deliberately change the text, then there should be numerous examples of major differences in these manuscripts. These kinds of differences simply do not exist. In fact, it would have been impossible for any later conspirators to find all the manuscripts that were spread over several countries and then change them (in some cases parts of scripture were copied and buried with the bodies of Christians!). Because we have in our possession these vast numbers of accurate documents, we can be assured that there was no such conspiracy.

The only conspiracy that exists today is found in those that misrepresent the truth about the Bible so as to accommodate some latter-day prophet.

It does not necessarily have to be a “conspiracy”.those who claim to follow the bible up to this day are editing the bible and making changes to suit their beliefs. In Christianity,the bible follows the beliefs of Christians and not Christians following the beliefs in the bible.

Just an example in our present day:
John 1:18 (King James Version)
No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 1:18[b] (New World Translation)[/b]
No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is in the bosom [position] with the Father is the one that has explained him.

John 1:18 (Revised Standard Version)
No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.

Note:in the above verses,the word “begotten” which means “not made,not created” and gives an idea that Jesus is the divine son of God was expunged from the RSV because it is an interpolation.millions of Christians have being deceived that Jesus is unique and not a figurative “son of God” but a literal “son of God” and “divine” just using one word that was later removed because it is not found in the manuscripts!

Does our Critic Really Want the Truth?
Yes, truth is attainable, but many are offended by it. Rather than using existing cultural prejudices to judge God’s word or acting out of fear of those who would physically harm others that choose to find and speak the truth, I call upon this critic and all others to enter into an examination of the claims made concerning the identity of Jesus Christ. I will affirm that there is credible evidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. If our critic wishes to affirm the existence of a latter-day prophet, I also will gladly participate in such a discussion.

God has many “sons” in the bible.and we are told :

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.(Roman 8:14)
But they have made Jesus a literal “son of God” like what I am to my father who pregnated my mother.to that the Holy Quran says:

[i]They say: "(Allah) Most Gracious has begotten a son!"  Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous! At it the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin. That they should invoke a son for (Allah) Most Gracious.  For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should beget a son. (Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant.  He does take an account of them (all), and hath numbered them (all) exactly.  And every one of them will come to him singly on the Day of Judgment.(19:88-94)

I challenge everyone to answer this question asked by Jesus Himself: “But who do you say that I am” (Matthew 16:15)? This is a truth that we can know, if we are willing to pursue it and test it. Will you take up this challenge of Jesus? “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority” (John 7:17).

This man fails to understand that based on the Quran we believe in Jesus.he fails to understand that questioning the authority of the bible is not the same as rejecting Jesus.

Do We Have the Original Manuscript of the Koran?

Yes we do!

Mr Husain has asserted that the Koran is the “only purely original manuscript existing revelation on the face of earth for mercy and salvation.” Therefore the Koran could not have any problems with copyist errors. Asserting these things proves nothing, for anyone on earth that wishes to do so can test his claims. When we look at how the Koran came into being, a very different picture emerges from what our Muslim critic has said.

Atleast this man should know that the Quran we have today is only one Quran.even muslims of different sects (e.g. shia and sunni) who even go as far as sometimes killing themselves have the same Quran.and a Quran in china used by Chinese muslims is the same as the one Nigerian muslims use word for word.

The catholic bible is made up of 73 books while the protestant bible is made up of 66 books ( 7 books expunged) yet we are told to believe all are inspired!

The author of the Koran, Muhammad, could neither read nor write. He did not personally write one sentence of the Koran.4
What he spoke was both memorized and “written down on pieces of leather, on pieces of parchment, on bones, on palm leaves, on stones, on boards, and on other things.”4

He could not write and that is miraculous since he brought he Quran.he made sure he was presented when a group of scribes would write down what he uttered to them and then all of them would recite what they write.

After the death of Muhammad there was an effort made to collect and record his teachings in written form. At first, many were reluctant to do this because Muhammad never attempted to do this, nor did he give a commandment to have it done.6

The teachings of Muhammad (sa) can be found in the Quran.the Quran was in written and memorized forms even when the Prophet (sa) was yet alive.

There were many differences in the texts produced through these efforts.5 The different versions were ordered to be destroyed by fire by the Muslim Caliph Uthman and one final text was presented.6

Those “different versions” were the result of the new converts from distant lands out of Arabia.their “versions” were collected and  copies of the Quran from the original,leftin palm dates and on stones, and memorized was made and given to them.can Christians do likewise for their bible?

No manuscript of the Koran from this period is in existence today. The earliest documents in existence are fragments that were written over 200 years after the final edition of the Koran.4

That is a lie.

A copy of the Quran from the days of Usthman still exists today!

Therefore the Koran we posses in fact came to us through copyists who were also “fallible men.”5

And we only have one Quran today with no error!

Besides it is not a sin for fallible men to write the Quran or the bible.but it is wrong and sinful for them to tamper with it.the issue is not with fallible men copying or writing.the problem is the evident changes they made in the bible.

Why does our critic fail to mention these things? The same approach he used in his zeal to discredit the Bible would cast even greater doubts on the Koran! In truth the Koran itself would dispute his entire line of argumentation. Muhammad urged Jews to “hold fast by the Book” (Al A'râf 7:169-170), but how could the Jews “hold fast” if there was no reliable book available?

This is what the above mention verses say:

After them succeeded an (evil) generation: they inherited the Book but they chose (for themselves) the vanities of this world, saying (for excuse): "(Everything) will be forgiven us." (Even so) if similar vanities came their way, they would (again) seize them. Was not the covenant of the Book taken from them, that they would not ascribe to Allah anything but the truth? And they study what is in the Book. But best for the righteous is the Home in the Hereafter: will ye not understand? (169) As to those who hold fast by the Book and establish regular prayer;― never shall We suffer the reward of the righteous to perish.

To be continue………………………….

@belabela
thanks for taking the time to get this, i have been touched and I hope to convince any around me, should this case arise again. God bless u dearie!

@belabela,

Thanks for posting this beautiful and truthful article.

Muslims need salvation in Christ, otherwise they are dead in their sins.!!

Man, the enemy of Man.


Religion, a tool used for identifying the enemy.

In all, Humanity is lost inbetween.


Such a shame.

@Crazychica and frosbel; « #2 on: Today at 07:59:14 PM »
[Quote]@belabela
thanks for taking the time to get this, i have been touched and I hope to convince any around me, should this case arise again. God bless u dearie!
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frosbel (m)
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Re: Answering A Muslim Critic By Larry Rouse
« #3 on: Today at 08:27:16 PM »

@belabela,

Thanks for posting this beautiful and truthful article.

Muslims need salvation in Christ, otherwise they are dead in their sins.!![/Quote]did you guys see to be continued . . . from Lagosshia? you fellas should have relaxed and let him tool up and completely dismantle the sandy caste that your boss larry rouse slapped together. then it is after it that you can respond painstakingly, if you have the 'will' to respond honestly. when jeremiah says the bible is corrupt, that is enough unless you are saying he was wrong, which is still another way of saying something is a lie in the bible.

@LagosShia

Only if this man had read the bible for himself,he would know what he is talking about is nonsense.

Of course he has read the bible for himself. You resort to abuses when your false religion is destroyed with the truth.

Jeremiah 8:8
How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
The truth of the matter is there are over 24000 manuscripts of the bible with no two that are identical!
Which is orginal and which is fake?
That is the presumption of the writer.

Many things are still known today from the bible. But guess what? The bible is a mixture of the good,the bad and the ugly. so, basically how does a Christian who claims to follow the bible know what and how to follow certain things and reject certain things?

It's like asking a Muslim, what parts of the Quran he should follow. Should he follow the part where Muhammad married a 6 year old or the part where he took his son's daughter to be his wife forcefully. Or should a Muslim follow the parts where the Quran orders killings, beheadings, violation, subjugation of peoples etc etc. Or maybe he should follow the path of deception so that when the enemies are off guard he destroys them. The list is endless.

Whereas the bible is a pointer to the person of Jesus Christ, with the beginning through Abraham to when Jesus was born, when he died, resurrected and established his church ( not the catholic church ) , and all the way to acts of the apostles which depicts what the church was and should be , to revelation which tells of the last judgment, way of escape and punishment of evil doers.

In the midst of this history is the account of the wars , trials and persecutions, the people of GOD had to endure to fulfill the purposes of GOD.

It is not some incoherent book , written disjointedly over a number of years , with no clear patterm or objective fior human life and salvation.

Ezekiel 23:20

[size=18pt]There she lusted after her lovers, whose manlinesses were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.[/size]
And today other than reading in Mathew that Jesus utter those words, what proof do we really have to convince us that what is attributed to Jesus was actually spoken by him?

Allegory, the Jews lusted after the inhabitants of the pagan countries, lusted after their way of life, their women, but more sadly their gods. One of these gods was the pagan moon god.

As far as the new testament is concerned,and even the entire bible,all that was spoken by the Prophets are acceptable because they are revelations.but when revelations are mixed with history and the thoughts of men,then what you get is confusion.

The bible was written by men who where :

1. Holy
2. Inspired by GOD
3. Who heard from GOD
4. Who hated evil.

None of the men who wrote the bible was a warmonger, despoiler, pervert, plagiariser etc etc.

In the new testament alone,we have so many instances where the different books give different account about Jesus.at least if that is not contradicting then that is blatant inconsistency.also,from the books attributed to some people,who are assumed to have written those books,we find out from internal evidence in the bible that those men did not write those books completely and that is evidence of tampering.

Not true.

Deuteronomy 34:7
Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.

Deuteronomy is in the old testament not new testament.

Matthew 9:9
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

Yes , this gospel was written a few dozen years after the resurrection of Jesus and the establishment of the church ( not the catholic church ).

CONTRADICTIONS(note I am only giving few bible verses as example.there are many more and in abundance)
WHO INCITED DAVID:GOD OR SATAN?

What do you think ? Since you say we serve the same GOD, do you think GOD will incite his creatures ?

2 Samuel 24: 1
And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

In this context Satan, obviously

1 Chronicles 21:1
And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

There you have your answer , lol.

WAS BABY JESUS’ LIFE THREATENED AND FLED TO EGYPT?

Luke 2:21-24
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

Matthew 2:10-15
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

In the above quote (see highlighted words),the man is admitting there is no original manuscripts.yet he is claiming accuracy.

Infact of the thousands of manuscripts that exist no two give the same account.from even the bible we have today,you can see from the verses earlier quoted,to know if this man’s claim of accuracy is in place

.



Talk, Talk, please tell me with evidence where it is alleged that the manuscripts where lost or corrputed. Indeed there over 25,000 manuscripts that all validate each other.

You keep listening to your imams , just like the Catholics listen to their priests, they are leading you to eternal doom. wake up!!!!!

WITH ONLY MINOR VARIATIONS! (please see above highlighted).
So what has the Muslim being shouting ever since more than 1400 years ago?
With any variation,how do we know which one is saying the truth?
If time permit, I can present many examples of contradictions and inconsistencies in the bible text.this man wants us to accept the “minor variations”.in other words he wants us to accept the “half-truths” and “small mistakes”.isnt this supposed to be the “inspired word of God”?
It does not necessarily have to be a “conspiracy”.those who claim to follow the bible up to this day are editing the bible and making changes to suit their beliefs. In Christianity,the bible follows the beliefs of Christians and not Christians following the beliefs in the bible.

The bible has simply been refined into more modern day english, while retaining the original Greek and Hebrew meanings.

Its sad that Allah could only speak Arabic.

Just an example in our present day:
John 1:18 (King James Version)
No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 1:18[b] (New World Translation)[/b]
[i]No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is in the bosom [position] with the Father is the one that has explained him.

John 1:18 (Revised Standard Version)
No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.

Note:in the above verses,the word “begotten” which means “not made,not created” and gives an idea that Jesus is the divine son of God was expunged from the RSV because it is an interpolation.millions of Christians have being deceived that Jesus is unique and not a figurative “son of God” but a literal “son of God” and “divine” just using one word that was later removed because it is not found in the manuscripts!

And the above quoted verses do not mean the same thing to you ? Please read and understand the English.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.(Roman 8:14)

See why I said you MUST be born again ?

The man who does not have the Spirit of GOD in him will always read the bible as a story book. These things are spiritually discerned from you.

"But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means." - 1 Corinthians 2:14

But they have made Jesus a literal “son of God” like what I am to my father who pregnated my mother

Here you contradict yourself. Muslims believe that Jessu was born without a father and through a virgin.If his father was God, which he is, what should we call him, daughter of God

to that the Holy Quran says:

[i]They say: "(Allah) Most Gracious has begotten a son!"  Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous! At it the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin. That they should invoke a son for (Allah) Most Gracious.  For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should beget a son. (Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant.  He does take an account of them (all), and hath numbered them (all) exactly.  And every one of them will come to him singly on the Day of Judgment.(19:88-94)[/i]so it is fair
This man fails to understand that based on the Quran we believe in Jesus.he fails to understand that questioning the authority of the bible is not the same as rejecting Jesus.
Yes we do!

The Quran is a book of Muhammads imaginations , life biography, escapades and hearsay. It is not divine, so I ignore its contents.

Atleast this man should know that the Quran we have today is only one Quran.even muslims of different sects (e.g. shia and sunni) who even go as far as sometimes killing themselves have the same Quran.and a Quran in china used by Chinese muslims is the same as the one Nigerian muslims use word for word.

The Quran is corrupted, I will start an article on this shortly

The catholic bible is made up of 73 books while the protestant bible is made up of 66 books ( 7 books expunged) yet we are told to believe all are inspired!

Catholic is not christian

He could not write and that is miraculous since he brought he Quran.he made sure he was presented when a group of scribes would write down what he uttered to them and then all of them would recite what they write.

What nonsense.

^^^this was a great analysis. am looking forward to reading yhur upcoming quotes!

Sweetnecta:

@Crazychica and frosbel; « #2 on: Today at 07:59:14 PM »did you guys see to be continued . . . from Lagosshia? you fellas should have relaxed and let him tool up and completely dismantle the sandy caste that your boss larry rouse slapped together. then it is after it that you can respond painstakingly, if you have the 'will' to respond honestly. when jeremiah says the bible is corrupt, that is enough unless you are saying he was wrong, which is still another way of saying something is a lie in the bible.

amazingness
first, boss larry? get a grip. he is an inspired man that didnt force the truth, he only analysed some dire dits
secondly, please show me the bible chapter and verse where jeremiah said the bible is corrupt