1.     The Mosaic Law, Original Sin And Blood Atonement

Christianity teaches that Jesus(as) died for the sins of mankind; the sins of the past, present and future. It is this teaching that prevails in Christianity today and is the marketing tool of all Christian missionaries. It is the foundation stone of every church, regardless of its being Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Methodist or any of the other denominational sects. Every “good” Christian believes that their sins are forgiven by the blessed name and blood of Jesus(as). The problem with this however is that this is contrary to not only the teachings of Prophet Jesus(as), but to the teachings of The Holy Bible itself. Even the idea put forth by the Christians that all children are born with the black stain of sin runs contrary to this event in the ministry of Prophet Jesus(as);

“Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the Kingdom of God…Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.”   Mark 10:14-15

Now if the idea of all children being born with the black stain of sin was among the many teachings of Prophet Jesus(as), then this statement would have never been made by him considering that Christians believe that unless a child be baptized in the name of Jesus(as), that child could never inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, but rather suffer the doom of hellfire and damnation. Any belief that Christians have in regards to a child being born in sin is refuted by the above words of Prophet Jesus(as). He makes it clear that unless you are as “innocent” as a child, you can never inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now the Christian hinges this belief on the words spoken by Paul with respect to Jesus(as) redeeming the world from its sin;

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.”   1 Corinthians 15:3

According to this passage, Paul is claiming that this ideology is supported by the scriptures, and in this case he is making reference to the Hebrew Scriptures, or The Tanach. However, one will find that this idea of an innocent man, in this case Jesus(as), having to pay for the sins of others is nowhere to be found in the Hebrew Bible. In actuality, it is the exact opposite that is found in the Hebrew Scriptures;

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statuses and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him; in his righteousness that he hath done, he shall live.”   Ezekiel 18:20-22

Without question, this passage runs in direct contrast with what we find in the teachings of Paul, and it also proves that Paul’s claim that his teachings are in accordance with the scriptures is false. The spilling of innocent blood for the redemption of mankind is a belief that has its roots in paganism (which is covered elsewhere in this book) and was adopted into Christianity by Paul and solidified as dogma at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. Blood atonement was never a teaching of Prophet Jesus(as), nor did he ever make mention of it. Far be it for a messenger of Almighty God to indulge in pagan practices and beliefs. Paul introduced this pagan concept into Christianity, thanks in large part to his Nicolation background. With such rhetoric as;

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”   2 Corinthians 5:7

Is it any wonder that Christians have become indoctrinated with this pagan belief in blood atonement and original sin? This is a fundamental belief of the Christian faith which is imbedded into the beliefs of all Christians from baptism to last rites. St. Thomas Aquinas propagated this ideology to the fullest, as is evident from Aquinas, Vol.1, Pg. 714;

          “But this sacrifice of Jesus is only for that person who has faith in Jesus, and who acts on his teachings. The sign of such faith is the fulfillment of the ritual baptism. The undergoing of baptism signifies faith in the redemption of Jesus on the part of the baptized. Hence, being baptized through Jesus is deemed to take the place of his death and second life. Consequently, whoever undergoes baptism will have his original sin forgiven, and he will be given a new free will. On the other hand, that person who does not undergo baptism, his original sin remains with the result that he becomes entitled to perpetual sin. But original sin incurs everlasting punishment; since children who have died in original sin, because they have not been baptized, will never see the Kingdom of God.”

This ideology was further driven home by Martin Luther, who was the father of the Protestant Reformation;

“Only believe and you will be redeemed. There is no necessity to bear the hardships of good acts like fasting, abstinence from sins and humility of confession, be sure that without them and only for your true faith in Christ, you shall certainly get salvation of Christ. No matter if you get involved in fornication and murder a thousand times a day, you are destined to reach salvation only for your true belief. I repeat, only your belief will get you redeemed.”

It is very easy to see how one can become conditioned to believe such nonsense when it is constantly fed into your head continually, never mind that the words of Aquinas on failure to be baptized will result in eternal hellfire, or those of Martin Luther encouraging the breaking of the 6^th and 7^th commandments. That is the outcome of indoctrination, and it is the main stumbling block in trying to explain the truth to those who have been led to believe as they have. Any notion that Aquinas put forth with regards to un-baptized children never seeing the Kingdom of God has resulted in much heartache throughout the ages from distraught parents dealing with the death of their un-baptized children, and it is quite clear that this ideology is in direct contrast with the words spoken by Prophet Jesus(as) in Mark 10:14-15. These doctrines were the brainchild of St. Paul, who first put forth these ideas in his letter to the Galatians, and it is he that is the sole person responsible for spreading such nonsense in the early days of the Christian Church, to which it gained further ground centuries later in the Roman Byzantine Empire. I will discuss Paul more in depth in part 7 of this chapter. I would like to point out, however, that I have no wish to engage in character assassination with respect to Paul as that is not the purpose of this book; my only wish is to clarify the true teachings of Prophet Jesus(as). Only Paul himself and Almighty God knew what motivated him to preach such nonsense, however, it is possible to take a peek at what may have driven him to do as he did; from being perhaps the most adamant opponent of the followers of Prophet Jesus(as), to being the man that would be responsible for distorting the pure teachings of Jesus(as) and leading many astray for over 2000 years. The following is an excerpt from the book “The Age of Reason” by Thomas Paine, page 167:

“The Ebionites, or Nazarenes, who were the first Christians, rejected all the Epistles of Paul and regarded him as an imposter. They reported, among other things, that he was originally a pagan; that he came to Jerusalem where he lived some time; and that having a mind to marry the daughter of a high priest, he caused himself to be circumcised. But, that not being able to obtain her, he quarreled with the Jews and wrote against circumcision, and against observing the Sabbath and against all the legal ordinance.”

From this one could easily make an argument that Paul’s ambition was not to preach the Gospel of Jesus(as), rather he had his own personal agenda, that being a vendetta against the Jews for not allowing him to marry one of their own. However, that is mere speculation and as such I will not draw a conclusion on that. It was, however, a note of some interest, along with Paul being called a “deceiver” on chapter 222 of the Gospel of Barnabas. This brings to mind the words spoken by Prophet Jesus(as);

“Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly, they are ravening wolves…Ye shall know them by their fruits.”   Matthew 7:15-16

Again, I have no interest in speaking against the character of Paul, but it is a known fact that his teachings contradict every teaching of Prophet Jesus(as) and without question he fits the mold of the “false prophet” Jesus(as) made reference to. Although popular opinion is that Paul himself was Jewish, however, it should be noted that only those of the Tribe of Judah can be called Jewish, and all else are called by their respective tribes. I covered this topic extensively in my book; Rational Thinking And Misconceptions Cleared, and considering that Paul was of the Tribe of Benjamin (see Philippians 3:5), to call him Jewish would be incorrect. All that aside, the Bible is quite clear on the issue of sins being forgiven at the spilling of blood;

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifice unto Me?, saith the Lord. I am full of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lamb or of he-goats.”   Isaiah 1:11

The Holy Bible actually makes it quite clear that forgiveness from sins comes from one’s sincerity in seeking forgiveness from Almighty God and from obedience to Him;

“Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?  Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High”  Psalms 50:13-14

“I desired not sacrifices; I commanded not your fathers, when I stretched forth my hand to bring them out of Egypt, to offer burnt -- offerings to me, but only to obey my voice.”   Jeremiah 7:21-22

And as for the innocent being made to pay for the sins of others, the Bible is also quite clear in that respect as well;

“And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, ‘Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.’ And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, ‘Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.’ And the LORD said unto Moses, ‘Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.’”   Exodus 32:30-33

And from the words of Prophet Jesus(as) one can also conclude that his true teachings where in perfect harmony with these mentioned passages;

“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”   Matthew 5:20

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”  

Matthew 6:14-15

So many examples can be used from the Bible that one is hard pressed in understanding how a Christian can claim to adhere to the Bible, and yet follow a totally opposite course. Here is yet further examples of what the Bible says;

“The fathers shall not be put to death for the children; neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Deuteronomy 24:16

“But the children of the murderers he put not to death; according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as the Lord commanded, saying, ‘The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.’”   2 Kings 14:6

“But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.”   Jeremiah 31:30

Again, the Bible states clearly how salvation can be achieved;

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”   2 Chronicles 7:14

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”   Isaiah 55:7

Now with respect to these Biblical passages, it is very clear indeed that the Paulanistic teachings of the Christian Church are in no way harmonious with the teachings of Prophet Jesus(as) and The Holy Bible itself; Paulanist statements such as;

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’”   Galatians 3:13

How Paul can tie that passage in with Prophet Jesus(as) is a far stretch to say the least, as this passage is making reference to the accursed as being the enemies of Almighty God, and to even consider Prophet Jesus(as) as an enemy of Almighty God (Au’dhu-Billah) is to say that he was alienated from His Grace and this does absolutely no honour to this most mighty messenger of Almighty God. This is a serious offence and charge to levy against Prophet Jesus(as), and it does him no honour or respect. Jesus(as) made himself very clear as to what his mission entailed;

“Think not that I am come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these commandments and teach men to do so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.”    Matthew 5:17 – 20

And Jesus(as) also made it very clear how one could achieve salvation;

“And behold, one came and said unto him, ‘Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’ And he said unto him, ‘Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He saith unto him, ‘Which?’ Jesus said, ‘Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’”   Matthew 19:16-19

Jesus(as) preached the keeping of all the commandments, which number 613 as opposed to the Christian belief of only 10. Among these commandments, to which the Christians fall short of, is to refrain from alcohol (see Leviticus 10:9, Proverbs 20:1, Isaiah 5:22, Hosea 4:11 & Daniel 1:8), to avoid the flesh of swine (see Leviticus 11:8) and to abide by circumcision (see Genesis 17:10-14 & Luke 2:21). In no way did Prophet Jesus(as) ever cater to the pagan belief of original sin and blood atonement, and no better proof of that than his own words that we have just covered. Interestingly enough, with respect to what The Holy Bible states in regards to alcohol, we find within the Gospel of John a most insulting incident relating to Prophet Jesus(as) in that he turned water into wine so that party goers were able to have their fill of alcohol (see John 2:6-9), which runs in direct opposition of Almighty God’s command. In this story, Prophet Jesus(as) is also found treating his mother most disrespectfully (see also in Luke 8:19-21), which further opposes the commandments of Almighty God, specifically;...honour thy mother and thy father…. This is most unbecoming of a Prophet of Almighty God, and as such, as a Muslim that is, I refuse to acknowledge the authenticity of this story as should all Muslims and Christians for that matter. Prophet Jesus(as) himself stated clearly that he did not come to abolish the law, and as such to even consider Prophet Jesus(as) of being guilty of such acts does him no honour. It is very sad that the Gospel of John seems to apply the most disrespect to the good name and character of Prophet Jesus(as), even going so far as to label him a deceiver. For example; in John 7:8, Jesus(as) had informed his disciples that he would not be attending a feast, yet in the very same chapter, verse 10, it relates that Jesus(as) had indeed gone to the feast, but not openly, rather in secret. Most insulting indeed.

At this juncture it would very prudent if we devoted some time to whom Jesus(as) was sent to. True, Christians will always quote;

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…”   Matthew 28:19

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me’.”   John 14:6

This is in order to get their point across that Jesus(as) came to save all humanity, however, a closer look at the Gospels will reveal that such was not the case, and that the mission of Prophet Jesus(as) was limited to the Children of Israel only. The nations that Jesus(as) speaks of in Matthew 28:19, and the people he is addressing in John 14:6 in the Nation/Children of Israel as Jesus(as) himself attested to by his own words;

“These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: ‘Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritan; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’”.   Matthew 10:5-6

As a prophet of God, Jesus(as) was the way for his time and people, just like all prophets where.

Now if Jesus(as) was meant to save all humanity, why then would he order his Apostles to limit their ministry to the Children of Israel only? This is further proven by this event in the Gospel;

“But he answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she (the Canaanite woman) came and began to bow down before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ And he(Jesus) answered and said, ‘It is not meet to take children’s bread and cast it to the dogs (non-Israelites).’”    Matthew 15:24-26 (see also Mark 7:26-27)

Jesus(as) by his own words made it clear that he was only sent for the Israelites and none else and his bold declaration cannot be ignored. His teachings where that of repentance, forgiveness and love to the Children of Israel only, and certainly not of blood atonement and original sin. The thought of an innocent man being made to pay for the sins of others is repulsive to say the least. Consider the following; A man being tried and convicted as guilty for a crime such as murder, rape or even child molestation. Any rational person would no doubt want such an offender to pay for his crimes. Now imagine a court of law, who in spite of finding this man guilty of these crimes, decides that an innocent person should be made to pay for these crimes in his blood instead of the guilty party. Imagine the uproar at the injustice served. No court of law would ever even consider such an act, of someone other than the criminal being made to pay for his crimes, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. This is exactly what the concept of blood atonement expects us to believe, and as much as we find it ludicrous to even cater to such an idea as I have mentioned above, in the case of Prophet Jesus(as) the Christians have done just that and laid the sins of others upon the good name and shoulders of Prophet Jesus(as), which runs contrary to not only rational thinking and common sense, but more importantly, to the very Bible the Christians cherish so much, as well as the true monotheistic teachings of Prophet Jesus(as). May Allah(swt) guide us, Insha’Allah.