What Did Jesus Preach - Christianity or Islam?

Debate Introduction and the Question of What Jesus Preached

Ladies and gentlemen, I greet you all in the name of peace and take pleasure in welcoming one and all of you to this eventful debate that's due to take place tonight. It is indeed a great pleasure to see such a full house and people expressing such a keen interest in God.

It is heart-rendering indeed. Before we get down to the introduction, I'm going to say a short prayer which will be the opening of the Quran, Surah Al-Fatiha. Surah Al-Fatiha. To proceed, I'd like to start off by introducing the organization that's responsible for setting up this event, which is IQRA.

IQRA stands for Islamic Comparative Religion Academy and was founded by Mr. Ayub Karim almost 20 years ago and has been primarily active in the field of comparative religion and Dawah. Specifically, promoting the Quran and conducting dialogues and lectures on comparative religion nationally.

IQRA also has Quran study classes, comparative religion classes, and computer classes all conducted at their offices in Brickfield Road over port. Their initiatives also include social welfare in various segments like feeding schemes, hamper distribution, free bottle water distribution, water wells, water tanks, and boreholes.

IQRA also prints 30 ,000 copies of the Universal Challenge newspaper every two months, which is distributed freely throughout South Africa. You are most welcome to visit them at 232 Brickfield Road over port to learn more about them, or you can also visit their website at www .iqra .co .za.

I've kept you waiting for 20 minutes. We were scheduled to start at 7 .30. We're actually behind schedule with 20 minutes. Nonetheless, I'm not going to take much of your time. Our first speaker would be Dr. James White, who I will introduce now.

Dr. White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, a Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona, and an elder in Apologia Church in Arizona. He's the author of more than 20 books, a professor, and an accomplished debater.

Dr. White has been married for more than 37 years and has two children and four grandchildren. We welcome Dr. White. He hails all the way from the USA. Welcome, Dr. White. I've introduced Dr. White first, as he's going to be our first speaker, and I'm now going to go on to introduce Dr. Ayub Karim.

Mr. Ayub Karim, my apologies. In the Islamic world, we have millions of learned people and scholars, but just a handful of comparative religion scholars. In the world today, if we are able to count them, they would number just a few hundred.

And one such individual is most certainly our speaker today, Mr. Ayub Karim. Mr. Ayub Karim is the founder and president of Islamic Comparative Religion Academy. He has chosen to walk the path of promoting the Quran and its teachings and clearing misconceptions that other faiths and denominations have cemented upon.

He has lectured extensively in comparative religion and has debated numerous evangelists and Christian scholars, both nationally and internationally, on various subjects in comparative religion. Our topic for this evening is, What did Jesus, peace be upon him, preach?

Christianity or Islam? Evidences from the Bible and Quran. The format will be as follows. The first speaker will present an introductory talk for 30 minutes. The second speaker, 30 minutes. Followed by a 15-minute rebuttal for each speaker.

We'll have a tea break for about 15 minutes. After which each speaker gets to question the other. Five questions each. Then we'll have a question and answer for the audience. We'll hope to take about 10 questions at the most.

Giving two minutes per question for answer time. The second speaker will be given 10 minutes for the closing arguments. And the first speaker will close with also 10 minutes for his closing arguments.

Without further ado, I now have the pleasure of calling up Dr. James White to present to you. Dr. James White, thank you.

Jesus in John 6: The Bread of Life and Eternal Life by Faith

Well, good evening. It is good to be with you here, wherever it is I am. I'm not 100 certain, I'll be honest with you. I flew in from Johannesburg a little while ago and here we are. And I believe this is the third debate that we've had together.

And so I'm very much looking forward to our discussion this evening. But time is limited, so let's dive right into our topic. Did Jesus preach Christianity or Islam? For many of my friends, that is a rather obvious and clear question that Jesus taught, what he taught in the New Testament, specifically in regards to the fact that he was the Son of God who came to give his life upon Calvary's tree, rise again the third day and offer salvation to all those who would bow the knee in repentance and faith to him.

And that upon his resurrection, he said, all authority is given to me in heaven and earth, therefore, go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

So, all of those things are specifically a part of the Christian faith and since they are a part of the New Testament documents, then that would seem to answer the question. But I'm sure a number of other issues will come up this evening.

Obviously, from our perspective, given that historically, Islam as a faith arises half a millennium after the time of the New Testament, the question seems to us a little bit odd and somewhat anachronistic.

Generally, Muslims accept argumentation that attempts to isolate particular portions of Jesus' teachings such as the interaction with the rich young ruler, draw some kind of parallel or connection to Islamic beliefs and consider that the task is accomplished thereby.

But I would like to suggest to you that this is simply insufficient. Judaism, Christianity and Islam share many common elements such as monotheism, supernaturalism, the existence of a creator, submission to God's law and to God's will and general moral concepts such as justice and good works.

These similarities are insufficient to answer our question this evening because if we simply draw those parallels, then Jesus was preaching Christianity, Judaism and Islam which, of course, we know he was not.

What needs to be examined are the essential differences between Christianity and Islam, what separates us and then having established that, the question is, did Jesus positively teach certain things on those topics that separate us and what is it that he did, in fact, teach?

Isolating just a few texts such as the story of the rich young ruler from the rest of Jesus' teaching is inappropriate and misleading to actually bring us to an understanding that would be truthful. So what are the issues that separate us?

Well, I think most of us know what they are. Unitarianism, Tawhid versus Trinitarianism, the belief that there is one being of God shared by three persons. That is a fundamental difference. What did Jesus teach that was relevant to that subject?

Not whether Jesus taught monotheism because Christians and Muslims agree on that but what did he teach on the issue of Unitarianism versus Trinitarianism? Obviously relevant to that, who is Jesus? Is he a great and mighty prophet, virgin born, but merely a human, merely a Rasul?

Or did he teach he was the son of God? Did he teach he was the son of man in the eschatological sense found in the book of Daniel, as we will see, who is a divine figure? This would be very relevant to our subject this evening.

What about the crucifixion and resurrection? Did Jesus prophesy his own crucifixion? Did he say that this was going to be central to the plans of God in his life? Or did he follow after Surah 4, verse 157 and not believe that there is any crucifixion at all and hence no resurrection?

And what about how you know God? Did Jesus teach that this was through a series of works? Or did he teach that he is the only mechanism whereby anyone can ever truly have peace with the Father? Did he teach that salvation is the action of God and that it is by faith that we know God?

Is that the essence of Jesus' teaching? And only upon examining these differences can we come to a meaningful conclusion in answer to the question did Jesus teach Christianity or Islam? And so I would like to begin with some words that Jesus taught.

I had the opportunity of visiting the very location just last year where these words were said. This is from the Gospel of John. I will draw my references this evening from all four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John so that we have a wide representation as far as the material that we're looking at.

But starting with John chapter 6 hear Jesus' words. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven so that one may eat of it and not die.

I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats this bread he will live forever and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. Then the Jews began to argue with one another saying how can this man give us his flesh to eat?

So Jesus said to them truly truly I say to you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.

He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father so he who eats me he also will live because of me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven not as the fathers ate and died.

He who eats this bread will live forever. These things he said in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum. Now these words point us to one very central reality. Jesus in answering the question of the Jews which specifically said what must we do that we might inherit eternal life said this is the work of God that you believe on him whom he has sent.

Why? Because Jesus is the bread which comes down out of heaven. So the manna in the Old Testament that was given to Moses and to the people of Israel was a sign, it was a figure of something greater that God was going to do in the person of Jesus Christ and he gives his flesh not in some strange doctrine that was developed a thousand years later called transubstantiation where the elements are turned in the body and blood of Jesus.

That is not what the New Testament is speaking about. What it is speaking about is Jesus' own statement that he is going to give his body upon the cross as the mechanism whereby anyone can have eternal life and the only way to have that eternal life is to look to Jesus and to Jesus alone.

He had already said that the one who looks to me believes in me has eternal life it is an intimate relationship and I would like to suggest to you that it is only Christianity not Judaism, not Islam that teaches that it is an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ being united to him by faith by God's grace that brings about having eternal life because I am united to him his life is given to me my sins are imputed to him his righteousness given to me that is how I can have peace with God the Father and so Jesus is absolutely central to the Christian understanding of how we can have peace with God as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father so he who eats me he also will live because of me that is the only way to have spiritual life in Jesus' own teaching.

Now which religion teaches this? Christianity or Islam? It's Christianity. Jesus is the central one by whom we have relationship with God the Father and these things he said while teaching in Capernaum these are words that were spoken in history at a particular point in time we can still locate where they happened.

Nothing that Jesus says in the Quran takes place at a point in history nothing. There is only one time when Jesus speaks in the Quran that we can identify a location and it's from his cradle and that was a story borrowed from the Arabic infancy gospels written in the 5th century it's a Gnostic source that has nothing to do with the real Jesus.

So here you have something that happened in history words that happened in history and they direct us to the answer to the debate this evening. Then from the gospel of Luke Luke chapter 8 a ruler questioned him saying good teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life.

And Jesus said to him why do you call me good. No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother.

And he said all these things I have kept from my youth. And Jesus when Jesus heard this he said to him one thing you still lack sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come follow me.

But when he had heard these things he became very sad for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said how hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

They who heard it said then who can be saved. But he said the things that are impossible with people are possible with God. Now we've all heard this story before and very often my Muslim friends will say well see there was Jesus's entire teaching about how you're made right before God is doing good works.

And that completely misses the point of Jesus's interaction with the rich young ruler. What is also missed is people say well see Jesus says he's not God. He says why do you call me good. No one is good except God alone.

But you're missing the point. The rich young ruler didn't know who he was dealing with. And Jesus calls himself the good shepherd. Does he not. Jesus says to the Jews which one of you convicts me of sin.

So the answer to the question why do you call me good is calling the young man to understand who it is he's talking to. He's not just a mere prophet. He has the right to determine who receives eternal life as we will see here just in a moment in the rest of Jesus's teaching.

But did Jesus simply say this man if you'll do these things you will obtain eternal life. No he understood this man's heart. And this man thought that he was keeping God's law. But Jesus realized he was an idolater not in the sense of shirk.

Idolatry in the Christian faith is broader than just that one category. He was an idolater because he loved the things that God had given to him. He loved those things more than he loved God. He loved those things more than he loved eternal life.

And so he went away very sad because the object of his love was his stuff. And Jesus puts his finger upon the real issue and says you need to sell everything you have give it to the poor follow me. Then you'll have treasure in heaven.

And notice it says come follow me. Jesus just as in John 6 points us to the centrality of himself. So the text is abused if you separate it from its context. Only two sentences later. I wonder how many who have heard this text used in the past.

Remember what comes only two sentences later after Jesus says these words the rich young ruler do you know here's what he said. Then he took the twelve aside and said to them behold we are going out to Jerusalem.

And all things which are written through the prophets about the son of man will be accomplished for he will be handed over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon. And after they have scourged him they will kill him and the third day he will rise again.

But the disciples understood none of these things and the meaning of the statement was hidden from them and they did not comprehend the things that were said so within two sentences. So if you're going to go to the story of the rich young ruler you need to go to the next two sentences which specifically have Jesus prophesying his death in Jerusalem by crucifixion and his resurrection the very things denied by Surah 4, verse 157.

So what was Jesus' teaching Christianity or Islam. Christianity. Very very clearly in the context of Luke chapter 8. And I would simply suggest to all of this evening hold us to the same standard. I will not.

I'm not misquoting Surah 4, verse 157. There is no context to Surah 4, verse 157. There is no there's not even any any commentary in the Hadith about what Surah 4, verse 157 says. But I will seek to be very careful in any citation of the Quran to give it in its context.

We need to do the same thing with the Bible. So if you go to the rich young ruler go to the whole story which includes Jesus' prophecy of his death burial and resurrection in Jerusalem the very thing denied by the Quran.

Jesus, the Son of Man, and the Son of God in Mark 14 and Daniel 7

Now in Mark chapter 14 at Jesus' trial Jesus has kept silent to the accusations that are made against him. But then this happens. But he kept silent and did not answer again. The high priest was questioning him and saying to him are you the Christ the son of the blessed one.

And Jesus said I am. And you shall see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven tearing his clothes. The high priest said what further need do we have of witnesses.

You have heard the blasphemy. How does it seem to you. And they all condemned him to be deserving of death. Now what's going on here. Well the Jews understood exactly what Jesus had just claimed for himself when he said you shall see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with the clouds of heaven.

He took two texts from the Tanakh from the Hebrew scriptures and he brought them together. The first was Psalm 110 1 which is the most often cited text from the Old Testament in the New Testament. And then he also quoted from Daniel chapter 7.

So Psalm 110 1 says the Lord says to my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Now think with me for a moment about Muhammad's night vision and his visitation to heaven.

Was Jesus in the very presence of Allah. What level was he on. He wasn't even near the top was he. He was not. And yet Jesus said that he is at the right hand. And the father says to him sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

This is a messianic text about the exaltation of the Messiah. But then Jesus combines that with Daniel chapter 7. And here's what Daniel chapter 7 verses 13 through 14 say. I kept looking the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven.

One like a son of man. This is where Jesus draws that phraseology. One like a son of man was coming and he came up to the ancient of days and was presented before him and to him was given dominion glory and a kingdom that all the peoples nations and men of every language might do what serve him.

Which religion teaches that all of humanity serves. And that term serve in the Greek Septuagint which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament is the term Latruo which is the highest form of worship in the temple so that all people and every language might serve him.

That's the message of Christianity. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. That's what Jesus said about himself. And that is why the high priest tears his clothes and he says you've heard the blasphemy.

He is worthy of death. So our debate this evening what did Jesus preach. Christianity or Islam. How do you put these words into an Islamic understanding of who Jesus is. It's not possible. It is not possible.

And the author of the Quran gives no evidence that he ever was even aware of Jesus' saying. These words doesn't refute it doesn't know anything about it. But you do now. And that means we're all accountable for all the truth that is presented to us in John chapter 20 verse 28.

After the resurrection of Jesus when Jesus first appeared to the disciples Thomas was not present with them. And then after eight days his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Then Jesus came the doors having been shut and stood in their midst and said peace be with you.

Then he said to Thomas reach here with your finger and see my hands and reach here your hand and put it into my side and do not be unbelieving but believing. Thomas answered and said to him Hakuriasmu Kaihathiasmu my Lord and my God.

Both phrases Lord and God by every rule of Greek grammar are being applied to Jesus. Anyone who tries to separate them does not understand the Greek language. It is a complete violation of the language.

Thomas said to Jesus Hakurias which is a very short term used of Yahweh in the Old Testament. And my God Kaihathiasmu my God. Now how did Jesus. How would the Islamic Jesus have to respond to that statement.

If he is but a mere Rasul. The response would be what. Do not say that. Just like the angel when John bowed down to the angel in the book of Revelation the angel says don't do that. Worship only God. That's what Jesus would have to have done.

But what does Jesus do. Jesus said to him because you have seen me. Have you believed. Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed. Jesus commends the faith of Thomas. He does not reject it. He does not repudiate it.

He calls it faith. You have believed. Jesus accepts the identification of himself as Thomas' Lord and God. Which faith teaches that Christianity or Islam. Christianity does. It is very very clear. Let's go to the Gospel of Matthew.

We've looked at Luke and Mark and John. Let's go to Matthew. But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee to the mountain which Jesus had designated. This is after the resurrection. When they saw him they worshipped him.

But some were doubtful. I am so glad that the New Testament is extremely honest in recording those words. The resurrection was so amazing that there were some who doubted they needed further evidence.

They needed to hear from Jesus. And what does Jesus say. Jesus came up and spoke to them saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I commanded you and lo I am with you always even to the end of the age.

Which religion teaches that. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. All authority over every king over every government. Jesus Christ is king of kings and Lord of lords. The book of Revelation says that he rules the kings of the earth of the rod of iron.

All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. And because of that go therefore and make disciples not just of the Jews. Jesus is not just the Messiah of the Jews. He is the king of heaven and earth.

And he sends his disciples out to make more disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name singular of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. What religion teaches that the one name of God is equally shared by Father by Son and by the Holy Spirit.

There is only one biblical Christianity. This is the teaching of Jesus. This is the teaching of Jesus in the same gospel Matthew chapter 11. This one is rarely brought up in Muslim and Christian debate.

So I hope you listen carefully at that time Jesus said I praise you Father Lord of heaven and earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes Father.

For this way was well pleasing in your sight. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. And no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

I want you to hear those words because I think this is the most important thing that we'll talk about this evening. Do you hear what Jesus says. You want to know what Jesus taught. All things have been handed over to me by my Father just as he says in Matthew 28.

All authority. But then listen to this. And no one knows the Son except the Father. Really the Son is so exalted so powerful so great that the only one who truly knows Him is the Father. But not only that nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

Ever heard that before Jesus teaches that if you want to know the Father Jesus is the one who has to reveal Him to you. Now think about what that means about Jesus. If Jesus is merely a Rasul if Jesus is merely a creation He cannot exhaustively and perfectly reveal the Father.

But not only that He's claiming the authority to be the only one who can reveal the Father to anyone. If anyone is to know the Father it is at the will of the Son. The Son is sovereign in the matter of grace.

Now think about what that means my friends you either have to simply say no, Jesus never said those words. And then be consistent be consistent or recognize that if Jesus said these words you cannot view Him as a mere prophet amongst many other prophets because He doesn't say.

The only way that a Jewish person can know the Father is if I will to reveal the Father to Him. No He says nor does anyone know the Father anyone except the Son. So He claims to be the perfect knower of God the Father.

And He then becomes the perfect revealer of God the Father to whom anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. This is absolute exclusivity. There is no way around Jesus to gain true knowledge of who the Father is.

There's no other way that's offensive to many people. But if Jesus was who He claimed to be that shouldn't be offensive to anyone. If God has chosen in the person of His Son to enter into human flesh we don't have the right to come along and say we'd rather have you do it a different way.

If He has condescended to show such love for us we have no right to demand some other means. If you want to know the Father I say to you this evening there is one way the risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

There is no other way. That's what He said. That's what He taught. You have to deal with it. Which religion teaches that Christianity does is the debate decided. I think it is by the evidence. But I don't want to stop there because I have really really great news for you.

The great news I have for you is the fact that Jesus continued on after saying those words. And He said after He says no one can know the Father except through Me. He then said come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. So right after He says there is no other way.

He then says come. But what does He say? Come to Me. The graciousness the love the condescension of God in the person of Jesus Christ this exalted Creator of all things. Colossians chapter 1 says says come to Me.

Come to Me. But it says all who are weary and heavy laden. He doesn't say come to Me all who are arrogant. Come to Me all who think that you can give something to God when He needs nothing that you have.

He says come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Jesus says He will be the source of the rest and peace of the one who believes in Almighty God. He's the source of that. Take My yoke upon you.

Learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. The Christian message is only for people whose souls are weary. The Christian message is only for people who are experiencing the conviction of the Spirit of God and a desire to have peace with God.

And there's that phrase you will find rest for your souls. Did you know. It's a quotation from the Old Testament. It's a quotation from Jeremiah 6 16. Let me read it for you. Thus says Yahweh stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths where the good way is and walk in it.

And you will find rest for your souls. I'm not asking you to do something new from Moses onward. They all prophesied of the one who was going to come. These are the ancient paths. These are the ancient ways.

This is what is consistent with the fulfillment of the prophecies that are found in Moses and all the prophets is to come to Jesus. But the sad thing is in Jeremiah 6 16 the last part of the verse says.

But they said we will not walk in it. My friends will you be like those rebellious Jews who did not hear who would not accept the invitation to walk in the ancient paths and find rest for their souls.

Jesus said the only way to have that rest. The only way to have that peace was to come to him. So I ask you a simple question in every verse that I've presented this evening in its context. Which of the two faiths teaches what Jesus taught.

And there's only one answer to that question. It's Christianity. It's Christianity. That is our debate this evening. Thank you for listening carefully. God bless.

Thank you very much for that compelling account of your perspective Dr. White. It certainly did have the audience riveted. I must say thank you. Our next speaker that I'd like to call upon is Mr. Ayub Karim to give his account in position as to why Jesus taught Islam and not Christianity.

Mr. Ayub Karim.

Jesus in the Quran, Islam as Submission, and the Disputed Meaning of Christian Labels

Respected elders respected audience I greet you with the traditional greeting of all the prophets and a good cue for that will be found in the gospel according to St. John chapter 20 where Jesus Christ greets his disciples.

Shalom aleichem. In Arabic I greet all of you with the same greeting. Assalamu alaikum translated peace be with you. So let us begin with. Did Jesus Christ preach Islam or Christianity. His first way the man in which he greeted people was in Islamic way.

Salam aleichem. We have started the debate Dr. James White all right now. Whatever Dr. James White has mentioned and this is not my rebuttal but I had prepared my lecture thinking that I would go first as I normally do but he is my guest and I told him to choose and he chose first.

And whatever I'm going to say now you will find even if I'm quoting from the Bible is going to contradict all that Dr. James White has said. And remember that this is not my rebuttal but you will find that it is going to contradict it.

And my interpretation is not void of logic it's not void of good sound reasoning and neither it is void of common sense. This I assure you. So in the contradictions or those contradictions now you will find that contradictions will arise in the Bible but it is not for me to sort out those contradictions within the covers of the Bible.

That is something that Dr. James White has to deal with. But the contradictions there will be. So let me begin. What did Jesus Christ preach. And I will also say it is obvious the Muslims know that Jesus Christ preached Islam and we get our cue from the Quran in Surah Al-Imran chapter 3 verse 52.

فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ إِيسَا مِنْهُمُ الْقُفْرَةَ. When Jesus found unbelief on the path on those people. قَالَ مَنْ أَنْسَارِ إِلَى اللَّهِ he said who will be my helpers to the work of God. قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُونَ نَخْنُ أَنْسَارُ اللَّهِ said the disciples whose disciples the disciples of Jesus Christ we will be God's helpers.

آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ we believe in God. وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ. Then write us down obey witness that we are Muslims. This is what the Quran says that this is what transpired between Jesus Christ his people when they rejected his message and what his disciples had to say.

So the cue in the Quran is that the disciples of Jesus Christ claim to be Muslims. Then one can conclude that what Jesus Christ preached was not Christianity but Islam. Now let me tell you what Islam is.

And I was disappointed to a certain degree with Dr. White in that he didn't define Christianity. But I will afford I will afford you that. So what is Islam. Islam basically the root word means peace. But it means within the context دين الإسلام.

Like in the Quran it says in Surah Ali Imran verse 19. إِنَّ الدِّينَ إِنَّ اللَّـهِ إِسْلَامٌ the religion before God. A point of note the word religion does not have an Arabic equivalent. So any Muslim here and any Christian here that believes that Islam is a religion I'm asking you to please please blot it out.

Islam is not a religion. إِنَّ الدِّينَ إِنَّ اللَّـهِ إِسْلَامٌ the religion before God. So Alama Yusuf Ali and all the translators of the Quran they use the word religion for convenience. دين الإسلام is a way of life.

And what is that way of life to submit your will to the command or will of God Almighty. That is the definition of Islam. So if you were to come to me and ask me what religion do you belong to now I'm going to tell you I belong to a way of life whereby I must submit my will to the will of God.

One word long one meter long must I do that. So every time you come I say one word Islam. Islam Islam Islam. What is a Muslim. A Muslim is a person who lives his way of life by submitting his will to the command of God Almighty.

Another word so long reduce it to one word Muslim. It makes it easier for conversation. So for the purpose of translation religion of Islam. Yes by all means Christianity. Christianity is a religion. Judaism is a religion.