The Koran and the Bible

[ITS]

The Koran and the Bible: where are they the closest and the farthest apart in their theology?

[trevorjohnson]

Closest:

The Koran and the Bible both give pictures of a God who is active in the world and who is guiding the world towards a purposeful end. There is no Deistic God or cyclical view of history in either book. God?s will guides history and history comes to a definite end in the event of the Judgment Day. As well, this God is a revealing God, who leaves us with his revelation to guide us. Both religions are guided by a text, a book, which tells of God?s revelation.

God is all powerful. Though God?s sovereign will directs all of history and God is said to be acting in history; God is still the High God; majestic and transcendent, and we are to worship him in obedience.

Also, in both books God directs the world, many times, through Mediators, through angels and prophets.

As well, many of the ethical patterns are the same.

Finally, concerning the Five Pillars, the Bible also speaks of the importance of the right Creed, of prayers and discipline (such as fasting), and of alms. As well, we are all strangers and pilgrims in the earth, journeying to a more lasting city.


Farthest:


The transcendence of God does not create a cold and aloof God. We can call God our Father. Ours is a personal God, and our obedience is out of love. It is a Father-Son relationship that we have with God whereas a Muslim has a Master-Slave relationship.

Though the ethics are generally similar; Christianity speaks of our weapons being spiritual and not carnal. Literal and physical Jihad is a noble thing for Muslims, however.

The Koran speaks of a contradictory God, an impossible God who is both totally just and totally merciful, without the provision of Christ. Allah is high and just. Your good and bad deeds will be weighed and God?s strict standard will determine your fate. And yet, Muslims expect at least some of them to go to Paradise through Allah?s mercy. And yet, every disobedience is a sin; and every sin deserves a world of hell on its own. Allah cannot be a good/just/holy God without condemning all!

But Christianity speaks of a God who is both Just and Justifier! The transcendent and immanent are perfectly met in the Godhead of the Trinity. God is unwavering in his justice and no sin goes unpunished. And yet, God is merciful in that He grants some the grace to believe, through the substitutionary atonement of the Prophet Jesus, who was the express image of God and died in our stead.

More could be said, analyzing the similarities and differences of the Bible and the Qu?ran; but these are the most basic, and the most important.

[Mike Castle]

The Bible and the Quran are closest concerning monotheism. Despite the way in which some Muslims assert that Christians believe in three gods, the Bible is consistant in its support of The One True God, the Creator, and the Eternal.

There are important themes connected with God that appear in both the Quran and the Bible. God is righteous and must punish sin; God is both merciful and just.

The Bible and the Quran are farthest apart in the articulation of atonment for sins and the assurance of salvation. Muslims have no real assurance of entrance into Paradise, but the Bible teaches that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ people can have the confidence of knowing that they will not perish, but[b] in Christ they have eternal life.

[jer]

REPLY to trevorjohnson:re the Koran and the Bible
In your comparisons of the teachings of the Koran and the Bible, a very important point of theology was omitted.
Do the Koran and the Bible teach Peace? Much of the current publicity teaches that religions are peaceful. But a review of some of the basic statements found in each text are revealing. ?Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.: (Matthew 5:44)This is the clear teaching of Jesus where violence and evil are repudiated. ??make war on the unbelievers and deal rigorously with them. (Sura 9:73). ?Slay the idolaters wherever you find them, lie in ambush everywhere for them?(Sura 9:5). ?Those that make war against God?shall be put to death?: Sura 5:34). ?Make war on them until ?God;s religion shall reign supreme?(Sura 8:39) When a person strives to follow the core beliefs of their religion, the above examples reveal what happens. A follower of the Bible will have an attitude of love and blessing towards others, whereas the follower of the Koran will have an attitude of hatred towards their enemies. Though these ethical teachings are not followed by the vast majority of either religion, those small groups will strive to be true to their beliefs, and the results should not be surprising to anyhone once the core texts are understood.

[Derek Schultz]

The Bible for Christianity and the Qur'an for Islam are the base texts that are taught to their groups of believers to be the revelation of the Living All Powerful God. In both religions, God desires to participate in the world through His servants with both believing that God speaks his message to us today.

Beyond those very basic similarities, the Bible and Qur'an have many differences. While the Bible proclaims the truth of Jesus Christ as the One and Only Son of God, the only mediator between God and man, the Qur'an teaches that Jesus, while being a Prophet, was not the Son of God, and was only one of a number of special people with relationship to God. The Qur'an teaches that Muhammad is last and greatest Prophet of God, superceding the teachings of the Christ and former Prophets. The Qur'an also teaches that the Torah and Bible, while from God, they too, are superceded by the new revelations to Muhammad.

As we study our Bible, we know that it never contradicts itself. The Qur'an, however, is full of contradictions and an unclear message that counters the True teachings of the Bible and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is the Living Word of God, while the Qur'an is simply a confusing book.

[Derek Schultz]

I agree that Muslims have no assurance of salvation or clear articulation of atonement of sins. While we as Christians can trust in God knowing that He loves us, desires to be with us, and desires that we be with Him, Muslims only have a vague hope or wish that God wants to be with them or wants them to be with Him. When you ask a Muslim if they are guaranteed to enter into Paradise, the answer is most always going to be, "no," but they sure hope that they will one day get there. Of course, I am told by Muslims I know, that entry into Paradise is most probably after a short visit to Hell for purification. That sure does not sound like a loving God to me.

[kerry.moos]

The Koran does mention God's mercy time after time, which is also shown throughout the Bible. It emphasizes the fact that only one God exists, and that He created everything we have. There are stories in the Koran that go alone with the same story found in the Bible. Along with that those Bible characters are brought to light in the Koran.

However, the Koran only gives the position of a prophet to Jesus the Son of God. It does not bring to light the sacrifice given made by His death on the cross. There is no mention of forgivness of sin through His shed blood. That is all lacking from the Koran. In that sense the Bible and the Koran are far apart from one another in spiritual insight given to the reader.

[kerry.moos]

Closest:

The Koran and the Bible both give pictures of a God who is active in the world and who is guiding the world towards a purposeful end. There is no Deistic God or cyclical view of history in either book. God?s will guides history and history comes to a definite end in the event of the Judgment Day. As well, this God is a revealing God, who leaves us with his revelation to guide us. Both religions are guided by a text, a book, which tells of God?s revelation.

God is all powerful. Though God?s sovereign will directs all of history and God is said to be acting in history; God is still the High God; majestic and transcendent, and we are to worship him in obedience.

Also, in both books God directs the world, many times, through Mediators, through angels and prophets.

As well, many of the ethical patterns are the same.

Finally, concerning the Five Pillars, the Bible also speaks of the importance of the right Creed, of prayers and discipline (such as fasting), and of alms. As well, we are all strangers and pilgrims in the earth, journeying to a more lasting city.


Farthest:


The transcendence of God does not create a cold and aloof God. We can call God our Father. Ours is a personal God, and our obedience is out of love. It is a Father-Son relationship that we have with God whereas a Muslim has a Master-Slave relationship.

Though the ethics are generally similar; Christianity speaks of our weapons being spiritual and not carnal. Literal and physical Jihad is a noble thing for Muslims, however.

The Koran speaks of a contradictory God, an impossible God who is both totally just and totally merciful, without the provision of Christ. Allah is high and just. Your good and bad deeds will be weighed and God?s strict standard will determine your fate. And yet, Muslims expect at least some of them to go to Paradise through Allah?s mercy. And yet, every disobedience is a sin; and every sin deserves a world of hell on its own. Allah cannot be a good/just/holy God without condemning all!

But Christianity speaks of a God who is both Just and Justifier! The transcendent and immanent are perfectly met in the Godhead of the Trinity. God is unwavering in his justice and no sin goes unpunished. And yet, God is merciful in that He grants some the grace to believe, through the substitutionary atonement of the Prophet Jesus, who was the express image of God and died in our stead.

More could be said, analyzing the similarities and differences of the Bible and the Qu?ran; but these are the most basic, and the most important.



The point that is appreciated most in this posting is the fact that the Bible shows its reader a Personal God. According to the Bible those that have a relationship with Him, based on faith in the one true God, are called His children. Yes, there is total freedom to refer to Him as Father. There is the privaledge of being able to talk with Him at any given time. He does want to have a personal relationship with His children.

The Koran does make God seem distant, and the Muslims I have spoken with seem to just have a "knowledge" of Him. The fact that God will step into thier everyday life, and will personally assure them a future with Him forever has not become a reality to them. According to the Koran, it seems as if God may be interested in helping them make it to paradise. The ultimate act of personal love, where one lays down their life for a friend, is missing from the Koran. As a result, there is the personal touch of God's ultimate act of love missing in their life.