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WAS

PAUL

JESUS’ APOSTLE

? Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman

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WAS PAUL JESUS’ APOSTLE?

One would logically think that the two billion Christians who

carry the name of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him, PBUH) are

following him. However, this is not true, because Christians do not

follow the teachings of Jesus. For instance, let's read what Jesus

said:

“The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: ‘Hear, O Israel:

The Lord our God, THE LORD IS ONE’.” (Mark, 12:29)

“Do not think that I HAVE COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW or the

Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.”

(Matthew, 5:17)

Do Christians apply these verses?

No. Today Christianity consider Jesus a divine Son of God and a

part of the Trinity (God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy

Ghost). In addition they have abrogated the law of God. Therefore,

Christians today are following Paul and not Jesus Christ.

In this booklet, we will provide clear evidence, from the Bible,

that Paul was not a true apostle of Jesus. In the beginning he

tortured and killed Jesus' followers. Then he claimed his

conversion to Christianity and appointed himself an apostle of

Jesus to destroy Christianity from within.

“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ

was not known so that I would not be building on someone else’s

foundation” (Romans 15:20).

Jesus foretold and warned from false apostles like Paul. In

addition, he foretold the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),

the Spirit of the truth, to guide mankind to the Straight Path of God.

“Yet when the Spirit of Truth comes, he’ll guide you into all

truth” (John, 16:13).

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WAS PAUL JESUS’

APOSTLE

? Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman

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Copyright is reserved by the author, except for those who want to distribute this booklet for free.

May God reward all those who contributed to writing, revising, amending, translating and printing this booklet.

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IN THE NAME OG GOD THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

WAS PAUL JESUS’ APOSTLE?

Dr. Muhammad Solaiman

1. Introduction 6

2. Saul / Paul 7

3. Contradictions in the story of Paul's conversion 10

4. Was Paul recognised as one of the twelve apostles of Jesus? 11

5. Inconsistencies in Paul’s claimed apostleship 13

6. Questionable incidents in Paul's Apostleship 17

7. Why did Pauline Christianity prevail and spread rapidly among the Gentiles? 21 8. The role of Constantine and the Church in the propagation of Pauline Christianity 23

9. Jesus doctrine vs. Pauline doctrine 27

10. How to restore the original message of God 38

11. Concluding remarks 42

1. Introduction

There is today at least two billion Christian. Ironically, however, if

Jesus, peace be upon him, (1) returns back he would not recognise them as

his followers! He would say to them, "I do not know you, you just carry my

name. I told you 'If you love me, keep my commandments' (John, 14:15),

and yet you have followed the commandments of others".

Today’s Christians believe in the divinity of Jesus, as the son of God,

original sin and they have abrogated the law of God which they think Jesus

has emancipated them from. All these notions were actually introduced

years after Jesus by a Jew from Tarsus called Saul. After Jesus’ ascension to

Heaven, Saul claimed that he was converted to Christianity and changed his

name to Paul. He claimed to have had direct revelations from Jesus and

appointed himself an apostle of Jesus.

None of the above doctrines of Paul was preached by Jesus. On the

contrary, the Bible tells us that Jesus preached the Oneness of God and the

submission to His Law. Read, for example:

“The most important one answered Jesus, is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord

our God, the Lord is one’” (Mark, 12:29).

1. Muslims normally praise the prophets after mentioning their names. For the ease of reading the text by non-Muslims, I will refrain from doing so in the booklet. However, Muslims are required to say peace be upon him.

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“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have

not come to abolish them but to fulfil them” (Matthew, 5:17).

As we will see in this booklet, Paul cooperated with the pagan Roman

authorities, to torture Christians. He even superintended the killing of

Simon the first Christian martyr. When Paul found that the ruthless torture

of Christians was useless, he decided to use deception. He appointed

himself an apostle of Jesus and propagated a completely different religion

which could be called Pauline Christianity.

Though Paul’s odd doctrines were rejected by the true followers of Jesus

Christ, he found a foothold among the pagan Gentiles because they had no

idea about the scripture and he presented to them Jesus as a substitute for

their deities.

In addition and most importantly, Paul’s doctrines suited well the

powerful pagan ambitious Roman Emperor, Constantine, who was only

keen to rule a powerful unified Empire. Therefore, Constantine chose a

Church that unified his vast Empire based on the distorted Pauline

Christianity. The Church tortured and killed the true followers of Jesus

Christ and burnt their scribes.

Therefore, Christians have been misled to follow Paul instead of Jesus.

They do not even realise that the true message of Jesus has been abrogated

and replaced by the false doctrines of Paul which are continuously taught to

them by the Church.

You will find in this booklet amazing evidence that Paul was a false

apostle. We will clarify how Paul’s teachings have no roots in what Jesus

and all the prophets of God, like Noah, Abraham, Moses and Muhammad

(PBUT) have taught. All prophets of God preached the Oneness of God and

the commitment to his Law, which are the essences of the religion of Islam.

2. Saul / Paul Paul’s name was originally Saul. According to his Epistles and the Acts

(23:6) of the New Testament of the Bible, he was a Jew of the tribe of

Benjamin and from a long-established Pharisee family in Tarsus. He studied

in Jerusalem under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), the leader of the Pharisees. The

Pharisees were a sect of Jews who preserved the Pharisaical oral law

in the form of the Talmud.

Paul was not a disciple of Jesus and he never met him. He also had not

any sort of direct connection to Jesus’ Apostles before his claimed

conversion to Christianity.

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Figure 1: Paul was born around AD 4, converted to Christianity around AD 33 and died around AD 64. Although he was contemporary of Jesus, he never met him.

While Jesus is supposed to be the founder of Christianity, the Church

considers Paul to be the greatest interpreter of Jesus' mission and teachings.

Ironically, while in the New Testament, there are only four gospels of Jesus,

thre are thirteen Epistles attributed to Paul.

Paul shaped the doctrines of Christianity and introduced, in his Epistles,

what Jesus himself never did or said. He made of Jesus a deity to be

worshipped, abolished the Law he was sent to fulfil and made of his life and

death on the cross a mission of salvation.

2.1. Persecution and killing of Christians

After the mission of Jesus, Saul was one of the opponents who

enthusiastically persecuted Christians. Saul was acting in concert with the

high priest (Acts 9:2) as a sort of a policeman to torture and kill Christians.

“And Saul approved of their killing him (Stephen). On that day a great

persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the

apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1).

"But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the

Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at

Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he

might bring them bound to Jerusalem" (Acts 9:1-2).

2.2. Conversion to Christianity

Saul was entrusted by the high priest to travel to Damascus, which was

not under the Roman rule at the time, to arrest prominent members of the

Jerusalem Church.

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On his way to Damascus, Paul experienced the vision of Jesus that

converted him from a persecutor to a believer. In Damascus, Acts 9 states

that he was healed of his blindness and baptised by Ananias. After learning

that there was a plot against his life, he fled and went to Arabia (II

Corinthians 11:32-33).

In Arabia, Apostle Paul claimed to be personally taught by Jesus Christ

for a span of 3 years. Paul did not discuss this event until he wrote the book

of Galatians in late spring of 53 A.D.

2.3. Paul's missionary campaigns Paul’s first missionary campaign, began after his conversion to

Christianity by 14 years. It is not known what happened during this time.

Paul journeyed on four trips to Asia Minor and Europe and wrote his Epistles

during his missionary trip (Figure 8).

2.4. The Opposition of the true followers of Jesus

Paul’s new doctrine was met with disapproval from the Jerusalem Church,

who considered the substitution of the notion of Jesus' atoning death for the

observance of the Torah as a lapse into paganism.

The rift between Pauline Christianity and Jesus’ Christianity became clear

after the Apostle Peter visited Paul in Antioch and became fully aware of the

corrupted Pauline Christianity (Galatians 2:11). Paul was then accused by

James of turning his back on the Law of God (Acts 21:21). This would be

obvious if we compare between what is stated by Paul and Matthew.

“Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in

Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16).

“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels,

and then he will reward each person according to what they have done”

(Matthew 16:27).

After Paul’s ideas were attacked in Jerusalem by Jesus’ real apostles (Acts

21:18-26), Paul defended himself, taunted the apostles and dropped his

contact with them (Acts 15:36-39; Galatians 2:9-14; I Corinthians 9:19-22).

2.5. The death of Paul

Although Paul is considered a cornerstone in the formulation of the

doctrine of today’s Christianity, the details about his death is not mentioned

in the New Testament. Isn’t that weird?

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Figure 2: The Gospel of Thomas, which is a non-canonical sayings-gospel, does not directly point to Jesus' divinity, crucifixion or resurrection. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Thomas

It is commonly believed that in the second conference in Jerusalem, some

true Christians (Jewish Christians) considered his doctrine as a lapse into

paganism. Paul feared for his life and was rescued by the Roman police.

According to the Acts of Paul, which was written around 160 AD, and is

considered non-canonical (not recognised as part of the Bible), Paul

was condemned to death by decapitation in the reign of Nero (2).

3. Contradictions in the story of Paul’s conversion

The story of the conversion of Paul to Christianity is told in the Book of

Acts in the New Testament in three different ways.

"Now as he journeyed, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from

heaven flashed around him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice

saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" And he said, "Who are

you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; but rise

and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. The men who were

travelling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one"

(Acts 9:3-6).

"Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the

one who was speaking to me. … But since I could not see because of the

brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and

came into Damascus“ (Acts 22:9-11, NIV).

"At midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the

sun, shining round me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had

all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew

language..." (Acts 26:13-14).

2. James, Montague Rhodes (1924). "The Acts of Paul". The Apocryphal New Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

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As noticed, there are three contradictory stories of the same incident in

the book of Acts.

1. While in the first verse, Paul and not the men travelling with him saw the

light, in the second and third verse both Paul and the men saw the light.

2. The bright light blinded Paul and not his witnesses who took him to

Damascus.

3. While in the first verse, both Paul and the men heard the voice of Jesus,

in the second and third verses only Paul heard the voice.

4. While in the first verse, only Paul fell on the ground, all of them fell on

the ground in the third verse.

It should also be mentioned that the story of Paul’s vision was told on his

authority without any known witnesses confirming it.

Interestingly, in spite of (a) Paul’s vision inconsistency, (b) the enmity of

Paul to Jesus and his followers and (c) the absence of know witnesses, the

Church accepted Paul's story.

Further more, this questionable vision was the turning point in the history

of Christianity, and today’s Christianity is based on Paul’s teachings which as

we will see contradict with what Jesus and his twelve apostles preached.

4. Was Paul recognised as one of the twelve apostles of Jesus?

Paul claimed that he was converted to Christianity in a vision during his

journey to Damascus (Romans 1:1). He specifically claimed to have received

his Gospel through revelations from Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:12) and

referred to himself as the Apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13, Galatians

2:8). However, it is interesting to know that the only person to say that Paul is

a true Apostle of Jesu, in the entire New Testament, is Paul himself!

According to the Bible, Jesus appointed twelve apostles (Mark 3:16-19).

Now, one might imagine that after Judas' betrayal of Jesus and his death, Paul

replaced him. However, the four canonical gospels, which were written after

the Epistles of Paul (Table 1), never mention anything about Paul. In

addition, according to Acts, which was written by his friend Luke, the

disciples casted lots, and the lot fell to Matthias who became a replacement

for Judas and was added to the eleven apostles (Acts 1:26).

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Figure 3: The Gospel of Barnabas considered Paul an impostor apostle.

Interestingly, although, the name Paul appears in 128 verses of the book

of Acts; the only single verse in which Paul is referred to as an apostle is

14:14. However, in this verse, Luke addressed both Paul and Barnabas as

apostles. However, since Barnabas was just a disciple and not one of the

twelve apostles of Jesus, Luke, therefore, in this verse was considering Paul

as a disciple like Barnabas. Similarly, in 1 Thessalonians (2:6), Paul

considered Silas, who was not one of the twelve Apostles, and himself

apostles.

Therefore, it may be concluded that right from the beginning, Paul was

not really accepted as a real apostle of Jesus, but he was rather considered,

like many others, as a sort of a delegate or disciple of Jesus. However, when

Paul’s lies were later discovered he lost his credibility, and James frankly

ordered him to keep the law of God and therefore, Paul was obliged to

defend himself.

“(James ordering Paul) Walk orderly and keep the law” (Acts 21:24).

"This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me”

(2Timothy 1:15).

“I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie” (Galatians

1:20).

“And among the people is he who argues about God without knowledge, or

guidance, or an enlightening scripture. Turning aside in contempt, to lead

away from the path of God” (Qur’an 22:8-9).

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5. Inconsistencies in Paul’s claims of Apostleship If we carefully read the Epistles of Paul, we will discover that they are

full of inconsistencies, lies, contradictions and bad behaviour which does not

fit with apostleship.

5.1. Where did Paul go after his conversion?

According to Acts (9: 17), he met first Ananias of Damascus and then the

apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 9: 27).

“Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you

came, has sent me (Ananias) that you may receive your sight and be filled

with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17).

“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the Apostles. And he declared to

them how he had seen the Lord on the road” (Acts 9:27).

On the contrary, in Galatians (1:17), after his vision, he went into the

desert of Arabia without seeking instructions and then he returned to

Damascus.

“I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was,

but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus” (Galatians, 1:17).

5.2. Did Paul fear the Jews or King Aretas in Damascus?

According to Paul in II Corinthians (11:32-33), after his conversion, he

joined the Christians of Damascus, but soon he had to flee from Damascus to

escape the officers of King Aretas. However, on the contrary in Acts (9:22-

25), it was claimed that his persecutors were the Jews and not King Aretas’

officers.

5.3. Two examples of Paul's lies

5.3.1. His lies about the Council of Jerusalem: According to the Acts, in the

Council of Jerusalem, James decreed that the Gentiles must abstain from four

points.

“… To keep away from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from anything

strangled, and from sexual immorality" (Acts 15: 29).

However, Paul wrote to the Galatian Church claiming that: “All they

asked was that we should continue to remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10).

5.3.2. His lies to the High Priest: During his last visit to Jerusalem, Paul was

arrested in the Temple and he was rescued from the Jews by the Romans.

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Figure 4: The place where Paul is believed to have escaped from persecution in

Damascus (left) and the process of beheading Paul (right).

On the following day, he was taken to Ananias the High Priest and the

Sanhedrin to defend himself.

“...the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd

and laid hands on him, crying out, ‘Men of Israel, help! This is the man who

teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this

place’..." (Acts 21:27-28).

When he perceived the presence of Sadducees and Pharisees in the

Sanhedrin, he claimed another story:

"Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the

hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!" And when he had said

this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the

assembly was divided” (Acts 23:6-7).

Isn’t the claim that he was being judged on the issue of the resurrection of

the dead a lie?

Interestingly, Paul claimed earlier that he was willing to die in Jerusalem

for what he believed in.

“For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the

name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:12, 13).

Are Apostles supposed to lie and deny their doctrines or would they rather

remain steadfast and die for their cause?

5.4. Does falsehood enhance God’s truthfulness?!

“Someone might argue, ‘If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so

increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner’?” (Romans 3:7).

Would truthfulness be enhanced by falsehood?

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“Cursed be he that does the work of the LORD deceitfully” (Jeremiah

48:10).

5.5. Would Jesus inspire false information to Paul?

“By this, we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and

remain until the coming of the Lord … For the Lord, Himself will descend

from heaven with a shout… Then we who are alive and remain shall be

caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and

thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

This verse tells that Jesus was due to return at any minute within Paul’s

own lifetime.

Why didn’t that happen? Why did Jesus, who is claimed to be divine, reveal

to his apostle Paul something wrong?

5.6. Was Paul a descendant of Benjamin?

“For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of

Benjamin” (Romans 11:1).

This account is, however, subject to doubt, since the tribe of Benjamin

ceased to exist in 539 BCE, when the Babylonian captivity ended the

distinction between Benjamin and Judah in favour of a common identity

as Israel (3).

It seems that Paul was lying to increase his assets in the eyes of the

Gentiles!

5.7. Is hypocrisy an act of apostleship?

“I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the

Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law, I became

like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win

those under the law. To those not having the law, I became like one not

having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s

law), so as to win those not having the law” (1 Corinthians 9:20-21).

Isn’t the above statement a clear confession of Paul’s hypocrisy?

Paul’s hypocrisy was practically demonstrated when he circumcised

Timothy (Acts 16:3), whose mother was a Jew and objected to circumcise

Titus (Galatians 2:3-5) and the Galatians (Galatians 5:2), who were Gentiles.

3. http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/israeljudaea/f/UnitedMonarchy.htm.

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Figure 5: A Mithraic medallion of bronze recovered from Tarsus, Cilicia,

which is the hometown of Apostle Paul.

Christian scholars have explained that on the basis that Timothy was going to

accompany Paul while he was addressing the Jews. Wasn’t then the

circumcision of Timothy hypocrisy to win the Jews?

5.8. Why would Paul preach where Christ is not known?

“It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not

known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation”

(Romans 15:20).

Why was Paul's ambition to preach where Christ was not known and why

did he avoid the building on someone else’s foundation?

Paul knew that if the Gentiles happened to know the true teachings of

Jesus, through one of his disciples, they would reject his teachings. This

explains why Paul's falsehood was discovered and rejected by the Ephesians

who knew about Jesus from the Apostle John (Revelation 2:2, See also 6.11).

5.9. Paul’s contradictions about the law?

“But now we are released from the law... we serve not under the old written

code, but under the new life of the Spirit” (Romans 7:6).

“Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the

law” (Romans 3:31).

“Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's

commands is what counts” (1 Corinthians 7:19).

“Though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law” (1

Corinthians 9: 21, NRSV).

“So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful

nature a slave to the law of sin” (Romans 7:25).

Aren’t Paul’s statements about the Law contradictory?

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5.10. Is robbery, one of the acts of the apostles?

“I robbed other churches ... to do you service” (2 Corinthians 11:8).

Some scholars explained “robbed other churches” by claiming that Paul

had a support or wages for Corinth from other rich churches, like Philippi,

because he was also labouring for them.

However, regardless of what Paul meant, he mentioned the term

robbery and not wages. Does it befit an Apostle to say so?

5.11. Paul’s moral behaviour

“I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles” (2

Corinthians, 11:5).

"But from those who seemed to be something - whatever they were, it makes

no difference to me; God shows personal favouritism to no man- for those

who seemed to be something added nothing to me” (Galatians 2:6).

"More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the

surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have

suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung (σκύβαλον), so that

I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

“Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I

am, I caught you by trickery” (2 Corinthians 12:16).

“What I am saying, I say not with the Lord’s authority but as a fool in

boastful confidence. Since many of you boast, I too will boast” (2 Corinthians

11:17-18).

Does it befit an apostle to be sarcastic about Jesus’ true Apostles, to use

vulgar terms, and to be arrogant, tricky, fool and boastful?

6. Questionable incidents in Paul's Apostleship

6.1. According to Paul, he was a Pharisee who received his education from the

prominent Rabbi Gamaliel (Act 22:3). How could a prominent Pharisee,

scrap the prohibitions of the Sabbath and disregard his dietary regulations,

circumcision and the Law of God? Isn’t it also weird for a Pharisee who

was expecting a human Jewish Messiah, to worship this Messiah as the

pagans used to do?

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Jesus (A) and Mithras (B)

riding sun chariots. From the left Jesus, the sun gods Sol and Mithras with sun discs on their heads.

Mary and Jesus with the sun. Pope Francis with a sun disc.

Figure 6: To satisfy Emperor Constantine, the sun worshipper, the Church allowed sun-worship practices and symbols to infiltrate into Christianity.

“Do not bow down to the sun, nor to the moon, but bow down to God, Who created

them both, if it is Him that you serve.” (Qur’an 41: 37)

6.2. Paul was acting in concert with the High Priest as a sort of a policeman to

arrest and torture Christians. The High Priest even entrusted Paul to travel

to Damascus, which was not under the Roman rule to arrest members of

the Jerusalem Church.

The High Priest was the leader of the Sadducees. The Sadducees were a

type of heretical Jews cooperating with the Romans to prevent any

political threat to their regime. Sadducees and Pharisees were mortal

enemies (4). How would a Sadducee High Priest trust Paul, the

Pharisee?

6.3. The four canonical gospels were written after the Epistles of Paul (Table

1). Nonetheless, they never mention anything about Paul, although he was

supposed to be the most prominent Apostle and interpreter of Jesus!

6.4. Paul must have studied under Gamaliel, the leader of the Pharisees in

Jerusalem, in the Hebrew language (Acts, 22:3). Why then his scriptural

references were taken from the Greek translation of the Jewish

scripture?

4. http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/who-were-the-pharisees-and-sadducees-a-bible-study/

A

B

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6.5. Paul (Saul) was a contemporary of Jesus in time and place, yet he never

met him! If the intention of Jesus, who is supposed to be God and the Son

of God, was to appoint Paul as an apostle, why didn’t he do so in his

lifetime instead of appointing him under ambiguous circumstnces after

his ascension?

6.6. After his claimed conversion to Christianity and his claims to receive

direct revelations from Jesus, Paul would logically join the other apostles

of Jesus. However, instead, Paul avoided them and went to Arabia to stay

for three years. Why did Paul avoid the Apostles and why he later had

conflicts with them? (Galatians 1:6; Galatians 2:11-21; 2 Corinthians 11:

4-5).

"… I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Then

after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas

and stayed with him fifteen days” (Galatians 1:17-18).

“Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem” (Galatians 2:1).

6.7. Although Saul was born in Tarsus (Acts, 9:11), he never mentioned it in

his Epistles. Tarsus was mentioned only once in the Acts written by Luke.

Why wasn’t Tarsus mentioned in Paul’s Epistles?

Well, Tarsus was a major Mithraic centre, in which Mithraism was

practised as early as 67 BCE. Therefore, it seems that Paul tried to avoid

drawing the attention to the influence of Mithraism on his version of

Christianity. For example, according to pagan Mithraism, eternal life is

gained by the transformation of Mithras into a Bull before the eating of his

flesh and blood. This parallels the eating and drinking of Jesus’ flesh and

blood to wash away sin and gain eternal life (5) (Figure 7).

6.8. Paul's conversion was a couple of years after Jesus ascension. However, he

started his first missionary journey between 47 and 50 AD. What did Paul

do during all these lagging years?

6.9. According to Paul’s claims, he was an apostle of Jesus and he received

revelations from him. However, Jesus’ teachings and words are never

found in Paul’s writings except for some unspecific phrases such as a

servant of Jesus Christ; through Jesus; in Jesus; by Jesus; by a revelation

of Jesus, etc. These phrases were used to ascertain his false doctrines and

imply that he received ‘revelations’ from him.

7.

5. http://paulproblem.faithweb.com/relationship_high_priest_proves_sadducee.htm

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From the left, the Eucharist of Mithras, Dionysus and Jesus.

Figure 7: The Eucharist (Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper) is a pagan practice

adopted by almost all Churches like the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Catholics,

Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Lutherans.

If Paul never quoted Jesus, what is the ground for accepting him as his

Apostle?

6.10. Paul had a weird connection with the Romans. Before his conversion, the

High Priest, concerted with him in the arrest, torture and killing of

Christians, because they were a threat to the Roman Empire. However,

after his conversion, although he claimed to preach the wealth of Jesus'

Christianity, he moved freely and safely along the Roman Empire in his

missionary trips.

Why Paul and his Gentile followers were not considered as a threat to

the Roman Empire?

6.11. Jesus commended the Ephesian Church in Asia for rejecting liar apostles.

"I know your works, your labour, and your patience, and that you cannot

bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are

apostles and are not, and have found them liars" (Revelation 2:2).

The Ephesians of Asia Minor knew the above commendment of Jesus

through a letter from Apostle John. Interestingly, the Ephesians rejected

Paul.

"This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me”

(2Timothy 1:15).

Doesn’t the Ephesians' rejection of Paul as an Apostles imply that he is

a false apostle?

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7. Why did Pauline Christianity prevail and spread rapidly among the Gentiles?

Paul succeeded to spread his version of Christianity because he was a genius

deceiver who coloured himself with all colours. The following are some of his

tactics to deceive both the Gentiles, and the true followers of Jesus.

7.1. The motivating story of his conversion

Luke in Acts presented a motivating story of Paul’s vision in which he

addressed Jesus as Lord and Jesus requested him to stop his persecution. For

some Gentiles, this story was motivating as it paralleled the mythology of

their god Dionysus, who also complained to the ruler (Pentheus) about his

persecution.

“As Saul travelled along and was approaching Damascus, a light from

heaven suddenly flashed around him. He dropped to the ground and heard a

voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me? He asked,

‘Who are you, Lord?’ The voice said, ‘I’m Jesus, whom you are persecuting’”

(Acts 9:3-6).

7.2. Paul put himself at a higher rank than the Apostles

By claiming that he received revelations directly from Jesus after his

ascension, Paul put himself higher than the true Apostles.

“I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by

revelation from Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12).

7.3. Paul presented Jesus as a better substitute for the pagans deities

The knowledge of the philosophical language of his day, and his

knowledge of the Hellenistic religious culture and the ancient Egyptian

religions enabled Paul to portray Jesus Christ as a popular mythological figure

suiting the diverse Gentile communities of the Roman Empire.

Paul realised that the violent deaths of Osiris, Attis, Adonis, and Dionysus

made them deities, and therefore he substituted the stories of these deities with

the story of the violent death of Jesus on the cross. He also used the Last

Supper (1Corinthians 11:17–34), to initiate the Eucharist, echoing the

communion meal of Mithraism and Dionysus (Figure 7).

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Figure 8: Paul had four missionary journeys. The book of Acts mentions 57 cities and places in his first three journeys.

In addition, Paul's "salvation story of Jesus" was more appealing to pagans

than their own salvation stories because it would attach them to the Divine

Hebrew Scriptures.

7.4. Paul postponed his conflicts with the Apostles

As mentioned before, after his claimed conversion and the claimed direct

revelations from Jesus, supposedly, the most logical thing to do was to return

to Jerusalem and consult with the twelve Apostles. However, he avoided them

and went to Arabia and stayed for three years (Galatians 1:17-18). It was

round the middle of the first century when the Apostle Peter visited Paul in

Antioch and became aware of Paul's views. From then a serious rift began

between Paul and the Apostles. James even accused Paul in Jerusalem of

teaching Jews "to turn their backs on Moses" (Acts 21:21).

7.5. Paul succeeded to gaining the Gentiles’ sympathy

“Are they (the twelve Apostles) Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am

I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ?—I

speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labours, in far more

imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five

times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten

with rods, once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a

day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers

from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers

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from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on

the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labour and hardship,

through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in

cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure

on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak?

Who is led into sin without my intense concern?” (2 Corinthians 11: 22-29).

“But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those ‘super-apostles’.” (2

Corinthians 11: 5)

7.6. Paul actively moved on missionary trips

Unlike the Twelve Apostles (the Eleven plus Matthias), who stayed in

Jerusalem for yeaers away from the threats of the Romans, Paul extensively

travelled during his four missionary journeys, as detailed in the Book of Acts

(Figure 7). He traveled more than 10,000 miles to various regions while he

was wroting his Epistles and converting a large number of Gentiles.

7.7. Paul’s cleverness in presenting his forged mythology

No one denies that Paul explained his doctrines repeatedly and clearly and

He portrayed Jesus as a popular mythological figure suiting well the diverse

Gentile communities of the Roman Empire.

7.8. Pauline Christianity was adopted by Constantine

This is actually the most important factor in the wide spread of Pauline

Christianity. Constantine I, the Roman Emperor, was inclined to Pauline

Christianity. He appointed a Church which made a legend of Paul and

propagated and enforced his distorted version of Christianity.

8. The role of Constantine and the Church in the propagation of Pauline Christianity

8.1. Constantine’s Conversion to Christianity

The Roman Emperor Constantine was a sun worshiper. In AD 311,

Constantine with 40,000 soldiers rode toward Rome to confront Maxentius.

Constantine claimed to have had a vision of a bright cross with the words ‘by

this sign conquer.’ When he awoke next morning, he ordered his soldiers to

mark their shields with the cross. After his victory, Constantine claimed his

conversion to Christianity in AD 312.

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Figure 9: After his claimed conversion to Christianity, Emperor Constantine put the

images of the sun god Sol on his coins (A), and his Arch of Victory in Rome (B). He

also superintended the burning of some of the records of Jesus’ followers (C).

8.2. Was Constantine a real Christian?

The Roman Emperor, Constantine, was a sun worshiper. However, after

his claimed conversion to Christianity and according to the custom in Rome,

Constantine became the Head of the Church (the Pontiff Maximus).

Although Constantine is considered a great saint by both Eastern

Orthodox and Byzantine Catholics, you might be shocked to know the

following facts about Constantine:

1. He was baptised on his deathbed in AD 337 (i.e. 25 years after his

conversion).

2. After his conversion, he did not make Christianity the state religion of

Rome and pagan religions continued to celebrate their festivals.

3. He continued to display sun gods like Sol Invictus on coins till AD 324

(Figure 5). Sol driving the sun chariot was also depicted on the east end of

his Arch of Victory erected in AD 315.

4. He substituted the Sabbath (Saturday) with Sunday as the day of worship

throughout the Roman Empire. Sunday was the day dedicated to

honouring the sun god Sol Invictus.

A

B

C

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5. He substituted the Passover, observed by Jesus (Matthew 26:2; Luke 22:8)

with Easter, which is a pagan festival of fertility named after the

Babylonian Goddess Ishtar (6).

6. He killed both his eldest son Crispus and his wife Fausta without a trial,

and deleted their names from all official documents across the empire.

8.3. The Council of Nicaea

Constantine noticed that there were disputes and little agreement amongst

Christians about the beliefs, teachings, the nature of Jesus and the scriptures.

As a smart politician, he realised that these disagreements could threaten the

unity of his Empire. Therefore, Constantine called for the Council of Nicaea

in 325, and invited bishops from around the Empire to work out an official

doctrine and provide the basis for a unified Church. The Council was attended

by more than 250 bishops.

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica: “Constantine himself

presided, actively guiding the discussions, and personally proposed … the

crucial formula expressing the relation of Christ to God in the creed issued by

the council … Overawed by the emperor, the bishops, with two exceptions

only, signed the creed, many of them much against their inclination” (1971

edition, Vol. 6, ‘Constantine’, p. 386).

To satisfy Constantine, who was inclined to the divinity of Jesus, the

bishops endorsed the divinity of Jesus in the Nicaean Creed, though this

opinion was held by only a minority of the attendants. Nonetheless, the

bishops overwhelmingly voted for the deification and eternal life of Jesus.

8.4. Shaping a new Christianity to suit Constantine

After the Council of Nicaea and voting for the divinity of Jesus Christ, as

preached by Paul, a marriage between Church and the State took place.

Constantine’s Church agreed to substitute the Sabbath with Sunday, the

day of the sun god Sol. The birthdate of Jesus became of December 25, which

is the date of birth of the popular pagan gods in the Roman Empire, Mithras

and Sol. In addition, to attract pagans to Christianity, the Church portrayed

Jesus, in every possible way, like the pagan sun gods. For instance, Jesus was

portrayed in a sun chariot like Helios and with sun discs on his head like Sol,

Helios and Mithras (Figure 6).

6. From the Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council, found in Eusebius, Life of Constantine, 3: 18-20.

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The Church thought that by compromising with pagans it would attract

them to Christianity. However by doing so, the true message of Jesus was lost.

To avoid any objection, Constantine’s Church executed Jesus’ true followers

for heresy and destroyed their scripts.

8.5. Constantine’s Church Compiled a Bible compatible with Pauline Christianity

To make sure that the Bible would be compatible with the Pauline

Christianity, Constantine’s Church intentionally compiled at least 13 of Paul’s

Epistles among the 27 books of the New Testament. It also chose the four

Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John which were written between AD

65 and 110 to make sure that their writers were influenced by Paul’s Epistles

which were written earlier, between 50 and 67 AD (Figure 8). The Book of

Acts written by Paul’s friend Luke was also included. Half of this deals with

Paul, who is mentioned 128 times.

Although all possible means were used by the Church to confiscate and

burn all other records or Gospels, still every now and then, Gospels hidden in

Table 1: Approximate dates of the conversion of Paul, the Ascension

of Jesus and the writing of Paul’s Epistles and the four Gospels.

The incident Approximate Time

Ascension of Jesus AD 30-33

Paul’s conversion AD 31-36

Writing of Paul’s Epistles AD 52-67

Writing of Mark's Gospel AD 68-73

Writing of Matthew's Gospel AD 70-100

Writing of Luke's Gospel AD 80-100

Writing of John's Gospel AD 90-100

caves in clay pots are discovered. These unearthed gospels are usually

different and contradictory to the four canonical Gospels (Figures 2 and 3).

Interestingly, the Epistle of James which is included in the Bible, makes

no reference to the death, resurrection, or divinity of Jesus, and Apostle

Barnabas described Paul as an imposter in his Gospel (Fig. 3), However, the

Church, has considered it as a non-canonical (7).

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_of_James

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The theologians of the Church are careful to always claim that God

inspired the writing of the Gospels and superintended and preserved them.

However, this is very unlikely because the Gospels are full of contradictions

(See for example Table 2). Would God ever inspire contradictions?

Contradictions also suggest that the writers of the four canonical Gospels

were not disciples of Jesus, otherwise, why would they contradict one

another? Interestingly, the writers of the Gospels did not write in the Aramaic

language of Jesus, and they used the Koine Greek language of Paul. There has

been a broad consensus among scholars that the Gospels were not written by

the people whose names are attached to them (8).

Like all prophets of God, Jesus preached Islam. In other words, he

preached the oneness of God and emphasised the commitment to His

commandments. On the contrary, Paul’s doctrine was contradictory to both

the Old Testament and what Jesus taught in the Gospels. These doctrines are

based on:

9. Jesus' doctrine vs. Pauline doctrine 1) The divinity of Jesus as God and the incarnate Son of God.

2) Salvation through faith in Jesus and not the works of God’s Law.

3) The concept of the original sin and the atonement of sins through the

suffering and death of Jesus.

As we will see in the next sections, these doctrines are incompatible with

the teachings of Jesus and all the other prophets of God (PBUT).

9.1. Evidence that Jesus is not divine

9.1.1. Jesus never preached his divinity

Christian scholars have claimed that some verses in the Gospels imply the

divinity and eternity of Jesus.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word

was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being

through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into

being” (John 1:1-3).

8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament

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“And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you

before the world began.” (John 17:5)

“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

The notion of the first verses (1:1-3) was stated by John and not by Jesus.

It is debatable wheather John was an apostle or an eyewitness of Jesus. This

Gospel was written about 70 years after Jesus and there is a possibility that the

writer was influenced by the notions of Paul’s Epistles, which preceded his

Gospel. On the other hand, the original writings of John are not available, and

therefore, this verse might have been inserted since John, in other verses in his

Gospel, explicitly stated that God is one God (5:44 and 17:3).

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus

Christ, whom you have sent”(John 17:3).

The second verse could mean that God glorified Jesus as He did with all

His prophets (PBUT) when He planned to create mankind and the world.

The third verse (John, 10:30) might imply that Jesus is one in purpose with

God because he preached God’s Straight Path. That is why Jesus said, “As

You, Father, are in me, and I in You; that they also may be one in us” (John

17:21). Definitely, “one" in this verse means ‘one in purpose’.

Table 2: There are staggering differences and contradictions in the Bible. The

following are contradictions on just the occasion of Jesus’ resurrection.

Incidence Mark Matthew Luke John

Who first saw the risen Jesus and where?

Mary Magdalene (16:9). No location

Mary Magdalene and another Mary. At the tomb (28:1-9)

Cleopas and an unnamed man. Near Emmaus (24:13-18)

Mary Magdalene.

At the tomb (20:10-14)

Who arrived first to the empty tomb?

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother and Salome (15:5)

Mary Magdalene and another Mary. (28:1)

Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Joanna and others (24:10)

Mary Magdalene (20:1)

What did they see?

A young man dressed in a white robe (16:5)

An angel (28:2) Two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning (24:4)

Two angels in white (20:12)

What was their reaction?

They were astonished and afraid, so they kept quiet (16:8)

They ran away filled with joy (28:8)

They left and told the disciples (24:9)

Mary Magdalene told the disciples the body was stolen (20:1-2)

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9.1.2. “The Father is greater than I”

“I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).

“Why do you call me good? No one is good, except God alone” (Mark

10:18).

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch

them out of my Father's hand (John 10:29).

“And (Jesus said) indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him.

That is a straight path” (Qur’an, 19: 36).

Is there a greater God and does God have a Lord?

9.1.3. Jesus lacked knowledge and authority

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor

the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32).

“For I [Jesus] have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent

me gave me command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John

12:49).

“By myself, I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just,

for I seek not to please myself but Him Who sent me” (John 5:30).

If Jesus was divine, why did he lack both knowledge and authority?

“Is there of your claimed partners of God, one who guides to the truth? Say:

It is God Who guides to the truth. Is then He Who guides to the truth more

worthy to be followed, or he who finds no guidance unless he is guided?”

(Qur’an 10:35).

9.1.4. Jesus was a prophet

Jesus, like all prophets, was sent by God to guide people to His Straight

Path. Therefore, he was recognised as a prophet of God by people in his time.

“Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown

and in his own household’” (Matthew 13:57).

“And the crowds said, ‘This is the Prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee’”

(Matthew 21:11).

“And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming

that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, in

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Figure 10: Idolatry practices were introduced into Christianity by the Church to

attract pagan Gentiles.

“Do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman” (Deuteronomy 4:16).

which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the

Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous” (Qur’an 5:46).

9.1.5. Jesus was a servant and a messenger of God

“The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified

His servant Jesus” (Acts, 3:13).

“I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a

messenger greater than the One who sent him” (John 13:16).

“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus

Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

“These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father Who sent

me” (John 14:24).

“Here is my servant (Jesus) whom I have chosen” (Matthew 12:18).

Would God choose Himself or His eternal Son as a servant, or, logically, He

chooses His prophets or messenger to be His servants?

“The Messiah, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; many

messengers had already passed away before him. His mother was a truthful

woman” (Qur’an 5:75).

9.1.6. Jesus did his miracles by the Will of God

Jesus admitted that he was capable of doing miracles by the help of God

and not because he was divine. This was recognised by people who attended

him. It should be mentioned that Jesus in Mark (8:22-26) was not able to heal

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a blind man in his first attempt. Would God or a son of God fail to heal a

blind man from the first attempt?

“Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles,

wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him, as you

yourselves know” (Acts 2:22).

“But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has

come upon you” (Luke 11:20).

“And He will teach him writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel

and [make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [who will say],

‘Indeed, I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for

you from clay like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a

bird by permission of God. And I cure the blind and the leper, and I give life

to the dead - by permission of God. And I inform you of what you eat and what

you store in your houses. Indeed, in that is a sign for you, if you are

believers’” (Qur’an 3:48-49).

9.1.7. The term ‘son’ of God is a metaphor

The term son of God, in the Bible, is used as a metaphor for prophets and

even anyone who is righteous. Therefore, there are several sons of God in the

Bible. In the following two verses, God considered David His son. Did his

followers consider him a divine son of God?

“I will proclaim the LORD's decree: He said to me, ‘You (David) are my son;

today I have become your father’” (Psalms 2:7).

“I will be his Father, and he shall be my son” (1 Chronicles 17:13).

Jesus clearly stated that God is his God and the God of his followers, and

God is his Father and the Father of his followers.

“I'm ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”

(John 20:17).

How could Jesus as a son of God and God have a God, and why were his

followers not considered divine though God is their father?

“And the Christians say: ‘the Messiah (Christ) is the son of God.’ That is

what they say with their mouths, imitating the sayings of the former

unbelievers” (Qur’an 9:30).

“And they say, ‘The Most Merciful has begotten a son’. You have come up

with something monstrous. At which the heavens almost rupture, and the earth

splits, and the mountains fall and crumble because they attribute a son to the

Most Merciful. It is not fitting for the Most Merciful to have a son. There is

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The Pope Francis with the

crosses of Nimrod.

Ancient Egyptian Ankh cross (left) in the

architectures of Coptic Egyptian Churches.

Ancient Egyptian

cross. Assyrian cross,

6000 B.C. Prehistoric German

Cross. Buddha with

crosses.

Figure 11: To attract pagans, the Church adopted their cross.

none in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Most Merciful as a

servant” (Qur’an 19:88-93).

9.2. The freedom from the Law of God Paul claimed that Christ has set the Christians free from the Law of God.

He even considered both the Law of God and Jesus to be curses.

“For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but

under grace” (Romans 6:14).

“Because through Jesus Christ the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you

free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).

“Therefore, let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to

maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and

of faith toward God” (Hebrews 6:1).

“All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written:

‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the

Book of the Law’” (Galatians 3:10).

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“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,

for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Galatians

3:13).

On the contrary to what was preached by Paul, the submission and application

of the Law of God have been highly important right from the time of the

creation of Adam and Eve, when God commanded them not to eat from a

certain forbidden tree.

To make sure that mankind would be committed to His Law, God sent a

succession of prophets who guided their people to the Law of God and

commanded them to obey and follow it. There are several verses in the Bible

that emphasise the importance of the law of God.

“It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make His Law great

and glorious” (Isaiah 42:21).

“And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the Law to

fail” (Luke 16:17).

“I tell you the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter,

not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until

everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18).

“Not all of those who call me ‘Lord’ will enter the kingdom of God, but only

the one who does the Will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

It is not enough to know the law if you do not apply it. That is why Jesus

was angry with the scribes and Pharisees because they knew the Law of God

and they did not apply it. Jesus considered that to be hypocrisy.

Was there any point in blaming the scribes and the Pharisees for their

hypocrisy regarding the Law, if Jesus’ mission was to exempt them from it?

“You also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of

hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:25-28).

Jesus Christ even warned his followers of the curse that falls on those who

do not apply the Law of God.

“No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law - there is a curse on them”

(John 7:49).

“Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.

And all the people shall say, Amen” (Deuteronomy 27:26).

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Is it fair according to original sin?

- To be punished for a crime committed by someone else.

- To blame Eve for tempting Adam which is the basis for bias against women.

- To unfairly punish unbaptized babies.

Figure 13: original sin violates the love of God.

“The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah, but then failed to

uphold it, is like the donkey carrying works of literature. Miserable is the

example of the people who denounce God’s revelations. God does not guide

the wrongdoing people” (Qur’an 62:5).

If Paul was a real apostle of Jesus would he follow the law of God or

abrogate it?

9.3. Original sin

According to Paul, original sin stems from Adam and Eve's disobedience

to God when they both ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Paul also

assumed that the only way to receive God's grace is first to believe that Jesus

Christ died on the cross to redeem our sins.

“For as by one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience many were made sinners, so by

one man’s (Jesus’) obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ

Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

After the Church of Constantine adopted Pauline Christianity, it

propagated the doctrine of original sin. The mainstream Churches today

believe in original sin as based on the writings of St Augustine of Hippo (354-

430). The adoption of Augustine’s ideas of the doctrine of original sin in

Christian orthodoxy came after decades of disputes. According to Augustine,

babies inherit Adam and Eve’s original sin and if they die unbaptized they go

to Hell.

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9.3.1. Original sin contradicts with the Old Testament

Contrary to Paul’s assumption of the inheritance of original sin, the Old

Testament teaches that each human is responsible for his own sins and God is

forgiving and merciful.

“The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the

father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the

righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon

himself” (Ezekiel, 18:20).

“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist.

Return to me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22).

9.3.2. Original sin contradicts Jesus’ teachings

9.3.2.1. Forgive one another to be forgiven

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly

Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14).

“Forgive and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

Does it make sense that God forgives us if we forgive one another and yet

He wouldn’t forgive Adam and Eve?

9.3.2.2. The children are pure and sinless

Jesus never mentioned anything about babies inheriting original sin and

being cast into Hell or Limbo if they die unbaptized. On the contrary, he

acknowledged their purity which leads them to Heaven.

“And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, ‘Truly I

say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not

enter the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 18:2-3).

“Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the

kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

Did Jesus want us to be like children because they deserve Hell or Heaven?

9.3.3. Original sin is an innovation

Some Christian scholars presume that original sin is Biblical. They

presume that the following verse of John refers to original sin and redemption.

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the

Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)

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Figure 14: Would God Who breathed His Noble Spirit in babies, cast them with original sin and if not baptized cast them into Hell or Limbo?

Babies or infants are born pure. They have not committed sins and they do not

comprehend what is meant by accepting or rejecting Jesus. Would it be fair to punish them and send them to Hell for Adam and Eve’s sin?

However, this verse was stated by John and not by Jesus. In addition, it

could be understood in the sense that, like all the prophets, Jesus was sent to

take away sins of people by guiding them to God’s Straight Path.

Christian scholars also refer to Psalm (51:5) in the Old Testament as

evidence for original sin.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin, my mother conceived

me” (Psalm 51:5).

However, why did the Jews for hundreds of years after the above verse of

Psalms was revealed never believe in original sin? Didn’t Paul or the Church

scholars know that: “the iniquity of the father is not inherited” (Ezekiel

18:20).

Who gave Paul and the Church the authority to add original sin to

Christianity? Nobody, including Jesus, has been given this authority.

“Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the

commands of the LORD your God that I give you” (Deuteronomy 4:2)

“For I [Jesus] have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent

me gave me command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John

12:49).

9.3.4. Original sin is a controversial issue

As explained before, generally speaking according to original sin, as

elaborated by Augustine, those who do not believe in Jesus, as a redeemer for

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their sin, and are not baptised, whether adults or new-borns, will not enjoy

salvation. However, Original sin has been an issue of dispute between

Christian scholars who have faced the terrible pain of parents who lost their

babies before their baptism.

Both Catholics and Protestants in the Western Traditions accept

Augustinian original sin. However, some Protestant scholars believe that those

who died as believers prior to the crucifixion of Jesus reside in a place named

“Abraham's Bosom,” which is not Heaven, but not Hell.

The Eastern Orthodox Churches, on the other hand, have different

understandings of “sin and salvation”. They acknowledge that Adam and

Eve's sin introduced ancestral sin but deny that humanity inherited guilt or

bear the consequences of original sin. Most Eastern theologians rejected any

suggestion that infants are born tainted with sin.

In recent decades, some Catholic theologians have departed from the

Church's traditional position and suggested that unbaptized infants, etc. may

somehow attain salvation and thus be accepted into Heaven. In 2007, the

International Theological Commission released a ground- breaking report,

approved by Pope Benedict XVI, in which they stated that there is a

possibility for the unbaptized babies to go to heaven.

9.3.5. Conclusion

It may be concluded that original sin is an innovation of Apostle Paul,

which was further stretched by Augustine (354 - 430). Original sin is not

based on the scripture and was never mentioned by Jesus. It contradicts God’s

Passion, Kindness, Love and Justice and it deprives unbaptized new-borns of

God’s Grace.

Various modern Christian and contemporary denominations have

reinterpreted or denied original sin. Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) of the

Catholic Church denounced it (9).

According to Islam, we are born pure, and there is no original sin. God is

Forgiving and Merciful and full of love for us. Both Adam and Eve repented

and were forgiven.

“Then Adam received words from his Lord, so his Lord pardoned him

(accepted his repentance) He is very Relenting, the Most Merciful” (Qur’an

2:37).

9. Paul II (1994). Crossing the threshold of hope, Random House, Inc., New York City, page 228.

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Table 3: Comparison between four issues in the belief of the three main Churches; Orthodoxy, Protestantism and Roman Catholicism

Topic Orthodox Protestant Roman Catholic

Holy Spirit The third person of the Trinity, proceeding from the Father alone as in the original Nicene Creed.

The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.

Agrees with the Protestant view.

Bible - Composition

Accept the 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books, and the Deuterocanonicals books which are not found in the Hebrew Bible.

Protestants reject the Deuterocanonicals as not being inspired scripture and term them Apocrypha.

Agrees with Orthodoxy as to the validity of these books.

Mary's position

Mary is venerated as God-bearer. She is first amongst the saints and 'ever-virgin'.

Mary was a holy woman chosen to bear the Son of God. Her perpetual virginity and intercession are denied.

The view is similar to the Orthodox church - the title 'Mother of God' is commonly used.

Papal - Infallibility

Papal Infallibility is rejected. The Holy Spirit acts to guide the church into truth through ecumenical councils.

Protestants also reject Papal infallibility. The only source of infallible teaching is that found in the Bible.

The Pope is infallible. Through the Holy Spirit.

“Say, ‘Oh My servants who have transgressed against themselves: do not

despair of God’s mercy, for God forgives all sins. He is indeed the Forgiver,

the Clement.’” (Qur’an 39:53).

10. How to restore the original message of God

10.1. Christian groups and denominations

There are five major groups of Churches, namely: the Roman Catholic,

Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Protestant, and Anglican Churches.

However, according to the “World Christian Encyclopaedia,” published in

2001, there are about 34,000 different Christian groups or denominations

which have emerged from the main Churches. These denominations believe

and teach many different confusing and contradictory philosophies about God,

Christ and the Bible (Table 3).

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In addition, each denomination proclaims that it follows the Bible and Jesus

Christ and it knows the truth (10).

Could all these conflicting Christian beliefs and philosophies be right?

Obviously, if one of them is right, the rest must be wrong. How would one

pick up the right denomination from thousands of them?

10.2. Which denomination is right?

Unfortunately, most denominations embrace the Pauline interpretation of

Jesus as the “true” Christianity. How we could trust these denominations and

as it has been previously demonstrated: Paul was an enemy of Jesus and he

abolished his message.

Paul was rejected by Jesus’ true Apostles.

Paul lied, cheated, contradicted himself and contradicted the teachings of

Jesus Christ.

In addition, Jesus anticipated and warned about people like Paul.

“At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ Or, ‘There he

is!’ Do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and

perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I

have told you ahead of time” (Matthew 24:23-24).

10.3. Can we restore our religion by relying on Jesus words in the Gospels?

Some Christian groups have discovered the falsehoods of Paul and have

tried to rely only on the words of Jesus in the Gospels. However, the Bible we

have today was compiled by the scholars of the Church of Constantine who

were enforcing Pauline Christianity. Therefore, what we have in hand is only

what the selected canonical Gospels tell about Jesus.

Although it is true that we still can trace the outline of the message of

Jesus (PBUH) from his words in the Bible, as we did in this booklet it is,

however, impossible to trace his full detailed message after thousands of years

of distortions and corruptions.

10. http://www.is-there-a-god.info/blog/belief/40000-christian-denominations-show-christian-god-doesnt-exist-

1/

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10.4. Would God leave us without guidance?

God loves us; He would not leave us to be lost without guidance.

Whenever people deviated from His Straight Path or were misguided, He sent

a prophet to remind them.

“There is no community but a warner has passed through it” (Qur’an 35:24).

When the Jews deviated from the commandments of God, He sent Jesus to

guide them back to his Straight Path. Likewise, when Christianity was

corrupted by Paul, Constantine and the Church, God sent the Prophet

Muhammad and revealed to him the Glorious Qur’an to guide mankind to His

Straight Path.

10.5. Muhammad is the foretold brethren prophet

Abraham had two wives, Sarah and Hagar. His first son was born to Hagar

and was called Ishmael (Genesis, 16:15). A brother of Ishmael was born to

Sarah after thirteen years and was called Isaac. According to the Bible, the

children of Isaac and Ishmael (PBUT) are brethren (brothers).

“And Ismael will dwell in the presence of all his brethren” (Genesis 16:12).

“And He [Ishmael] died in the presence of all his brethren” (Genesis 25:18).

Muhammad is a descendant from among the brethren of the Israelites. In

Deuteronomy 18:18, God said to Moses:

“I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and

will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I

command Him” (Deuteronomy 18:18).

The prophet of the brethren of the Israelites who had the words of God

(the Qur’an) in his mouth was the Prophet Muhammad. In Acts 13:22-23, Paul

misinterpreted this prophecy as a reference to Jesus. However, Jesus is from

the Israelites and not their brethren.

On the other hand, the prophecy tells that the brethren prophet is like

Moses. Interestingly, both Moses and Muhammad (PBUT) were born and

died naturally, had families and children, were forced to migrate in their

adulthood, had a new Law of God revealed to them, were statesmen and

fought their enemies and achieved victories over them. Conversely, Jesus was

born miraculously, did not die naturally, did not fight battles, did not migrate

in his adulthood, did not marry and was not a statesman.

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Interestingly, to mislead Christians and keep them away from the Prophet

Muhammad, some recent translations substituted the term brethren with

‘among their fellow Israelites’ and ‘countrymen’.

“Oh Prophet (Muhammad), Verily, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of

glad tidings and a Warner; and a preacher to God by His leave and a lamp

spreading light” (Qur’an 33:45-46).

10.6. Jesus’ prophecy about the advent of Muhammad

In his last speech, Jesus foretold the advent of the Prophet Muhammad.

“I still have a lot to say to you, but you cannot bear it now. Yet when the

Spirit of Truth comes, he’ll guide you into all truth. He won’t speak on his

own accord, but he’ll speak whatever he hears and will declare to you the

things that are to come. He will glorify me because he will take what is mine

and declare it to you” (John 16:12-14).

The “Spirit of Truth” in the above verse is Muhammad. He is not the Holy

Spirit as claimed by the Church to hide the truth.

According to the Bible, the Holy Spirit was already around and attended

the baptism of Jesus (PBUH, Matthew 3:16). In other words, he didn’t need to

come after Jesus because he already existed. On the other hand, according to

Christianity, the Holy Spirit is supposed to be part of the God Head, and

therefore he does not need to hear from God and speak what he hears.

As Jesus foretold, the Prophet Muhammad and all the billions of Muslims

who have been following him, glorify, respect and love Jesus.

The Prophet Muhammad was sent to humanity to clear up the darkness

and illusion created by Paul and the Church and to guide humanity to the

Straight Path of God conveyed by Jesus and all prophets (PBUT). Today,

around 24% of the global population follow Muhammad.

“Those who follow the Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find

mentioned in the Torah and the Gospel in their possession, He directs them to

righteousness, and deters them from evil, and allows for them all good things,

and prohibits for them wickedness, and unloads the burdens and the shackles

that are upon them. Those who believe in him, and respect him, and support

him, and follow the light that came down with him—these are the successful”

(Qur’an 7:157).

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11. Concluding remarks

Jesus gave a parable of a man who sowed good seeds of wheat in his

field. While everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among

the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, it was

mixed with weeds. The owner of the field of wheat ordered the harvesters to

collect the weeds, tie them and burn them, so that the pure wheat could then

be claimed (Matthew 13:24-29).

As has been demonstrated in this book, while, Jesus sowed the seeds of the

pure message of God, Paul sowed the seeds of paganism in the form of a

cosmic sacrifice of a divine son of God (Jesus) for the redemption of an

original sin and the emancipation from the Law of God.

Paul was a contemporary of Jesus in time and place. However, instead of

becoming one of his followers, he arrested, tortured and killed his followers.

Paul was full of hatred of Jesus and he dedicated his whole life to destroying

his message. Therefore, he considered Jesus and the Law of God curses for us

and avoided and disrespected Jesus’ Apostles.

“My one ambition is to proclaim the Gospel where the name of the Messiah is

not known, so I don’t build on someone else’s foundation” (Romans 15:20,

ISV).

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us”

(Galatians 3:13).

“I saw that they (Jesus’ Apostles) walked not uprightly according to the truth

of the Gospel” (Galatians 2:14).

God, the most Gracious and the most Loving, has given us the logic to

differentiate between the truth and falsehood. He has also given us an amazing

heart that perceives the truth. Pleas ask yourself:

If Jesus was divine and his mission was to die on the cross for the

redemption of our sins, why he never mentioned these ideas in the

Gospels?

If his mission was to nullify the Law of God, why did he preach and

observe it and why did he command his followers to stick to it?

Does it make sense that Jesus came in a vision to Paul to command him to

nullify his message?

Jesus warned of false apostles like Paul and he laid the way for us to find

our way back to the Straight Path of God.

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“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs

and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead

of time” (Matthew 24:23-24).

“When the Spirit of Truth comes he’ll guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13)

The Prophet Muhammad is the Spirit of the Truth. He was foretold by

Jesus, Abraham and Moses [Please read sections 10.5 and 10.6]. He is your

only guide to the pure message of God. He is your guide to ISLAM.

“Surely, those who say: ‘Our Lord is God,’ and then go straight, the angels

will descend upon them: ‘Do not fear, and do not grieve, but rejoice in the

news of the Garden which you were promised. We are your allies in this life

and in the Hereafter, wherein you will have whatever your souls desire, and

you will have therein whatever you call for; a Hospitality from an All-

Forgiving, Merciful’” (Qur’an 41:30-35).

Other books for the writer

1. Restore your original religion

2. Did Jesus preach Islam?

3. Does science lead to God?

4. Science in the Glorious Qur’an

5. Spirituality in yoga, Christianity and Islam

www.islamic-invitation.com