Controversy sometimes breaks out between Christians and Muslims over which divine message is more tolerant. Some Christians argue that Christianity is more tolerant than Islam.
Therefore, we will indicate how tolerant those two divine messages are without bias towards Islam for we, Muslims, believe in both two messages and their two prophets, but, in our belief in them, we just take into consideration the fact that the former message (Christianity) was associated with a certain place, time and nation, whereas the latter (Islam) one applies to each nation every time, everywhere.
We will make clear that both messages are characterized by tolerance without discrimination. Yet, each message had its own circumstances relating to space, time, environment and empowerment. Therefore, it is not fair to claim that one message is more tolerant than the other given the difference in the circumstances of each of them.
We will explain how tolerant those two messages are towards the fellow followers of the same message on the one hand and towards the followers of the other faiths and religions on the other hand.
Tolerance towards the Followers of the Same Message
We often hear some Christian friends arguing that Christianity is more tolerant than Islam and that Christians are more tolerant towards one another than Muslims are. They support their argument with some statements attributed to Jesus in the New Testament.
According to those Christians, such statements reflect matchless tolerance towards the fellow followers of the same message.
The following statements of Jesus cited in the New Testament are usually
offered by Christians as evidence for the unique tolerance among
Christians.
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” (Luke 6:27-30)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:38-44)
However, upon hearing the above verses of the New Testament, the following questions arise quite directly and automatically: must each Christian always put those verses into practice? Can he put them into practice on the ground? Do those verses mean that it is lawful to take a Christian as an enemy and so he may be hated, cursed, mistreated, slapped, stripped of his clothes and property, and even persecuted?
Must a Christian always tolerate enmity, hate, curse, mistreatment, and beating and allow the other to strip him of his clothes and property without any claim for recovery and to persecute him and refrain from resisting evil in general? What if a Christian cannot tolerate that? Can he sue the other?
Of course, it is crystal clear that the above verses do not introduce binding or incumbent legal rulings for Christians, given their apparent inapplicability. Those and similar verses just communicate such exhortations, admonitions, morals, ethics and values which believers in Jesus are recommended to put into practice.
Those verses cannot be put into practice by most people, nor can they underlie a law binding on all people for a law is supposed to be such a feasible law to which everybody can adhere no matter how faithful or devout a person may be.
It is well-known that Christians follow the law of Prophet Moses, that is to say the rulings of Moses’ law mostly apply to Christians according to Jesus himself. In the New Testament, Jesus is quoted as saying: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)
Accordingly, a Christian may appeal to Moses’ law, avenge himself and protest against injustice. This law provides: “Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death. Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life.
Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death.” (Leviticus 24:17-21)
Therefore, supposing that Jesus actually made the statements first written above as cited in the New Testament, those statements should not be understood as abrogating the rulings of Moses’ law. Rather, they just served as a call for moral development and spiritual excellence. It was such a call to which not each Christian could respond, nor could it serve as a practical lifestyle given the fact that it was not put into practice anywhere or any time.
We have never heard of a Christian or another society which bound its members to tolerate enmity, hate, curse, mistreatment, and beating and allow the other to strip them of their clothes and property without any claim for recovery and to persecute them and refrain from resisting evil in general.
The following are statements offered as evidence for the fact that Jesus did not abrogate many of the rulings of Moses’ law and that he just called for moral development and spiritual excellence:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” (Matthew 5:21-22)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:27-29)
We may ask here: do the above verses mean that he who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment literally? Is he who looks at a woman lustfully deemed to have committed adultery with her and does he become liable to judgment literally? Is it permissible to gouge an eye out and throw it away instead of looking at a woman lustfully?
![]() |
The statements of Jesus quoted by Christians
to indicate to which extent Christianity is tolerant do not constitute a
Christian law but just moral and ethical commandments and teachings
|
Post a Comment
Click to see the code!
To insert emoticon you must added at least one space before the code.