dont shoot the messenger(pbuh)

7/28/2019 DONT SHOOT THE MESSENGER(PBUH)

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Don’t Shoot The Messenger Dawah Training Series #12 - www.iera.org.uk/dontshoot -

TRUST IN ALLAH

We have gone through the whole GORAP!

Now that you have conveyed the message of Islam effectively its time to invite them to join Islam.

1) Summarise GORAP to them

We have discussed that:

- We have a creator for our universe

- The creator is one and unique

- The Quran is from the creator

- Muhammad pbuh was a prophet of the creator

2) What a muslim does

To become a Muslim is very easy:

- First you need to accept that God exists and that Muhammad is a maessenger of God

- Second you need to establish a connection with your creator through prayer

3) The two paths

You have two paths to take, one leading to hell fire and the other leading to paradise

- If you reject the message then on the day of judgement you will be question on why you did not follow your

creator

- If you accept it then you will have peace in this life and live eternally in paradice in happyness

4) Death

The reality is that everyone will die. We dont know when. So you have an opportunity now to accept the truth

before to leave this world.

5) Are you ready to join the brotherhood / sisterhood of Islam?

“As shadu an laa ilaaha il Allah wa ashadu anna Mohammad rasoolullah”

“I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah”

6) After the shahadah

The ultimate goal is not the Shahada, the ultimate goal is Jannah, the Shahada is just the beginning of their

journey ...

1) Teach them how to pray

2) Introduce them to other practicing brothers / sisters

3) Make dua for them

This is the end of the Dawah for beginners Facebook series.

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Don’t Shoot The Messenger Dawah Training Series #11

- www.iera.org.uk/dontshoot -

A MERCY TO MANKIND

Previously we showed how the Quran is from the creator of our universe. The Quran was revealed to

Muhammad pbuh who was an illiterate man who claimed to be a prophet just like Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

The question is how do we know he was telling the truth? He was either Lying, deluded or telling the truth:

1. Lying

Before he claimed to be a prophet he was nicknamed ""Al Amin" the trust worthy one as he was never known

to lie. People would lie to get material gain however he was offered wealth, position and women to leave his

message but he rejected this and instead lived a life of struggle

This is not the profile of a liar.

2. Deluded

He might think he is a prophet but is not.

However someone who is deluded could bring about a miraculous book like the Quran. The Quran could not be

produced by a human so for it to be revealed to Mohammad shows that he was not deluded.

3. Speaking the truth

So therefore when we look at the life and character of Muhammad pbuh we see he was telling the truth andthat he is what he claims which is a prophet of God.

Question of the day:

We have gone through the whole GORAP!

Who can now articulate a case for Islam using the full GORAP in the comment section?

ARE YOU COMING OUT TO DEFEND THE PROPHET SAW TOMORROW - www.iera.org.uk/dontshoot



RECITE IN THE NAME OF YOUR LORD

So far we have discussed how there is a creator of our universe. But now what?

Step 1: Introduce the need for revelation




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Our creator has sent us books throughout history to communicate a message to us.

Just like you get a manual with a mobile phone which tells you what it is for and what is good and bad for it.

Our creator has sent us manuals to tell us what our purpose in life is and what is good for us and what is bad

for us.

Step 2: The Miracles

Quran

The books that were revealed have been altered and changed. The Quran is a book that claims to be from

God. If a book is really from God it must have some ID or evidence to show its from the creator and not just a

book written by man.The evidence to show the Quran is from the creator is as follows:

1) Preservation

The Quran was revealed 1400 years ago and has not been edited or changed. Millions around the world have

memorised it so that it is preserved within the hearts rather than just the text.

2) Science

The Quran talks about nature. The amazing thing is that there is not a mistake in the Quran. How is it that this

book which was revealed 1400 years ago has such an amazing level of information? For example:

3) Origin of the universe

Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We

separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe? Quran 21:30

And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander. Quran 51:47

Only recently had man discovered that the universe was a singularity and that the universe is expanding.

4) Iron

The Quran says the following on the origin of Iron:“We sent down iron with its great inherent strength and its

many benefits for humankind” [Quran 57:25]

God uses the words „sent down‟ for Iron. It is clear from the verse that Iron is not an earthly material, but was

sent down for the benefit of humanity. The fact that Iron came down to earth from meteors from outer spaceis something which could not be known by the primitive science of the 7th century.

Step 3: The message

This is only two simple examples. There are many more which show that this book could not have been written

by a man but sent by the creator.

The quran mentions that we are here as a test to do good. To believe in the one true creator and to follow his



guidance from the Quran and from the prophets and messengers.


How do you know that Muhammad is a true prophet of God?



PROCLAIM ONENESS

We have discussed two powerful arguments to show that there must be a powerful and intelligent creator of

our universe.

1) Jesus is God

Some would claim that Jesus is God.

A Christian will believe that God is all powerful, all knowing and is eternal.

How can Jesus be God as he was not all powerful nor was he all knowing and according to the Christians he

died?

Can you imagine God being forced up onto a cross and being killed by his creation?

Christians claim there is one God and that the father and Jesus are the same. According to Christians Jesus

was calling up to God the father while on the cross but Jesus was also the father at the same time? Does that

make sense? Was he calling to himself for help?

To say Jesus is God is like saying there is a circle with four sides. Its illogical.

2) Jesus is son of God

Some claim that Jesus is not God but Son of God.

What do they mean by this?

That God has physical relations with a woman?

Consider this, imagine if I have a fish called Flappy. And in fact Flappy is my son, he eats at the table, has his

own room and the adoption papers are coming next week.

What would you think?

That I am crazy right?







That is because the fish has a different nature to me. So the creator has a different nature to Jesus, so it does

not make sense that he is the son of God.

The most logical conclusion is that he was sent by God as a prophet and messenger.


1) How do you know if the Quran is from God?

Don’t Shoot The Messenger Dawah Training Series #8 - www.iera.org.uk/dontshoot -

BE TRUTHFUL & HONEST

Previously we discussed a basic version of the argument for the existence of God from the order within our

solar system.

Some common contentions to the arguments are as follows:

1) If God is perfect then why is his creation not perfect? There are earth quakes, tornados ect

Answer:

You are assuming that just because God is perfect that the creation would be perfect.The creation has been

created fit for purpose. It has not been created to be a paradise but the creation has been created not to last,

everything will one day come to an end.

For example if a TV is not High Definition does that mean that it did not have a creator or that the creator

could not have made the TV high definition?

2) If God is good why does god allow so much pain and suffering in this world?

Answer:

If I told you I know someone that jabs needles into babies you would think that this person is evil. However a

doctor needs to give injections to some children to save their life. Even though the act seems evil but in reality

it is good.

An atheist will see the pain and suffering as evil however in Islam we know that Allah is most wise, all just and

merciful and that he has created life as a test of good and evil.

3) Evolution disproves god ...

Answer:

Evolution does not even have a foot through the door in the conversation on if god exists of not. We have

been discussing how the universe came into existence and how our solar system has an amazing amount of

order which evolution cannot answer. Evolution does not disprove God.

For a deeper understanding on the Islamic evolution and Islam search on youtube “What does Islam say about

the evolution theory? - Abdur-Raheem Green”








Answer the following contentions:

1) But Jesus is God

2) Jesus is Son of God

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DESIGN IS THE SIGN!

Previously we discussed that the most logical conclusion is that there must be a creator of this universe as this

universe could not come from nothing.

The second compelling reasons we know there is a creator of our universe is from the order within our solar

system, which shows the creator is intelligent.

- Point 1: Order indicates intelligence.

When we observe something with order, patterns and systems our logic and experience shows there is

intelligence behind it.

Example: Imagine we were walking along lost in the desert of Arabia. And then suddenly we discovered a

mobile phone in the middle of the desert.

Then you said to me that someone must have been here and dropped this mobile here. But then I replied that

no one has been here for maybe hundreds of years.

And the way this mobile came out was because the desert has lots of sand which you get glass and oil where

you get plastic.

So this mobile was a product of billions of years of random events!

The wind blew, the sun shone, the rain fell, lightning struck, the oil bubbled, the camel trod and after millions

and millions of years the mobile phone formed itself.

Is there a chance that this could have randomly formed itself through natural processes?

Obviously not!

Because you understand that this mobile has order. Things are working together according to systems,

patterns and processes which indicate a designer.

- Point 2: Our solar system has orderWhen we take this principle and apply it to our solar system we come up

with a profound conclusion.



As our solar system is ordered with intricate systems, patterns and processes it shows there must be

intelligence behind the creation of our universe.

For example: - The earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours. Imagine a day or night is say 30 or

40 thousand years long instead of 24 hours. One part of the earth‟s surface would be exposed to sunlight forthat time, and the other in darkness. So the earth‟s surface would be both super heated and super cooled.

- Or imagine if the earth was closer or further away from the sun. Or if the size of the sun or the earth was any

different. We would either be in burning heat or freezing cold ice.

- In fact if we did not have a moon or if the moon was in a different place we would not have such balance in

the sessions in the year. The earth would be in chaos.

- Or consider the O zone layer which protects us from the suns harmful rays. If that was not there then neither

would we.

- Or imagine if the gravity was any stronger or weaker. How much of an effect that would have on human life.

And the list goes on, we can even discuss the water cycle and the balance in the gases in our atmosphere.

We see such balance and order for us to have this life permitting earth. It is difficult to see how life could exist

without these precise conditions.

- Point 3: The nature of the creator

This all indicates that there is intelligence behind our existence.


Attempt to answer the following contentions:

1) But the universe has bad design, there are earth quakes and floods etc

2) Why does god allow so much pain and suffering in this world?

3) Evolution disproves god ...

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BE MERCIFUL, GENTLE AND FORGIVING

Previously we discussed a basic version of the argument for the existence of God from the beginning of theuniverse.

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Some common contentions are as follows:

1) I have never seen god. Therefore he does not exist...

Answer: We have never seen our great, great, great, great, great grandmother. We don‟t have her grave or

DNA and have never seen her. In fact we have no empirical (testable) evidence that she ever existed. Butwould we ever deny that she existed just because we had not seen her? No.

2) If the universe needs a creator then who created god?...

We have two options here:

1) The creator is created

2) The creator is eternal

- If the creator is created then that would mean we have an infinite amount of creators. However this is not

possible due to the following reason:

Imagine a sniper had locked onto the most wanted man in the world, but before he could shoot he needed to

ask permission from his general to shoot.

But the general needed to ask permission from his general. And each general had to ask permission from the

general above them. If this system of asking permission from the general above went on FOREVER would the

sniper ever shoot?

Correct he wouldn‟t.

Now if we apply this principle to our scenario of creators creating creators. If there were an unlimited amount

of creators then the universe would not be created in the same way the sniper would not shoot the mostwanted man in the world.

- So if we can‟t have creators creating creators then the most logical conclusion is that the cause / creator of

the universe is uncased and uncreated.

As Roy Abraham Varghese said, “Theists and atheists can agree on one thing: if anything at all exists, there

must be something preceding it that always existed.”

Advanced contention:

Some atheists argue that in quantum physics there are sub atomic particles that arise from nothing so theuniverse could arise from nothing.

However this is a very misleading argument because they are talking about a sea of fluctuating energy, which

is not nothing. And there are physicists such as David Bohm that take a deterministic stance on these quantum

fluctuations. In other words he attributes causality to these fluctuations.

Question of the day: Who here can attempt to write up an argument for gods existence from the design of the

universe.



WE will repost the ones on THE wall if there are any that we are really impressed with.

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THE UNIVERSAL TRUTH

The universe began to exist (around 14 billion years ago). Scientists talk about the Big Bang; this was an eventthat created all the matter in the universe.

Since the universe began to exist, how did it get here?

There are 3 possible explanations:

1. The universe came from nothing

- The universe could not have come from nothing, because from nothing, nothing comes.

If you woke up one morning and saw a Ferrari parked in your garden would you ever assume it just popped

out from nothing?

If you would never believe that a Ferrari could pop out from nothing for no reason, why would you believe the

universe would pop out from nothing, for no reason?

2. The universe created itself

- The universe could not have created itself. Because that would mean the universe was in existence and not in

existence at the same time.

Example: Can a mother give birth to herself?

3. The universe was created

Therefore, the best explanation is that the universe must have been created.

If the universe was created, the creator of must be:

1. Powerful: as it created the entire universe

2. Intelligent: as it created the laws that govern the universe (More on this later)

Question of the day: Attempt to answer the following contentions in the comment section below

1) I have never seen god. Therefore he does not exist...

2) If the universe needs a creator then who created god?...



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ARGUE WITH THEM IN A WAY THAT IS BEST

Let‟s be straight up! People do not want to talk to you about God, Prophets, Books, Islam, Paradise, Hell ect.

So what do we do?

The key to start a dawah conversation is ... are you ready for it? ... “Questions”.

Whoever controls the questions controls the conversations. So start a conversation and get them to open up

and start feeling comfortable with you.

One powerful way to build rapport with someone is to give them 100% focus and “listen” to them. As you

attentively listened to them it would be likely that they too will listen to you.

Here are some questions to start with:

Hey, how are you?

What is your name?

Which country are you originally from?

Are there many Muslims in that country?

Do you have a faith?

What do you think is the purpose of life?

What do you think happens after we die?

Can I ask you a question about your faith?Why do you believe what you believe in?

Have you ever considered this? ...

Tip: To motivate them to think about religion remind them of death.

Remember ANY conversation is a DAWAH CONVERSATION!

Question on the day: Do you have any other ways we can start a dawah conversation?

NEXT EPISODE: Gods Existence!

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INVITE WITH WISDOM

Number 2 rule: Dawah is not arguing(Does anyone remember rule number 1?)



Have you ever been asked questions like these?- Why are all muslims terrorists?- Why do muslim men beat

their women?- Why do you force your women to cover up?- Why do muslims hate gays?- Why are you forcing

sharia law on us?

And the list goes on...

If we posted answers to ALL these questions will you be happy? I am sure you would. But we're not going to :)

There are excellent answers to all these questions. BUT there is a MUCH more effective method to answering

these questions.

We have seen it many times that muslims go on the back foot trying to answer these questions. They spend

hours answering the different questions and they end up back to the first question that was asked not have

achieved anything. One man in hyde park speakers corner was trying to debate with us by asking a question

about Islam. I gave him the answer and he walked away. The week after we saw him asking the same

question to another Muslim.

So the point here is the WRONG method would be to try to answer every question.

- You will fall into useless arguments

- You wont be leading the discussion

- You wont be calling to Allah

The reality is the questioner will not be satisfied with your answers because they see the world differently to

you. Its like you have glasses on and you can see different colours. And they have black and white glasses on.

And you are trying to show them something that is blue and green but they are debating that it is black and

white.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO?

Answer: You take of their black and white glasses and you put your glasses on them so they see the world

through your eyes. How do you do that?

You use the GORAP method. You introduce the foundations of Islam so they understand your world view. Then

they will be able to understand why we do what we do in Islam. The GORAP is your dawah structure!

What does the GORAP stand for?

- Gods existence- Oneness

- Revelation

- And

- Prophethood

Example:

Tim: Why do you cover your hair, it is so hot! Dont you feel imprisoned wearing that?



Ayisha: Haha I totally see why you would think that. I used to think the same of women wearing the headscarf

when I did not wear it. But i really appreciate you asking. Tim the thing is for you to truly understand why

women cover their hair you MUST first understand the foundations of Islam. Do you have 5 minutes for me to

explain this to you?

From here Ayisha can go straight into Tawheed rather than having a useless discussion :)

Question on the day: How would you start a dawah conversation from nothing?

*Note: We are not saying you dont answer the question. Some people may be sincerely asking a question to

know the answer.

NEXT EPISODE: The key to start a dawah conversation from nothing!

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- Role of empathy and sincerity

Many people get into hour long debates and arguments without ever achieving anything. The key to effective

dawah is empathy and sincerity.

Empathy: Putting yourself in the other persons shoes and getting an understanding of their world, how they

think and what they feel. Once you appreciate their world you are more likely to connect with them.

So when you do talk to someone consider their emotions, thoughts, feeling, history ect. You might be talking

to someone who is aggressive and argumentative but that person may have had bad experiences in the past

and they hates religions just because of their past. For you to truly connect with that person and influence

them you need to understand and appreciate their world.

Second you need to be sincere, not acting like you are shoving Islam down their throats but that you truly care

for them and the way they think and feel. If people see your sincerity it will create trust. Even if they do not

accept the message they will still respect you because they saw that you truly cared for them.

The most important thing to do is Call to Allah, but more on that later...

Question on the day: Write a dawah related advice or tip below in the comment section below. The comment

that we like most or the one that gets the most likes is the WINNER and we will post the comment on the wall

inshaa'Allah

Action of the day: Sign up to our next dawah day on the 6th October: www.iera.org.uk/dontshoot

Don’t Shoot The Messenger Dawah Training Series #1:

Dawah means to call or to invite. In our case we will be using this term in regards to inviting people to Islamas the Quran commands us:

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“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best”.[Quran 16:125]

And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding

what is wrong, and those will be the successful. [Quran 3:104]

And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, "Indeed, I am of

the Muslims." [Quran 41:33]

This was the main duty of the prophets throughout history, i.e to invite people to worship the one true God.

These prophets include Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and when we look at the life mission of Mohammad

(pbuh) we see it was a mission of Dawah just like all the prophets of the past.

Question of the day: Are you ready to STEP UP and start inviting people to Islam? If so what ACTION are you

going to take this week to kick start your dawah mission. Write your comments below:

Ep. 1 Introducing the GORAP + Initiation | Mission Dawah - OnlineTraining

Mission Dawah aims to establish a "mass movement" in dawah through training and mobilising a network of

du'aat or Islamic missionaries. Mission Dawah will either partner with or develop teams of local, trainedvolunteers whose activities will be coordinated by more advanced local team leaders. This will be achieved by

taking them through a series of training programmes, alongside additional support with practical tool-kits ongiving dawah, and further support in physical, financial and human resources.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US-X48SdGvc

Posts relating to Christianity and their beliefs (taken from mission dawah facebook page)

Jesus is a figure who is loved and revered by billions of people the world over. Yet there is so muchconfusion surrounding the status of this colossal personality. Muslims and Christians both hold Jesus inhigh regard but view him in very different ways.

The questions we'll go through today aim to get to the heart of the issues surrounding Jesus: Was JesusGod? Or was he sent by God? Who was the real historical Jesus?

Some ambiguous verses of the Bible can be applied erroneously to show that Jesus is in some waydivine. But if we look at the clear, direct verses of the Bible, we see again and again that Jesus is beingreferred to as an extraordinary human being and nothing more.

What emerges, when we consider the historical and logical facts about Jesus‟ life, is conclusive proof notonly that Jesus cannot be God, but that he never claimed to be either.

1. Jesus Never Calls Himself God

The Bible contains many verses in which Jesus speaks of God as a separate person to himself. Here are just a few of them:

When a man addressed Jesus as “Good Teacher”, he replied “Why do you call me good? No one is good





except the one God.‟‟ [Mark 10:18]

In another instance he says “I can‟t do anything by myself. Whatever I hear, I judge, and my judgment is

just. I don‟t seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” [John 5:30]

Jesus speaks of God as a separate being to himself: I‟m going up to my Father and your Father, to my

God and your God. [John 20:17]In this verse he affirms that he was sent by God: This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, andJesus Christ whom you sent. [John 17:3]

If Jesus was God he would have told people to worship him, but he did the opposite and disapprovedanyone worshipping him: And in vain they worship Me [Matthew 15:9]

If Jesus claimed to be God than there should be hundreds of verses in the Bible which would havementioned it. But there is not a single verse in the entire Bible in which Jesus says I am God, worshipme.

2. Jesus as Son and Lord?

Jesus is sometimes referred to as „Lord‟ in the Bible and at other times as „Son of God‟. God is called the „Father‟, so putting these names together it could be claimed that Jesus is the son of God. But if we look at each of these titles in context we will find that they are symbolic and not to be taken literally.

„Son of God‟ is a term used in ancient Hebrew for a righteous person. God calls Israel his „son‟: This iswhat the LORD says: Israel is my oldest son.[Exodus 4:22]. Also, David is called the „Son of God‟: TheLORD has said to Me, „You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.‟ [Psalm 2:7]. In fact anyone who is

righteous is referred to as God‟s „son‟: All who are led by God‟s Spirit are God‟s sons and daughters.[Romans 8:14].

In the same way, when the word „Father‟ is used to refer to God it shouldn‟t be taken literally. Instead it‟sa way of saying God is the creator, sustainer, cherisher etc. There are many verses for us to understand

this symbolic meaning of the word „Father‟, for example: one God and Father of all. [Ephesians 4:6].

Jesus is sometimes called „Lord‟ by the disciples. „Lord‟ is a term used for God and also for people whoare held in high esteem. There are many examples of the word „Lord‟ being used for people in the Bible:So they (Joseph‟s brothers) went up to Joseph‟s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said. [Genesis 43:19-20]. Also, in other parts of the Bible, Jesus iseven called a „servant‟ of God by the disciples: the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.[Acts 3:13]. This clearly shows that when „Lord‟ is used to refer to Jesus, it is a title of respect not of divinity.

3. The Nature of Jesus

The nature of Jesus was totally different to that of God. There are many parts of the Bible that highlight

this difference in nature:

God is All-Knowing but Jesus by his own admission was not All-Knowing. This can be seen in the

following passage when Jesus says “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not theheavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows.” [Matthew 24:36]

God is independent and he doesn‟t need sleep, food or water. Jesus however ate, drank, slept anddepended on God: As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father. [John 6:57]. Anothersign of Jesus‟ dependence on God is that he prayed to God: Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell with his



face to the ground and prayed [Matthew 26:39]. This shows that Jesus himself sought help from God.

God, being the one who answers prayers does not need to pray to anyone. Also, Jesus said: I am goingto the Father, because the Father is greater than me. [John 14:28].

The Bible is clear that God is unseen and is not a man: for no one may see me and live. [Exodus 33:20],God is not a man [Numbers 23:19]. Jesus on the other hand was a man who was seen by thousands of

people, so he could not be God. Furthermore, the Bible makes it clear that God is too great to be insidehis creation: But how could God possibly live on earth with people? If heaven, even the highest heaven,can‟t contain you [2 Chronicles 6:18]. According to this verse Jesus cannot be God living on the earth.

Also the Bible calls Jesus a Prophet [Matthew 21:10-11], so how could Jesus be God and be God‟sProphet at the same time? That wouldn‟t make sense.

Additionally the Bible informs us that God does not change: I the Lord do not change. [Malachi 3:6:].Jesus however went through many changes in his life such as age, height, weight etc.

These are just some of the proofs within the Bible, which make it clear that the nature of Jesus and Godis completely different. Some people may...

4. The Message of Jesus

The Prophets of the Old Testament such as Abraham, Noah and Jonah never preached that God is part of a Trinity, and did not believe in Jesus as their saviour. Their message was simple: there is one God andHe alone deserves your worship. It doesn‟t mak e sense that God sent Prophets for thousands of years

with the same essential message, and then all of a sudden he says heis in a Trinity and that you mustbelieve in Jesus to be saved.

The truth is that Jesus preached the same message that the Prophets in the Old Testament preached.There is a passage in the Bible which really emphasises his core message. A man came to Jesus and

asked “Which is the first commandment of all?”Jesus answered, “The first of all the commandments isHear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.‟‟[Mark 12:28-29]. So the greatest commandment, themost important belief according to Jesus is that God is one. If Jesus was God he would have said „I amGod, worship me‟, but he didn‟t. He merely repeated a verse from the Old Testament confirming that Godis One.

Some people claim that Jesus came to die for the sins of the world. But consider the following statementof Jesus: This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent. I haveglorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.[John 17:3-4]. Jesus said this before hewas caught and taken to be crucified. It is clear from this verse that Jesus did not come to die for thesins of the world, as he finished the work God gave him before he was taken to be crucified.

Also Jesus said “salvation is of the Jews” [John 4:22]. So we don‟t need to believe in the Trinity or thatJesus died for our sins to attain salvation since the Jews don‟t have these beliefs.

5. The Early Christians

Historically there were many sects in early Christianity who had a range of beliefs regarding Jesus [1].Some believed Jesus was God, others believed Jesus was not God but partly divine, and yet othersbelieved he was a human being and nothing more. Trinitarian Christianity which is the belief that God,Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one in three persons became the dominant sect of Christianity, once it was

formalised as the state religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th Century. Christians who denied Jesusbeing God were persecuted by the Roman Authorities [2]. From this point onwards the Trinitarian belief



became widespread amongst Christians. There were various movements in early Christianity which

denied the Trinity, among the more well known of them is Adoptionism and Arianism.

Dr Jerald Dirks who is an expert on early Christianity had this to say on the subject: Early Christianity wasquite conflicted about the issue of the nature of Jesus. The various Adoptionist positions within earlyChristianity were numerous and at times dominate. One can even speculate that Arian and Nestorian

Christianity might well be an extremely sizable source within Christianity today, if it were not for the factthat these two branches of Christianity, which were located primarily in the middle east and in North Africa were so similar to the Islamic teaching regarding the nature of Jesus that they quite naturally wereabsorbed into Islam at the beginning of the seventh century.” [3]

Since there were so many sects in early Christianity, each with different beliefs about Jesus and with theirown versions of the Bible, which one can we say was following the true teachings of Jesus?

It doesn‟t make sense that God sends countless Prophets like Noah, Abraham and Moses to tell people tobelieve in one God, and then suddenly sends a radically different message of the Trinity which contradictshis previous Prophets teachings. It is clear that the sect of...

dont shoot the messenger(pbuh)

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