In part one I explained that I have been studying Islam and, though I have Muslim friends and love them dearly, I find the faith somewhat difficult to accept due to four main points: 1) Muhammad - not the best example of a loving person, 2) the Qur'an - not historically reliable or accurate, 3) the role of women - not seen as equal to men, and 4) the freedom to choose not to believe - it doesn't exist.
It is only fair then that I now critique my own faith from these four points as well. There is no point me questioning someone else's faith and not looking at mine own through the same lens. So here we go:
1) Jesus - a man I would like to emulate
When looking at the life of Muhammad, according to Islamic scripture, he progresses from a place of relative peace to one where he wages war on his enemies. This is not unusual for the time he lived in and is not shocking that he did so. But Jesus IS shocking!
In a time where it made more sense for a man to proclaim salvation by freeing the known world from out of under the thumb of Rome, Jesus came proclaiming peace. And not only did he say it, he lived it! He never acted in a way that was non-peaceful towards people, he always showed love, and his teachings didn't change as the time went by. In fact, he was so shocking I his message that the crucified him (which is a historical fact that can be verified outside of christian scripture) and he didn't fight back! He showed respect to all people of all walks of life, including his enemies the Romans, and loved all he met.
If faith was only based on emulating the founders of our faiths, I much prefer Jesus to Muhammad. His message speaks to me about love and respect of all, and his life lives it out. The same cannot be said of Muhammad, even within Islamic scripture.
2) The Bible - historically verifiable
Where the Qur'an raises many questions about historical reliability, the Bible does not have the issues. The New Testament gospel, the books about Jesus' life, can be dated to within one lifetime of his death. They are written with eye witnesses still living. There is also evidence found in sources outside of the scripture by enemies of the church. For example, the Jewish historian Josephus talks about Jesus, which is unusual if it didn't make a splash in the time he was writing. There are also a lot of historical markers within the text that point to exactly when events were occurring. The author Luke often notes the main rulers and events of the time to help guide the readers in understanding when events were happening. These can be verified historically. There is much more to say on this, such as the number of copies of biblical scrolls and writings that have been found and tested against each other for the reliability of the script, but essentially, in terms of historicity, the Bible wins the contest hands down when compared to the Qur'an. Being the nut I am for history, I much prefer knowing the scriptures of my faith can be verified and are believable historically.
3) the Role of Women - loved and respected
Though many people think that women in the bible are often subjugated, this is a misunderstanding. Due to the times it was written in, it would not be unusual to find no women mentioned at all! But this is not the case. All through the Bible women are pivotal in major events, showing God's love to the people, being leaders, shakers and movers. The respect and love that is shown to women by Jesus and his followers is astounding considering the rest of society. Women are not marginalized or seen as second class citizen but are held up as part of the image of God, created to be an equal part of creation and in doing God's work. They are celebrated, audacious, brace, strong, loved, forgiven, and redeemed. The women in the Bible are not at all told to sit down and shut up but are encouraged to seek after God and to lead. As a woman, this encourages me no end in my faith.
4) Freedom to Believe
In Islam there is a strong line of thinking that says 'once a Muslim, always a Muslim' with dire penalties if one tries to change their faith. This is not the same in Christianity. Christianity believes that anyone has the freedom to accept and reject God at anytime. It is the gift of free will that God has given us. God tries to show us in scripture why it is in our very nature to worship something, and that the best something to worship is the one who gives life and love (I.e. God) but we are not robots made to bow to God and worship. We can choose whatever path we want but it is only in God that true freedom, love, and peace can be found. It is only in God that our identity is complete and we can live life to its fullest. But if we choose not to, or we reject what we previously believed, God still loves us the same! It is our choice to follow and it is God's choice to love us unconditionally despite that. Every choice we make has consequences but there is no threat of death or violence from the community of believers if someone leaves because we believe that, as God continues to love, so shall we. I like that.
For all of you who are new to my blog and who don't know me, I didn't always like Christianity. I searched and studied and lived my own way until I made up my mind what faith to follow. I still study, I don't believe that I know everything about the Truth, but nothing I find measures up to the grace of God as found in the Bible. Nothing measure up historically, intelligently, humanly, womanly (?), or anything else. When I realized what it was to follow a God who demanded only that I love God and love others, and who gave me life, love, freedom, and forgiveness in return, I found that I couldn't then deny it.
All of us are on our own journeys. If you are searching, search well! Don't just believe because of bumper sticker doctrines and key catch phrases. Do your research, have a faith that is as intelligent as it is passionate. And may God guide you on your journey
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