Q: The Koran says in 4:157, that God causes someone who looked like Jesus to die on the cross in his place, therefore tricking the apostles of Christ into thinking he was crucified. My question is: how can you escape the fact that the rise of Christianity to the largest religion in the world is ultimately the result of the divine action of Allah? semblance of his death ? It's deliberately misleading because... Seemed? Same thing. Leon: Muslims are always boasting "Ahh, our religion is the fastest growing in the world". So don't tell me that quantity does not matter. Why do you 'seem' it? Honestly. I admire your courage to answer this question, although there is no valid explanation. Thank you. 'He seemed to die'. I am honestly repeating this line to myself. What do you mean? 'same logic applies to Islam also now.' Please explain. Happily Happy: How did it appear to be so? Every Muslim I've come across says that someone took Jesus' place for crucifixition because He wouldn't bring torture on Himself. In reality, Jesus came as a Humble Servant; He knew what was required of Him. He came to earth for a purpose and He fullfilled it. Now tell me how Jesus' crucifixtion was "to be appeared so"? or "seemed"? I am politely asking for an answer. Please. It has got nothing to do with 'my mind made up'. I simply want an answer. This not for my pleasure. I want answers. Yes? He was beatened and tortured to death. The most extruciating state. He was taken to a tomb and He was RISEN. He rose. He ascended into Heaven. He was resurrected. Your perspective on His life is different. Why do you "seem" He died? Khadijah A: Don't hide. You find the question interesting. Answer it. Which people? Which Christian scholars? Where is the proof? How can Allah clear falsehood? Muslims don't give Him an exalted status anyway? I never realised how many questions I'd end up asking. What do you want me to look for...? You are going to have to explain yourself. Please elaborate. What do you mean "with God"..? Who? Huh? Jesus did claim to be God. In John 8:56-59. Paul also met Jesus on the way to Damascus. The Pharisees denied that Jesus was God and the Muslims agree with them. Ahmed? Is he Muslim? Give me a source which is not biased. You are not helping. Thanks for the great effort. Can't you explain it in your own words, with references..? Instead you give me a wall of text? I am having a break. I will be back. In the meantime, can you please summarise your proof without biased sources? soofi-so: POINT #1: "1 Corinthians:14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." There would be no justification, or salvation, if Christ had not risen. The proof of the resurrection of the body is the resurrection of our Lord. Even those who died in the faith, had perished in their sins, if Christ had not risen. All who believe in Christ, have hope in him, as a Redeemer; hope for redemption and salvation by him; if there was no resurrection, their hope in Him is only through this life. POINT #2: Your quoting if from the Qur'an. As you know, I am a Christian. I follow the Bible. There is no such thing as the gospel of Barnabas, there is however, Thomas. What is it in Thomas you want to show me? POINT #3 Why do you "seem" His crucicfixtion? POINT #4: You gave me plenty of Bible verses Why? "Again and again, whenever the need arose, during his trials and tribulations, Jesus opened his mouth with telling effect, "according to the Scriptures". " What do you mean? What point are you trying to make? POINT #5: You just interpreting the word 'saw' to suit you. They saw he was dead and put Him in a tomb. How can a very very brutally injured person escape...? He ascended into Heaven. Hajj: This is not even solid. You are giving me various theories. Adam: WIKIPEDIA. Out of all sources. ?? People continually edit the information. Do you not know this...? It's a public encyclopedia. All of you, attempting to answer this question, refer to the 'question'. Do not change the topic. Remider: You have gone off a tangent.
A: For one thing, the Qur'an doesn't say that. That's an interpolation, an added phrase in the Hilal translation. They added words to the Qur'an. What it says is that the semblance of his death was made for them...the people who were there. He seemed to die. That's it. And Christianity is a religion derived from loose historical events and similar interpolations and additions by Saul of Tarsus and friends. I don't deny Christianity's merit, and Allah says in the Qur'an that there are Christians who are sincere in truth and beloved of Him, they'll have their reward. They're also chastised for their blasphemy in trinity and sonship to God. That never came from Jesus. It came from scholars after Jesus was gone. He seemed to die...see? He had the appearance of a dead man. Like a coma state. They saw him dead and took him down. Christians got their accounts from Israelite scholars. Its not a surprise that they also believed he was dead. But if they will look at the following events, its should become clearer. Yes, he is risen, in the sense that he recovered, got up, walked away and lived out the rest of his days. His 'return very soon' happened only days after they tried to kill him. The Ascension, Transfiguration and John 3:16 were removed from the Bible by Christian scholars and re-inserted again at the demand of the people, despite their inauthenticity. When the Qur'an speaks of him being raised, the word is rafa'a and it means exalt. It means Allah would clear him of the falsehoods ascribed to him and grant him an exalted status. It wasn't physical raising to heaven. The exalted status is with God, and clearing the innocent of charges they have no guilt in is easy for Him. He's the most Just of Judges, no? First published, as Sir Winston says, in 1611, and then revised in 1881 (RV), and now re-revised and brought up to date as the Revised Standard Version (RSV) 1952, and now again re-re-revised in 1971 (still RSV for short) The publishers (Collins) themselves, in their notes on the Bible at the end of their production, say on page 10: "THIS BIBLE (RSV), IS THE PRODUCT OF THIRTY-TWO SCHOLARS, ASSISTED BY AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPRESENTING FIFTY CO-OPERATING DENOMINATIONS." "YET THE KING JAMES VERSION HAS GRAVE DEFECTS." And, "THAT THESE DEFECTS ARE SO MANY AND SO SERIOUS AS TO CALL FOR REVISION . . ." Every source has its bias. Only thing to do is mind the information given and discount the conclusions drawn from it for our own. I would seriously love to keep looking into this, and definitely will in my own time, but I got things to do, too. What I gave at the beginning was actually the summing up in my own words...I can't possibly recount and list every source. The confessions to editing for errors at the prefaces in Bibles is significant. Different denominations and groups will accept different things and reject others accepted by their contemporaries. Anglican bishops actually discounted the virgin birth and trinity...so, if the proof is taken to be pretty light and easy, depending on what authority you're consulting. Hope it helps. Best wishes.