Defining Islam

As I promised in a prior blog, I am going to do my best at defining Islam. If you are a Muslim, I want to thank you for taking the time to see what your religion really says. If there are any further questions when you reach the end of this blog, please email me.

With a thankful heart, I start off by saying that here in the Western world we have the freedom to express ourselves without the fear of persecution. To understand Islam you must understand the 7th century Arabian culture that Muhammad lived in. Islam imposes that culture in its political expression, family affairs, dietary laws, clothing and language. Muslims are compelled to impose those traits on the rest of the cultures in the world. There was no concept of personal freedom in the tribal life of 7th century Arabia. That is why Islamic law today doesn't recognize freedom of religion, speech, press, etc. This is also why non-Muslims (Christians) are physically attacked or jailed.

Background of Allah

• First, let me say that linguistically, the word "Allah" comes from the Arabic Al-Ilah, meaning "The God." It has the Semitic root, ilah, corresponding to the Hebrew eloah (singular form of the plural Elohim). "Allah" is the word for God currently used in the Arabic Bible and has been reverently used by many millions of Arab Christians since the first century A.D.
• Muslims believe that the only God of the universe is "Allah". This is actually part of the five pillars of Islam (Affirmation). This may be a correct translation of the word 'God' into the Arabic 'Allah', but theologically this is not the same God that Christians worship. The term Allah is a purely Arabic term and was used in reference to an Arabian deity. Allah was known to pre-Islamic Arabs as one of the many deities that already existed in Mecca.
  
• The tribe that Muhammad belonged to was particullarly devoted to "Allah", the moon god. The idol was represented by a black stone which "came down from heaven". The black stone is still worshipped today.
  
• Allah the moon god was "married" to Arabia the sun god and they had three children who were known as the "daughters of Allah". The happy family was viewed as being the top of the pantheon of Arabian deities. When Muhammad took control of Mecca, he destroyed all the idols that pointed to the daughters of Allah and kept only one...Allah. Hence the symbol of Islam which is proudly displayed as the crescent moon.
  

Background of Muhammad

• Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was born in 570 A.D. and lived for 62 years. He was a poor camel driver until the age of 25 when he married a wealthy 40 year old. He ran the family fruit business in Mecca for the next 15 years. At the age of 40 he claimed to recieve revelations in a cave about 3 miles north of Mecca. It was there, according contradictory Muslim tradition found in the Koran, that an angel of light, they now say it was Gabriel, appeared to him making him a prophet to the Arabs. After he recieved the "revelations" Muhammad would go into epileptic fits. (That's what the Muslims believe they were) He would shake, perspire and even foam at the mouth.

• These revelations were recorded in the Koran. But it wasn't until years later because Muhammad himself was uneducated and probably did not know how to write. His message was twofold: (1) There is no God but Allah and (2) Man is God's slave [That is where you get "Islam" which means submission in Arabic]
  
• When the people of Mecca did not take to Muhammad; the "Prophet of Allah", they tried to attack him and he fled to Medina in 622 A.D. (That is when the Islamic calendar started) While he was there, he tried to get the Christians and Jews that were living there to follow him. (As an apostle to the Christians and a prophet to the Jews) He told them they could pray to Jerusalem, but when they rejected him as a prophet, he rejected them and began telling every one to pray to Mecca, Allah, his tribal deity.
• Also interesting to note, after this occured, Muhammad received more "revelations" which are recorded in the Koran. He was told to loot and steal from caravans that were passing through. (Historical record and the Koran report that he killed tens of thousands of people in over 60 batles.) In one revelation, Muhammad was told to kill and drive out all the Jews! (Again, historical record says Muhammad had 1,000 Jewish men brought together and beheaded.) Islam became known as the religion of the sword. In 629 A.D Muhammad raised an army of 10,000 men and returned to Mecca and conquered it. By force, he imposed Islam on the rest of the Arabian tribes. Muhammad died in 632 A.D. and the religion spread by the sword across North Africa and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.

What Do Muslims Believe?

I have already went into the Five Pillars of Islam in my "Top 5" blog. But briefly they are: affirmation, prayer, almsgiving, fasting and the pilgramage. Some have added a sixth Pillar of Faith known as the Jihad or Holy War. As we have seen, both in the early days of Islam and today, the intent is to spread Islam by force.

There are also six beliefs of Islam that we must understand.

• God-There is only one and his name is Allah.
• Angels-They are servants of God and through them He reveals His will. Everyone has two "recording angels": one to record our good deeds and one to record our bad deeds.
• Prophets-"Allah has spoken through many prophets", the greatest of these include; Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and of course Muhammad.
• Holy Books-The Koran or Quran is the holiest book of Islam believed to be Allah's final revelation to man. It contains 114 chapters (Suras). Muslims also recognize the Torah (Law of Moses), Psalms and the Gospels (The first four books of the New Testament) but consider them corrupted.
  
• Day of Judgement-A terrible day on which each person's good and bad deeds will be weighed to determine his fate.
• Decree of God-Allah determines the fate of all. "If Allah wills it" is the comment of a devout Muslim on almost every situation or decision he faces.

Islamic Practice

There are many rules and practices associated with the Islamic faith. Whether it is praying five times a day while facing Mecca in Saudi Arabia (which is intended to remind the Muslim five times a day that he must bow in obedience to Arabia) or fasting or going on a pilgrimage to Arabia at least once to worship in Mecca. Historical evidence is strong in showing that Muhammad adopted these pagan religious rites which were being widely practiced long before Muhammad was even born.

One of the biggest knocks against Islam is its barbaric and cruel treatment of their women. Women are considered property in the fundamental sects of Islam. As I stated before, 75% of Islamic women suffer female circumcision in a painful and terrible ritual designed to make them obedient and docile. Women are dressed from head to toe in clothes that cover all but the eyes. (It is interesting that what an "illiterate nomadic tribesmen wore in the desert in 7th century Arabia is still mandated as the dress code for Muslim women today!")

Conclusion

Many people today are saying that it doesn't matter what you believe, just believe something and you will make it to this "mysterious god and this place called heaven". And in doing so, they are saying, "Allah is just another name for God". I think after seeing the tradition and history of Islam, we can be quite confident in saying that Allah is the name of another god, very different from the God of the Bible.

Besides the fact that "Allah" was a made up, carved idol in the middle east, Islam teaches that Allah is so far above man in every way that He is virtually unknowable. Islam also teaches that Jesus was a messenger of God, not the Son of God. Muslims deny that Jesus is the Almighty God come in the flesh. With such distinct differences in teachings, one cannot say that, "Allah is just another name for God" becuase Allah is the name of a different, imaginary god that cannot save you.

There are so many fallacies in the doctrine of Islam that I have probably hit on 20% of them all. I strongly urge you to look into these false teachings of Islam as well:

• Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified, but rather it was Judas Iscariot (the one who betrayed Jesus) who was hanged. They also obviously don't believe that Jesus was raised from the dead. Bible Scripture: Matthew 26:28, John 19:20, Mark 15:32, Galatians 5:24, Galatians 6:24.
• Muslims deny that Jesus is divine. Bible Scripture: Colossians 2:9, Matthew 26:63-64
• Allah is an unknowable being, impossible to approach or understand. The orthodox Muslim cannot say that God loves them. Bible Scripture: John 3:16, 1 John 4: 7-10, Ephesians 3:19, Nehemiah 1:5, Psalm 136:26, Romans 8:39, Romans 9:25, Romans 5:8, and there are many many more!
  

To sum it up; there is a God and that God loves you with all of His being. He is the one TRUE God, and He came to this earth to reestablish a relationship with YOU. Islam is man actively pursuing an unknowable, imaginary god but Christianity is the God of the UNIVERSE actively pursuing YOU! He loves you and really cares about YOU. This is a statement that cannot be made by Islam. I urge you right now, no matter what you have done in your past to come back to God. He is patiently waiting for you and is longing for the day that He can welcome you back with open arms. For Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one can come to the REAL God without Him. Try His love on, I guarantee it will fit perfectly.


Romans 10:9,

David

Top 5

Top 5 Beliefs (In no particular order)

Hinduism- All things are one, all things are God, all things are impersonal.

• Why its not truth: If everything is God (the clouds are God, the dirt is God, the trees are God, I am God, my dog is God, the dirt is God, you get the point) then what do I become equal with? What about my human individuality? How do you account for that?

Buddhism- 4 Noble Truths (1) Life is Suffering (2) Suffering is caused by desire (3) the cessation of desire eliminates suffering (4) You stop desire by following "The Middle Way" (Eightfold path of rigtheousness...I'm not going that in depth here)

• Why it is not truth: Well, beside the fact that "Buddha" himself was an atheist and felt that the very concept of God or gods was holding people bound to this physical world of karma and suffering, and the fact the he never intended to start a religion, but was seeking to reform Hinduism...Man cannot save himself no matter how many "Noble Truths" he thinks up, no matter how at peace he lives.
  

Jehovah's Witness-Founded by Charles T. Russell in the late 19th century. Don't believe Jesus is God, don't believe the Holy Spirit is God, don't believe Jesus died on a cross (but rather a pole), don't believe Jesus was resurrected bodily but only as spirit. Believe that heaven is only open to 144,000 people, believe that Jehovah is the only name for God, believe that hell is only the grave.

• Why it is not truth: There are numerous reasons. To keep this short, the basic reason is that this religion is centered around all the parts of the Bible that its founder liked. Being raised in a protestant church, Russell was exposed to the Bible at a very young age. As he grew up, Russell said that he didn't like certain things in the Bible (i.e.-the teaching of hell, eternal judgment or the teaching of the trinity) so, ironically enough they are left out of his religion.
  

Islam-I will go in depth with Islam in another blog, but for now remember these basics. There are 5 Pillars of Islam: Affirmation (No God but Allah), Prayer (Required to pray 5 times a day), Almsgiving (Worthy muslims must give 2.5% of his income to the poor), Fasting (must fast from dawn to dusk every day during the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan, which is sacred), and the Pilgramage (Expected to journey to Mecca at least once in their lifetime)

• Why it is not Truth: Islam is a religion that is what they in the business world would call a "fighter or flanker brand". A product released into the market strictly to compete against another. I am not even taking into account the horrendous practices that are carried out (75% of muslim women suffer female circumcision in order to make them obedient and docile) or the confusing, contrasting, impossibillity of their "Holy Book" the Koran (Trying to define the Koran is like trying to pin jello to the wall). Allah is a God you cannot know personally. You know only the laws and commands of God given through his prophets (those prophets include Jesus even though he clearly said that He was: The way the truth and the life and that no one comes to [God] in any other way but through Him- John 14:6)
• Islam is a works-based religion that will never lead you to God. That's why it is not truth, because in the same way that man cannot save himself through Buddhism, man cannot save himself in Islam. In Islam, you must strive and work to get to God. And you will never really know when you have made it. As I said before, I will go in depth with Islam in my next blog but this should be enough for you to do your own research and come to a conclusion for your self...If you have any questions feel free to email me.

Christianity-God love's you and has a plan for your life. But because of sin you are separated from His Love and the corresponding plan that He wants to work out in your life. There has been a gap wedged between you and Him. And there is no way we can bridge that gap on our own...it's too big. So God sent His only Son to bridge that gap for us and in order to cross that bridge you need Jesus. You can find Him at any time by accepting what He has done.

• Why it is Truth: Christianity answers the longing that everyone has in them; to be loved. This is not an impersonal, imaginary, uninteresting, feeble god. This is the God of the universe who loves and cares about you! That is not even including the fact that the Bible was written over 1500 years by 40 different authors. The parity and perfection of the Book is worthy of a lifetime of studying.
  
• This is the simplest way I could explain Christianity. I will go into a more in depth study when I compare it to Islam, but for now I hope this is enough for you to ask questions for yourself and seek the truth on your own. Don't just take mine or any one else's word for the way you are going to plan your salvation. This mediocre life we live on earth is only a vapor and there is an eternity after it. I think we should do our research to determine how we should live our lives here on earth so that we will be prepared for what is going to happen after we die.
  

Again, if you have any questions email me. I pray that you will have a curiosity sparked within you that will desire the truth. Seek it, for there is nothing on this planet more important than knowing what we are living for.


with humility,
David

My Testimony

I think its important for every believer to share the story of how they came to know Christ. It gives hope and encouragement to all who hear it. I pray that my humble story does the same.

I was very fortunate growing up; I had a great family who loved, supported and provided for me. I played sports all my life and developed quite a competitive personality. I wanted to be the best at everything and even more so, I wanted to be told that I was the best at everything. This attitude didn't get me very far in high school. I didn't have many close friends and I felt that I had to prove myself on the field to feel any sort of validation. Well, obviously that never worked. I always felt empty and alone, even though I had many people telling me how good I was.

This never-ending loneliness didn't make sense. I had a very supporting family, friends (well, I thought they were anyway), and a promising football career. But I went on with this charade through high school (amidst an assortment of legal problems and public embarassments all due to my own internal hang-ups) and somehow made it to college to play football.

I carried the same big head and scorned heart from all that had occured in high school. I desperately wanted to start over. It seemed, however, that the same problems I faced in high school were following me. I had the same arrogant view of myself that resulted in zero close friends and a plethera of acquaintances that didn't want to get close to me because of my apparent cockiness. By this time, I was used to this vicious cycle and figured that was all there was for me. I continued to play football, always thinking that I was better than what I was, and somehow managed to get a girlfriend. I went on with the belief that I would continue on this path, "I don't need friends" I would try to pursuade myself. But no matter how well I played, or how well my girlfriend treated me I could never find happiness.

I decided to leave that school in search of something better. I left the team, my scholarship, my girlfriend and all I had known for two and a half years and went on my search. I ended up back in my home state not knowing what to do and much in the same way I chose my first college, I chose this one. There were NO other options for me but the one I chose, so obviously I went there.

Here, yet again, I was looking to start over. "No one knows me, things can be different." Well, it wasn't long that I started working out with the team and I noticed that I wasn't doing so well. "What's going on, I was All-American and All-Conference at my old school" My big head started to come back, but it didn't help my play any. Around the same time, I heard that girlfriend of mine had been seeing another guy. Needless to say my foundation was coming out from under me. I didn't have anything to stand on, it was all taken away from me.

I had contemplated and even prayed for death many times before and never told anyone about it. But never before had I actually done research and planning on ending my own life until this time. I didn't want to do this anymore, the vicious cycle I was living had to end. I actually wrote out letters to those closest to me and prepared myself for the end. I won't go into details (as I have tried not to this whole story) but by the grace of God I woke up a few hours later with a completely different outlook on my situation.

I immediately knew I needed God. I didn't know exactly what that meant or how I was going to go about doing it, but I set out to find him. The next day, I asked one of the guys on the team, whom I knew was a Christian, if he knew of any churches in the area. He invited me to his "home fellowship" that met on Sunday mornings. I didn't know what that was but it sounded good to me! So I took my roomate with me and heard things I had never heard before: An explaination of who Jesus was and how much He loved us. I was astounded. I still didn't know the extent of what God was doing in me until the next time I went. I shared my story with those who were there that day and it felt so good for me to talk about all that I had been through. (For until that time, I was the only one who knew the WHOLE story) And they actually cared! It looked as if they were hurting just as much as I was. When I finished, the leader asked two of the guys to pray for me. "Pray for me?" This was another thing I had never experienced! As they prayed I began bawling! I sensed a huge weight lift off of me and I was filled with emense warmth, to the point that I was almost sweating. I don't even know what they were saying because I was weeping like a baby! Right then I knew I needed more of this. I still didn't know what it was that I was after, but I knew that it had to do with Jesus. So right there I dedicated my life to Jesus and asked Him to come into my heart.

Needless to say, that experience has changed my life. It hasn't been smooth-sailing since that day but now I have a firm-footing that is rooted and grounded in His love. Guys, this is TRUTH no one or nothing else can change people the way He can. I have poured out my heart to all who read this in hopes that my story will show you even a fraction of the power of Christ. He is real, and He is actively pursuing a relationship with YOU! No matter who you are or what you have done, He longs to be with you!

David
Galatians 2:20

Is There a God?

Many of us believe there is a God out there somewhere, still many others don't care to think about the subject at all and go on living our lives in whatever way most benefits us. No matter what the view, it is understood by all that we are going to die someday. I know that isn't a topic we like to talk about, but it is true. The day will come when we will say goodbye to this world and all that is in it.

This thought should raise some questions in our minds. "What happens next?" is a good one. And I am prepared to say that without that question there is no reason for God. If this life was all that there was, of course I would want to acquire as many possesions and "pleasures" as I could. But as rationally minded human beings we must utilize the resources we have and look into the possible scenarios.

(1) Maybe there isn't a God and when we die we are no more. There is no such thing as a soul and we just lay in the ground until we are eaten by worms. "Oh well, we were wrong about God."

(2) But what if there IS a God or Judge and we have to appear before Him and be held accountable for our actions here on earth? There will be no more procrastinating, no more time to "not think about it"...Time will be up, will you be excited and anxious to see the Judge or will you be frightened and worried?

The reason I go through this scenario is to show that we cannot run from the truth forever. As much as some of us want to believe that we will not be accountable for the way we live our life, sheer rationality tells us that there is only one alternative that covers us in both cases.