Christians are Idolatrous.
Islam is not! Is it?
Islam often accuses Christianity of Idol worship and brands them as Idolaters taking into the account of the worship methods instituted by the Roman Catholic Church with the pagan mixtures and concoctions.
Opening the hard leather of the Bible one can witness from times before Muhammad or the 1st Pope was born; the commandments ban any form of Idol worship.
The Oxford dictionary defines an idol as: “An image used as an object of worship. A person or thing that is the object of excessive devotion.”
THE CATHOLIC 10 COMMANDMENTS
Islam often accuses Christianity of Idol worship and brands them as Idolaters taking into the account of the worship methods instituted by the Roman Catholic Church with the pagan mixtures and concoctions.
Opening the hard leather of the Bible one can witness from times before Muhammad or the 1st Pope was born; the commandments ban any form of Idol worship.
IDOLATRY & THE BIBLE
Does Bible accommodate Idolatry?
Does Bible accommodate Idolatry?
The Straight answer is "NO".
The Oxford dictionary defines an idol as: “An image used as an object of worship. A person or thing that is the object of excessive devotion.”
So an Idolater is a devoted admirer of idols but what does the Bible say about images and idols?
1. Exodus 20:4-5
“Thou shalt not MAKE unto thee ANY graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not BOW DOWN thyself to them Nor SERVE them.”
2. Leviticus 26:1
“You shall make you NO IDOLS nor GRAVEN IMAGE. Neither rear you up a STANDING IMAGE. Neither shall ye set up any IMAGE OF STONE in your land to bow down unto it.”
3. Deuteronomy 4:16
“Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and MAKE you a GRAVEN IMAGE, the similitude of ANY FIGURE, the likeness of MALE or FEMALE.”
4. Deuteronomy 16:22
“Neither shalt thou SET thee UP ANY IMAGE: which the Lord thy God HATES.”
5. 1 Thessalonians 1:9
“How ye turned to God FROM IDOLS to serve the living and true God.”
6. Deuteronomy 27:15
“CURSED be the man that MAKES ANY GRAVEN or MOLTEN IMAGE, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place.”
Galatians 5
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Clearly the BIBLE states that Idolatry and idolators will not take you to the Kingdom of Heaven.
JEWISH 10 COMMANDMENTS
1. Exodus 20:4-5
“Thou shalt not MAKE unto thee ANY graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not BOW DOWN thyself to them Nor SERVE them.”
2. Leviticus 26:1
“You shall make you NO IDOLS nor GRAVEN IMAGE. Neither rear you up a STANDING IMAGE. Neither shall ye set up any IMAGE OF STONE in your land to bow down unto it.”
3. Deuteronomy 4:16
“Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and MAKE you a GRAVEN IMAGE, the similitude of ANY FIGURE, the likeness of MALE or FEMALE.”
4. Deuteronomy 16:22
“Neither shalt thou SET thee UP ANY IMAGE: which the Lord thy God HATES.”
5. 1 Thessalonians 1:9
“How ye turned to God FROM IDOLS to serve the living and true God.”
6. Deuteronomy 27:15
“CURSED be the man that MAKES ANY GRAVEN or MOLTEN IMAGE, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place.”
Galatians 5
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Clearly the BIBLE states that Idolatry and idolators will not take you to the Kingdom of Heaven.
JEWISH 10 COMMANDMENTS
1. Belief in G-d
This category is derived from the declaration in Ex. 20:2 beginning, "I am the L-rd, your G-d..."
2. Prohibition of Improper Worship
This category is derived from Ex. 20:3-6, beginning, "You shall not have other gods..." It encompasses within it the prohibition against the worship of other gods as well as the prohibition of improper forms of worship of the one true G-d, such as worshiping G-d through an idol.
3. Prohibition of Oaths
This category is derived from Ex. 20:7, beginning, "You shall not take the name of the L-rd your G-d in vain..." This includes prohibitions against perjury, breaking or delaying the performance of vows or promises, and speaking G-d's name or swearing unnecessarily.
4. Observance of Sacred Times
This category is derived from Ex. 20:8-11, beginning, "Remember the Sabbath day..." It encompasses all mitzvot related to Shabbat, holidays, or other sacred time.
5. Respect for Parents and Teachers
This category is derived from Ex. 20:12, beginning, "Honor your father and mother..."
6. Prohibition of Physically Harming a Person
This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not murder."
7. Prohibition of Sexual Immorality
This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not commit adultery."
8. Prohibition of Theft
This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not steal." It includes within it both outright robbery as well as various forms of theft by deception and unethical business practices. It also includes kidnapping, which is essentially "stealing" a person.
9. Prohibition of Harming a Person through Speech
This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." It includes all forms of lashon ha-ra (sins relating to speech).
10. Prohibition of Coveting
This category is derived from Ex. 20:14, beginning, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house..."
THE CHRISTIAN 10 COMMANDMENTS
This category is derived from the declaration in Ex. 20:2 beginning, "I am the L-rd, your G-d..."
2. Prohibition of Improper Worship
This category is derived from Ex. 20:3-6, beginning, "You shall not have other gods..." It encompasses within it the prohibition against the worship of other gods as well as the prohibition of improper forms of worship of the one true G-d, such as worshiping G-d through an idol.
3. Prohibition of Oaths
This category is derived from Ex. 20:7, beginning, "You shall not take the name of the L-rd your G-d in vain..." This includes prohibitions against perjury, breaking or delaying the performance of vows or promises, and speaking G-d's name or swearing unnecessarily.
4. Observance of Sacred Times
This category is derived from Ex. 20:8-11, beginning, "Remember the Sabbath day..." It encompasses all mitzvot related to Shabbat, holidays, or other sacred time.
5. Respect for Parents and Teachers
This category is derived from Ex. 20:12, beginning, "Honor your father and mother..."
6. Prohibition of Physically Harming a Person
This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not murder."
7. Prohibition of Sexual Immorality
This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not commit adultery."
8. Prohibition of Theft
This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not steal." It includes within it both outright robbery as well as various forms of theft by deception and unethical business practices. It also includes kidnapping, which is essentially "stealing" a person.
9. Prohibition of Harming a Person through Speech
This category is derived from Ex. 20:13, saying, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." It includes all forms of lashon ha-ra (sins relating to speech).
10. Prohibition of Coveting
This category is derived from Ex. 20:14, beginning, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house..."
THE CHRISTIAN 10 COMMANDMENTS
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
2. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Now going back to the 10 Commandments of Jews and Christians we see there is uniformity. But below we have the 10 commandments of the Roman Catholic Church. The commandment on Graven Images is absent. Christians should note that the Catholic Church is not the representative of all Christians but only a separate practice of worship, this similar to Islam, Mormon or any other Judeo-Christian based concoction.
“The Pope is of great authority and power, that he is able to modify, declare, or interpret even divine laws. The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man, but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth...” — Lucius Ferraris, in “Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Juridica, Moralis, Theologica, Ascetica, Polemica, Rubristica, Historica”, Volume V, article on “Papa, Article II”, titled “Concerning the extent of Papal dignity, authority, or dominion and infallibility”, #30, published in Petit-Montrouge (Paris) by J. P. Migne, 1858 edition. Hence the commandments were edited to accommodate Idolatry.
THE CATHOLIC 10 COMMANDMENTS
[http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/command.htm]
1. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
(1) What are the differences between them?
(2) What changes did the Catholic Church make to the Jewish version?
(3) Why would the Catholic Church make those changes?
(4) What changes to the Catholic version did the Protestants make?
(5) Why would they have made them?
(6) Is the Protestant version more similar to the Catholic or Jewish version?
(7) Which version would Jesus have known and which one would he have recommended?
Understanding is to be established here that the Pope is not the authority or the head of the Global church. He is head of the Roman Catholic Religion that is another extract of Christianity and not the full Christianity.
The Churches that do not practice Idolatry are the Evangelical Churches, Pentecostal Apostolic Churches and Protestant Churches. These churches have an unedited / unmodified 10 Commandments. These 10 Commandments are the same as its in the ancient scriptures still used by Jews.
Only the Roman Catholic Church adopts Idolatry and have their own version of the Ten Commandments, the second Commandment on idolatry stands edited. Per (1 John 3:4)
"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry," (1 Cor. 10:14). Hence Catholics are requested to flee from Idolatry by Bible and Jesus Christ. Roman Catholics worshiping Idols does not constitute that Christians are Idolaters or Jesus Christ allowed it; we got to read the scriptures. Just because you have one muslim thief or a christian robber does not mean religion is such. We only pray for them to accept the truth.
TIMELINE OF INSPIRED & PERSPIRED TEXTS
Again everyone knows that the Christian 10 commandments and Catholic 10 Commandments came into being only after the Jewish 10 Commandments given by God to Moses the prophet. Hence the pre-existing nature of the Jewish 10 Commandments is original, as Jesus himself would have seen it 2000 years ago and practiced. Edition was done only by the Roman catholic church here to accommodate the practice of worshiping idols. The edition was done by the Roman Catholic church only to accommodate the practices and rituals of the Babylonian influence.
More than the Bible, Torah, even Hinduism in some of the Vedic scriptures ask people to shun away from Idolatry.
Having said this; we have a few historical facts with evidences that open doubts on the way Islam is practiced and throws open a super pandora box as below.
IDOLATRY IN ISLAM?
1. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the LORD'S Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
(1) What are the differences between them?
(2) What changes did the Catholic Church make to the Jewish version?
(3) Why would the Catholic Church make those changes?
(4) What changes to the Catholic version did the Protestants make?
(5) Why would they have made them?
(6) Is the Protestant version more similar to the Catholic or Jewish version?
(7) Which version would Jesus have known and which one would he have recommended?
Understanding is to be established here that the Pope is not the authority or the head of the Global church. He is head of the Roman Catholic Religion that is another extract of Christianity and not the full Christianity.
The Churches that do not practice Idolatry are the Evangelical Churches, Pentecostal Apostolic Churches and Protestant Churches. These churches have an unedited / unmodified 10 Commandments. These 10 Commandments are the same as its in the ancient scriptures still used by Jews.
Only the Roman Catholic Church adopts Idolatry and have their own version of the Ten Commandments, the second Commandment on idolatry stands edited. Per (1 John 3:4)
"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry," (1 Cor. 10:14). Hence Catholics are requested to flee from Idolatry by Bible and Jesus Christ. Roman Catholics worshiping Idols does not constitute that Christians are Idolaters or Jesus Christ allowed it; we got to read the scriptures. Just because you have one muslim thief or a christian robber does not mean religion is such. We only pray for them to accept the truth.
TIMELINE OF INSPIRED & PERSPIRED TEXTS
Again everyone knows that the Christian 10 commandments and Catholic 10 Commandments came into being only after the Jewish 10 Commandments given by God to Moses the prophet. Hence the pre-existing nature of the Jewish 10 Commandments is original, as Jesus himself would have seen it 2000 years ago and practiced. Edition was done only by the Roman catholic church here to accommodate the practice of worshiping idols. The edition was done by the Roman Catholic church only to accommodate the practices and rituals of the Babylonian influence.
More than the Bible, Torah, even Hinduism in some of the Vedic scriptures ask people to shun away from Idolatry.
Having said this; we have a few historical facts with evidences that open doubts on the way Islam is practiced and throws open a super pandora box as below.
IDOLATRY IN ISLAM?
1. Although traditionally Muhammad and his band of followers have not openly advocated practices of idolatry, we still see that the Muhammad's act of Venerating a stone by kissing and keeping it in the Kaaba going against the teachings of God. It was just a stone, why kiss it? why venerate it? why keep it inside four walls? and ask all the followers to bow towards the wall? why that is sacred? is it not just a piece of stone or meteorite? then what is the difference between Idol and a Venerated Stone?
2. Every Muslim head bows towards this Kaaba indicating deepest respects to the location and stone that is inside this Kaaba; there is nothing else in Kaaba than the walls and the stone. This stone is that of an Idol predating the Islam and Muhammad himself. Muhammad called this piece of stone "Yamin Allah" (the right hand of God)". If stones and symbol worship is not allowed then why retain that stone? why that location of Kaaba?
2. Every Muslim head bows towards this Kaaba indicating deepest respects to the location and stone that is inside this Kaaba; there is nothing else in Kaaba than the walls and the stone. This stone is that of an Idol predating the Islam and Muhammad himself. Muhammad called this piece of stone "Yamin Allah" (the right hand of God)". If stones and symbol worship is not allowed then why retain that stone? why that location of Kaaba?
3. Why the symbol of the Moon over minarets? What does that signify? Why is it that God was again symbolized? Praying to the moon god existed before the time of Muhammad. Why was that incorporated into Islam? Why then in the Quran there are many instances that people swear by the Moon? Why was this pre-Islamic deity of Moon God was absorbed into the Quran ad in Islam? There is no significance of Moon as related or referred by any other Prophet then how will this be a probability that Muhammad was passionate about this moon's incorporation into his scripture?
4. Why circle Kaaba for salvation? how does one get salvation by circling a building? is this not worship of a place? Dont we know that the Kaaba once had 360 different idols that the native Arabians used even before Muhammad's grandfather was born?
Questions that I have and answers available; will publish the research findings only referring proven and recorded history and the scriptures themselves. In the next article.
Till then, let the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.
4. Why circle Kaaba for salvation? how does one get salvation by circling a building? is this not worship of a place? Dont we know that the Kaaba once had 360 different idols that the native Arabians used even before Muhammad's grandfather was born?
Questions that I have and answers available; will publish the research findings only referring proven and recorded history and the scriptures themselves. In the next article.
Till then, let the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all.
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