Do Muslims and Christians Share the same faith?

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Do Muslims and Christians Share the same faith?

By Ben Laurin

I was in a chat room recently, and someone asked me about the Islamic Faith (Muslims) and if they believe what Christians believe. I was unsure and decided to find whatever information was available to me, and determine what exactly the Islamic Faith was about. What I discovered was both insightful and dismaying. Here is the breakdown of what I discovered..

The Islamic Faith is governed by the Muslim Shahada (or confession of faith). What is this confession of faith? It is simply put: "There is no god but God, and Mohammed is the Messenger of God."

While this may seem, at face value, to jibe with our faith, a closer examination proves just the opposite.

Christians are taught to be thankful for everything given to us, and to seek the Lord's favor in prayer. Not so with the Muslim. A Muslim's passive fatalism (The idea that all things are predetermined to occur and that there is no ability of the person to alter the predetermined plan of God in any event.) will not permit him to seek out spiritual improvement or merit, nor to desire material possessions.

The name Islam literally means "submission" and that definition is the basis, the entire structure of a Muslim's faith. Inshallah ("If God Wills") is one of the main, if not the main, bywords in Arabic conversation.

Again, this may seem to work in accordance to Christian Faith, but again, further study shows that to be untrue.

Islam is more than just a religion, it is an all-encompassing way of life, with it's own jurisprudence (legal) system and traditional honor code.

Even if this seems to be in alignment with Christianity, when we discover the roots of the Islam religion, we discover the they are in no way to be related with Christianity.

Islam began with a nondescript camel driver's mystic vision, a man by the name of Ubu'l Kassim (who would come to be known as Mohammed), who for six months had been in solitary meditation in a cave at the foot of Mount Hira near Mecca. In his youth, Kassim was afflicted by a strange disorder that caused him to foam at the mouth, and enter into unconscious trances. For the learned Christian, these are tell-tale signs of Demonic possession as defined in the Bible. Muhammed himself speculated whether the signs were demonic or divine, but his wife, Khadijah, convinced him to ignore any such considerations.

Now, we will see how the religion itself was structured and put into place.

According to Islamic Tradition, Muhammed, now forty years of age, entered the cave at Hira, and was confronted by a being who identified himself as the angel Gabriel. "Proclaim" the angel said, choking Muhammed into submission, "Proclaim in the name of the Lord the Creator who created man from a clot of blood."

It is wholly important to remember that Satan has often been referred to as an "angel of light" and that may be what Muhammed encountered, and not God or an angel.

As Muhammed periodically returned to Hira, the "revelations" increased. What he saw and heard is now contained in the Islam holy book, known as the Koran (Qur'an literally means "recitation."). Muhammed memorized all 78,000 words of the Koran's 114 chapters in a twenty-two year period, due to the fact that he was illiterate.

Now let us see what the Muslim thinks of our faith, Christianity.

Mulsims accept the virgin birth of Christ and the scriptural accounts of his miracles. The Muslim's interpretation of how these events occurred is not compatible with biblical theology, however. The Bible is seen as a corrupt rule of faith inferior to Muhammed's message.

The Islams (Muslims) also adhere to the Islamic Five Pillars of Faith, and they are:

Reciting the Shahada daily. Muslims must profess the monotheism (The belief that there is only one God in all places at all times.) of God and Muhammed's prophetic status, on a daily basis.
Daily Prayer toward Mecca. From morning straight till bedtime, the Muslim must kneel and say their prayers, with their foreheads touching the ground. Most Muslims go through this procedure in a Mechanistic (seemingly uninfluenced by the mind or emotions) manner, which only enforces the piety of their faith.
Almsgiving (zakat). What was once a voluntary act, meant to aid the poor and cleanse one's remaining material possessions, is now an institutionalized tax in most Muslim countries, averaging 2.5 percent annually.
Fasting during the month of Ramadan. Between sunup and sundown, no eating or drinking is permitted. This occasion is dictated by the lunar calendar, and commemorates when Gabriel supposedly delivered the Koran to Muhammed.
The Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca). Every Muslim must try to make this trip at least once in thier lifetime as a deed of merit which facillitates their salvation. One the Muslim arrives, they walk around the kaaba (a cubical building housing a black stone). If the jostling crowd permits, the Muslim may also kiss the stone, which the they believe was carried to Earth by Gabriel. The Muslim believe that the kaaba was originally built by Ishmael and Abraham on the spot where Adam uttered his first prayers to God. The Muslim may also heave stones at the sacred altar to "stone Satan" reenacting the stones Ishmael threw at the devil when the Evil One attempted to dissuade Abraham's son from submitting to his father's plans to offer him as a sacrifice. The Muslims believe that Ishmael, and not Isaac, was the son laid upon the altar at Mt. Moriah.

Here is a list of the beliefs of the Muslim faith and the Christian faith..

Term	Christianity	Islam
Afterlife	Christians will be with the Lord in heaven (Phil. 1:21-24), in our resurrected bodies (1 Cor. 15:50-58). Non-Christians will be cast into hell forever (Matt. 25:46).	There is an afterlife (75:12) experienced as either an ideal life of Paradise (29:64), for faithful Muslims or Hell for those who are not.
Angels	Created beings, non-human, some of which, fell into sin and became evil. They are very powerful. The unfallen angels carry out the will of God.	Created beings without free will that serve God. Angels were created from light.
Atonement	The sacrifice of Christ on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24) whereby His blood becomes the sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God (1 John 2:2) from the sinner when the sinner receives (John 1:12), by faith (Rom. 5:1), the work of Christ on the cross.	There is no atonement work in Islam other than a sincere confession of sin and repentance by the sinner.
Bible	The inspired and inerrant word of God in the original manuscripts (2 Tim. 3:16).	Respected word of the prophets but the Bible has been corrupted through the centuries and is only correct in so far as it agrees with the Koran.
Crucifixion	The place where Jesus atoned for the sins of the world. It is only through this sacrifice that anyone can be saved from the wrath of God (1 Pet. 2:24).	Jesus did not die on the cross. Instead, God allowed Judas to look like Jesus and he was crucified instead.
Devil	A fallen Angel who opposes God in all ways. He also seeks to destroy humanity (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:13-15).	Iblis, a fallen jinn. Jinn are not angels nor men, but created beings with free wills. Jinn were created from fire, (2:268; 114:1-6).
God	God is a trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is not three gods in one god, nor is it one person who took three forms. Trinitarianism is strictly monotheistic. There is no other God in existence.	God is known as Allah. Allah is one person, a strict unity. There is no other God in existence. He is the creator of the universe (3:191), sovereign over all (6:61-62).
Heaven (Paradise)	The place where God dwells. Heaven is the eventual home of the Christians who are saved by God's grace. It is heaven because it is where God is and Christians will enjoy eternal Fellowship with Him.	Paradise to Muslims, a place of unimaginable bliss (32:17), a garden with trees and food (13:35;15:45-48) where the desires of faithful Muslims are met, (3:133; 9:38; 13:35; 39:34; 43:71; 53:13-15).
Hell	A place of torment in fire out of the presence of God. There is no escape from Hell (Matt. 25:46).	Hell is a place of eternal punishment and torment (14:17; 25:65; 39:26), in fire (104:6-7) for those who are not Muslims (3:131) as well as those who were and whose works and faith were not sufficient (14:17; 25:65; 104:6-7).
Holy Spirit	Third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is fully God in nature.	The arch-angel Gabriel who delivered the words of the Koran to Muhammad.
Jesus	Second person of the Trinity. He is the word who became flesh (John 1:1, 14). He is both God and man (Col. 2:9).	A very great prophet, second only to Muhammad. Jesus is not the son of God (9:30) and certainly is not divine (5:17, 75)) and he was not crucified (4:157).
Judgment Day	Occurs on the day of resurrection (John 12;48) where God will judge all people. Christians go to heaven. All others to hell (Matt. 25:46).	Occurs on the day of resurrection where God will judge all people. Muslims go to paradise. All others to hell (10:53-56; 34:28). Judgment is based on a person's deeds (14:47-52; 45:21-22).
Koran, The	The work of Muhammad. It is not inspired, nor is it scripture. There is no verification for its accurate transmission from the originals.	The final revelation of God to all of mankind given through the archangel Gabriel to Muhammad over a 23 year period. It is without error and guarded from error by Allah.
Man	Made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). This does not mean that God has a body, but that man is made like God in abilities (reason, faith, love, etc.).	Not made in the image of God (42:11). Man is made out of the dust of the earth (23:12) and Allah breathed life into man (32:9; 15:29).
Muhammad	A non-inspired man born in 570 in Mecca who started the Islamic religion.	The last and greatest of all prophets of Allah whose Qur'an is the greatest of all inspired books.
Original Sin	This is a term used to describe the effect of Adam's sin on his descendants (Rom. 5:12-23). Specifically, it is our inheritance of a sinful nature from Adam. The sinful nature originated with Adam and is passed down from parent to child. We are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3).	There is no original sin. All people are sinless until they rebel against God. They do not have sinful natures.
Resurrection	Bodily resurrection of all people, non-Christians to damnation and Christians are resurrected to eternal life (1 Cor. 15:50-58).	Bodily resurrection, some to heaven, some to hell (3:77; 15:25;75:36-40; 22:6).
Salvation	A free gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9) to the person who trusts in Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. He is our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). No works are sufficient in any way to merit salvation since our works are all unacceptable to God (Isaiah 64:6).	Forgiveness of sins is obtained by Allah's grace without a mediator. The Muslim must believe Allah exists, believe in the fundamental doctrines of Islam, believe that Muhammad is his prophet, and follow the commands of Allah given in the Koran.
Son of God	A term used to designate that Jesus is divine though he is not the literal son of God in a physical sense (John 5:18).	A literal son of God. Therefore, Jesus cannot be the son of Allah.
Word, The	"In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God...and the word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:1, 14).	Allah's command of existence which resulted in Jesus being formed in the womb of Mary.

This is only a small portion of what the Muslim society believes on the whole, and I urge you to read it and allow your spirit to test what I have written, and to see it as the truth. I love and respect the Muslim, but I cannot and will not accept them as a brother in the Christian Faith, and I believe that the information relayed above explains why.

As a footnote, I encourage you to go through this and decide for yourself, if their faith is ours. I think once you do, you may agree with me, when I say it is not.