The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-07-05

the various gys-
TENS Of religion,
great care must be exercised in
searching for the points Of contact
less we strive to make them points
for the amalg0mAtion Of Christianity
with the nou-Christian system, Mo-
manned Is considered the last Of tho
great prophets who inauguratod these
great religious systems. He was born
In Mecca about SOC years after Christ,
At the age Of twenty-five he married
a wealthy widow for whom he had car
ried on business, by caravan, between
Mecca and Damascus. Later he be-
gan to have religious aspirations and
on various occasions while IN soclu.
sion in a cave experienced strange
Authorizations that he attributed to
tho influence of angels, He consid'
cred himself constituted a prophet by
Gabriel and took up the work OF re-
formation, He became bitter against
idolatry and opposed some OF the In
constituencies OF his time. However,
as years went on, he became grasping,
which caused him 10 break his W
laws and do inconsistent things, To
justify himself IN this, he claimed he
had received revelations granting him
special permission to do them. Hc
soon took up the sword and became A
leader Of a band OF brigands, After
his death, Abu Bekr took mp the work
and began the conquest of Palestine
and Syria. II was carried on by his
successors until Asia Minor mud North
Africa, were conquered. They then
attempted to get into Europe through
Constantinople on the east and Gaul
on the west. They were driven back,
which delivered Europe from the yoke
Of Mohammedanism. The conquest
then went to the east toward India,
and southwark into the Sudan In
Africa.
Mohammedanism Is a mixture OF
Plagiarism and Judaism, II Ia strong
~ Monetheistic; teacheE absolute pre-
destination and that only Moslems are
saved. Its spirit IN rule or ruin"
peaeeably II there il no opposition, but
with the iron heel, II necessary, Mo-
manned got his idea of God from Jul
daism. He took only the attribute or
justice and made n god Of law to
whom he gave ABSOLUTE sovereignty,
but attributed 10 him little Interest In
the veal or woe Of the human race.
Since he considered God to be but one
person. he became very bitter against
Christianity on the ground that he con
sidered It polytheistic because OF the
three persons IN the Godhead. In or
der to account for Christ, the Mobam-
medans teach that just before Christ
was crucihed, the angel Gabriel ar.
ranged for some one else, who looked
like Christ, to be crucified In bis place.
Mohammed in order TO secure for him.
self divine authority asserted that he
was the paraclete whom Jesus had
promised. He considered Jesus a
mere prophet and inferior to himself.
He himself being the last Of the
prophets Of God. The Mohammedan
view OF creation Is very much similar
to that found In the Bible. However,
the creation Of man differed in that It
Ia said that God took a lump Of clay
and broke II into two pieces, creating
mankind from them both. or the IN
he said, THESE to heaven and ! ARE
I not" and Of those made from the 9th
er lump he said, These to he'll and |
care not"
Sin to the Mohammcdan is far DIFF,
ferent from sin to the Christian In
the first place. sin has nothing to do
with our nature, for man inherited
none OF the sinful nature OF Adam.
Second, sins Of Ignorance are not
counted as wrong doing. Third, only
the wilful violation OF known Law is
considered sin. Their belief In predesc
tination and fatalism makes their fu-
ture fixed 80 that salvation through
atonement ia not necessary. Neither
have they any provision from the pres,
emit power OF sfn. To match this
strange teaching regarding sin, the
Mohammedans have planned a heaven
full OF sensual ~indglgences where they
expect TO rest upon gold touches, be
attended by celestial beings and be
always eating and drinking, but never
Batiated. M~ohafrmedans look upon
the resurrection on the body as real
and literal. They teach that It will
be produced by a living principle re.
siding in one OF the bones Of the body
which will be ~impregnated by a forty
days rain before the resurrection oc-
ours and will cause the bodies to
sprout forth like plants. The source
OF this teaHhing and Of the Koran.
their sacred book, might be termed
mechanical inspiration. They believe
the Koran TO be unereated and eter.
nal, the original copy being kept under
the throne Of God. Teh Koran is small
err thar our New Testament.
The treatment accorded Mohamme.
dan women is almost as severe as can
be found under brutal paganism. A
man may cause his wife to leave him
BY saying, Thou art divorced" Her
duty TO him Is implicit obedience and
re%verential silence in his presence. A
MohamTedan woman'S hope Of heaven
IN to have a husband and thus to get
In TO be his attendant.