ANOTHER GOD? ANOTHER
GOSPEL?
A while back I was speaking at a State University in
Utah and made the statement that Mormonism was "the
American Islam." I drew a comparison between the claims
of Mohammed and Joseph Smith, the Koran and the Book of
Mormon. During the Question and Answer time, I faced a
number of very agitated Muslims. In fact, the Muslim
interaction all but overshadowed the dialogue on
Mormonism. The next day, I met with two Muslim leaders
and began a series of contacts that forced me to take a deep
look at its history, its tenets of belief and its comparisons to
orthodox Christianity.
Today, there are over 7,000,000 Muslims in the United
States alone. That's more than all the Mormons, Jehovah's
Witnesses and Christian Scientists combined. An extremely
militant proselytizing program is under way in many major
cities and in every State university I have visited. The
Muslims are going to make the Mormon missionary effort
look pale in comparison. As orthodox Christians, we are
going to have to be ready to deal with what I believe may be
the most aggressive attack on Christianity in its history.
Let's take a look at the faith of Mohammed. When he was
born in Mecca in 570 AD, the black Kaaba Stone was the
religious center of all Arabia. In Mohammed's day, 365 idols
were worshipped there, standing in the great courtyard. One
of those deities was called Allah and was the god of the
Quarish tribe, of which Mohammed was a member. When
the Quarish tribe took control of Mecca, all the idols except
Allah, the idol of their tribe, were destroyed.
The Koran Tells us that Mohammed drove the other idols
away; his god was now the only god and he was its
messenger. But he kept the Kaaba as a holy, sacred place
and confirmed that the black stone had the power to take
away man's sins. He obligated every believer to make a
pilgrimage to the stone at least once in his lifetime. (Sura
22:26-37)
THE SIX BELIEFS OF ISLAM
God: There is one true God, named Allah.
Angels: They are the servants of God, through whom he
reveals his will. The greatest angel is Gabriel who appeared
to Mohammed. Everyone has two "recording angels": one to
record their good deeds, the other to record their bad deeds.
The Prophets: Allah has spoken through many prophets, but
the final and greatest of these is Mohammed. Other
prophets include Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
The Holy Books: The Koran or Quran is the holiest book of
Islam, believed to be Allah's final revelation to man and it
supersedes all previous revelations, including the Bible. It
contains Allah's word as passed on orally to Mohammed by
Gabriel. It contains 114 chapters or Suras. Muslims also
recognize the Law of Moses, the Psalms and the gospels
but consider them to be badly corrupted.
The Day of Judgment: A terrible day on which each person's
good and bad deeds will be balanced to determine his fate.
The Decree of God: Allah ordains the fate of all. Muslims are
fatalistic. "If Allah, wills it", is the comment of a devout
Muslim on almost every situation or decision he faces.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Affirmation: "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is
his messenger" which is recited constantly by devout
Muslims.
The Fast: Faithful Muslims fast from dawn to dusk every
day during the ninth month of the Islamic calender,
Ramadan, which is sacred.
Almsgiving: A worthy Muslim must give 2.5% of his income
to the poor.
Prayer: Muslims are required to pray five times a day,
kneeling and facing Mecca.
The Pilgrimage: Muslims are expected to journey to Mecca
at least once in their lifetime.
IS ISLAM ANOTHER GOSPEL?
Islam teaches that God is so far above man in every way
that he is virtually unknowable. He will send individuals to
Paradise or Hell as he chooses.
Islam teaches that Jesus was a messenger of God, not the
son of God. Muslims deny the He is Almighty God come in
the flesh. (John 1:1-14, I John 4:1,2). They deny that He is
divine. (Col 2:9) They deny that He died on the Cross for our
sins (Most believe the Judas died in his place). They deny
that He rose from the dead. (Matt 26: 28, John 19:20) They
deny that He is the final, conclusive revelation of God. (Heb.
1: 1-2)
IS ALLAH ANOTHER GOD?
Is this stone idol the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?
Just because Mohammed said so doesn't make it so! Allah
chose Hagar and her son, Ishmael for his covenant. The
God of the Bible chose Abraham's other son, Isaac, as heir
to His covenant. (Gen 21: 12, 22:2-18)
Allah is an impersonal being, impossible to approach or
comprehend. The Bible's God befriends men like Abraham
(Is. 41:8) and talks with them (Gen 18:23ff)! He loved us so
much He sent His only begotten Son to die for us! (John
3:16)
Allah is a god of fear and terrorism that commands
destruction upon those who refuse to convert to Islam. The
Bible's God delights to show His boundless mercy. His
gospel is the "Good News" of peace and forgiveness.
Allah requires total obedience to Islam and weighs the
works of people. Allah and the Koran relegate Jesus to just
the last prophet before Mohammed, below his authority.
Jesus was not the Way, and could only point the way to
Mohammed. The Bible's God can only be reached through
Jesus Christ and trust in Him is the only way to Heaven.
(John 14:6).
Allah required the works of Mohammed to complete his
words of judgment to man. The God Of The Bible sent His
son who did the finished work of grace for man. (John
19:30)
In the light of Allah's actual origin and his radical difference
from the God of the Bible, we must conclude that Allah is
not God. Nor is the name, Allah, a generic MidEast name for
God, as even many Christians think. Allah is the name of a
false god who can not save anyone from anything. Rather,
through his false prophet, Mohammed, he continues to lead
hundreds of millions into eternal darkness.
(c) copyright 2001, Ed Decker
"And I will punish the world for their evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity; and I
will cause the arrogancy of the proud to
cease, and will lay low the haughtiness
of the terrible." -Isaiah 13:11
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20 ... _devil.htm
