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Bible: Myths : By T. W. Doane

   
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In pursuing the study of the Bible Myths, facts pertaining thereto, in a condensed form, seemed to be greatly needed, and nowhere to be found. Widely scattered through hundreds of ancient and modem volumes, most of the contents of this book "Bible: Myths and their Parallels in other religions By T. W. Doanemay indeed be found; but any previous attempt to trace exclusively the myths and legends of the Old and New Testament to their origin, published as a separate work, is not known to the writer of this. Many able writers hare shown so-called Sacred Scriptures to be unhistorical, and have pronounced them largely legendary, but have there left the matter, evidently aware of the great extent of the subject lying beyond. American author Thomas William Doane (1852-1885)undertook extensive research delving into the parallels between Christianity and pre-existing religions from around the world, ultimately meaning to show the difference between eternal truths, both spiritual and scientific, and fable. His work; “BIBLE MYTHS, AND THEIR PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONS” was first published in 1882. He takes a methodical stroll through each of the most popular Biblical myths from both the Old and New Testaments, including the Creation, Fall, Flood, the Exodus, Samson, Birth of Jesus, Baptism, Original Sin, Trinity, and the temptation of Christ, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, Eucharist, Christian Symbols, Birthday of Christ Jesus, Paganism in Christianity and finally ‘Why Christianity Prospered’?


“BIBLE MYTHS, AND THEIR PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONS BEING A COMPARISON OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT MYTHS AND MIRACLES WITH THOSE OF HEATHEN NATIONS OF ANTIQUITY CONSIDERING ALSO THEIR ORIGIN AND MEANING” BY T. W. DOANE

"He who knows only one religion knows none." -PROP. MAX MULLER.

" The same thing which is now called CHRISTIAN RELIGION existed among the Ancients. They have begun to call Christianity the true religion which existed before," ST. AUGUSTINE.

" Our love for what is old, our reverence for what our fathers used, makes us keep still in the church, and on the very altar cloths, symbols which would excite the smile of an Oriental, and lead him to wonder why we send missionaries to his land, while cherishing his faith in ours." -JAMES BONWICK.

In pursuing the study of the Bible Myths, facts pertaining thereto, in a condensed form, seemed to be greatly needed, and nowhere to be found. Widely scattered through hundreds of ancient and modem volumes, most of the contents of this book may indeed be found; but any previous attempt to trace exclusively the myths and legends of the Old and New Testament to their origin, published as a separate work, is not known to the writer of this. Many able writers hare shown so-called Sacred Scriptures to be unhistorical, and have pronounced them largely legendary, but have there left the matter, evidently aware of the great extent of the subject lying beyond.

American author Thomas William Doane (1852-1885) is considered one of the most significant contributors to the Free Thought movement, which held the view that belief should be based on the epistemology of scientific and logical laws, rather than on faith. In support of this philosophy, Doane undertook extensive research delving into the parallels between Christianity and pre-existing religions from around the world, ultimately meaning to show the difference between eternal truths, both spiritual and scientific, and fable. His work; “BIBLE MYTHS, AND THEIR PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONS” was first published in 1882. He takes a methodical stroll through each of the most popular Biblical myths from both the Old and New Testaments, including the Creation, Fall, Flood, the Exodus, Samson, Birth of Jesus, Baptism, Original Sin, Trinity, and the temptation of Christ, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, Eucharist, Christian Symbols, Birthday of Christ Jesus, Paganism in Christianity  and finally ‘Why Christianity Prospered’?
By providing copious evidence of the pre-existence of the morals and indeed, associated details of each, as well as thorough bibliographic information, the fruit of Doane's labour is a fascinating survey of pre Christianity religions, embedded in the Christian dogmas, a compelling critique of the originality of Christian dogma.
It is unfortunate that very little is known about Thomas William Doane. Many of the early writers on Freethought have been buried in a conspiracy of oblivion. Their books were ignored by respectable journals, apart from an occasional pomposity or outraged condemnation. Public libraries and bookshops banned the books. The literature was prohibited in the mails and frequently seized; the publishers were prosecuted. The authors themselves were cold-shouldered and omitted from standard reference works. Today it is extremely difficult to glean even a few facts about some of these writers.

THOMAS WILLIAM DOANE was born in 1852. Like many pioneers of Freethought, he is not listed in standard biographies. We know that his book became a classic of Freethought for many decades, and that it was his sole literary work. He died young, on August 8, 1885, at Boston, aged 34, only three years after his book had first appeared. That is all we know. The book was first published by J. W. Bouton of New York, the enterprising book dealer who later issued Madame Blavatsky's sensational Isis Unveiled-a book which also owed much to the Anacalypsis of Godfrey Higgins. Doane's book joined company with [author] Kersey Graves' The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors as one of the most popular items in the list of the old Truth Seeker Co. of New York, a trailblazer in Freethought literature.

"BIBLE MYTHS AND THEIR PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONS" By T. W. DOANE,  1882. Produced by Marilynda Fraser-Cunliffe, Lisa Reigel, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31885/31885-h/31885-h.htm#Page_36
Index:
  1. Bible: Myths and their Parallels in other religion- introduction
  2. Crucifixion of Christ Jesus – The Myth
  3. Resurrection & Ascension of Christ Jesus
  4. Jesus Christ as Judge of the Dead
  5. Jesus Christ as The Creator, Alpha and Omega
  6. Khrisha and Jesus Christ Compared
  7. Buddha and Jesus Christ Compared
  8. Eurchrist or Lord’s Supper
  9. Baptism
  10. Worship of Virgin Mother
  11. Christian Symbols
  12. Birthday of Jesus Christ – Christmas
  13. The Trinity
  14. Paganism in Christianity
  15. Why Christianity Prospered
  16. Antiquity of Pagan Religions
  17. Conclusion 
  18. <<Read online or download>>
Related:  
The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome: By E. M. Bernes

Comments/Review-1

The point of the book “BIBLE MYTHS, AND THEIR PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONSis that Christianity is a religion whose 'holy scriptures' are a hodgepodge of myths from other earlier religions. One meaning that can be drawn from this is that Christianity is not the 'one true religion', but instead is just a creation of ordinary men. Another and more positive meaning which can be drawn is that there is some central core of stories on which many or most of the world's religions are based, a fact which suggests that these stories are representative of some historical truth which we know of only through mythopoeia. The question of whether the myths are true, however, does not tell us whether the religions which have adopted these myths are true, or are a good guide to behavior. My own view is that Christianity has been a dubious behavioural guide, with points both in its favour and against it, but that the church itself has often acted in a most un-Christian way, and that Christianity has been embraced by the Establishment if for no other reason than because it keeps the peons turning the other cheek instead of sticking pitchforks into the oft-deserving cheeks of their leaders.

Comments/Review-2

Is the Bible true? Ever since Tom Paine's daring ‘Age of Reason’ at the end of the eighteenth century, Freethinkers have sought a rational, non-mystical view of the universe, and their arguments against dogmatic Christianity have often been reinforced by appeals to pagan religions which contain myths paralleling the New Testament stories and throwing doubt on their priority or historicity. Banned for many years by narrow-minded bookshops and libraries, Freethinkers wrote aggressive attacks on dogma. Now a days the cause of literary freedom and tolerance demands that the Freethought case be properly heard. “BIBLE MYTHS, AND THEIR PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONSis one of two important Freethought classics now reissued. Manufactured in the United States of America, this monumental comparison of the basic elements of many different faiths shows unmistakably that the important details of the Christian story have parallels in pre-existing religions. Like the companion work now reissued (The World's  Sixteen Crucified Saviours by Kersey Graves), it stemmed  from the powerful impact of Godfrey Higgins's masterpiece Anacalypsis, a very rare work reprinted in limited edition  by University Books Inc., 1965. Higgins spent twenty years of his life seeking the common thread of all languages and religions, a secret tradition of the mysteries that he believed had been obscured by priest cults and the privileges of establishment. Only the first volume had appeared when he died in 1833; the second volume was published posthumously three years later. This great work was drawn upon equally by Freethinkers and Theosophists, and there are 136 references to Anacalypsis in the present book.
Like Higgins, the author devoted many years to perfecting this study, and consulted nearly a hundred authorities, cited in the bibliography of "Authors and Books quoted."

Comments/Review-3

The book “BIBLE MYTHS, AND THEIR PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONSis a careful and valuable compilation, the first comprehensive and systematic collation of comparative mythology using the Judeo-Christian Bible as a ground plan. It appeared long before Comparative Religion became a fashionable study at universities, and occupies a position midway between scholarship and the popular polemics of writers like Kersey Graves. It is still an excellent introduction to Comparative Religion, especially for broad-minded Christians who are prepared to consider their faith in the perspective of pre-existing religions. Of course, there are mistakes and misunderstandings, but they stem from the author's sources and from the scholarship and outlook of his time. They are themselves part of the mythic process.
It is the unique problem of scholarship in this field that the factual study of religion is forever dealing with the outside of things, and cannot be better than the measurement of its time. Religion can never be an exact science because it is constantly changing its form, and the real message of the author's stupendously detailed comparisons is one which did not occur to him that certain basic symbols are archetypal in the human situation and are reflections of the divine infinity from which man has his origin and to which he returns. The religious person calls this great mystery "God," and the Freethinker and Atheist may call it "Nature" or "Science" so long as they affirm the rituals and ethical codes that will refine perception of it. Study alone will not enable us to discover that transcendent happiness, that awe and wonder at the marvel of life, which is the secret hope of every human being. If I want to understand how Arjuna felt in his marvellous discussion with Shri Krishna in the Hindu religious classic Bhagavad-Gita, I do not study the scholarly Harvard translation by an impeccable scholar, but rather the four ‘Anna’ (about two cents) Gita mass-produced by a religious temple in India and written by a believer, for here in this cheap, warm-hearted paperback the original inspiration comes alive in a way that dry scholarship could only envy.
The author of “BIBLE MYTHS, AND THEIR PARALLELS IN OTHER RELIGIONSpins much of his "Explanation" on the then fashionable theory that religion stemmed from man's response to natural phenomena like the  sun and the moon, and that all bibles and myths may be reduced to simple allegories. Great scholars of the nineteenth century like Max Muller and G. W. Cox believed something like that and overtaxed etymology to prove it, but it is not so simple. Someone once said: "The whole of life is nothing more than questions which have taken upon themselves shape-questions that are pregnant with their own answers." The physical world surrounds us like the words of a gigantic riddle in an unknown language-the shapes of nature, the wonder of male and female, the mysteries of colour and number, the movement of the year, the pattern of the heavens and the significance of days in the calendar. The novelist Charles Kingsley once wrote "When I walk the fields I am oppressed every now and then with an innate feeling that everything I see has a meaning, if I could but understand it. And this feeling of being surrounded with truths which I cannot grasp amounts to an indescribable awe sometimes! Oh! How I have prayed to have the mystery unfolded, at least hereafter. To see, if but for a moment, the whole harmony of the great system! To hear once the music which the whole universe makes as it performs His bidding!"
There are archetypal themes and processes in nature that tell one great story in a myriad different ways, and every living thing is a symbol of the whole. We cannot explain this great secret through the senses and intellect alone, since no mind can contain the knowledge of all other minds-past present, and future-the awareness of all interrelationships in the cosmos. Myth is the poetry of the spirit, where the emotions enter into the mystery of being through shapes, colours, sounds, and rhythms, and all religions have drawn upon the same symbols through the mystical visions of shamans and prophets. Through symbolic rituals of religion, social duties are aligned with divine meaning and separate lives harmonized in one pattern. Mere theory is a pretty poor substitute for the insight and experience of religion, and it need surprise no one that the same myths are common to all. The story of the hero birth of the patriarch Moses is also told of Sargon of Agade in Mesopotamia in 2,350 B.C. Many religions have featured the mysteries of earth and the serpent which crawls upon it, the androgyne behind the division of the sexes, the garden, the tree, and the first parents. Hindus and Gnostics speak of the stages of divine emanation and return. You may compare the Creation of Genesis with the Hindu Parabrahman, origin of the universe, and the Tetragrammaton of the New Testament gospel of St. John. Much of Jewish Cabbala is foreshadowed in Hindu Tantra, and the beautiful transcendentalism of Hassidic legends springs from the same religious experience as the Zen Buddhist koans or the mystical poetry of the Sufis and Hindu bhakti cults. The mythology of mysticism is a universal art, and the basis of true religion. It has little to do with the politics of religious establishment, which the Freethinkers rightly condemn.
No sincere Christian can afford to ignore the terrible record of his own church-the holy wars, centuries of despotism, cruelty, fanaticism, and intolerance of religion turning into politics. It is a tragic story which is not yet over. Yet these things are not the true basis of religion and only contaminate the name. The core of all religions is the mystical experience which reconciles the individual and the divine, the transcendental with the social duties of everyday life. Scholarship cannot validate any single scripture of any one religion over and above that of another. There are history and pseudo-history entangled in all of them, but historicity is not the measure. Their basic strength is myth the poetical truth which is the dark language of the spirit. In modern times, men like Professor C. G. Jung have found that the symbols of myth are the keys to religious experience. More recently Dr. Joseph Campbell has shown how scholarship may be married to insight, and in his fine study The Hero with a Thousand Faces (New York, 1949; 1956) he has illustrated how all the myths treat of the same human situation, a theme elaborated further in his tremendous work The Masks of God (4 vols., New York, 1959-68). These are books which valuably supplement the present work. It is interesting to note that many of the old Freethinkers whose quest for truth led them into infidel fields could not resist the urge to discover a greater meaning in life than mere theory or negative attacks on dogmatic Christianity. D. M. Bennett, founder of The Truth Seeker, had originally spent many happy years in the Shaker community at New Lebanon. He left reluctantly when faith declined. During his later career as a Freethinker he became sympathetic to Spiritualism. It should be remembered that the last two decades of the nineteenth century were a golden age of Spiritualism. It may sound highly irrational that down-to-earth rationalists should be drawn to "spiritual" phenomena, but liberal men and women were naturally attracted to any new controversial science or pseudo-science that promised to provide a non-supernatural rationale for miracles, and thus throw new light on the "superstitions" of the Bible.
No devout Christian will suffer loss of faith through knowing that other religions have anticipated some of the noblest portions of the Christian Bible-rather, I think, he may draw greater strength from a sense of kinship with other great souls, past and present. This book is a key reference work that will start many readers on a new and exciting quest for the source of all religions. [Leslie Shepard,1970]
READING LIST
The following books will be of special interest for further study in conjunction with the present work:
  • CAMPBELL, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces 1949; 1956
  • The Masks of God 4 vols. 1959-68 (Primitive Mythology; Oriental Mythology; Occidental Mythology; Creative Mythology) FORLONG, J. G. R. Faiths of Man; Encyclopedia of Religions 3 vols. 1906; University Books Inc., 1964
  • GRAVES, Kersey. The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors; or Christianity
  • Before Christ 1875 etc.; University Books Inc., 1970
  • HIGGINS, Godfrey. Anacalypsis: An Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of Saitic Isis; or an Inquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations and Religions 1833-36; University Books Inc., 1965
  • LEGGE, Francis. Forerunners and Rivals of Christianity from 330 B.C. to 330 A.D. 1915; University Books Inc., 1964
  • MAETERLINCK, Maurice. The Great Secret 1922; University Books Inc.1969
  • MEAD, G. R. S. Apollonius of Tyana. 1901; University Books Inc., 1966
  •  Did Jesus Live 100 B.C.? 1903; University Books Inc., 1968
  • Fragments of a Faith Forgotten 1900 etc.; University Books Inc., 1964

Comments-4
Use of intellect to differenciate right from wrong is urged by Islam, more over God sent messengers and prophets in every nation for guidance. Beginning with the first human and Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), there has been many messengers and prophets from Noah (peace be upon him) through Abraham (peace be upon him) for their respective nations. According to Muslim traditions there has been more than 1,24,000 prophets sent to different nations at different times, it includes 315 Rasool (Messenger) who were granted scriptures (law). God says:
“We did aforetime send Messengers before thee (O’ Muhammad): of them there are some whose story We have related to thee and some whose story We have not related to thee” (Qur’an; 40:78)
With the passage of time the true monotheistic teachings and scriptures got corrupted, mixed with idol worship and many myths. This is particularly obvious in the Christianity, where monotheistic message of Jesus Christ was changed, corrupted, and mixed with many pagan myths. Bible itself admits: "How do you say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly he made it falsely; the pen of the scribes made it a lie."(Jeremiah; 8:8), "Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write misfortune which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from justice, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!"(Isaiah; 10:1-2)
Hinduism is commonly perceived to be a polytheistic religion because the common Hindus are observed worshiping many gods. However Hindus, well versed in their scriptures, insist that a Hindu should believe in and worship only one God. The sacred Hindu scriptures, urge monotheism (Tawhid), it is stated: “Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.”(Bhagavad Gita;7:20); “He is One only without a second.” (Chandogya: Upanishad;6:2:1), “Of Him there are neither parents nor lord.”(Svetasvatara: Upanishad;6:9), “There is no likeness of Him.”(Svetasvatara: Upanishad;4:19), “His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye.”(Svetasvatara: Upanishad;4:20). According to Vedas: “There is no image of Him.” (Yajurveda;32:3); “He is bodiless and pure.”(Yajurveda;40:8); “They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements (air, water, fire, etc.);“ They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti (created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc)”(Yajurveda;40:9); “O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him alone.”(Rigveda;8:1:1).The Brahma Sutra of Hinduism is: “There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit.” (Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kincha).
Buddhism, is considered non committal on God, historical criticism has proved that the original teachings of Buddha can never be known, because his teachings and doctrines were written down 400 years, after his death. Moreover little attention was paid to its authenticity, genuineness and purity.
God sent the last scripture, Quran, through last Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon hum) which is miraculously preserved in its original revealed language for guidance of humanity. Accuracy of scientific, historic narratives & prophecies is the logocal proof of its truthfulness [details: http://wp.me/PCgrB-7t]. The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known fourteen hundred year ago once Qur’an was revealed; but they have been scientifically proved recently, (details are available in the book ‘Qur’an and Science’ by Dr.Zakir Naik & “The Bible, The Qur’an and Science” by Dr. Maurice Bucaille), some of them are referred here:
The creation of the universe by ‘The Big Bang’: “Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of Creation), before We clove them asunder?” (Qur’an;21:30). Initially there was gaseous mass before creation of galaxies: “Moreover, He Comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: “Come ye together willingly or unwillingly.” They said: “We do come (together) in willing obedience.”(Qur’an;41:11). The shape of earth; “And the earth, moreover, hath He made egg shaped.” (Qur’an;79:30). Moon has reflected light and sun has its own light; “And (who) made the moon a light (nur, reflected light) in their midst and made the sun as a (Glorious) Lamp(siraja-own light).(Qur’an;71:16). The Sun Rotates:” It is He Who created the Night and the Day, and the sun and the moon: All (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course.” (Qur’an;21:33). “It is not permitted to the sun to catch up the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).” (Qur’an;36:40). The other examples are: The sun will extinguish;(Qur’an;36:38,13:2). The expanding nature of universe; (Qur’an;51:47).
 Atoms can be divided;(Qur’an;10:61). Mountains are like tent pegs firmly fixed providing stability; (Qur’an;78:6-7,21:31,79:32). Darkness in depths of ocean; (Qur’an;24:40). The water cycle;(Qur’an;39:21, 30:24,23:18). Plants & Fruits have male and female; (Qur’an;20:53, 13:3). The bee and its skills; (Qur’an;16:68-69). Lifestyle and communication of ants; (Qur’an;27:17-18). Honey has healing for humankind; (Qur’an;16:69). Creation of man from water;(Qur’an;25:54). Creation of living being;“ We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?” (Qur’an;21:30). Importance of fingerprints: (Qur’an;75:3-4) and the existence of pain receptors in the skin: (Qur’an;4:56). Embryological stages; (Qur’an;23:12-14, 75:37-39,82:7-8). Embryo partly formed and partly unformed; (Qur’an;22:5). First sense of hearing developed then sense of sight; (Qur’an;32:9,23:78). Sex determination factor for child; (Qur’an;53:45-46,75:37-39).
Quran is the criteria to judge the corrupted parts of previous scriptures and restores the original pure monotheistic religion of God.
“O Prophet (Muhammad), surely We have revealed to you the Book (Quran) with the truth, for the instruction of Mankind. He who follows the Right Way shall follow it for his own good; and he who goes astray shall do so at his own peril. You are not set up as a guardian over them.” (Qur’an;39:41)
“To you, O Muhammad, We have revealed this Book with the truth. It confirms whatever has remained intact in the scriptures which came before it and also to safeguard it”. (Qur’an;5:48))
The revelations received by the earlier messengers, some available in the form of books in Bible (Torah, Psalms, Gospel etc) were meant for specific people for specific time, besides not being in the original revealed form, their authenticity can not be established due to variant versions.  Allah says: “He has revealed to you (O’ Muhammad) this Book (Qur’an) with the Truth, confirming whatever there still remains of the scripture which preceded it, as He revealed the Torah and Gospel, aforetime as a guidance unto mankind, and it is He who has bestowed (upon man) the standard by which to discern the true from the false. Behold, as for those who are bent on denying God’s messages- grievous suffering awaits them: for God is Almighty, an avenger of evil.”(Qur’an;3:3-4); "Truth has come and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood by its nature is bound to perish.”(Qur’an;17:81). Allah says: “And, verily, (the essence of ) this (revelation, i.e. Qur’an) is indeed found in the ancient books of divine wisdom (as well) (Qur’an;26:196,link 2:42, 61:6), Qur’an was foretold in Bible, Deutronomy;18:15 &18. Hence to discern the true from the false the previous scriptures have been abrogated and replaced with the final revelation.(Qur’an; 2:106-107, 16:101, 5:48). Hence it is for the humanity to now follow it.
Some verses translated from Quran highlight the points mentioned above:
“By the soul and Him Who perfected it and inspired it with knowledge of what is wrong for it and what is right for it: indeed successful will be the one who keeps it pure, and indeed failure will be the one who corrupts it!”(Qur’an;91:7-10)
"It is He Who has created you (and made you grow) and made for you the faculties of hearing seeing feeling and understanding: little thanks it is ye give.”(Qur’an; 67:23).
“Therefore, stand firm in your devotion to the upright faith - the nature made by Allah, the one on which mankind is created - and the laws of Nature ordained by Allah cannot be changed. That is the ‘Standard True Religion’, but most among mankind do not know.”(Qur’an;30:30).
“…And there never was a people, without a Warner having lived among them (in the past)."(Qur’an;35:24).
“Mankind was one single nation, and Allah sent Messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and with them He sent the Book In truth, to judge between people in matters wherein they differed”(Quran; 2:213)
“And verily We have raised in every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Serve Allah and  shun false gods. After that, Allah guided some of them while deviation proved true against the others….”(Qur’an;16:36)
“And there never was a people, without a Warner having lived among them (in the past)”(Qur’an;35:24).
“Possessor of the Highest Rank, the Master of the Throne of Authority sends down the Spirit by His command on those of His servants whom He chooses, that he (the Prophet who received the revelations) may warn mankind of the Day when they shall meet Him.”(Qur’an;40:15 and similarly also at 28:68, 42:13, 16:2).
All the Messengers conveyed good news to mankind and admonished them so that, after conveying the message through the Messengers, people should have no excuse to plead against Allah.(Qur’an;4:165).
“God has created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth, and to reward each human being according to its deeds, and none of them shall be wronged.”(Qur’an;45:22)
“We charge no soul with more than it can bear; We have a Book of record which shall clearly tell the truth, and they shall not be treated unjustly.”(Qur’an;23:62).
“Say: (O’ Muhammad) "I am but a human like yourselves (but) the inspiration has come to me that your God is one God: whoever expects to meet his Lord let him work righteousness and in the worship of his Lord admit no one as partner."(Qur’an;18:110).
“We have sent Thee (O’ Muhammad) inspiration, As we sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David we gave the Psalms. Of some apostles we have already told Thee the story; of others we have not…(Quran; 4:163-170 )
“Verily, the vilest of all creatures  in the sight of God are those deaf, those dumb ones who do not use their reason.” …(Quran; 8:22)
“O people of the Book! [Jews & Christians] Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but truth.  Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an Apostle of Allah and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His Apostles.  Say not "Trinity": desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is One Allah: glory be to him: (for Exalted is He) above having a son.  To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth.  And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. Christ disdained not to serve and worship Allah nor do the angels those nearest (to Allah): those who disdain His worship and are arrogant He will gather them all together unto himself to (answer). …” (Quran; 4:171-172)
" Say: "O people of the Book! exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper) trespassing beyond the truth nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by who misled many and strayed (themselves) from the even way. Curses were pronounced on those among the Children of Israel who rejected faith by the tongue of David [see Psalms;78, 21,22,31-33, 09:17-18, 78;21-22, 69:22-28, 5:10.] and of Jesus the son of Mary [see Mathew;12:34, 23:33-45]: because they disobeyed and persisted in excesses. Nor did they (usually) forbid one another the iniquities which they committed: evil indeed were the deeds which they did.”(Quran; 5:77-79).
“Say: "O Jews and Christians [people of the Book]! come to common terms As between us and you: that we worship none but [one] God  that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than God [Allah]." if then They turn back, say: "Bear witness that we (at least) are bowing to the Will of God [Islam]” (Qur’an;3:64)
 “Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but He was true in Faith, and bowed His will to Allah’s (which is Islam), and He joined not gods with Allah. Without doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Abraham, are those who follow him, As are also This Messenger and those who believe: and Allah is the Protector of those who have Faith” (Quran; 3:67-68.)
The Qur’an demands absolute submission (Islam) to God: "Surely Allah’s religion is (Man’s) self surrender to Him (Islam).”(Qur’an;3:19).
At the end of his last sermon during last Hajj (632 C.E) the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
O’ People, no Messengers or prophet will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O’ People, and understand my words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Qur’an and my example, the Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.” More at http://quran-pedia.blogspot.com/

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