Questions from a “Catholic”?

I am Jonabeth from Philippines, I am a roman catholic. I have some questions and I hope u can help me to open my mind:

1. Is it true that Jesus was crucified?
2. Is it true that Jesus Christ is the son of God?
3. Is it true that Jesus Christ got married?
4. How do u treat Virgin Mary. Who is virgin Mary in Islam?
5. What is the true meaning of life?
6. Does Islam believe in life after death?

Hoping u can guide me to the right path by answering all these basics question..

In my own knowledge and belief, i believe that Jesus Christ is a prophet..

How come our priest always telling us that he is the son of GOD..

Thank you so much…hoping to hear from you soon..

Answers:

Peace and Blessings of Almighty God Most High (Salam alaykum wa Rahmatullah) – that’s what the Prophets used to say to their people.

Dear Jonabeth,

You are not a Roman Catholic, you are a beautiful human being, created by God and being Guided by God Almighty Himself.

Why did I say, “You are not a Roman Catholic”?

First of all, because you are from the Philippines, you are a “Philipino” – true?

The Romans forced their religion on people all the way back to the time of Alexander “The Great” (I don’t think he was all that “great” but anyway…). The official Church of Rome as far back as 300 B.C. was called “Universal” and they worshipped their idols, statues, trinkets and even Caesar himself, as gods in these “Universal Temples”. They had one religion for all people. They believed in a “Triune-god” (3 gods as one deity) or “Trinity”.

When the “Temple of Rome” overtook one of the smaller sect’s of deviant Christians in the fourth century, they made this new mixture of Roman gods, worship and idols into an all new form of worship and made it the new, official “Universal Church of Rome”. This was before the fall of the Roman Empire. The location of the last of their great temples was in Italy – Rome, Italy the place where the Vatican is today.

Interesting? How do you say “universal” in Latin? (clue – it starts with “C” … it is Catholic).

That’s right – these are the very same people who promoted their beliefs all around this planet, even today, as though it were from Jesus, peace be upon him.

They changed the day of birth of Jesus to go along with the date of the death of a bishop who had attended the official meeting to convene the first “Universal Church” at the council of Nicea (in Turkey, 325 A.D.).

They added the feast of goddess Ishtar, a springtime pagan celebration of fertility (sex) and called it the “Feast of Eastar” (sound familiar?).

They made Mary, peace be upon her, into a “mother-of-god” (horrible to even say for me as a Muslim), instead of the true story of her being the Blessed Virgin who gave birth to Christ, Jesus, peace be upon him.

They killed a number of bishops and priests who attended the council but did not agree with them on a number of issues regarding the “new” religion.

They destroyed hundreds of books of the Bible that were brought to the council meeting (same time when they killed the bishops I guess).

They came up with their own version of the Bible in Latin (Jerome’s Latin Vulgate).

They enforced what they believed at the point of the sword everywhere they went. (see: Crusades, Inquisition, missionaries of Catholic church to Muslim lands, Philippines, South America, Central America, the New World – in the encyclopedia).

So, that is why I said, “You are not a Roman Catholic”. For sure you are not Roman. And likely, you are not a “universalist” either.

From what you described, you are more along the lines of a person seeking truth wherever it takes you and you desire God Almighty to Guide you. So, you don’t need me anyway. The true guidance can only come from the One who created everything in the first place. Right or wrong?

Naturally, I am very happy to meet you and to share with you. But there is no way I can guide, like Almight God can. He is the Guide. The Only Real Guide.

He guided me. And thousands of others like me, and I am witness to this, in real life. Over and over and over again, wherever I travel, Jonabeth, I see people like me, like you, opening up our minds and our hearts to the One Lord Above, the Lord of the Universe, the Lord of the Israelites, the Lord of the Bible, the Lord of Jesus, peace be upon him, The Lord of you and me. Our Lord. Our savior. Our only savior. God Almighty – Allah.

I love Jesus, peace be upon him, even more than when I was a Christian. Know why? Because as a Christian, I had a hard time believing all the nonsense the church was telling me about Jesus, peace be upon him. But when I came into Islam, I was encouraged to ask questions and found the answers to be sane, logical and downright satisfying to my heart and my mind.

But you asked, “Who is Jesus” to us as Muslims.

The Quran tells us clearly, Jesus, peace be upon him, was more amazing than anything in the lies others have said about him. Why?

Because the Quran offers proof that it is from Allah, The Almighty, and as such what it is saying has the ultimate authority on this earth and about it there can be no doubt in the mind of a rational thinker.

Jesus, peace be upon him, was born, as a baby, from a woman, he had to be nursed, he had to go to the bathroom, he had to eat, he had to drink, he did not know everything – but most important to me, as a thinker – HE PRAYED.

Anyone who prays, believes there is a God. And he is praying to God. Jesus, peace be upon him, offered very sincere prayers, hardy prayers, strong prayers, crying in his prayers, sweating and pleading in his prayers…

(to who?)

Himself? Now, that is where the real problem starts to come in, right? How does a man, born of a woman as a baby, eating food, drinking water, walking around on two feet, believing in God, preaching about God, telling people to worship, “Your Lord and my Lord, your God and my God”, and then at the same time – tell people he’s god? Or a son-of-a-god?

How?

Does it make sense? Common sense? (not to me)

And not to thousands of others who have left the church throughout the centuries, most of them lost their faith and lost their way. That is sad.

But still, many today are finding the truth about the real Jesus, peace be upon him, and the real message he carried and shared, and learn about the man he spoke of and promised to “come after me”, whose name shall be “Ahmad.” (The word “Ahmad” comes from the Arabic word “hamd” which is “praise”) The name “Muhammad” is from the same word “Ahmad” and it means, “the praising one” (he praised Almighty God more than any other human in history, even Jesus, peace be upon both of them) and it means “the praised one” (he is prayed for in all of the prayers of the Muslims, every day, five times a day, and many other times when we say his name “Muhammad’, peace be upon him.

Notice throughout this email, I use the phrase (Peace be upon him) for Jesus, peace be upon him, and Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Why do I do that? We are told in Quran to spread the greetings of peace and also we are told in Islam to say “peace be upon him” after all prophets and especially pray for Muhammad, peace be upon him (like that) when we say his name.

Do priests, bishops or even the pope show this type of praising to Jesus, peace be upon him? I think not. Yet. all Muslims, everywhere, for the last 1,400 years have been doing this and we continue to do this every day, and anytime someone forgets – we remind them.

Was Jesus, peace be upon him, a miracle birth?

First of all, everyone is a “miracle birth” – stop and think about it. We all came from Adam, peace be upon him (first prophet), he was not “born” in the sense we were. He was given life directly from God Almighty Himself. God “Blew life into him”.

Eve, our first mother, was taken from Adam’s rib and God Almighty gave her life – another miracle “birth”. And from them all humanity has come forth, generation upon generation and most of them – ungrateful to Allah and not believers or worshippers of Him on His terms.

Yet, He the Almighty, is willing to bring more of us into being and gives all of us a chance to see the truth, a chance to know our purpose, but most do not care or they want to make up their own “gods” and their own WAY. But there is really only one “Way” – the “Way of the people of Jesus, peace be upon him”.

Surprised?

Don’t be. We Muslims know Jesus, peace be upon him, was just as much a prophet as Muhammad, peace be upon him.

They preached the same message – “Worship One God, One Way” and “follow me”. Follow the “Way” of the prophets, peace be upon them all.

Does any of this make sense to you? Is Allah guiding you right now? Are you seeing what I saw two decades ago?

Jonabeth, just keep on praying deep, down inside your own heart. He Knows you are talking to Him. He Sees you in all you are doing. He Hears every single thought. Jonabeth – He is there and here and everywhere – in His Knowledge, in His Seeing, in His Hearing and in His Mercy.

But He never is like you and I. He is not “in” His creation, like us. He is never “in” anything. He is Almighty and Above all things, Supreme. He holds the Power over all things. There is none like unto Him. He does not “beget” (have children) nor is He “begotten” (born like a human). Allah is the “God Almighty” of us all, including Muhammad and Jesus, peace be upon them and the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary.

We believe in Mary as a human being and one who gave birth in a miraculous way, by the Command of Almighty Allah, Who merely says, “BE” and it is as He has ordered.

Jesus, peace be upon him, gave the answer you are looking for, because all of the prophets of Allah (the Almighty) only had one message.

Their message was to all humans – to tell us all – What is our purpose – our purpose of life.

And that message is still alive today, in the original revelation, the Last and Final Testament to all manking from the Lord Above – The Recitation (Quran means “Recitation”).

Chapter 51, verse 56, this is the message from Almighty Allah to all humans in all time – the same thing all the prophets said (and then people tried to change it, over and over).

The message?

“You have to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul” (ref. Bible)

But what about the Quran’s message?

We even know the exact way it was said, word-for-word, in Arabic:

Allah Almighty says, “I did not create the jinn and mankind, except to worship me.” *Ad-Dariyat 51: 56

Transliteration: Wama khalaqtu aljinna waalinsa illa liyaAAbudooni

Worship Allah, Almight God, on His Terms, His Way, Obey His Commandments with full heart and mind.

That’s the message. That’s the secret of life.

I pray for you Jonabeth, to be guided as you have asked in your email. But you asked me to guide you and I know only Allah will do that. But I am happy to share with you as we both walk along the path together to achieve that goal of worshipping Him, Alone, without any other “gods” beside Him.

(ref. Bible, Book of Exodus, chapter 20, first commandment of Allah Almighty).

Are you ready for some references? Places to get more?

Well, when I came to Islam there wasn’t much in the way of English on these important topics.

So, I have made it my life’s work to provide as much as I can for people who, like me, would like to know the truth, the real truth, and nothing but the truth about God, about Jesus, peace be upon him, about the Bible, the Quran, Muhammad, peace be upon him, and most important – about “How to Worship God Almighty On His Terms”

There is a word for that in Arabic. It means the Way to worship God Almighty, in full surrender, complete submission, total obedience and sincerity and peace.

The word?

ISLAM

Peace dear brother and may Allah always guide you in the very best of His Love, His Mercy

and His Guidance, ameen.

Your Brother in Peace,

Yusuf Estes

National Muslim Chaplain (retired)