Open Letter To Dr. Francis S. Collins
Dear Sir,
I enjoyed your book "The
Language of God" and thought it was enlightening. I am in full agreement
that Science and religion are compatible. Not only this, they complement each
other and are two sides of the same thing. In so far as Religion is also
interested in Truth, science ought in fact to be included in Theology. However,
I was rather disappointed at the end because of what I regard as a serious
error of thought.
I would be grateful for some
comments on the following criticisms:-
You admit that God as the Creator
of the Universe must be a Supernatural being and yet you use natural reason,
which is adapted to the created world, to speculate about Him. In reality we
know about God only because of His revelation into our spirit.
The fact is that the doctrines of
the Christian Church regarding the Divinity of Jesus, Vicarious Atonement and
Trinity cannot be found in the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament, but are
speculations 300 years later, taken from Pagan sources - Mithraism or even
ancient Egypt.
What Jesus taught was:-
"Not every one that says
unto me Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but He THAT DOETH
THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN. Many will say to me in that Day:
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto
them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY." Matthew
7:21-23
"And this is Eternal Life
that they might know THEE THE ONLY TRUE GOD and Jesus Christ whom Thou has
sent." John 17:3
"While I was with them in
the world I kept them in THY NAME..." John 17:12
"He that hears my word and
believes on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come unto
condemnation, but is passed from death into life." John 5:24
Note that it is not belief in
Jesus but in the Father that leads to salvation.
"Jesus said unto her,
Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor
yet at Jerusalem, WORSHIP THE FATHER." John 4:21
"But the hour cometh, and
now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth:
for the Father seeks such to worship Him." John 4:23
"And he said unto him, Why
do you me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt
enter into life, keep the commandments." Mt 19:17
Jesus did not do or speak of
himself but what God instructed. (John 5:30, 6:38, 57, 7:16, 8:28, 10:37-38,
12:49)
"I can of mine own self do
nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine
own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." John 5:30
"..I do nothing of myself;
but as the Father hath taught me, I speak these things." John 8:28
Therefore, if you wish to be a
good follower of Jesus you have to "Surrender to God".
The phrase "Son of God"
is symbolic and refers to one led by the Spirit of God. (John 1:12 and Romans
8:12) Jesus was called Messiah or Christ because it means one anointed by God
as in the following:-
"The spirit of the Lord
Jehovah [is] on me, Because Jehovah did ANOINT ME to proclaim tidings to the
humble, He sent me to bind the broken of heart, to proclaim to captives
liberty, And to bound ones an opening of bands." Isaiah 61:1
Even Paul did not believe in
Trinity:-
"For there is one God, and
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" 1 Tim 2:5
"There is actually to us
one God the Father,...and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ" 1 Cor 8:6
"One God and Father of
all, who is over all and through all and in all" Eph 4:6
"And ye are Christ's, and
Christ is God's" 1 Cor 3:23
Thus John 1:1 should be
"...Word was God's" [Theos = God, Theou = God's]
You also made a mistaken assertion
about the view of man in the Quran as you will find if you read the following
verses:- Quran 2:30-31, 4:1, 15:29, 32:9, 8:24, 23:12-17 71:17, and 56:61
Would you be kind enough to
comment on these criticisms?
Yours sincerely,
Hamid S. Aziz
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