The term "Tauhid" sounds strange to Christian believers, because it is seldom used in Christian Theology. The Tauhid in Christianity explains the oneness of the Trinity of God. This Oneness of the Trinity, the core of the Christian faith, was often discussed, but is in general not well-understood by most of our brothers who have a Muslim education and background.
The Only One True God.
Every Muslim believes in the existence of Only Oe True God. It is a well-known fact in the Islamic Doctrine, that this issue can never be changed, or eliminated.
The same conviction exist in the Christian religion too. Christian also confess the Only One and True God. Are Muslim and Christian ideas regarding the term "the Only One True God" actually the same?
In the teaching of Islam, the Oneness of God is explained in Sura al-Ikhlas 1, Sura al-Baqara 163, Sura al-Maida 73b and others.
In the Bible the oneness of God is explained in:
Isaiah 45:5 - "I am the Lord, and there is no other."
John 17:3 - "There is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
1 Cor. 8:4b - "We know that there is no other God but one."
2 Cor. 8:6 - "For us there is only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live."
The Muslims always assume that Christians violate the Doctrine of the Oneness of God. They are wrong. We confirm that the Christian teaching actually purifies the Doctrine of the Oneness of God.
The Christian Monoteism (Tauhid) is the purest and the best teaching about God. We can test this point by explaining the meaning of Polytheism (Shirk) below.
The Problem of Polytheism.
In Islam Polytheism is an essential matter. We should pay carefully attention to it, so that the oneness of God in Christianity will not be mixed up with Polytheism.
Polytheism in Islam is one of the three unpardonable sins. For that reason this question became crucial in our attempt to compare the two religions. We always looked carefully to see whether the Christian Doctrine contained an element of Polytheism or not.
First of all I found an outstanding verse in the Bible saying: "You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations of those who hate me."
(Exodus 20:3-5)
John reminds us: "My children, keep yourselves safe from false gods"(1 John 5:21). Concerning these idols, there must be a clear definition when something is called an "idol." Not every statue can be called an idol. Not every column is called an idol. Not every gravestone can be called an idol either, just as not every historical buildings could become idols or be idolized, if people perfor religious duties to them, or worship and pray to them.
Occultists, fortune-tellers, and wicthes with all sorts of incantations and instruments such as incense to call or to exorcise the spirits of dead people, are indications of participation in Polytheism. The Bible emphatically reminds us never to get involved in such practices and to avoid persons performing such divination, as asserted in Deuteronomy 18:10-13: "Don't sacrifice your children in the fires on your altars; and don't let your people practise divination or look for omens or use spells or charms, and don't let them consult the spirit of the dead. The Lord your God hates people who do these disgusting things, and that is why he is driving those nations out of the land as you advance. Be completely faithful to the Lord."
Concerning Polytheism, we can summarize:
1). The Christian religion professes that God is only one. Everybody is obliged to worship and to be devoted to this one God. Any deviation to other gods is great sin. (Read Luke 4:8; Matthew 4:10; Deuteronomy 6:13; Joshua 24:14-15.)
2). In realizing the Oneness of God, the Christian Doctrine does not justify the existence of other gods besides God in any form, such as idols, buildings or statues of nature made by men, not even Kaabah (Baitullah) on pictures or carpets printed in white, red or black colours. There is no justification for kneeling down in front of it, nor at its bottom, in a form of worship. (Read Exodus 20:3-5.)
3). According to the Bible, a real Christian avoids going to or trusting in fortune-tellers, the incantations of witches, mascots, (even if they are made from Bible), and the burning of incense in order to call or to drive away spirits of the dead. He must be free from the fear of superstitions and the influences of dark spirits. (Read Deuteronomy 18:10-13.)
4). A devoted Christian shall and will not fear the influence of evil spirits or something which could be interpreted as magic or dark powers. In many cases the Bible has stated that the power of Christ has defeated and conquered all the power submit to Christ the Lord and his followers. (Read John 14:12; Mark 16:17.)
5). Christian will not regard certain objects, like pecious stones in a ring, creese, amulet or other things as if they have special supernatural power. The only power in Christianity is the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost. (Read Romans 14:17-18.)
6). Fear, uneasiness, worry, as well as other problems in the life of a Christian are matters which must be brought only into the presence of God in prayers. He alone can understand our requirements and answer our prayers. (Read Psalm 5:3; Matthew 6:25-34; Matthew 7:7-8;.) Do not go to the holy graves, even not to the graves of the prophets whatever their names are.
Finally, with a good conscience, we can profess and believe that the Christian Tauhid is the most excellent and purest Tauhid. There is no room for spirits, idols or man-made gods. There is only one God the Father and his active, living, Word, Jesus Christ the Lord.
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