The Antichrist in Muhammad: Original Sin, Part 2
where is. Man will stay in such a basement, and, other than an aloof fiat of forgiveness conditioned on submission to Allah and his supposed prophet Muhammad, can expect no more from Allah other than the promise of the temporal pleasures of a basement life extended ad infinitum in the Muslim Paradise (Jannah).
It follows from Muhammad's rejection of the doctrine of original sin that Muhammad failed to detect, or in some manner excused or justified, any endemic concupiscence within him (or he would have taught his followers concerning its reality). Indeed, one might recall, as we discussed in our earlier series "The Heart's Witness Against Muhammad," that Muhammad tended to match his impulses (even his lower impulses such as his desire for his daughter-in-law, Zaynab, or his Coptic slavewoman and concubine, Mariyah) with Allah's alleged will and I suppose his fitra.
Muhammad had the further audacity to believe himself--one who disbelieved in sanctifying grace and its central importance in making us holy--as the perfect exemplar of humanity, al-insan al-kamil, the best of all mankind, khair ul-bashar, and the perfect model of conduct, uswa hasana.
In short, he never realized he lived in a basement, so his morals are those of life in a basement, his law is the law of the basement, as is his alleged paradise.
(If you are not convinced about basement morals, explore the Muslim doctrine of taqiyya (deception), or nikah muta'a (temporary marriages), or violence as a legitimate means of spreading the faith (jihad).)
Since Muhammad had no concept of sanctifying grace, something clearly beyond man's capacity to merit or to earn, Muhammad believed that he and by extension all humans could make themselves acceptable to God by works. In particular, this was done by the following of a law he devised which, like Muhammad himself, had no divine warrant: the Shari'a.
Shari'a is nothing but Muhammad writ large, just as Muhammad might be said to be Shari'a writ small. Just as Muhammad is antichrist personalized, so the Shari'a is antichrist institutionalized, socialized, and politicized.
What this means, is that Islam by its own admission institutionalizes or confirms man in his original sin.
More, in one fell swoop, Muhammad took a huge leap backward in man's relationship God: from an aera sub gratia, which the Lord so graciously initiated, back to an aera sub lege. From an era of grace, Muhammad brought his followers back to an era of law.
But the refusal of grace and the return to law was not a return to the law of Moses which came from God, had some pedagogical value (cf. Gal. 3:24), was a gift that is in a manner irrevocable (Rom. 11:29), and leads and testifies to Christ and is fulfilled in Christ (Matt. 5:17).
No. Rather, Muhammad's promulgated a a law foreign to God and one which (as we have seen) leads away from Christ. This is arguably the most antichristian kernel of Islam: the rejection of grace and the re-injection of law. It constitutes a flight from the Gospel, an anti-Gospel.
Muhammad's error is found in his version of the story of Adam and Eve in the Qur'an and in the Sunna.
The Qur'an relates the story of Adam and his wife (curiously, it does not mention Eve by name) in in various places (2:30-39; 7:11-25; 15:26-48; 17:61-65; 18:50-53; 20:115-126; 38:71-88) and appears superficially similar to the narrative in Genesis. However, it is clear that as traditionally interpreted it rejects the concept of original sin.
The Qur'an places the first couple in Paradise. God commands them not to eat of "this tree," but they are tempted and tricked by the Devil (Iblis, evidently, a corruption of the Greek diabolos). "So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: 'Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?'" (Qur'an 7:22). They, and their progeny, are debarred from Paradise. Importantly, Adam and Eve ask Allah for forgiveness, and they receive it, as "his Lord turned towards him, ...
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
Keywords: Muhammad, antichrist, redemption, salvation, Jesus, original sin, original justice, sanctifying grace, Andrew M. Greenwell
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@Greg: It is true that the antichrists referred to by St. John in his epistles probably came out of the Christian Church (mainly Gnostics); however, this does not limit the antichrist spirit to those who happen to be in the Church and leads persons out of the Church or true faith. One can apply St. John's test to the teachings of those outside the Church which prevent those outside from coming in and accepting Christ. Here, there is a huge difference between teachings expressing a natural religiosity that may not be Christian, but that do not reject Christ, and those, like Islam, that are positively anti-Christian. Distinctions should also be made between heresiarchs and religious leaders (such as Muhammad or John Smith or David Koresh or Warren Smith or Simon Kimbangu or dozens of others) who have led others astray or made claims to divinity or prophethood, and their followers in good faith or in ignorance who have somewhat less responsibility. Distinctions must be made between teaching (which can be objectively assessed) and the state of the soul of the person advocating a false teaching (which needs to be subjectively assessed as is generally outside of our abilities and reserved to God alone).
God bless,
Andrew
Not questioning the value of the article -just a question based on yesterday's first reading from the first letter of John. Based on the reading, the main antichrist, and all the rest of antichrists are coming from the Church. If so then Muhammad cannot be antichrist. What do you (the author) mean by the "animated by the sprit of antichrist? " Just a question to the author. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I really thought this was a valuable read for today when so many of us are struggling with these type of questions. For instance loving thy brother but knowing what is right and wrong. I would love to hear about things of this nature.