From Isa to Islam: A Historical Journey

The Broken Telescope-

During the first part of 1997, A group of young adults walked into a specialty store and bought an expensive and powerful telescope to look at a comet that was not yet visible with the naked eye. A few days later they returned the telescope and asked for their money back because the telescope was “broken.” When asked how it was broken, the group said that the telescope did not show the spaceship that was following it. The Manager of the store tried to convince them that it was not broken and there was no space ship following the comet. But they would not change there mind.

This group was of course the cult called Heaven’s Gate founded by Marshall Applewhite. On March 26, 1997, thirty-nine members of this group where found dead after having committed suicide in order for their souls to be able to meet the spaceship that was following Hale-Bopp. They believed that the spaceship would take then to a new incarnation.

$ They were not uneducated

$ They were not poor

Two things of Importance:

$ They had a believe about religion.

$ They had physical evidence that confirmed “Something” of their faith: the comet.

Problem:

$ The physical confirmation did not confirm the entirety of their faith

$ Other evidence and experts disagreed with the presupposition

Thesis Question: “What causes and sustains this type of mentality?”

$ Historical reality

$ People: Others believed and the founder was “trustworthy” (professor)

$ Places: The Comet was tangible, you could see

$ Events: There was calculable times the comet had come and gone

$ Texts: Other believers had published Texts “teaching” about this theology

$ Cognitive Dissonance:

“ The feeling of extreme discomfort, originally defined as being caused by holding two or more inconsistent cognition and subsequently defined as being caused by performing an action that is discrepant from one’s customary, typically positive self-conception.”

Heaven’s Gate members had two inconsistent “cognition:”

$ They were “educated”

$ They were believers

The discrepant action was questioning the Historical Reality:

$ An educated person must be rational

$ But a believer must be faithful

Only three Alternatives:

$ Change the position causing the discrepancy

$ Justify our behavior by changing one of the dissonant cognition

$ Attempt to Justify the behavior by adding new cognition

Example: Smoking (you see yourself as a logical happy person and see a sign, Smoking causes cancer...dissonance).

$ Stop smoking

$ Change one of your cognition (I’m reasonable...not every smoker gets cancer)

$ Justify (it relaxes me) “benefit.”

The Heaven’s Gate shoppers choose to Justify: “I believe in science and this religion, but this piece of ‘scientific’ equipment is broken.”

Therefore they can maintain their faith in Applegate and in their education.

The History of Christianity is a History of Cognitive Dissonance.

Historical realities:

$ People: Jesus, John, Paul etc. The Romans and The Jews

$ Places: Israel, Jordan River, etc

$ Events: The Romans conquer Israel, The Jewish revolt etc.

$ Texts: The New Testament, Old Testament etc.

Problems:

$ The historical reality of Christianity does not “prove” the entirety of their faith (doctrines and Theologies)

$ Other Texts and scholars disagree with the Christian Idea (from the rise of Paul’s faith until John Crossan... Jews and scholars have disagreed with the Christians)

Cognitive Dissonance: Justification and the re-invention of Jesus:

$ The Gospel Rewritten because of particular historical challenges to it’s faith (political, theological, and historical)

$ But each rewritten “gospel” is the new reality or “cognition” of the Christian faith

$ The entire faith of Christianity is built on Justification

$ Those in the faith who have tried to change the practice of “Justification” to one of “integrity” became apostates, excommunicated, or killed

History confirms this!

$ Schisms, revolts, and councils

Islam place:

$ We are the holders of the truth of religion

$ Allah tells us things that they have hidden in there rewriting

$ New Historical and Archeological discovers proves the truth of this

$ A great obligation to dispel these lies about Isa

$ When we find Isa in history we find not only a Muslim on the straight path of his religion... we find a “Man” who was like our Massager Mohamed (s.a.s.).

How not to engage Christianity:

1. Bible Contradiction: It is already understood. Example: “A book of fabricated Hadith...why engage in finding truth in Lies! The Massager didn’t say these things!

2. Red Letter Editions- “a collection of fabrication” (political, social rewrites).

3. It doesn’t matter if their book does not support their faith. Their faith is in Paul and their priests/pastors not in Allah or his Messiah Isa.

4. Cognitive dissonance will cause them to Justify. SAVE YOUR BREATH!

How to engage Christianity:

5. Rescue Isa from their rewrites using History

6. Archeology (modern discoveries)

7. Historical sociology

8. Literature of the time

9. Quran and Hadith

What my purpose is not:

$ Not to prove them wrong: they are fully capable of that themselves

$ Not to engage in silly debates with ministers: “if you want to know I’ll teach you, but I am not going to fight you.”

Purpose:

$ To expound on the truth of Allah’s book

$ To show the Isa of the Quran to Muslim’s in order that they can see that Allah’s book is the only book that paints Isa in the noble light he deserves

$ And inshallah, to give the Muslims the Tools to engage in dawaa to those among the Christian population whom Allah subhannwatallah has guided to truth.

Next week we will discuss “how” to use modern discoveries to reconstruct the Life and times of Isa and the Nazirites...or as Allah has called them...the “Nazara.”

My allah guide us on the straight path, not on the path of those who have incurred his wrath or have gone astray. My Allah expose the falsehood of 2000 years of Christian lies. And my Allah strengthen us against these lives with Iman and Taqwa.