This begins a series of articles describing the basic tenets of Islam, and then comparing it to Christianity.
Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship and heard around the world on his daily radio broadcast BreakPoint, relates the following anecdote: A group of women gathered at the Old Country buffet of Boston at the shopping mall. They laughed and chatted as they enjoyed the roast beef and ice-cream sundaes. They could be any group of young moms and college students enjoying a night out. But they’re not. These women are recent converts to Islam, celebrating the end of Ramadan. This symbolizes a curious new phenomenon in the wake of September 11: a surge of Islamic conversions. “I said the testimony, and poof, I was a Muslim,” said one, a University of Massachusetts theater major. And she added, “I used to feel something was wrong with me because I couldn’t grasp the concept of God. Now I finally had peace of heart.”
Universities are now in a bidding war for Islamic experts. Every government in the world is sizing up security risks related to extremist Muslim groups, while also trying to figure out how to structure communities that have a blend of Christian, Jewish and Muslim populations, among others.
The story of Islam begins, of course, with the life of the prophet Muhammad, who lived 600 years after Jesus and who wrote the Koran, which means “recitation.” Today one billion Muslims live in almost every country in the world and believe that this recitation of Allah is the guiding force of their lives.
Life was hard in the deserts of Arabia in A.D. 600. Blood feuds, gambling, drunkenness and general chaos ruled. Muhammad, who was in the caravan business, had a disgust for the times in which he lived. Rejecting the crudeness and superstition of his time, Muhammad took a look at the 360 gods of the city of Mecca and believed that the one called Allah, which simply means “the God,” was the one true God. The only God. A God whose true nature is awesome, fear-inspiring power.
Go to Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
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Question: what is one thing about Islam that you have always wondered about? (use Comment box below)
The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was initially distributed by those (Paul) who were given the sword whereas Islam has been distributed to those by the sword. Dramatic difference in origins to both religions that must be stipulated. In my mind, the same comparison can be made to the origins of U.S. as opposed to the foundation of lets say the former Soviet Union.
Good books for review: The Sword of the Prophet by Serge Trifkovic and a Concise History of the Crusades by Thomas F. Madden.
The one thing I have always wondered is: what is it that attracts people to Islam? Especially in the face of all the violence perpetrated in the name of. And why are women attracted to the religion? It seems so counter-intuitive.
Is Islam actually a religion of peace or violence if you know and read the Koran? I have wondered if people that martyr themselves in the name of Islam are twisting the beliefs of the religion or being true to it.
Do Muslims believe in free will?
Doesn’t the Koran itself affirm everythng previously written in the scriptures? At least the old testament?
Dosen’t this all go back to Abrahams son Ishmael, the son he fathered with Hagar, Sarah’s handmaiden ?