www.providentialbc.com
Exposing the Religion of Islam
(Muslim = A Follower of the Religion of Islam)
I. It is Pervasive
There are an estimated 1.3 billion Muslims in our world, and Islam claims to be the fastest growing religion in our world. It dominates 52 countries and three continents. It is now
the second largest religion in Europe, the third largest religion in Britain, and the third largest
in the United States. In fact, we now have over eight million Muslims in the U.S.; that is three
times as many as we had here just twenty years ago; and thirty years ago, Muslims were practically non-existent on American soil. By comparison, Mormonism is the largest cult
in America, and we have four million of them here. We have twice as many Muslims - eight
million. So, this should tell us that we need to stop thinking of Islam as a religion that is far
away from us, over there in the Middle east somewhere, because it is right here. Fortunately,
most Muslims are not what we would classify as being "radicals" or "extremists" who use
violence to propagate their religion. Joe Beiz, in an editorial in world magazine wrote,
"The more radical branch of Islam, the Shi'ites, who stress the concept of Jihad,
accounts for only 10% of the Muslim population worldwide."
That sounds like good news until we consider that 10% of 1.3 billion is still 130 million, and that
is a sizable number.
II. It is Cultic
I often hear people say that there is very little difference between the religion of Islam
and Christianity. I have even heard Muslim's say this. There are, however, some very
basic fundamental and irreconcilable differences between us (Christians) and them
(Muslims).
a. Muslims Deny the Deity of Jesus
The most significant of these differences is that Muslims view Jesus as being
merely "A Prophet" while those of us who are Christians view Jesus as being
the Son of God. They see Jesus as being merely mortal while we see Him as being
Divine. Sura 5:73,78 which is in the Koran says,
"They do blaspheme who say: God is Christ the son of Mary..."
And in Sura 43:59, the Koran says,
"Jesus was no more than a mortal whom Allah favored and made
an example to the Israelites"
As Christians, we believe that Jesus is the Christ (The Messiah) and the Son of God,
and this is confirmed many times, and in many different ways, throughout the Bible
i. We Have the Testimony of God the Father
In Matthew 3:17, God the Father said this about Jesus; He said,
"...'This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased'"
ii. We Have the Testimony of God the Son
In John 10:30, Jesus Himself said,
"I and the Father are one"
iii. We Have the Testimony of God the Holy Spirit
In Matthew 16:17, Jesus said this to Simon Peter right after his great confession
of faith, just after Peter called Jesus the Son of God; Jesus said,
"...'Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal
this to you, but My Father who is in heaven"
In addition to this, the entire gospel of John was written for this purpose; John said,
"but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name"
b. Muslims are Works Oriented
Like all other world religions and cults, the religion of Islam teaches that the only
hope anyone has of getting into heaven is by good works. They actually teach that
every person has two recording angels assigned to them when they are born. One
of these recording angels records all of their "good deeds," and the other records
all of their "bad deeds." Allah is not a god of love; he is a very capricious god; and
so, he may choose to reject someone even if they have done a lot of good works;
but with more good works, they stand a better chance. Consequently, there is no
way for a Muslim to have any assurance of salvation with the exception of one,
and that is for him or her to die as a martyr in a Jihad, a holy war. In addition
to this, every Muslim is expected to keep the five pillars of Islam which are as follows:
1) Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood
of Muhammad
2) Establishment of the daily prayers
3) Concern for and almsgiving to the needy
4) Self-purification through fasting
5) and the pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) for those who are able.
This Muslim concept of salvation is obviously incompatible with the Christian concept
of salvation which is by grace and through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
In Romans 3:20, the Bible says
"...by the works of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight..."
And in Ephesians 2:8-9, we read,
"8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast"
c. Muslims Reject the Atonement
Muslims reject, not only the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also His crucifixion
and His atonement for our sins. They even teach that Jesus did not die on the cross;
instead, they teach that another person took His place on the cross like Simon of Cyrene
or even Judas Iscariot. In the Koran (Qur'an 4:157-158)., we find this statement...
“That they said (in boast), 'We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger
of God';- 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, God raised him
up unto the himself; and God is Exalted in Power, Wise"
After His survival, the Muslims teach that Jesus traveled as far as Kashmir, India,
and he preached to the lost tribes of Israel. His tomb can be found there, and they
claim that his body is still inside of it. This is, of course, is a denial of the death,
burial and physical resurrection of Jesus Christ which is an essential part of the
gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Doesn't this sound similar to Mormonism, and it's claim that Jesus preached
to the American Indians who they claim to be the lost tribe of Israel?
Islam is so cult like that some have described it as a 7th century form of "Medieval
Mormonism", and there are many similarities. Muslims, like Mormons, for example,
teach that their founder received his revelations from an angel. The Mormons
say that an angel named "Moroni" did this for Joseph Smith. The Muslims claim
that an angel named "Gabriel" did this for Muhammad. The Koran, like the book
of Mormon contradicts itself in many places; and while it borrows many ideas from
Judaism and Christianity, it states them incorrectly and misapplies them.
. At one point, the Koran teaches that God created the world in eight days,
and at another point, it says God created the world in six days.
. At one point, the Koran says that Noah's sons did not come into the ark;
and consequently, they all drowned, and at another place it says that all
of Noah's sons survived
. According to the Koran...
...The flood occurred during the time of Moses
...Noah's ark came to rest on Mount Judi instead of Mount Ararat
...Abraham's father was a man named Azar not Terah
...Abraham attempted to sacrifice Ishmael not Isaac; and so, not surprisingly,
the Muslims say that the Arabs and not the Jews are God's chosen people
...Pharaoh's wife adopted Moses not Pharaoh's daughter
...Mary gave birth to Jesus under a palm tree not a stable
...the disciples of Christ were called "Muslims" not "Christians"
Conclusion = No One Who Really Knows the Facts Can Say That the Religion of Islam
and Biblical Christianity are Compatible
III. It is Dangerous
Islam, in many ways, attempts to lock people into a cultural era in much the same way
as the Amish religion does in America. Dr. Arthur Arberry, the Head of Mid-Western Studies
at Cambridge University, said this; he said,
"Islam is a peculiarly Arabian religion because Islam is a religion and culture, and as a religion
and culture they are one. It must be understood in terms of its essential identification with
seventh-century culture"
Dr. Ron Carlson, the President of Christian Ministries International adds this; he says,
“Islam imposes seventh-century Arabian culture in its political expression, in its family affairs,
in its dietary laws, in its cloth, in its religious rites, and in its language. Muslims are religiously
compelled to impose seventh century Arab culture on the rest of the cultures of the world."
I concur, and I will add that it is interesting to note that what an illiterate nomadic tribesman wore in the desert in seventh century Arabia is still mandated as a dress code for Muslim women today. Carlson goes on to say,
"Muhammad took the political laws which governed seventh-century Arabian tribes
and literally made them the laws of Allah, their God. In such tribes, the sheik or chief
of the nomadic tribes had absolute authority. There was no concept of civil or personal
rights in seventh-century Arabia. This is why Islamic countries are inevitably ruled
by dictators or strong men who rule as despots. There are 21 Arab nations today,
and not one of them is a democracy.”
As Americans, we need to understand that there are religious and cultural factors involved here that make it impossible for us to expect Muslims to conform to our western mindset including our love for religious freedom, individual rights, free speech and a democratic form of government etcetera. In addition to this, we need to understand that the violence endorsed against Christians, Jews and Non-Muslims in the Koran is not confined to any historical context. Some might suggest that some of God's commands given to the Israelites in places like the book
of Judges endorsed the Hebrew concept of 'herem' and called for the extermination of all of the inhabitants in the land of Canaan; therefore, it is just as dangerous as Islam. This, however,
is the difference. Islam lacks an historical context. We do not expect Christians to promote
the Hebrew concept of 'herem,' because in the New Testament we are urged love our neighbor and avoid war if at all possible. Muslims have no reason to believe that the violence endorsed
in the Koran is not just as valid today as it was in the seventh century. The Koran taken literally, therefore, is a very dangerous book, as these quotes from it will verify.
“Kill those who join other gods with Allah wherever you shall find them; and seize them,
besiege them and lay wait for them with every kind of ambush; but if they convert, and
observe prayer, and pay obligatory alms, then let them go their way” (9:5)
“O Believers! Take not the Jews or Christians as friends. ..If any of you takes
them for friends, he is surely one of them” (5:56)
“Believers! Wage war against such of the infidels (Jews or Christians) as are
your neighbors, and let them find you rigorous: (9:123) Allah loves not the
false infidel (Jew or Christians)”
“Make war upon such of those to whom the Scriptures have given as believe
not in Allah, or in the last day, and who forbid not what which Allah and His Apostle
have forbidden, and who profess not the profession of truth” (9:29)
Also, as i stated earlier, there is no way for any Muslim to have any assurance of eternal life
with only one exception. If they die in a Jihad, a holy war, then, and only then, they can
be assured that they will inherit eternal life which includes a very hedonistic concept
of heaven. The Koran says,
“If you are killed or die in the way of Allah forgiveness and mercy from Allah
are far better than all that others may amass of worldly wealth”
The Havilah, which is the oral tradition of Muhammad, adds this; it says,
“A drop of blood in the cause of Allah, a night spent in war, is of more avail than
two months of fasting and prayer, and whoever falls in battle has his sins forgiven”
In all fairness to those 90% of Muslims who are moderate and not extremist, I will say this.
If you want to say that Islam is a religion of peace, you can find some justification for making
that statement. On the other hand, if you want to say that Islam commands its followers to
fight and make the world Muslim by any means necessary, you can find some justification
for that as well; because again, the Koran provides no historical context that would suggest
that these acts of violence are not appropriate. Moreover, it promises bliss and hedonistic
rewards for those who are involved in them, and there are numerous and recent examples
that can prove this.
Example = In January of 1996, the World Watch Persecution Index Published by Open Doors
revealed, that apart from North Korea and China, Islamic dominated countries
occupied every single spot on the top ten list of Countries where persecution
was the most severe.
Historically, Islam has used military force to propagate its religion, and its attitude towards
non-Muslims has been convert or die.
In the United States
The Islamic connection to the attacks
on 9-11-2001 cannot be overlooked.
The Terrorists who attacked us didn't
just happen to be Islamic; the fact
that they were Islamic had everything
to do with why they attacked us.
Those who flew these airplanes into
the twin towers thought they were
serving their God named "Allah;"
They expected this act to guarantee
them entrance into a hedonistic
heaven filled with sexual pleasure
and self indulgence.
AND IN MANY OTHER COUNTRIES IN OUR WORLD
IV. It is Unified
I happen to believe that the religion of Islam can be traced back to an event that is described
in Genesis 21:8-10. This is where we are told that Abraham's son Ishmael, who had come from
his relationship with Sarah's handmaid Hagar, mocked his brother Isaac the son of promise.
This essentially means that he reject Isaac and all that he stood for including his God - Yahweh.
Consequently, Hagar and her son were forced to separate themselves from Abraham and Sarah.
Muhammad was of Arabic descent, and the Arabs are descendants of Ishmael. Ishmael rejected
the God of Abraham, and his descendants settled in Egypt and Assyria (modern day Iraq), and
both of these became centers of paganism. Moreover, Abraham was originally from Ur in the
region of Mesopotamia, and in Ur the worshiped many gods. The primary god they worshiped,
however, was the moon god. When Muhammad came on the scene the Arab nations were
DISUNIFIED, and one reason for this is that they worshiped over 365 different gods. So, Muhammad sought to UNIFY the Arabs by encouraging them to embrace a monotheistic religion.
Consequently, he rejected all of these other gods with the exception of one, AND THIS ONE TURNED OUT TO BE THE MOON GOD. In fact, the name of this moon god predates the religion
of Islam, and it is called "allah." The most holy shrine for the Muslims is "The Great Mosque"
in the city of Mecca and inside it is a large black stone called "The Ka'aba." This is also a symbol
of the moon god and the monotheism of Islam. This is why five times a day over one billion
Muslims face Mecca in the east, and they bow down to "the Ka'aba" which is the moon god.
The crescent moon is a symbol of Islam, and it often appears on a Mosque. I find it to be interesting that Muhammad chose to worship the same god that Abraham and his ancestors
worshiped before he met Yahweh (Jehovah), and this is why I believe that the religion of Islam
can be traced back to Genesis 21:8-10.
In Genesis 15:18-21, God promised to give Abraham and his descendants the land
of Canaan stretching from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates. So, the Jews,
the descendants of Abraham and Isaac, feel that this land belongs to them. The Arabs,
on the other hand who are the descendants of Abraham and Ishmael, feel that the land
belongs to them. And so, consequently, the Jews and the Arabs have been fighting over
this land for thousands of years. This struggle has even effected those of us who live here
in the USA, because the Arabs feel that we have been supportive of Israel.
Some Facts About Muhammad
. He was born in Mecca, which is in the Saudi Arabian Peninsula in 570 a.d..
. He was orphaned at the ages of six, and until the age of 25, he worked in Caravans
and encountered many Christians and Jews
. At the age of 25, Muhammad met a wealthy widow who fell in love with him, and their
marriage enabled him to live a life of leisure
. At the age of 40, Muhammad claimed to have a visit from a spirit which supposedly
told him that he was called by god (allah) to be a prophet
. For the next 23 years, Muhammad continued to have these spirit visitations, and scribes
would record what he said afterwards
. These utterances were eventually compiled and written in what we know today as the Koran
Initially, Muhammad expected both Jews and Christians to receive his teaching, and this
might be why some of the early passages in the Koran speak favorably about Jews and Christians. When it became clear, however, that the Jews and Christians would not accept
his teaching; he turned on them; and so, in places like Sura 2:65-66 in the Koran he described
Jews and Christians as "apes" and "swine," and in Sura 2:190, the Koran says,
"Fight in the way of Allah and slay the unbelievers wherever you find them and drive
them out and fight them until religion is for Allah"
July 16th of 622 A.D. is an important date on the Islamic calendar, because this is when
Muhammad managed to unite several Arab tribes under Islam; and then, shortly after this,
he took the city of Mecca by force. And then, shortly after this, he also managed to take many
other parts of the Arab world by force.
This is My Sermon on Islam
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