Where Islam & Christian Agree and Differ

Mansoor_ali - interesting belittling Jesus' birth.  Why did Jesus have to be formed in the womb?  Why not create Jesus the way Adam was created?

As Salamu Alaikum, Nazarene. The idea of logos in Greek thought may be traced back at lest to the 6th century-BC philosopher,Heracleitus, who proposed that there was a logos in the cosmic process analogous to the reasoning power in man. Later,the Stoics defined the llogos as an active, rational and spiritual principle that permeated all reality.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The Greek-speaking Jewish philosopher, Judaeus Philo of Alexandria(15 BC-45 CE),taught that the logos was the intermediary between God and the cosmos,being both the agent between God and the cosmos,being both the agent of creation and the agent though which the human mind can comprehend God. The writtings of Philo were preserved and cherished by the Church, and provided the inspiration for a sophisticated Christian philosophical theology.He departed from Platonic thought regarding the logos (Word)and called it 'the first-begotten son of God".                                                                                                                                                                      The identification of Jesus with the logos,was further developed in the early Church as a result of attempts made by early Christians theologians and apologist to express the Christian in terms that would be intelligible to the Hellenistic world. Moreover, it was to impress their hearers with the view that Christianity was superior to,or heir to,all that was best in pagan philosophy. Thus, in their apologies and polemical works,the early Christian fathers stated that Christ was the preexistent logos.                                                                                                                                                                  The Greek word for 'God'used in the phrase"and the Word was with God",is the definite form hotheos,meaning'The God'. However,in the second phrase"and the Word was God',the Greek word used for 'God'is the indefinite form tontheos, which means 'a god' Consequently,John 1:1 should more accurately be translated,"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was a god."Therefore,if the Word was a 'god'in the literal sense,it would mean that there were two Gods and not one.However,in Biblical language,the term'god'is used metaphorically to indicate power.                                                                                                                                                                 For example,Paul referred to the devil as "god"in 2nd Corithians 4:4,"In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ,who is the likeness of God."Moses is also referred to as "god" in Exodus 7:1,"And the Lord said unto Moses,'See,I made thee a god to Pharoah;and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet."(The True Message Of Jesus Christ BY DR.BILAL PHILIPS)

Edited by Akhe Abdullah - 27 March 2009 at 7:16am

Actually Jehovah Witnesses believe that Jesus is a lesser god.

Those people who emphasize that the true rendering of the last clause of John 1.1 "the word was a god" prove nothing thereby save their ignorance of Greek grammar. (Bruce, The Books and the Parchments [Old Tappan, NJ; Fleming H. Revell Company, 1963], pp. 60-61 note)