And in the Quran it’s not Jehovah, but Allah, and it can’t be Father if there is
no Son.
Mr. Pendleton says, “The assertion that Swedenborg could not have any
knowledge about Islam” is not correct. I said, “I don’t know if Swedenborg read
the Quran; it wasn’t widely available in the 18th century.” I quoted two sources
to this effect, one stating that “written translations were few, scarce and for the
most part inaccurate.”
Perhaps it’s significant that none of the 45 or so statements in the Quran
urging Muslims to fight is mentioned by Swedenborg. His letter of 1767 says,
“It was forbidden me to read dogmatic and systematic books in theology
before heaven was opened to me.”
Mr. Pendleton says that I said, “the one God of the Quran is similar to that
of sun worshippers.” What I said was, “Muslims believe in one God . . . as do
sun worshippers.” Not “similar to.”
He writes, “to say that (Allah) is not the God of the Old Testament seems
wrong. The God of the Quran in fact appears to be a consummate example
of God presented in the Old Testament.” This is absolute nonsense. As noted
in my 2012 article, “Allah leads people astray . . . [and] can save anyone He
wishes.”
As noted above, in many places the Quran urges Muslims to fight. Is this
the God of the Old Testament? “I created . . . humankind only that they might
worship me.” (51:56) There are, however, some similarities between the Quran
and the Old Testament. Mr. Pendleton uses two pages discussing these.
He says, “The God of the Quran is the God of Aaron . . . Jesus [and all the
Prophets].” If you are a Muslim you should think so.
Mr. Pendleton refers to my statement that, “The Writings in several
places speak of Muslims believing that Jesus was ‘the greatest prophet,’ as in
Last Judgment 50. This, however, is not the case.” I gave three quotes from the
Quran, including: “We make no distinction among any of (the prophets).” Mr.
Pendleton takes issue with this and devotes more than a page to quotes from
the Quran that bring this into question, but do not contradict my statement.
He lists each of the Commandments and gives the Muslim equivalent
– five of the nine incorrectly or without noting conflicting statements in the
Quran:
• “Remember the Sabbath Day.” He quotes from the Quran what was
expressed by Moses, not what is meant for Muslims. The Quran says,
“When [Friday] prayers are ended, disperse and go your ways in quest of
God’s bounty.” Hardly the avoidance of work as enjoined upon the Jews.
• “Honor your father and mother.” He quotes the Quran as saying, “do
good to your parents.” (17:23) It also says, “Believer, do not befriend
your fathers or brothers if they choose disbelief.” (9:23)
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