Why do I need you to provide you with a Bible verse? The original point from
th1b.taylor was that the Qur'an had 164 references for a call to Jihad. I simply made the comparison for the command in the Bible to put someone to death for wearing the wrong type of cloth. How many other instances in the Bible did the scripture command someone to be stoned to death. I can not condemn passages from the Qur'an while excusing passages form the scriptures. I find it to be hypocritical, but I know: there is a tremendous urge to defend the scriptures. Just like those who use the words of the Qur'an to justify Jihad, so do Christians use the words of the Bible to justify their own form of godly righteousness.
Let's examine your argument.
The Qur'an speaks of violence but the Bible does too, so who are we to judge? Did I get the overall point correct?
Let's examine.
First point I would make is either the Qur'an is truth or the Bible is truth. They both cannot be truthful. Our God is not a God of confusion. So either Islam is the truth or Christianity is the truth. Can't be both.
With that first point let's examine your overall point. That is God commands wars and executions in the OT Mosaic theocratic covenant. Commands He specifically gives to oust the nations which He is judging. Israel was the physical sword of the judgement from God.
Now the Qur'an commands infidels who do not submit to Islam be killed. We see that in action since the 7th century AD. Still going on. Not good...total disaster.
Based on your rationale, we Christians should not be poking Muslims in the eye. Their book has violence, our book has violence...end of story.
Not so. Here's why. Let's look at Islam first.
There were two periods in which Muhammad wrote the texts of the Qur'an. The Meccan period and the Medina period. The former being a time where Muhammad and his followers were in the minority out of power, the latter being the period where Muhammad became a military commander and chief governing figure.
During the Mecca period is where we get all the verses of peace, tolerance and love towards Christians, Jews and even pagans. Muhammad was trying to build bridges and expand his influence under the radar. He needed peace to grow, therefore his writings were peaceful. Once he conquered Medina, he became the warrior governor. Muhammad's writings then became much less tolerant...much less I'm here to tell you. He and his followers waged war to spread the religion and conquer territory. This Medina mentality kept going until hundreds of years later Spain, yes a Christian Western European nation, was conquered for Islam.
So we have what starts out peaceful and nice sounding then turn into a violent religion. From peace to war in very little time...very little.
If you read the Qur'an it is not in chronological order so you have the happy peaceful writings intermingled in the violent texts. Here's some scholarship on such:
In practice, Quranic abrogation results in a known doctrinal footprint that subordinates the milder, more moderate verses of the Quran from the Meccan period of revelation, to the later and violent verses of the Medina period. Islamic law is substantially derived from the Medinan period. Where a conflict exists, anything said during the Medinan period overrules anything on the same subject in the Meccan. And anything said in the later part of the Medinan period either overrules or controls anything said in the earlier part.
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2014/08/the_two_faces_of_islam.html
More at the link above..much more I recommend everyone read it...very important.
So now we compare our book the Bible.
Yes the theocratic nation of Israel was commanded to wage war in Canaan. The command came directly from YHWH (Who by the way is never mentioned in the Qur'an...never).
Ok here's the difference. We are Christians. The theocratic nation of Israel and Judah are gone. Temple destroyed in 70AD. All gone for now. Here's the clincher. Jesus never commanded His followers to kill, wage war or stone people to death for their sins. Never ever...We are under the New Covenant not the old and if you want to put YHWH on trial for Old Covenant commands under a theocracy He instituted?...don't recommend it, don't do it, very unwise.
Let's now break it down if we were airhead atheists...which we are not, but using their simpleton logic we conclude :
The Qur'an goes from happy and tolerant and then changed to violent maniacal religion. Not good at all...Islam is a total disaster...totally.
The Bible was violent in the OT but then Jesus Christ comes to earth and tells us His message is for all humankind. Not violent at all, Jesus preaches loving our enemies...pray for them. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He dies for us and raises again. Not conquest. This message from Jesus Christ is beautiful....very beautiful.
There you have it. Islam went from happy campers to rape and pillage. Not good...total disaster.
