And I appreciate you sharing them, as I am also learning a lot from this. I've never meant to come across as insuling either.
One thing I am still trying to learn, as you haven't answered it, is what is your take on Christians who honestly try to understand the Bible and find that it does not make a strong case for the Trinity, Jesus being God, original sin, etc. You do recognize that there are honest Christians who have different interpretations on the most fundamental beliefs.
One distinction in Islam is that the differences in interpretation of the Qur'an are usually concerning minor rules (for ex. is it okay to eat meat from McDonalds or does it have to be from a halal meat shop?) but never any differences in the fundamentals of there being one God, prophets being humans, every man accountable for their own actions, etc.
Therefore, when we discuss Islam, we discuss Islam. When you discuss Christianity, you are discussing your interpretation of Christianity.
Sorry I couldn't respond last night.....had to take the family shopping and it ate up the evening.
Ok, well, I do agree completely with what you mentioned specifically in regards to how Christians understand the Trinity differently. Those sects of Christianity that deny the Trinity don't make up a large majority of whole, but they are a definite portion. In all honesty the numbers don't mean a great deal to me though.
As we've clearly seen, people pick and choose scripture they like and ignore what is difficult to explain. Me personally, I can't explain every nuance of scripture, but that doesn't take away from the core of the message for me. Therein lies the rub, "who's interpretation of the core message is correct"? Within scripture, some referred to Jesus as a prophet, some called him teacher, some called him rabbi, some called him Lord, some called him Messiah, etc....and Jesus was every bit of all of those titles and more. Ok, so how do we make the distinction? How do we say that Jesus is more than a prophet or less than the Lord? As we've said, within the whole of Christianity we have differing opinions on the Trinity.....honest opinions that aren't attempting to misrepresent Christ either. Now respectfully, we know where Islam stands on the issue so we can simply set that aside for this discussion.
When I read scripture such as the following it leaves little doubt for me:
Matthew 28:16-19
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 3:16-17
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
I've posted several other verses regarding Jesus' divinity, but the honest proof (for me) lies in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in me and how tangible and manifest that relationship is in my life. That said, if a sect of Christianity denies the Holy Spirit then they're left without a trace of experiential proof and for me that proof is everything. That experiential proof is always so callously discarded because nonbelievers can't experience, test or replicate it so they laugh it off, but ironically it is the crux of the matter. When I fully surrendered to the Lord I have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in such undeniable ways that I have no doubt concerning Christ's resurrection or the Trinity. It's considered ultra-cheese, but a person must become the proof to experience the proof.....there's the brickwall...."So I have to believe with no proof to get the proof? That's stupid." There's a ton of proof, but everyone wants peer-reviewed, validated, tested, replicable proof...they want stuff they can touch and feel and see. As a believer I have all of that......except I haven't seen God....may have seen an angel once, but that's another story LOL. Again, it's all about that part of the Trinity that arrived at Pentecost known as the Jesus Christ's helper the Holy Spirit.