How would one disprove the Muslim faith?

Sincerely,
Burqa-Free

Dear Burqa-Free,

The Muslim faith is built upon the Q’uran, just like the Christian faith is built upon the Bible.  You can prove that the Bible is a supernaturally-written book inspired by God because it is full of things that only God could write – read “Who Wrote The Bible?” for a detailed list of things that make the Bible unique.

If the Q’uran was really a prophetic book, it would have to pass the same test.  We would start any discussion with a Muslim about their faith by having them show the evidence for the Q’uran’s divine inspiration.  Believe us when we say that they will find it impossible to do.

     Are those of the Muslim faith going heaven, too?

Sincerely,
Not Mohammed

Dear Not Mohammed,

Muslims can go to heaven if they renounce their Islamic beliefs and convert to Christianity.  Jesus is the only way to God.  Jesus proclaimed, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (Jhn 14:6)  Rom 1:16-17 says that the gospel is the tool God uses to bring us salvation.  Muslims follow the Q’uran, not the Bible, and they trust in Mohammed, not Jesus.  Islam is in direct contradiction to the Bible.

If the devil influenced Osama Bin Laden to kill so many people, what happened to the people who were killed that had not yet given their lives to Christ?

Sincerely,
No-sama

Dear No-sama,

Osama bin Laden’s death marks a major victory for us Americans, and it brings our minds back to that fateful day on September 11, 2001 when so many perished because of the desire of that man to follow the Quran to its ultimate end – death of all the infidels (non-Muslims).

So, since so many people died so unexpectedly through Osama’s acts of terrorism, what does happen to them?  All death is unexpected, meaning that none of us know when we will die.  Our lives are merely vapors that quickly vanish (Jas 4:14).  Because of the uncertainty of life, David prayed that God would teach him to contemplate his own death and to measure his days (Ps 39:4).  Whether we die quietly in our sleep at a ripe old age or suddenly in a car crash in our early twenties… the effect is the same – we must be ready to meet our God.  We all must ask that all-important question: “What must I do to be saved?”… because we never know when we will go to the judgment (Heb 9:27).

Is it a sin for a christian to marry a Muslim?

Sincerely,
Inter-Faith Marriage

Dear Inter-Faith Marriage,

‘Inter-faith’ marriages have disastrous results, an awful track record, and God warns against them. The Bible’s most notorious example of this is Solomon. Solomon’s idolatrous wives turned the heart of the wisest man on the planet away from God (1 Kgs 11:4). If Solomon in all of his wisdom couldn’t resist the pull of a false religion, we should consider ourselves just as vulnerable. There is too much at stake. If your heart is turned away from God, your soul will be eternally destroyed (Heb 3:12).

No matter how much they love each other, there are only four possible outcomes for an inter-faith marriage, and only one of them is good:

1. The Muslim eventually converts and obeys the gospel, becomes a christian, and is saved (GOOD).
2. The christian eventually converts and becomes a Muslim, and they are both lost (BAD).
3. They both make compromises in their beliefs, and the christian no longer fully serve the Lord (BAD).
4. They both eventually renounce both of their belief systems, and are both lost (BAD).

The only positive outcome is the first one, and that isn’t any more likely to happen after you are married than before. Either the Muslim will eventually convert, or they won’t – getting married won’t increase the odds.

God warns against being ‘unequally yoked’ to someone with different values than you (2 Cor 6:14-16). Once you get married, you are ‘yoked’ to that person with a lifetime agreement. A godly marriage is designed around unity (Gen 2:24). If you aren’t unified on your core belief system, then everything else will be affected. Where will your children go to church/mosque? How much money will you contribute to Islam vs. God’s church? What happens when the Muslim wants to put up Koran writings around the house? These are just a few of the thousands of day-to-day problems you would run into. God tells us that a christian should marry someone ‘in the Lord’ (1 Cor 7:39).

I feel a fascination with Islam.  Not one that would make me convert (I don’t think), but rather, I enjoy studying it.  If I am christian, which I am, then should I study my own religion rather than another one?  Is it bad to learn about another religion?

Sincerely,
Cross-Referencing

Dear Cross-Referencing,

There isn’t anything wrong with studying other religions, but it would be a problem if you spent more time studying a false religion than you did studying the Bible.  How we spend our time is indicative of our priorities.  God tells us to study to show ourselves approved (2 Tim 2:15) and that we should grow in our knowledge, so we can teach others Jesus’ message (Heb 5:12).  It is useful to know what false religions practice (even Paul had studied the pagan poets of his day – Acts 17:28), but not nearly as useful as knowing what the Bible says.  The best way to prepare yourself to “give an answer for the hope that is within you” (1 Pet 3:15) is to make sure to study your Bible diligently.  Once again, studying Islam isn’t wrong, but you need to make sure it is properly balanced with other study habits.

If you were Muslim, cured cancer, saved millions of lives, and ended world hunger, would you still go to hell simply for not being christian?

Sincerely,
Just Curious

Dear Just Curious,

If you are a Muslim, you will go to hell.  If you are anything other than a christian, you will go to hell.  Nobody gets to heaven because they are such a good person (Rom 3:27-28).  Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the perfection that gives you a right to enter heaven’s gates (Rom 3:23).  No amount of good deeds cancel out your bad deeds.  If I save a million lives, but murder one – I am still a murderer.  Sin requires forgiveness, and forgiveness is a gift (Rom 6:23).  We receive that gift through Jesus’ sacrifice (Jhn 3:16), and we can only be redeemed by Jesus’ blood when we place our faith in Him (Rom 3:24-25).  We place our faith in Christ when we hear His Word (Rom 10:17) and obey it.  There is no way to God except through Christ (Jhn 14:6).  We here at AYP are unashamed to call Jesus our Lord (Rom 10:16-17) and proclaim Him as the only way to heaven (Jhn 10:7-11).