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Cited above words prove that Oriana Fallaci, who called herself unbeliever, inherits the Christian civilization much more than John Paul II, who disavowed this civilization so often.
Certainly, Christianity is the religion of toleration and Benedict XVI has emphasized it in his statements. Christian can’t but respect an intimate religiosity of people professing other faith. Naturally, we tend to respect the Egyptian peasant or Indonesian fisherman, Malaysian girlie or mother of a big family in Morocco much more than drug-addicts and drunkards in our own country. But such respect of religiosity and natural acceptance of mono-theistic character of Islam (in this respect it has a strong resemblance with Christianity) doesn’t imply the religious indifference and acceptance of religions equality. They are equal in the eye of the law. But the real Christian will never say that all religions are equal, and that all prophets are true, and that everyone has his own verity. There is a single truth and we all know WHO is this truth – The ONE who said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life[12]». ().
This is a typical Laodicean[13] self-satisfaction. In such a way the representative of Church makes reference to Jesus Christ. And in the Creed one never finds a single phrase expressing the Jesus’ thoughts. He refers to Jesus Christ having forgotten his own words, more or less truly recorded in the New Testament[14]:
«21. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven[15], but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'
23. And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness'» (Matthew, 7).
People tend to follow the historically set of faith traditions, within the frames of which they were brought up and usually they don’t think over to understand whether these traditions are true or false or whether they correspond to the initial Revelations.
The bishop of Stavropoulos and Vladicaucasus Theophanous incite to return to this suicidal-cul-de-sac way of life. Here is the passage from the cited above press-conference:
«Zelimhan Yahihanov (the newspaper “Molodezhnaya Smena”, The Chechen Republic): I have noticed that recently faithful – Christians as well as Muslims – are dropping back from traditional religious canons. This is an inevitable process of the changing world. What do you think is better to save in religion and what can we declare off? And how are these processes going on in the real life?
The Sovereign Theophanous: This is a rather controversial question. In my personal opinion one can drop back only in case he has already been there. Over the last century there was a violent abruption, an uprooting of traditional buttresses. Nowadays we face a return to the roots rather than abruption. But these processes are always complicated. The whole century of atheism characterized as an incredibly brutal epoch with severe crimes on religion basis is not in vain. Christians as well as Muslims have to follow traditions – because of the fact that return to the roots is considered to be acheless. For instance, when one makes organ transplantation he tries to take it from the very same body. And when one tries to impose some new traditions on religious basis – it turns out to be very dangerous. I believe that our country should return to the traditions in order to maintain our culture and religion. Only in this case we will become a peaceful nation» (marked with bold by us when citing)[16]. The thing is that we pay attention to the problem of resistance which actually didn’t exist. I am sure that there is a lot for the West to learn from us. ().
Therefore only those who are not afraid to ask the questions that are perceived as faithless and to accept the possible answers for such questions will have a bright future.
2. God is the best of pla
Returning to the question of Manuel II Palaiologos, which became with the help of the Pope the question of current interest, we can’t but stress that: Muhammad made no pretence of introducing into the humankind culture something absolutely new. He constantly asserted that:
Koran is not the fruit of his own thoughts but the God’s Revelation. He stated that his duty is to convey this Revelation to the people and to control them in the formative stage of their culture based on Koran;
The purpose of Koran is to confirm the truth of those Revelations, given earlier through Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus Christ and other God’s missioners to the people, who for many reasons ignored them. Therefore there was a necessity to send Koran and that’s why there was in general nothing new in it.
It is said in Koran[17] many times, for instance (we put sometimes the main text in bold to differ it from our commentaries given in italic):
« And We have revealed to you (to Muhammad) the Book with the truth, verifying what is before it (before Koran) of the Book and a guardian over it (from the context it is understood “a guardian over the truth”) , therefore judge between them by what God has revealed, and do not follow their low desires (to turn away) from the truth that has come to you » (Koran, Sura 5:48).
« Naught is said to you ( to Muhammad ) but what was said indeed to the messengers before you; surely your Lord is the Lord of forgiveness and the Lord of painful retribution » (Koran, Sura 41:43).
The thing is that the very formulation of the question put by Manuel II Palaiologos: “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new?” – is one of the signs showing that Manuel II Palaiologos as well as his advisors on theological and political issues (and also their predecessors[18]) were incompetent. And that turned out to be the reason for Byzantine collapse[19].
One should understand that God doesn’t uproot righteousness and the collapse of Byzantine reveals unrighteousness of the dominant creed there and proves that everybody adhered to that untruth.
The reaction of the Muslim world towards the Pope’s speech in which he cited the question of Manuel II Palaiologos contradicts Koran. In Koran it is said:
«196. Surely my guardian is God, Who revealed the Book, and He befriends the good.
197. And those whom you call upon besides Him are not able to help you, nor can they help themselves.
198. And if you invite them (other people) to guidance (i.e. to the life in harmony with God) , they do not hear; and you see them looking towards you, yet they do not see.
199. Take to forgiveness and enjoin good and turn aside from the ignorant![20]
200. And if a false imputation from the satan afflict you, seek refuge in God; surely He is Hearing, Knowing.
201. Surely those who guard (against evil), when a visitation from the satan afflicts them they become mindful, then lo! they see» (Sura 7).
«255. God is He besides Whom there is no god, the Everliving, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they ca
256. There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error[21]; therefore, whoever disbelieves in the satan and believes in God he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handle, which shall not break off, and God is Hearing, Knowing.