A Contrast Between Christ And Mohammed

Contrast Between Christ And Mohammed Study No. 209

Mohammed	Christ
The prophet of war.	The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7).
His disciples killed for their faith.	His disciples were killed for their faith (Acts 12:2; II Timothy 4:6-7).
Promoted persecution against the “infidels.”	Forgave and converted the chief persecutor (I Timothy 1:13-15).
The taker of life.	The giver of life (John 10:27-28).
He and his fellow warriors murdered thousands.	Murdered none but saved many (compare John 12:47).
His method was COMPULSION.	His aim was voluntary CONVERSION (Acts 3:19).
Practiced FORCE.	Preached FAITH (John 6:29, 35).
Was a WARRIOR.	Is a DELIVERER (Colossians 1:13; I Thess. 1:10).
Conquered his enemies with the sword.	Conquered his enemies with another kind of sword, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12; Acts 2:37).
Said to the masses, “Convert or die!”	Said, “Believe and live!” (John 6:47, 11:25-26).
Was swift to shed blood (Romans 3:15-17).	Shed His own blood for the salvation of many (Ephesians 1:7).
Preached “Death to the infidels!”	Prayed “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Declared a holy war (Jihad) against infidels.	Achieved a holy victory on Calvary’s cross (Colossians 2:14-15) and His followers share in that victory (John 16:33).
Constrained people by conquest.	Constrained people by love (II Corinthians 5:14).
Modern terrorists derive their inspiration from Mohammed and carry out their despicable atrocities in the name of his god Allah.	Christians derive their inspiration from the One who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).
Some modern-day disciples of Mohammed responded to the terrorist attacks by cheering in the streets.	Modern-day disciples of Christ are deeply grieved at past atrocities carried out by those who were “Christians” in name only (the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, etc.).
Many Muslims are peaceful and peace-loving because they *do not* strictly follow the teachings of their founder.	Many Christians are peaceful and peace-loving because they do strictly follow the teachings of their Founder (Romans 12:17-21).
Called upon his servants to fight.	Said, “My kingdom is not of this world; if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight. . . but now is My kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36).
Ordered death to Jews (see A. Guillaume, The Life of Muhammed, Oxford University Press [1975], p. 369).	Ordered that the gospel be preached “to the Jew first” (Romans 1:16).
The Koran says, “Fight in the cause of Allah” (Qu’ran 2.244).	The Bible says, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood” and “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (Ephesians 6:12; II Corinthians 10:4).
“Fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them” (Qu’ran 9.5).	Christ said, “Preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
“I will inspire terror into the hearts of unbelievers.” (Qu’ran 8.12).	God inspires His terror (fear, reverential awe) into the hearts of believers (Isaiah 8:13).
The Koran (Qu’ran) is a terrorist manual which condones fighting, conflict, terror, slaughter, and genocide against those who do not accept Islam.	The Bible is a missionary manual to spread the gospel of peace to all the world (Romans 10:15).
Mohammed’s mission was to conquer the world for Allah.	Christ’s mission: conquer sin’s penalty and power by substitutionary atonement (II Cor. 5:21; I Peter 3:18).
Considered Christ a good prophet.	Proclaimed Mohammed to be a false prophet (John 10:10; Matthew 24:11).
Claimed that there was but one God, Allah.	Christ claimed that He was God (John 10:30-31, 8:58-59, 5:18, 14:9).
Mohammed’s Tomb: Occupied!	CHRIST’S TOMB: EMPTY!

— by George W. Zeller, The Gospel Standard, Box 500, Boston, MA, 02102, USA W

A “Kinder, Gentler,” Islam?

Question: Is it true that Islam is undergoing a reformation much like the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century? Supposedly that would make for a “kinder, gentler” Islam. Is that possible?

Answer: The Protestant Reformation was provoked by the wide and longstanding departure of the Roman Catholic Church from Scripture into heretical teachings and practices. The Reformation was all about getting back to the Bible. A major cry was “sola scriptura!” Like Islam, wherever it had the power, the Roman Catholic Church for more than 1,000 years forced its false doctrines upon the populace under penalty of death. Its false gospel offered heaven through baptism, sacraments, indulgences, the wearing of scapulars and medals and other good works. The popes matched the Muslim promise of Paradise for the jihad martyr, by offering a plenary indulgence and instant entrance into heaven for all who died in the Holy Land Crusades. Such practices were directly contrary to the teachings of the Bible and the example of Christ and of the early church. Returning to the sole authority of Scripture through the Reformation brought freedom from religious oppression.

A reformation of Islam to bring it back to the uncompromising teachings of the Qur’an and to follow faithfully the example of Muhammad does exactly the opposite. Instead of bringing freedom from oppression, it intensifies the oppression that Islam has always exerted over non-Muslims through forced conversions and over Muslims through threat of death for converting to another faith.

In fact, an Islamic “reformation” has been in process for many years. It grew out of the defeat of the Arab armies that attacked Israel when it declared its independence in 1948, and accelerated with the humiliating defeats of 1967 and 1973. It was decided that Allah had not blessed the Muslim armies as he had at the beginning of Islam, because Muslims had strayed so far from orthodox Islam. Defeat would turn to victory if the Muslim world would return to the teaching of the Qur’an and of Muhammad in the hadith — and follow the examples of his life and the lives of his early successors who were able to spread Islam through conquest by the sword all the way from Spain to India and China.

The Islamic “reformation,” then, does not produce a “kinder, gentler” Islam, but an Islam that is stronger and absolutely uncompromising. It involves a revived commitment to the teaching that Muslims must conquer the world and impose their religion and way of life upon all mankind to the glory of Allah.

Such was the goal of Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network, and it was to this end that the hijackers of September 11, 2001, sacrificed their lives. A return to true Islam as taught in the Qur’an demands perpetual jihad with the sword — even against fellow Muslims who are not willing to live by strict Islamic law (shari’ah). Such is the goal of any number of fundamentalist Islamic groups, and a takeover by them is feared by semi-secular regimes in Islamic countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and even Saudi Arabia. The only way to make Islam “kinder and gentler” would be to abandon the Qur’an and the teaching and practice of Muhammad — to invent a new Islam. But what would that prove? — by Dave Hunt, from The Berean Call, February, 2002. W