The General System of Beliefs of Present Day Christians

The belief and practices of present day Christians vary widely among its many sects. Nevertheless, in this post, we will outline their general system of beliefs which is important to know before studying specific sects in detail.

Christianity was intended to discipline the Jews and enable them follow the teaching of Musa (AS) better. Its foundation was the same as that of Islam. The Prophet (SAWS) said/: “The prophets are brothers. Their mothers are so many and their religion is one”. After the disappearance of the Gospel and the appearance of so many versions of  texts that were called “holy books”, Christianity evolved into something very different from its original teachings.

The concept of Allah as the Owner of everything was turned into the idea of the Father. Due to philosophical explanations derived from Greek philosophy, the concept of God was altered. They use the word “Maker” to describe Him which is not proper because a maker can make something already made by someone else. Using the word “Creator” is better as He creates out of nothing. They believe in Messiah who they call the only son of God. The attribute divinity to him. Some groups consider Jesus (AS) to be God himself. The Quran negates both opinions. “The have disbelieved those who say Allah is the Messiah the son of Mary”. They believe in the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Allah - the life of Allah. From this they conclude that Jesus (AS) became a part of Allah.

They consider these three gods - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - as one god. This is the concept of trinity which they say it is monotheism. This is obviously not monotheism as they worship three gods not one.

“The have disbelieved who say Allah is the third of three and there is no god accept one God. If they do not stop what they are saying those who disbelieve will suffer from a severe punishment”.

They believe that Jesus (AS) died on the cross to give salvation to the people. They claim that this is because of Allah’s extreme love for the people. Allah decided to subject His only son to extreme pain to save people from punishment. If Allah wants to forgive people, why can’t He forgive without subjecting His only son to agony. If Allah is fair, would it be fair to put someone so pure as Jesus to pain to save the sinful and wrongdoers. Allah says this is wrong.

“And their saying that we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Marry, the messenger of Allah. Nay, they did not kill him and they did not crucify him but it was made to seem so to them. Those who dispute in him are doubtful in him. They do not have knowledge except for a conjecture and doubt. They have not killed him for certain. But Allah raised him up to Him. Allah is Exalted, the Wise”

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Their belief in the reckoning in Hereafter is that Jesus (AS) will sit on the right side of Allah. The human part of him will enable him to judge people for belief in him on Judgement Day. They take the cross as their symbol. It is sanctified and considered holy by a lot of them.. They consider it as a sign of love for Jesus (AS) and a sign of following him. If they truly loved Jesus (AS) they would have hated the cross because the cross was used to harm Jesus (AS). They consider Mary to be the mother of God. Some groups dedicate their worship to her.

In terms of religion they consider Christianity to be a universal religion not limited to the Children of Israel as it was intended. This is in difference to what Jesus (AS) taught. In the Bible he has been reported to have said “Do not go to the nations and do not enter  the cities of the Samarieen. Rather you go with this guidance to the stray sheep to the Children of Israel.”

They consider their Holy book to include the Old Testament (Torah, the chapters of the Prophets and  historical material) and the New Testament consisting of the four bibles (Mark, Luke, Matthew and John) and letters to the messengers. They believe that the New Testament cancels the Old Testament. They say that the words of Bible are the words of God. Christians do not circumcise like Muslims and Jews.

Their is no agreement on the specific forms of their prayers. They use any type of  words and statement that suit them. There is lot of variation in this among their many groups. Now many groups use music and dancing in their prayer services. The format and period of fasting varies from group to group. Generally they only fast from products which have animal derivatives. They baptize their children by putting water on them in the name of the trinity to erase the original sin. This is against Islamic belief that child is born sinless.

Some of their groups confess the sins to the clergy who then provide forgiveness to them. In 1215 AD, it became necessary confess one's sins to the clergy at least once a year in some sect. There are different frequencies of confession in different churches. In the Eastern Church marriage is allowed only once. Polygamy is not allow although it was initially allowed in Christianity. It is permissible for a priest to sanctify the marriage. Divorce not accepted except in case of adultery among them. When separation occurs due to divorce or death, marriage can occur. There is great variation in Christianity regarding marriage.

The present day Christianity has been influences by a wide range of beliefs, doctrine and practices of other religions and philosophies, including Judaism, Greek philosophy, Hinduism, Buddhism and ancient pagan religions. It is believed that the concept of the three main Hindu gods - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva influenced the development of the concept of the trinity. These transformations in Christianity resulted in it losing its essence and spirit. Thus, Christianity today is very different from the original religion that Jesus preached.

Today Christians make up of 60% of the world population. They are found all over the world. Christianity was spread through the intense efforts of missionaries and evangelists. Among the Muslim scholars, Ahmed Deedat and Dr Zakir Naik were able to expose the flaws in Christianity and debate successfully with Christian scholars. Their videos and books are very helpful is understanding the weakness of Christianity.

Muslims believe that the People of the Book are polytheists and disbelievers. The Quran says

"Those who disbelieve from the People of the Book and the pagans are in the fire of hell eternally dwelling in it. Such people are the worst of creation”

In Islam, we are supposed to treat the Christians according to the Book of Allah in this world. We should deal with them with kindness, righteousness and fairness. It is permissible for Muslims to eat their food if it is halal. In theory, Muslim men are allowed to marry their women if it is safe to produce children from them which will be practicing Muslims and that they would not influence the faith of the Muslim husband. This is not possible these days. Also Muslims are supposed to treat them with kindness and keep their promises with them as long as they are not fighting the Muslims with respect to their religion and are not driving the Muslims from their homes. If they live in Muslim lands they are the people of covenant. They have the same rights of the Muslims and they owe the same responsibilities and duties as the Muslims.