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Islam
Christianity
Omar M. Ahmad, told a rally of California Muslims in 1998: "Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth." Who is Omar M. Ahmad? Is he some far out Islamic "fundamentalist" with no voice outside of a small sphere of influence in one of the Moslem countries in the Middle East? Not exactly. He is the chairman for the Counsel on American Islamic Relations. CAIR's obvious avowed goals are to turn America into an Islamic state.
CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said in a 1993 interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune "I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future, but I'm not going to do anything violent to promote that. I'm going to do it through education."
Is this a bad thing for America? Well, when you consider that conversion of a population to a particular religious viewpoint is the goal of most religions as well as those of us of the Christian faith, can we fault the Moslems for wanting us to convert to their faith? Conversion of those outside of the "faith" is really the goal of most religions. It is certainly the goal of those of us who are Christians. We believe that it would be great if everyone would become a true Christian. So why do we believe that conversion to the Islamic faith a bad thing for anyone? Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-16 "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"
This is a classic statement on the existence of "…false prophets…" Jesus is telling us here that, if we wish to understand whether someone is a false prophet, we should examine their fruits or in today's vernacular, the results of their ministry. Does Islam have the kind of "fruit" that we would like to have in our lives? What are the results of the ministry of Mohammed? One does not have to go very far back in history to find out. On September 11th, 2001, followers of Mohammed killed almost 3,000 innocent lives in the bombing of the WTC. In the Sudan, followers of Mohammed have slaughtered 100's of thousand if not millions of innocent people. In Indonesia today it is not safe to testify to your Christianity because of the Muslim threat. Commenting on the riots following a recent attempt to have a beauty contest in Nigeria, Michael Medved wrote, "In Nigeria, at least 205 civilians perished through machete attacks, beatings or burning alive, with another 500 hospitalized and more than 3,000 made homeless. Numerous churches, newspaper offices and hotels burned to the ground, torched by Muslim mobs enraged by one sentence in a newspaper column. While attempting to defend the Miss World Competition which had arrived in Nigeria despite opposition by local Islamic authorities, columnist Isioma Daniel wrote in defense of the beauty queens: 'What would Muhammad think? In all honesty, he would probably have chosen a wife from among them.'"
These are very recent and real examples of the "fruit" of Mohammed. However, these examples are not isolated or confined to recent days. The history of the Islamic religion is full of similar actions taken by the 'peaceful' religion of Islam to convert people to their way of thinking. In Saudi Arabia today it is illegal and punishable by death to convert to Christianity or any other religious faith.
However, it is one thing to compare the fruit of a particular religion and another to compare the founder of a religion. In the cases of Christianity and Islam this is a fairly easy project considering that both of these religions left a book describing how their followers should live. In the writings of the Qu'ran, or Koran as it is sometimes spelled, we find the teachings of Mohammed. In the Bible we find the teachings of Jesus Christ and His followers. What are some significant differences? Having spent the past 36 years studying the Bible while only reading parts of the Koran for the past few years, it appears that the Koran teaches that followers of Mohammed are to die for their God while the Bible teaches that Jesus came to die for mankind. Indeed the philosophies and words of the books of Islam and Christianity are diametrically opposed to each other.
Jesus taught us to "love…thy neighbor as thyself." Mohammed taught, convert your neighbor, and if he won't convert, kill him. There is no example in our world today or in the history of Islam in which Islam would allow a different religion to live in peace under Islamic rule. Every Muslim religious leader quotes the Koran as not allowing differing points of view to coexist with Islam.
In the final analysis though, one must consider whether to follow the teachings of Mohammed or of Jesus. Why should one follow Mohammed? Why should one follow Jesus? Is there a single compelling reason to follow one over the other? I believe that there is one single compelling reason - which one is still alive?
Only Jesus Christ predicted His death and His resurrection. Jesus not only predicted His resurrection, He fulfilled it. He rose from the grave proving that He alone is worthy of our adoration, worship and discipleship. Proof of His resurrection is so abundant that only the deliberately ignorant would deny it. Paul wrote in Romans 1:3-4 "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:…"
Should you believe the teachings of a prophet who has no power over the grave, or the teachings of One who declared Himself to the Son of God and validated His claims by His resurrection from the dead? Obviously the answer is - follow Jesus. Which one will you follow?
If you have read this far, and are honestly contemplating the claims of this little tract, here is what God says that you should do.
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
1 John 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
John 5: 24 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
Jesus told us that worldwide conversion of people to the claims of Christianity will never happen. We are not to fight and kill to bring people into the fold of the Lamb of God, we are to lovingly preach the Gospel, and pray that folks will open their hearts and receive the resurrected Saviour, Jesus Christ the Lord. If you will trust Him today, you can be born again and know the power of His Resurrection in your life.
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