Alright, I'm lost.........

[Vash]

Hello all. I'm in a little struggle here. And I was wondering if you guys could help me out.

Well, I've accepted that there is a Creator. However, I'm stuck between Christianity and Islam. I've followed Christianity, but after some recent events I've begun questioning it. The origin of my questioning might sound silly, but please hear me out.

It all started when a friend of mine, who watches professional wrestling, told me that one-by-one the roster on the wrestling show is practically decaying. Like, some wrestlers get injured, released, and one even passed away. He said in the past year 30 wrestlers have become inactive one way or another. He said that he's never seen the roster thin down this quickly, ever.

He said the first of the group of wrestlers to get inactive came after this controversial/edgy storyline. The storyline was that this arab-american "prayed" to Allah and then these Arab terrorists came out and attacked the guy's enemy. Ever since then, the roster has been falling apart. Then my friend suggested that maybe Allah is punishing the company for using him like that.

So I started thinking about it... and I asked another Christian friend about it. He said that God's just testing my faith. Biblically I can understand that, but what's the base of that assumption? I mean, how do I know it isn't Allah?

So anyway, I went to Church on Sunday and one of the things the pastor talked about was a missionary trip to convert muslims who haven't heard of Jesus. He played a video to get more in-depth about it. The video started out with text that read "Allah is great" (that wasn't the video's message. It was one of those "Or is he?" things, but that's not the point).

Right when I saw that I couldn't even focus on the rest of the sermon. I started to think about how I can KNOW full-well that one belief is more credible than the other, and I can't think of anything.

Back when I first accepted there was a Creator, I prayed that I would be lead to the true God. First I started seeing the evidence of Christianity, but now all of the sudden Islam comes into the picture and I'm lost.

Please help, if possible. Thanks in advance.

[Judah]

Vash, I have only a few moments in which to respond and your question deserves much more than I can offer right now. However, it sounds to me like you need to explore both Christianity and Islam in much more detail in order to learn about each of them.

The Islamic "Allah" is not the same as the Christian triune God, and for a great many reasons. In many places on this forum these matters have been discussed in detail, so I would advise that you look around here for threads with "Islam" in the title and click on those to read a little more.

I have a website where I devote a page to providing information resources on the subject of Islam and you may wish to look at that too. It is here. It has many more links to sites which provide further information.

Now hopefully others will come by shortly and respond more fully to your questions, but meantime there is much to be found on this forum by looking around and reading previous discussions.

[Canuckster1127]

Hello all. I'm in a little struggle here. And I was wondering if you guys could help me out.

Well, I've accepted that there is a Creator. However, I'm stuck between Christianity and Islam. I've followed Christianity, but after some recent events I've begun questioning it. The origin of my questioning might sound silly, but please hear me out.

It all started when a friend of mine, who watches professional wrestling, told me that one-by-one the roster on the wrestling show is practically decaying. Like, some wrestlers get injured, released, and one even passed away. He said in the past year 30 wrestlers have become inactive one way or another. He said that he's never seen the roster thin down this quickly, ever.

He said the first of the group of wrestlers to get inactive came after this controversial/edgy storyline. The storyline was that this arab-american "prayed" to Allah and then these Arab terrorists came out and attacked the guy's enemy. Ever since then, the roster has been falling apart. Then my friend suggested that maybe Allah is punishing the company for using him like that.

So I started thinking about it... and I asked another Christian friend about it. He said that God's just testing my faith. Biblically I can understand that, but what's the base of that assumption? I mean, how do I know it isn't Allah?

So anyway, I went to Church on Sunday and one of the things the pastor talked about was a missionary trip to convert muslims who haven't heard of Jesus. He played a video to get more in-depth about it. The video started out with text that read "Allah is great" (that wasn't the video's message. It was one of those "Or is he?" things, but that's not the point).

Right when I saw that I couldn't even focus on the rest of the sermon. I started to think about how I can KNOW full-well that one belief is more credible than the other, and I can't think of anything.

Back when I first accepted there was a Creator, I prayed that I would be lead to the true God. First I started seeing the evidence of Christianity, but now all of the sudden Islam comes into the picture and I'm lost.

Please help, if possible. Thanks in advance.

Vash,

Good to see you back. I was wondering how you were doing.

I'm glad that you are moving forward in your journey and asking these difficult questions.

Islam and Christianity, in terms of numbers of proponents and impact are the two primary options for a structured approach or religion to knowing God.

Once you accept that there is a God, which many do on the basis of general revelation through creation, there is only one way to know God beyond that, and that is if the God chooses to reveal himself by means of special revelation.

I believe God has done just this through the person of Jesus Christ and the Bible.

At this point I would suggest 2 things that should be helpful to you:

1. Begin praying to God and ask Him to reveal Himself to you so that you may know Him and the truth.

2. Begin looking to understand better how God has revealed Himself through the Bible.

Ways you could do that include going through the Discovery Course on the main board which you will find here:

http://www.godandscience.org/discovery/index.html

Some excellent books exist as well such as those by C.S. Lewis, Lee Stroebel and Josh McDowell that deal with the reliability of the Bible.

Let me encourage you however to consider this above all, and to be challenged by it. The primary difference you will find in Islam and Christianity is that Islam seeks to know God by the keeping of rigid commandments. Mohammed is seen as a prophet, but He himself lacked and lacks the ability to do anything other than teach and tell about a very stern and distant God.

There are frankly some who seek to do the same with Christianity and not everyone who claims to be a Christian necessarily is one.

At the very core however, what is unique and compelling about becoming a Christian is that God did more than send a messenger. He came Himself in the form of His Son Jesus Christ and not only taught about the love of God, he demonstrated it in that while we were still sinners and unworthy of God's grace and love, Jesus died on the Cross and took upon Himself the judgment and wrath of God that we rightly deserved.

Further, Jesus conquered death when He arose on the 3rd day and He offers to us now the life that He has purchased on our behalf.

Jesus offers us first and foremost a relationship rather than a set of rules and methods to try and merit God's grace and love on our own.

Consider that in your search and ask God to show you the truth.

Blessings,

Bart

[Jac3510]

Big ups to everything Canuckster said. I would boil everything down to two questions:

1. Did Jesus Christ actually raise from the dead? If so, Christianity is true. If not, Christainity is false.

2. Does Christianity or Islam (or any other religion, for that matter) have the better method of dealing with sin and its consequences?

God bless

[YLTYLT]

Vash,
Definitely continue researching and praying but...
Some things to consider:

If God were going to reveal himself to his creation, would he wait 4700 years? (Islam start around 700 A.D.) Or would He reveal himself before any other

The promise of Christ started 4000 B.C. (See Gen 3:15)

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her SEED; IT shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise HIS heel.

Notice the statement, “IT shall bruise THY head.” CHRIST delivered the deathblow (i.e., bruise) to SATAN'S authority (i.e., head) when HE finished the payment for our sin on Calvary.

Also Notice the statement, “and THOU shalt bruise HIS heel.” SATAN bruised CHRIST when he caused him to suffer by trying to kill Him before He ever got to the cross (See - Isa 53:5).

And remember, that one one "religion" (Christianity) says that you can't do anything to earn your way to heaven. All other teach a form of salvation by works.

Matthew 7:13-14
13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

But, previous others are correct, pray that truth will be revealed to you, and if you are honest in your prayer, which I believe you are, then God will reveal the truth.

[Gman]

he Islamic "Allah" is not the same as the Christian triune God, and for a great many reasons. In many places on this forum these matters have been discussed in detail, so I would advise that you look around here for threads with "Islam" in the title and click on those to read a little more.

Judah is correct here... They are complete opposites. Also in the Quran it is NEVER commanded to love... I don't know about anyone else here, but if love is not the prime directive of a religion, it is not worth anyone's time.

I too at one time wrestled with many different religions. I'm very very confident that Islam is not one on my lists of faith.

G -

[Seeker of Truth]

Well, as an ex-Muslim (note that I'm not a Christian), I can tell you that Islam is simply false.

Read at Faithfreedom and Apostates of Islam. Those sites should give you a lot of reasons why Islam is false (btw, is there any proof that it is true?). I'll list some facts on Muhammed:

1. Marriage with the little girl Aisha when she was six years old, sex with her when she was nine (and Muhammed was over 50 years old then!).

2. The massacre of the males of Banu Quraiza (between 600-900 persons), a Jewish tribe living in Medina. The women and children were enslaved. Muhammed "married" the most beatiful women among them, and had sex with her the same day that he ordered the execution of her father and her husband.

3. Muhammed was mentally insane. He believed that he wrestled with Satan, that Satan can sleep in the nose of humans, that he saw angels and jinns and believed he had sex with his wives when he hadn't. Even Islamic sources say that Muhammed was "bewitched" for about a year.

Please read the links above, but those facts alone should be enough to see that the Quran doesn't come from God, but is a lie from Muhammed.

If you've got more questions I'll gladly answer them.

[August]

I would also take some time to investigate the origins and 'infallibility' of the Quran. Try and find original, i.e. contemporary, manuscripts of the Quran.