Have you studied Islam?

An historical review is also appropriate. In this case, history will show that the god of Islam, called Allah, is not the God of Judaism and Christianity. If you begin a study of Islam thinking it is another branching of Judaism, your studies will leave you with far more questions than answers. The full discussion of that, however, is for another thread. Suffice to say one should start at the beginning (history) and then see the development.

 

are mohammed & allah the same? heard they claim Abraham,ishmael in thier lineage...

 

I have tried reading the Koran as well as the books of other false religions such as the book of Mormon and you dont have to go very far to realize that you do not have the Word of God in your hands. They are boring and extremely shallow. When reading the book of Mormon, I had to stop because if I read one more " and it came to pass" I thought I would scream! Most of these books are cheap and futile attempt at mimmicking the King James Bible, the ultimate standard.

 

I would agree with you on the book of Mormon, (it's written in a very KJV-like style), but the Koran comes up with much of the same problems that the Bible has. It's originally written in arabic, and only the original arabic is considered sacred. English translations are plentiful; some are good, some are bad. You're got to do a bit of research sometimes to get accurate meaning.

I generally don't place much faith in books that were written by one person at one time (B of M, Koran, etc). But I think they can still be inspirational and meanigful, sans religious inferences.

 

Couldn't vote, John, because I am half-way between the first and second responses. #1 is giving a false impression that I know far more than I do from first-hand study, but #2 is less than I have done...

 

Yes, the "ishmaelites" gave rise to the culture which we know today as Islam, though they weren't a religion until Mohammed and the Koran. Contrary to what some may believe (and, no doubt, post here), They believe in the God of Abraham and call him "Allah", which literally means "The God".

Islam accepts that Jesus is blessed by God (Surah 19:32/31) and protected from Satan from birth (Surah 3:36). They accept Jesus as the Messiah (Surah 5:76/72), but do not accept that Jesus was the SOn of God. So while much of Islamic beliefs via the Koran are biblically parallel, others are not. We should mindful of both.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ tells us that "Ye shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set you free."

I have too much time on my hands to be studying a lie!! Why study a lie?? Why study something that is not true!!?? Why study something that is false??

I cannot! I will not waste my time trying to understand something false! I figure that if I spend time studying the real thing--it would be fairly easy for me to understand the counterfeits. Sorry, guys! Studying falsehood is a waste of time!!

Your friend,
Blackbird

 

Yes, the "ishmaelites" gave rise to the culture which we know today as Islam, though they weren't a religion until Mohammed and the Koran. Contrary to what some may believe (and, no doubt, post here), They believe in the God of Abraham and call him "Allah", which literally means "The God".

Islam accepts that Jesus is blessed by God (Surah 19:32/31) and protected from Satan from birth (Surah 3:36). They accept Jesus as the Messiah (Surah 5:76/72), but do not accept that Jesus was the SOn of God. So while much of Islamic beliefs via the Koran are biblically parallel, others are not. We should mindful of both.</font>[/QUOTE]wjrighter,
No, Mohammed and Allah are not the same. Mohammed was the prophet of Allah. (similar in my thought to being a prophet of Baal, another false God)

Johnv,
True, the Islamic world claims decendancy from Abraham through Ishmael, his firstborn son, but the god they worship has little to do with the historic God of Abraham other than a type of acceptance of some parts of scripture,a rewrite of other parts, and total non-acceptance of still other parts. The "prophet" Mohammed adopted Jewish tradition to make his religion more readily acceptable, but the name Allah is a proper name historically linked to a pagan moon god - the proper name of the tribal pagan diety worshiped by Mohammed's family and clan. To claim that Allah is just another means of referring to the God of Jewish and Christian scripture is historically inaccurate, despite what Islamic clerics would have you believe. What they worship is not who I worship. What Islam proclaims is counter to what Christ proclaims; what does that say about their god?

 

I wrote an article for my forum on the quran but lost it when it went down and I didn't have it saved. I read it from the viewpoint of trying to see the peacefulness it was supposed to bring, and it was there, but overshadowed by far with the urgings toward violence.
It's really hard to get an accurate picture though, because the different translations into English aren't at all uniform.
Gina

 

I checked answer #1 on poll. However, I must qualify that answer. I have studies parts of the Quran. I took a course called Christian Faith and World Religions here at SEBTS. It was great. It was hard and strange dealing with all thos different beliefs. However, if you want to witness effectively to the lost people of this world you had better know where they are coming from and how to defeat their arguments for their religious beliefs as well as those that they have against Christianity. I highly recommend Neighboring Faiths by Winefred Corduan and Unveiling Islam by Ergun Mehmet and Emir Fethi Caner (they are Christians who were saved out of Islam).

 

...the name Allah is a proper name historically linked to a pagan moon god

That's a common misconception which is incorrect.

 

Not according to Dr.HUSSEIN LABIB, a Moslem and acknowledged expert on Islam. I asked him; he acknowledges the historical link.

Why try to shade Islam as something resembling, or as a viable alternative to, Christianity? That's what Satan has done. Islam is a twisting of the truth of God into a lie palatable to a certain segment of the world's population.

 

Brother Stiles, you are 100% correct. And would you believe the forerunner of Allah was found back in Ur? There was a thread about it all awhile back. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Dr. Al-Almoudy, a former Muslim who now works with Voice of the Martyrs, did an excellent presentation on this as well. He is now a born-again Christian & the presentation is on video available from VOM.

I find it incredible that some people on this board try to promote the false relgion of Islam when it is sending millions to eternal hell.

 

You confuse attempts to dispell misconceptions with promoting. I do not attempt to promote Islam. However, there is much about Islam that we Christians have misconceptions about, don't understand, or choose not to understand.

Christianity does not need to compare itself to other world religions to be valid. We are also commanded biblically to refrain from rumors and gossip. That applies to our discussions of other faiths as well.

 

There are a number of scholars who incorrectly link Allah, to the name of the moon god of Northern Arabia. It is important to remember that the word "Allah" simply means "the god" and corresponds to "ho theos" in the Greek New Testament. The confusion arises from a misunderstanding of the ancient moon god, named Hubal. Hubal was the top pagan moon god. In several circles, the moon god was referred to "the god Hubal", or "Al Lah Hubal". But when polytheism was abandoned and a belief in one Almighty God was adopted, there was no name God, so they simply referred to him as "Al Lah", which simply means "the God" (Saying "Lah" without preceeding it with "Al" is bad grammer in Arabic). Islamic monotheiem replaced the ancient polytheist beliefs; they did not evolve from them.

It is generally believed that Arabs (Muslim and non-muslim alike) are decended from Ishmael. The bible does support that, while Isaac would continue the covanent, Ishmael would also give rise to a great nation:

And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him: And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. Gen 17: 18-20

[ November 18, 2002, 02:01 PM: Message edited by: Johnv ]

 

I find it incredible that some people on this board try to promote the false relgion of Islam when it is sending millions to eternal hell.

Paul tells us that, while we judge the actions of people within the church, judgement of people outside of the church is reserved for God, not for us. Secondly, we are warned by Paul not to judge a person's salvation, not even our own.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not attempting to promote Islam. Clearly, Islam is not Christianity. But our attempts to condemn that which is out of our realm, we are in danger of condemning ourselves.

 

What happens to Muslims when they die ?

 

Same thing that happens to Baptists when they die.

 

You are part right and part wrong. What is found in the Arabic Bible is the word "Allah" corresponding to the Greek word "theos." Now does that make the Allah of Islam the same God as the God of Abraham? Only if you can logically claim that the god of the Jehovah's Witnesses, the god of the Mormons, the god of the Hindus, the god of the Sikhs (Satnam), etc. are all the gods of Abraham. The same words "god" in their literature, whether in English or not, are all translated god. Just as theos is translated god. Does that mean then that all gods are equal and Christianity must accept all gods? That is the reasoning that you have put forth Johnv. We must accept that Allah is the God of Abraham simply because it is found in the New Testament, and simply because it is translated God. Nonsense!

Islam is demon-inspired relgion to say the least that portrays Christ as a prophet, and Mohammed as greater than Christ. Mohammed took the name Allah (god) and associated it with the moon-god of his time, just as the Jehovah's Witness has his own unbiblical concept of god. Islam does not teach that Christ arose from the dead. They do not teach that Christ died, but was assumed into Heaven. Someone else died in his place. They do not believe in the trinity, the triune Godhead. They believe in conquering by the sword, and their religion is a religion of works and fatalism, not of grace, love, and faith.

For one to come even remotely close to equating Islam to Christianity is to show a naive understanding of the religion. They wish to evangelize and conquer Christianity. They are the fastest growing religion in the world today. Much of it is done through the sword. In some African countries women and children are held in bondage as slaves to do their Islamic masters bidding. It wasn't a Baptist that flew those planes into the WTC towers. Wake up and smell the coffee (Arabica )!
DHK

[ November 18, 2002, 07:20 PM: Message edited by: DHK ]