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 Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2009 10:13 am Post subject: A Survey for Christians |
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A SURVEY FOR CHRISTIANS:
Consider the Muslim extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere who believe that they are killing and maiming people for Allah. Do you believe that their actions conflict with the Koran's instruction "Kill not one another?" (4:29)
We can hardly turn on our televisions today without being informed of new suicide bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan. The vast majority of these are conducted by radical Muslims who believe that their own deaths (and the murder of hundreds of other people in the process) is Allah's will. Do you believe that their actions conflict with the Koran's teaching "Whosoever killeth a human being... it shall be as if he slaughtered all of mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind?" (5:32)
Some Muslims believe in the concept of a Holy War against those who do not serve Allah (and many American people fall under that category). Do you believe that the violence these Holy War advocates engage in is indeed holy and the will of God, or do you think it it immoral, unethical, and cruel?
Do you think that the two Koran verses quoted previously, "Kill not one another" (4:29) and "Whosoever killeth a human being... it shall be as if he slaughtered all of mankind" (5:32) conflict with other verses in the Koran such as "Kill disbelievers wherever you find them" (2:191-2), and "Believers in Allah shall fight for Allah; they shall slay and be slain" (9:111)?
Do you think that all of the world's Muslims (there are currently 1.3 billion of them) believe that Allah communicates with them through prayer, guides their actions in daily life, protects them and watches over them, and answers their prayers?
Why do you think Muslims believe that Allah communicates with them, answers their prayers, guides their actions in daily life, and watches over them?
Do you think that if you were to ask a Muslim person to give you several examples of times that Allah has answered their prayers, guided their actions, and/or protected them in some way, the person would be able to give you some?
How do you think Muslim people view your belief in Christ?
Do you think that if you had been raised in a Muslim household and taught by your parents to believe in Allah, you would be a Muslim right now?
What is your personal opinion of superstition?
Suppose a black cat crosses the path of a superstitious person (a sign of bad luck in the American culture), and then shortly afterwards something bad happens to the person. Does this prove that his/her superstitious beliefs are correct?
Do you think that if you asked a superstitious person to give you several examples of times that bad luck has befallen him/her due to events such as walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror, or any others that conform to the culture's superstitious beliefs, the person would be able to give you some?
Do you think that if you asked a superstitious person to give you several examples of times that good luck has come to him/her due to events such as seeing a lucky number, knocking on wood, or any others that conform to the culture's superstitious beliefs, the person would be able to give you some?
Do you think that if you had been raised in a superstitious household and taught by your parents that things like breaking a mirror are unlucky while things like knocking on wood are lucky, you would be a superstitious person right now?
Every culture in the world has its own set of superstitious beliefs, and superstition has been in existence almost as long as mankind itself. Why do you think this is so?
The ancient Romans attributed gods and goddesses to various natural processes that they did not understand at the time. One such process was the explosiveness of volcanoes. They believed that Vulcan, the god of fire, was inside the volcanoes doing metalwork, and that was why they sometimes spouted fire. Do you believe in the god Vulcan, or do you think he is a myth?
If you think Vulcan is a myth, how and why are you sure of this?
Do you think that the gods and goddesses worshipped by the ancient Greeks (such as Zeus and Athena) were created for the same reason historians and scholars say that the Roman gods were, to explain what they did not understand at the time?
Do you think that the ancient Norse deities (such as Aesir and Vanir) were created for this same reason as well?
Do you think that the Hindu gods (such as Shiva and Krishna) were also thought up for this reason?
The ancient Greeks believed that whenever lightning flashed in the sky, it was because Zeus, the king of all gods, was throwing each bolt. Do you believe that this story was created to explain the phenomenon of lightning, which was impossible for people to understand at the time?
The ancient Greeks also believed that Dionysus, the god of wine and merriment, was responsible for the intoxicating properties of alcohol. Do you think this story was created to explain how alcohol could make a person drunk, which people did not scientifically understand at the time?
Do you believe that the Christian story of Noah and the Ark, in which God sends a rainbow as a symbol of his promise to never again flood the earth, was created to explain the existence of rainbows, which people did not scientifically understand at the time, or do you believe it is a true, factual account of an event that actually took place?
Do you believe that the Christian story of the Tower of Babel, in which God creates different languages as punishment for those who tried to reach heaven, was created to explain the existence of differing languages, which people did not comprehend at the time, or do you believe it is a true, factual account of an event that actually took place?
If you do believe that the Christian stories of Noah and the Ark and the Tower of Babel are true, factual accounts that actually took place, why do you believe this?
If you had been born in ancient Greece to parents who worshipped Zeus and taught you to do the same, do you think you would have believed in Zeus and worshipped him as well?
Do you think that verses in the Bible such as Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17, stating "Thou shalt not kill," conflict with other verses such as Numbers 15:35, which reads "And the Lord said unto Moses, The man who was found picking up sticks on the Sabbath should surely be put to death; all the people shall stone him with stones?"
Do you think that verses in the Bible such as 1 Corinthians 14:33, "God is not the author of chaos but of peace," and 2 Thessalonians 3:16, "The Lord of peace himself shall give you peace always," conflict with verses like Exodus 15:3, "The Lord is a man of war," and Psalm 144:1, "Blessed be the Lord my strength, who teacheth my hands to war, my fingers to fight?"
Suppose a Muslim man murders one of his children and then says, "Allah told me to do this." Should this man be punished for his actions?
Consider the biblical account in which God commands Abraham to kill his beloved son Isaac. Suppose God had not stopped him at the last moment, and Abraham had murdered his son as a sacrifice to God, according to God's will. Should Abraham have been punished by the law?
Would you murder one of your children if God asked you to?
Do you think the Koran's instruction "Kill disbelievers wherever you find them" is morally acceptable?
Do you think that the Bible's instruction, "Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord is to be destroyed" (Exodus 22:20), is morally acceptable?
Would you engage in a Holy War if it was commanded by your god?
Consider these excerpts from the Koran: "Women have rights similar to those of men, and men are a degree above them" (2:228), "Marry the women who seem good to you, two or three or four" (4:3), "Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one to excel above the other. Good women are the obedient ones... As for those from whom ye fear disobedience, admonish them, banish them, and scourge them" (4:34), and "The treachery of women is very great" (12:2 . Do you believe any of these commandments are morally acceptable, or do they promote sexism and the cruel and unfair treatment of women?
Do you think that the Bible promotes sexism and/or the cruel, unfair treatment of women?
Consider these excerpts from the Bible: "When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening" (Leviticus 15:19), "If... no proof of the girl's virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death" (Deuteronomy 22:20-21), "If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity" (Deuteronomy 25:11-12), "It is good for a man not to touch a woman" (1 Corinthians 7:1), "This is what the Lord says... Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbor, and he will be intimate with your wives in broad daylight" (2 Samuel 12:11), "Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands... For the husband is the head of the wife" (Ephesians 5:22-23), "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent" (1 Timothy 2:11-12). Do you believe any of these commandments are morally acceptable, or do they promote sexism and the cruel and unfair treatment of women?
How do you personally know that God is real and that your religion is true and correct?
What do you think a Muslim person would say if asked that same question?
Please include any further thoughts and opinions if desired: |
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