A Response to Mujtahid2006, Part 4 (Conclusion)

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Abdullah of the UK on Textual Claims Part 5

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Now, in concluding the video, you brought up the issue of John 14, 28, and I had said in my video that Muslims are guilty of taking

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John 14, 28 out of context, where Jesus said the Father is greater than I am. And this is the case.

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I'm sorry, but Muslims, I've yet to see, maybe you can provide a meaningful discussion of all of John 14 and all the things that Jesus says there, that no result could ever say.

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No result says believe in me. If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. I and the Father will dwell in you through the presence of the

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Holy Spirit. I mean, these are all things that no mere prophet could ever say without committing blasphemy.

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And this is the same book that's going to be presenting Jesus talking about how before the world was, he had the glory of the

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Father and all the rest of these things. And his point in what he's saying in John 14, 28 is, since I'm going back to the

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Father, if you love me, you rejoiced. Why? Because I'm going back to a greater position.

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The Father is greater than I am. He's talking about, as now he is in the position of humiliation, he's taken on that human flesh, he is walking the dusty roads of Galilee, he is going to ascend back into the presence of the

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Father. What result would speak like this? What prophet has ever spoken like this?

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None could, because Jesus isn't just merely a result.

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And so, to just take that one phrase and ignore everything that goes before it and after it is taking it out of context.

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Now, you made reference to, and I found it a very interesting phrase.

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You said that you're not taking it out of context, you're taking it out of dogma. Well, I appreciate that phraseology.

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It's interesting phraseology. In fact, I would say that it's something that would be very relevant, say, to how

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Muslims handle the Quran and the role the Hadith normally has in the interpretation of the

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Quran. That allegation can go both directions, but I don't think it's true in regards to how it's dealt with by Muslims in regards to John 14, 28, because I have yet to see anyone acknowledge all these statements on Jesus' part in John 14, which must be taken into consideration before the citation of the bare phraseology, the

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Father is greater than I am. I would say that in the vast majority of instances, the

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Muslim interprets those words not in the context of John 14, the first century, but in the context of a book written in a different language 600 years later that has no direct connection to the

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New Testament or Old Testament as far as its author actually understanding those things. And so these are some of the issues, and again,

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I appreciate the way in which these have been raised, and I hope that my response has been understandable, and that especially what seems to me the central focus, the central issue that I've seen in responding to Muslims so far on YouTube, is trying to find someone who will use consistent scholarship and consistent standards, apply the same standards to the

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Quran that you apply to the New Testament. If you're going to accept the most wild -eyed liberal skepticism about the text of the

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New Testament, guess what? You've got to do the same thing for the Quran. If you're going to cite Bart Ehrman, then you better listen to everything that he says, first of all, and recognize that he doesn't think that we can know with certainty any ancient writing at all, including your

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Quran. If you're going to cite this material, be consistent. I think that's the only way to really start a meaningful discussion of the issues that separate