Interfaith part 1 - Al Jumuah Magazine

Monotheism In Interfaith Exchange, monotheism religions, monotheism vs polytheism, history of islamic monotheism

Monotheism in Interfaith Exchange – Part 1 | Linda Thayer

If you have ever attended a Muslim-Christian interfaith presentation or had an interfaith conversation with an acquaintance, you may have wondered why your Christian colleague could be so adamant about Jesus being more than a human being—somehow “God”—even though no one can argue…

Monotheism In Interfaith Exchange – 21 | Linda Thayer

Resolving the fine print in the Church’s doctrine of the ‘divinity’ of Jesus—from which doctrine we” seek refuge with Allah”— was an ugly process, at its zenith throughout the 4th Christian century (ce). In previous installments we have viewed opposing positions—one taken…

Monotheism In Interfaith Exchange – 20 | Linda Thayer

We continue our series recounting the monumental struggle within the Christian Church regarding what was to be their officially ‘correct’ understanding of how it was that Jesus was ‘divine,’ since his supposed ‘divinity’ was something that had been promoted by Paul—the Church’s…

Monotheism In Interfaith Exchange – 19 | Linda Thayer

We continue with the story of the Church’s formulation of the fine print in her doctrine of “divinity” associated with Jesus as contested in the 4th century of the Christian Era (ce) by Arius vs. Athanasius and their followers. Page references are…

Monotheism In Interfaith Exchange – 17 | Linda Thayer

WE PAUSE IN our look at Rubenstein’s best-selling book, When Jesus Became God, The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome, and in our re-packaging of his account of how the Church in her 4th century worked out her…

Monotheism In Interfaith Exchange -16 | Linda Thayer

CONTINUING IN THIS installment, we look further at Richard E. Rubenstein’s book, When Jesus Became God, The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome so as to elucidate the 4th century Arian controversy that divided the dominant Christian Church…

Monotheism In Interfaith Exchange -15 | Linda Thayer

WE CONTINUE WITH Rubenstein, (When Jesus Became God, The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome), who—keep in mind—writes as a Jew and thus, like us Muslims, is unable to accept the Pauline, that is, the “Christian,” view of…

MONOTHEISM IN INTERFAITH EXCHANGE – 12| Linda Thayer

We continue studying the making of [Pauline] Christianity as “Christians” departed from the teaching of Jesus. In this installment we complete our reading of Richard E. Rubenstein’s insightful treatment of our subject in his book, When Jesus Became God, the Struggle to…

MONOTHEISM IN INTERFAITH EXCHANGE – 11 | Linda Thayer

THE CONVERSATION OF Constantine to the Christian camp—and his subsequent military victory on his way to taking Rome—is a milestone in world history. From then on, Constantine and his imperial successors took a controlling interest in the matter of establishing a unified…

Monotheism In Interfaith Exchange – 10 | Linda Thayer

Using Richard E. Rubenstein’s book, When Jesus Became God, The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome, we have introduced the 4th century theological dispute in Alexandria, Egypt, featuring Arius vs. Athanasius, a controversy that would develop and continue…