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How many Muslims are there in the world?

There are around 1 billion adherents to Islam in the world, which is roughly 20% of the world’s population. Only Christianity claims more followers.

Who is the founder of Islam?

Muhammad, a merchant born around 570 A.D. in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

How did Islam get started?

Muhammad was a very religious man, who was raised in an environment where many gods were worshiped. As he traveled he encountered Christians and Jews and respected the way they worshiped only one God. At the age of 40, Muhammad claims to have received a visit from the angel Gabriel, who gave him the words which would later be recorded as the Qur’an. Muhammad then began to preach that Allah was the only god, and that he was Allah’s prophet.

What does the word “Islam” mean?

Though it has connotations of “peace,” Muslims understand it to mean “surrender,” that is, to surrender oneself totally to the dictates and will of Allah and Muhammad. Another way to look at it – surrender to Allah is how Muslims intend to bring “peace” into the world.

How do Muslims practice their religion?

To be a faithful Muslim, one must obey the Five Pillars of Islam:

1. Recite: There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.
2. Pray: Five times a day facing Mecca.
3. Give: Charitable giving to the poor.
4. Fasting: No food, drink, or sexual intercourse during the daytime hours of the month of Ramadan.
5. Pilgrimage: If able, every Muslim should travel to Mecca at least once in his lifetime.

How do Muslims view Jesus Christ?

Muslims believe that Jesus is a very great prophet, second only to Muhammad. They do not believe that Jesus is the divine son of God, nor that he died on a cross. They despise the doctrine of the Trinity.

What is the goal of Islam?

Through the enactment of Sharia Law, Muslims desire to bring the rule of Allah to the entire world.

How is a person counted righteous before Allah?

His good deeds must outweigh his bad deeds. It is a works-based system of self-justification.

Are Muslims terrorists?

The serious ones are. The majority of Muslims adhere to Islam because of tradition, or family allegiance. They do not take the Qur’an seriously when it comes to Jihad (holy war). But those Muslims who believe Islam not to be a mere religion, but total reality, are willing to kill the “infidel” (non-Muslims) in order to establish Islam globally. As we observed on September 11, 2001, many are even willing to become suicide bombers in order to achieve this goal. Recent surveys reveal that perhaps 10% – 20% of Muslims are in this serious category, which translates into more than one hundred million people.

How do we know that Islam is a false religion?

1. There is no evidence that Gabriel ever appeared to Muhammad.
2. The Qur’an was written by only one person. There are no checks and balances which come through multiple authorship (the type thing we see with the Bible). The bottom line – one person can lie much easier than multiple people.
3. Muhammad utilized his religion to achieve incredible wealth. He was an extremely violent and untrustworthy person.
4. Islam borrows its concepts from Judaism and Christianity, though it twists both beyond recognition.
5. Islam ignores the historical evidence of the trustworthy nature of the Bible and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Important final comment

Islam is the single biggest apologetics issue Christians face today. Not because it is a consistent or viable worldview, but because there are so many Muslims in the world today, and because they wield considerable political power, especially due to the oil reserves in their possession. Considering the violent goals of the religion, and their world take-over mentality, Christians must face Islam head on. How is this done? Through the preaching of the Gospel to Muslims. Amazingly, the Lord is saving many Muslims everyday, showing them the truth that Jesus Christ is the risen Son of God and that Muhammad is a false prophet.

Further reading:
Why Jesus Is Trustworthy But Muhammad Is Not

Great website:
Answering Islam

Leaders in Apologetic Instruction

• William Lane Craig
• Gary Habermas
• Mike Licona
• Ravi Zacharias
• Steve Cowan
• Josh McDowell
• Sean McDowell
• Mary Jo Sharp
• Francis Schaeffer
• Lee Strobel
• Paul Copan
• Roger Overton
• James White
• Nancy Pearcey

Pastors

• John Piper
• Brian Branam
• Mark Driscoll
• Keith Watson

Atheism Turns Aggressive

It is amazing to listen to modern atheists, especially those of the aggressive type. Here are a few observations about Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and the many who follow their lead.

Weak and tired arguments. No kidding. How many times must we hear the hasty generalization that religions are dangerous? How many times will they avoid the issue that the worst killers in history conducted their atrocities on the basis of Naturalistic Atheism? How many times must we hear: “Can God create a stone so heavy that he can’t lift it?”  How many times must we hear about the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Those arguments have been thoroughly refuted. Try some new things.

Arrogance. These folks have a tendency to stare down their Ph.D. noses at the little people of the world. They surely believe they are more highly evolved than the rest of us. The irony is, the most arrogant are using the weakest arguments.

Ignoring evidence. The Cosmological Argument for the existence of God is a powerful evidence that a supreme, living, and intelligent being exists. So is the Fine-tuning argument for the existence of God. They simply ignore this evidence and argue that “God” is a non-answer. To do so is to go against every notion of common sense we have. It is like looking an arrowhead and saying, “Indian is a non-answer.” Come on folks. Let’s follow evidence.

Venom. The aggressive atheists love to use shocking language about Christians. They are “deluded,” they are “dangerous,” they are “backwards.” This poisons the well, so that as people attempt to decide what is true, they have in their minds that religious people are the stupid ones. Name-calling, however, does not make one’s position true.

TOP FIVE REASONS CHRISTIANS AVOID APOLOGETICS

1. Too hard to study – American Idol is on.
2. It isn’t necessary. We just need to obey the Bible (some people think this even though the Bible commands us to engage in apologetics – 1 Pet. 3:15; Jude 2-3).
3. Apologetics teachers are weird (true that).
4. I’ve already perfected the art of saying I’m sorry.
5. Faith and reason do not go together. The more irrational I feel about my beliefs, the more spiritual they must be. (surely people do not believe this. Oh yes, they do!)

Jesus Christ is actually the Lord of the universe. This is not a religious opinion, it is reality.

His shining glory is the only factor that provides sense and direction to our lives, since he has created us for the purpose of honoring him.

What is truth? When a student graduates from high school, how can we be sure he knows it?

The task is daunting, but the Spirit of God is mighty to save.

Let us pray. Let us sacrifice. Let us focus. Let us rely upon the great King, who comes from on high to bring forth salvation.