The message of false religions

[فداء الرسول]

The message of false religions

By Dr. Bilal Philips
There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path of God How can one determine which one is correct or whether, in fact, all are correct?One method by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identifies the central object of worship upon which they call, directly or indirectly. False religions all have in common one basic concept with regard to God they either claim that all men are gods, or that specific men were God, or that nature is God, or that God is a figment of man’s imagination.

Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is that God may be worshipped in the form of His creation. False religions invite man to the worship of creation by calling the creation or some aspect of it God. For example, prophet Jesus invited his followers to worship God, but those who claim to be Jesus’ followers today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was God.

Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles in the religion of India. He did not claim to be God, nor did he suggest to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet today most Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have taken him to be God and they prostrate themselves to idols made in their perception of his likeness.By using the principle of identifying the object of worship, we can easily detect false religions and the contrived nature of their origin. As God said in the Quran:

“That which you worship besides Him are only names and you and your forefathers have invented for which Allah has sent down no authority: the command belongs only to Allah He has command that you worship Him; that is the right religion, but most men do not understand.” (Quran 12:40)

It may be argued that all religions teach good things, so why should it matter which one we follow? The reply is that all false religions teach the greatest evil the worship of creation. Creation-worship is the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts the very purpose of his creation. Man was created to worship God alone as Allah has explicitly stated in the Quran:“I have only created jinns and men, that they may worship Me” (Quran 51:56)Consequently, the worship of creation, which is the essence of idolatry is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of idolatry, has sealed his fate in the next life. This is not an opinion, but a revealed fact stated by God in his final revelation to man:“Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whomsoever He wishes.” (Quran 4:48 and 116)

Universality of God’s religion
Since the consequences of following a false religion are so grave, the true religion of God must have been universally understandable and universally attainable in the past and it must continue eternally to be understandable and attainable throughout the entire world. In other words, the true religion of God cannot be confined to any one people, place, or period of time. Nor is it logical that such a religion should impose conditions that have nothing to do with the relationship of man with God, such as baptism, or belief in man as a saviour, or an intermediary. Within the central principle of Islam and its definition (the surrender of one’s will to God) lie the roots of Islam’s universality.

Whenever man comes to the realization that God is one and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to God, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible for paradise.Consequently, anyone at any time in the most remote regions of the world can become Muslim, a follower of God’s religion, Islam, by merely rejecting the worship of creation and turning to God alone. It should be noted, however, that in order to actually submit to God’s will, one must continually choose between right and wrong.Indeed, man is endowed by God with the power not only to distinguish right from wrong but also to choose between them. These God-given powers carry with them an important responsibility, namely, that man is answerable to God for the choices he makes. It follows, then, that man should try his utmost to do good and avoid evil. These concepts are expressed in the final revelation as follows:

“Verily, those who believe (in the Quran), and those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians (angel-and-star-worshippers) any of these who believe in Allah and the Last Day and work righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord. They will not be overcome by fear or grief.” (Quran 2:62)If, for whatever reason, they fail to accept the final message after it has been clearly explained to them, they will be in grave danger. The last Prophet said:“Whoever among the Christians and Jews hears of me but does not affirm his belief in what I brought and dies in this state will be among the inhabitants of hell.”

Recognition of God

The question which arises here is: How can all people be expected to believe in the one true God, given their varying backgrounds, societies and cultures? For people to be held responsible for worshipping the one true God, they all need to have access to knowledge of Him. The final revelation teaches that all humans being have the recognition of the one true God imprinted on their souls as a part of their very nature with which they are created.In the seventh chapter of the Quran verses 172-173, God explained that when He created Adam He caused all of Adam’s descendants to come into existence and He took a pledge from them saying “‘Am I not your Lord?’ To which they all replied, ‘Yes, we testify to it’” (Quran 172-173)Allah then explained why He had all of mankind bear witness that He is their creator and the only true God worthy of worship. He said “That was in case you (mankind) should say on the day of Resurrection, ‘Verily we were unaware of all this’” (Quran 7:172)That is to say, we cannot claim on that day that we had no idea that Allah, was our God and that no one told us that we were only supposed to worship Allah alone. Allah went on to further explain that: “It was also in case you should say, ‘Certainly it was our ancestors who made partners (with Allah) and we are only their descendants; will you then destroy us for what those liars did?’” (Quran 7:173)Thus, every child is born with a natural belief in God and an in-born inclination to worship Him alone. This in-born belief and inclination is called in Arabic the “Fitrah“.The Prophet Muhammad reported that Allah said, “I created my servants in the right religion, but devils made them go astray.” The Prophet also said, “Each child is born in a state of Fitrah. Then his parents make him a Jew, Christian or a Zoroastrian.” If the child were left alone, he would worship God in his own way, but all children are affected by the environment. So, just as the child submits to the physical laws, which Allah has imposed on nature, in the same way his soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah is his Lord and Creator.But, if his parents try to make him follow a different path, the child is not strong enough in the early stages of his life to resist or oppose the will of his parents. In such cases, the religion, which the child follows, is one of custom and upbringing, and God does not hold him to account or punish him for his religion up to a certain stage of his life.The signs of God
Throughout people’s lives, from childhood until the time they die, signs of the one and only true God are shown to them in all regions of the earth and in their own souls, until it becomes clear that there is only one true God (Allah). God says in the Quran:“We will show them our signs In the furthest regions (of the earth) and in their souls, until it becomes clear to them that this is the truth.” (Quran 41:53)The following is an example of God revealing by a sign to one man the error of his idol-worship. In the south-eastern region of the Amazon jungle in Brazil, South America, a primitive tribe erected a new hut to house their man-idol Skwatch, representing the supreme God of all creation. The following day a young man entered the hut to pay homage to the God, and while he was in prostration to what he had been taught was his Creator and Sustainer, a mangy old flea-ridden dog slunk into the hut. The young man looked up in time to see the dog lift his hind leg and pass urine on the idol.Outraged, the youth chased the dog out of the temple; but when his rage died down he realized that the idol could not be the Lord of the Universe. God must be elsewhere, he concluded. As strange as it may seem, the dog urinated on the idol was a sign from God for that young man. This sign contained the divine message that what he was worshipping was false. It liberated from slavishly following his traditionally learned worship of a false god. As a result, this man was given a choice: either to seek the true god or to continue in the error of his ways.Allah mentions Prophet Abraham’s quest for God as an example of how those who follow His signs will be rightly guided:“So also did we show Abraham the power and the Laws of the heavens and the earth that he might (with understanding) have certitude. When the night covered him over, he saw a star. He said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said: ‘I love not those that set’ When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when the moon set, he said: ‘Unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.’ When he saw the rising sun in splendor, he said: ‘This is my Lord this is the greatest (of all).’ But when the sun set, he said; ‘O my people I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah. For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah” (Quran 6:75-79)As was mentioned earlier, prophets have been sent to every nation and tribe to support man’s natural belief in God and man’s in-born inclination to worship Him, as well as to reinforce the divine truth in the daily signs revealed by God. Although much of these prophets’ teachings became distorted, portions revealing their God-inspired messages have remained untainted and have served to guide mankind in the choice between right and wrong. The influence of God-inspired messages down through the ages can be seen in the “Ten Commandments” of Judaism’s Torah which were later adopted into Christianity’s teachings, as well as in the existence of laws against murder, stealing and adultery in most societies throughout the ancient and modern world.As a result of God’s signs to mankind through the ages combined with His revelation through His prophets, all mankind has been given a chance to recognize the one only true God.Consequently, every soul will be held accountable for its belief in God and its acceptance of the true religion of God, namely Islam, which means total submission to the will of Allah.- See more at: http://www.tellmeaboutislam.com/the-....QpuFwMb8.dpuf

[Burninglight]

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The message of false religions

[CENTER]By Dr. Bilal Philips
There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path of God How can one determine which one is correct or whether, in fact, all are correct?One method by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identifies the central object of worship upon which they call, directly or indirectly. False religions all have in common one basic concept with regard to God they either claim that all men are gods, or that specific men were God, or that nature is God, or that God is a figment of man’s imagination.

Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is that God may be worshipped in the form of His creation. False religions invite man to the worship of creation by calling the creation or some aspect of it God. For example, prophet Jesus invited his followers to worship God, but those who claim to be Jesus’ followers today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was God.

Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles in the religion of India. He did not claim to be God, nor did he suggest to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet today most Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have taken him to be God and they prostrate themselves to idols made in their perception of his likeness.[FONT=traditional arabic]By using the principle of identifying the object of worship, we can easily detect false religions and the contrived nature of their origin. As God said in the Quran:

Buddha was a person created by God and he shouldn't be worshipped. In this case, this write up makes sense, but the misconception of Muslims and this write up is that they don't realize that Jesus is not a creation of God, He pre existed as the WORD OF GOD which we can prove and have proved to you by Scriptures whether you honor them or not, but we do honor the Scriptures that came before. God's Word was made flesh!!!!!!!! The body and blood of Jesus was given up for us to be right with God like animals were given up before God gave us the gospel. Muslims don't understand that Jesus was not a messenger per se; He was and is the MESSAGE. Sigh, I just don't understand why you people don't get this nor do I know how to make it any simpler to understand. I just feel like giving up on you, because you have heard the truth and you have rejected it. I would like others to hear that haven't heard. I am also frustrated that I am not allowed to post directly too.

Peace

[pandora]

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The message of false religions
By Dr. Bilal Philips...............

Obviously you won't be expecting me to agree with Dr. Philips to any great degree, and for sure if his aim is to prove Christianity in error and Islam as truth then he will maybe convince muslims by this article but can't see many Christians will be impressed with it. Of course I can really only speak for myself and am expressing by own opinion here. :)

His reasoning about what constitutes a false religion is faulty. All religions have a belief of God at their heart... And it's God that put that belief there through His revelations through prophets etc..so if Islam is true we have to believe that God deceived billions of people. God even led Jesus' followers astray by tricking people into believing that Jesus died. There was no need of this deception.. God could have just raised Jesus up quietly... Why deceive people into believing that Jesus was dead when he really wasn't? It wasn't to protect Jesus from the Jews or Romans, since God was taking Jesus away safely anyway. So.. why would God want to give Jesus' enemies the satisfaction of seeing Him killed? There seems to be no reason at all for God to deceive these people, especially since such a deception led to the formation of Christianity... Thus sending billions of people down a false path and making the largest religion in the world ... Christianity... False??? If Islam is true.. God spreads false teachings until they become dominant in the world. Jesus.. the Messiah.. was completely incompetent and should never have been sent by God, since Jesus’ life and teachings ended up leading more people astray than any other person in history!!!

However... if Christianity is true, then the rise of Islam makes perfect sense. Christianity teaches that ~


A.~ People can only come to God through Jesus Christ.


B.~ Satan is a real spirit being who wants to keep people from God.


If Satan wants to keep people from God, and if the way to God is through Jesus Christ, how best to achieve this goal? His main aim wouldn't be to get people to lead immoral lives but I guess it wouldn't displease him if we did... his main aim would be to incite people to reject Christ, for this rejection is what keeps them separated from God. How would Satan convince people to reject Christ? Satan doesn’t have to worry about the people who do not care for God.. The non believers because they aren't interested in salvation anyway. So if his aim is to keep as many people from God as possible, Satan is going to focus on people who believe in God and see the need of religion. Satan could either convince people that all "religious talk" is nonsense so spreading secularism, which we see around the world today or he would have to offer them a substitute for the truth ... That is a religion that rejects what is necessary for salvation.


If Christianity is true, we could assume that Satan may wish to inspire religions that reject Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection, even though these religions may in many ways be similar to Christianity in other respects. By accepting Jesus as a prophet, born of a virgin, performed miracles and even agree He was the Messiah.. But do not believe the crucial part of His message.. That He died for you.. He conquered death by resurrection for you... Don't believe He was what He claimed to be "Son of God"... In fact that's the worse thing you could do. You are told to believe in one God.. Even Satan believes in God.. Do good deeds.. Well for sure all religions would teach this.. Believe in the prophets and even Jesus.. But NOT the key points for salvation.. It would seem the perfect deception. The Bible warns us of this very scenario... It does not tells us to follow every prophet.. We are told to test the prophets. Miracles? They alone are not a sign that a prophet is from God.. As we know not all Spirits and "Angels" are pure and holy. Satan himself started out as an Angel! If Gods only message is that we worship Him alone then why create mankind at all.. God had a heavenly host of angels to worship His divine being eternally..

The Bibles message is about God seeking communion with man.. To bring us back to where we were always meant to be.. To exist for eternity in a community of mutual love. Unless we meet God on His terms and accept the gift He has given in order to achieve this... Then we are lost. It's a stark choice... But a choice all the same.. And one we are free to accept or reject.

Peace

[Burninglight]

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Obviously you won't be expecting me to agree with Dr. Philips to any great degree, and for sure if his aim is to prove Christianity in error and Islam as truth then he will maybe convince muslims by this article but can't see many Christians will be impressed with it. Of course I can really only speak for myself and am expressing by own opinion here. :)

His reasoning about what constitutes a false religion is faulty. All religions have a belief of God at their heart... And it's God that put that belief there through His revelations through prophets etc..so if Islam is true we have to believe that God deceived billions of people. God even led Jesus' followers astray by tricking people into believing that Jesus died. There was no need of this deception.. God could have just raised Jesus up quietly... Why deceive people into believing that Jesus was dead when he really wasn't? It wasn't to protect Jesus from the Jews or Romans, since God was taking Jesus away safely anyway. So.. why would God want to give Jesus' enemies the satisfaction of seeing Him killed? There seems to be no reason at all for God to deceive these people, especially since such a deception led to the formation of Christianity... Thus sending billions of people down a false path and making the largest religion in the world ... Christianity... False??? If Islam is true.. God spreads false teachings until they become dominant in the world. Jesus.. the Messiah.. was completely incompetent and should never have been sent by God, since Jesus’ life and teachings ended up leading more people astray than any other person in history!!!

However... if Christianity is true, then the rise of Islam makes perfect sense. Christianity teaches that ~


A.~ People can only come to God through Jesus Christ.


B.~ Satan is a real spirit being who wants to keep people from God.


If Satan wants to keep people from God, and if the way to God is through Jesus Christ, how best to achieve this goal? His main aim wouldn't be to get people to lead immoral lives but I guess it wouldn't displease him if we did... his main aim would be to incite people to reject Christ, for this rejection is what keeps them separated from God. How would Satan convince people to reject Christ? Satan doesn’t have to worry about the people who do not care for God.. The non believers because they aren't interested in salvation anyway. So if his aim is to keep as many people from God as possible, Satan is going to focus on people who believe in God and see the need of religion. Satan could either convince people that all "religious talk" is nonsense so spreading secularism, which we see around the world today or he would have to offer them a substitute for the truth ... That is a religion that rejects what is necessary for salvation.


If Christianity is true, we could assume that Satan may wish to inspire religions that reject Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection, even though these religions may in many ways be similar to Christianity in other respects. By accepting Jesus as a prophet, born of a virgin, performed miracles and even agree He was the Messiah.. But do not believe the crucial part of His message.. That He died for you.. He conquered death by resurrection for you... Don't believe He was what He claimed to be "Son of God"... In fact that's the worse thing you could do. You are told to believe in one God.. Even Satan believes in God.. Do good deeds.. Well for sure all religions would teach this.. Believe in the prophets and even Jesus.. But NOT the key points for salvation.. It would seem the perfect deception. The Bible warns us of this very scenario... It does not tells us to follow every prophet.. We are told to test the prophets. Miracles? They alone are not a sign that a prophet is from God.. As we know not all Spirits and "Angels" are pure and holy. Satan himself started out as an Angel! If Gods only message is that we worship Him alone then why create mankind at all.. God had a heavenly host of angels to worship His divine being eternally..

The Bibles message is about God seeking communion with man.. To bring us back to where we were always meant to be.. To exist for eternity in a community of mutual love. Unless we meet God on His terms and accept the gift He has given in order to achieve this... Then we are lost. It's a stark choice... But a choice all the same.. And one we are free to accept or reject.

Peace

Only God does miracles, but supernatural acts can come from Satan and his demons which are done to get people to believe they are miracles from God. Those without spiritual discernment fall for it by the tens of millions, but God is faithful and sends witnesses to warn those in deception. Yes, we are free to choose, but we are not free from the consequences of our choices.
If we choose wisely by building our house on a rock we will not suffer our house to be destroyed when the storm hits. Jesus is the rock of our salvation. He wants to be the Rock foundation for Muslims as well, the choice is there for them. Often people choose religion rather than a relationship with God through Christ. Religion can be very dangerous. In some ways, it is what nailed Jesus to the cross. There is pure religion and defiled religion that denies Jesus is the only hope of glory. To choose pure religion is to choose a relationship with God only through Jesus. He said, "No man comes to the father except through me!" This is God's word; so, let every man be a liar, but God's word is truth. Jesus is God's word; Jesus is the truth as he has said Himself. To say this is a corruption, is to say one accepts deception as their god.

Blessings and truth to all who read this

[فداء الرسول]

Frustrating, you're still convinced your frequency, which does not mean anything to others,in the absence of evidence and logical mind

[Burninglight]

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Frustrating, you're still convinced your frequency, which does not mean anything to others,in the absence of evidence and logical mind

Dear sister, I'll always trade human logic for faith and God's grace. It is written in Scripture: "Do not lean to your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. There is a way that seems right to a man, but that way leads to death." There is no absence of evidence to a man or woman of faith in what I have shared from Scripture.

Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and they follow" those that don't hear are not of His fold and are not His sheep; so, they don't follow. "Faith is the substance of what things we hope for and evidence of what is not seen. Without faith it is impossible to please God." Logic is not what pleases God.

All false religions and cults like Jehovah Witnesses use logic and reason as a means to get to God, but it will not work, and they will die in their sin as will Mormons for believing that God was a man and as God is man may become! Most Catholics, all Jehovah Witnesses, and Mormons don't know Jesus, but this is just the tip of the ice burg of those in false religions or that don't know Jesus. To know Jesus is to know life. No Jesus no life!

Muslims tell me that Satan wouldn't prostrate before Adam; is it possible that Muslims are doing the same by not prostrating before the "Last Adam" who is Jesus? Think and pray carefully on this please. I mean ask the God of Abraham to reveal Himself to you and not the god of Islam, because they are not the same. I can prove this it by saying that the God of Abraham has a son and the god of Islam doesn't. The son of God is Jesus who was before Abraham!

God said of Jesus: "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him." Jesus said, those that hear His disciples hear Him; those who don't listen to them don't listen to Jesus; therefore, they don't listen to God.

There are only two Christian witnesses on this forum that I know of. Those that hear us hear Jesus! Those that hear now are blessed; those that don't hear will hear when purposes are established with time and judgment.

Blessings to all who will listen to truth.

[فداء الرسول]

Should not argue with the ideas of Christianity, because I do not believe in Christianity

Must be provision is logic and reason

Locked try to be clear, I do not understand your words well

[Burninglight]

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Should not argue with the ideas of Christianity, because I do not believe in Christianity

Must be provision is logic and reason

Locked try to be clear, I do not understand your words well

Tell me what part you didn't understand. I'll be happy to explain. Human logic and reason is not what pleases God. It is faith in His word. His word is and has always been Jesus Christ.