Islam
Do you have a favorable perception of Islamic religion?
Do you have a favorable perception of Muslim people?
Christians have the most unfavorable perception of Islam.
62% of evangelicals say they have an unfavorable perception.
39% of evangelicals have a very unfavorable perception.
22% of evangelicals say they maintain a favorable view of Islam.
7% of agnostics and people who identify with no faith say they have a very unfavorable view of Islam
17% say they have a very favorable view of the religion.
There are about 1.8 Billion Muslims worldwide
This religion is only second to Christianity which has about 2.5 Billion followers
There are around 3.45 million Muslims in the US
There are about 200,000 Muslims living in the metro area
Muhammad Ibn Abdullah
- The founder of the Islam faith claimed that while meditating, he received a revelation from God via the angel Gabriel. His wife and cousin took all of it down and these revelations would become the Koran.
“And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
Genesis 16:8-12
Muhammad prayed facing Jerusalem until he was rejected by the Jews and Christians as a prophet. He made a symbolic gesture then to pray towards Mecca, where he claimed he recieved messages from the angel, Gabriel.
When Muhamad died in 632 AD there was a division among his followers.
Shiites argued that a family member should take over
Sunnis demanded that the military should take over
What are the differences between Muslims and Christians?
Authority
The Koran Says:
“We believe in God, and in what hath been revealed unto us, and in that which hath been revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes; and in what hath been given unto Moses and Jesus, and that which hath been given unto the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them; and unto Him are we resigned.” - Qu’ran 2:136
Muslims believe the Qu’ran is their source of authority.
Christians believe the Bible is their source of authority.
Christians and Muslims also differ on matters of God, Jesus, and Salvation.
Muslims deny the Trinity and find it appalling.
Muslims believe that Allah is so transcendent and so high above that he would never even consider having a personal relationship with a person.
Muslims do believe in the virgin birth but they believe that Jesus was just a prophet of God not the Son of God.
Christians believe that God is Jesus.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”
John 1:1-2
“Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:11-12
Muslims believe in 5 pillars of the faith
and by obeying these five pillars God might grant them salvation.
“Righteousness does not consist in whether you face towards the East or the West. The righteous man is he who believes in God and the Last Day, in the angels and the Book and the prophets; who, though he loves it dearly, gives away his wealth to kinsfolk, to orphans, to the destitute, to the traveler in need and to beggars, and for the redemption of captives; who attends to his prayers and renders the alms levy; who is true to his promises and steadfast in trial and adversity and in times of war. Such are the true believers; such are the God-fearing.” - Qu’ran 2. 177
The five pillars of the Muslim faith are:
Testimony“I testify there are no deities other than God alone and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”
Prayer Muslims believe you must pray five times a day at specific times and when you pray you must face Mecca.
Fasting Muslims fast the whole month of Ramadan from sun up to sun down.
Alms-giving Giving to the poor and needy
Pilgrimage Going to their holy city Mecca at least once in a lifetime.
Christians believe that salvation is not obtained by good works. Salvation is found in Christ alone.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
First, know what you believe so that you can talk intelligently with others.
Second, don’t avoid or be afraid to talk with people who don’t believe the same things you believe.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7