Over a period of time, I think it was about 3 or 4 months, I researched Islam. ISIS were running rampant in the Middle East and atrocities were surfacing on the Internet as I'm sure you saw or at least knew about. A lot changes when you do some researcg!
I read parts of the Quarn, the Hadith, and the Sunnah. I started watching and listening to apologists like Jay Smith and David Garrison, author of A Wind in a House in the House of Islam, which I read and listen to David and Jay at the same event. I also followed the Green Prince, Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of the Hamas leader and so on. I've written about Islam and here's the link.
Bottom line firstly was we must understand where religions come from and why they exist. Being that there is only one true God, one Jesus and one Holy Spirit, anything else is counterfeit, But why?
Satan wants to distract mankind. He hates us, not just Christians or born-again believers. He hates every man, woman and child because we are created in the image of God. Do not, as Obama said at a prayer meeting at the White House, say that we're all God's children. We most certainly are not, Most are children of the devil, even if they don't know it.
Distraction is the objective. Satan wants to get mankind focusing on anything and everything other than the one true God. Unsurprisingly, there are multiple religions and thousands of denominations which have sprung up over the millennia. These religions have been established to distract.
Some people dismiss the Bible saying its full of violence, wars, and killing. Yes! And the reason for much of it in the early books, Genesis, Exodus, and so on, is that God instructed the Israelites to extinguish and eradicate the groups of people who were who were wicked and evil, who sacrificed their own children, so they could not infect or cause damage to the future of Israel. Suffice to say the Israelites did not follow through and the people groups continued to exist.
So when people compare the Qu'ran to the Bible and excuse Mohammed, they are seriously missing the point. The text in the Qu'ran explains twenty-four times that Allah is the best deceiver! Muhammad was a warlord and is reputed to have murdered thousands. Islam is responsible for over 800 million deaths. And the list of false or wrong comparisons are as long as your arm.
But here's the interesting part. Mohammed believed he was going mad after he had met an Angel of light in a cave in 628-CE.
900 years later in 1534, Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, also claimed he'd met an Angel of light in a cave. The Jesuits were responsible for over 50 million deaths during the Inquisition. Most were protestants, or believers or healers, or those forced into war by various popes. This is an interesting study about the millions who died as a result of the Reformation and Loyola’s intention to reclaim the Pope's, and Rome's authority - 50 Million Protestants Killed.
The Bible talks about Satan appearing as an Angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14) Therefore, there is no surprise here, for Satan to appear to both Muhammad and Loyola.
In the Papal/Lutheran publication From Conflict to Communion, highlights the 500 years from the Reformation in 1517 to October 2017. The document lays out the foundation for the Lutheran church to be grafted back into the Catholic church now saying they have much in common, even after killing millions!
Whilst going a bit off-piste, The Pope says he has more authority that God. That a relationship with Jesus is dangerous, and that the sacraments, the water and wine, actually become his body and blood, this is called trans substantiation, and that the crucifixion, shown inside a catholic church depicts Jesus 'still' on the Cross. To us, he is risen! hence empty crosses in protestant churches. They believe in infant baptism, priests are called Father, contrary to Matthew 23:9, and we are to confess our sins to God as only He can forgive (1 John 1:19), not to someone in a booth in a church!
Bottom line, the Catholic church refuses to acknowledge, let alone apologise, for the millions of deaths. You can download a copy of the book here From Conflict to Communion.
Why is Killing Christians Ignored
Whilst still on the subject of Christan persecution, Solzhenitsyn asserts that since 1917, the Bolsheviks, under Stalin killed upwards of 66 million, mostly Christians. Few people are aware that the Bolsheviks were jews. Therefore, between the Muslims, Catholics, and Jews, over 1 billion have been murdered, but no one even talks about this, especially as right now 52,000 Christians have been murdered in Nigeria by Muslims, so it could make non-believers wonder which is the 'right' side to be aligned to? Remember, there is no fence to sit on here.
Today, I heard that seventy pastors have been arrested in China. And so it continues.
According to Jay Smith and many others, Muhammad is said to have hijacked an Arab pagan religion which was established by the Nabateans from Petra, in Jordan. Where they were moon and sun worshippers. The moon goddesses were called The daughters of Allah. Hence Islam has the crescent moon on many flags. Also, early mosques face towards the rising sun and not towards Mecca.
FYI: Sun and Moon worship was originally established by Nimrod as the Sun God, and Semiramis the moon goddess. When Nimrod died, Semiramis became 'queen'. Their son Tammuz was killed by a boar. The people were extremely saddened and to commemorate his death, they wore a cross, an 'X' daubed on their foreheads using ash. This is the origin of the Catholics doing the same at lent on Ash Wednesday. It is important to recognise the Church hijacked various traditions and beliefs from saturnalia festivals to 'patron saints' even Mary worship being hijacked from worshiping Europa and so on.
I believe it is important for me, not just believers, to understand what is going on in the world and to understand 'that' history in order to make an informed decision about anything.
I think in the case of Islam, it's not cut and dried, and it seems those in the east have been seriously misled as to the foundation of Islam. Yes some of the writings are... but they're not inspired by god, not our God at any rate.
As I was writing this blog, when I got to the end I realised it was a bit longer than I expected, so I split in two, hope that's ok.
