Category Archives: Refuting Islam

He hath blinded their eyes

He hath blinded their eyes

John 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God

Isaiah 9-6 Cannot be applied to Hezekiah

Isaiah 9-6 Cannot be applied to Hezekiah

It can not be applied to Hezekiah whose rule was confined to Judah, and which was neither progressive nor perpetual.

Hezekiah had already been born when this prophecy was given.

Isaiah 9-6 CANNOT be a reference to Hezekiah as NO son of Hezekiah did or can establish the throne of David forever. The kingly line through Hezekiah ended and will not be reinstated.

It is also important to notice that Hezekiah did not nor ever will reign over the kingdom of David, David reigned over the 12 tribes of Israel. Hezekiah only reigned over the kingdom of Judah, a divided kingdom. A kingdom that has not yet been reunited under one king.

Hezekiah DID NOT establish the kingdom of David forever.

Hezekiah’s kingdom not only came to an end, it certainly did not end peaceably.
His kingdom was
destroyed by the Babylonians

The kingdom of David is given to Jesus and it is JESUS who will establish the throne of David forever.

Here’s what I learned from living in a Muslim country

Here’s what I learned from living in a Muslim country

“Here’s what I learned from living in a Muslim country. The prayers Muslims say five times a day spout hateful bias towards Jews and Christians. Most Muslims are taught to repeat the part condemning Jews and Christians, so they are actually repeating condemnation about 10-15 times per day.

This is brainwashing at its finest.

At least 64% of the Quran condemns non-Muslims. A large percentage of that number specifically names Jews and Christians in this condemnation.

Imams always use Quran verses in their sermons at mosques. With the Quran so heavily based on condemning Jews and Christians and preaching Islamic supremacy and conquest, most all sermons are very anti-Jew and/or anti-Christian.

The ONLY Muslims that befriended me and/or that I could trust, were Muslims who did not say the five daily prayers and who did not go to mosque. I call them non-practicing Muslims (they were born Muslim but never practiced the religion). They were people who were not brainwashed and who thought for themselves.

Over a ten-year period, as Islamists gained more power, they were able to socially force men to go to mosque by harassing men who were found on the streets on Friday during the main Friday prayers. You either went to mosque or remained in your home. Over time, shops didn’t open (shopkeepers got harassed), nothing opened until after the big prayer and sermon.

Then, Islamists began socially forcing men to stop work during the weekday to go attend mosque at the various prayer times. If you didn’t stop your work to go pray, you could lose your job. The result was, men who never prayed, and who never went to mosque, were forced to. They began to say the words of hate and become brainwashed. They went to mosque and heard the hateful preaching.

I went to university in Cairo; my classmates were Muslim. I worked in Cairo; my colleagues were Muslim. But because of this enforcement of prayers and mosque attendance, over time, many people who I thought were my friends alienated themselves from me–and some became hateful towards me.

Holy Bible and the Quran speaks of the Covenant of God - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Holy Bible and the Quran speaks of the Covenant of God – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

The Holy Bible and the Quran speaks of the Covenant of God with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob:

Exodus 2:24-25: “…and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So God looked on the sons of Israel and God took notice.”

2 Kings 13:23: “But Jehovah was gracious unto them and had compassion upon them and turned to them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Psalms 105:7-10: “He is Jehovah our God. His judgement are in all the earth. He has remembered his covenant even forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which he concluded with Abraham, And his sworn statement to Isaac, And which statement he kept standing as a statue even to Jacob, As an everlasting covenant to Israel.”
In harmony with the above stated Covenant, Surah 29:27 affirms that the Prophethood will remain in the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Given below are four different translations of Surah 29:27.

Surah 29:27: And (as for Abraham), We bestowed upon him Isaac and (Isaac’s son) Jacob, and caused prophethood and revelation to continue among his offspring. (Asad)

And We bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob, and We established the prophethood and the Scripture among his seed. (Pickthall)

And We granted him Ishaq and Yaqoub, and caused the prophethood and the book to remain in his seed. (Shakir)

And We bestowed Ishaq and Yaqub to him, and kept the Prophethood and the Book among his descendants. (Faridul Haque)
Surah 29:27 mentions that Prophethood and Scriptures came uniquely through the seed of Isaac and Jacob

Good works will not get you into Heaven

Good works will not get you into Heaven

You are horribly mistaken if you think that a few good works are going to get you into heaven. Jesus is the only way to heaven for several reasons. Jesus was “chosen by God” to be the Savior (1 Peter 2:4). Jesus is the only One to have come down from heaven and returned there (John 3:13). He is the only person to have lived a perfect human life (Hebrews 4:15). He is the only sacrifice for sin (1 John 2:2; Hebrews 10:26). He alone fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). He is the only man to have conquered death forever (Hebrews 2:1415). He is the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the only man whom God has “exalted . . . to the highest place” (Philippians 2:9).

Jesus spoke of Himself as the only way to heaven in several places besides John 14:6. He presented Himself as the object of faith in Matthew 7:2127. He said His words are life (John 6:63). He promised that those who believe in Him will have eternal life (John 3:1415). He is the gate of the sheep (John 10:7); the bread of life (John 6:35); and the resurrection (John 11:25). No one else can rightly claim those titles.

John 8:24 – “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM [He], you will die in your sins.”

The Bread of Life

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” -John 6:35

Light of the World

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” -John 8:12

The Door

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” -John 10:9

Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” -John 10:11

The Resurrection and Life

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” -John 11:25, 26

The Way, the Truth and the Life

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” -John 14:6

The Vine

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” -John 15:5

How can Paul have invent Christianity

How can Paul have invent Christianity

How can Paul have invented what at first he was hellbent on wiping out? Seriously you need counselling for that cognitive dissonance problem.

1). Were the Gospels which contain the crucifixion narrative written by Paul?

No they were not.

2). Who as the arch persecutor of the early church?

Saul (Paul) was.

How can he have invented the faith which he was formerly trying to stamp out at source?

“Saul agreed with putting him [Stephen] to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.” (Acts 8:1‭-‬3 HCSB)

This puts Muslims in a real bind. If Paul was inspired by Satan in his “invention” of Christianity why was he arrested on the road to Damascus? Surely he was already doing a good job in His persecution of the church which wasn’t Islam. Surely Muslims must applaud the original Saul of Acts chapter 8?

And if this is the case, then it simply doesn’t add up that he could have invented what he was trying to destroy.

Over to you Muslims.

So Muslims I have yet to see any attempt to reconcile the claim that Paul invented what he was dedicated to destroying before a certain encounter took place. Now is your chance to do so.

How Can We Trust The Testimony Of The New Testament

How Can We Trust The Testimony Of The New Testament

Muslims will often allege that since much of the New Testament, in particular the gospels, were written after the fact and after Jesus had left the world, that it never had His authorisation or approval.

They will also try to undermine Scripture in allegations that the Gospels contain events where Jesus is alone, eg His temptation with Him and Satan had no recorded witnesses, the insinuation being that such episodes and the conversational exchanges are an invention of the gospel authors, where the Biblical principle of multiple attestation breaks down.

How can we counter such arguments?

■ THE WITNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The principle that underlines everything written in the New Testament is that which Jesus established in His promise of the Comforter who is the Holy Spirit:

“But the counsellor, the Holy Spirit ” the Father will send Him in My name ” will teach you all things and REMIND YOU OF EVERYTHING I HAVE TOLD YOU.” (John 14:26 HCSB)

So the first response is if it’s in the Gospel (singular) accounts (plural) we can count on it that Jesus had told them what happened, whether or not they or others had personally witnessed it as well.

■ THE WITNESS OF THE DISCIPLES

Secondly, we find Jesus re-emphasising the principle of multiple attestation in this reference to the three persons of the Trinity, and the particular role of the Holy Spirit:

“When the counsellor comes, the One I will send to you from the Father ” the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father ” He will testify about Me. You also will testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.” (John 15:26‭-‬27 HCSB)

So when we read for example in Acts Peter affirming the disciples witnessing the events of the crucifixion he describes, it can be counted upon:

Chapter 3 of Acts damns Islam and the Quran in one stroke.

Peter has just healed the man crippled from birth as if it was Jesus still with the disciples only it’s not Jesus in person it’s by the power of the Holy Spirit the promised Comforter. The people are amazed at seeing the man walk. This is how Luke records the scene:

“When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Or why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you. You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.” (Acts 3:12‭-‬15 HCSB)

Did you get those words of Peter? “YOU KILLED THE SOURCE OF LIFE, WHOM GOD RAISED FROM THE DEAD; WE ARE WITNESSES OF THIS.”

Eyewitness testimony that confirms Jesus “the source of life” was crucified and rose from the dead and the disciples were witnesses”.

And Muslims want us to believe it never happened on the say so of a pagan who was assaulted by a demon in a cave 600 years after the events and 1000 kilometres away from the scene without any witnesses or a shred of evidence?

Peter along with the other disciples only fled the initial scene of Jesus arrest. Peter at least did not go far because he was very soon back following Jesus at a distance with another disciple:

“Meanwhile, Simon Peter was following Jesus, as was another disciple. That disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest; so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. But Peter remained standing outside by the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the girl who was the doorkeeper and brought Peter in.” (John 18.15-16)

Note the “other disciple” is not named. It might be the Gospel author John which would seem unlikely since he likewise would have feared arrest (unless he has a very close relationship with the High Priest such that he might have been able to count on immunity). It might have been Joseph of Arimathea. The fact is we don’t know and aren’t told but that in itself is significant. It shows us that not EVERY detail of the story is recorded only what we need to have for the narrative. Clearly John the writer of the Gospel knew MORE than he tells us here. That principle needs to applied and kept in mind when reading the entire sequence of events surrounding the Passion of Christ.

We do know Peter and John were the first two disciples to witness the empty tomb but they were not the first to whom the risen Lord appeared. In a way which makes the entire narrative credible is the fact that women were the first witnesses of the resurrected Lord. No one would have written that into the story if it was a fabrication. Scholars regard that fact as highly indicative of its authenticity because by the Criterion of Embarrassment anyone inventing it would NEVER have had women as the first witnesses.

Jesus was crucified in public in front of hundreds of witnesses. We know from his gospel that John was there because Jesus speaks to him and his mother while hanging on the cross. We don’t know whether others were watching at a distance. Given Peter’s behaviour at the high priest’s house it would be surprising if he was not watching the crucifixion from a distance. Likewise others of the 11.

When Peter says to the crowd in Acts 2 that “we are witnesses to the crucifixion and resurrection” he is telling the truth. He had no reason to lie. In fact it’s impossible that he could have been doing what he was doing, in continuing the miraculous healing works of Jesus based upon a lie. Its also impossible he would have been martyred for being a false witness – see final section.

■ JESUS LAID OUT THE STRUCTURE FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT

He might not have been on earth when it was written but Jesus knew how it would be written.

For the New Testament as a whole, Jesus gives us a very clear road map of how that would be written in advance. Two main passages in the Gospel of John lay the ground work for our understanding of the authority and inspiration of the New Testament: John 14:25-26 and John 16:12-15. In these passages Jesus says:

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14.25-26)

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16.12-15).

Often these words of Jesus are taken to apply to Christians in general. I suggest that what Jesus is saying here is that his apostles were going to write what we now know as the New Testament.

It is evident that Jesus knew His message to the world would depend upon the words of His apostles. He expressly prays for them in John 17:20: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.”

Jesus had many things to say to His apostles but they would have to wait until the coming of the Holy Spirit to receive them. Notice the three main things the Holy Spirit would do in His guiding them into all truth.

1. First, the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance all things Jesus said to them. Since the apostles wrote about the words and actions of Jesus after the fact, it was vital that the Holy Spirit enable the apostles to remember the facts, the details and the verbatum conversations.

2. Second, the Holy Spirit, also called the Spirit of Truth, would teach them all things. The apostles and the authors of the New Testament would interpret events truthfully.

3. Third, the Holy Spirit would show them things to come. The prophetic messages in the New Testament would be authenticated and witnessed to by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is no coincidence that these three actions by the Holy Spirit in His directing the apostles correspond to what we have discovered to be the three divisions of New Testament Scripture; historical (“bring to your remembrance”) which covers Matthew through Acts, teaching (“teach you all things”) which covers Romans through Jude, and prophecy (“show you things to come”) which covers Revelation.

Thus, in these passages of John 14:25-26; 16:12-15
we have Jesus pre-authenticating the writing of the New Testament by His apostles. The Three Divisions of the New Testament:

1). The historical survey (Matthew -Acts)

“… bring to your remembrance all things I said unto you”.

2). Teaching and interpretation of the principles laid down by Jesus (Romans – Jude)

“… teach you all things”.

3). The prophetic word (Revelation)

“… show you things to come”.

Each book of the New Testament is either written by an apostle of Jesus or by a contemporary of the events in proximity to an apostle of Jesus. The passages from the Gospel of John above directly authenticate the apostolic authority of the books of Matthew, John, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Revelation since the writers of these books were a part of the original twelve to whom Jesus spoke these words.

We see from Acts 9:15; 26:17-18 and Galatians 1:11-19 that Jesus personally commissioned Paul as an apostle. Thus, the writings of Paul bear the authority of Christ. This authenticates the apostolic authority of Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and possibly Hebrews. Crucially, Paul’s authority is also corroborated by Peter’s testimony of Paul in 2 Peter 3:15-16.

“… and consider that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation; as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”

Notice that Peter equates the writings of Paul with Scripture. Since Peter was one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus, his endorsement of Paul further establishes Paul as an apostolic authority.

Mark’s authority stems from his proximity to Peter and Paul in Acts 12:12-19,25; 1 Peter 5:13, and 2 Timothy 4:11. Luke’s authority stems from his proximity to Paul in 1 Timothy 5:18 and 2 Timothy 4:11. James’ and Jude’s authority stems from their proximity to Peter, John, and Matthew in Acts 1:14.

The authority of James is further manifested in how James presided over the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 and how the apostles Paul and Peter regard him during that council. James’ authority is also corroborated by Paul where we see Paul recognising him as an apostle (Galatians 1:19) and as a pillar of the church (Galatians 2:9). In addition we can see James’ authority in that when representatives came from Jerusalem to Antioch to address a theological issue, they were said to have come from James (Galatians 2:12). It is noteworthy also to see that Peter, as an apostle, reported to James (Acts 12:16-17).

The New Testament book that poses the greatest challenge is Hebrews since its authorship is in question. Many scholars believe that Paul wrote Hebrews, in which case its authority would be established. Others suggest that Barnabas might have written Hebrews. If this is so, we can establish Bamabas’ apostolic authority by Acts 14:14 where Barnabas is referred to as an apostle in his work with Paul. With thus we have every book in the New Testament accounted for regarding its apostolic authority. Each writer can be linked directly to Jesus or to someone who is linked directly to Jesus.

■ TESTIMONY WRITTEN IN THE BLOOD OF MARTYRS

Finally, we can further seal the authenticity of their witness testimony (and incidentally that Jesus is God), by Jesus’ prophetic words in Matthew 23:

“This is why I am sending you prophets, sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and hound from town to town.” (Matthew 23:34)

Who alone sends prophets? God does. Persecution that would follow them to their deaths would prove they were sent and set apart by God. All bar none of the Apostles, including Paul, suffered martyrdom (John uniquely and miraculously was spared the intended martyrs death). They wrote their testimonies in their own blood. Its the ultimate seal upon their truthfulness. No one will die knowingly to defend a lie.

By the apostles’ obedience and sacrifice, Christ has allowed their deaths to become an extremely powerful witness to us of His person. They died because they loved Christ, and Christ let them die for Him because He loves us. Belief in Christ is that important, and those who died knew it. So it is not God who devalues the apostles deaths, but us whenever we ignore the truth of Christ for which they surrendered their lives.

The deaths of Jesus’ closest followers are speaking to us. Their deaths are witness to, and are hard evidence for, Christ’s deity and ministry on earth. They reprise His death and fulfil His command that anyone wishing to follow Him must also be willing to pick up their own cross and die for Him as He died for us. This is evidence of the Bible’s veracity that no atheist, Muslim, historian, scientist, or other sceptic can ignore in clear conscience.

How Islam led to the Dark Ages

How Islam led to the Dark Ages

How Islam led to the Dark Ages.
by Bill Federer, The American Minute

Caliph Umar fought alongside of Mohammed in nearly all his battles. Umar’s daughter Hafsa was one of Mohammed’s wives. Waging jihad, Umar conquered enormous areas, including: -Eastern Roman Empire, Mesopotamia, parts of Persia, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, North Africa, Armenia, Anatolia, Damascus, and Jerusalem.

Muslim pirates terrorized the Mediterranean, blockading trade. This caused an economic disaster in Roman Europe by diminishing products moving from North Africa and the Middle East to Rome. An important item no longer shipped was papyrus — reeds from the Nile delta which were used for paper in Europe.

The sudden shortage of paper resulted in a decline of writing, literacy, and fewer books being written. This was a key factor in the beginning of THE DARK AGES.

The world’s largest and oldest library was in Alexandria, Egypt. Accounts were given by: Persian traveler Abd-Al-Latif of Baghdad (1162-1231), Jamal Ad-din Al-Kufti (1169-1248), and Syrian prelate Bar Hebraeus (1226-1286) that when Caliph Omar was asked in 642 AD what to do with the books in the library, he told his commander Amr bin al-Ass:

“Touching the books you mention, if what is written in them agrees with the Qur’an, they are not required; if it disagrees, they are not desired. Destroy them therefore.”

The account continued that the library books were burned to heat the city’s bath-houses for six months. Other libraries in Babylon, Syria and Greece met similar fates.

Current accounts, such as Breitbart News, April 13, 2016, reported this behavior continuing: “ISIS militants also raided the Central Library of Mosul to destroy all non-Islamic books. “These books promote infidelity and call for disobeying Allah,” announced a militant to the residents. “So they will be burned.”

In 711 AD, Muslim jihad crusaders crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and conquered all of Spain. Pope Gregory III put out a plea for help and Charles Martel stopped the Islamic advance just outside of Paris at the Battle of Tours in 732 AD, just 100 years after the death of Mohammed in 632 AD.

In 832 AD, Muslim Caliph Al-Ma’mun of the Abbasid Dynasty ordered raiders to seek out Pharaohs’ tombs for plundering. They broke into the Great Pyramid of Giza in search of treasure. The destruction of Egyptian history was so thorough that within a few generations, Egyptians had no memory of who built the Great Pyramids.

An Islamic Hadiths stated: “Abu’l-Hayyaj al-Asadi told that ‘Ali (b. Abu Talib) said to him … Do not leave an image without obliterating it, or a high grave without leveling it. This hadith has been reported by Habib with the same chain of transmitters and he said: Do not leave a picture without obliterating it.” (Hadith Bk 4, No. 2115)

As the “rightly guided” Muslim Caliphs conquered North Africa and the Middle East, it further interrupted Mediterranean trade, economically devastating Rome and Byzantium.

In 846 AD, just 46 years after Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome’s old St. Peter’s basilica, 11,000 Muslim attacked. They sacked Rome, looted old St. Peter’s basilica and St. Paul Outside the Wall Church, desecrating the graves of both St. Peter and St. Paul.

As a result, Pope Leo IV built a wall, 39 feet high, all around the Vatican to keep the Muslim invaders out. It took four years to complete the wall. In 849 AD, Muslims Saracen raiders set sail from Sardina with a fleet to invade Rome.

Pope Leo rallied the cities of Amalfi, Gaeta and Naples to send ships to block the mouth of the Tiber River near Ostia. Muslims attacked. The fighting was fierce, when suddenly a violent storm arose, dividing the Christians fleet from the Muslim attackers in the Battle of Ostia.

Christian ships were able to make it back to port and weather the storm, but the Muslim ships were severely damaged and scattered. When the storm subsided, the remaining Muslim ships were easily captured.

In 1009 when “Mad Caliph” Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, ordered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem destroyed. Pilgrims returning from the Holy Land shared reports of Muslim persecution and cruelty toward “dhimmi” Christians.

In 1057, the Norman adventurer Robert Guiscard took control of Calabria in the “toe of Italy” and fought against the Muslims of Sicily.

In 1071, the Muslims delivered a major defeat to the Byzantine Christians at the Battle of Manzikert and took control of all but the coastlands of Asia Minor.

In desperation, the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus humbled himself and sent ambassadors to the Council of Piacenza in March of 1095, appealing for help from his religious rival, the Roman Catholic Pope.

With Spain exuberant after driving the Muslims from Toledo and Leon by 1085, Pope Urban II gave an impassioned plea at the Council of Clermont in 1095 for Western leaders to help their Byzantine Christians brethren, whom Muslims “compel to extend their necks and then, attacking them with naked swords, attempt to cut through the neck with a single blow.” (Robert the Monk, Medieval Sourcebook, Fordham University.)

The First Crusade began in 1097. In the next two centuries there were a total of 9 major Crusades to return the Holy Land to its pre-Islamic inhabitants.

After the Crusades ended, in the 1300s, the Muslim jihad conqueror Tamerlane killed 17 million across central Asia, annihilating Christianity and leaving pyramids of skulls in Delhi, India.

In 1400s, as Muslims invaded Byzantium. When the Ottoman Muslims sacked Constantinople in 1453, it ended the land trade routes from Europe to India and China which led Columbus to looking for a sea route, beginning THE AGE OF DISCOVERY.

As Ottoman Muslims invaded Greece Byzantine Empire, they destroyed churches, libraries, museums, artwork, and graves of the Christian Saints. Greeks scholars fled west to Florence, Italy, reintroducing their Greek art, architecture and philosophy to western Europe.

This led to a flood of Greek treasures, art and literature hurriedly carried to Florence, Italy. This re-interest in Greek culture is called THE RENAISSANCE.

In retrospect, Islam was instrumental in bringing about “The Dark Ages” when they conquered Egypt, cut off trade across the Mediterranean and held back the ships of papyrus; and Islam was instrumental in “The Renaissance” when they invaded Greece and destroyed Greek culture, causing scholars to flee to Italy. Greek scholars also fled west with their Greek New Testaments and ancient Biblical manuscripts.

In fact, the very concepts of “Europe” and “Christendom” took shape in response to the Islamic invasion, as previously Europe viewed itself as innumerable independent kingdoms.

Later notable battles against the Ottomans include:
* Siege of Malta, September 11, 1565;
* Battle of Lepanto, October 7, 1571;
* Battle of Vienna, September 11, 1683;
* Battle of Zenta, September 11, 1697.

Today, fundamental Muslims also destroyed:
-City of Ani in Armenia;
-Buddhist statues in Afghanistan;
-Assyrian Museum;
-Egyptian rioters trashing mummies;
-Ancient Syrian and Chaldean churches dating back to the time of the Apostles;
-Ayotollah Khomeini’s attempt to destroy Cyrus’ ancient Persian palace at Persepolis;
-the graves of the Prophet Jonah and the Prophet Daniel in Nineveh (Mosul, Iraq) were blown up by ISIS militants on July 24, 2014.

How just is the God of Islam

How just is the God of Islam

If a person commits a sin such as murder or theft, should that person be punished? The obvious answer is yes. But, why should he be punished?
There are two primary reasons we can offer why someone who commits a sin should be punished. First, he has broken the law of God; and if God does not exercise punishment, then what is the purpose of the law? To not exercise punishment for committing sin is to permit the sin to exist without consequence. Second, he has harmed others; and if he is not punished, others will be encouraged to do the same.
Therefore, we can conclude that it is proper to exercise judgment/punishment for the crimes committed by individuals.
If the same person who has committed a sin, such as murder or theft, says that he is sincerely sorry for what he has done and that he would never do it again, should society excuse him from punishment? Maybe, maybe not.
God is holy and righteous; and if he didn’t carry a punishment for sins, he would be allowing evil to exist without consequence. The result would be, essentially, to condone evil; and since God cannot do that, His justice requires that a proper punishment be incurred for each sin.
Likewise, if God did not punish someone because that person said he was sorry and would not do it again, then is God being just? After all, if he did not exercise the punishment for breaking his law, he is then permitting evil to exist without proclaiming its error or dealing with its consequence.

In Islam
In Islam, a Muslim who commits murder and thievery can ask Allah for forgiveness and receive that forgiveness without Allah exercising any punishment whatsoever. There are undoubtedly situations where Muslims have committed grievous sins, have not been caught, and have later sincerely repented before their God, have asked forgiveness, and (theoretically) been forgiven. We ask, where is Allah’s exercise of judgment upon the sin that was committed?
According to Islam, Allah may forgive that person”if he so chooses. But, doesn’t that mean the righteous judgment of Allah is not satisfied? Doesn’t it mean that the sin has essentially been ignored by forgiving it; and that the Law of God, though broken, has resulted in no punishment? Is this just”not to exercise punishment for the sins committed? It is not. No, for we have already established that punishment is the proper and righteous response to sin. Declining to punish is to avoid satisfying the law of God.
Therefore, since we can rationally propose a situation where the God of Islam will forgive a Muslim without there being punishment according to law, we can conclude that the God of Islam is unjust. If Allah is unjust, then he is not the true God.

In Christianity
In Christianity, every sin is dealt with by God in one of two ways. Either God satisfies the law by exercising his punishment upon the sinner by sending him to eternal damnation, or, he places the sins of the person on Jesus Christ who suffers the punishment in place of the person. Either way, the justice of God is never ignored. It is proper that sin be dealt with by a punishment relative to the sin. To neglect to do so is to avoid being just.
Therefore, we see that the God of Christianity is just because no sin goes unpunished. After all, the Bible describes God as being holy and righteous. His standard of holiness is so great that all sin must be dealt with properly. The Law, which is a reflection of God’s holy character and nature, is not to be violated without consequence. The consequence of all sin is death.
The only way for us to escape the righteous and holy judgment of God is to receive the sacrifice of Christ made on our behalf where he bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). There is no other way . . . except, that is, to pay for your sins yourself in hell forever.

Objections
First: This means that the Christian is escaping judgment. This is true (Christianity and Islam teach this). But it is also true that the sin is being addressed in the person of Christ, and the punishment of that sin is satisfied”unlike Islam where the proper punishment due for breaking the law is not met. Furthermore, in Christianity, the forgiveness of sins is assured by the sacrifice of Christ who bore our sins in his body on the cross, which is why we do not have to earn our forgiveness in any way.
“and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (1 Pet. 2:24).
Second: Is it just to transfer the punishment from one person to another? Yes, since the law is still satisfied in that breaking it is dealt with. In Christianity, the debt, the penalty incurred by sin, was transferred to Christ; and the punishment of God fell upon the person of Christ on the cross.
“And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Col. 2:13-14).
Therefore, all who trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins are trusting in the sacrifice of Christ, who fell under the wrath of God the Father and was punished in their place. In this way, sin is dealt with by an act of justice. Remember, a holy and righteous God cannot let sin go unpunished. We must ask then, why does the God of Islam not do what is just?

How To Refute Any Islamist’S Cherry Picked Bible Verses

How To Refute Any Islamist’S Cherry Picked Bible Verses

HOW TO REFUTE ANY ISLAMIST’S CHERRY PICKED BIBLE VERSES

Dear Christians,

When an Islamist cherry picks Bibles verses to feed his delusion, just ask him a simple question:

“Do you believe everything in the Bible?”

You will never get an affirmative answer.

A follow up question should be:

“Do you believe the whole Qur’an including Surah Al-Maidah 5.47 and Surah Yunus 10.94”?

You will get cricket sounds after that.

CASE CLOSED!

ADDITIONAL QUESTION: Why should a Christian explain a Bible verse from the Bible that Muslims don’t even believe in or consider authoritative?

After explaining and advising a Muslim to read and understand Bible narratives IN CONTEXT, would he read and believe you when he already has preconceived answer and opinion?

Does it ever work?

Always insist on the Muslim FIRST refuting the main post/argument to avoid diverting or evading the main post and asking him to explain his arguments using Islamic texts, those are the texts he considers authentic and authoritative. Telling a Muslim to interpret verses he consciously cherry picks or parrots from other Muslims has never worked in my years of interaction with indoctrinated people with a fixed mind, they will ignore and keep repeating the same thing over and over even after explaining for the umpteenth time. Just check how often they repost their favourite memes that they think refutes or damages the Christian doctrine. The very memes that have already been debunked before.

ALWAYS REMEMBER, Muslims do not quote the Bible because they believe it or understand it or because it is AUTHORITATIVE, NO. They desperately want to cling to their preconceived meaning and understanding of the text/verses, believing that way, they win the ARGUMENT in their favour and bolsters the faith and beliefs in opposition to Christianity.