Humans value humility in each other so what should we expect from God?
 |
Have you ever wondered why people value humility?
The Qur'an speaks of humility. In surah 3:159 Muhammed is praised for his humility by dealing gently with those who could have been in rebellion to him.
"And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from you." [Al Imran 3:159]
Where does this value come from? If Muhammed is praised as meek then shouldn't we expect this to be an attribute of God's? How does the Muslim God demonstrate meekness?
|
Has the Bible Been Corrupted Over Time?
Muslims believe that the Bible has been corrupted and redacted by later editors. This claim is an old one and many scholars who have held this view have had to fall on their swords in the past. The fact is that modern scholarship can objectively demonstrate that:
- We can be confident that the Greek New Testament has not changed from what was penned by the original authors.
- We can be assured that the contemporaries of the original authors received the plurality of the New Testament as the inspired word of God.
- History demonstrates that the earliest Christians held to exactly 4 gospels that we can identify as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
- The process of canonization and the recognition of which books were inspired occurred extremely early.
Ever wondered why ISIS acts so contrary to reason?
Two theological schools emerged within Sunni Islam in the ninth century. The first, the Mu’tazalites, said that God is reason and justice. The Mu’tazalites held that man’s first duty is to reason because the existence of God is not self-evident.
How the Qur'an confirms the authenicity of the gospels
I often wonder how different my beliefs would be if I grew up under different circumstances. Am I a Christian only because I was raised by Christians? What if I had been raised by atheists or by Hindus? Would I come to the same conclusions that I arrive at now?
I have even made attempts in the past to clear my slate (as best I can) and start from scratch. It is important to examine our own beliefs. Why do I believe in God? Why do I believe Jesus is God? If I start over, would I re-assemble the same construct that I have now or would it look different? While we are (admittedly) incapable of entirely setting aside beliefs, one can attempt to imagine different starting points in life and explore the reasoning premised on the beliefs we hold. Imagine that you were a Muslim (are perhaps you are). If the Qur'an alone were your starting point then where would it guide you?
The Universality of Reason as Evidence for a Rational God
Everyone uses, and must use, the very same rules of reason. Everyone is constrained by the same laws of logic and rational principles. Premises always lead to conclusions, for example. Normally, good reasoning is valued and expected by everyone, everywhere. It is universal. If reason is faulty it’s always due to violations of a standard set of universal laws or principles. The principle of validity is another example. That is, whether it’s valid or invalid, it is so for everyone, everywhere. This is evidence for a rational God.