Islam
ISLAM – One Man’s Idea
I have taken the section on Islam from my book, “What Is Life All About?” and placed it down a bit further on this page following about 5 paragraphs that provide some background. That section (chapter 16.4) is titled, “What Is Seriously Wrong With Islam?” First, as mentioned I want to give you my broad overview of Islam based on considerable study. Lots of people have done “considerable study” but seldom if ever provide their reader with the truth about Islam. Most people who study various religions report on the beliefs of the religion, and usually add some social and historical commentary about the religion. This may be interesting but if the audience would like to know about the validity of the religion that will not be included. The reason this is acceptable is simply because most people accept that there is no perfectly correct religion or one belief is as good as another. Indeed in such a world you might as well believe anything religiously. There is no ultimate truth. However, the idea of God is the idea of ultimate truth. Many would say God accepts all religions but whose idea is that? It is a comforting thought and thus easily accepted but is it the truth? The subject of truth is not about being right or proving someone wrong because with such motives you never find the truth. The motive needs to be finding the truth even if I am wrong and that is hugely different than “setting out on your quest” to look good, to validate what you already believe is the truth. Finding the truth at all costs is a motive that gets you to the truth.
The Source Of The Belief
The question that should be asked is, “Is this religion from God or from man.” You ought to know if a religion is just something created by some person. Maybe there is no God, then ALL religions are man made. Is there any reason to believe Islam is the religion of God? We have one man, Mohammed (570-632) who indicates he heard from God (through the angel Gabriel on several occasions) and that is it! Everything is built on that, there is no more depth except the depth created by Mohammed and his followers. Islam accepts the Old Testament scriptures which in no way points to Islam. Islam is incredibly secretive, incredibly paranoid and allows no dissent. They convince their adherents to murder innocent persons in defense of Allah. Now, the God of the Old Testament hates certain things and you can read about these in Proverbs 6.16-19. One of those things is the shedding of innocent blood. Some would call the extremists of Islam, radical Islam and this is because many, most Muslims would not agree with such violence. Nonetheless it is not unusual for young non-violent Muslims to be converted to radical Islam. This makes me believe something is missing in the basic teaching of non-radical Islam. This page is not about differentiating groups within Islam but asks, “Is Islam from God (or man).”
Some people get confused on the issue of shedding of innocent blood. They see the God of the Bible hates the shedding of innocent blood but seems to have done so Himself or ordered such in the Old Testament.
In this regard it may help some people to read, “God’s apparent Harness, A Problem For Some.”
God Needs Defending?
It seems in Islam there needs to be a defense of Allah when by definition God would not need defending. Men have created this idea of defending God and apparently as a means to justify their violence, their control of their adherents. There is a strong parallel between the paranoia of Catholicism and that of Islam. Both religions survived scrutiny by killing those who objected. They both developed frenzied followers who believed they were doing God’s will in killing others. They both indicated those murderer’s of innocents would be glorified in the next life. They both have exalted hierarchy that maintain their power by terror. Catholicism left the terrorism but only in the last few centuries. Interestingly, the crusades were fought between Muslims and Catholics. The terrorists versus the terrorists. Of course, Muslims and Catholics are not always in the terrorism mode but their religion has a historical character of terrorism. So, we have Muslims and Catholics deceived by their own religions even to the point of martyrdom, which is a presented as a glorious way to “heaven or pleasures.” In addition, we have a large part of the world deceived because they think God is in some way is associated with either of these religions.
You Can Know Why God Has No Association With Islam/Catholicism
The most powerful reason to believe God is in no way associated with Islam or Catholicism will be presented. It is easy to see what God has done, what He has delivered to man as the truth. The truth (if it is the truth) fits everything perfectly together from the beginning and you can understand God’s purpose. You can understand God because He revealed a great deal about Himself. The religion of Islam (as are all the man-made religions) is totally in opposition to God’s ways. There beliefs (story) are also disjointed, confusing and like a puzzle with many missing pieces. God wants man to choose Him in a very free will fashion, while many man-made religions indoctrinate, indoctrinate, indoctrinate from the earliest of years. This indoctrination is very effective on young minds. Typically there is little or no tolerance for doubts, questioning or the in-depth studies of origins or independent study of other religions.
God looks on the heart of each person, religions like Islam and Catholicism honor “the religion” and associated rule-making more than the importance to God of each individual. People will not get to heaven because of association to a religious group but because of their individual relationship to God. There are two verses from scripture that every Muslim and every Catholic ought to consider because in one case it is a warning of what is to come and in the other God’s character is defined. When combined with Proverbs 6.16-19 (the things God hates) they strongly point to the total absurdity of people defending God by harming others. This then amounts to a fundamental understanding of God in this matter. Let’s look at these verses:
First, the belief that killing others does God service:
John 16:2 – A statement of Jesus
2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
This obviously indicates that the people of God may be killed by those who think they are serving God in killing those who they consider infidels. On the other hand, God’s people turn the other cheek and understand that God will be the one who righteously judges. The history of religion is a history of various groups killing others in the name of God. The groups who have committed such acts have never been part of the Body of Christ.
Note: The Body of Christ is not the physical church with a living person having oversight. The Body of Christ consists of those who indeed belong to Christ not those who say they are part of His church. God’s people by His definition would not violate His laws but understand and respect God’s laws. Because Jesus oversees those in His body, we can make the statement above that the Body of Christ has never committed the deeds mentioned above but have certainly been the recipient of such evil. Jesus told Paul (then Saul) you are persecuting, killing those of the Body of Christ and in fact those Jews doing such acts believed they were serving God. This is a great clue for truth seekers. Those persecuting others in defense of their religion (their god) are never associated with the Body of Christ – that is, not associated with God!
Acts 9.3-5
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
Second, the understanding that God does not need Human help
Acts 17:24, 25
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
Now look at things that God hates:
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
God makes it clear (Romans 12.19) that He will do the avenging. It is not the job of mankind to take vengeance. The reason seems obvious since God is perfect in justice. The context is in relation to matters related to the truth, Godly things, blaspheming God, teaching error, false witness and other evil acts associated with those things such as shedding innocent blood. In the first century those who suffered and were often killed (like Stephen in Acts 7) will be avenged by God. Civil matters are not the issue here, although ultimately God will judge all matters and provide the appropriate reward, punishment.
Romans 12.15-19
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 Therefore
“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
What a sick, deplorable thing to teach people in any context but especially in a religious context to kill others! What an awful thing to teach that God needs their help in killing others and done frequently with a motive of shutting down any opposition to their beliefs. There is a history of religion that indoctrinates, murders, threatens, commits atrocities and all in the name of forcing conversion to their beliefs and/or hiding their deceit. When you understand God correctly you know that God wants people to seek the truth, to be humble enough to understand they may not already have the truth. It is a free-will process, otherwise it has no meaning and thus with this understanding you have a wonderful clue in your search for truth.
Note: One might reasonably wonder why the website is titled, “Catholics Question” and that is explained in several places. Many religions are discussed but Catholicism has influenced most (not all) major religions and always in a negative way. In the case of Islam, it was Mohammed’s distaste of many things that seemed idolatrous within Catholicism as well as within Judaism. In the case of Protestantism, those trying to change what they knew was very wrong tried to reform Catholicism instead of restoring what God had through the Holy Spirit provided. In most all cases, it helps greatly to see where things went wrong – at least for truth seekers.
One last thing about Islam and a warning to those who think co-existence with Islam is possible. Islamic history to this day whether violent or passive seeks to have the societies where they reside to be of Islamic religious rule. Yes, some will deny this but it is not the majority of Muslims. Muslims want to impose religious beliefs on the societies where they live. At one end of the spectrum is a desire to have Sharia (Islamic) law as the law of the land wherever they live and on the other is to have governments allow for their religious practices even if they interfere with the current society norms. An example is the use of the name or picture of Mohammed perhaps in a school or a movie. It offends their beliefs – they want it changed so Allah is not offended. The non-violent, non-radical Muslims can be seen in such cases as violent and without respect for others or the government. So, is there a non-radical group of Muslims? It is fair to question such a claim as it seems there is either more violent or less violent Muslims. Study France, study the Netherlands and realize they are in transition because of their acceptance of such nonsense. This is not a question of freedom of religion but of a religion that wants control of state. The parallel with Catholicism as a ruler over secular governments is an exact parallel in terms of paranoia and associated violence – so we should understand the potential from history.
The Real Victims of Islam
This website is not about the political ramifications of Islam, although I did mention that above but it is about truth in religion. That is, the part that few will even discuss because they believe it is too sensitive and generally believed to be unknowable.
The sad, devastating part is that we have about 1.6 billion Muslims (one out of four persons on earth are Muslim and the growth rate is many times other religious groups) and they are not honoring God but honoring a man who invented a religion to the demise of all those souls. Any Muslim with courage can find a way to truth. Although, like Catholics the problems with Islam are easily uncovered. Their indoctrination leaves most Muslims believing it is terribly wrong to even have ANY DOUBTS about Islam. The real victims of Islam are its adherents because life is all about the soul, about the battle between good and evil, about each person’s battle with sin and the answer to sin cannot be found in Islam.
My best advice to a Muslim who wants to be certain regarding God and how to be successful in life would be to set aside the Qur’an. Study the bible and determine if from cover to cover it contains the answers to life in a way that all things fit perfectly together. Get some help as needed, one place is from another of my website’s called Heaven Coach. Because of your background within Islam your journey may be tough but your successful breakaway can also be helpful to perhaps millions of other Muslims.
What Is Seriously Wrong with Islam?
(From The Book, “What Is Life All About?“)
Much of the world does not understand Islam. Islam means surrender, and adherents of Islam are called Muslims or those who surrender to God, Allah. There is really nothing very complex in the basics of Islam. As far as sincerity and devotion, the adherents of Islam are particularly faithful. The religion has an association with Judaism through its strong reliance for its beginnings on the Old Testament. In addition, a certain amount of credence is given to Jesus, even including a belief in Jesus returning at the end of the world. Jesus is held as a prophet but not as great as Mohammed. Allah is the one God, and accepting Allah’s will is central for faithfulness. The Koran (Qur’an) is the basic book of Islam.
Muslim fundamentalists often claim that the Qur’an cannot be translated properly into other languages, and only in Arabic is it truly glorious and not offensive (Pickthall). Is this an idea of men, of men who do not understand God’s ability, of men who have some fear of the truth or even more so really doubt what they are teaching?
Mohammed prohibits intercalary months during the farewell pilgrimage.
Mohammed (AD 570-632) in Mecca, Arabia, declared himself “The Prophet of God” in AD 610 and built a religion as the head of the army that was so successful that it almost eliminated “Christianity.” As a youth, Mohammed had contact with Jews and Christians, and he abhorred their idolatrous ways. The practices that had developed in the known (to Mohammed) “Christian” really Catholic Church (statues, relics, martyrs, the cruelties of power, the pagan character of worship, the open depravity, the pompous manners honoring men, and so many, many things) were despicable to Mohammed. He belonged to a group called the Hunafa, who were seekers of true religion.
The Arab nation had its beginning with Ishmael, the son of Abraham through Hagar. Islam believes this, and it is generally accepted. Abraham did not want to have his son Ishmael leave, but God told him to do so since in Isaac, his son through Sarah would the promise1 be fulfilled.
Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 17:21
21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
God did tell Abraham that since Ishmael was from Abraham’s seed, he would make a nation of the son of Hagar (Ishmael).
Genesis 21:13
13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”
What could have been—no Islam
Those of the Hunafa believe the temple built by Abraham was the Ka’bah for the worship of the one God. That one God was the same God as that of Abraham. At the time of Mohammed, the temple contained idols. The Hunafa, including Mohammed, would be disgusted at such idolatry. It seems Mohammed’s intentions were those of a sincere individual who, looking at the religion of his day, could not believe what he was seeing was to the honor of God. He was, of course, correct. Mohammed saw the paganism of Jews and “Christians” as well as of his own people as an abomination to the true God. “Christianity” was particularly offensive to him. He, thus, becomes another victim of those who changed the truth of the Gospel of Christ beginning during the first century to something that was destructive.
Mohammed would be the influence that down through history would result in hundreds of millions of people following something that was not from God. I cannot help but think if Mohammed would have seen the church of the first century, the church over which Jesus was head, he would not have taken the course he did. Mohammed may not have developed the hatred for Christians and even perhaps recognized it as truth. He would have seen God’s people living in the manner of local churches and not the hierarchical, centrally controlled man-made organization of Catholicism. He would have seen people fighting a spiritual war to overcome sin in their life and not fighting for power with its cruelties to those who would oppose. He would have seen the simple worship of sincere, meek people and not the elaborate idolatry of statues and relics with all the extravagance. In the leadership of Christ’s church, he would have seen humble servants of God. The qualified leaders (elders) of Christ’s church were servants. If Mohammed had seen Christians living the principles of Christ as, for instance, Jesus laid down in the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew 5 and being intent on growing as in 2 Peter 1.5-11, I think it is very reasonable to believe that there would be no Islam today.
Mishandling God’s truth has its consequences, and they are very severe in relation to the souls of men and women. The number one factor in the growth of Islam is the mess man has made and continues to make of the truth. It is very simply something Muslims can point to and say, “What a mess.”
One man’s vision and its consequences
Mohammed at the age of forty would have a vision, a trance where an angel tells him that he was to be Allah’s messenger. Amazing, that is it! Mohammed is Islam. His story, his truthfulness in telling that story is all there is. The words of Allah were inscribed on his heart as a result of the encounter with Allah’s messenger. Before Mohammed’s death, the “Surahs” of the Qur’an were transcribed. Many individuals memorized the entire Qur’an. It is truly ironic that a man who opposed the idolatry of Judaism and “Christianity” would be seen by those groups as an infidel. Since those of “Christianity” and Judaism needed look no farther than their own houses for heathen conduct. Yet is there any reason to believe Mohammed?
The words of Allah, in reality, were only the words of Mohammed. We see Mohammed mixing things of his experience with some logic, with his partial understanding of God from scripture, and with his feelings about Jews and “Christians.” Thus in the Qur’an, we have verses like in Surah 11.111-113:
111 And they say: None entereth paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian. These are their own desires. Say: Bring your proof (of what ye state) if ye are truthful.
112 Nay, but whosoever surrendereth his purpose to Allah while doing good, his reward is with his Lord; and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.
113 And the Jews say the Christians follow nothing (true), and the Christians say the Jews follow nothing (true); yet both are readers of the Scripture. Even thus speak those who know not. Allah will judge between them on the day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differ.
Mohammed, although respecting scripture, did not understand God and His purpose but correctly observed the ungodly life of Jews and “Christians.” Mohammed deeply believed that God hated the idolatry of those religions. Mohammed set out to destroy them. His dedication to that purpose was unwavering, and to this day Islam remains very militant in what they perceive as the defense of the one God. Mohammed, despite his good intentions, and thus Islam throughout its entire history has not understood the God of heaven.
Muslim life
A Muslim is trying to live a spiritual life, keeping God (Allah) and Allah’s will before him always. The degree to which he can accomplish this defines his level of spirituality. Like Judaism, there is considerable specific works requiring regular attention. Many would say the strength of Islam is that it brings a certain order and clarity to life. The five pillars of Islam achieve this order. That is, a Muslim knows what he is supposed to do. The five pillars being the following:
1. Islam’s basic belief: “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is His prophet.” Muslims must repeat this once in their lifetime but actually will say this many times each day as they also do the opening Surah of the Qur’an.
2. Prayer is essential and the Qur’an encourages the faithful to be constant.
3. Charity is the third pillar.
4. The fourth pillar is the observance of Ramadan (Islam’s holy month) when, from daybreak to the setting of the sun, neither food nor drink passes the lips. After sundown, it is permissible to eat and drink but in moderation.
5. The last pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which must be made once during the lifetime of each Muslim.
The basics of forgiveness, man as an eternal being, judgment based on how life was lived, and the total unacceptability of any god other than Allah are central to the faith. Islam is, nonetheless, man made with its base elements coming from Judaism and Christianity, and I believe Mohammed’s personal desire to provide dignified worship to God. It turns out to be just one more case where a good intention with all its human wisdom is not what life is all about but the opposite.
The Kabba, located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the center of Islam. It is where Muslims from all over the world travel to and gather there to pray in unity.
The Old Testament points to Jesus as Savior and does this in great detail.
Isaiah 53. 1-12
1 Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 And they[a] made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul,[b]and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
Acts 4:22-26
22 For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:
‘ Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the LORD and against His Christ.’
God’s plan from Genesis points to Jesus.
Genesis 3:15
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
Islam, without its basic ideals from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, is very typical of what other sincere men around the world have concluded. That is, there is a focus on becoming close to God through concentrating, finding one’s center, “tuning” out the world, and living the more austere life while including a certain ceremonial character in life and worship. In Buddhism and Catholicism, this idea exhibits itself in a “monastic” lifestyle. It is rather curious that sincere men can reach this same conclusion. Unfortunately, this is not what God requires. God did not choose to do what well-meaning men thought was best or what men believed would bring them close to God. God instead placed the basis of being close to Him on each person, establishing a relationship with His Son.
John 1:1-13
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own,[c] and His own[d] did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
It would be a relationship based on obedience to the Gospel of Christ. Now, can men determine that independently of God? I do not think so!
Islam—keeping people’s minds imprisoned
In these present times, I have not observed a major religion that creates such fear in people and not fear in God but in harm from other Muslims.
Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.
The religion of Islam is so large that I am sure there is great variability in this fear. The religious leadership in various areas of the “Muslim world” operates quite differently. One thought that is made
clear repeatedly in this book is that the truth has nothing to fear. The more man-made a religion, the more paranoid, and the more violent and threatening it will be. Those who initiated Catholicism were very paranoid that people would find the truth and did every violent thing to destroy heretics, and now Muslim paranoia protects its insecurity using violence and threats of violence. Within Islam, there is little or no freedom of thought tolerated in religious matters. Questions and questioning, looking around for truth, would not be something that is recommended and in some areas of the Muslim world something that would not be tolerated.
1 Peter 3:15
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
There are great outcries if Islam believes their religion is in the slightest way offended, literally, they want blood. They are defending God. It is a pagan idea that they must appease God. The history of man-made religion points to paranoia and control as the reasons for violence. The adherents are constantly on the outlook for offenses to their religion. There is tremendous solidarity within Islam as everyone is “side-by-side” going through the daily religious activity. They share the same politics and the same enemies although groups within Islam have considerable violent skirmishes. Muslims are incredibly intolerant, and their leadership may say that tolerance is taught, but that is not seen in their highly emotional, threatening responses. Paranoia in religion is the outcome of anxiety and being terrified of exposing error in their doctrine. This intolerance raises its ugly head as seen in extreme overreaction, violence, and
completely irrational responses to everything. Some of the Muslim leadership may not publicly condone violent responses. Nevertheless, there is an undercurrent within Muslim society like a “hair trigger” on a pistol. Whenever people believe they are oppressed or their religion is being attacked, it provides unification behind the common cause and strengthens the belief while effectively distracting any questioning. It is fascinating that Islam requires the utmost respect from governments and other religions and absolutely gives no respect especially to other religions. There is only one thing stranger, that is
people, governments, and religions willingly submit to Islamic demands and threats. Islam seems to exist in this state almost perpetually.
Indoctrination, fear, size (number of Muslims), the promises of a highly sensual physical paradise in the next life, substantial family, peer and political pressures, and the apparent devotion and ceremonies, which
provide some inner peace, are factors that keep and build this religion. The associated isolation of many Muslims from various materials that provide a different religious view is an important factor in maintaining the loyalty to Islam. This book is about the truth and getting people to understand that all those things that make you a Muslim are unimportant unless they are the truth.
Islam, its source and its warring nature
The limited strength of the Qur’an lies in thoughts previously known from the Bible. The Bible read carefully contains concepts that are unique and not from any man. The Bible contains a consistent pattern and purpose from start to finish although there are over forty different writers over several thousands of years. Other books do not contain these characteristics. Certainly, the Qur’an does not! A great deal, if not all, of the profound wisdom found in the Qur’an can be found in the Bible. The Bible being written hundreds to thousands of years before the Qur’an. Jesus, according to Islam, is a prophet of God and yet never spoke of Islam, Allah, or Mohammed. The teachings of Islam are not in agreement with those of Christ but are often in opposition to the fundamentals Jesus taught. Islam in accepting the Old Testament destroys any valid claim of a relationship to God since the Old Testament points to Jesus as Savior in detail, to the organization and character of the church that Jesus started, and in no way to anything resembling Islam. The bottom line for the validity of Islam falls to a dream or trance that Mohammed had in the year AD 610. God provides for Christ and His church substantial evidence beginning with Genesis through Revelation in terms of purpose, fulfillment of prophecy, witnesses, common sense (Brownlow), scientific accuracy, miracles, and divine wisdom.
Islam, like other man-made religions, furnishes little or no reason to believe their claims. Islam must rely on something other than evidence in building their religion, and thus we see secrecy as though there is some sort of mystery, threats, fear, and indoctrination from childhood* being used to build and maintain the religion. It is a bit unfair to Islam to say they have a corner on secrecy, threats, fear, and indoctrination of the young*; for many and probably most religions have used similar tactics to various extents at various times in their history. Certainly, in recent times we have seen random violence and terrorism without concern for human life in some nations where Islam is dominant. In these areas, Islam often appears to encourage, not discourage, such actions. Many a terrorist has gone to his death under the impression that the work he was doing was to the glory of Allah and dying brought him to a better, truly
glorious, and pleasurable state. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It seems incredible to me that I could feel any sympathy for a terrorist, yet considering the effectiveness of their indoctrination since
childhood, my disgust goes clear back to those who initially changed the Gospel of Christ. Yet in the grand scheme of things, the terrorist’s guilt and punishment remain certain, as God hates “hands that shed
innocent blood.”
The reason we see so much violence and warring in Islam all in defense of Allah is possibly the result of how Mohammed misunderstood God. Mohammed saw the God of Abraham down through the centuries as having His people involved in warring conflicts over much of their history. God was “with the nation of Israel” in those days and sometimes in miraculous ways. In addition, when the people were disobedient to
God, their defeat and sometimes capture and confinement were certain. God’s purpose for Israel was to bring His Son through this people, and it was their protection as well as the associated keeping of all prophecy that was behind the various conflicts. Unfortunately, Mohammed somehow understood these conflicts as how true followers were to honor the dishonor done to the true God. Mohammed and consequently those of Islam today have not understood God’s purpose through the ages and its fulfillment in Christ. The people of Islam are not any different from other religions in their hopes and desires for the future. They want to believe their religion is special, correct, and for many it is inconceivable to think what they believe is false. Unfortunately, there is not much reason to believe that Islam is the truth. In fact, it is just as God told Abraham: Isaac is the son of promise. Jesus, the Messiah would come through Isaac.
Matthew 1:1-17
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.
5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,
6 and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.
8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.
9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.
11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.
14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.
15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
God also told Abraham He would make a great nation of Ishmael his son through Hagar. Indeed Jesus came through the lineage of Abraham (Sarah) and Isaac, the nation of Judaism. The nation of the Arab’s came through the seed of Abraham (Hagar) and Ishmael. That lineage is the path for Islam, the Muslims.
* Indoctrination from childhood
There is a natural desire of parents to indoctrinate their children in what they believe and allow others of the same belief influence over their children. There is an important difference in the “indoctrination” of children relative to it being done very well or very poorly. The instruction is done well when young minds are directed to be “open-minded” to study the facts, to think about what is taught, to impress the need to understand, and to be encouraged to question. When the truth is taught, there is not much concern
regarding being open-minded, allowing searches and questioning of all kinds. Error needs to shut certain doors of information, to suppress certain questions or issues, to provide some fear of disbelieving and to fabricate various tales to impress young minds. It is this typical and distressing means of teaching children that is meant in the term indoctrination from childhood as used in the context of this chapter.
It seems in Islam there needs to be a defense of Allah when by definition God would not need defending. Men have created this idea of defending God and apparently as a means to justify their violence, their control of their adherents. There is a strong parallel between the paranoia of Catholicism and that of Islam. Both religions survived scrutiny by killing those who objected. They both developed frenzied followers who believed they were doing God’s will in killing others. They both indicated those murderer’s of innocents would be glorified in the next life. They both have exalted hierarchy that maintain their power by terror. Catholicism left the terrorism but only in the last few centuries. Interestingly, the crusades were fought between Muslims and Catholics. The terrorists versus the terrorists. Of course, Muslims and Catholics are not always in the terrorism mode but their religion has a historical character of terrorism. So, we have Muslims and Catholics deceived by their own religions even to the point of martyrdom, which is a presented as a glorious way to “heaven or pleasures.” In addition, we have a large part of the world deceived because they think God is in some way is associated with either of these religions.
God looks on the heart of each person, religions like Islam and Catholicism honor “the religion” and associated rule-making more than the importance to God of each individual. People will not get to heaven because of association to a religious group but because of their individual relationship to God. There are two verses from scripture that every Muslim and every Catholic ought to consider because in one case it is a warning of what is to come and in the other God’s character is defined. When combined with Proverbs 6.16-19 (the things God hates) they strongly point to the total absurdity of people defending God by harming others. This then amounts to a fundamental understanding of God in this matter. Let’s look at these verses:
First, the belief that killing others does God service:
John 16:2 – A statement of Jesus
2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
This obviously indicates that the people of God may be killed by those who think they are serving God in killing those who they consider infidels. On the other hand, God’s people turn the other cheek and understand that God will be the one who righteously judges. The history of religion is a history of various groups killing others in the name of God. The groups who have committed such acts have never been part of the Body of Christ.
Note: The Body of Christ is not the physical church with a living person having oversight. The Body of Christ consists of those who indeed belong to Christ not those who say they are part of His church. God’s people by His definition would not violate His laws but understand and respect God’s laws. Because Jesus oversees those in His body, we can make the statement above that the Body of Christ has never committed the deeds mentioned above but have certainly been the recipient of such evil. Jesus told Paul (then Saul) you are persecuting, killing those of the Body of Christ and in fact those Jews doing such acts believed they were serving God. This is a great clue for truth seekers. Those persecuting others in defense of their religion (their god) are never associated with the Body of Christ – that is, not associated with God!
Acts 9.3-5
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
Second, the understanding that God does not need Human help
Acts 17:24, 25
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
Now look at things that God hates:
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
God makes it clear (Romans 12.19) that He will do the avenging. It is not the job of mankind to take vengeance. The reason seems obvious since God is perfect in justice. The context is in relation to matters related to the truth, Godly things, blaspheming God, teaching error, false witness and other evil acts associated with those things such as shedding innocent blood. In the first century those who suffered and were often killed (like Stephen in Acts 7) will be avenged by God. Civil matters are not the issue here, although ultimately God will judge all matters and provide the appropriate reward, punishment.
Romans 12.15-19
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 Therefore
“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
What a sick, deplorable thing to teach people in any context but especially in a religious context to kill others! What an awful thing to teach that God needs their help in killing others and done frequently with a motive of shutting down any opposition to their beliefs. There is a history of religion that indoctrinates, murders, threatens, commits atrocities and all in the name of forcing conversion to their beliefs and/or hiding their deceit. When you understand God correctly you know that God wants people to seek the truth, to be humble enough to understand they may not already have the truth. It is a free-will process, otherwise it has no meaning and thus with this understanding you have a wonderful clue in your search for truth.
Note: One might reasonably wonder why the website is titled, “Catholics Question” and that is explained in several places. Many religions are discussed but Catholicism has influenced most (not all) major religions and always in a negative way. In the case of Islam, it was Mohammed’s distaste of many things that seemed idolatrous within Catholicism as well as within Judaism. In the case of Protestantism, those trying to change what they knew was very wrong tried to reform Catholicism instead of restoring what God had through the Holy Spirit provided. In most all cases, it helps greatly to see where things went wrong – at least for truth seekers.
One last thing about Islam and a warning to those who think co-existence with Islam is possible. Islamic history to this day whether violent or passive seeks to have the societies where they reside to be of Islamic religious rule. Yes, some will deny this but it is not the majority of Muslims. Muslims want to impose religious beliefs on the societies where they live. At one end of the spectrum is a desire to have Sharia (Islamic) law as the law of the land wherever they live and on the other is to have governments allow for their religious practices even if they interfere with the current society norms. An example is the use of the name or picture of Mohammed perhaps in a school or a movie. It offends their beliefs – they want it changed so Allah is not offended. The non-violent, non-radical Muslims can be seen in such cases as violent and without respect for others or the government. So, is there a non-radical group of Muslims? It is fair to question such a claim as it seems there is either more violent or less violent Muslims. Study France, study the Netherlands and realize they are in transition because of their acceptance of such nonsense. This is not a question of freedom of religion but of a religion that wants control of state. The parallel with Catholicism as a ruler over secular governments is an exact parallel in terms of paranoia and associated violence – so we should understand the potential from history.
The Real Victims of Islam
This website is not about the political ramifications of Islam, although I did mention that above but it is about truth in religion. That is, the part that few will even discuss because they believe it is too sensitive and generally believed to be unknowable.
The sad, devastating part is that we have about 1.6 billion Muslims (one out of four persons on earth are Muslim and the growth rate is many times other religious groups) and they are not honoring God but honoring a man who invented a religion to the demise of all those souls. Any Muslim with courage can find a way to truth. Although, like Catholics the problems with Islam are easily uncovered. Their indoctrination leaves most Muslims believing it is terribly wrong to even have ANY DOUBTS about Islam. The real victims of Islam are its adherents because life is all about the soul, about the battle between good and evil, about each person’s battle with sin and the answer to sin cannot be found in Islam.
My best advice to a Muslim who wants to be certain regarding God and how to be successful in life would be to set aside the Qur’an. Study the bible and determine if from cover to cover it contains the answers to life in a way that all things fit perfectly together. Get some help as needed, one place is from another of my website’s called Heaven Coach. Because of your background within Islam your journey may be tough but your successful breakaway can also be helpful to perhaps millions of other Muslims.
What Is Seriously Wrong with Islam?
(From The Book, “What Is Life All About?“)
Much of the world does not understand Islam. Islam means surrender, and adherents of Islam are called Muslims or those who surrender to God, Allah. There is really nothing very complex in the basics of Islam. As far as sincerity and devotion, the adherents of Islam are particularly faithful. The religion has an association with Judaism through its strong reliance for its beginnings on the Old Testament. In addition, a certain amount of credence is given to Jesus, even including a belief in Jesus returning at the end of the world. Jesus is held as a prophet but not as great as Mohammed. Allah is the one God, and accepting Allah’s will is central for faithfulness. The Koran (Qur’an) is the basic book of Islam.
Muslim fundamentalists often claim that the Qur’an cannot be translated properly into other languages, and only in Arabic is it truly glorious and not offensive (Pickthall). Is this an idea of men, of men who do not understand God’s ability, of men who have some fear of the truth or even more so really doubt what they are teaching?
Mohammed prohibits intercalary months during the farewell pilgrimage.
Mohammed (AD 570-632) in Mecca, Arabia, declared himself “The Prophet of God” in AD 610 and built a religion as the head of the army that was so successful that it almost eliminated “Christianity.” As a youth, Mohammed had contact with Jews and Christians, and he abhorred their idolatrous ways. The practices that had developed in the known (to Mohammed) “Christian” really Catholic Church (statues, relics, martyrs, the cruelties of power, the pagan character of worship, the open depravity, the pompous manners honoring men, and so many, many things) were despicable to Mohammed. He belonged to a group called the Hunafa, who were seekers of true religion.
The Arab nation had its beginning with Ishmael, the son of Abraham through Hagar. Islam believes this, and it is generally accepted. Abraham did not want to have his son Ishmael leave, but God told him to do so since in Isaac, his son through Sarah would the promise1 be fulfilled.
Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the LORD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 17:21
21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”
God did tell Abraham that since Ishmael was from Abraham’s seed, he would make a nation of the son of Hagar (Ishmael).
Genesis 21:13
13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”
What could have been—no Islam
Those of the Hunafa believe the temple built by Abraham was the Ka’bah for the worship of the one God. That one God was the same God as that of Abraham. At the time of Mohammed, the temple contained idols. The Hunafa, including Mohammed, would be disgusted at such idolatry. It seems Mohammed’s intentions were those of a sincere individual who, looking at the religion of his day, could not believe what he was seeing was to the honor of God. He was, of course, correct. Mohammed saw the paganism of Jews and “Christians” as well as of his own people as an abomination to the true God. “Christianity” was particularly offensive to him. He, thus, becomes another victim of those who changed the truth of the Gospel of Christ beginning during the first century to something that was destructive.
Mohammed would be the influence that down through history would result in hundreds of millions of people following something that was not from God. I cannot help but think if Mohammed would have seen the church of the first century, the church over which Jesus was head, he would not have taken the course he did. Mohammed may not have developed the hatred for Christians and even perhaps recognized it as truth. He would have seen God’s people living in the manner of local churches and not the hierarchical, centrally controlled man-made organization of Catholicism. He would have seen people fighting a spiritual war to overcome sin in their life and not fighting for power with its cruelties to those who would oppose. He would have seen the simple worship of sincere, meek people and not the elaborate idolatry of statues and relics with all the extravagance. In the leadership of Christ’s church, he would have seen humble servants of God. The qualified leaders (elders) of Christ’s church were servants. If Mohammed had seen Christians living the principles of Christ as, for instance, Jesus laid down in the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew 5 and being intent on growing as in 2 Peter 1.5-11, I think it is very reasonable to believe that there would be no Islam today.
Mishandling God’s truth has its consequences, and they are very severe in relation to the souls of men and women. The number one factor in the growth of Islam is the mess man has made and continues to make of the truth. It is very simply something Muslims can point to and say, “What a mess.”
One man’s vision and its consequences
Mohammed at the age of forty would have a vision, a trance where an angel tells him that he was to be Allah’s messenger. Amazing, that is it! Mohammed is Islam. His story, his truthfulness in telling that story is all there is. The words of Allah were inscribed on his heart as a result of the encounter with Allah’s messenger. Before Mohammed’s death, the “Surahs” of the Qur’an were transcribed. Many individuals memorized the entire Qur’an. It is truly ironic that a man who opposed the idolatry of Judaism and “Christianity” would be seen by those groups as an infidel. Since those of “Christianity” and Judaism needed look no farther than their own houses for heathen conduct. Yet is there any reason to believe Mohammed?
The words of Allah, in reality, were only the words of Mohammed. We see Mohammed mixing things of his experience with some logic, with his partial understanding of God from scripture, and with his feelings about Jews and “Christians.” Thus in the Qur’an, we have verses like in Surah 11.111-113:
111 And they say: None entereth paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian. These are their own desires. Say: Bring your proof (of what ye state) if ye are truthful.
112 Nay, but whosoever surrendereth his purpose to Allah while doing good, his reward is with his Lord; and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve.
113 And the Jews say the Christians follow nothing (true), and the Christians say the Jews follow nothing (true); yet both are readers of the Scripture. Even thus speak those who know not. Allah will judge between them on the day of Resurrection concerning that wherein they differ.
Mohammed, although respecting scripture, did not understand God and His purpose but correctly observed the ungodly life of Jews and “Christians.” Mohammed deeply believed that God hated the idolatry of those religions. Mohammed set out to destroy them. His dedication to that purpose was unwavering, and to this day Islam remains very militant in what they perceive as the defense of the one God. Mohammed, despite his good intentions, and thus Islam throughout its entire history has not understood the God of heaven.
Muslim life
A Muslim is trying to live a spiritual life, keeping God (Allah) and Allah’s will before him always. The degree to which he can accomplish this defines his level of spirituality. Like Judaism, there is considerable specific works requiring regular attention. Many would say the strength of Islam is that it brings a certain order and clarity to life. The five pillars of Islam achieve this order. That is, a Muslim knows what he is supposed to do. The five pillars being the following:
1. Islam’s basic belief: “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is His prophet.” Muslims must repeat this once in their lifetime but actually will say this many times each day as they also do the opening Surah of the Qur’an.
2. Prayer is essential and the Qur’an encourages the faithful to be constant.
3. Charity is the third pillar.
4. The fourth pillar is the observance of Ramadan (Islam’s holy month) when, from daybreak to the setting of the sun, neither food nor drink passes the lips. After sundown, it is permissible to eat and drink but in moderation.
5. The last pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca, which must be made once during the lifetime of each Muslim.
The basics of forgiveness, man as an eternal being, judgment based on how life was lived, and the total unacceptability of any god other than Allah are central to the faith. Islam is, nonetheless, man made with its base elements coming from Judaism and Christianity, and I believe Mohammed’s personal desire to provide dignified worship to God. It turns out to be just one more case where a good intention with all its human wisdom is not what life is all about but the opposite.
The Kabba, located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the center of Islam. It is where Muslims from all over the world travel to and gather there to pray in unity.
The Old Testament points to Jesus as Savior and does this in great detail.
Isaiah 53. 1-12
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 And they[a] made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His soul,[b]and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:
‘ Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the LORD and against His Christ.’
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own,[c] and His own[d] did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.
clear repeatedly in this book is that the truth has nothing to fear. The more man-made a religion, the more paranoid, and the more violent and threatening it will be. Those who initiated Catholicism were very paranoid that people would find the truth and did every violent thing to destroy heretics, and now Muslim paranoia protects its insecurity using violence and threats of violence. Within Islam, there is little or no freedom of thought tolerated in religious matters. Questions and questioning, looking around for truth, would not be something that is recommended and in some areas of the Muslim world something that would not be tolerated.
completely irrational responses to everything. Some of the Muslim leadership may not publicly condone violent responses. Nevertheless, there is an undercurrent within Muslim society like a “hair trigger” on a pistol. Whenever people believe they are oppressed or their religion is being attacked, it provides unification behind the common cause and strengthens the belief while effectively distracting any questioning. It is fascinating that Islam requires the utmost respect from governments and other religions and absolutely gives no respect especially to other religions. There is only one thing stranger, that is
people, governments, and religions willingly submit to Islamic demands and threats. Islam seems to exist in this state almost perpetually.
Indoctrination, fear, size (number of Muslims), the promises of a highly sensual physical paradise in the next life, substantial family, peer and political pressures, and the apparent devotion and ceremonies, which
provide some inner peace, are factors that keep and build this religion. The associated isolation of many Muslims from various materials that provide a different religious view is an important factor in maintaining the loyalty to Islam. This book is about the truth and getting people to understand that all those things that make you a Muslim are unimportant unless they are the truth.
Islam, like other man-made religions, furnishes little or no reason to believe their claims. Islam must rely on something other than evidence in building their religion, and thus we see secrecy as though there is some sort of mystery, threats, fear, and indoctrination from childhood* being used to build and maintain the religion. It is a bit unfair to Islam to say they have a corner on secrecy, threats, fear, and indoctrination of the young*; for many and probably most religions have used similar tactics to various extents at various times in their history. Certainly, in recent times we have seen random violence and terrorism without concern for human life in some nations where Islam is dominant. In these areas, Islam often appears to encourage, not discourage, such actions. Many a terrorist has gone to his death under the impression that the work he was doing was to the glory of Allah and dying brought him to a better, truly
glorious, and pleasurable state. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It seems incredible to me that I could feel any sympathy for a terrorist, yet considering the effectiveness of their indoctrination since
childhood, my disgust goes clear back to those who initially changed the Gospel of Christ. Yet in the grand scheme of things, the terrorist’s guilt and punishment remain certain, as God hates “hands that shed
innocent blood.”
The reason we see so much violence and warring in Islam all in defense of Allah is possibly the result of how Mohammed misunderstood God. Mohammed saw the God of Abraham down through the centuries as having His people involved in warring conflicts over much of their history. God was “with the nation of Israel” in those days and sometimes in miraculous ways. In addition, when the people were disobedient to
God, their defeat and sometimes capture and confinement were certain. God’s purpose for Israel was to bring His Son through this people, and it was their protection as well as the associated keeping of all prophecy that was behind the various conflicts. Unfortunately, Mohammed somehow understood these conflicts as how true followers were to honor the dishonor done to the true God. Mohammed and consequently those of Islam today have not understood God’s purpose through the ages and its fulfillment in Christ. The people of Islam are not any different from other religions in their hopes and desires for the future. They want to believe their religion is special, correct, and for many it is inconceivable to think what they believe is false. Unfortunately, there is not much reason to believe that Islam is the truth. In fact, it is just as God told Abraham: Isaac is the son of promise. Jesus, the Messiah would come through Isaac.
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.
5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,
6 and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.
8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.
9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.
11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.
14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.
15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
regarding being open-minded, allowing searches and questioning of all kinds. Error needs to shut certain doors of information, to suppress certain questions or issues, to provide some fear of disbelieving and to fabricate various tales to impress young minds. It is this typical and distressing means of teaching children that is meant in the term indoctrination from childhood as used in the context of this chapter.
