Christianity Versus Islam: Who Is Right?

By C. Tinsley

Turn on your computer or open up your local newspaper and somewhere you will
find a comparison between Biblical Christianity and Islamic beliefs. These comparisons
will usually be to point out what seems to be a glaring inconsistency or clear example of
hypocrisy within Christianity. Let’s confront these points and see exactly how Biblical
Christianity compares to Islam.
The first point is the structure of the holy book of each religion. Though different
groups vary in their beliefs, most Bible-believing Christians believe that the New
Testament changes many protocols in the Old Testament. For example, the old “eye for
an eye” idea is thrown out when Jesus enters the picture because he taught new lessons
like “turn the other cheek.” To contrast, Muslims believe in “abrogation,” the idea that
the later words of the Prophet Mohammad replace the earlier words. Therefore, “let there
be no compulsion in religion,” one of his earlier teachings, is replaced by an idea such as
let [infidels] be killed wherever they are found.
Another idea that evangelicals generally agree on is that Jesus gives people the
freedom to choose if they want to follow him or not. He does not force them to convert.
In Islam, people are given the choice to convert to Islam or die. In fact, Allah’s followers
are encouraged to help people become martyrs to save them. Even other Muslims become
victims of terrorist violence when mosques are attacked and civilians are not spared in
their quest for world domination.
A third point of contention is that Muslims say that they acknowledge Jesus as a
prophet of Allah. Yet the Bible does not recognize Mohammad or Allah. Why is this? It
is because the God of the Bible and Allah are two completely different personalities with
conflicting ideas about justice, forgiveness, and mercy. The Bible is clear about Jesus
being the Messiah and only begotten son of God. The Quran does not acknowledge that
Jesus was the son of God and Muslims believe to say that a holy God would have a child
with an earthly woman is considered blasphemy.
A fourth idea which is frequently discussed is the authority contained in the
entirety of the holy book. Bible-believing Christians commonly believe that the Bible
must be followed in its entirety, with no other addenda. They don’t believe that people
have the authority to “pick and choose” what they want to believe. They think that you
either accept it all, kit and caboodle, or you are not following it. Many other
denominations take what appeals to them from the Bible and throw the rest out,
relegating it to ancient history, mythological fairy tales, or wise but non-literal allegories.
Bible-believing Christians believe that this is a mistake because the Bible urges believers
to follow “the whole counsel of God,” and the Bible itself says that no one should add or
take away from the Bible. Followers of Islam have a similar idea, though more liberal
sects of Islam would say that certain areas can be overlooked, like violent jihad against
nonbelievers. However, this idea is something that both mainline Christian and Muslim
denominations can agree on: the holy book is inspired by their deity and should not be
revised to suit the needs of modern cultural assumptions and trends. Extremism in Islam
is actually just adhering to all that the Quran commands, whereas extremism in
Christianity is a few uninformed lunatics misinterpreting the very clear and concise word
of God.
 Another idea that people frequently misunderstand is the apparent conflict
between ideas in the Bible. Though opponents of the Bible may refer to the Old
Testament rules as evidence that the Bible encourages barbaric slaughter, as noted earlier,
these rules are overridden by the New Testament, which does not advocate violence
whatsoever. Therefore, Christian extremists who commit murder against abortionists, for
example, are members of the lunatic fringe which misread the Bible and fail to
understand the new covenant given under Jesus Christ which places believers under
grace. Salvation is no longer attainable by works, following laws, or being strictly
religious. Islamic extremists, in comparison, are not actually extremists at all; they are
simply following the mandates of the Quran and are considered faithful servants of Allah.
Those who do not commit jihad are not actually following the Quran and, according to
the Quran, are as bad as infidels themselves.
Apostasy in Islam is punishable by death. Leaving Christianity does not result in
any human repercussions. The Bible does not compel its followers to stone to death those
who walk away from the faith. Matthew 5:17 reads, “Do not think that I have come to
abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”In
fact, the requirements of the law are still in effect, but Jesus has fulfilled them so that
sacrifice is no longer necessary. In the Bible, the woman caught in adultery is brought
before Jesus. The old law stated that she must be stoned to death. Jesus shows God’s
mercy by telling those present, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” (John 8:7)
Contrast the fact that Jesus forgave the woman’s sins and let her go with a command to
Go and sin no more,” with the rules of Islam which mandate a death sentence for a
woman who commits adultery. In fact, why not look at how Jesus treated women,
accepted them as part of his ministry, appeared to them and taught them, and established
all kinds of precedents for the equal treatment of women that were unheard of before his
time, such as relying on their witness, allowing them to prophesy, or including them in
worship services to name a few.
Finally, the Bible says that Jesus is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” while Islam
sanctions taqiyya, lying or concealing the truth in order to advance Islamic beliefs. The
Bible teaches that Satan is the Father of Lies and that he has lied from the beginning.
Jesus didn’t need to lie because he is light and truth. Lies are of Satan because God
cannot lie. Open your eyes to the truth and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.