Islam, Judaism and Christianity

WHY DO THEY HATE US?
Six Reasons for Muslim Animosity toward Jews and Christians
pdf (136 pages)
Dr. Paul Manuel—2003

Contents

	Preface	2
I.	Introduction	3
II.	A Brief History of Islam	4
	A. Its Inception
	B. Its Expansion
	C. Its Opposition
III.	The Main Beliefs of Islam	6
	A. The Pillars of Islam
	B. The Authority of Islam
	Frame: The Principle of Naskh	7
IV.	The Hostile Attitudes of Islam	10
	Frame: Jews and Christians under Islamic Rule	10
	A. Why do Muslims hate Jews?
	Frame: Differences between the Quran and the Old Testament	11
	Frame: Differences between the Quran and the New Testament	12

About Mormonism

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS
pdf (29 pages)
Dr. Paul Manuel—1990

I. History

A. Founder—Joseph Smith

1. His early years

a. Joseph Smith was born December 23, 1805 in Sharon, VT to Joseph and Lucy Smith, the third child of five brothers and three sisters (PGP Smith 2:3-4), and moved to Palmyra, NY in 1815 (PGP Smith 2:7).
b. He dabbled in the occult by employing divination (e.g., magical "peek" stones) in a persistent search for Captain Kidd's treasure (Martin 1977:50).
c. He was confused by denominationalism, struggling with apparent discrepancies, and was impressed by reading James 1:5 (PGP Smith 2:915).¹

Jms 1:5 But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

2. His visions

a. In 1820 Smith saw God the Father and God the Son, who counseled against any denominational affiliation, condemning each group as wrong—"an abomination" (PGP Smith 2:16-19).
b. In 1823 he saw the angel Moroni, who informed Smith of the location [Hill Cumorah] of book of golden plates containing "the fulness of the everlasting Gospel" and commissioned Smith to translate the book with the aid of "two stones in silver bows...the Urim and Thummim," buried with the plates (PGP Smith 2:30-43, 51).
c. In 1827 Smith again saw Moroni, who permitted him to remove the plates from their hiding place (PGP Smith 2:59).

3. His translation

a. Smith began translating the plates in 1829 from "reformed Egyptian," aided by Oliver Cowdery (PGP Smith 2:66-69; BM Morm 9:32).
b. He completed the translation within two months (Richards 1978:71) and returned the plates to Moroni (PGP Smith 2:60).
c. He published the first English edition of the Book of Mormon in 1830 (BM publishing information page).

Scripture v Jehovah's Witnesses

DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES¹
See the pdf (18 pages) for the entire paper.
Dr. Paul Manuel—2009

I. Differences in Bibliology

• Only their interpretation of scripture is correct.²

1. "...be it known that no other system of theology even claims, or has ever attempted, to harmonize in itself every statement of the Bible; yet nothing short of this can we claim." (Russell 1917 1:348)
2. "...Jehovah had chosen the publication we now call The Watchtower to be used as a channel through which to bring to the world of mankind a revelation of the divine will and, through the words revealed in its columns, to bring a division of the world's population into those who would do the divine will and those who would not." Watchtower 1959:22, quoted in Gruss 1980:218)

But...

2 Pet 1:20 ...no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation.³

II. Differences in Theology

A. God does not exist in three persons (trinity).⁴

1. "...such a doctrine is not of God." (Watchtower 1959:22, quoted in Gruss 1980:218)
2. "The obvious conclusion is, therefore, that Satan is the originator of the trinity doctrine." (Watchtower 1952:100)
3. "...sincere persons who want to know the true God and serve him find it a bit difficult to love and worship a complicated, freakish-looking, three-headed God." (Watchtower 1952:101)
4. "The trinity doctrine was not conceived by Jesus or the early Christians. Nowhere in the Scriptures is even any mention made of a trinity.., the plain truth is that this is another of Satan's attempts to keep God-fearing persons from learning the truth of Jehovah and his Son, Christ Jesus. No, there is no trinity!" (Watchtower 1952:102)

But...

a. Matt 3:16-17 And Jesus, when he was baptized... saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove...and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved-Son —
b. Matt 28:19 ...baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
c. 2 Cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.

Christian Science

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENTIST

pdf

Dr. Paul Manuel—1995

I. History

A. Founder—Mary Baker Eddy (Martin 1977:111-120)

 1 Early years

a. Mary Baker Eddy was born on July 16, 1821 in Bow, New Hampshire (Robertson 1966:31) to Mark and Abigal Baker, the youngest of five children (three brothers and two sisters; Judah 1967:259; Smith 1941:17).
b. She grew up in a strict Congregationalist home, and her childhood was marked by frequent illness.

2. Three marriages

a. She married George W. Glover in December 1843, but he died seven months later of yellow fever, leaving Mary pregnant.
b. She next married Daniel M. Patterson, a dentist, in June 1853, but later divorced him on the grounds of abandonment.
c. She then married Asa G. Eddy, who died of a coronary thrombosis. Mary challenged the autopsy report, insisting the cause to be "arsenic poisoning mentally administered."

3. Major influences

a. Phineas P. Quimby, an osteopathic mesmerist, supposedly cured Mary of an acute spinal ailment in 1862. She later plagiarized his work to write Science and Health.
b. Francis Lieber, a German American publisher, wrote The Metaphysical Religion of Hegel, which Mrs. Eddy also plagiarized in Science and Health.

4. Christian Science

a. On February 1, 1866, Mrs. Eddy was mortally injured in a sidewalk fall but rose "completely cured" on the third day after reading Matt 9:2, having "discovered" Christian Science.

Matt 9:2 ...they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven.

b. She later claimed that the attending physician, Dr. Alvin M. Cushing, had pronounced her "incurable," although he denied this in a sworn thousand-word statement.

5. Its dissemination

a. Science and Health

• Mrs. Eddy published the first edition in 1875.

b. The Mother Church, Boston (CM: 17-18)

• The church organized on April 12, 1879 (incorporated on August 23, 1879; Robertson 1966:32) with Mary Baker Eddy as pastor (ordained in 1881).

c. The Massachusetts Metaphysical College, Boston

• The college operated from 1881-1889.

6. Her death

Mrs. Eddy died in Boston on December 3, 1910 (Smith 1941:131).

Sermon: Response to September 11, 2001

Our Response to Terrorism

A sermon preached on September 15, 2001

A pdf of this sermon and its notes can be found here.

This week, Islamic terrorists launched an attack against America. With typical cowardice, as they have done repeatedly in Israel, they directed their violence against civilians: men, women, children. Thousands are feared dead or missing; many will never be accounted for. As we watched the horrific events unfold on Tuesday, our initial response was shock that such a thing could happen. What kind of people would perpetrate such acts? What kind of people would have such disdain for others' lives? What should be Our Response to Terrorism?

What has made us targets is largely our support of Israel. America has inclined toward the only democracy in the Middle East. Israel is not perfect, but it is a far more open and egalitarian society, with values closer to ours, than any of its Arab neighbors.

Why are radical Islamic elements opposed to the presence of Israel? Since Islam swept through the region in 750, their belief is that land which has at any point been under Muslim control must return to and remain under Muslim control. Following Nazism's attempt to exterminate Jews, the UN decision in 1948 to restore some of Israel's ancestral home met with stiff and violent opposition that has continued to this day. Vowing to push the Jews into the sea, neighboring Arab states have repeatedly attacked Israel. To keep the struggle alive, those same states have refused to accept their own brothers, the Palestinian Arabs displaced by the conflict. Instead, those states have kept Palestinians in squalid refugee camps, blaming Israel for their situation.

Adding religious motivation to this political turmoil removes all hope of a reasonable solution. Muslim extremists, encouraged by equally radical religious leaders, believe that dying in this struggle for Islam will guarantee immediate entrance to Paradise, where they shall dwell for ever by flowing rivers, praising God, reclining on silken couches, enjoying heavenly food and drink and the company of dark-eyed maidens and wives of perfect purity" (Gibb 1970:41-42).

That is why young men are so willing to sacrifice their lives in order to eradicate the enemies of Islam.

Perhaps the best solution is to give up our support for Israel and attempt to remain neutral. Alas, it is too late for that. We have exerted too great and too long an influence in the region, arousing other resentments in addition to our support for Israel. Besides, we would then have to face a far more dreadful prospect, for God has indicated His approval of those who help His people and His disapproval of those harm them.¹ So, there is good reason for our position, but as the events of this week have made painfully clear, we must be ready to defend our position. What should be Our Response to Terrorism?

In the days and weeks to come, we must do at least three things. First and foremost, we must...