Christian Books

ISBN:  1-4241-0236-7

This book is an examination of two of the world’s great literary works: the Holy Quran and the Holy Bible. In order to provide a better understanding of these apparently conflicting faiths, it explores each book and points out the similarities as well as the differences between the two in an in-depth analysis, making an exhaustive comparison of each to enlighten and educate the reader as to their content and meaning. The Quran, the holy book of the Islamic faith, claims as common ground with the Judeo-Christian faith its beginnings with Abraham. The Muslim, the believers of Islam, believe they are extended from the family of Ishmael, Abraham’s son through Hagar, the handmaid of his wife, whereas the Judeo-Christians believe their family is from Isaac, Abraham’s son through his wife, Sarah.

Each faith agrees on several points of theology: the existence of man as having originated in Adam and Eve, the race continuing through Noah, and on to Abraham, the patriarch of each faith; the existence of Satan, the enemy of both faiths; the existence of angels, among whom are those with great power; the existence of Hell as a place of eternal torment for the unbeliever; and the belief that mankind is here on earth as a sort of proving grounds for himself in order to be eligible to enter into heaven at some future time to be with God.

The differences between the two faiths are much more numerous, among which are:

• Jesus was not the Son of God, but merely a prophet; Muhammad, a man of peace whose coming was foretold by Jesus, was the only true prophet of God.
• Jesus was not crucified on the Cross on Calvary but was taken up into the arms of God while Judas Iscariot was made to be His substitute on the Cross.
• The belief that God could lower Himself to become human through His Son, Jesus, is pure blasphemy.
• The existence of a Triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is also blasphemous.
• Jinns, heavenly creatures created from smoke, have the free-will choice to become good or bad and were used in history to construct such things as Solomon’s Temple and the Dome of the Rock.
• Allah is the traditional name for God among those in the Islamic faith and is known by the Muslim to be a kind and loving god, but yet quick to judge against wrongdoers. The God of the Judeo-Christian faith is also kind and loving, but is long-suffering in His dealings with all wrongdoers, called sinners, and is never quick to judge.
• Muslims are taught the infidel, or unbelievers, are to be tolerated so long as they do not transgress into Islam at which point they are then to be dealt with according to Islamic rule. Christians welcome unbelievers into their ranks so they might become one among the faithful through interaction.
• Women are held in high esteem in both faiths, but Muslim women may be "slightly" beaten if they become unruly.
• The Muslim believes one must perform work to attain righteousness whereas the Christian achieves his righteousness through faith.
• The Muslim believes man is born sinless and becomes affected by sin through interaction with others who are sinful, becoming mislead and seduced against his will. The Christian believes man is born into sin and remains in a sinful state throughout the earthly life, but achieves a sinless state only through faith in Christ after the resurrection.
• The Muslim believes heaven will be an eternity of recreation and relaxation, allowing him to lounge about on sofas, thick with embroidered upholstery, to drink wine from golden goblets and eat fruits from ever-producing trees and be surrounded by virgins and young boys who will serve them in a variety of ways whereas the Christian believes heaven will be an eternal co-existence with God the Father and His Son, filled with worship and devotion in a relationship like that once enjoyed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

The world today contains a population of which over 1 in 5 is Muslim; over 1.4 billion people profess faith in Islam. In a time wherein areas of the Middle East are undergoing a period of change with the inclusion of western concepts, especially in economics and politics, into a society long ruled by monarchs and dictators, the world’s Christian community must be careful in its proposed acceptance of the Islamic faith as a "brother faith" before a thorough understanding of the Muslim is obtained. The Muslim is guided by a less forgiving belief than is the Christian, for to change their faith to that of the People of the Book would mean becoming ostracized by their family and friends, possibly to the point of death, and at the very least, place their very soul in danger of Hellfire according to the will of Allah.

The Sons of Abraham: Spirits in Conflict may be used by anyone wishing to know more about the history of Islam and its connection to today’s world; the average churchgoer can be aided in understanding how the Islamic faith interacts with the Christian faith and the student of comparative religions will find the book useful in defining the beliefs held by each of the world’s leading faiths. Pastors will find the book extremely useful in being able to find many subjects and examples for their sermons. Its format is simple and organized but yet its content is complete, giving the entire Holy Quran and its specific claims, followed by answers and counter-themes of the relevant passages from the Holy Bible.

713 pages, 6 x 9