An Email Conversation with a Christian

As Salaam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Because of my sometimes strong criticism of Christianity and Biblerrors, I get a few emails from Christians, Muslims and Atheists revolving around Christianity. I would like to share one back and forth with all of you, which is between a Christian woman that claims to have went from Islam to Christianity and myself. Many of you already know that I left Christianity for Islam. So the two of us are coming from opposite ends.

She wrote first with this email:

God bless you, and thank you for this chance to correspond. i see you are a convert / revert to al-Islam.

please write me back, and let us dialogue and talk.

i know the respect Muslims have for the Quran- it was once a sacred text for me, too. the Lord teaches us to do unto others as we would want them to do for us. i know that Quran is God’s Word for you, so i will not insult or critique it.

if you ask my view on something i will surely give it, but i trust you already know at least some of my views on faith and Islam. and if you have questions for me and what i feel about Islam, Christianity, Christ, or anything, please ask.

may God bless you and keep you, friend.

My reply:

May Allah Guide You,

Why do you want to correspond with me, to convert me to Christianity or just to have a Muslim email buddy or some other purpose?

Her:

well, Sir, you said that if i wanted to write to you and dialog, that i should use the e-mail address on your website, so i did.

also Sir, on Sunni Forums in the one-on-one thread, the bold passage in my post which you cite as my saying “God causes us to sin” wasn’t written by me- it was a quote from another Muslim, which i then argued against. please understand that this is not a belief i now or have ever advocated, or voiced.

you seem to enjoy discussing Christian-Muslim related issues and theology, so if you wanted to write and discuss, or ask “why” on those Christian theology points which make our faiths so different, then that is what i am here for, e-mail wise.

i do come from an Islamic faith background, so Muslim concerns with Christian beliefs and ideas is something i’m familiar with, and able to consider in discussion.

God bless you, and please write back soon if you like.

Me:

Yes, I welcome people to write me but with purpose and reason, not just for idle chat.

Regarding Sunni Forums, I am not a member. So, it seems that you are mixing me up with someone else. Moreover, I come from a Christian background, I do not need to ask any questions about its theology and when ever I do, I seek out Christian scholars not laymen.

If you want to try to convert me to Christianity, then I will give you a chance, or if you want to ask a question about Islam then you can ask. Otherwise, know that I do not converse with women unnecessarily and I value my time.

May Allah guide you to Islam

Her:

Dear Sir ~

thank you for the chance to write with you.

i know now that in reality, no person can convert another person to any faith. ideas can be discussed, faiths can be shared, and testimonies can be shared. but to impart faith is up to God’s grace.

i realize that you value your time, yet you have also taken the initiative to set up a website and welcome people to correspond with you. presumably many more laymen and women than Biblical scholars write you, though i may be mistaken about this.

can i ask, Sir, why do you chose to criticize or critique the Bible as part of your dawa ministry? the same kind of critiques can be leveled by Christians against the Quran. why did you chose that particular avenue of discourse?

Me:

If you go back to the about page on Biblerrors.com, It quite clearly says why I have created it. Moreover, I was challenged by a Christian missionary to prove that the Bible has errors. I wrote three or four posts on the subject but decided the best way was to create a Web site for the purpose. I am fulfilling my promise to that Christian. It seems odd to me that there are Christians in the world today in this age of information that are ignorant about what their own scholars say regarding the accuracy of Biblical text. Moreover, Biblerrrors gives the Christian the oppertunity to rebutt any claim. You yourself can join and refute anything you feel is bogus.

Christians can do whatever they want. I have spent a number of hours on sites claiming Quranic errors, all of them fall flat on their face. In fact Christian dawah towards Muslims is full of pride and arrogance and wholly unappealing.

The reason I criticise the Bible is because Christians claim that it is inspired writing from God. I have never and will never believe something just because someone told me it was the case. I will always try to rip through it, hoping to find errors, proving that it is not from God. Because if there is a single error I know with full conviction that it is false.

However, all of that for me is a side issue. I already know that Christianity is false and if you want I will tell you why.

Her:

sure brother, go ahead. i’d like to hear your story.

Me:

The 100% undeniable proof that Christianity is false stems from a simple question, did Jesus eat food?

Please answer this question.

Her:

He did.

Me:

The natural consequence of eating food is the need to go to the toilet. This is something indisputable. Is there any indication that the waste that Jesus, alayhi sallam, expelled from his body any different than the waste that you or I expel from our bodies?

Her:

no, none.

there’s no denying, from the Gospel accounts, that Jesus did things you and i do. like get tired, get hungry, get thirsty, and rest. Jesus did have sweat, spittle, and blood like any other man. yet Christians believe that His spittle opened the eyes of the blind, and that His blood gives life by faith. doubtless He had and has a body. but it’s the Man behind that body who matters, and the power of God within that body, too.

and besides, would He be 100% human if He didn’t?

Me:

At this point, my line of thinking forks into two directions. What I would like to do, is finish one and then come back to the other, if you are OK with that.

Just as you and I know Jesus expelled waste exactly like other people, those around him, living side by side with him would have been more aware of this fact. In your opinion is there anything more human than eating and using the toilet?

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By the Way,

I appreciate your straight forwardness. Many Christians I speak with accuse me of insulting Jesus, alayhi sallam, which could not be further from the truth. I love Jesus and all his brother prophets, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them.

Her:

and i thank you for your clarity, and time, too. i know you do not wish to insult Isa, and that no Muslim wishes that.

certainly, there’s nothing more human than eating, and having functions of the body.

Me:

Perhaps you can explain to me why Jesus despaired on the cross?

Her:

Jesus’ crying out on the cross identifies Him with the author of the 22nd Psalm, where King David laments His condition as God’s anointed one, who is hounded and despised by the people.

the entire Psalm is an extended reference, prophetically, to the crucifixion, and to the hope of salvation from a hopeless and agonizing situation. yet the Psalm ends with the hope of God’s rescue and triumph over evil, and the glory going to Him.

Jesus knew that God had not forsaken Him- many times before He prophesied His suffering, death, and resurrection (Matthew 20:18919, Luke 9:22,), so He knew that God had yet more to do.

yet He identifies with David, from whose line He is descended as Messiah, and implicitly with the rest of the Psalm, which promises God’s victory and salvation to the Messiah (Anointed One).

thank you for allowing me to write, and explain. God bless you, and keep you.

Me:

Both stories are stories of despair and one does not give reason or support to the other. David in the 22nd Psalm is begging God to save his life. If it is a ‘reference’ to the crucifixion was it then a reference to Jesus begging God to save his life? What is the wisdom in Jesus’ despair on the cross?

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Unfortunately, she stopped replying. I wonder if my line of questioning is obvious to the Muslims who read my blog? Give us your thoughts, Insha Allah.