Larry said;
Do you have a problem with
dogs? I know that many
Muslims consider them
"unclean" animals and shun
them. In the United States we
cherish and love our dogs, one of the most noble and loyal of
God's creatures. They are used
as guide dogs for the blind,
they pursue and stop fleeing
criminals and they greatly and
effectively assist in the search for survivors after a major
earthquake or bombing, etc.
They really are "man's best
friend." It's obscene that these
gentle and intelligent creatures
should be considered "unclean" by anyone,
especially God.

I have no problem with dogs, and i agree that the Creator should not consider the creation unclean. The problem i have is Jesus insulting a woman, especially when she comes begging for help in a time of need simply for being non israelite. The Bible was not written by americans so their attitude towards dogs is irrelevant. On the other hand, dogs are one of the most,if not the most despised animals in the Bible. Example
Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,
neither cast ye your pearls
before swine, lest they
trample them under their feet,
and turn again and rend you.

Deuteronomy 23:18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a
whore, or the price of a dog,
into the house of the LORD thy
God for any vow: for even
both these are abomination
unto the LORD thy God.

Mahdi,

   The problem you have here is that the Old Testament and the Qur'an have their teachings rooted in the past and they are not very easily adaptable to the modern world. We Christians follow the New Covenant with God, the New Testament of Jesus Christ, that superseded the Old Testament and is highly relevant and adaptable to the modern world, which is illustrated by the civilizations of the Western World with all their technology and advancements, especially in the equality of men and women and the protections of the laws in which everyone is equal in standing. There is a great and discernable difference between the cultures of the Western world, Europe and America in particular, and the cultures of the Islamic world, particularly in the Middle East. The West is characterized by a more modern and adaptable way of life in contrast to almost all the Arabic countries of the Middle East that are constantly at war with each other, Sunnis and Shia's, each calling the other apostates. Even a casual look at what is happening in the Islamic Middle East today and what is happening in the West is sufficient to see that there is a great deal of difference between them. The main problem that exists in the cultures of the Middle East is that they combine secular government with religion, particularly when they implement Sharia as the basis of their laws and statutes. The strength of the West lies in the separation of religion and state. Laws are built on the concept of precedent and settled law, not on religious teachings. Religions are protected and have absolute rights to their beliefs, but they don't have the right to impose their religious beliefs on other members of society. That is why in the United States, in particular, all religions are permitted to coexist with each other, which they do successfully, such as Christians (Catholic and Protestant), Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Native American, etc.

   In Matthew 22:17-21,

   17. "Tell us (the Pharisees asked Jesus), therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

   18. "But Jesus [perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?"

   19. "Show me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius."

   20. "And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"

   21. "They said to Him, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

   So Jesus was telling them that there is a secular world and a religious world that can exist at the same time, without being joined. Whenever God is mixed with the secular and political affairs of this world there are always problems because no one knows where one stops and another begins. And there are always differences and difficulties between the various religions, such as is seen in the modern Middle East where Jews and Christians and Muslims do not share the same ideas and beliefs, and this is what leads to all the religious conflicts seen between the different faiths. In Saudi Arabia, for example, no other religion other than Islam is permitted. If Islam is declared to be the "state religion" where does that leave Jews and Christians, as well as other faiths, in the affairs of those nations? They will always be considered as "second class" citizens since they do not accept Islam as the "only true religion." Only by separating the religious and secular worlds is it possible to have a society in which all the citizens enjoy the same rights and responsibilities, and no one can force their religions on others who do not share their faith.

Larry
   

Edited by Larry - 18 November 2012 at 3:38am

Mahdi Said

1.Answer my question.

2.Reinterpret your own version of the Bible to justify your translation otherwise you are making baseless claims. Have you even read the verse?

Matthew 15:26 King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.) But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

Please, if you want to engage in serious discussions, desist from making such baseless arguments. DOG is the word.

How are dogs described in old testament. One example

 have surrounded me;

a gang of evildoers has closed

in on me; they pierced my

hands and my feet. Psalm 22:16

OK then. The Hebrew word for ‘dog’ in Psalm 22:16 is -

כלב (keleb)

Meaning -

a) dog (literal)

b) contempt or abasement (fig.)

 

While in Matthew 15:26 the word in the Greek is κυνάριον kynarion

Meaning –

little dog, or puppy.

 

Now perhaps you can explain how the Quran interprets non Muslims as donkeys, dogs, beasts, swine and apes.

 

Mahdi Said

Good that at least you are disturbed by these massacres which never spare women, children and sucklings.

And you also first answered my question before asking one of your own as it should be.

My Reply

As you believe in the same God as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and as you appear to understand everything about God and have arrived at ultimate God consciousness then perhaps you can explain 1 Samuel 15.