Should Christians Read the Qur’an?
I don’t think that anyone would argue that Christians should be familiar with the basic beliefs of Islam. But what about investing a serious amount of time reading the Muslim scriptures?
For anyone engaged in day-to-day interactions with Muslims, it makes sense to be familiar with what they believe. But what about those of us who spend most of our time around Christians—is there value in studying non-Christian scriptures, or is doing so a potential distraction from the faith?
Should Christians read the Qur’an?
I believe study of all texts, scripture, and understanding of belief is universally needed. I’ve read the Torah (Jewish Bible), Old Testament, New Testament, and the Qur’an. I don’t classify myself under any specific religion, but I do honor and believe in the God of Abraham. I was raised in a Christian household, but I think I developed a better understanding when I read and studied all three Abrahamic Religions, the similarities, the differences, and the misunderstandings. Many people fear things that they don’t understand and usually avoid, attack, and/or breed untruths rather than try to find common ground or engage in order for understanding. You can’t comprehend what others are saying if you aren’t willing to listen, in this case read to get their perspective. The understanding that I have gotten from reading all three is different perspectives that aren’t that different. They are far more similar than not. They all have the same prophets albeit Christians have Jesus, and Muslims have Mohammad. If you follow each book everything seems to fall into place. I would like or prefer to have an open chat room, but only with those that can speak and communicate in an orderly fashion. Often when there is disagreement about something some are quick to get offended rather than have an intelligent discussion. Look pass belief for understanding is the hardest thing to do, but it is worth it.
Shalom Aleichem
Salam Alaikum
Peace be unto you
Hi Julius, I believe we are on a similar position
I also looked at all three major abrahamic scriptures, and also small research on Vedic religions .. the feeling when everything seems to fall into place is quite amazing ..
“If God had willed, He would have made you one nation; but that He may try you in what has come to you. So be you forward in good works; unto God shall you return, all together; and He will tell you of that whereon you were at variance. (Al-Maaida: 48)”
Existence of many religions out there, are a test/trial for each individual of the human race.
The answer is No. Expect we want to contradict the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said Iam the Way, The Truth And the Life None comes to the Father expect by Him, Islam rejects His words. Also Jesus said; we should not add to his word or remove from it.(the Bible) so reading of that book (Quoran) will certainly cause confusion…….
They do not reject his words. To them he is a prophet as in Judaism. Mind you, the bible also says, Jesus said to the woman who was stoned, “Do not worship me, for all things that cometh through me, cometh by the Father.”
Jesus said that he was the Son of God. Muslims reject this as being true so they reject Him.
The I AM statements of Jesus
Jn.8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am (He), you will die in your sins.”
John 6:51:”I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;”
John 8:23: And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I AM from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
John 10:9: “I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
John 10:11: “I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 10:36: “do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 15:1: “I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 19:2: Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.”‘”
Acts 7:32: Stephen speaking of Moses’ encounter at the burning bush “saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers– the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look.”
Acts 9:5: And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
These are just some of the ways in which Jesus made clear that he was not just a prophet among others, faith in Him is the only way to achieve salvation. This is contradictory to Muslim beliefs.
I think it will be better if we advise the young christians to stick to their Bibles and not get themselves confused by reading two different religeuos books at the same time! The point am trying to make is, reading the Bible and the qur’an at the same time is like putting two different believs together. I have read the qur’an before but it has nothing in common with quality christian faith and goals that we want to achieve as christians, we need to renew our minds as the Apostle Pual said by being transformed through the biblical means. And there is one thing that has realy helped most christians to stick to one by not moving to the left or right “Whoever is not on our side is against us” Thank you.
Why not? If it is just for knowledge.Moreover, if a christian intends to evangelize muslims, he/she must know the mindset of the people.
If Gos sends someone into the mission field to evangelize those of the muslim faith He will in that hour give them the words to speak. As is stated in the book of Luke. Sure knowledge of those one would evangelize is crucial but there is a big difference in being familiar with the basic facts and beliefs and ~studying~ something that is NOT of God.
What is the meaning of “Christ”? It wasn’t his name. It was his title. Learn the answer. And wouldn’t it make more sense to read the Hebrew Scriptures? I mean Jesus practiced Judaism, didn’t he? He wasn’t a Christian, was he? And most of the Scriptures in the bible are authors such as Matthew, Luke, and Paul. They all say what was said — the inexact words of Jesus, no? And only God can speak of what is not of him. Speak not what you don’t know. I presume there is a lot of difference between many of His prophets.
I agree with studying each other books. But, whenever someone is speaking about converting someone or knowing their mindset in order to “Evangelize them” Then that is something different. We need to learn a mutual respect for each others belief.
According to the Bible, it is our duty as Christians to evangelize:
Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Mark 13:10
And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
Not only are we instructed to do so but not to care about the salvation of others would be extreme selfishness. We should want for all people to be saved.
Yes; a christian should read the quran.
Absolutely. All belief systems are pathways to our God. Why would we elect not to explore?
Hi Paul Sherwood
No they’re not. Jesus said “I am the way …”
Did Jesus not say “Love God and Love your Neighbor†Are those not incredibly important words??? He did not say love your neighbor but only if they are Christian just like you. God wants us to help gather his lost sheep and that won’t happen if Christians refuse to step outside of their Christian comfort zone. It disappoints me to even have to point this out. Examine your own faith if you are so wobbly that you can’t read a book (the Quran) without it changing your heart.
If all belief systems are pathways to God why do they end up with different conclusions about the god they found?
The conclusion is not all that different. The God of Abraham is one God. No matter what name you call him by: Elohim, Jehovah, Yaweh, or Allah which means God Almighty (Almighty which means The might of God) hence the AL — Abraham spoke Aramaic and likely Chaldaic, not Hebrew. If you want to know what they called God in those languages look it up — I won’t say what it is. Moses even said that Abraham did not know him by the name Jehovah. Yet in the KJV it says that Abraham called upon the mount “Jehovah Jireh” The altar which Abraham built is called the Kabbah in Mecca. It is where the muslims pilgrim to. In the bible if just says that Abraham built a temple between two lands and they name them — take a gander at where that locale is. Last, if you’re talking about the way Extremists think — Kill in the name of God, then there is no other religion that has done so more than that of the Christian faith. It was called the Crusades where they went and killed jews, muslims, and anyone who weren’t Christian. They also believe that jesus was sent by God, but they believe the tranlation of scripture was misplaced. Whereas, the word for Father is the same word for Creator. As so, your father created you. That is why I say people need to learn the meaning of all three religions branched from Abraham. You cannot stop the but by understanding.
I have experienced the diversity of fellowship in the church. I am native from a Spanish country and have fellowship-ed in with Spanish, Black American, Jamaican and White congregations. I have fellowship-ed for long periods of time to get to know them in their uniqueness. I believe that the reason for what we call segregation has nothing to do with race but simply with people who feel more comfortable in an environment that is familiar to them. In my experience I witnessed the Love of God in every different congregation regardless of the differences in race or origin. If we look at the different colors and cultures we will observe segregation, but when we look at the fact that we all gather to worship Jesus Christ in the fellowship of His love and His Spirit through His Gospel we will see unity and not segregation.
If we are going to make an attempt to mix the different races and cultures we must start at the leadership level to accommodate the different familiarities that set us apart.
To P.Sher…. Lord Jesus Christ. He said Iam the Way, The Truth And the Life None comes to the Father expect by Him. There is no other “path” to God.
Paul worote: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Jesus Said: John 10:14-16 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
If you study the Holy Bible and learn to hear the word of God in the living words you’re reading, then it will help you recognise his breath when you’re reading/listening outside of it.
Every Christian should be a witness to the cross. And this cannot be fully accomplished if he/she is confined in a community of Christians only. In fulling the great commission we must go. And there is no specific place or race or religion we must tell the good news of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is important that we get ourselves familiar with the writings or beliefs of other religions so that we have the opportunity to refute their error in love while we witness to them.
As a christian, I believe all books are good for turning better our understand. I’m saying that to know more, understand more is the way.
But …. As somebody said, read the bible and Qu’ran at the same time may create some confusion.
Sometime I read about New Age, magic, mythology, etc. It’s very interesting to know how they think. As a christian, I can look to my believes and know why I love Jesus more and more.
I do NOT recommend it for everyone. some people are able to read without loose all Ways, but it’s not a universal gift.
One of my dreams is read the bible in the original language. I think this would be really nice.
Yes, yet Christians should qualify how and why they read the Qur’an.
Therefore, coming back to the opening discussion question:
As Christians (disciples/followers of Christ) we recognize that Jesus is the first and the last. We recognize that there is tragically much in this life that keeps people from discovering Jesus’ personal forgiveness. Christians should read the Qur’an to compare and contrast the messages found within “the Word” and “the recitation.”
I believe Christians should read the Qur’an for redemptive reasons. You might even find yourself surprised by many of its beautiful and insightful elements. More Christians are finding that much can be learned about Islam’s theology and history by reading the Qur’an…(i.e. even Arabic social evils that Mohammad’s revelation accurately called wrongful).
In Qualification: Christians must know that in a reality rife with self-deceptive and demonic influences we should not expect the road to redemption to be easy. Undoubtedly, truth and understanding will be found if we seek earnestly. Truly, Jesus’ atonement clearly illuminates how costly love really is.
—
May our Maker have mercy on “Christians” and “Muslims” through His Son’s Redemption and Forgiveness, (Philippians 2 and Colossians 1)
P.S. Glader
p.s.) I’m convinced Christians should read and meditate much in the Word if they’re also spending time researching “the recitation.”
p.p.s.) Jesus (Isa) is mentioned 25 times in the Qur’an!
A central argument when compare the two “revelations” is whether the Word is true for coming first or the the Recitation is truer for coming later.
The great sacrifical question of this debate is: Can forgiveness be found in Jesus? The tragedy of the Qur’an is that it doesn’t give it’s readers forgiveness or redemption; but only a greater longing to grasp an unattainable peace and removal of shame that we know we can’t reach ourselves.
mr glader, or I should say sadder. We are told in GODS Word that it was given for teaching, reproof, instruction and that it is GODS final Word on what we need to know about GOD, His Son and forgiveness & eternal life. You seem to be very confused. Sorry, but you do.
The more I thought of what I said earlier today about reading the Qurán, the more I changed my mind as I can see by this chat line is that too many Christian do not know what the Bible actually teaches.
They have no business to read anything but the Bible until they can defend the faith, especially against heresies as we are instructed to do in GODS Word. I have seen too many in todays chats. Your not the only one spouting heresies. Why would anyone read Magic when GOD calls learning about magic an abomination.
You do not need to understand ‘magic or the qurán’ to defend Christianity and explain what those that are lost in these other false beliefs & religions why they need the Blood of Jesus to cover their sins so they can be forgiven when they confess their unbelief 1st and ask the LORD to save them.
THere is no reason to compare the Bible with the Qur’an to see which one might contain the truth. The Bible is the only True Book ever written, that explains salvation. The qu’ran was given by satan to Muhammad, it was not given by GOD or any of His messengers.
GOD does not change His mind, and the qu’ran is full of contradictions from what GOD says.
And you ask if forgiveness can be found in Jesus.
What kind of Christian do you think you are?
Not like any I know who follow GODS Word. We do not need mercy, we have it already by the Blood of Jesus, that covers our sins.
All we can do is thank GOD and be grateful for His mercy He has already given those who believe. The only Christians who need to read the Qur’an are those who are going into areas populated by muslims to be missionary so that’s they have a greater idea of what type of preaching they need to do and how to answer any muslims questions about the True GOD and how it relates to a muslims false beliefs.
You all should try listening [on CD] to the Bible day and night for a year or two until you know what it says by heart and memory. Then you might begin to understand what you think you believe.
Sorry to be so stern but I am tried of meeting people who claim to be Christians who do not know what the Bible teaches, even in the fundamentals.
how can u make such a statement that Satan gave the Qur’an to Mohammad? what sort of proof can u possibly have to back up this statement? anything from the Qur’an perhaps?
sorry i can’t help it but the more i read your stuff the more i realize that u have no faith about u…
let me explain to u about faith…when one has real faith in God, and in God alone, and where such faith was obtained through self contemplation and contemplation in the universe, nature, and the living things in it, one would see faith in people all around him even when they dont practice the same religions…by u making the statement that only Christianity is the path to salvation, well what is the premise them of all other religions? r people practicing Islam or Judiasm because they are paths to damnation?
tell me, how many prophets have come before Jesus? how many scriptures? what were they preaching? and obviously, u have no clue about what is written in the Qur’an….God says in the Qur’an that it (the Qur’an) was revealed to people to affirm what has come before it in terms of prophets and scriptures…a Muslim, by faith, must accept Jesus and his Bible if his own faith is to be complete…
u mention somewhere that Christianity is not a faith; rather it is a personal relationship with God….that is very interesting…however, u r contradicting yrself somehow…u see, when u talk about religions such as Christianity or Buddhism, u r talking about religions that are prescribed based on people, i.e., Christ or Buddha…the word Islam is not specific to people…rather it is a state of mind that one obtains when they realize their place in this universe…something like being enlightened…unfortunately, what gives people like yrself fuel to attach Islam and the Qur’an is the way Islam has been corrupted after the death of Mohammad…Islam is a universal idea that can be obtained by someone living any where in the world…it is not unique to Arabs and it doesnt have a distinct form like having a beard or wearing head cover…this is the image that Arabs have corrupted and shaped Islam to but this is not the essence of Islam if u have bothered to read the Qur’an to find out…
if u want to argue about the authenticity of the Qur’an as a scripture, or Islam as a religion, let us turn to history to see how Christianity was fabricated and molded by people hundreds of years after the death of Jesus…u can find a lot of material on the internet or in documentaries…if u want to argue that politics and special interests had no bearing on religions, look into yr history when the church abused its power in the name of God to persecute and murder people for centuries…
dont be naive my friend…u should examine yr faith deeply before u can make judgments of others and their faiths…the Qur’an says to the believers that they should not judge people because of their different faiths because all belief systems throughout time ultimately came from God…that would be true of course up until the coming of Mohammad who was the last prophet and messenger of God…
If you say that the Quran states ” all belief systems throughout time ultimately came from God” then why would they all contradict each other?
I think we should at the very least be able to agree that the Creator of the Universe is a perfect being. How then could such contradictions have been made by Him?
We should also be able to agree logically that there can be only one truth.
…karim mentioned in numerous places a variety of reasons why the current form of the scriptures are in contradiction to each other.
Muslims believe that God kept the fundamentals of belief the same throughout all the ages, but there was variance in the rituals and practices undertaken to worship God. Hence, the Sabbath was prescribed for the Jews, whilst the 5 daily prayers were prescribed on the Muslims.
As for discrepancies such as the Christian belief in Jesus being son of God, Muslims believe that these are caused by mistranslation and distortion. Don’t forget that the Bible wasn’t put together until long after Jesus’s death.
Muslims believe that Jesus was born from a virgin, could speak from inside his cradle, could heal the blind and the leper, could create models of birds and breathe life into them (with God’s permission) and could bring the dead back to life (with God’s permission). Those are just some of his miracles in our belief. Imagine stories about such a person being passed on for 200 years without any written document.
What about the Torah? They also don’t believe that Jesus is the son of God, but a prophet also.
Most Islamic believers(as well as many other religious believers) as biblical questions, often time using scriptures from the holy bible in an effort to trip us up. In order to play ball by their rule, one must be efficient in their material and their doctrine. ‘Fight fire with fire’!
I am having challenge understanding the bible as I should and have been a believer for 10 years , I dont think it would be wise for me to read the quran intensively as it might confuse me and worse where will I get the time as reading my bible is so time consuming there is no time to be consumed by another religion as my bilble reaging is connected to listening to church sermon fasting and praying. There is so much I trust God for based in the bilble and the words I have to constantly ponder in my mind asking for god to bring light to them. The challenges of life I face Jesus is the solution and I dream drems see vision constantly inspired and motivated by gods word in such away I have to epectantly wait on God. My spiritual life would be truly confused should I dabble in two religions. It has taken me a long time to be where I am with Christ I dont think reading Quran will enhance my life and walk with God. I believed I am specifically called to be a christian because ther was a time when I tried other religions in vain Jesus found me and I really dont need to peek at Islam and find out if its atrue religion or not. Curiosity killed a cat, I dont want to know what it will do to me.Before you dabble in other religions check yourself as to why you want to do it and do you think you ar immune from being ensnared and diverted until you truly backslide. I think christians should handle their salvation with trembling and touch no unclean thing intentionaly.
When I was 13 years old…I had a friend who was a 15 year old Palestinian Refugee (the first Muslim I met) who I encouraged to read the Bible. He in turn encouraged me to read the Qur’an. To my shame, my reply to him was a very inconsiderate repetition of Jesus’ words in John 14:6. It was a short-lived friendship…I offended him in many ways not because “the gospel is offensive” but because I was downright rude and self-conceited.
I believe Jesus’ words in John 14 (and also all the other gospel accounts) are wonderfully true. There’s no redemptive story like the Word…
because, I believe Jesus when he said: “no one comes to the Father except through me [His Son]” …I fight to see Christ as greater than mine or others’ stereotypes of Him. I’m desperately longing for total redemption.
I read the Qur’an because I’m increasingly convinced that it can utilized to show Muslims that Jesus is the Messiah (al-Masīḥ) and incarnate God who’s named as a (nabÄ«) prophet, (rasÅ«l) messenger, (mubÄrak) blessed, and (kalimatullah) word of God.
The inspiration of the Qur’an comes down to two main options. It’s either ultimately divine or demonic. Muslims claim it as the real final revelation. The disciple of Christ must recognize it as an impressive forgery.
QUESTION: How would you know a 100 dollar bill is a counterfeit?
This is a CAUTION that when reading the Qur’an the Christian ought to be spending say, 4 times more in study of the Word. There are demons well at work in this world. We need not fear them, but be aware of them and their influence. “Greater is he that is in us…”
The Bible is not a mere rulebook! Rule of legalistic law is what the Qur’an offers. The Word is the story of reconciliation…(John 3:16)!
Perhaps, we are no better than the terrorists or the pharisees if we have hate or self-righteousness in our hearts towards the Muslims.
Every Christian has got to check the depth of his/her beliefs. As Jesus’ brother said: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”
How shallow is your faith? If you haven’t shuddered at the thought of how much you deserve hell you might not have much to hold on to there.
1.57 billion people adhering to a demonically-inspired faith testifies something about how misguided our faith can be.
Would you encourage a Muslim to study the Bible and then snub his fair offer that you also study the Qur’an?
Do it, and have many discussions about what you find.
Unless of course, you’re too knowledgeable, legalistic, fundamentalist, or just plain busy to have a decent dialogue with a fellow man who desperately needs to know Jesus the way, the truth, and the life.
I confirm that a major factor in individuals and communities being delivered from Islam will require Christians committing to an ongoing work of critically studying the Qur’an in order to at least improve the communication. True, studying the Qur’an is a difficult and dangerous thing…but you know, I wouldn’t be a disciple of Christ if Christianity was only simplistic and safe.
I love Christ and His Church but I will say this: Loving my Muslim neighbors by studying the Qur’an and sharing the Gospel with them by comparing “the recitation” to “the word” is hard enough to pursue as is. The incredibly lack of support from most of my family in Christ is one of the heaviest tragedies that weighs on my heart. The fact that most Christians don’t love their neighbors should shame us and illustrate our lack of love and obedience to our Lord.
—
Solo Christo
How can you convince a Muslim or one of Jewish faith that Jesus is God incarnate or the son of God? Can you enlighten me what the difference of the two are (God incarnate / Son of God) I seriously want to know the answer (for knowledge). I thought those of Jewish faith don’t believe the Messiah has come yet and those of Islamic faith believe that Mohammad was that such person (hence, the “Comforter” written in the Bible) The one Jesus spoke of (rather, the “Comforter” one of his disciples written of his words, “Sayings that he recited before them”). Was he speaking of himself when he was speaking of this “Comforter”? What chapter and verse?
Thank you. This is the type of discussion I was wanting — for knowledge of such thoughts. And I agree with you about the people on all sides seeming self righteous — everyone holds their beliefs near and dear and see all others as wrong and I believe the evils of the world do so to divide us even more. However, we do fine ourselves. The irony of Babylon, huh?
Correction my friend…the Qur’an mentions clearly Jesus as the Messiah….Mohammad was just a messenger no different from any who came before him….
Jesus was a special prophet as we understand in the Qur’an…he was endowed with the Holy Spirit….the story says that Gabriel visited Mary and informed her that it was ordained that she would bear a child special to the world…Mary wondered how she was to come with child if she knew no man…the angel replied that it was so ordained…after this encounter, Mary became pregnant with Jesus….she moved away from her people during her pregnancy and after she delivered Jesus she went back…the Qur’an tells us that it was a painful delivery and Mary had wished she was dead rather than to experience the pain of delivery…when Mary was inspired to return to her people, she feared their allegations of adultery and when indeed she went back, she was confronted with how she became pregnant without wedlock…she points to Jesus who said:
(19:29) He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet, (30) And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive, (31) And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest. (32) Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (33)….
am not sure if Christians are aware of the fact that the Qur’an is not about Mohammad as the Bible is about Jesus…in fact very little about Mohammad is mentioned in the Qur’an in terms of his life…this is in contrast to the amount of information the Qur’an gives about Moses and Jesus and many of the previous prophets and messengers….if u interested to see all the verses that speak about Jesus, u can go to http://www.quranexplorer.com and type Jesus into the search field…
Dear Mr.Glader.
It is good that you have made it more clear your faith in Jesus our Christ. Perhaps your command of the English is not the best and it confuses some of us/me.
You do not say what land you live in, but it appears you live where you have more contact with muslim people, perhaps more than most citizens of the USA have on a daily basis so it is advantageous that you, personally know the Qur’an better than the average Christian living in the USA, as I do.
Since the Bible seems to declare that in the Last Days, as I believe we are living in because Jesus declared that those people living when Israel re-gathered as a nation again {1948} would be living in the “Last Days”. And that the Church at that time, as a whole, would depart from the True Faith and follow after other false teachings as is happening so much in this hour of time.
The True Gospel is not being taught as strongly now in Churches as it used to be. There are many
So beware all of you believers. This is why it is so important for you to know the Bible up & down, inside & out.
This is the reason I make such a ‘STAND’ on Christians learning the Bible, backwards & forwards before they waste time on any other pursuits.
Again I say, obtain the Bible on CD/TAPE/RECORD and listen to it NIGHT & DAY for a year or two. You will grow in the LORD like never before. Things that do not make sense now, will suddenly begin to make sense to you. Once you know what is teaches, you will never have a hard time defending your Faith to any other religions or belief.
Let me say this also, Christianity is not a “religion”. Christianity is knowing GOD in a personal way. It is a personal relationship with our creator.
Religion is what Man does/creates, to try to know GOD. Christianity is what GOD did to make it possible for Man to know GOD. That is why we must TRUST GOD/JESUS to know HIM. We do not ‘work’ to know GOD, we put our living FAITH on JESUS to know HIM. That is when HE puts HIS SPIRIT into us to bring us back to Life in the SPIRIT >{Born Again}. That way our Spirit can know GODS SPIRIT in a living manner, personally.
As for Christian people reading the Qur’an, I believe it would do these believers much more good to obtain a copy of the following book so that they can really understand what they are trying to learn.
The book is called:
Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb // {Answering Islam, Compares the major claims of Islam and Christianity, evaluating the Islamic faith from a Christian viewpoint while providing apologetic answers that prepare Christians for ministry in an Islamic context. The second edition includes a new preface written in light of the September 11 attacks, as well as more resources and updated information throughout}
If you feel led of GOD to wittiness to Muslims, buy this book and learn the facts, instead of trying to discover what they are, especially when you do not even know your own Faith very well. This book will teach you your own Faith at the same time. May our GOD endow you all with better understand of HIM.
As for Christian people reading the Qur’an = I believe it would do believers much more good to obtain a copy of the following book 1st, so that they can really understand what they are trying to learn before they attempt to read the Qur’an.
The book is called:
Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb
{Answering Islam, Compares the major claims of Islam and Christianity, evaluating the Islamic faith from a Christian viewpoint while providing apologetic answers that prepare Christians for ministry in an Islamic context. The second edition includes a new preface written in light of the September 11 attacks, as well as more resources and updated information throughout}
Do yourself & GOD a favor and read this 1st. You’ll be further ahead in your Spiritual walk and in the defence of our Faith.
Maybe reading ‘The Darkside of Islam” by R.C. Sproul and “The Kingdom of The Cults” (new edition….chapter on Islam) by Walter Martin/Ravi Zacharias would be beneficial in understanding the basics or nuts and bolts of Islam for a Christian to be informed instead of reading the whole quran.
Another Good recommendation Jim.
There are so many good books for Christians to read to learn what they believe and so many do not seem to be reading anything, expecially their Bibles. I can not recomend it enough. = OBTAIN THE BIBLE ON CD & PLAY IT UNTIL YOU ARE BLUE IN THE FACE. (several years)YOU WILL GROW AND UNDERSTAND YOUR BELIEF SO MUCH FASTER THAN TRYING TO READ ALONE. FOLLOW THE RECORDINGS WITH YOUR BIBLE AT THE SAME TIME AND DOUBLE YOUR RETENTION OF GODS WORD.
Another good source if you have a computer is to obtain the computer program called “Biblesoft”.
Found at They have a complete library of Christian books, study materials, Bibles, Greek/Hebrew guides, all made for the laymen and pastors.
I’ve had this program since 1990 and it cannot be beat for teaching yourself GODs Word.
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND LISTEN TO GODS WORD, Milán
Found at w w w . biblesofe . com
“Maybe reading ‘The Darkside of Islam” by R.C. Sproul and “The Kingdom of The Cults” (new edition….chapter on Islam) by Walter Martin/Ravi Zacharias”
Haven’t you ever wondered if a book which refers to itself as the “dark side of Islam” might be just a little bit biased?
If you want to learn about something, the best place to go is always the horse’s mouth.
Reading those books you’ve mentioned is worse than a Muslim learning about Christianity from a book published by an Islamic publisher. I say that it’s worse because Muslims at least respect Christians and will therefore do less to distort their beliefs than what happens vice versa.
A very emphatic no. No good can come of reading the Qur’an. They believe Jesus only to be a prophet (I’ve had a Muslim tell me this) and their God is Allah, our God in the Christian Bible is Yahweh (Hebrew for God).
Did you ask him was their God the God of Abraham? Your logic might be good if most muslims spoke English or Hebrew, but they speak Arabic, whereas, the word for God in that language is Allah. Hence, the Al or El represents or translates God. Notice Daniel “God’s Judge”. You also have Michael, Samuel, Uriel, Gabriel. If someone of spanish background says, “Dios” it is likely you would think they are speaking of another God, however “Dios” is spanish for God. And what does the Hebrew scripture or faith say of Jesus?
Allah literally means “the Lord” – Arab Christians refer to God as Allah.
biblesoft . com
I am an avid reader of the Qur’an, and as a Muslim, I have come to reject the Islam that is practiced today and that has been in practice ever since Prophet Mohammad (the prophet of Islam) died.
Throughout the stories of the prophets that are told in the Qur’an, there is a common phenomenon. Noah, whom we relate with the early days of our species, was faced with the unbelievers among his people. You would be surprised that early on, people went astray with time and the message of God was lost with every generation of people we are told about in scriptures. Every prophet after Noah would face unbelievers and doubters. Religion, or faith, was being corrupted as time went by thanks to a certain Satan who vowed to delude mankind until the Day of Judgment.
And like with the old days, Satan continued his work after Moses, Jesus and Mohammad passed away. Precisely at the moment of the death of the prophet in concern, true faith disappears. All religions of the world, and throughout our civilization, have been corrupted with time. Any God fearing person, whether Jewish, Christian, Muslim or other, would be deluded if he/she thinks otherwise. The religious institutions that were created after the prophets passed away had only interests to grown in numbers, power and wealth. Carl Marx was wrong to say that religion is the opiate of the masses because it is the institution which is the culprit, and not the faith or religion itself.
For those who see Muslims as bad people, they are right! But so are the Christians and the Jews. Muslims have a complex history to them and in understanding how politics was shaped early on after the prophet died helps to explain why they are what they are today. Nonetheless, the Qur’an is innocent of Muslims and the Islam that they preach. The Qur’an is a message of God sent to all people and not only to Arabs. Unfortunately, Arabs have Arabized Islam and monopolized the interpretation of this holy book.
In this book, God tells his point of view on why and how he created the universe and the beings in it. God urges us in the Qur’an to understand him and his purpose intellectually and not blindly as the religious institutions favor. Please keep in mind that our relationship with God needs to be a personal one, and so, depending on clergy to explain religion to us or lead us in religion, is wrong. The religions that exist today are religions fabricated by Satan himself. That’s why we have war in the name of God, if you hadn’t wondered.
The Qur’an remains a unique scripture because it had not changed since it was collected. Although Muslims argue that you can not get the word of God by reading an interpretation of the Qur’an, the fact remains that God would not send us a universal message only to have it rendered useless because of language barriers. The Qur’an had to have an original language for the revelation but its context can be understood by all humans because it speaks to our souls and minds and they are no different between the white man or the dark man.
Sadly, with the negative image of Muslims and Islam, and the movement of the West to discredit Islam and Muslims to suit political agendas; as well as the negative Islam that is forced on Muslims and Arabs by their political and religious leaders to maintain power systems in the Middle East, people tend to shy away from reading it with an open heart and mind. But the Qur’an claims that is contains guidance and mercy for those who read it, so why not read it? But don’t read it like Muslims read it without any comprehension of what is means. Allow yourself to question its meaning or to challenge your preceived beliefs. God was clear about his message to mankind and there is no vagueness in the Qur’an as what he expects of us in terms of faith and behavior.
As a last note, I wish to mention a bit of what God says about Heaven and Hell. It seems, as the Qur’an says, that a very small number of people from all ages in our civilization will make it to Heaven, and the overwhelming majority of people will find themselves in Hell. It is funny how Muslims, Christians and Jews preach in their mosques, churches and temples that only they will enter into Heaven. The Qur’an does not say qualify people in terms of their announced faith, or gender or ethnic background. God does not favor people over others and this is very clear in the Qur’an, yet Muslims think that no one else will enter Heaven. So, what do you think, are you among the lucky few or the unlucky majority?
Karim
Salam Alaikum
Shalom Aleichem
Peace be unto you
@Karim,
Yeap, history is simply repeating itself. All previous religion by all prophets of GOD have been corrupted by their own misinterpretations and Islam is of no exception. Even the prophet Muhammad himself said, only 2 things where if we hold onto it will guide us to the right path and that are the scriptures and the teachings.
However, Islam (and other Abrahamic religions) as it is right now it is quite hard to find people who actually have first hand account with the recording of the scriptures and the teachings, many follow some sort of teachers/mullah/scholar/priest/rabbi/etc and believe everything yhat particular teacher said. If the teacher was misguided, so do them.
“And when it is said to them, ‘Come now to what God has sent down, and the Messenger, they say, ‘Enough for us is what we found our fathers doing.’ What, even if their fathers had knowledge of naught and were not guided? (Al-Maaida: 104)”
Lucky few or unlucky majority, lets leave that to Him to judge in the hereafter.
Izhar
History is a continuation of itself….nothing has changed in the human condition since the beginning of our time…the story of the sons of Adam spell it out….
Today, and in the past, much mischief has been caused by religious institutions…
9:34 O ye who believe! There are indeed many among the priests and anchorites, who in falsehood devour the wealth of men and hinder (them) from the Way of Allah. And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah: announce unto them a most grievous penalty….
I am in the middle of studing the three Semitic tribes (single God Arabian tribes). In my studies i have found that there is little differance between the Three. The Jews and Muslims Beleive that Jesus was a prophet just like Muhammed. Reading the three is also a very benifiacal insight to the way others beleive. One key point that i would like to make is that Muhammed said that the Muslim religion was for those that did not want to be seen as Christian or Jewish. And most Muslims read all three books too. So why should we as Christians not read the Torah or the Qur’an.
Dear Friends,
I have read the above arguments with interest, and appreciate the passion and caring that has gone into the responses. I am also struck, however, by the, at times, lack of “Christian charity” that is presented. Jesus taught us to love our enemies as ourselves, and the story of the Good Samaritan is one we can all benefit from studying. As a Baha’i, I believe that Jesus, Mohommad, Abraham,Moses, as well as Buddha, Krishna,Zoroaster, and others, were all messengers or prophets of God, and it is well and good to read the holy writings of other religions. Only then can we find the truths that unite all religions, and gain a better chance for peace and love, rather than disunity and quarrelousness. I don’t believe that God/Allah left humanity without guidance until 2000 years ago, and I don’t believe that Jesus, or Mohommed, or Baha’u’llah (the prophet/founder of the Baha’i Faith) will be the last prophet. We humans need help to live out spiritual, God/Allah-focussed lives, and there is much to learn from studying a variety of religious writings. The good and truthful writings will point to love and unity; those that point to disharmony and hatred are not from God/Allah. I think we, as humans, are able to make that distinction.
Ditto.
I think it is really important to understand as many faiths as possible. One God with many ways to worship him seems to line up pretty well with His plan and allows for diversity. The real shift is from multiple Gods who control everything to a single God who gave us free will and the ability to choose right from wrong. We have to accept that interpretation by man is always an approximation, but no matter which of the interpretations you read two themes appear to unite them all: one God, not many; and the golden rule.
Did Jesus spend time studying the “Book of Baal” in order to reach the Baal worshipers?
After having read all the blogs, I must say that I admire Julius for his comments and thoughts. Julius, your words emanate from a thoughtful heart and you have managed to make reasonable and wise justifications to the comments made. You have pointed out very wisely that Jesus can not be the ‘son of God’ and that the prophet Muhammed has actually been mentioned in the Bible. The prophet Muhammad has also in fact been mentioned in the Torah! So how is it then, that Christians and Jews deny the accuracy, precision and integrity of the prophet Muhammad??
Julius, my friend, the answer is in front of you – they are in your own justifications. Muslims believe in all prophets and although they believe that other sacred texts were truly revealed to the Prophets, the Qur’an is the only text that has remained unchanged. There have been no modifications or alterations to the Qur’an (unlike the Torah, the Bible etc..) and so, nothing of the sacred text can be denied.
Also, Muslims respect and love Jesus; they believe that he was a wonderful Prophet but do not think that he was the son of God. After all, if Allah/God is omnipotent and ‘One’, no other partner should ever be ascribed to Him. Everybody knows that there can only ever be one God.
Overall, yes – I do think people should read all sacred texts. This way, we can not only begin to understand each other more but can further our knowledge and understanding of each religion. We can then hopefully have more respect and understanding for each other also. After all, the prophet Muhammad was known for his immaculate manners and happened to be courteous towards both Muslims and non-Muslims…. let us all be lead by good example.
Are the Muslims wrong if they worship what Jesus had worshiped?
If you think that your faith is the absolute true,
“Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then supplicate earnestly together and invoke the curse of God upon the liars among us.”