08-13-2009, 01:14 PM
I think the term 'divine nature' is a slippery slope, upon which men can add anything they wish. This falls into the 'riddles' that Kahil Gibran mentioned.
'Divine' nature is a construct to compare with 'human' nature and 'natural' nature. Man loves comparative analysis and reason, but the topic we are discussing is faith. Do we have faith in God? Do we believe in and follow? We do not need to understand or agree rationally, but to accept. So the final sentence 'God is Love' I accept wholeheartedly. I understand that.
The more I read the Qu'ran, it is clear to me that it is a warning against religious groupthink (aka dogma) because groupthink is always faulty. Muslim groupthink is just as faulty as Christian or Jewish groupthink. Just because a majority accept a definition and defend their self-generated propaganda, that does not make it God's truth. It makes it their truth.
So when you ask 'do I agree with the above statement' I do agree with parts of it, besides the conclusion. I do believe that God made the sacrifice that He asked Abraham to make, namely the sacrifice of his son. So the claim that Jesus did not die, was swapped for Judas, etc., I find problematical. It robs God of the example He was trying to set for us, as well as contradicts all of the scripture which even the Qu'ran affirms.
That is what I meant by the Muslim groupthink is just as fault-ridden as any other groupthink, since clearly the Qu'ran is read to make people believe that Islam is superior to Christianity and Judaism, and that is not what is being said at all. The Qu'ran is repeating the same truths, and making the same points, as all other scripture. Just as other scripture is misread, so too is the Qu'ran.