Tagged: Islam
Comparing Islam and Christianity
Islam is the youngest and fastest-growing major world religion. It was founded by Arabian visionary Muhammad (570-632 AD), who was born in the city of Mecca in Arabia. Muhammad claimed he received supernatural revelations from God through the angel Gabriel. These revelations were written down by others and compiled into a book called the Koran (or Qur’an). Islam today is comprised of two main schools: the majority Sunni school and the minority Shi’ite school. In addition, there are millions of Muslim mystics called Sufis. Islam is the second largest religion in the world (behind Christianity) with about 1.5 billion followers. Interestingly, the four nations with the largest number of Muslims today are all outside the Middle East – Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India.
The great impostor
How three of the most successful religious systems in the world proclaim “another Jesus, a different Spirit, a different gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4).
He was known as “The Great Impostor” and inspired a 1961 film by the same name.
Ferdinand Waldo Demara impersonated everyone from physicians to monks and thus achieved notoriety. He began his nefarious career during World War II by borrowing his Army buddy’s name, going AWOL and faking his suicide. A string of pseudo careers followed. He was, among other things, a sheriff’s deputy, a doctor of applied psychology, a lawyer and a child-care expert.
He was best known for masquerading as a surgeon aboard a Canadian Navy destroyer during the Korean War, successfully completing a string of operations. His final gig: serving as a Baptist minister.
Demara’s life is a fascinating but sad story of one man’s quest for respectability. His success as an impostor also exposes the soft underbelly of a society whose people are easily duped by one who talks smoothly and claims to serve the greater good.
For Christians, Demara’s story is a warning to be on guard against those who disguise themselves as “servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:15). But how can we know a religious impostor when we see one? The apostle Paul gives us three clear markers in 2 Cor. 11:4. False teachers proclaim “another Jesus … a different spirit … a different gospel.”
To illustrate, let’s look briefly at three of the largest and most successful religious systems in the world today: Islam, Mormonism, and the Watchtower (Jehovah’s Witnesses) – all of which are growing worldwide and teach unbiblical doctrines concerning Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the gospel.
Christian Apologetics 101: Download free workbook
Click here to download the free workbook
Newsweek magazine recently reported that “the Christian God … is less of a force in American politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory.” Perhaps one reason is that Christianity holds to absolute truths in a society that is increasingly relativistic. When Christians hold fast to their convictions they may come under withering attacks from proponents of other faiths, secularists, or even the new breed of “angry atheists” who insist that our nation – indeed our world – would be better off with no religion at all.
Even more troubling is the realization that the church faces greater threats from within – for example, from those who relish “arguments and every high minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:4-5); “deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1); false teachers who tickle our ears (2 Tim. 4:3); and false prophets who come to us with “cleverly contrived myths” (2 Peter 1:16).
For followers of Jesus there has never been a more important time to know what we believe, why we believe, and how to share our faith with an increasingly skeptical – and lost – world. The apostle Peter urges us to “set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).
Apologetics 101 is designed for laypersons who want to be better equipped to share their faith over the back fence, across the lunch counter, or in the next cubicle. This workshop lays the groundwork for defending the Christian faith by addressing a number of key questions:
• What is Christian apologetics and why should it matter to me?
• How do I know the Bible is true?
• Who’s the real Jesus?
• What do Muslims, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses believe?
• How can I identify false teachers?
• And what are some tactics for sharing my faith with people who don’t share my faith?
These free downloadable resources may be reproduced and used in whole or in part without charge as long as they are not altered or sold.
Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
The idea that the world’s three great monotheistic religions — Christianity, Islam and Judaism — worship the same God is comforting to many people. It’s also a politically correct way to tone down the rhetoric that often generates more heat than light. But is is true? In this post from 2009 — one of the most visited posts on this site — we will ask three simple questions that enable us to compare Yahweh (the God of the Bible) and Allah (the god of Islam). If Christians truly love Muslims, as Jesus does, we must clearly and compassionately share the truth about the identity of the one true and living God.
Click here to view post.
Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
This is the fourth in a series of occasional posts from Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, where I have the privilege of serving with Michael O’Neal, a church planter/pastor/teacher from Tennessee, and missionary Scott Carter to teach Christian apologetics to fellow believers and assist local pastors in their discipleship and church-planting efforts.
Sept. 30, 10:15 p.m. — ConneXion Nilai (university student ministry center)
For the third night in a row, I have the privlege of meeting with college students who have come to Kuala Lampur to study from all over the world. And tonight 47 students, representing nearly a dozen countries from Uganda to India, have gathered in the student ministry center to hear about the uniqueness of Jesus. After presenting an hour-long Bible study on Jesus’ outrageous claims, convincing proofs, and finished work on the cross, missionary Scott Carter and I open the floor to questions.
They come non-stop: If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world? If God knows who is going to be saved, what’s the point of evangelism? If a baby dies in her mother’s womb, does she go to heaven or hell? As was the case last night at Nottingham University and the night before at ConneXion Subang, I am worn out before the students are and the student ministry leader has to call the Q&A to a close. But not before a series of questions about Islam, including: “Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?”
Here is a link to a previous blog post that formed the basis of my response.
The short answer is no. While there are some similarities between Yahweh and Allah, the differences are so significant that it cannot be said Christians and Muslims worship the same God. It’s not necessarily what people want to hear — especially in a multicultural world that increasingly values the concept of many paths to God. But it is the truth, and even our Muslim friends would agree that the Christian God and Allah cannot be reconciled.
As yourself: Does God know me (and can I know Him)? Does God love me? And did God die for me? Only Yahweh, the God of the Bible, answers all three questions affirmatively.
OnceDelivered.net 