Islam - Religion of Peace?
I posted on John Piper's response to the Pope's speech in Germany. That generated a few good comments. (Note that I just posted a question to William Taylor Sr.)
Last weekend we had the pleasure of hosting a Muslim convert at our church. I won't say his name in case it is not appropriate. Anyway, his thinking was that, yes, if the Qur'an is properly interpreted, it does invoke violence. Matt notes that Kim Riddlebarger points to this article as evidence that Islam is not a religion of peace. Matt Wireman offers this insightful reflection:
"After traveling to the Middle East, I can say that all Muslims are not terrorists. It is foolish to think so. That would be like assuming everyone who goes to church in the United States is a Christ-follower. [But] Just because people who call themselves Christians aren’t living consistently with Christ’s teaching, does this mean we make value judgments on the religion? No. We point to the teachings [of Islam?] and show the person that he is inconsistent [with both Islam and the truth?] and he should get his knee bowed to Jesus’ lordship. How long will it take until the imams do the same with their inconsistent parishioners?" [bracketed comments mine; I'm not certain they reflect Matt's thinking.]
Update: My comments do not reflect Matt's thinking. Please see Matt's comment. Thanks for the correction Matt!
So while the religion may teach one thing, its adherents may not practice their faith in its undiluted form. Yet that does not prove Islam teaches peace. Rather, it opens a path to evangelism: a comparison of the "fundamentals" of Christianity and Islam. Along those lines, some report that Muslim conversions to Christ are highest in regions where Sharai Law is held (i.e., where, arguably, the Qur'an is taken most seriously).
Comments
"Along those lines, some report that Muslim conversions to Christ are highest in regions where Sharai Law is held (i.e., where, arguably, the Qur'an is taken most seriously)."
I wonder if that's because the Muslims converting are not true Islam followers, like you were saying, and getting tortured for it. Hmmm...
Actually, obviously it's because the Holy Spirit. But it'd be interesting to hear some of these converts stories.
Posted by: Frank Martens | October 26, 2006 08:31 AM
Thanks, Alex, for the thought. Actually, the brackets would be something that I would not add. This would be due to the nature of my question I posed. If "Christians" aren't living consistently with the truth they know. The question I pose at the end is rhetorical. Will the imams teach their parishioners to confess their sin? Probably not since it seems to be consistent with Islam's teachings.
This post opens a whole new can of worms when it comes to "true" followers of Islam (as your first commenter pointed out). There are Christian missionaries who advocate caling themselves "true" Muslims because they follow the teachings of the prophet Jesus. I am sure you talked about it in Perspectives class. Thoughts?
I'd also like to hear your comments on my post, "Marriage As Idol."
Posted by: Matthew Wireman | October 26, 2006 06:52 PM