Saturday, May 23, 2020

Islam critiqued finds his uswa hasana; Jesus turns his cheek or his head?

In answer to the video "Allah is NOT Forgiving, Merciful or Loving"

Finally, Jesus' "love your enemy", which most Christians uneducated in their own scriptures like quoting, does not refer to all kind of enemies, only to a certain type, those to whom if replied with good and magnanimity may reform themselves and become our friends, as stated in the Quran
"It may be that Allah will bring about friendship between you and those whom you hold to be your enemies among them".
It is a call to try and show love to those who do not necessarily love us, with the hope of them changing their attitude towards us. In a passage absent from the oldest manuscripts of Luke over a wide geographical distribution, Jesus while on the cross prays to the Father 
Lk23:34"forgive them, they do not know what they are doing". 
Again, the words here are conditional and do not concern those who opposed him knowingly, and whom he condemned in his lifetime. The prayer is to those who engage in harmful behavior from ignorance. These are the type of "persecuters" Jesus, and any other prophet prayed for, because they might mend their ways once truth has been properly exposed to them.

The concept of unconditional divine "love" not only is beyond common sense, as it would encourage the oppressor in the sin and even turn the passive victim into an accomplice in the crime, but in addition this notion is one that is alien to all scriptures. Both the Quran and the previous scriptures clearly define what God loves and what He doesnt
Prov8:17"I will love those who love me, and those who seek me eagerly will find me"  
Prov15:9"The way of a wicked man is an abomination of the Lord, but He loves him who pursues righteousness".
The Greek writings themselves reflect that notion in several places as previously mentioned, including in
Jn14:21"he that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him".
Nothing about loving those that do not love Him, and are defiantly sinful. God certainly loves his creatures, but not the ones that willfully disobey, rather until they repent. God doesnt love the stubborn sinner but the repentent sinner. 

Nothing about loving those that do not love Him, and are defiantly sinful. In fact, immediately after stating that God 
Jn3:16"so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son" 
a restriction states to who that love extends 
"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned". 
Further, despite the  
1Jn3"great love the Father has lavished on us...This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child". 
God certainly loves his creatures, but not the ones that wilfully disobey, until they repent. God doesnt love the stubborn sinner but the repentent sinner.

There is a reason why Love of Truth and aversion towards everything false and sinful is the natural outcome of the acceptance of the straight path. One becomes in a heightened state of spiritual awareness, constantly longing to be increased in divine knowledge and wisdom. It is however important to keep in view that the Quran here is not speaking of hatred towards the sinful person itself.

There are countless verses encouraging rectitude and compassion indiscriminately even towards one's enemies, and regardless of the person's religion or lack thereof.

Religious hatred is hatred for evil and evil deeds. This again, demonstrates the supreme pragmatism of the Quran; infatuated love and destructive hatred completely miss the mark. One hates for the sake of God and loves for the sake of God. One hates the evil deed because it harms the sinner, just as one loves the good deed because it brings one closer to guidance. The prophet encapsulated that notion when  he spoke of a category of people whom the prophets and martyrs themselves will envy on the day of resurrection 
"The best faith is to love for the sake of Allah, to hate for the sake of Allah, and to work your tongue in the remembrance of Allah. Mu’adh said, “What is it, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet said: That you love for the people what you love for yourself, and you hate for the people what you hate for yourself, and that you speak goodness or remain silent".
The HB surely echoes the theme of religious hatred although it amalgamates hatred towards the individual itself as reflected in David's
Psalms119:104-5,139:21-22"From Your precepts I shall gain understanding; therefore, I hate all ways of falsehood. Your words are a lamp for my foot, and light for my path...Did I not hate Your enemies, O Lord? With those who rise up against You, I quarrel. I hate them with utmost hatred; they have become my enemies"
as well as Solomon's Proverbs2:7-10,13:5.

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