Paul says...
2 Corinthians 12:16
Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty (panourgos) fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery (dolos)!
Paul refers to himself as a 'crafty' fellow. The word in Greek is panourgos, which could mean...
1) skilful, clever
a) in a good sense, fit to undertake and accomplish anything, dexterous, wise, sagacious, skilful
b) in a bad sense, crafty, cunning, knavish, treacherous, deceitful
Source: http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/3/1141669110-6606.html
Obviously Christians will tend to go for definition 'a', which states that it is cleverness in a good sense. However, when we read the rest of the verse...
Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty (panourgos) fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery (dolos)!
The word for trickery here is dolos, which could mean...
1) craft, deceit, guile
Source: http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/words/1/1141669203-1025.html
This word is always used in a negative way...
Matthew 26:4
and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly (dolos) way and kill him.
Mark 7:22
greed, malice, deceit (dolos) lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
Mark 14:1
Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly (dolos) way to arrest Jesus and kill him.
John 1:47
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false (dolos)."
Acts 13:10
"You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit (dolos) and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
Romans 1:29
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit (dolos) and malice. They are gossips,
1 Thessalonians 2:3
For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick (dolos) you.
1 Peter 2:1
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit (dolos) , hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
1 Peter 2:22
"He committed no sin, and no deceit (dolos) was found in his mouth."
1 Peter 3:10
For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful (dolos) speech.
Revelation 14:5
No lie (dolos) was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
As we can see this word is always being used negatively. This is the very thing that Paul claimed to have done. Does this make Paul guilty of deception? Jesus himself says in Mark 7:22 that it is a sin and that it is something that makes someone unclean from inside (verse 23).
Note To Muslims
I do not give permission to any Muslim to use the information contained in this article in any negative way. I did not write this article in order to attack the character of Paul. I never write articles to attack Christianity in a negative way. This is never my intention. However, as Muslims we are forced to retaliate when Islamophobes start attacking our religion. They need to know how it feels to get the same treatment back. This article's information could only be used in the following cases...
If anyone ever tries to accuse our Allah the Glorious like how some people have done and failed of being a deceiver in a negative way or try to accuse our beloved Prophet Muhammad of being a deceiver. You should defend the honor of your religion first and then retaliate by giving them some of their own medicine. Other than that I give no permission to anyone to use this article just for simply attacking and mocking the other person's religion
Sam Shamoun comments on this article and I respond back here.
