Saturday, January 2, 2010

Judaism and Islam: Incompatible? Pt 6-Innovated Religion?

Jewish law teaches that it is forbidden to the sons of Noah to create religions for themselves.
Mishne Torah, Laws of Kings and their Wars 10:12 "The general principle of the matter: They (the sons of Noah) are not to be allowed to innovate religious practice, or to create for themselves commandments from their own minds. Either a person shall become a full member of the people of Israel and thus accept upon himself all the commandments, or he shall remain with his Torah (that is, the commandments enjoined on the sons of Noah), and not add to it nor detract from it. And if he occupied himself in the Torah that is only binding upon Israel, or ceased working as a religious expression, or innovated something religious -- they (the legal enforcement of non-Israelites) are to hit him and punish him, and inform him that he is liable for death due to this; but he is not to be killed."
So it appears that it is forbidden for non-Jews to invent their own religions. The question then becomes, Is Islam an invented religion?
Islam does not claim to be an invented religion. Rather, it claims its origins in the faith of Abraham, which he taught to his son Ishmael. God bore witness of Abraham that He knew he would raise his children in God's ways. Thus, it can be readily accepted that Ishmael was taught the ways of God. As we have established, Muhammad was a prophet who returned mankind to the faith of Abraham. However, Islam does have new laws, such as the prohibition on alcohol. The question is whether this is permitted or forbidden.
Putting aside prophetic privilege to temporarily change law as necessary to bring people back to faith, I have another case to bring. In Jeremiah 35, the Rechabites, sons of Moses' father in law, are brought into the temple. The prophet set wine in front of them and told them to drink. They declined saying that Jonadab son of Rechab their father forbid alcohol, cities, fields and vineyards to them. They obeyed their father's command and lived in tents and did not consume alcohol. Instead of being punished for this, they are praised. It appears to me that the prohibition on forming a new religion is a prohibition on courts of bnei noach applying the death penalty to innovated laws; for this is murder. Also, it may include setting up new religious rituals. Islam does not claim that Muhammad set up any new religious rituals; only that he restored those practiced by Abraham and his sons. Thus, I do not believe that the evidence points to Islam being an innovated religion.

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