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This article is based on numerous conversations with Muslims, my personal research, and intensive training at mission school before a month-long mission trip to a Muslim country in 1979.

The most surprising thing about my conversations with Muslims is that most of them share the moral values ​​that Christians should adhere to, and this is one of the biggest stumbling blocks that prevents them from believing in the truth of Christianity. (Most of these people are warm and friendly. Experts estimate that only 7-10% of Muslims are associated with radical Islam, which nevertheless amounts to about 100 million worldwide.)

The early church was predominantly Middle Eastern (for example, all of the churches addressed in the book of Revelation were in what is now Turkey), and some of the great church fathers (Augustine, Tertullian, and others) lived and ministered in North Africa (which gradually became almost completely Muslim). However, Christians today are extremely reticent in evangelizing Muslims.

The following points are intended to help Christians better understand their Muslim neighbors before trying to reach them with the Good News.

Christians are weaklings.

Muslims consider our belief that Jesus, as God's Son, died on the cross, is the greatest sign of weakness and an insult to the almighty God who can never die!

Muslims consider it an honor to die in defense of their faith, family and friends, and view the Christian practice of turning the other cheek as cowardice. They know how quickly Muhammad brought Islam to Christian countries with the sword, and all Christians are considered weaklings.

Of course, many Christians misrepresent Jesus' teaching on this issue in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:38-39). Jesus was only talking about not responding to a personal insult, not paying back in kind. He did not say that Christians cannot fight to defend their lives, or the lives of their families, or their people (with one exception: being persecuted or killed for Christ's sake is a special honor, as we see in the example of the apostles in Acts 4).

How should a Muslim treat a Christian?

Christians are our fellow citizens, and by the will of Allah I oppose everything that might offend them

How should Muslims treat Christians? With cruelty? Anger? Hatred? No. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) should be a role model for any Muslim. And in the matter of attitude towards Christians, we should remember His covenants.

A unique document has been preserved, dictated by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which lists the responsibilities of Muslims to protect Christians living among them. This is a reminder of collective responsibility for our neighbors of other faiths, a message of mercy and goodness from the Prophet (peace be upon him).

At a time when tensions between Muslims and Christians are at their peak, we remind our Christian friends that a true Muslim cannot hurt a Christian, either physically or verbally.

The letter written by the Prophet (peace be upon him) is only a confirmation of this (the original letter is kept in the Topkapi Museum (Turkey). Knowledge of this promise can have a huge impact on the behavior of Muslims towards Christians, and vice versa:

“This message is from Muhammad, son of Abdullah, let there be an agreement with those who have accepted Christianity, far or near, we are with them.

Indeed, I, my helpers and my followers protect them, because Christians are our fellow citizens, and by the will of Allah I oppose everything that can offend them.

No coercion should be used against them. Just as their judges will not be removed from their posts, so their monks will not be expelled from their monasteries. No one will destroy the house of their religion or damage it or take a single thing from it to the homes of Muslims.

If someone takes this or that thing from there, he will violate God's instructions and disobey his Prophet. Truly they are my allies, having secured my guarantee of safety against everything they hate.

No one will force them to move from place to place or participate in battles. Muslims must fight for them. If a Christian woman marries a Muslim, it must be with her consent. It is forbidden to prevent her from attending church for prayers. Their churches should be respected. They should not be prevented from restoring their churches and maintaining the sanctity of their Testaments.

No Muslim should violate this agreement until the Day of Judgment.”

This was the message of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This message is timeless and universal and is especially relevant today when the gap between Muslims and Christians seems insurmountable. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasizes that Muslims are always close to Christians, far or near, and mistreating Christians amounts to violating God's commandments.

Islam provides unique examples of religious tolerance. They make a person strive to become better. By suppressing our predisposition to goodness, we deny the fundamental property of Islam.

Christians support idolatry.

Most Muslims are unaware of the differences between Christian denominations (just as many Christians are unaware of the differences between Sunni, Shia and Wahhabi) and view Christianity primarily through the dominant Roman Catholic Church. And therefore they believe that we worship four gods: the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Mary. They also consider the placement of statues in Roman Catholic churches to be morally reprehensible. (One of the main reasons for the eradication of Christianity by Muhammad was the idolatry he observed in Christian churches throughout his country.)

Russian Orthodox Church

On October 22, 2013, at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, in continuation of the special course “History of Christian Thought,” a lecture on traditional religions and their relationship with Orthodoxy was given by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations, chairman of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission, rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies , professor and head of the department of theology at MEPhI.

Today I would like to say a few words about the relationship between the Orthodox and representatives of world religions, three of which are represented in our country as traditional; we call these religions traditional because they have historically existed among us for centuries. These are Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. I will not talk in detail about each of these religions, but I will try to outline their differences from Orthodox Christianity and talk about how we build relationships with them today.

Orthodoxy and Judaism

First of all, I would like to say a few words about Judaism. Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people: it is impossible to belong to it without having Jewish origin. Judaism sees itself not as a world religion, but as a national religion. Currently, it is professed by about 17 million people who live both in Israel and in many other countries of the world.

Historically, Judaism was the basis on which Christianity began to develop. Jesus Christ was a Jew, and all His activities took place within the then Jewish state, which, however, did not have political independence, but was under the rule of the Romans. Jesus spoke Aramaic, that is, one of the dialects of the Hebrew language, and followed the customs of the Jewish religion. For some time Christianity remained somewhat dependent on Judaism. In science, there is even the term “Judeo-Christianity,” which refers to the first decades of the development of the Christian faith, when it still remained associated with the Jerusalem Temple (we know from the Acts of the Apostles that the apostles attended services in the temple) and the influence of Jewish theology and Jewish ritual on Christian communities.

The turning point for the history of Judaism was the year 70, when Jerusalem was sacked by the Romans. From this moment begins the history of the dispersion of the Jewish people, which continues to this day. After the capture of Jerusalem, Israel ceased to exist not only as a state, but even as a national community tied to a specific territory.

In addition, Judaism, represented by its religious leaders, reacted very negatively to the emergence and spread of Christianity. We find the origins of this conflict already in the polemics of Jesus Christ with the Jews and their religious leaders - the Pharisees, whom He harshly criticized and who treated Him with extreme hostility. It was the religious leaders of the Israeli people who achieved the condemnation of the Savior to death on the cross.

The relationship between Christianity and Judaism over the course of many centuries has developed in the spirit of polemics and complete mutual rejection. In rabbinic Judaism, the attitude towards Christianity was purely negative.

Meanwhile, Jews and Christians share a significant part of the Holy Scriptures. All of what we call the Old Testament, with the exception of some later books, is also Holy Scripture for the Jewish tradition. In this sense, Christians and Jews retain a certain single doctrinal basis, on the basis of which theology was built in both religious traditions. But the development of Jewish theology was associated with the appearance of new books - these are the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, Mishnah, Halakha. All these books, or rather collections of books, were interpretive in nature. They are based on the Holy Scripture, which is common to Christians and Jews, but they interpreted it differently from those interpretations that have developed in the Christian environment. If for Christians the Old Testament is an important, but not the primary part of the Holy Scripture, which is the New Testament, which speaks of Christ as God and man, then the Jewish tradition rejected Christ as the God-man, and the Old Testament remains the main holy book.

The attitude towards the New Testament and the Christian Church in general among the Jews was sharply negative. Among Christians, the attitude towards Jews was also negative. If we turn to the writings of the 4th century Church Fathers, such as John Chrysostom, we can find very harsh statements about the Jews: by today's standards these statements could be qualified as anti-Semitic. But it is important to remember that they were dictated, of course, not by some kind of interethnic hatred, but by the polemics that had been going on for centuries between representatives of the two religions. The essence of the disagreement was in the attitude towards Jesus Christ, because if Christians recognize Him as God Incarnate and the Messiah, that is, the Anointed One about whom the prophets predicted and for whom the Israeli people expected, then the Israeli people themselves, for the most part, did not accept Christ as the Messiah and continue to expect the coming of another messiah. Moreover, this messiah is conceived not so much as a spiritual leader, but rather as a political leader who will be able to restore the power of the Israeli people and the territorial integrity of the Israeli state.

It was precisely this attitude that was already characteristic of the Jews of the 1st century, which is why many of them did not accept Christ quite sincerely - they were sure that the messiah would be a man who, first of all, would come and free the Israeli people from the power of the Romans.

The Talmud contains many offensive and even blasphemous statements about Jesus Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos. In addition, Judaism is an iconoclastic religion - it does not have any sacred images: neither God nor people. This, of course, is connected with a tradition dating back to Old Testament times, which generally prohibited all images of the Divine and saints. Therefore, if you go to a Christian temple, you will see a lot of images, but if you visit a synagogue, you will see nothing but ornaments and symbols. This is due to a special theological approach to spiritual realities. If Christianity is the religion of God Incarnate, then Judaism is the religion of the Invisible God, Who revealed Himself in the history of the Israeli people in a mysterious way and was perceived as God first of all of the Israeli people, and secondarily as the Creator of the whole world and the Creator of all people.

Reading the books of the Old Testament, we will see that the Israeli people perceived God as their own God, in contrast to the gods of other nations: if they worshiped pagan deities, then the Israeli people worshiped the True God and considered this their legitimate privilege. Ancient Israel did not have at all, as there is still no in the Jewish religion, any missionary calling to preach among other peoples, because Judaism is conceived, I repeat, as the religion of one - the Israeli - people.

In Christianity, the doctrine of God's chosen people of Israel was interpreted differently in different eras. The Apostle Paul also said that “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26). He believed that the entire Israeli people would sooner or later believe in Christ. On the other hand, already in the theology of the Church Fathers of the 4th century, which, as we remember, was the time of the formation of many historiosophical concepts within Christian theology, there was an understanding according to which the chosenness of God of the Israeli people ended after they rejected Christ, and passed to “ new Israel”, Church.

In modern theology, this approach is called “replacement theology.” The point is that the new Israel, as it were, replaced ancient Israel in the sense that everything said in the Old Testament in relation to the Israeli people already applies to the new Israel, that is, the Christian Church as a multinational chosen people of God, as a new reality, the prototype of which was the old Israel.

In the second half of the 20th century, another understanding developed in Western theology, which was associated with the development of interaction between Christians and Jews, with the development of Christian-Jewish dialogue. This new understanding practically did not affect the Orthodox Church, but found fairly wide recognition in the Catholic and Protestant environment. According to him, the Israeli people continue to remain God's chosen people, because if God chooses someone, He does not change His attitude towards a person, several people or a specific nation. Consequently, God's chosenness remains a kind of stamp that the Israeli people continue to bear. The realization of this chosenness of God, from the point of view of Christian theologians who adhere to this point of view, lies precisely in the fact that representatives of the Israeli people turn to faith in Christ and become Christians. It is known that among people who are Jewish by ethnic origin, there are many who believed in Christ - they belong to different faiths and live in different countries. In Israel itself there is a movement “Jews for Christ”, which was born in a Protestant environment and is aimed at converting Jews to Christianity.

The hostile attitude of Jews towards Christians and Christians towards Jews existed for centuries in different countries and even reached the everyday level. It took a variety of, sometimes monstrous, forms, right up to the Holocaust in the 20th century, right up to the Jewish pogroms.

Here it must be said that in the past, until very recently, in fact, until the 20th century, as we see from history, contradictions in the religious sphere very often resulted in wars, civil confrontation, and murders. But the tragic fate of the Israeli people, including in the 20th century, when they suffered massive repressions, extermination, first of all, from the Nazi regime - a regime that we cannot in any way consider connected with Christianity, because in its ideology it was anti-Christian - prompted the world community at the political level to rethink its relationship with Judaism, including in a religious context, and to establish a dialogue with the Jewish religion. Dialogue now exists at the official level, for example, there is a theological commission on dialogue between Christianity and Islam (literally a few weeks ago the next session of such dialogue was held with the participation of representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church).

In addition to this official dialogue, which, of course, is not aimed at bringing positions together, because they are still very different, there are other ways and forms of interaction between Christians and Jews. In particular, on the territory of Russia, Christians and Jews lived in peace and harmony for centuries, despite all the contradictions and conflicts that arose at the everyday level. Currently, the interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Jewish community of the Russian Federation is quite close. This interaction concerns, first of all, social as well as moral issues. Here there is a very high degree of agreement between Christians and Jews, as well as representatives of other traditional faiths.

Well, and the most important thing that probably needs to be said: despite the quite obvious differences in the area of ​​doctrine, despite the cardinal difference in the approach to the person of Jesus Christ, between Jews and Christians what is preserved is what is the basis of all monotheistic religions: the belief in that God is one, that God is the Creator of the world, that He participates in the history of the world and the life of every person.

In this regard, we are talking about a certain doctrinal similarity of all monotheistic religions, of which three are called Abrahamic, because they all go back genetically to Abraham as the father of the Israeli people. There are three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam (I list them in order of appearance). And for Christianity, Abraham is a righteous man, and for Christianity, the history of the Israeli people is Sacred history.

If you get acquainted with the texts that are heard at Orthodox services, you will see that they are all filled with stories from the history of the Israeli people and their symbolic interpretations. Of course, in the Christian tradition, these stories and stories are refracted through the experience of the Christian Church. Most of them are perceived as prototypes of the realities associated with the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, while for the Israeli people they are of independent value. For example, if in the Jewish tradition Easter is celebrated as a holiday associated with the memory of the passage of the Israeli people through the Red Sea and the deliverance from Egyptian slavery, then for Christians this story is a prototype of the liberation of man from sin, the victory of Christ over death, and Easter is already thought of as feast of the Resurrection of Christ. There is a certain genetic connection between the two Easters - Jewish and Christian - but the semantic content of these two holidays is completely different.

The common basis that exists between the two religions helps them today to interact, dialogue and work together for the benefit of people.

Orthodoxy and Islam

The relationship between Christianity and Islam in history has been no less complex and no less tragic than the relationship between Christianity and Judaism.

Islam appeared at the turn of the 6th and 7th centuries, its founder is Muhammad (Mohammed), who in the Muslim tradition is perceived as a prophet. The book that plays the role of Holy Scripture in the Muslim tradition is called the Koran, and Muslims believe that it was dictated by God himself, that every word of it is true and that the Koran pre-existed with God before it was written down. Muslims consider Mohammed's role to be prophetic in the sense that the words he brought to earth were Divine revelation.

There is quite a lot in common between Christianity and Islam in terms of doctrine. Just like Judaism, like Christianity, Islam is a monotheistic religion, that is, Muslims believe in One God, whom they call the Arabic word “Allah” (God, the Most High). They believe that, besides God, there are angels, that after the death of people, reward after death awaits. They believe in the immortality of the human soul, in the Last Judgment. There are quite a few other Muslim dogmas that are largely similar to Christian ones. Moreover, both Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary are mentioned in the Koran, and they are spoken about repeatedly and quite respectfully. Christians are called the "People of the Book" in the Koran, and followers of Islam are encouraged to treat them with respect.

Islamic ritual rests on several pillars. First of all, this is the statement that “there is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.” It is obligatory for all Muslims to pray five times a day. In addition, just like Christians, Muslims have fasting, but Christians and Muslims fast differently: Christians abstain from certain types of food on certain days, while for Muslims fasting is a certain period of time called Ramadan, when they do not eat food or even drink water from sunrise to sunset. For Muslims, alms are obligatory - zakat, that is, an annual tax that each Muslim with a certain income must pay in favor of his poorer brothers. Finally, it is believed that a devout Muslim, if he has the physical and material capabilities, must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his life, which is called hajj.

In Islam and Christianity, as I said, there are many similar elements, but it should be noted that just as Christianity today is divided into different faiths, so Islam is a heterogeneous phenomenon. There is Sunni Islam, to which, according to various estimates, from 80 to 90 percent of all Muslims in the world belong. There is Shiite Islam, which is quite widespread, but mainly in the countries of the Middle East. There are a number of Islamic sects, such as the Alawites, who live in Syria. In addition, recently an increasingly important role, including in world politics, has been played by the radical wing of the Islamic world - Salafism (or, as it is now often called, Wahhabism), which the leaders of official Islam disavow as a perversion of Islam, because Wahhabism calls for hatred, aims to create a worldwide Islamic caliphate, where either there will be no place at all for representatives of other religions, or they will become second-class citizens who will have to pay tribute only for the fact that they are not Muslims.

When talking about the differences between Christianity and Islam in general, we must understand one very important thing. Christianity is a religion of free choice of one person or another, and this choice is made regardless of where the person was born, what nation he belongs to, what language he speaks, what color his skin is, who his parents were, and so on. In Christianity there is not and cannot be any compulsion to faith. And, besides, Christianity is precisely a religious, not a political system. Christianity has not developed any specific forms of state existence, does not recommend one or another preferred state system, and does not have its own system of secular law, although, of course, Christian moral values ​​had a very significant influence on the formation of legal norms in European states and in a number of other states continents (North and South America, Australia).

Islam, on the contrary, is not only a religious system, but also a political and legal system. Mohammed was not only a religious, but also a political leader, the creator of the world's first Islamic state, a legislator and a military leader. In this sense, in Islam, religious elements are very closely intertwined with legal and political elements. It is no coincidence, for example, that in a number of Islamic states, religious leaders are in power, and, unlike Christian ones, they are not perceived as clergy. Only at the everyday level is it customary to talk about “Muslim clergy” - in fact, the spiritual leaders of Islam are, in our understanding, laymen: they do not perform any sacred rites or sacraments, but only lead prayer meetings and have the right to teach the people.

Very often in Islam, spiritual power is combined with secular power. We see this in the example of a number of states, such as Iran, where spiritual leaders are in power.

Turning to the topic of dialogue between Islam and Christianity, the relationship between them, it must be said that with all the bitter experience of the coexistence of these religions in different conditions, including the history of the suffering of Christians under the Islamic yoke, there is also a positive experience of living together. Here again we must turn to the example of our country, where for centuries Christians and Muslims have lived and continue to live together. There have been no interreligious wars in Russian history. We had interethnic conflicts - this explosive potential still exists, which we see even in Moscow, when in one of the city's microdistricts one group of people suddenly rebels against another group - against people of a different ethnic origin. However, these conflicts are not religious in nature and are not religiously motivated. Such incidents can be characterized as manifestations of hatred at the everyday level, having signs of interethnic conflicts. In general, the experience of coexistence of Christians and Muslims in our state over the centuries can be described as positive.

Today in our Fatherland there are such bodies of interaction between Christians, Muslims and Jews as the Interreligious Council of Russia, the chairman of which is the Patriarch. This council includes leaders of Russian Islam and Judaism. It meets regularly to discuss various socially significant issues related to people's daily lives. A very high degree of interaction has been achieved within this council, in addition, religious leaders jointly carry out contacts with the state.

There is also a Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation, which meets quite regularly and before the government authorities represents the general agreed position of the main traditional faiths on many issues.

Russian experience of interaction between Christians and Muslims shows that coexistence is quite possible. We share our experience with our foreign partners.

Today it is especially in demand precisely because in the countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and some Asian countries, the Wahhabi movement is growing, which is aimed at the complete eradication of Christianity and the victims of which today are Christians in many parts of the world. We know what is happening now in Egypt, where until recently the radical Islamic party “Muslim Brotherhood” was in power, they destroyed Christian churches, set them on fire, killed Christian clergy, which is why we are now seeing a mass exodus of Coptic Christians from Egypt . We know what is happening in Iraq, where ten years ago there were one and a half million Christians, and now there are about 150 thousand of them left. We know what is happening in those areas of Syria where the Wahhabis hold power. There is an almost complete extermination of Christians, mass desecration of Christian shrines.

The tension that is growing in the Middle East and a number of other regions requires political decisions and the efforts of religious leaders. Now it is no longer enough to simply declare that Islam is a peaceful religion, that terrorism has no nationality or religious affiliation, because we are increasingly seeing the growth of radical Islamism. And therefore, more and more often, in dialogue with Islamic leaders, we tell them about the need to influence their flock in order to prevent cases of hostility and hatred, to eliminate the policy of eradicating Christianity, which is being implemented today in the Middle East.

Orthodoxy and Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion that is also represented in our Fatherland. Buddhism is professed by a considerable number of people, while this religion, in its doctrinal principles, is much further from Christianity than Judaism or Islam. Some scholars do not even agree to call Buddhism a religion because there is no concept of God in it. The Dalai Lama calls himself an atheist because he does not recognize the existence of God as a supreme Being.

However, Buddhism and Christianity have some similarities. For example, in Buddhism there are monasteries, in Buddhist temples and monasteries people pray and kneel. However, the quality of the prayer experience of Buddhists and Christians is completely different.

Even as a student, I had the opportunity to visit Tibet and communicate with Tibetan monks. We talked, among other things, about prayer, and it was not clear to me who Buddhists turn to when they pray.

When we Christians pray, we always have a specific addressee. For us, prayer is not just some kind of reflection, some words that we say, it is a conversation with God, the Lord Jesus Christ, or with the Mother of God, with one of the saints. Moreover, our religious experience convincingly confirms for us that this conversation is not conducted in only one direction: by turning questions to God, we receive answers; when we make requests, they are often fulfilled; If we are perplexed and pour it out in prayer to God, then very often we receive admonition from God. It can come in different forms, for example, in the form of insight, which occurs in a person when he is looking for something and does not find it, rushes about, turns to God and suddenly the answer to the question becomes clear to him. The answer from God can also come in the form of some life circumstances or lessons.

Thus, the entire experience of prayer for a Christian is an experience of interaction and dialogue with a living Being, Whom we call God. For us, God is a Person who is able to hear us and answer our questions and prayers. In Buddhism, such a Person does not exist, therefore Buddhist prayer is, rather, meditation, reflection, when a person immerses himself in himself. Its adherents try to extract all the potential for good that exists in Buddhism from themselves, that is, from human nature itself.

We, as people who believe in One God, have no doubt that God acts in a variety of environments, including outside the Church, and that He can also influence people who do not belong to Christianity. Recently I talked with our famous Buddhist Kirsan Ilyumzhinov: he came to a television program that I host on the Russia-24 channel, and we talked about Christianity and Buddhism. Among other things, he talked about how he visited Athos, stood for six or eight hours in a church during a service and experienced very special sensations: he called them “grace.” This man is a Buddhist, and according to the laws of his religion, he should not believe in God, and yet in a conversation with me he used words such as “God”, “Almighty”. We understand that the desire to communicate with the Supreme Being exists in Buddhism too, only it is expressed differently than in Christianity.

There are many teachings in Buddhism that are unacceptable to Christianity. For example, the doctrine of reincarnation. According to Christian doctrine (and both Jews and Muslims agree with this), a person comes into this world only once in order to live a human life here and then move on to eternal life. Moreover, during his stay on earth, the soul is united with the body, the soul and body become one inseparable being. In Buddhism there is a completely different idea of ​​the course of history, the place of man in it and the relationship between soul and body. Buddhists believe that the soul can migrate from one body to another, moreover, that it can move from the human body to the animal body, and vice versa: from the animal body to the human body.

In Buddhism, there is a whole teaching that a person’s actions in this life affect his future destiny. We Christians also say that our actions in earthly life influence our destiny in eternity, but we do not believe that a person’s soul can pass into some other body. Buddhists believe that if a person was a glutton in this earthly life, then in the next life he can turn into a pig. The Dalai Lama in his book talked about one dog who, no matter how much he ate, always found room for another piece. “I think that in a past life she was one of the Tibetan monks who starved to death,” writes the Dalai Lama.

In this regard, Buddhism is very far from Christianity. But Buddhism is a good religion. It helps to cultivate the will to goodness, helps to release the potential of goodness - it is no coincidence that many Buddhists are calm and cheerful. When I visited Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, I was very struck by the constant calm and hospitality of the monks. They always smile, and this smile is not developed, but quite natural, it stems from some kind of internal experience.

I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that throughout the history of our country, Christians and Buddhists have peacefully coexisted in different regions for centuries and there is no potential for conflicts between them.

Answers to questions from the audience

— You spoke about the unique experience of the Russian Empire, in which good relations developed between Muslims and Christians - the main population of Russia. However, the peculiarity of this experience is that there are many more Christians in the country than Muslims. Is there any known long and effective experience of good cooperation and good neighborliness in countries where the majority of the population is Muslim?

— Unfortunately, there are much fewer such examples. There is, for example, Lebanon, where until relatively recently there were probably more Christians than Muslims, then they became approximately equal, but now Christians are already in the minority. This state is structured in such a way that all government posts are distributed among representatives of different religious communities. Thus, the president of the country is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, etc. This strict representation of religious communities in government bodies, enshrined in the Constitution, helps maintain the peaceful coexistence of different religions in the country.

—Are we in Eucharistic communion with Ethiopian Christians and Egyptian Copts?

— The word “Coptic” means “Egyptian” and therefore indicates ethnicity, not religious affiliation.

Both the Coptic Church in Egypt, and the Ethiopian Church in Ethiopia, as well as the Armenian Church and some others belong to the family of the so-called pre-Chalcedonian Churches. They are also called Eastern or Oriental Churches. They separated from the Orthodox Church in the 5th century due to disagreement with the decisions of the IV Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon), which adopted the doctrine that Jesus Christ has two natures - Divine and human. These Churches did not accept not so much the teaching itself as the terminology with which this teaching was expressed.

The Eastern Churches are now often called Monophysite (from the Greek words μόνος - “one” and φύσις - “nature, nature”) after the heresy that taught that Jesus Christ was God, but was not a full-fledged man. In fact, these Churches believe that Christ was both God and man, but believe that the Divine and human natures in Him are united into one divine-human composite nature.

Today there is a theological dialogue between the Orthodox Churches and the Pre-Chalcedonian Churches, but there is no communion in the Sacraments between us.

— Could you tell us about Jewish holidays? Do adherents of Judaism have any sacred rites, and is it acceptable for a Christian to participate in their rites?

“We prohibit our believers from participating in the rituals and prayers of other religions, because we believe that each religion has its own boundaries and Christians should not cross these boundaries.

An Orthodox Christian can attend a service in a Catholic or Protestant church, but he should not receive communion from a non-Orthodox church. We can marry a couple if one of the future spouses is Orthodox and the other is Catholic or Protestant, but we cannot marry a Christian with a Muslim woman or a Muslim with a Christian woman. We do not allow our believers to go to prayers in a mosque or synagogue.

Worship in the Jewish tradition is not worship in our sense, because in the Jewish tradition, worship itself was associated with the Jerusalem Temple. When it ceased to exist - now, as you know, only one wall remains of the temple, which is called the Western Wall, and Jews from all over the world come to Jerusalem to worship it - full-fledged worship became impossible.

A synagogue is a house for meetings, and initially synagogues were not perceived as places of worship. They appeared in the period after the Babylonian captivity for those people who could not make at least an annual pilgrimage to the temple, and were perceived rather as places of public gatherings where holy books were read. Thus, the Gospel tells how Christ entered the synagogue on Saturday, opened the book (that is, unrolled the scroll) and began to read, and then interpret what He read (see Luke 4:19).

In modern Judaism, the entire liturgical tradition is associated with the Sabbath as the main holy day, a day of rest. It does not involve any sacred rites or sacraments, but involves general prayer and reading of the Holy Scriptures.

There are also some rituals in Judaism, and the main one is circumcision, a ritual preserved from the Old Testament religion. Of course, a Christian cannot participate in this ritual. Although the first generation of Christians - the apostles - were circumcised people, already in the middle of the 1st century the Christian Church accepted the teaching that circumcision is not part of the Christian tradition, that a person becomes a Christian not through circumcision, but through baptism.

— From the point of view of modern times, the Apocalypse of John the Theologian looks quite funny, because not a single aspect of the evolution of mankind is mentioned there. It turns out that he saw a revelation about the end of the world, but did not see, for example, skyscrapers, modern weapons, machine guns. From the point of view of physics, such statements look especially strange, for example, that one third of the sun will be covered during some kind of punishment. I think that if one third of the sun is covered, the earth will not have much time left to live.

— First of all, I would like to note that a person who writes this or that book does it in a certain era, using the concepts accepted at that time and the knowledge that he has. We call the holy books revealed, but we do not say that they were written by God. Unlike Muslims who believe that the Qur'an is a book written by God and fallen from the sky, we say that all the holy books of the Old and New Testaments were written by people here on earth. They wrote about their experiences in books, but it was a religious experience, and when they wrote, they were influenced by the Holy Spirit.

The Apostle John the Theologian describes what he saw in supernatural visions. He, of course, could not see, much less describe, either skyscrapers or machine guns, because such objects did not exist then, which means there were no words to designate them. The words we are used to - machine gun, skyscraper, car and others - simply did not exist then. Therefore, it is natural that such images could not exist in the book of Revelation.

In addition, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that very often in such books, in particular in the books of the prophets, various symbols were used. And a symbol always has a diverse interpretation, and in each specific era of human development it can be revealed in a new way. The history of mankind shows how the biblical Old Testament and New Testament prophecies came true. You just need to understand that they are written in symbolic language.

And I would also like to advise: if you decide to take up reading the New Testament, then start it not from the end, but from the beginning, that is, not from the Apocalypse, but from the Gospel. Read one Gospel first, then the second, third, fourth. Then - the Acts of the Apostles, the epistles. When you read all this, the Apocalypse will become more understandable to you and, perhaps, will seem less funny.

— I often come across the opinion that if a Jew becomes Orthodox, then he stands above an ordinary Orthodox person, that he rises to a higher level...

“This is the first time I’ve heard about such judgments and I’ll tell you right away: there is no such teaching in the Church, and the Church does not approve of such an understanding.” The Apostle Paul also said that in Christ there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither slave nor free (see Gal. 3:27) - therefore, nationality in moral and spiritual terms has no meaning. What matters is how a person believes and how he lives.

DECR Communications Service/ Patriarchia.ru

Christians are moral decadents.

Since most Muslims consider Western Europe and America to be Christian, they equate the moral decline in these countries with the morality of the average Christian. They consider the prevalence of pornography, barely covered women, abortion, homosexuality, foul language on television and the general corruption of society as a reflection of the character and moral character of Christians.

They also see the immoral public lives of show business stars and professional athletes who call themselves Christians. The public moral failure of Mel Gibson, who made perhaps one of the most powerful films about Jesus (The Passion of the Christ) and who declared his membership in the Roman Catholic Church, is one of the modern examples of an immoral Christian.

The Patriarch called Orthodox and Muslims brothers

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, called the Orthodox and Muslims of Russia brothers: at a meeting with the delegation of the spiritual administration of Muslims on June 15 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior (!), the Primate of the Church, welcoming the leader of the Muslims Talgat Tadjuddin, addressed him like this: “You have educated hundreds ministers who love their country and treat their Orthodox brothers with respect and love. It is on this human foundation that good Orthodox-Islamic relations today largely rely. We also appreciate all this very much,” we read on the website of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Patriarch Kirill urged not to forget “the historical role played by the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims in organizing and preserving the Islamic Ummah of Russia and the Soviet Union.” “We remember all this and have great respect for your activities,” the Patriarch noted, wishing Muslims “success and God’s help (!) in their work for the good of the Fatherland.”

In addition to the Patriarch himself, the following were present and participated in what was happening: the chairman of the department for relations between the Church and society, Fr. Vsevolod Chaplin, DECR Deputy Chairman Georgy Roshchin, DECR employee Roman Bogdasarov, Director of the DECR Center for the Geography of Religions Roman Silantiev. However, Saints Maximus the Confessor, John of Damascus, who perfectly knew the essence of the Muslim religion, Saints Cyril of Thessaloniki, Andrew, the Fool for Christ's sake, Gregory Decapolis, Eustathius of Thessalonica were opponents of Islam. St. Gregory Palamas never thought about organizing a meeting and dialogue with Muslims and did not strive for it. But he was forced to talk with them under very tragic circumstances, which did not prevent him from boldly proclaiming the truth, risking his very life. And the Muslim teaching itself testifies that non-Muslims should not deal with followers of Islam: “O believers! - exclaims Mohammed, - when you meet infidels, kill them everywhere to make a big massacre out of it... The temptation of the infidels is worse than a military slaughter. Fight them until you fear temptation and worship only one God, until they become Muslims. Fight for Islam, the religion of God, and you will be happy. And it is not you who kill them, but God; when you throw a spear, it is not you who throws it, it is God.” Mohammed calls this spread of Islam a holy war, or a battle on the path of God.

The Church compromises true religion.

I recently spoke with a wonderful Muslim family. They were very passionate about why the church officiates same-sex marriages? They don't know the difference between the liberal Protestant mainstream churches in America and the Bible-based evangelical churches. And I had a very interesting time explaining this difference to them. When Muslims see the Episcopal (Anglican) Church ordaining gays as bishops and lesbians as clergy, they perceive the church as a consequence, or even a cause, of the dominance of a secular humanist culture.

John Gilchrist "God or Prophet?"

Correct methods and approaches in polemics with Muslims

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This book presents the most common Muslim objections to the Bible and its teachings and reasoned answers to them. The most important thing is that these examples are inherently reasonable and convincing. However, the book would be very incomplete if some attention were not paid to how Christians should behave in disputes with Muslims. The spirit with which we approach them is as important to effectively influencing Muslims as the substance of our arguments.

Examples of incorrect methods and approaches in polemics with Muslims

There are many ways Christians can harm their witness among Muslims. We will look at three of them in this section.

1. Testimony with a victorious spirit

Many years ago I attended a public meeting in Durban, South Africa, where up to two thousand Christians and Muslims were waiting for the doors of City Hall to open. For some reason the doors were not opened, and people crowded at the entrance to the building. Dr. Anis Shorosh, a Palestinian Christian, advertised the meeting, declaring that it would rebuff Ahmad Deedat, the winner of the anti-Christian debate, and that he dared to share the platform with him. The atmosphere in front of City Hall was, of course, tense. Suddenly, one of the local pastors suggested to his friend, “Let’s sing a few hymns to the glory of the Lord.” And they enthusiastically began to sing the psalm “Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered,” which was soon solemnly followed by: “In the name of Jesus we conquer, the name of Jesus puts the demons to flight.”

Unfortunately, the “demons” did not run away; they returned blows. And we won! Some Muslim interrupted the singing, clearly reciting Allahu Akbar! ("God is great!"). Instantly, a thousand Muslims took up the incessant monotonous chant of Allahu akbar!, followed by La ilaha illa Allahu (“There is no God but Allah”). These words, pronounced with great unanimity and determination, sounded until they completely drowned out the singing of the psalms. Christians, witnesses to what was happening, nervously asked me: “What are they singing?” (this was at the height of the Islamic revolution and violent fundamentalism), to which I replied: “Calm down, they are singing that one God is great.”

The Psalms are sung with special enthusiasm during our Christian services, when no one else can hear us. Solemnity is a common feature of many modern worship services, but it has no place in the Christian-Muslim confrontation. We are called to humility and to speak to everyone we meet in a spirit of love. It is well said: “Our goal is to win Muslims for Christ, not to win victories for Christianity.”

Christians must resist the temptation to establish dominance of their faith over Muslims. We must also resist the urge to prove our point simply for the sake of winning the debate. Our main concern is the listener himself. Everything we say and the spirit with which we speak should be aimed at winning the confidence, attention and affection of our interlocutor. The following verse indicates how we should approach our adversary in a dispute:

Let your word always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you know how to answer everyone.

Col. 4:6

At various seminars, I have repeatedly suggested that Christians remember the following aphorism:

I-S-L-A-M means: I Must Love All Muslims!

(ISLAM - I Shall Love All Muslims!)

I have heard a saying that Christians should hate Islam but love Muslims. I believe it is more correct to love all Muslims and try to understand Islam. The more you study the Muslim faith, the more you will learn to respect it (I speak from personal experience) and Muslims will listen to you more readily and respectfully. When Christians show the difficulties they have overcome in wanting to know what Muslims believe, the Qur'an and the Islamic heritage, Muslims are invariably more willing to engage in serious discussions than in sterile debates. We must earn the right to be heard.

2. The desire to distort Islam

Many Christian authors sharply criticize Islam, ignoring its history and fundamental principles, operating with false assumptions, through which it is much easier to denigrate and condemn. In South Africa a few years ago, some Christian leaders launched a campaign against margarine, poultry and other products sold in local stores that had the Arabic word jalap written on their packaging. Christians claimed that this was a sign indicating that the animals from which these products were made were sacrificed to the Muslim idol, Allah, and Christians should not eat them, since Paul forbade eating “things sacrificed to idols” (see: 1 Corinthians 10:19–22).

Some modern Christian writings claim that Allah was the "moon god" of the pagan Arabs before they converted to Islam, and that the Muslim god is really just an idol. Once you define Allah as a false god, that is, an idol, it immediately becomes much easier to attack the Muslim faith. Such lies should be avoided in conversations with Muslims. Allah is the universal Arabic name for the one Almighty, and Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use it as widely as Muslims. Likewise, the word jalap only means that eating this product is free from any religious restrictions. In a sense, it implies exactly the opposite of what some Christians have argued (for foods that are forbidden to be eaten, such as pork, Islam uses the opposite word haram), and, of course, does not mean at all that these products are the result of sacrifices.

Another popular and widespread misconception among Christians (which, unfortunately, is shared by many) is this: Islam began as a secret Catholic organization designed to eliminate Jews and Christians who do not recognize the authority of the Vatican. Muhammad's wife Khadija, said to be a Catholic spy and conspirator, deceived her husband and encouraged him to become a great leader to further the Vatican's plans. Unfortunately, Islam, having strengthened itself with the financial support of the Vatican, then rebelled against it and chose its own path in history. This tradition, which ignores all the extensive historical documents testifying to the life of Muhammad and the origins of Islam, is highly fantastic. It was disseminated by a certain Dr. Alberto Rivera, who heard it from a Jesuit cardinal known as Augustin Bea, during secret meetings taking place in the Vatican. Although this story is based on a lie, a huge number of Christians (who are often new to Islam) fervently believe it and use it in their disputes with Muslims.

Christians should always strive to be objective in their views and truthful in their testimony. Be faithful to the Word of God, stick to credible historical records, and avoid trying to gain the upper hand over Muslims by resorting to false accusations against Islam.

3. Negative and militant attitude towards Muslims

About a thousand years ago the world saw the birth of a new Christian policy towards Islam, which prevailed in Central Asia for the next three centuries. In an attempt to conquer large areas of the Muslim world, and in particular the holy places in Jerusalem, in order to settle Christian pilgrims there and thus maintain the presence and power of Christians in the region, Western Europe undertook fourteen crusades. Many paintings have brought to us scenes of battles between Christians and Muslims, where the former invariably hold a sword in one hand and a shield with an image of a cross in the other.

Undoubtedly, Christians acted as the aggressor, and the Muslim world experienced a series of wars and conflicts that can be described as a Christian holy war. The first crusade, facilitated by Pope Urban II, was surprisingly successful, for despite the small number of the Christian army, the Muslims were taken by surprise, and under the leadership of Godfrey of Bouillon, the Christians conquered many cities, including Jerusalem, mercilessly destroying Jews and Muslims until the streets Rivers of blood flowed. Subsequent campaigns were not so cruel and successful, but they left us with a legacy of enmity between Christians and Muslims, which continues to this day.

The militancy of modern Christians, of course, has less violent forms, but is still widespread. “We are fighting Islam” - I personally heard this rallying cry from Christians, it leads to a negative attitude towards Muslims, which they undoubtedly feel. But our Savior is presented in the Holy Scriptures as the “Prince of Peace” (see: Isa. 9:6), so this approach is hardly correct. Shouldn't we view our mission more as a peace campaign? Instead of talking about the embassy bombing, international air banditry, the downing of an American airliner over Lockerbie in Scotland and other similar incidents that instill negative attitudes towards Muslims, we should develop an attitude of love and goodwill.

Just as Christ did not keep count of our misdeeds, but voluntarily gave His life to bring us back to God, so we must be ready for sacrificial service and witness. Only if we are willing to love Muslims no matter who they are or what they might do will we truly be able to proclaim to them the love of Jesus and achieve the main goal of our witness - to lead them to grace and salvation.

Important principles of our approach to Muslims

Let us consider some principles on which our polemics with Muslims or our witness to them should be based.

1. Be honest, patient and gentle

You are undoubtedly familiar with the expression: “Don’t lose your head, even if everyone around you has lost theirs.” Often those who argue with us deliberately exhaust and irritate us with the sole purpose of driving us crazy so that we lose our self-control and begin to get angry and irritated. To them, this means that they have the upper hand, and our painful reaction is proof of our inability to respond to their arguments. It is important to always maintain your composure, even if you find yourself in defeat, and even if you are very irritated, it is necessary to maintain a calm, friendly spirit and argue reasonedly. Nor should you be discouraged when the very essence of your testimony is attacked.

Muslims are trained in anti-Christian debates. Imagine a devout Christian knocking on a Muslim's door for the first time. When he opens the door, the Christian says: “I have come to tell you the glorious news of God’s Son Jesus Christ, who died for you, so that you may receive forgiveness and eternal life.” He probably expects the following answer: “But this is the most amazing thing I have ever heard in my life. Where can I be baptized? If so, he will be terribly disappointed. Most likely he will hear the following answer: “God has no helpers! Where did He get the Son from? Who is God's wife? How did He even let His Son die? Do you have sons? Would you stand quietly and watch them being killed? Do you want to assure us that God did nothing to save His Son? What kind of Father is this? Be that as it may, no one can die for your sin, each soul bears the burden of its own guilt. If Christ died for you, doesn’t that give you the right to sin as you please, since you know that you are already forgiven?”

Muslims have no problem reducing Christian witness to the level of argument and conflict. This cannot be avoided. In such cases, Christians should try to reason with them kindly, giving convincing answers to their arguments, and this should be done patiently, in a spirit of meekness.

2. Avoid arguments and strife

While we recognize the need to respond to the arguments of Muslims, we must nevertheless note that what began as testimony should never be allowed to degenerate into argument and quarrel. The Apostle Paul said:

Avoid stupid and ignorant competitions, knowing that they give rise to quarrels. The servant of the Lord should not quarrel, but be friendly to everyone, teachable, gentle, and instruct his opponents with meekness...

2 Tim. 2:23–25

Any misunderstandings should be calmly but firmly resolved whenever possible. It may turn out that a meek but well-reasoned answer will not have immediate effect where the Muslim strives for only one thing - to win. He may be heated, aggressive and clearly unwilling to listen to you, but as time passes, his impression of the conversation with you will inevitably become deeper. In a calm atmosphere, when passions have already subsided, he will remember your firm and confident word. Whatever you do, don't start an argument.

3. Take your own faith seriously

Testifying to the grace of God in Jesus Christ is one of the most serious and important things you can ever do in your life. When talking with Muslims, frivolity and idle talk are unacceptable. Let Muslims know, especially if they argue with you in a mocking and dismissive tone, that you take your faith very seriously and insist on discussing any issue they raise in that spirit. Even in ordinary witnessing for Christ, it is important to maintain the proper frame of mind. In the end, you yourself want Muslims to pay attention to your mission.

Just recently, after witnessing to a Muslim about our Christian faith, I left his home to discover that he was a fan of the same football team as me, Manchester United. Since in South Africa almost all good Muslims support Manchester United (the others support Liverpool and Arsenal), I immediately started talking about the team, knowing from experience that common interests often open doors to the hearts of Muslims and cause them interest in you. On this occasion, however, I found that I had exerted a much stronger influence on him than I had imagined, for he soon turned the conversation back to my testimony. “My mother is a Christian, she left Islam several years ago. She has made her peace with God, and I sincerely desire the same. I am truly moved by your testimony and I am eager to read your literature.” I realized that at that very moment I had to leave, and promised to meet him again soon. At such times the importance of our ministry of bringing people to the knowledge of Christ must prevail. It should never lose its importance for us.

4. Give Biblical Answers

The importance of this advice cannot be overstated. When, for example, the issue of the Trinity is discussed, Christians often try to reason like learned theologians, explaining how God can contain three persons. I have often found that, after a while, I myself have become as confused as Muslims about these deep issues, for there is so much that we do not understand and that, frankly speaking, we are not given to understand. In other cases, Christians try to use certain illustrations to explain the doctrine of the Trinity, such as water, which, being a single substance, can be steam, water or ice. Or they give an example of an egg (yolk, white and shell in one egg). Muslims are unlikely to understand the idea of ​​the Trinity if they listen to such reasoning. In the "God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" section of this book, I showed that the most powerful tool you can turn to in discussing this issue is undoubtedly the biblical understanding of the role of these three persons. It allows us to take the initiative again and return to authentic witness. The Bible says:

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword: it pierces to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Heb. 4:12

Study the Bible. The better your command of God's Word, the more persuasive your position will be in discussions with Muslims. For us it is the most excellent guide, and for the Holy Spirit the means He uses above all others to induce hearers to respond to the call of Christ. There is power in the Word, and many times when I have found myself on the defensive in trying to explain something in my own words, I have found that my strength is renewed as soon as I turn to the Bible and make it again the source of my testimony. Often we do not need to prove anything, we just need to quote the Bible correctly, and it will have its effect on the enemy. Naturally, when someone attacks her teaching, our interpretation of that teaching is necessary, but by holding to the biblical answers, you will have the greatest influence on your interlocutor.

When witnessing to Muslims, try not to sound like rationalists or theologians. You cannot convince people of the existence of the Kingdom of God, for they must respond with their hearts to the message of God's grace and forgiveness, and this requires not just agreement with the truth, but awareness of their own sinfulness and sincere repentance. To achieve this goal, the best tool is the Bible. Do your best to encourage Muslims to read it!

5. Use Muslim arguments as a convenient opportunity for testimony.

This is the last, but, however, quite important tip. He will appear regularly in my book. Do your best to use the arguments of Muslims to strengthen your witness to them. This will help you get back to the position you really want to be in, that is, to make the Muslim respond to your call and respond to Christ, who has a right to his soul. Let us return to the argument I have already mentioned, develop it, and see how it can be turned into an opportunity to give special meaning to the gospel message.

Muslims claim: “How did God allow His Son to die? We consider Jesus Christ to be a prophet and honor Him by believing that God delivered Him from the cross. You claim that He is the Son of God, yet you teach that God did nothing when He was crucified. How can you expect us to believe this?” This is usually a fair argument, and Muslims sincerely believe its logic, especially since in all Muslim families sons are highly valued and protected.

One Muslim continued his conversation with me like this. “How many sons do you have?” - he asked me. I answered: “Two.” “So,” he said, “if you see a bunch of thugs attacking one of them, and you know that they are going to kill him, would you rush to save him? Don't you love your son? As soon as I fall into this trap and answer “Yes, I will rush to save,” he ends the discussion - this is exactly what a loving Father would do for His Son.

But now I act differently: “Before I answer you, let me develop your argument. What if you see me walking down the street with a knife in one hand and my son in the other, intent on killing him? Wouldn't that be even worse? The Muslim agrees (and ends up in my trap!). I continue: “Then how can you believe that Abraham was a great prophet and father if that is exactly what he did. According to the Koran (see: sura 37.102–103), one day he prepared to kill his son. God said to Abraham: “Thou shalt not kill” (see: Gen. 20:12), how can you think well of Abraham if he was going to do this to his own son?

The Muslim answered emphatically (and I quote): “You don’t understand. That was completely different (italics mine)! This was a test of his love for God. If a man can give his son to God, he will do anything for Him.” The door was opened to a more fruitful witness than could have resulted from a simple presentation of the gospel message. “Exactly,” I replied, “this is exactly what we are talking about God. He did not stand by as an observer; He willingly gave His Son for us to save us from our sins. This is the greatest proof of His love that He could give (see: John 3:16).”

I continued: “God saved the son of Abraham, but He did not save His Son. By commanding Abraham to give the greatest proof of his love for God by the sacrifice of his son, He was just trying to show what He intended to do to give the greatest proof of His love for us. Christians know that on the cross God did the most beautiful thing He could do for us. Does Islam have anything that can be compared to this? Can Allah compete with such the highest example of sacrificial love?”

The dialogue began as an attack on the Gospel. It ended as more substantial evidence than I could have offered had my interlocutor not advanced his argument. Use Muslim arguments to support your testimony. Lead the Muslim away from objections and disputes and return the discussion to the right direction - to the gospel witness.

In conclusion, I can stress again: how you approach Muslims is just as important as what you say to them. Take heed: whatever you do and say, do and say in a spirit of meekness and love.

John Gilchrist Benoni, South Africa March 20, 1999

Contents | Chapter 1 >>

Christianity is associated with radical feminism.

When Muslims see how their Christian work colleagues (especially women) dress, they are horrified and conclude that Christians preach free sexuality, which is a consequence of radical feminism.

This is in addition to their belief that many Christian wives behave disrespectfully and disrespectfully: running the house, giving orders, giving orders, earning more than their husbands, and even having abortions. Muslims don't want anything to do with our faith! They prefer their women to dress modestly, covering their face and body, and reserve their bodies exclusively for their spouses. And just as we in church judge them for wearing burqas and completely covering their heads, they judge us for how immodestly we dress—or undress—in public!

New in blogs

One of the most pressing international topics today is the situation of Christian communities in Muslim countries. Considering the closeness from the media , most information sources in countries professing hard Islam (Middle East, North Africa, Iran, Turkey), the following unsightly picture emerges:

Arab news agencies reported that on March 12, the Chief Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Asheikh, demanded the destruction of all churches in all states of the Arabian Peninsula.

In Pakistan, "church burnings, forced conversions to Islam, rape, kidnappings, and prosecutions of Christians have become routine." Brutal persecution of Christians began in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Oren reports that since the fall of Saddam in 2003, 70 churches have been burned in Iraq, with more than 1,000 Christians killed in Baghdad alone.

Under Saddam, 800,000 Christians lived in Iraq, now there are 150,000 left. A few years ago, they managed to remove the unfortunate man sentenced to death for converting to Christianity from Afghanistan, and in Iran, Pastor Yusef Nadarkhani, convicted for his faith, is now awaiting death. In Mubarak's "liberated" Egypt, some 1,000 Coptic Christians demonstrated peacefully last October to protest the burning of two of their churches by Muslim gangs.

The Copts reported that they were attacked by Muslims supported by the army. They were crushed by army vehicles, shot at, and their bodies dragged through the streets of Cairo. According to various sources, from 19 to 40 people were killed. Last year alone, says Israeli Ambassador to the United States M. Oren, 200,000 Copts left Egypt.

In the Land of Israel, which was transferred to Muslim control in 1994 (Bethlehem), the Christian population fell sharply, overall, according to Oren, from 15 to 2%. Beit Lechem, where they believe Jesus was born, was inhabited by more than 80% Christians, but is now less than 20%.

In Gaza, churches, monasteries, and Christian libraries were burned.

In Turkey, from two million Christians after the First World War, there are now one hundred thousand left; in Jordan, over half a century, the percentage of Christians has decreased from 17 to 2, in Syria - from 50 to 4. In Lebanon in 1946, the majority of the population were Christians, now they are less than 30% .

The only country in the region where the Christian population has increased is Israel. Oren estimates it has grown by more than 1,000%.

Recently, in an interview with MSNBC, prominent Protestant preacher Franklin Graham accused President Obama of "caring more about the Muslims of the world than about the Christians who are being killed in Muslim countries." Graham clarified: "Islam sees him as the son of Islam... I cannot say [that Obama is not a Muslim] because Islam is clearly favored by Obama."

However, it should be noted that under other Presidents, US sympathy for Muslims often ran counter to common sense.

When President Clinton bombed Christian Serbia for three months in 1999, allowing the Muslims of Kosovo to burn churches in the area and drive out more than 200,000 Serbs, there was not a single voice of solidarity with the Serbs in America.

When, after the Danish caricatures of Muslims in the Islamic world, churches and monasteries were burned and priests were killed, there was also not a sound of protests. The only reaction to the recent killings of American troops in Afghanistan after the burning of the Koran at a military base was the American president's apology to Muslims. What is the reason for the indifference of Christians to the fate of their fellow believers? Maybe she is in the cult of suffering in Christianity? In all Catholic institutions, on the wall hangs an image of their Savior suffering on the cross. He endured, and, as they said in Russia, he commanded them. And he also ordered us to turn the other cheek... It seems that the last hope of Middle Eastern Christians for protection is us, the Jews. In Israel, we not only successfully protect ourselves from Muslims, but we also protect Muslims from ourselves. Apparently, it’s time to create Jewish committees for the salvation of Christians. After all, there is almost a whole percentage of us in the world relative to the number of Christians... Read more: https://mnenia.zahav.ru/Articles/1010/christiane_i_islam#ixzz1uGqHcIiO

It is not for nothing that the Arab Christian population of the city of Nazareth, recently, accompanied by cries of “Allah Akbar!”, prefers to settle closer to the Jews: away from their unpredictable brothers: the Muslim Arabs.

Living with Jews is calmer and safer. After all, we have one common goal: peace in the Holy Land...

Nazareth. In the center is the Church of the Annunciation. At the top of the hill is a mosque.

Christians hate Muslims.

The Church spends millions of dollars annually sending Bibles and missionaries to Islamic countries. But at the same time it almost completely ignores the Muslim families living in the neighborhood! Jesus told us to bring the Good News first where we live, and then to go to all the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Instead, Muslims see judgmental looks from their Christian neighbors because Muslim women cover their heads; Christians avoid talking to Muslim colleagues at work. Muslims also constantly hear negative jokes against Islam from Christian leaders in the media.

Despite Jesus' command to love our enemies and do good to those who slander, gloat, or take advantage of us (Matt. 5:44-48), we as believers avoid, ignore, and even despise many of the Muslims whom God has allowed to immigrate into our communities. . And while Christians view the mass infiltration of Muslims into our cities as a threat, God is looking for Christians who will properly view this as a golden opportunity to treat Muslims with love and engage in dialogue with them as evidence of true faith.

Quran about Christians

Remember Maryam (Mary) in Scripture. So she moved away from her family to the eastern part of the al-Aqsa mosque and hid from them behind a curtain. We sent Our Spirit (Jibril) to her, and he appeared before her in the guise of a beautifully built man. She said: “I resort to the Merciful One so that He may protect me from you, if only you are God-fearing.” He said: “Indeed, I have been sent by your Lord to give you a pure boy.” She said, “How can I have a boy if I haven’t been touched by a man and I haven’t been a harlot?” He said: “That’s right! Your Lord said: “This is easy for Me. We will make it a sign for people and a mercy from Us. This matter is already a foregone conclusion!”

She carried him (became pregnant) and went with him to a distant place. The labor pains brought her to the trunk of a date palm, and she said: “I wish I had died before this and been forgotten forever!” Then he (Isa or Jibril) called to her from under her: “Do not be sad! Your Lord has created a stream under you. Shake the trunk of a palm tree and fresh dates will fall on you. Eat, drink and be happy! If you see any of the people, then say: “I have given the Merciful a vow to remain silent and will not talk to people today.”

She came to her family, carrying him. They said: “O Maryam (Mary)! You have committed a serious (or unprecedented, or amazing) offense. O sister of Harun (Aaron)! Your father was not a bad person, and your mother was not a harlot.” She pointed at him and they said, “How can we talk to a baby in a cradle?” He said: “Verily I am a slave of Allah. He gave me the Scripture and made me a prophet. He made me blessed wherever I was and commanded me to perform prayer and give zakat as long as I live. He made me respectful to my mother and did not make me arrogant and unhappy. Peace be with me on the day I was born, on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life” (19:16-33).

This is one account of the story of Jesus in the Koran. In general, he is mentioned in it as Jesus 25 times, as the messiah - 11 times, and as the son of Mary - only twice. Mary herself was mentioned by name 34 times and twice as “she who kept her chastity.” Muslims feel astonished and bewildered when they read renowned scholars, experts and, most painfully, clergy who portray Islam and Muslims as the enemies of Christ. Conversely, many ignorant or misguided Christians are surprised when we tell them of the respect and love we have for Jesus and Mary despite doctrinal differences. A few quotes should be enough to express the deep respect with which Jesus and Mary are revered in Islam.

So the angels said: “O Maryam (Mary)! Truly Allah rejoices you with the news of a word from Him, whose name is the Messiah Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). He will be honored in this world and in the Hereafter and will be one of those close to him (3:45).

Messiah Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), is the messenger of Allah, his word that He sent to Maryam (Mary), and the spirit from him. (4:171)

Remember also the one who maintained her chastity (Maryam). We breathed into her through Our spirit (Jibril) and made her and her son (Isa) a sign for the worlds (21:91).

The fundamental difference between Jews and Christians lies in their assessment of Jesus, who Muslims believe was God's true and authentic messenger to his fellow Jews. The Koran says: “O you who believe! Be Allah's helpers. Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), said to the apostles: “Who will be my helper on the path to Allah?” The apostles replied: “We are the helpers of Allah.” Some of the sons of Israel (Israel) believed, and the other part did not believe. We supported those who believed against their enemies, and they emerged victorious" (61:14).

Those who rejected Jesus and accused his mother of depravity are condemned again and again by the Koran: “Because they did not believe, they raised a great slander against Maryam (Mary) and said: “Truly we have killed the Messiah Isa (Jesus), son Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah." However, they did not kill him or crucify him, but it only seemed to them. Those who argue about this are in doubt and know nothing about it, but only follow assumptions. They didn't really kill him (or didn't kill him with certainty). Oh no! It was Allah who raised him to Himself, for Allah is Mighty and Wise” (4:156-158).

Consequently, Islam completely exempts Jews from responsibility for the blood of Christ. There is a widespread belief among some Christians that the one who was captured by the guards and crucified was someone other than Jesus (perhaps Judas Iscariot). Condemning the Jews for rejecting Jesus, the Koran says:

We gave Musa (Moses) the Book and sent a succession of messengers after him. We gave Isa (Jesus), son of Mary (Mary), clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit (Jibril). Is it possible that every time a messenger brought you something that you did not like, you showed arrogance, calling some liars and killing others? (2:87).

Muslims believe in miracles that Jesus performed with God's permission. They are mentioned in the Koran:

Allah will say: “O Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Remember the mercy I showed you and your mother. I supported you with the Holy Spirit (Jibril), thanks to which you spoke to people in the cradle and as an adult. I taught you the Scripture, wisdom, Taurat (Torah) and Injil (Gospel). By My permission you made sculptures of birds from clay and blew on them, and by My permission they became birds. By My permission you healed the blind (or deprived of sight from birth; or having weak eyesight) and the leper, by My permission you brought the dead alive from their graves. I turned away (protected you from) the children of Israel (Israel) from you when you came to them with clear signs, and the disbelievers from among them said that this was just obvious witchcraft” (5:110).

The praise also includes the true followers of Jesus, both the early Christians and those who lived during the time of the Prophet Muhammad:

Then We sent our messengers after them, and sent Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), and gave him the Injil (Gospel). We instilled compassion and mercy into the hearts of those who followed him... (57:27).

You will certainly find the most fierce enemies of believing Jews and polytheists. You will also certainly find that those who come closest to loving the believers are those who say, “We are Christians.” This is because there are priests and monks among them, and because they do not show arrogance (5:82).

Let us now consider some of the differences between Muslims and Christians. Chief among them is this: Muslims, believing in the chastity of the Virgin Mary, say that Jesus was “created” by God without a father, but do not say “begotten of God.” For them, God is beyond such biological characteristics, for He is pre-eternal and one, as the Koran says: “Say: “He is Allah, the one, Allah the eternal. He neither begat nor was He begotten, and there is none equal to Him” (112:14). Consequently, the literal relationship of Jesus with God is in conflict with Islamic belief (although the allegory is quite acceptable: we are all children of God). The dogma that Mary is the Mother of God is also unacceptable. Both Mary and Jesus are people highly revered by Islam, and the fact that Jesus was born without a father does not make him, according to Islamic teaching, the “only begotten son of God.” The Quran says: “Verily, 'Isa is for Allah the same as Adam. He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be!” - and he arose” (3:59). According to the Qur'an, Jesus never claimed his own divinity or that of his mother:

Allah said: “O Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Have you told people: “Accept me and my mother as two gods along with Allah?”

He said: “Glorified are You! How could I say something that I have no right to say? If I said that, You would know about it. You know what is in my soul, but I do not know what is in You. Truly You are the Knower of the unseen. I did not tell them anything except what You commanded me: “Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” I witnessed them while I was among them. When You laid me to rest, You watched over them. Truly You are the witness of every thing. If You subject them to torture, then they are Your slaves. If You forgive them, then You are mighty and wise” (5:116-118).

Muslims relate this verse to the following lines in the New Testament, where Jesus says: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18).

According to the New Testament, Jesus cried out on the cross: “Eloi! Eloi! lamma sabachthani? - which means: “Oh my God! My God! Why have you forsaken me? (Mark 15:34). Obviously, he should have been talking to someone other than himself. After all, the concept of the Trinity and the triune God does not exist in Islam: “... do not say: “Trinity!” Stop it, it will be better for you. Truly Allah is the only God. He is pure and far from having a son. To Him belongs what is in the heavens and what is on earth” (4:171). Muslims do not understand how infinity can be divided into three parts or agree with the deification of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They believe that Jesus never said anything about God in three persons, like previous prophets who preached the unity (and never the trinity) of God. Moreover, the concept of trinity was unheard of by the early Christians. Historically, it was established by decree as the creed of the Roman Empire at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, and its implementation was reinforced by the full might of the state under Emperor Constantine. The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: "The formulation 'One God in Three Persons' was not unanimously established in Christian life and faith until the fourth century."

Another area of ​​difference is the concept of original sin. Based on the Bible, the devil tempted Eve by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree, and then she convinced Adam to do the same: this is how this sin was committed. After which they were punished with shame by exile to Earth, while all the blame was placed on Eve, as the instigator: “And to the woman He said: “I will make your pregnancy painful: in suffering you will give birth to children. You will desire a husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). According to Christian doctrine, all people inherit this sin, and every newborn is born sinful.

In the Koranic interpretation, the devil seduced both Adam and Eve; they both sinned, they both repented, they were forgiven together, and this completed the atonement for original sin: “The devil began to instigate them in order to expose their shameful places, which were hidden from them. He told them: “Your Lord forbade you this tree only so that you would not become angels or immortals.” He swore to them: “Indeed, I am a sincere well-wisher for you” (7:20-21). After their repentance, “Adam received words from his Lord, and He accepted his repentance. Verily He is the Acceptor of repentance, the Merciful” (2:37). Then Adam was exalted to possess the prophetic gift, and the human race was sent to Earth as the vicegerent of God. The devil vowed to persecute people and lead them astray, but God promised to give them such instructions that would protect people from the devil’s machinations, with the exception of those who themselves want to turn their backs on divine guidance. Therefore, every human being is born innocent, and only later does our choice defile us and make us sinners. According to Islam, sin is not something children inherit from their parents.

In this regard, Islam emphasizes that a person's responsibility is individual: “Whoever follows the straight path acts for his own good. And whoever falls into error does harm to himself. No soul shall bear another’s burden” (17:15). Therefore, the idea of ​​an atoning sacrifice is alien to Islam, and the claim that Jesus, or anyone else, should be killed to atone for human sins is unacceptable. God's forgiveness in Islam must be sought through sincere repentance and virtue, without the need for bloodshed: “And those who, having committed a vile act or acted unjustly against themselves, remembered Allah and asked forgiveness for their sins - after all, who forgives sins except Allah? “And for those who do not consciously persist in what they have done, their reward will be forgiveness from their Lord...” (3:135-136). No sin is so great that a person does not receive God's forgiveness: “Say to My servants who have overindulged to their own detriment: “Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives sins completely, for He is Forgiving, Merciful” (39:53). According to the words of the Prophet Muhammad, God said: “You are a child of Adam, you will come to Me from a land full of sin, you will repent and worship Me, and I will forgive you.”

Muslims, deprived of the concept of atonement for sins by the blood of Christ and the concept of a chosen race (enjoying special privileges from God), fully trust in God's mercy and strive to forgive themselves. The role of forgiveness in Islam is great, whether it is between individuals, tribes or nations. Even when the law imposes a punishment commensurate with the aggression, the injured party is encouraged to rise above justice in the name of mercy: “The recompense of evil is equal evil. But if anyone forgives and establishes peace, his reward will be with Allah. Verily He loves not the wicked” (42:40); “Let them forgive and be lenient. Don’t you want Allah to forgive you?” (24:22).

A person can ask God for forgiveness directly at any time, anywhere; he does not need an intermediary - every man and every woman has direct access to their Creator: whenever they cry for mercy, He answers and forgives. To come to a mere mortal for confession, after which he will say something for greater effect: “Go, my child, you are forgiven,” is impossible in Islam. Forgiveness is the prerogative of God alone, and no one can ever be equal to Him to fulfill such a role. This is why there is no institution of priesthood in Islam. True, there is theological knowledge, but there is no clergy. We hope that God's mercy is limitless, only He can evaluate us fairly (He is Absolute Justice) or mercifully (He is Absolute Mercy), and all our lives we pray, and He gives us His mercy more than His justice.

Our repentance must be sincere and serious, and, moreover, if it comes from the heart, it must also manifest itself in actions. It would be a clear contradiction if someone stole my wallet and refused to give it back, repeating “Forgive me, God” even a million times. Awareness of wrongdoing must occur before a third party is involved.

These religious differences are minor and cannot be ignored, but it is nonetheless foolish and unproductive to fight or hate each other over them. Discussion of doctrinal differences must be ethical and civil: “If you enter into a dispute with the people of the Book, conduct it in the best possible way. This does not apply to those of them who act unjustly. Say: “We believe in what was revealed to us and in what was revealed to you. Our God and your God are one, and we submit to Him alone” (29:46).

And yet, despite the differences in views between Christians and Muslims, Islam is very interested in clarifying the common grounds and confirming their manyness: “Say: “O People of the Book! Let us come to a single word for us and for you, that we will not worship anyone except Allah, we will not associate any partners with Him and we will not consider each other lords along with Allah.” But if they turn away, then say: “Bear witness that we are Muslims.” (3:64) In addition, relations must remain peaceful and friendly.

Now, after analyzing the religious (doctrinal) aspects, it would be appropriate to make a brief overview of the geopolitical history of relations between the Muslim and Christian worlds. At the time of the last Prophet, Eurasia was under the rule of two leading powers: the Persian Empire in the east and the Roman Empire in the west. Since the Persians were fire worshipers and the Romans were Christians, Muslim sympathies naturally leaned towards the Christians. The protracted military conflict that raged between the two empires and the birth of Islam witnessed the time of Christian capitulation, in connection with which, however, the Koran contains a prediction (which came true) that the ebb of the tide would be followed by the tide: “The Romans were defeated in the lowest (or closest) ) earth. But after their defeat, they will gain the upper hand in a few (three to nine) years. Allah made decisions before this and will make them after this. On that day, believers will rejoice in the help of Allah. He helps whomever he wishes. He is the Mighty, the Merciful" (30:2-5).

However, a few years later, Islam already prevailed in the Arabian Peninsula, uniting the peoples who inhabited it into a state and a growing political force right at the junction of two giant empires. They both viewed the new faith as a serious threat and began to incite dependent Arab tribes to fight against it, and later used their colossal military power. The outcome of this inevitable military confrontation was almost a miracle when compared with the paucity of the Islamic forces in relation to their opponents, both in numbers and in equipment.

When the Persian dynasty ended its existence in the east, almost all the people living in this territory chose Islam. And in the west, the territories subject to the Roman Empire shrank, and after about a century, the pluralistic Islamic empire already covered more than half of the then known world. This became the heyday of Islamic civilization, which preserved the Greek heritage from destruction by the Church and made a breakthrough in the development of many fields of knowledge, namely medicine, chemistry, physics, astronomy, mathematics (algebra is an Arabic word that, like science itself, was invented by Muslims), music, philosophy, etc. - not to mention religious sciences, Arabic literature and linguistics. People of all races and religions have made significant contributions to this qualitative breakthrough.

Europe, going through the Dark Ages, was shocked to witness a civilization without censorship (religious or otherwise) over the human mind. Arabic was the language of science; early European universities hired Muslim professors and used books by Muslim authors for centuries. Europe learned about the Greek philosophers from their translations from Arabic, and when the printing press was invented, much of its output was translations of Arabic sources.

Once the Muslim empire weakened, Europe struck back. Among the important historical events, we note the Crusades in the east and the victory of Ferdinand and Isabella over Islamic Spain in the west. The latter gave rise to the Inquisition and religious purges in Spain, which fell on Muslims and Jews, and also cleared the way for the discovery of the New World, the power of the conquistadors and the establishment of the state slave trade.

The Crusades were an attempt to directly invade the heartland, the very heart of the Muslim world. The justification for this at that time was the need to liberate Christian shrines in Jerusalem from Muslims; As a result, for more than two centuries, the Crusades fueled religious intolerance, which is still present in the Western consciousness and, in one way or another, shapes Western culture. This continued even after modern mainstream Christianity condemned the Crusaders and branded them as ordinary colonial invaders who dressed themselves in the cloak of Christ-loving to wage war and at the same time committed such atrocities that were a violation of the very faith of Christ.

The word crusade has taken root in the language as an attractive archaism as a noun “crusade” and a verb “to go on a campaign” with deep-rooted emotional overtones. We believe, along with many Christians, both clergy and laity, that Christendom must reconsider the historical significance of the Crusades - in a spirit of reappraisal and introspection, as has already been done, with great success, in relation to the Inquisition in Spain and the Holocaust in Germany. A concerted effort to recognize the true goals of the Crusaders could be an important step in preparing the New World Order - a step that opens the way to reconciliation between two human civilizations, each of which numbers billions of people. Perhaps this will help prevent such disasters from being hidden under a pseudo-religious aura, as in Bosnia and other countries.

It is not my purpose to give a detailed account of the history of the Crusades, but to give as examples a few quotations from Christian sources. Here is the report of a knight who took part in the occupation of Jerusalem during the First Crusade on July 15, 1099: “With drawn swords, our people fled through the city, while they spared no one, even those who begged for mercy. If you had been there, your legs would have been stained with blood up to your ankles. What else should I add to this? None of them should have survived. Neither women nor children were spared. The horses waded through, knee-deep, no, bridle-deep, covered in blood. It was a just and magnificent judgment of God” (Kohn N. The Pursuit of the Millennium, 1957. P. 68). In 1202, the Fourth Crusade began in Venice and passed through Christian Constantinople, where the crusaders carried out a pogrom and committed such atrocities that the Pope himself condemned his “warriors of Light” in an address to them: “You drew your swords not against the infidels, but against Christian. You did not capture Jerusalem, but Constantinople. Your thoughts were occupied with acquiring earthly treasures, not heavenly ones. Nothing was sacred to you. You defiled married women, widows, even nuns. You even devastated the temples of the Lord’s Church, stole the sacred objects of the altars, plundered countless icon images and relics of saints. It is not surprising that the Greek Church sees you as a fiend of the devil.” (Gascoigene, Bamper: The Christians, 1977, Jonathan Cape, London, p. 119). If the crusaders did this to Christian Constantinople, one can imagine what they did to the “infidel” Muslims.

However, one of the significant milestones of modern times has been a radical shift in the Holy See's views on Muslims, which will hopefully serve as a catalyst for greater understanding between Muslims and Christians. While Pope Urban II in 1095 (also known as Urban the Blessed), who first called for the Crusades, characterized Muslims as “a godless people, idolaters, enemies of Christ, dogs, weeds destined for eternal fire,” etc. ., Nostra Aetate - "In Our Age", the declaration of the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church on the attitude of the Church towards non-Christian religions - approved by Pope Paul VI in 1965, views Muslims in a completely different light. “The Church also treats Muslims with respect,” the document says; It is further explained that Muslims worship the One Creator, the God of Abraham, with whom the Islamic faith is happy to associate itself. It also talks about how they worship, pray and give alms, that they honor Jesus and his chaste mother, considering him a prophet and messenger of God.

Since the Crusades, relations between Europe and the Muslim world have been distorted by the colonial aspirations of European countries, and after the First World War, almost all Islamic countries found themselves in the grip of European colonialism. A long struggle ensued, which, it would seem, brought the desired political independence, but the phenomenon only took another form - neo-colonialism under the auspices of the United States of America, it does not rely on occupying armies, but on the force of economic pressure.

From the book “How a Muslim Thinks” by Hassan Hathuth

Christians conform to the world's ideas regarding childbearing.

While Muslims continue to have many children and reproduce (although the Koran allows Muslims to have more than one wife, which helps them have a large number of children), the birth rate of Christian couples is almost the same as that of the average non-Christian couple in the West. In many so-called Christian countries (Italy, England, France, Spain) the birth rate (less than 2.1 children per family) is lower than the death rate, and these countries are forced to open up to mass immigration of Muslims in order to support their own economy! (For more on this topic, see Pat Buchanan's The Death of the West.)

In the US, things are no better (1.8 children per family). And the truth is that Muslims believe in the cultural mandate to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28) more than the average Christian. The way to achieve cultural advantage is clearly shown in this passage in the Bible: a strong, intact family producing many God-fearing children is the primary way the church can transform culture and society.

Relations between Muslims and non-believers

Relations between Muslims and people of other faiths are based on two principles.

1. Spiritual intimacy between a Muslim and an unbeliever is impossible. The basis of intimacy is love, and the basis of detachment is hostility. These feelings move the soul and body, and therefore closeness to believers and distance from unbelievers is a requirement of the testimony of “there is no god but Allah.”

In the hadith that we are studying, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

ثَـلاثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيْهِ وَجَدَ حَلاوَةَ الإِيْمَانِ؛ أَنْ يَكُوْنَ اللهُ وَرَسُـوْلُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُ All rights reserved. هَ أَنْ يَعُوْدَ فِيْ الْكُفْرِ كَمَا يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُقْذَفَ فِي ال ْنَّارِ .

“The sweetness of faith will be felt by the one who is distinguished by three [qualities]: who loves Allah and His Messenger more than everything else, who loves people only for the sake of Allah and who does not want to return to disbelief just as he does not want to be thrown into the fire.”

The Almighty said: “Believers should not make unbelievers their loved ones instead of believers. And whoever does this has nothing to do with Allah, except in cases where you really fear them" (Sura 3 “The Family of Imran”, verse 28)

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There are other verses on this topic. They reveal the true face of the people of the book and expose their past and present deeds. These texts indicate that Muslims need to know those who are at enmity with them and distance themselves from them: “The Jews and Christians will not be pleased with you until you adhere to their religion. Say: “The path of Allah is the straight path.” If you begin to indulge their desires after knowledge has come to you, then Allah will neither patronize nor help you" (Surah 2 “The Cow”, verse 120)

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“You will certainly find that the most fierce enemies of believers are Jews and polytheists. You will also certainly find that those who are closest in love to believers are those who say: “We are Christians.” This is because among them there are priests and monks, and because they do not show arrogance" (Surah 5: The Meal, verse 82)

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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, warned his community against close friendship with non-believers. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

All rights reserved قِىٌّ .

“Do not be friends with anyone except the believers, and let no one eat your food except the God-fearing” (Abu Dawud 4833; at-Tirmidhi 2395).

Al-Mubarakfuri writes: “The words “do not make friends with anyone except believers,” that is, those who have perfect faith and perfect it, can mean a prohibition on close friendship with unbelievers and hypocrites, since close friendship with them harms religion. “And let no one eat your food except the pious,” that is, a pious person who uses the energy received from food to worship Allah.”

Al-Khattabi said that this refers to inviting people to eat and not feeding those in need, as Allah Almighty said: “They give food to the poor, orphans and captives, despite the fact that it is desired for themselves” (Sura 76 “Man” , verse

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It is known that their captives were unbelievers, not believers. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, warned against friendship with those who are not God-fearing, and restrained from communicating and sharing a meal with them, because eating food generates friendship and love in the hearts [Tuhfa al-Ahwazi].

There are many verses on this topic, for example: “O you who believe! Do not make My enemies and your enemies your loved ones. You reveal yourself to them with love, although they do not believe in the truth that has been revealed to you. They drive out the Messenger and you because you believe in Allah your Lord. If you have come to fight in My path and gain My pleasure, then do not secretly love them. I know what you hide and what you reveal. And whoever of you does this has strayed from the straight path. If they happen to meet you, they will turn out to be your enemies, they will harm you with their hands and tongues and want you to become disbelievers. Neither your relatives nor your children will help you. On the day of resurrection He will judge between you. Allah sees what you do" (Sura 60 “The Trial Woman”, verses 1-3)

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“O you who believe! Do not make those to whom the scripture was given before you and who mock your religion and consider it entertainment, nor the unbelievers, your loved ones. Fear Allah if you are believers” (Sura 5 “The Meal”, verse 57)

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Undoubtedly, such friendship will be followed by other affairs in which the unbeliever will involve the Muslim. These can be actions prohibited by religion and even disbelief and the association of partners with Allah. God forbid us from this! Therefore, the main thing for a Muslim is not to give his love and friendship to anyone except Allah, His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and the believers.

At the same time, Islam respects the rights of people of other faiths. The life practice of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and the history of Islam indicate that Muslims, like no other, treated Jews and Christians well: their living under the banner of Islam was an admirable example of religious tolerance, while in a number of other countries Muslims became victims of the courts of the Inquisition.

2. Cooperation with non-Muslims. Muslims are ordered to build good relations with all people, regardless of their religious affiliation, unless they fight against believers. For example, if people of other faiths live in a Muslim country on a contractual basis, then Muslims are obliged to comply with the terms of the contract. In the hadith of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr it is reported that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

مَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا مُعَاهَدًا لَمْ يَرِحْ رَائِحَةَ الْجَنَّةِ و َإِنَّ رِيحَهَا لَيُوجَدُ مِنْ مَسِيرَةِ أَرْبَعِينَ عَامًا .

“A person who kills an unbeliever who has concluded a peace treaty with the Muslims will not even feel the fragrance of paradise, despite the fact that it spreads over a distance of forty years” (al-Bukhari 6914).

Muslims build their relationships with others on the principles of justice and impartiality, obeying the words of the Almighty: “O you who believe! Be steadfast for the sake of Allah, testifying impartially, and do not let the hatred of people push you to injustice. Be fair! This is closer to fear of God. Fear Allah, for Allah knows what you do." (Sura 5: The Meal, verse

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Islam prohibits encroaching on the rights of people of other faiths: “O you who believe! Do not violate the sanctity of the ritual signs of Allah and the forbidden month. Do not consider it permissible to attack sacrificial animals, or animals with necklaces, or people who come to the Sacred House seeking the mercy and pleasure of their Lord. When you are freed from ihram, you can hunt. And don’t let hostility towards the people who prevented you from going to the Sacred Mosque push you to commit a crime. Help each other in piety and fear of God, but do not help each other in sin and injustice” (Sura 5 “The Meal”, verse 2)

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Al-Qurtubi in his tafsir (6/45) quotes the words of Abu 'Ubaydah and al-Farra that the words “... will not push you to commit a crime ...” mean: “Let hostility towards people not prompt you to abandon the truth in favor of lies and justice in favor of lawlessness."

If a non-believer is related to Muslims, then they must fulfill their duties towards him, that is, maintain family ties, give gifts and treat him well. There are no religious prohibitions on this matter. The hadith of Asma bint Abu Bakr says: “During the life of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, my mother came to me, wanting [to maintain a relationship]. I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Should I maintain a relationship with her?” He said: “Yes.” Ibn 'Uyayna said: “And Allah Almighty revealed about her: “Allah does not forbid you to be kind and fair to those who did not fight you because of religion and did not expel you from your homes” (Surah 60 “The Trial Woman”, verse

"(al-Bukhari 5978).

Her mother was a pagan, as reported in another version of the hadith. Asma bint Abu Bakr is reported to have said: “After the treaty was concluded with the Quraish, my mother, who was a pagan, came to me. I turned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for advice and said: “O Messenger of Allah, my mother came to me and wants to [maintain a relationship]. Should I maintain a relationship with my mother?” He replied:

نَعَمْ، صِلِي أُمَّكِ .

“Yes, maintain relations with your mother”” (Muslim 1671).

The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, allowed her to maintain a relationship with her mother, despite the fact that she was a pagan and continued to associate her companions with Allah, not wanting to convert to Islam. Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (10/413) writes: “If she had come wanting to accept Islam, then Asma would not have needed permission to maintain relations with her. It is known that friendship in Islam is one of the actions that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, performed himself and ordered others, and there was no need to ask permission for this.”

It is also reported that 'Umar gave a gift to his brother, who remained a pagan. It is reported that Ibn 'Umar said: “Once 'Umar saw silk clothes on sale and said: “Messenger of Allah, buy them and wear them on Fridays and when delegations come to you.” He said:

إِنَّمَا يَلْبَسُ هَذِهِ مَنْ لَا خَلَاقَ لَهُ .

“Only one who has no share [in the Hereafter] puts on this.” Then they brought clothes to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and he sent one of them to 'Umar. He said, “How can I put it on after you said such things about it?” He said:

All rights reserved. كْسُوهَا .

“I didn’t give it to you so you could wear it. Sell ​​it or give it to others to wear.” 'Umar sent it to his brother who lived in Mecca, who had not yet accepted Islam" (al-Bukhari 5981).

The requirement to treat non-believers well increases when it comes to fathers and mothers, for Allah commanded this in the Quran: “And if they fight you so that you associate with Me partners about whom you have no knowledge, then do not obey them , but accompany them in this world with kindness" (Surah 31 Luqman, verse 15)

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A Muslim must fulfill his duties to his neighbors and respect their rights, even if they are non-believers. It is reported from Mujahid that a sheep was slaughtered in the house of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr. He said, “Have you given a gift to our Jewish neighbor? Have you given a gift to our Jewish neighbor? I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:

مَا زَالَ جِبْرِيلُ يُوصِينِي بِالْجَارِ حَتَّى ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ سَيُوَرِّثُهُ .

“Jibril taught me so much to treat my neighbors well that I thought that he would include them among the heirs.” At-Tirmidhi (1943) called the hadith good but little known.

Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (10/441-442) writes: “The word “neighbor” covers Muslims and non-believers, worshipers and wicked, friends and enemies, local and foreigners, beneficial and harmful, relatives and strangers, neighbors near and far. The degree of neighborhood is higher for some and lower for others. The closest neighbor is the one in whom all the first qualities are collected, then the one who has the majority of these qualities, etc. And, conversely, the most distant neighbor is the one in whom the second qualities are collected. Each of them must be given its due according to its position. The transmitter of this hadith, 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr, understood it in the broadest sense and ordered to give part of the ram slaughtered for him to his Jewish neighbor.

At-Tabarani reported from Jabir another hadith that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

الْجِيرَانُ ثَلَاثَةٌ : جَارٌ لَهُ حَقٌّ وَهُوَ الْمُشْرِكُ لَهُ ح َقُّ الْجِوَارِ، وَجَارٌ لَهُ حَقَّانِ وَهُوَ الْمُسْلِمُ لَهُُّ الْجِوَارِ وَحَقُّ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَجَارٌ لَهُ ثَلَاثَةُ حُقُوقٍ مُسْلِمٌ لَهُ رَحِمٌ ، لَهُ حَقُّ الْجِوَارِ وَالْإِسْلَامِ وَالرَِّ حِمِ .

“There are three types of neighbors. A neighbor who has one right is a pagan, and his is the right of a neighbor. A neighbor who has two rights is a Muslim, and he has the rights of a neighbor and a Muslim. A neighbor who has three rights is a Muslim who is a relative, and he has the rights of a neighbor, a Muslim and a relative."

In short, we feel hostility towards the unbeliever because of his unbelief, but this does not prevent us from maintaining good relations with him and cooperating in permitted matters, especially if he has an agreement with the Muslim ruler. The hadith says:

News نَاهُمْ، وَهُمْ يَدٌ عَلَى مَنْ سِوَاهُمْ، لَا يُقْتَلُ مُؤْمِنٌ ب كَافِرٍ، وَلَا ذُو عَهْدٍ فِي عَهْدِهِ .

“The lives of the faithful are equal. Even the least of them can guarantee safety on behalf of the others. They are united in the fight against their opponents. A believer cannot be executed (by a court decision) for killing an unbeliever, and an unbeliever who has entered into an agreement with Muslims cannot be executed (by a court decision) until he violates this agreement” (al-Nasai 4745).

Abu Dawud (2751) narrated through 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb that his father related from the words of his grandfather that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

All rights reserved. َدْنَاهُمْ، وَيُجِيرُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَقْصَاهُمْ، وَهُمْ يَدٌ عَلَى مَ نْ سِوَاهُمْ، يَرُدُّ مُشِدُّهُمْ عَلَى مُضْعِفِهِمْ، وَمُتَسَرَِّرَِّ هِمْ عَلَى قَاعِدِهِمْ، لَا يُقْتَلُ مُؤْمِنٌ بِكَافِرٍ وَلَا ذُو ع َهْدٍ فِي عَهْدِه .

“The lives of the faithful are equal. On their behalf, the least of them can guarantee security and the furthest can provide protection. They are united in the fight against their opponents, and the strong among them shares the spoils with the weak, and the leader in the detachment shares with those left behind. A believer cannot be executed for killing an unbeliever, and an unbeliever who has entered into an agreement with Muslims cannot be executed until he violates this agreement.”

It is reported that Umm Hani said: “In the year of the liberation of Mecca, I went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. He was bathing and his daughter Fatima covered him with a blanket. I greeted him with peace, and he asked:

مَنْ هَذِهِ ؟

"Who is this?" I replied: “It is me, Umm Hani bint Abu Talib.” He replied:

مَرْحَبًا بِأُمِّ هَانِئٍ .

“Welcome, Umm Hani.” After bathing, he performed eight rak'ahs, wrapped in one blanket. Then I said: “Messenger of Allah, my cousin 'Ali is going to kill the son of Khubairah, to whom I guaranteed safety.” Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

قَدْ أَجَرْنَا مَنْ أَجَرْتِ يَا أُمَّ هَانِئٍ .

“Umm Hani, we guarantee the safety of everyone to whom you have guaranteed safety.” And the prayer that he performed was the morning prayer” (al-Bukhari 3171).

Muslims are obliged to adhere to the Koran and Sunnah in all matters and follow the path of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in all endeavors, including cooperation with non-believers.

Dr. Muhammad al-Maghrawi writes: “Cooperation with non-believers in an Islamic state must be built in the way that Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, taught. An Islamic state has rulers, and every city has a representative of the government. Jews and Christians have lived together with Muslims for centuries, and if a Jew or Christian lives in a Muslim country and is under their protection, if his safety is guaranteed, then no one is allowed to encroach on him. He must be treated well, and it is not permissible to kill him or infringe on his rights” [Waqafat ma'a-d-du'at, p. 35].

The church is full of impractical mystics who separate the spiritual world from the natural.

Islam is a life and worldview that includes all aspects of society, of which spiritual life is only a part. When Muslims hear Christian sermons on television or interact with Christians at work, they think that the church adheres to a dualistic view of the world. This is because we only talk about spiritual life, prayer, healing, faith and emotional well-being, but we rarely get involved in economics, politics and government issues. Many Muslims believe that Islam connects all areas of life, and Christianity is concerned only with the hereafter, forgiveness of sins and peace in the heart.

Author - Joseph Mattera / charismanews.com Translation -

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Rashid ibn Haris 24/05/2010 at 6:52

16 Dmitry writes: This means that Christians, and even more so Jews, whose beliefs arose more than 6 centuries before the birth of your Prophet, distorted the Torah and the Bible, but then he came and “opened everyone’s eyes” _____________________________________________________________________________________ DMITRY - logic itself is erroneous, it It’s not worth taking as an argument! - But even if we consider your point of view, from the side of the Jews, it also does not seem logical that Jesus (peace be upon him) came and opened the eyes of the Jews about 1,200 years later; 1,500 years after Moses and the Torah. But what they say, both you and we see, is absurd... After all, God sends whoever he wants and when he wants. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 16 Dmitry writes: Why did your Prophet have so many wives? He's a saint. It seemed to me that the saints had slightly different concerns ahead of worldly pleasures... _____________________________________________________________________________________ Allah said in the noble Quran: (33:21) “In the Messenger of Allah there was a wonderful example for you, for those who hope in Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah greatly. »

The whole life of the Messenger of Allah s.a.w. was an example for people on how to live, how to pray, how to eat, drink, sleep, go to the toilet, negotiate and honor agreements, how to behave in society alone - and among your family, how to fight and defend yourself, how to marry and get divorced, and so on... For us, the Messenger of Allah is the best example in our life, we all strive to be like and follow the example of our Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam, and his whole life, starting from the Prophethood, was dedicated to Allah, and Allah made his whole life only as an example and mercy for the worlds. And he married only to show the Ummah of Muslims how to live correctly, many non-Muslims like to give an example like you gave Dmitry, but it must be said that Muhammad was not attached to women, and if you look at him life - he married for the first time only at the age of 25, and to a woman who was 15 years older than him, and he lived with her and did not marry another until she died, and after her death too - he didn't get married right away! and everything else is just an example for Muslims! _____________________________________________________________________________________ 16 Dmitry writes: Let me assume... It seems to me that it was not Christians who distorted their own Scriptures, but your Prophet, being an certainly educated person and knowledgeable in human psychology, translated these Scriptures into another language, making them more understandable and attractive for a simple peasant who found it difficult to understand what kind of bliss it was to sing to God in the choir for an eternity. But virgins, this is “our way.” Anyone can understand this. _____________________________________________________________________________________ DMITRY, are you saying that it wasn’t Christians who distorted it? It should be recalled that the Bible says: “Do not add to what I command you, and do not take away from it; You shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today.” (Deuteronomy 4:2), and despite these there were ecumenical councils, and their dogmas included in the Holy Scriptures, for example about the Trinity, or God in the flesh, or Matthew 28: 19,20, or as they distort even today when translating the Synodal translation, instead of Jesus Servant (or Servant), there is SON, and in the Septuagint and other ancient sources, including in Hebrew, there is SLAVE, even in the translation of GOOD NEWS (New Testament) it is Jesus the Servant of God. and in English translations it is SERVANT, and in Hebrew it is EBED - identical to the Arabic word ABD - that is, SLAVE, and this is how ABD ALLAH is used - that is, the servant of Allah, as it is said in the Koran about Jesus, and so in your primary sources. (more details in the topic - Jesus Christ - the son of God? “Son” or “slave”?), and there are very, very many such distortions, and this is what we only know, and how many more distortions are there? Tens and hundreds... Even take the Preachers and Christian Priests and Theologians themselves, they themselves openly admit that the Bible has been distorted. For example - Dr. Graham Scroggie of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, one of the most prestigious Christian institutions, said: “... Indeed, the Bible is the work of human hands, although some of us, in the heat of our religious zeal, refuse to acknowledge this scientifically proven fact. The scriptures that made up the Bible passed through many human minds, were written in the language of people, by the hands of people, and every line of this book bears the imprint of the character of one or another person who participated in its writing... It is the fruit of human efforts, and that’s all but it is from God...” (W Graham Scroggie, p. 17) Another Christian theologian, Kenneth Cragg, an Anglican priest from Jerusalem, said: “... It’s a different matter when we look at the New Testament... It was abridged, edited, and yet , it contains both certain evidence and thematic selection made by experts... The Gospels are the fruit of the work of people who expressed the point of view of the Church. These Scriptures are the product of a mixture of human experience and historical events...” (The Call of the Minaret, Kenneth Cragg, p. 277).

“It is well known that the first Christian Gospels were transmitted orally, and as a result there was a natural distortion of real events. There is no doubt that these distortions also played a role in putting the Christian Scriptures into written form. And all this happened through the fault of the scribes and editors, some of whom acted quite consciously, while others acted in ignorance…” (Commentaries on the Bible (Peak), p. 633). and so on... —- The Prophet was not educated, he did not know how to read or write - and both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars agreed on this. Allah says in the Quran: (7:157) who will follow the messenger, an illiterate (unable to read and write) prophet, the record of which they will find in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel). He will command them to do what is right and forbid them to do what is reprehensible, He will declare good things permissible and bad things forbidden, and He will free them from burdens and shackles. Those who believe in him, revere him, support him and follow the light sent down with him will certainly succeed.” (7:158) Say: “O people! I am the Messenger of Allah to all of you. He has power over heaven and earth. There is no god but Him. He resurrects and kills. Believe in Allah and in His Messenger, the illiterate (cannot read or write) Prophet, who believed in Allah and His Words. Follow him, so that you may be guided.” _____________________________________________________________________________________ 17 Dmitry writes: In the Bible, the Trinity is not three... It is One in different incarnations. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Each person of the trinity is a person, and therefore a personal and separate being. This is the problem.

Christians, in order to veil the true meaning of tritheism, like to juggle incomprehensible ambiguous words.

For example: HYPOSTASIS - and people are already amazed, yes, Hypostasis is probably something very clever, but they don’t know that the following meanings are hidden under the HYPOSTASIS code:

HYPOSTASIS (Greek “concrete reality”, “foundation”, “essence”) (Encyclopedia “Religion”)

HYPOSTA'S, and, f. [Greek hypostasis - essence] (Ushakov Dictionary)

This means that the Three Hypostases are three essences. Perhaps these essences are interconnected, but how pleasant it is for Christians to worship a deity that can be described as interconnected is up to them to decide. We Muslims prefer not to worship three interconnected gods, but submit to the One, Unlimited, Self-sufficient God.

Christians also use the term “FACE,” but since every PERSON is something more than just a face in our understanding, we consider this expression as an established term, and the term needs interpretation. But if you don’t go into Christian interpretations, then the word FACE, in addition to the front part of a person’s head, also has the meaning of PERSON, that is, a separate person, and therefore a separate deity.

Also, the word “Trinity” is popular in Christian circles, tell me what these words actually mean. This word is compound, and this suggests that at the heart of the Russian language such a concept did not exist, just as the number called “TRINITY” never existed. This word appeared artificially to confuse people, but if in ancient times it was easy to confuse mediocre serfs, then in our time there are many literate and free-thinking people, and it is becoming more and more difficult to fool one’s brains.

Also, when explaining the trinity, some people resort to comparison with physical phenomena little known to the average person, such as electrons, protons, atoms, or, as in the case of Gregory, “wave-particles.” It is probably expected that a person inexperienced in physics will open his mouth in amazement and immediately capitulate under the pressure of the intellectual superiority of the preacher.