https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/TalkingWithAMuslimAboutReligion.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Titus 1:10-16<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. How do you talk with someone about religion when there is little common ground?<\/p>\n A. A good way to start is to find something in that religion that is true and that can be\nused as a basis of discussion.\n
1. In a false religion, not everything is false<\/p>\n
2. Falsehood is more readily accepted if truth is mixed with some falsehood<\/p>\n
3. So find a useful truth<\/p>\n
B. Paul’s example<\/p>\n
1. In Athens, he found an altar to the unknown God – Acts 17:22-23<\/p>\n
a. That there was a God unknown to idolatrous Greeks is very true<\/p>\n
b. It is their own declaration. To deny it would be to deny themselves.<\/p>\n c. Thus, it became the basis for talking about who the unknown God\nwas.\n 2. Paul used a statement by a Cretan prophet to support the need for change –\nTitus 1:12-14\n a. It is not a question of whether this person was really a prophet or\nnot. The prophet made a statement that happens to be true.\n b. It is not a complimentary statement, but they can’t argue with it\nunless they want to deny that their own prophet wasn’t really a\nprophet. \n
II. Some truths in the Qur’an<\/p>\n
A. Mohammed delivered the message found in the Qur’an roughly around A.D. 600<\/p>\n
B. Claim that some Jews had twisted or altered the meaning of the Old Testament<\/p>\n 1. “GOD had taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and we raised\namong them twelve patriarchs. And GOD said, “I am with you, so long as\nyou observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), give the obligatory charity\n(Zakat), and believe in My messengers and respect them, and continue to\nlend GOD a loan of righteousness. I will then remit your sins, and admit\nyou into gardens with flowing streams. Anyone who disbelieves after this,\nhas indeed strayed off the right path.” It was a consequence of their\nviolating the covenant that we condemned them, and we caused their\nhearts to become hardened. Consequently, they took the words out of\ncontext, and disregarded some of the commandments given to them.\nYou will continue to witness betrayal from them, excepting a few of them.\nYou shall pardon them, and disregard them. GOD loves those who are\nbenevolent” (Qur’an Sura 5:12-13).\n a. This passage is usually offered as saying that the Bible was altered,\nbut it doesn’t say the text was altered, only misused.\n
b. This is supported by early Muslim teachers, such as Ibn Kathir<\/p>\n c. It was not until quite a number of years later, in 1064 that Ibn\nKhazem stated that the Bible text itself was corrupted.\n
d. This is in agreement with Jesus’ charge – Matthew 15:3-9<\/p>\n 2. Later in the same Sura: “Why do they ask you to judge among them, when\nthey have the Torah, containing GOD’s law, and they chose to disregard\nit? They are not believers. We have sent down the Torah,* containing\nguidance and light. Ruling in accordance with it were the Jewish\nprophets, as well as the rabbis and the priests, as dictated to them in\nGOD’s scripture, and as witnessed by them. Therefore, do not reverence\nhuman beings; you shall reverence Me instead. And do not trade away My\nrevelations for a cheap price. Those who do not rule in accordance with\nGOD’s revelations, are the disbelievers” (Qur’an Sura 5:43-44).\n a. In the Qur’an, the entire Old Testament is referred to as the Torah,\nas stated in a footnote: “The Torah is a collection of all the\nscriptures revealed through all the prophets of Israel prior to Jesus\nChrist, i.e., today’s Old Testament.”\n b. This is important. The Qur’an truthful states that the Old\nTestament is the record of God’s revelations. It comes from God\nand not man.\n
c. This is in agreement with Paul’s statement – II Timothy 3:16-17<\/p>\n 3. Continuing in the same Sura: “Subsequent to them, we sent Jesus, the son\nof Mary, confirming the previous scripture, the Torah. We gave him\nthe Gospel, containing guidance and light, and confirming the\nprevious scriptures, the Torah, and augmenting its guidance and\nlight, and to enlighten the righteous. The people of the Gospel shall rule in\naccordance with GOD’s revelations therein. Those who do not rule in\naccordance with GOD’s revelations are the wicked” (Qur’an Sura 5:46-47)\n a. Further, it states that Jesus confirmed the Old Testament and\ndelivered additional revelation from God containing what the\nQur’an refers to as the Gospel.\n
b. Jesus did use the Scriptures as a source of authority – Luk3 24:44<\/p>\n
C. The Qur’an says it confirms the Old and New Testaments<\/p>\n 1. “Say, “Anyone who opposes Gabriel should know that he has brought\ndown this (Quran) into your heart, in accordance with GOD’s will,\nconfirming previous scriptures, and providing guidance and good news\nfor the believers.” Anyone who opposes GOD, and His angels, and His\nmessengers, and Gabriel and Michael, should know that GOD opposes the\ndisbelievers.” (Qur’an 2:97-98).\n 2. Christians will disagree with this statement as a whole, since the Qur’an is\nnot accepted as coming from God. But it is important to note that\nMuhammad claims a belief in the Scriptures of his day (A.D. 600) as being\nconfirmed.\n
D. If you want to know the truth, read the Bible<\/p>\n 1. “All food used to be lawful for the Children of Israel, until Israel imposed\ncertain prohibitions on themselves before the Torah was sent down. Say,\n“Bring the Torah and read it, if you are truthful”“ (Qur’an 3:93).\n
2. God’s Word is truth – John 17:17<\/p>\n
E. God inspired the Bible<\/p>\n 1. “ They never valued GOD as He should be valued. Thus, they said, “GOD\ndoes not reveal anything to any human being.” Say, “Who then revealed\nthe scripture that Moses brought, with light and guidance for the\npeople?” You put it down on paper to proclaim it, while concealing a lot\nof it. You were taught what you never knew—you and your parents. Say,\n“GOD (is the One who revealed it),” then leave them in their\nheedlessness, playing. This too is a blessed scripture that we have\nrevealed, confirming the previous scriptures, that you may warn the\nmost important community* and all those around it. Those who believe in\nthe Hereafter will believe in this (scripture), and will observe the Contact\nPrayers (Salat).” (Qur’an 6:91-92).\n
III. The Qur’an says God’s Words cannot be changed<\/p>\n A. “Shall I seek other than GOD as a source of law, when He has revealed to you this\nbook fully detailed?* Those who received the scripture recognize that it has been\nrevealed from your Lord, truthfully. You shall not harbor any doubt. The word of\nyour Lord is complete,* in truth and justice. Nothing shall abrogate His words.\nHe is the Hearer, the Omniscient” (Qur’an 6:114-115).\n B. For the Muslim, this includes the Qur’an, but for our purpose, it states a truth:\nGod’s Words are unchangable – I Peter 1:22-25\n
C. The “Reminder”<\/p>\n 1. “Absolutely, we have revealed the reminder, and, absolutely, we will\npreserve it. We have sent (messengers) before you to the communities in\nthe past” (Qur’an 5:9-10).\n 2. “We gave Moses and Aaron the Statute Book, a beacon, and a reminder\nfor the righteous” (Qur’an 21:48).\n 3. “We have given Moses the guidance, and made the Children of Israel\ninherit the scripture. (Their history) is a lesson and a reminder for those\nwho possess intelligence” (Qur’an 40:53-54)\n 4. But the claim is the reminder, which includes the Bible, is being preserved\nby God.\n
IV. The dilemma<\/p>\n A. Some, but not all, Muslims teach that the Bible is corrupted. Ibn Khazem stated in\nA.D. 1064, “Since the Qur’an must be true it must be the conflicting Gospel texts\nthat are false. But Muhammad tells us to respect the Gospel. Therefore, the\npresent text must have been falsified by the Christians after the time of\nMuhammad.”\n 1. Notice the admission that the Qur’an and the New Testament are in\nconflict.\n B. The problem is that we have numerous manuscripts, translations, and quotations\nfrom the Bible which show that the current text and the ancient text are the same.\n C. If the Bible was altered, then it would mean that God was not able to preserve His\nword and both the Bible and the Qur’an are wrong on that point, making the rest\nsuspect.\n 1. Or, the Bible is unaltered, meaning the Qur’an is correct on that point but\nalso meaning that its conflicts disprove the Qur’an is God’s Word.\n
2. It is a difficult position to be in<\/p>\n
D. Any change is accursed – Galatians 1:6-9<\/p>\n
V. Don’t ask questions<\/p>\n A. “O you who believe, do not ask about matters which, if revealed to you\nprematurely, would hurt you. If you ask about them in light of the Quran, they will\nbecome obvious to you. GOD has deliberately overlooked them. GOD is Forgiver,\nClement. Others before you have asked the same questions, then became\ndisbelievers therein” (Qur’an Sura 5:101-102).\n 1. “The Holy Prophet himself forbade people to ask questions … so do not try\nto probe into such things.” [Maududi, The Meaning of the Qur’an<\/i>, v. III,\npgs. 76-77].\n 2. The Prophet got angry and his face became red. …“The Prophet was asked\nabout things which he did not like, and when the questioner insisted, the\nProphet got angry.” [Bukari, Hadith<\/i>, v. 1, no. 91,92].\n 3. “Allah has hated you … [for] asking too many questions.” [Bukari, Hadith<\/i>,\nv. 2, no. 555 and v. 3, no. 591]\n
B. A well-thought question can help people see the truth – Isaiah 45:21-24 <\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 1:10-16 I. How do you talk with someone about religion when there is little common ground? A. A good way to start is to find something in that religion that is true and that can be used as a basis of discussion. 1. In a false religion, not everything is false…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[361,362,451],"class_list":["post-46745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-islam","tag-muslims","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":55338,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-heartfelt-religion\/","url_meta":{"origin":46745,"position":0},"title":"A Heartfelt Religion","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Warfel","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":66238,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/religion-says-do-jesus-says-done\/","url_meta":{"origin":46745,"position":1},"title":"“Religion says DO, Jesus says DONE”?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 30, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton People come up with the strangest viewpoints and don't realize how unbiblical those ideas are. I keep passing a sign that says the above but offers no scripture reference. Because the Bible is the final authority, I would suggest that both Jesus and His religion say,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57539,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-right-to-criticize-another-persons-religion\/","url_meta":{"origin":46745,"position":2},"title":"Is It Right to Criticize Another Person’s Religion?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 2, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kevin Kay It's not only right to criticize false religion, no matter whose religion it is; it's the faithful Christian's responsibility. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for \"teaching as doctrines the commandments of men\" (Matthew 15:7-9). Paul criticized those who tried to bind the shadows of the Mosaic law on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62163,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/curing-a-headache\/","url_meta":{"origin":46745,"position":3},"title":"Curing a Headache","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 1:21-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When you see a problem, how do you solve it? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If you have a headache, how do you get rid of it? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I suppose one could get a guillotine. After all no head, no headache \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Instead, we find a reliever to lessen\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35403,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-if-while-i-encourage-christians-i-end-up-encouraging-members-of-a-false-religion\/","url_meta":{"origin":46745,"position":4},"title":"What if, while I encourage Christians, I end up encouraging members of a false religion?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have recently finished another article about letting our acts and voices continue to confess Christ throughout our lives.\u00a0 I was wondering though, what if I end up encouraging someone from a false religion to do more for their denomination?\u00a0 My aim is to encourage Christians, but it's always\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44154,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/daily\/","url_meta":{"origin":46745,"position":5},"title":"Daily","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"by Steve Chetelat","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46745\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}