To begin with, Osama’s title heading in this article is quite misleading:

This gives a very mistaken impression that the Lord Jesus asked God to forgive him for some sin that (God forbid) he committed. Yet, upon reading the article Osama is actually referring to Jesus’ prayer to the Father to forgive the Roman soldiers that were dividing his clothing amongst themselves.

Osama breaks down his article into three sections:

RESPONSE:

Our paper will be focusing specifically on section 1, since we really don’t care what the Quran says about Jesus at this point since it is not the word of God. Furthermore, the Quran is a seventh century document (if not later) that is far removed from the time of Christ. As such, it carries no historical value in determining the real message of the historical Jesus.

Osama begins:

RESPONSE:

Osama is very inconsistent in how he handles the Holy Bible. When it is convenient, Osama will turn to Bible prophecy to allegedly prove that Muhammad was God’s prophet. Osama will then attack the Holy Bible when it clearly contradicts his beliefs as a Muslim. This exposes how irrational and inconsistent Muslim apologists truly are.

The fact of the matter is that all ancient documents, including the Quran, have come down to us with variant readings. Yet, no honest textual critic assumes that a document is unreliable because it has variant readings. The Holy Bible has far greater MSS evidence supporting its textual purity than any other document from antiquity. It even has greater MSS support for its purity than the Quran itself! Furthermore, the Quran and early Islamic traditions also support the preservation and authenticity of the Holy Bible.

Since the focus of our paper is not textual criticism and it’s affect on the authenticity of the biblical and quranic MSS, we won’t spend much time on this issue. We produce the following links that provide the details regarding the MSS, archaeological and historical evidence which demonstrates beyond any reasonable doubt that the Holy Bible has been faithfully transmitted to us and that it’s message can be trusted. We also include links that show that the Quran has suffered textual corruption, contrary to the claims of modern Muslim polemicists:

The following links present evidence from the Quran and Islamic traditions showing that the first Muslims believed in the authenticity and preservation of the Holy Bible:

So much for Osama’s claim that most of the Holy Bible is inauthentic.

RESPONSE:

Instead of assuming what Jesus would or could have said, we need to deal with what Jesus actually did say. Once we do this, instead of disproving the doctrine of the Trinity, a careful exegesis of the passage, as well as an examination of the entire context of Luke, actually provides strong support for it.

Had Osama bothered checking up the original Greek text, he would have soon discovered that Jesus wasn’t asking, but demanding that the people be forgiven:

"Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive (aphes) them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The word for forgive, aphes, is a 2^nd person singular aorist active imperative. According to Greek Grammarian William D. Mounce:

"There is no more forceful way in the Greek language to tell someone to do something than a simple imperative - particularly the second person imperative. Especially when such a command is given regarding a specific situation, the one giving that command sees himself as an authority figure. He expects those addressed to do exactly as he has ordered." (Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar [Zondervan Publishing House: Grand Rapids, MI 1993], p. 302; bold emphasis ours)

He also says that the imperative "is the mood of command ..." and that the "imperative mood is used when a verb expresses a command. It is also used to encourage or ask someone to do something." (Ibid., pp. 303, 307)

In reference to imperatives which function more as requests and entreaties than commands, Mounce states:

"This is called the ‘Imperative of Entreaty.’ You do not ‘command’ God to do something; you ‘entreat’ him, both in English and in Greek, e.g., ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ (‘Give’ is an imperative.)" (Ibid., p. 307, n. 5)

Noted Greek Grammarian Dr. Daniel B. Wallace comments on the Greek imperative with the aorist tense:

"The imperative is most commonly used for commands, outnumbering prohibitive imperatives about five to one. As a command, the imperative is usually from a superior to an inferior in rank. It occurs frequently with the aorist and present (only rarely with the perfect tense).

The basic force of the imperative of command involves somewhat different nuances with each tense. With the aorist, the force generally is to command the action as a whole, without focusing on duration, repetition, etc. In keeping with its aspectual force, the aorist puts forth a summary command ..." (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics [Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, 1996], p. 485; bold emphasis)

To put it simply, Jesus' use of the imperative shows that he was actually demanding that the Father forgive the individuals responsible for dividing up his clothing. He wasn't simply making an entreaty. We need to point out that by saying that Christ commanded his Father to perform a specific function, we are not implying that there is competition within the Godhead. Rather, we are simply highlighting the point that the Lord Jesus has the authority to make demands since he is equal to the Father in essence and is the object of the Father's infinite and eternal love. Yet, these demands are not done out of a dictatorial spirit, but out of a spirit of mutual love and the assurance that whatever Christ asks for he shall definitely receive:

"When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’" John 11:20-22

"So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’" John 11:41-42

"I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. Come now; let us leave." John 14:30-31

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." John 15:9-10

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." John 17:24

Now in order to establish the case that the Lord Jesus wasn't simply asking or encouraging the Father to forgive them, but making a demand based on his relationship to the Father as the divine Son, we need to read all that Luke has to say about the person and work of Christ. Once this is done, it becomes quite evident that Jesus is indeed the Sovereign Lord of all creation, the Father's eternally beloved Son, and because of this he is able to make certain demands of the Father.

For instance, the Lord Jesus claims that sinners receive salvation, repentance and forgiveness in his name. In other words, Jesus states that he has both the ability and the authority to grant salvation, repentance and forgiveness to all that believe in him:

"He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached IN HIS NAME to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.’" Luke 24:44-48

"‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith IN ME.’" Acts 22:16-18

The Apostles of the Lord reiterate this very point in their preaching:

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12

"God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel." Acts 5:31

"All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through HIS NAME." Acts 10:43

On a couple of occasions, the Lord Jesus forgave the sins of individuals on the basis of his own authority, something which the crowds knew only God could do:

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‘Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, ‘Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins ...’ He said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen remarkable things today.’" Luke 5:20-26

"‘Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ The other guests began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’ Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’" Luke 7:47-50

Jesus also granted his followers authority to perform miracles, cast out demons and forgive peoples’ sins in his name:

"When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." Luke 9:1-2

"‘Master,’ said John, ‘we saw a man driving out demons IN YOUR NAME and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.’ ‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said, ‘for whoever is not against you is for you.’" Luke 9:49-50

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us IN YOUR NAME.’ He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’" Luke 10:17-20

Christ specifically claimed that he had come to save sinners:

"But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.’" Luke 19:8-10

This salvation stemmed from Christ’s death on the cross for sinners:

"In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." Luke 22:20

And:

"It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled IN ME. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." Luke 22:37

Jesus quotes Isaiah 53:12 in connection with his impending death on the cross. This is not the only place in Luke’s writings where Isaiah 53 is viewed as a messianic prophecy:

"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked. ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.’ The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. Acts 8:29-35

A careful examination of Isaiah 53 shows that the person in question, namely Yahweh’s servant, is going to suffer on behalf of the sins of God’s people. God’s servant is going to offer his life on behalf of the people of God in order to make atonement for them:

"Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:1-12

By quoting Isaiah 53, Jesus is clearly identifying himself as the very One whose death procures salvation and the forgiveness of sins for God’s elect. It is little wonder that Christ could demand that the Father forgive those Roman soldiers, seeing that Jesus was being crucified in order to guarantee the forgiveness of such sinners!

The interesting part about all this is that the Old Testament says that sinners receive salvation and forgiveness in Yahweh’s name, and that redemption comes from Yahweh alone!

"For the sake of YOUR NAME, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great." Psalm 25:11

"Save me, O God, BY YOUR NAME; vindicate me by your might." Psalm 54:1

"Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases," Psalm 103:2-3

"O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins." Psalm 130:7-8

"‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.’" Isaiah 43:10-11

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, FOR MY OWN SAKE, and remembers your sins no more." Isaiah 43:25

"Declare what is to be, present it - let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me." Isaiah 45:21

"But I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me." Hosea 13:4

Amazingly, Luke also shows that the first Christian believers prayed to Jesus in the same exact way that the OT believers prayed to Yahweh! For example, OT believers prayed to God by calling on his name:

"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God." Genesis 21:33

"Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the LORD and he answered them." Psalm 99:6

"And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls." Joel 2:32

This is precisely what the first Christians did, namely, call on the name of the Lord Jesus!

"In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, ‘Ananias!’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he answered. The Lord told him, ‘Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.’ ’Lord,’ Ananias answered, ‘I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to YOUR SAINTS in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on YOUR NAME.’ But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry MY NAME before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for MY NAME.’ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord-Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit’… Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, ‘Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on THIS NAME? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?’" Acts 9:10-17, 20-21

"A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him. Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on HIS NAME.’ When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking. ‘Quick!’ he said to me. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony ABOUT ME.’ ‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe IN YOU. And when the blood of YOUR martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’" Acts 22:12-21

Luke records instances where the first disciples prayed to Jesus directly:

"‘Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.’ So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, ‘Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.’" Acts 1:21-25

Note here that the first disciples testify to the omniscience of the Lord Jesus, stating quite unambiguously that Christ knows everyone’s heart!

And:

"While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep." Acts 7:59-60

Stephen prays to the Lord Jesus in heaven to receive his spirit and asks the Lord to forgive those who were stoning him. Now compare this with the following OT citation:

"Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth." Psalm 31:5

Even more amazing is that Stephen prayed to Jesus in a manner similar to the way Jesus prayed to the Father while hanging on the cross:

"Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots ... Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last." Luke 23:34, 46

Please do note that it is the same inspired author who recorded both Jesus’ and Stephen’s final prayers. Hence, even though Christ himself prayed, Luke and the early Church could still view Jesus as the source of salvation and as the focus of their worship!

Furthermore, the Father himself uses the imperative in a context where Christ’s essential, abiding and divine glory as God’s Son comes to the forefront:

"About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw HIS GLORY and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is MY SON, whom I have chosen; LISTEN TO HIM (autou akouete).’ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen." Luke 9:28-36

The verb "Listen," akouete, is a 2^nd person present active plural imperative. The disciples are commanded by God to obey Jesus because he is God’s Son. Being God’s unique Son, Christ is both personally distinct from the Father who sent him and equal to him in essence and nature. Is it any wonder that Christ, the beloved Son of God, could also use the imperative in his prayer to make certain demands of his Father?

Here is another example of Christ making demands or issuing commands and getting them answered:

"‘Father, GLORIFY (doxason) your name!’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, ‘This voice was for your benefit, not mine.’" John 12:28-30

Doxason is a 2nd person aorist active imperative singular verb. Note that the Father responds immediately to his Son's prayer!

These examples clearly demonstrate that Christ is indeed the Sovereign Lord of all creation. Since the NT shows that salvation is granted in the name of Christ, while the OT says it is in Yahweh’s name from which salvation is derived, the Lord Jesus must therefore be Yahweh God! There is simply no other way around this. Add to this the consistent NT teaching that there is only one God, and you can see why the early Church ended up with the doctrine of the Trinity! Cf. John 17:3; Romans 3:30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 3:20; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Timothy 2:5; James 2:19.

RESPONSE:

It is evident that the problem is with Osama, not with the Holy Bible. An accurate reading of the Holy Bible leads to the inevitable conclusion that the Lord Jesus is the Creator of the universe.

It is Osama’s gross misunderstanding and/or misrepresentation of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity which leads him to erroneous conclusions.

For instance, Osama’s appeal to Christ’s statement that he doesn’t know the Hour, or that Christ prayed, or his saying that only God is good shows that Osama hasn’t even bothered to study the biblical responses which explains the exact meaning of these statements in their respective contexts. He simply pulls verses out of context and thinks that he has somehow managed to undermine the biblical basis for the doctrine of the blessed Trinity.

In order to save space we present the following links that provide in-depth responses to biblical passages that anti-Trinitarians often misuse to disprove the Trinity:

The following links provide the overwhelming and irrefutable biblical data supporting the doctrine of the Trinity:

So Osama’s claim in one of his articles that Trinitarians have no logical answers to the questions posed by him and others is clearly false and only shows that Osama hasn’t read and/or understood our responses.

RESPONSE:

First, Osama’s tirade and insult against Trinitarians is more an indication of Osama’s depraved mind than it is of Christian believers in the true, eternal triune God.

Second, the reason why some Christians choose to call themselves servants of the cross is because of the words of our beloved Master:

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross AND FOLLOW ME is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:37-39

The cross symbolizes the life of self-sacrifice. It calls true believers to die to themselves and to their own desires in order to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the risen and immortal Lord and Savior. The Apostle Paul sums it best:

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

This is why true believers are not ashamed to boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ:

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14

The cross also symbolizes our salvation, that God in his great and infinite love sent his Son to die for the full redemption of his children. It symbolizes the salvation which God freely bestowed on true believers through faith in Jesus Christ:

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God ... but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18, 23-24

Amazingly, Osama’s blasphemous tirade against the cross of Christ confirms the truthfulness of the preceding passage. It shows that the Apostle Paul was correct in his inspired assessment that the cross of Christ is scandalous and offensive to those who are perishing. As he says elsewhere, the cross is quite offensive to those who are dead in their sins:

"Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished." Galatians 5:11

Finally, one who lives in a glass house shouldn’t cast stones at others, especially when one’s religion promotes pagan rituals and idolatry. Osama knows very well that all of the Islamic rituals connected with the Kabah are actually pagan in origin:

The claim that Abraham and Ishmael instituted these rites is both biblically and historically untenable:

Muhammad also kissed a stone:

Narrated Salim that his father said: I saw Allah's Apostle arriving at Mecca; he kissed the Black Stone Corner first while doing Tawaf and did ramal in the first three rounds of the seven rounds (of Tawaf). (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 26, Number 673)

Narrated 'Abis bin Rabia:
'Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said:
"No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 26, Number 667- see also 675, 676, 679, 680)

The true God of Abraham would never send a black stone for his followers to kiss. There is no biblical basis supporting the kissing of inanimate objects in religious contexts. In fact, when Israel started venerating an object which God used as a means of healing Israel, that object was destroyed:

"They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’ Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. The LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived." Numbers 21:4-9

"He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)" 2 Kings 18:3-4

This shows that God will not tolerate the veneration of objects that he himself commissioned. How much more, then, would God condemn the kissing of a stone that HE NEVER COMMISSIONED HIS FOLLOWERS TO MAKE in the first place?!

Amazingly, the Lord Jesus likens his own death to Moses’ bronze serpent:

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes IN HIM may have eternal life." John 3:14-15

Jesus’ statement serves as a warning against anyone who would venerate and pray to symbols and images of crosses. Just as God condemned the veneration of an object which he himself used to heal his people, God also condemns the worship of crosses, since we are not to look to the cross in worship. We are instead to look to the One that died on the cross, namely the Lord Jesus, as the object of our worship:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

Interestingly, even the very symbol of the crescent and five-point star, found on many Islamic flags, is pagan in origin:

This is the well-known ideogram found on for instance the flags of Turkey and Pakistan. Positioned in various ways it appears on several of the Islamic countries' national flags. This ideogram is a general symbol for the Islamic faith. It combines the pictorial sign for the waning moon and the sign for the planet Venus as the Morning star.
The five points of the Venus star are in this context said to represent the five pillars of Islam: ... (Source: http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/24/2464.html)

Five Pointed Star
This is also known as a Pentacle or a Pentagram. For neo-pagans this is symbolic of the four elements: air, water, earth, fire + spirit. See the qualities page for details. Pythagoras held the number 5 to be the sum of the feminine element (2) and the masculine element (3), so it is also symbolic of a union of masculine and feminine. The symbol also has meaning in Taoism, Hinduism and Islam. (Source: http://hunter.apana.org.au/~gallae/hecate/reference/symbols/symbols_goth.htm)

The crescent moon and star is a popularly recognised symbol for Islam, though it does not officially represent the religion. The crescent moon was originally the symbol for the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) which was conquered by the Muslim Ottomans in 1453. The Ottoman Empire kept this symbol (it is uncertain when and why the star was added) and ruled the Muslim world for centuries. The original symbol probably represents a pagan deity. (Source: http://www.gaymidlands.org/culture3b.html)

In the 6th century A.D., in the areas of Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia), polytheism pervaded the Arabic tribes living there. A supreme god named Allah (Arabic; "the deity") was worshipped as was his consort Allat (feminine of Allah), who belonged to a triple goddess pantheon which consisted of Allat worshipped in the form of a square stone, Al-Manat (goddess of fate) worshipped in the form of a black stone, and Al-Uzza (goddess of East Mecca) who had human sacrifices carried out in her name. In all, there was a total of 360-deities. Among them was Hubal, god of the Ka'ba worshipped in the form of a man, and another god named Al-Rahman (Arabic; "merciful"). In fact, the term Al-Rahman would be used 169-times to describe Allah in the Islamic holy book the Qur'an (Arabic; "the recitation"). Soon, these deities would be totally forsaken, although their names and locale would be instrumental in the founding of a new religion thereafter known as Islam. An ancient pagan symbol would be used to depict this new religion; the ancient Babylonian symbol of the god & goddess. (Note: The star represented the god Ningal, and the crescent moon represented the goddess Nannar). (Source: http://www.geocities.com/exwitch/eleventhpage.html)

In other words, it is Islam that is pagan and polytheistic in nature! Now Osama may claim that the symbol of the crescent and five-pointed star does not originate from Muhammad or the first Muslims. That may be fine and dandy, but that still doesn't excuse Muslims who boast in being devotees of pure monotheism from adopting pagan symbols. Also, this still doesn't solve the problem regarding the rites of Islam since practices such as the kissing of the black stone are nothing more than pagan and idolatrous rites condemned by the true God in his true word, the Holy Bible.

In conclusion, Osama has provided nothing of substance to deny the biblical truth that the true God Yahweh is a triune Being, and that the Lord Jesus is fully and eternally God in nature, the second Person of the blessed Trinity.

By God’s sovereign and perfect grace, we continue to remain in the service of our immortal Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Come Lord Jesus, come. We love and worship you forever since you are God’s eternally beloved and unique Son. Amen.

Sam Shamoun

Rebuttals to Answering-Christianity
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