Re: Muslim Misconceptions about Christianity

I reply to friend Aprril 4th

You raise too many issues and generate too much confusion. I will make
a few brief points.

To say that the soul is not by definition immortal is not to say
anything on the issue of immortality. Personally I believe it IS
immortal and in the history of humanity most people have believed this,
but my belief is based entirely on Faith: I believe it because I accept
Christianity.

You reject my explanation that the soul is the life of an individual,
but this is how "soul" has been understood since the time of Greek
philosophy. You reject it because life is perceptible but the soul
isn't. But human beings have a large degree of MENTAL life which is not
perceptible; it's this that gives rise to the myth of the soul as
somehing ghostlike.

You do nothing to show that my faith is irrational.

You do nothing to show that belief in Jesus's divinity is
unsustainable: in the New Testament we have the evidence, some at first
hand, of his Resurrection. One has to make up one's mind about this,
considering all the evidence; that is a rational process and the
decision will be rational.

I didn't admit the soul is not immortal: you misread me, as so many
Muslims do. I said it is not immortal by DEFINITION.

Jesus as God is eternally immortal; Jesus as man has been immortal ever
since his resurrection. (We are not talking about parts.)

It's no good saying "Come on Robert", when I talk about Jesus as God
and Jesus as man I am doing a perfectly normal thing; as in the example
I gave, things are true of John Doe as Mayor that are false of him as a
private person. But I believe Islamic theology hasn't advanced since
Ghazali's day.

You regard that critical remarks about culture are racism. That is an
obvious abuse of the term "racism." Accept the fact that there are
degrees of culture within societies as well as between them. I am aware
of differences of culture within Islam; I have noticed that the
Iranians are at rather a high level.

The extreme religious conservatism of the Afghans is not the product of
recent wars but is an ancient tradition.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Immortality
    ... There has been a controversy about mortality and immortality, ... in connecion arguments about the Divinity of Jesus. ... But the soul, is not the Spirit,, though many Muslims mix them ...
    (soc.religion.islam)
  • Muslim Misconceptions about Christianity
    ... We are talking about rationality wrt. Jesus' alleged ... To say that the soul is not by definition immortal is not to say ... anything on the issue of immortality. ... using the notion of the soul to prove Jesus' ...
    (soc.religion.islam)
  • Muslim Misconceptions about Christianity
    ... We are talking about rationality wrt. Jesus' alleged ... To say that the soul is not by definition immortal is not to say ... anything on the issue of immortality. ... using the notion of the soul to prove Jesus' ...
    (alt.religion.islam)
  • Re: The Shack: listen to the author
    ... Paul says the living will not preceded the dead. ... No 'immortal soul'? ... and the mortal with immortality. ... will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep... ...
    (uk.religion.christian)
  • Wernher von Braun statement
    ... for what we did with God's great gift of life on earth. ... The other is belief in an immortal soul, ... Belief in God and in immortality thus gives us ... In our modern world many people seem to feel that science ...
    (talk.origins)