Islam - A Christian Perspective
Notes by Stephen M. Golden from a talk
given by
Bill Honsberger
- Haven Ministry
Copyright © 04 February 2007 and 11
November 2021
Christianity’s “History of Bloodshed”
Bloodshed not
Commanded by Christianity2
Old Testament:
Specific Purpose of Bloodshed2
Israel Was Never
Allowed to Take Plunder5
Regression of Islam
into Bloodshed6
The Distinction Between Islam and Christianity
A lecture by Bill Honsberger of
Haven Ministries
https://www.answering-islam.org
For additional information on the
subject, see
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com
and read
Secrets of
the Qur’an by Don Richardson
Islam does not mean
peace.
Salaam means peace. Islam
means submission. You are called to
obey.
The countries of India, Nigeria, Kosovo, and many others
[Sudan, Somalia, Bosnia…] know Islam is not about peace. It has never
been a peaceful religion.
“But Christianity also has a history of violence and
bloodshed.” There is bloodshed in the
history of Christianity, but it is not the bloodshed of Christianity.
Christianity does not condone or justify bloodshed, unlike
Islam which commands it.
The evil done in the name of Christianity should be pinned
on the evil men who did the wrong, not on Christianity. The religion did not command such
action—quite the opposite with Islam.
“God commanded the Israelites in the Old Testament to
kill.” True, as a matter of holiness vs.
sin, against specific people, at a specific time, for God's specific purpose He
commanded it. God never commanded the
Israelites to kill all who disagreed with Israel. Unlike Islam which decrees death to all who
do not follow Allah.
Genesis 15:16 In the fourth
generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
Genesis 48:21-22 Then Israel
said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you
back to the land of your fathers. 22 And to you, as one who is over your
brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and
my bow."
Exodus 23:23-24 My angel
will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,
and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them
or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones
to pieces.
Numbers 21:30-31 30
"But we have overthrown them; Heshbon is
destroyed all the way to Dibon. We have demolished them as far as Nophah, which extends to Medeba."
31 So Israel settled in the
land of the Amorites.
Deuteronomy 26:17-18 17 Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites,
Hivites and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you. 18 Otherwise,
they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping
their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God.
Joshua 7:7,11 7 And Joshua
said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the
Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?
11 Israel has sinned; they
have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some
of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them
with their own possessions.
Israel was never allowed to take plunder or prisoners. Israel was severely punished on the occasion
when they looted. The Israelites were to
enact God's holy judgment only. There is no mention of holiness in opposition
to sin in any of Mohammed's raids, but there was plenty of looting, the
spoils of war, and spreading the rule of the “prophet”. Clearly there was a different purpose in the
respective events.
If, as some Muslims like to claim, Islam is third in
succession and therefore morally superior to the Jewish and Christian
religions, with Judaism being tied to some bloodshed, and Christianity
condoning none, why the moral step backward to wholesale killing?
Consider the rejoicing that took place in Islamic countries after
the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. They rejoiced that thousands
of “innocent” [non-combatant] people were killed.
Death Certificates issued by the Mullahs essentially make it
legal to murder another person. You can
go to a Mullah and present your case against another person. If the Mullah consents, he can issue a death
certificate to you, and it is then legal for you to kill that person.
Such decrees have been issued on all Americans as a
group.
Some try to say, “Bin Laden ‘hijacked’
Islam.” This is not correct. He is following true Islamic teaching. Bin Laden represented Mohammed better than
anyone living today.
Qur'an 2:190-191
2:190 Fight in the way of
God those who fight you but do not transgress. Indeed. God does not like
transgressors.
2:191 And kill them wherever
you find them and expel them from wherever they have expelled you, and fitnah
[Persecution] is worse than killing. And do not fight them at al-Masjid al-
Haram until they fight you there. But if they fight you, then kill them. Such
is the recompense of the disbelievers.
When Mohammed conquered Mecca, the History books tell us he
purified the Ka’bah.
It turns out he “purified” it by killing all those who were not
worshipping Allah.
When followers of Islam “cleanse” a city or region, they are
not performing a ceremonial rite.
“Cleansing” is the act of killing all who do not follow Allah.
Mohammed was very successful in what he did. He and his band would hire on to protect
caravans, or they would raid caravans.
Essentially, they were looters and extortionists. In a sense, he was a military man. [In my opinion, he was a brigand leader
and an extortionist. -SMG]
In 570 AD He claimed to have started hearing messages. He would fall on the ground, foaming at the
mouth. He thought he was becoming
possessed by a djinn.
He was illiterate so he would have others write down what
supposedly was said.
As time went on, they started filling-in the empty and
incoherent places in these writings.
They became sharply focused against Christians and Jews.
In 622 AD the Muslim “flight” out of Mecca occurred. In reality, they
were run out. He was having all his
dissenters killed. The others living
there did not approve. They were chased
up to Medina.
From 622 to 630 AD he led many campaigns to kill others.
Mohammed was poisoned by his Jewish slave cook after he
started the wholesale killing of Jews.
[Mohammed died in 632.]
Two factions of Islam split over who would be the next
“Mohammed.”
Sunni 85% Iraq and others
Shiites 15% Iran and southern Iraq
Sunni – believed the leader should be decided by blood line
Shiite – wanted to select a leader from among themselves
Within 20 years of Mohammed’s death Islam conquered the
Greek army.
Then they took on the Persians, then Palestine, then
Northern Africa.
In 711 AD, they conquered Spain.
Finally, they were stopped in middle Europe 100 years after
Mohammed's death.
In Constantinople, they killed nearly everyone in the city.
It's important to note that most Muslims are not Arabs.
In 1917, the Ottoman Empire falls. The British run Egypt. This really angered the Muslims. “We have fallen in the eyes of Allah.” “Allah is not pleased with us.” They hold this view even today.
In 1948 United Nations gave Israel their land. On the day it was finalized, Nations of Islam
immediately attacked.
Before Palestine was called Palestine, it was known as Judea
because the Jews inhabited it. Before
that it was the Land of Israel because Israel inhabited it. Before that, it was known as Canaan because
the Canaanites inhabited it.
Note: Canaan has nothing to do with Cain, the son of Adam,
as some try to claim today. The origin
of the name Canaan comes from the name of one of Ham’s sons, Canaan.
Todays “Palestinians” are in no way related to Canaanites. The Roman conquerors changed the name to
Palestine. Therefore, one could say the
original “Palestinians” are the Jews. They
occupied it from before the time it was first called Palestine until Islam took
the land from them. Abraham was in the
land five hundred years before the conquest of Canaan, and the Canaanites who
occupied it at the conquest were either annihilated or assimilated.
That land included Gaza, the West Bank, and the land known
as Jordan.
The people referred to as Palestinian Arabs were always a
minority in that area. They were not
ousted by the Jews in 1948, but rather encouraged to leave by their brethren
[Arabs of neighboring states] who were preparing to invade and conquer the
state of Israel that was being established by the UN.
The idea was that after the Arabs conquered the new state of
Israel, they would give it to these “refugees” as their own.
As soon as the Israeli state became official, the
surrounding Arab nations attacked.
Israel defended itself and won overwhelmingly. Israel claimed the lands they conquered in
this defense, and rightly so. In the
spirit of peace-making, they have given many of these lands back: the Gaza
Strip, The West Bank, etc.
After more than 50 years, the Arab states have refused to
integrate these “refugees” into their own countries or offer them
citizenship. Their plan was to keep the
people in the refugee camps in poverty, in spite of
the millions of dollars given to them by Israel and the United States, to
attempt to bring condemnation on Israel by pointing the finger at them.
Any peace treaty signed by Muslims is worthless because any
land that was once under the “will of Allah” that is no longer under the “will
of Allah” is a shame to Allah and must be reclaimed.
Islam has always been a violent, aggressive religion.
The Arab world today is looking for a military leader to
take over the world.
Giving Islam a parcel of land will not resolve anything.
The Qur’an is internally contradictory.
There is a lot of talk about Jesus [Issa] in the Qur’an. Virtually all of it contradicts what the
Bible says about Him.
The Hadiths are companion books to the Qur’an. Hadiths are writings by various mullahs of
Islam and are considered equal to the Qur’an in authority. They contain the rules of how a Muslim must
live. It is very strong against
unbelievers. One thing to ask a Muslim
is “Do you accept the Hadiths?”
1. There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.
2. Alms to poor. But
it's often interesting how they define ‘the poor’. The groups that financed the September 11
attacks qualified as ‘the poor’.
3. Pray toward Mecca 3 or 5 times a day (depending on the
sect: Sunni or Shiite).
4. Fast of Ramadan - means no food, water, or sex during the day. But at night, it's party time.
5. The Hajj is a carryover from earlier pagan religions into
Islam. It is for Muslim males only. However, most Muslim men will never make
it. Only 2 million are allowed per
year. At that rate, it would take over
200 years for all the current Muslim males to do the Hajj. This does not include any others reaching the
age of manhood, or new converts.
Salvation and paradise are hopeless for them. The keeping of the five pillars is out of
their reach. The typical Muslim has no
chance of attaining Paradise.
People are desperate to have a good relationship with
God. In Islam, you're in trouble.
Allah is a Judge, deceiver, and liar.
The Qur’an tells us he will send a faithful one to torment,
and an unfaithful one to paradise at his will without reason.
(S=Sura)
Makara - schemer or deceiver
S.3:54 the best of schemers
S.8:30
Allah leads astray S.14:4
There is no atonement, or forgiveness. It's a salvation by works, and they are
unattainable works at that.
But there is one chance: Jihad. Jihad serves the place of a sixth pillar that
overrides the other five. If you die
killing infidels, you are guaranteed entrance into paradise in which
100 perpetual virgins [72 by some accounts] wait on you hand
and foot.
Q 47:8 rewarded
Q 4:74,76 rewarded
Q 4:95-96 rewarded
Q 9:5 slay idolaters
Q 5:34-35 put to death
Q 8:39 make war
Q 8:65 rouse to arms
Q 9:29 fight …until they are utterly subdued
Q 9:73 make war on the unbelievers
And many others.
Sura al-Ma’ida 5:9 kill all who
leave Islam to accept Christ.
When Iran attacked Iraq, to clear the mine fields, Iraqi
Muslims forced their children to walk through the mine fields, holding hands,
side by side. Parents of the children considered
this as a way to get their children into heaven.
He is not the God of the Bible.
You can know nothing about Allah.
You cannot have a relationship with him.
Recognizing the reality of Jesus’ impact on the world, they
thought it necessary to co-opt Him into their religion.
Issa (Jesus) was declared to be ‘a Muslim prophet.’ They say the Apostle Paul screwed it all
up. “He is not the Son of God.” Associating anything ‘created’ with God is
the greatest sin. “He [Jesus] was not
crucified.”
Ask a Muslim, “Do you think you are better than
Abraham?” Why was sacrifice necessary
for Abraham and not for you? Abraham had
to sacrifice to atone for sin. Why don't
you do it? Who has done it for you?
Here is the most profound
distinction between Christianity and Islam:
Matthew 5:43-48
5:43 "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love
your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you,
5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and
sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward
will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
5:47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are
you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father
is perfect.
Islam says to kill your enemies. This is the greatest distinction between
Christianity and Islam. Compare their
successors (Christ's and Mohammed’s). Did
they kill or save?
We must model forgiveness.
We must be people who love Muslims.
Jesus Christ died for Osama Bin Laden.
There is an old Jewish prayer: May the Children of Ishmael
worship the God of our fathers.
We should pray:
May they know the God who wants a relationship with them and
that they don't have to kill themselves to receive their reward.
To the Muslim world, the US is a Christian country. (Even though we know it is pagan.) What TV shows did we send them?
Dallas, Bay Watch, and so on. […and now The
Simpsons]
Do Muslims respect women?
No. American women they marry are
“rent-a-whores.” They have temporary
marriages just so they can rape women—even half-hour marriages.
They are allowed 4 wives.
But the American wives they “marry” don't count.
It is bragged that Mohammed could have sex with all his
wives and other women that they captured in one night. It is recorded that Mohamed had sex with a 9 year old “wife” named Aisha.
Mohammed was an evil man. A cut-throat brigand.
Most Muslims know very little about their own religion. [Indeed, most Christians know very little
about their own religion. Many
“Christian” leaders know little about their own religion. –SMG]
Muslim factions don't even like each other. If the US were taken out of the way, the next
target for Bin Laden would be Egypt and Saudi Arabia because they represent
corruption and debauchery.
They say Adam built the Kaaba and that everyone in the Old
Testament is Muslim.
What happens to women when they die?
There is no mention of them.
Perhaps they become one of the perpetual virgins.
Arafat’s goal was to get all the land back. His goal was to get rid of all the Jews. This was established before Israel was given
its land.
Some Muslims say they are eagerly awaiting the return of
Christ. “When Jesus returns, he will
kill all the Jews and Christians.”
Islam is the fastest growing religion, not because of
converts, but because of the birth rate of the people.
Many say Christianity is for whites and Islam is for people
of color. However, Mohammed was white,
and said many disparaging things about Blacks.
Many Muslims have black slaves even today.
Mohammed prayed for forgiveness of sins. Muslims say Mohammed had no sin. This is inconsistent.
Qur’an never mentions the word “Jerusalem.” Yet Muslims try to claim it as one of their
holy places. They say Mohammed ascended
to Allah from there.