Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. What are the origins and teachings of this religion? Is Islam a peace-loving religion similar to other monotheistic faiths such as Judaism and Christianity? How does Islam compare to Biblical Christianity?
Watch and Listen to this VHS Video:
Christianity Vs. Islam, sermon by Richard C. Nickels, delivered February 8, 2003, at the Harmony Church of God Seventh Day, Junction City, Oregon.
Read these articles, which compare Islamic teachings to the Bible:
| Conveniently Overlooked Facts on the Middle East | |
| Islam and You | by Richard C. Nickels |
| The Archers Have Sorely Grieved Joseph | by Richard C. Nickels |
| Contrast Between Christ and Mohammed | by George W. Zeller |
| Reflections on Terrorism | by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi |
| Land for Peace? | by Richard C. Nickels |
| Are We Too Harsh on Muslims? | by Richard C. Nickels |
| The Agenda of Islam: A War Between Civilizations | by Professor Moshe Sharon |
| Violence in the Koran and the Bible | by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocch |
| Islam and the Papacy | by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi |
| Crash Course on the Arab-Israeli Conflict | |
| The Facts on Islam (The Anker Series) | by John Ankerberg, John Weldon. Paperback - 48 pages, August 1991, Harvest House Publishers, Inc., ISBN 0890819130 (Order this book from Amazon.com) |
| Islam Revealed | by Anis A. Shorrosh. Paperback - 313 pages, October 1988, Thomas Nelson Publishers, ISBN 0840730152 (Order this book from Amazon.com) |
| Unveiling Islam | by Ergun and Emir Caner. Paperback - 176 pages, March 1, 2002, Kregel Publications, ISBN 0825424003 (Order this book from Amazon.com) |
Order these books from The Berean Call, PO Box 7019, Bend, OR 97708:
Who is This Allah? By G.J.O. Moshay, 178 pp. Item #838611, $8.
Behind the Veil, Unmasking Islam, by Schafi, 300 pp., translated from Arabic, citations from the most authoritative Islamic sources. Item #08200, $11.
Statements by Islamic leaders:
“The purest joy in Islam is to kill and be killed for Allah,” Ayatollah Khomeini, cited in The Arabs, Journey Beyond the Mirage, by David Lamb, p. 287.
“Who relinquishes his faith, kill him . . . “ — Muhammad, founder of Islam, quoted on authority of Ibn ‘Abbas in Sahih of al-Bukhari (Part 9), 19. Attested by numerous Islamic scholars.
“I have been ordered by Allah to fight with people till they testify there is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger,” — Muhammad, op. cit., (Part 1), 13.
Islam: Is it Peace-Loving?
“There is no question, as we and others have thoroughly documented from the Qur’an, Hadith, and 1,300 years of history, that terrorism and violence in order to force the world into Islam, and threats of death to prevent defections, always have been the very heart of Islam throughout history and remain so today . . . . We offer the same challenge to Muslims that we offer to professing Christians. If one claims to be a Christian, one must follow the teachings of Christ. It is dishonest to invent one’s own brand of ‘Christianity’. And so it is with Islam. How can anyone claim to be a Muslim, yet fabricate his own peaceful version of Islam in contradiction of the teachings and example of Muhammad that perpetual jihad must be practiced to convert the entire world by force?” -- Dave Hunt, February, 2002, The Berean Call.
We Have Our Job Cut Out for Us
According to a 2002 poll by The Pew Research Center, younger Americans view Islam much more favorably than their elders. This probably stems from pluralistic, politically correct teaching in public schools. 51% of Americans aged 18-29 view Islam favorably. Favorable views of Islam outnumber or equal unfavorable views of Islam in all ages from 18-64. However, 74% of Americans 65 and older have an unfavorable view of Islam. Education of Americans is severely lacking, and that is a purpose of this web site!
"Allah was, in fact, the name of the chief god in the Kaabah, the pagan temple that Muhammad “purged” by destroying the more than 300 idols contained in it. Muhammad likely kept the name of this ancient pagan moon god and the symbol of the crescent moon because it would be easier to convert idolaters to his new religion if he could offer something with which they were familiar. Muslims see no contradiction in this strategy, nor even in keeping the chief object of worship in the ancient Kaabah, the black stone that Muslims kiss and revere today, even as idolaters did before Muhammad incorporated it into Islamic religious practice," Dave Hunt, from The Berean Call, www.thebereancall.org.
United States Attorney General John Ashcroft said in a 2003 interview with Cal Thomas, “Islam is a religion in which God [Allah] requires you to send your son to die for him. Christianity is a faith in which God sent His Son to die for you.”
Islamic Reformation?
Some today believe that there is a growing movement among Muslims to reform the faith which formerly supported war, persecution, and terrorism. Many Muslim intellectuals and business leaders are against the violence of “extremists” who are giving Islam a bad name.
Dave Hunt, in his new book, Judgment Day: Islam, Israel, and the Nations, says it is impossible for Islam to experience a “reformation,” like the Sixteenth Century Protestant Reformation, because the latter involved an attempt to get back to the true teachings of the Bible and the love, joy, and peace that it produces. Any “reformation” that would return Muslims to the true teachings of Islam would only increase violence and terrorism.
Such a “reformation” is in progress, a return to the fundamental teachings of the Qur’an and the example of Muhammad and his early successors, the caliphs. It calls for exterminating the Jews and all others who refuse to convert. Terrorists are not extremists but fundamentalists who practice true Islam as Muhammad founded it and as the Qur’an requires. To get rid of terrorism, Muslims would have to scrap Muhammad as a prophet and the Qur’an and Hadith as authoritative holy books. Any violence done in name of Christ is a violation of His teachings and example. Violence and terrorism done by Muslims, however, are in obedience to the teachings of the Qur’an and of Muhammad and the example he set.