Allah vs. the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Teachings concerning "Eternal Life"

Muslims (another name for Islamists) are taught that the average person cannot know for sure if Allah will grant them "eternal life." By playing on this insecurity, Islamic leaders can impress young minds to kill themselves in homicide bombings by promising them a secure place in paradise.

The New Testaments teaches that "eternal life" is a "gift" from God, made available to sinners by the sacrificial death of His Only Begotten Son on the Cross. Consequently, "eternal life" is offered to all; for "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." The Bible also says "...That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved"...for..."whosoever whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord [Jesus] will be saved." Isn't this what we can expect of a God of Love?

Views on immorality

It's hard to determine a hard and fast set of virtues in the writings of Islam. For example, Muslims are taught that they should not lie for lying will send one to hell. Yet, they are also taught that there are times that Allah approves of lies. (When dealing with a Muslim, this can be disconcerting; for you never know when they consider the conversation in need of a lie.) Also, among the eternal things in paradise promised for the youngsters contemplating a suicide mission are fornication and homosexuality, things Jesus taught to be sins and abominations.

Although the "ten commandments" of the Bible are the basis for Biblical morality, for the New Testament believer, good morality is not achieved by trying to keep the commandments. This is done by walking in the Spirit of God whereby the precepts of the law are fulfilled in deed and in truth -- as originally intended. The Bible is never unclear as to what constitutes a sin. It also says that God hates all sin, but it is also equally clear that God loves the sinner and wants all men everywhere to repent of their sins and to receive His Son as Lord and Savior..

Lifestyles

The teachings of Islam not only set forth a stern religion, but they govern the total life of the believers as well. Unfortunately, history teaches us that, too often, gerrymandering fanatics or unbelieving opportunist take control of Islamic governments and oppress those under them in extreme and cruel ways. Built in the Muslim religion is the repression and abuse of women and children. Sadly, those under such governments usually live in poverty and dejection. Also, we should note that the Muslim religion is perpetuated by extreme indoctrination of the young; and that historically, its growth comes about by the use of violence or by appealing to the violent nature of man. I know that politicians feel that they have to be politically correct and say that Islam is a great, peaceful religion -- but such statements are not validated by history.

Jesus taught that He had come that people might have life and have it more abundantly. He taught that it is better to give than to receive, and that every man and woman should develop their God given abilities so they can gain more and have more to give. The long-faced church member who glories in his poverty and self-denial impresses no one but himself. And we should not forget that as followers of Christ, it is important that we do make "good" impressions on others. This is because God has ordained that others are to see Jesus in His followers and, thereby, have reason to believe. Thus, His Church would grow and fulfill its Great Commission of taking the Good News that "Jesus Saves" to the world.

Value of the Human Soul

As can be seen in history and in today's daily newscasts, life can be cheap in Islamic nations and the needs and feelings of others are often ignored, or blatantly abused to create an atmosphere of fear. Fingers being cut off for offenses and people being tortured or imprisoned on the whims of others can be a way of life in war-torn countries that are governed by various opposing leaders of the Islamic faith. Such people have no qualms about killing others of the Islamic faith, and they claim to be ruling for Allah in the doing.

Jesus taught that the soul of man is of great value: that we should love others as we love ourselves and that for one to give his life for another is the greatest form of love. Jesus also let us know the value that He places on the individual when He died on the Cross for every individual man, woman, and child. At the Cross we can also see that He is not a respecter of persons -- that all persons are of equal value to Him--for all must come through this same "door" (faith in Christ) to be accepted by God. Also, His intolerance of man thinking more highly of himself than he ought can be seen in His bringing women to the fore and giving them places of honor.

In the light of so many obvious problems with the Muslim religion,
is there any hope for the followers of Mohammed?

I recently asked this question to a friend of mine and His answer was an emphatic "YES!" He feels that the answer for the problems of today's Arabic people is the introduction of true democracies in the various countries. His rationale was that if they ever get a taste of freedom; political tyrants, bullies, and thieves will have a hard time putting them back under abject poverty and cruel subjection.

Also, with democracy will come the introduction of real education in the area. Consequently, the next generations of Iraqis will see that there's a world beyond their abject surroundings, a world that demands their consideration. And I'm satisfied that they are more than up to the challenge.

Also, for many young Iraqis, education will open up new ways of life including well-paying, worthwhile professions and skills that are in demand -- An alternative to helping a bully dictator be a bigger bully.

But what about those who have already been steeped in the beliefs of their oppressors? Is there hope for them? Again, the answer is an emphatic "YES!" Just recently we saw one "hope" demonstrated in Iraq when an Iraqi man known only as Mohammed watched her captors mistreat American POW Jessica Lynch. Ignoring whatever religious fears that might have been placed upon him and whatever fear he had for his life, he was moved by compassion and alerted the Marines of her condition and led them to her position. It is a joyful, grateful family and nation that owes the gentleman a debt of gratitude. I have no way of knowing how much religious programming this man went through, but it's obvious that it wasn't enough to stifle the goodness that God plants in the heart of all men and women, a goodness that can rule in our lives if we bring it to the fore. Also, when the adult Islamic population begins to enjoy the benefits of living in a democracy, they will be exposed to the rest of the world through uncensored news and other forms of media. When this happens, this writer will not be surprised to see Iraqi men and women stepping up and taking control of the decisions for their lives. No longer will they be living in plastic situations wherein Saddam and others like him are able to hold from them the things they need to make intelligent decisions for themselves and for their families. No longer will they be subjected to a fear of what Allah will do to them or, more importantly, what Saddam's henchmen will do to them if they begin thinking for themselves. Those that have eyes to see will see that Allah, the God of Saddam and Mohammed (another bully of another century) has been defeated by the One and Only Living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (No, actually, Allah wasn't really defeated, for he never was, except in the minds of people programmed from a child up or in the hands of vicious dictators who use the fear of him to keep people in bondage.)

So, is there "hope" for those in the Middle East who see a new thing coming about? Yes! If God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son on the Cross so that "whosoever will" may come and drink of the Living Waters that flow from the Throne of Glory, then the Muslims, the Hindus, the Confucians, the Catholics, and the self-righteous, self-serving in the Christian community may come to the Waters of Life and drink freely.