First let me begin with the fact that I have muslim friends, the one I speak the most with is a ****e muslim originally from Iran. He is a valued friend and an honest man at heart and I cherish his friendship. That being said here is a basic outline of where our discussions have gone, similarities, differences, and what I believe are the reasons for the discrepancies in light of my faith in Christ.
First, let's call my muslim friend Joe,
Joe says as what I have heard here and other places that Christ never died on the cross, that a disciple took His place and he walked off into the clouds on top of a mountain and still roams earth today, and is seen regularly by the faithful in the middle east. I countered with Jesus made it plain how he would return, and that where he went we could not go. There are many scriptures to back that up. He would return in the glory of God with the Father.
Joe says, there is one God, I agree with that, and that Jesus prayed to God as well, I agree with that also. Where we differ in that understanding is the concept of becoming one which is uniquely Christian, as Jesus did pray, Father make them one in me as I am one in you...There are times Christ is speaking as himself, and other times God is speaking in him to the world, as he did when Christ created all things, And the word was with God and God was the word(Genesis), and we created Him in our image.
Joe says God is too great to have a son like having children is some failure in life, Joe has several children as well. Nature is a great example of God and His ways, all things have children that wish them.
Joe says the reason Islam covers their women is because it keeps men from their lust, God sees the heart of men, and lust is in the heart first, Christ didn't cover the world with some cloak to keep Himself from sinning, he just overcame the sin from inside. This is an important point in seeing a large difference in the faiths.Islam stresses ritualistic routines to please God, Christianity says you are free to live your life within the ten commandments, and yesthe ten commandments are eternal because without those basic principles Heaven could not exist, one day man will understand that by following God Heaven Creates, without following God Hell creates. Christ taught to pray constantly, and set us free within the law of God. Also God told Adam and Eve when they covered themselves, Who told you that you are naked? Not the same God at all.
Joe says all are slaves to God, I say God needs no slaves, he only has willing servants, because he is so beautiful. God does not force us to love him, he patiently waits for us to hear and follow.God is self fulfilled and has no need to enslave folks like some brutal dictator, if he forced us to love Him would that be love?. Joe says that by doing these rituals man has no time for sinning, again sin is in the heart of man where God sees. It cannot be masked only overcome with repentance and to reconnect your path Christ must be your proclaimed Savior as that is God's will to glorify His son, worthy is he...
Joe says people don't need a Savior because God will forgive them that repent, I say God is Holy and sin is eternal as all things are to God even if it is only once. That is why God could not accept any sin into Heaven and man had lost their way, Once sin occurred it was not reversible, Holy and perfection is just that, there is no substitute, that's when Christ came to be the bridge between God and man being God and man at the same time.
Joe says that Democracies have too much freedom to sin, I tell Him your elders and clerics live in constant sin even when they pray for they are fallen and without redemption without Christ.The same sins you say our culture has.
Joe says that Islam is a universal religion because it teaches how to use money properly and eliminates Greed, I tell him, the ten commandments teach do not covet what is your neighbors. And that God's reality doesn't use money at all therefore how to handle finances is not in the living God's picture of Life. Jesus taught a supernatural reality, the birds of the field don't sow or reap for food, why do you oh men of little faith.
In all these points I ask all the muslim community to consider, Do you want to be a slave or a child?
Do you want life dictated to you by a bunch of crusty old power hungry clerics?
Do you wish to be free in your path to love or dwell in your own ritualistic concept of life?
Do you want to condemn what tempts you or learn how to be loving through Christ example.
In pondering this I think that Mohammed was no prophet, he had Jewish and Christian friends and saw how thr religions of each galvanized the people into a coherant community, he saw the Arab people scattered to the wind. Therfore he used bits and pieces of what he had learned from his cohearts to lie to the world in the name of political ambition, either this or Satan deceived him acting as Gabriel. Unfortunately either way the muslim community is lost because they do not accept Christ as Savior, and Mohammed will have to answer for that. So in closing I ask, please seek Christ as your Savior, throw down the falsehood.
