Catholicism and Islam...

I've seen some strange things, but I've never seen a person who professes to be a faithful Catholic claim that the religion is essentially the same as Islam. This person, with a demonstrable persistence in falsely maintaining that Pacifism is the end-all-be-all of Christianity, was bound to come up with other falsehoods in time.

Chris Sullivan is now claiming that Islam and Christianity are exactly the same. On a thread over at Disputations involving an entirely different matter, Chris Sullivan writes in the comment boxes:

As Islam proclaims there is only one God, and he is the God of salvation, it follows that Islam is a path to God's salvation.
Those Qu'ran passages which seem to deny the trinity need to be read in the context of the book's frequent use of the plural in refering to God and it's depiction of the Gospels as "holy books" (the trinity is clear in the Gospels despite what Mark Shea thinks).
Islam belives Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. To do that justly Jesus must know everything everyone ever did and their mental state at the time. Only God can know this.
The clues are all in the Qu'ran but one needs the key to unlock them. Her name is Mary and the Qu'ran has an entire chapter about her.

He continues in more posts:

"There is nothing in the Qu'ran which isn't reconcilable with the Christian faith, although, as with the bible, it's possible to come up with "first impression" interpretations which are erroneous.To understand the book, you need to go to the key, Mary."

And later...

"My views on Islam cannot be a heresy because no Pope or Ecumenical council has ever pronounced dogmatically that Islam is incompatible with the Catholic Faith or made any negative assesment of the Qu'ran."

One wouldn't think that a Ecumenical council would be necesary to state that the Sky is Blue either. Anyway, in response to the incredulous nature of these comments, one commenter suggested that Chris Sullivan couldn't possibly be suggesting that Christianity and Islam are at bottom one religion. Chris's response?

"They are. If you go right to the very bottom, but few dare go that deep, down through the dark night led by the mediatrix of all graces."

I understand what "they are" means, but I don't know what the hell he's talking about when he says that "if you go right to the very bottom... down through the dark night..." Sounds like a new Batman movie or something.

In any event, this is the most ludicrous thing I've seen yet. Obviously Islam is only tangentially related to Christianity, in the sense that Islam was derived from Christianity as well as certain pagan traditions which influenced Mohammed. Yes, Islam professes to believe in the God of Abraham. Islam reveres Jesus as a prophet, but explicitly says Jesus is Not the Christ, that he is Not God, that he explicitly did Not Rise from the Grave on the Third Day. Muslims explicitly, absolutely, 100% reject the Ressurection. In fact, the Koran explicitly says that Jesus was surely not killed on the Cross:

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah"; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;- And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he (Jesus) will be a witness against them. (surah al-Nisaa'; 4:157-159)

"For a surety they killed him not." According to Islam, Christ DID NOT DIE, but was merely transplanted to Heaven like Elijah. And if Christ did not die, he could not die for our sins, and he could not be ressurected. And, as St. Paul says in his 1st letter to the Corinthians, "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain."

Christianity is Not Islam, period. And it is disgraceful that someone could think they're the same. I don't know what kool-aid Chris Sullivan is drinking, but this is probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard him say (and that's me trying to be nice about it, which isn't easy). If this isn't heresy, then I don't know what is.

UPDATE: I think that one can understand how Chris Sullivan came to this deluded view through his clue on how Islam views Mary. Islam proclaims Jesus to have been born of the Virgin. Well, that's fine, but it doesn't change the fact that according to Islam Jesus is NOT the Christ. He is Not God, and still Did Not Die and Was Not Ressurected. And thereore, Christianity is NOT the same as Islam. Sheesh...