Examining Christianity - Al Jumuah Magazine

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…

‘Kosher’ or Not: Can a Non-Jew Convert To Christianity? (5)

PAUL: MASTERMIND OF CALLING NON-JEWS TO HIS GOSPEL (continued) Paul: Self-claimed “Master Builder” and “Founder” NOT ONLY DID Paul usurp a role as “Apostle of Jesus Christ,” but he even compares himself to Jesus or to an angel—with whom not even prophets…

‘Kosher’ or Not: Can a Non-Jew Convert To Christianity? (4)

BEFORE WE COME to the teaching of Paul, the self-styled ‘Apostle to the Gentiles,’ let us examine the arguments that Christians use for including themselves (being largely non-Jews/ “Gentiles”) within the scope of Jesus’ message. The Prophecies of Isaiah Purportedly Regarding “the…

‘Kosher’ or Not: Can a Non-Jew Convert To Christianity? (3)

In Parts 1 and 2 we demonstrated how Jesus was thoroughly Jewish in his genealogy and parentage, expectations, upbringing, message, and prophetic character. What about the non-Jews (‘Gentiles’) in his world? Were they invited to become part of his community of believers?…

‘Kosher’ or Not: Can a Non-Jew Convert To Christianity? (1)

THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIAN missionaries are working tirelessly and spending billions of dollars across the world to convert people to one form or another of Christianity in the name of saving their souls from Hell-fire. It is said that there are 2.18 billion…

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…