This may represent work still in progress ...

There are two basic worldviews which may be illustrated as shown.

People of faith are on one side, people who claim they reject faith on the other.

The rejecters of faith do so, because, according to their worldview, things are all there is and all we can do is, react to them.

Since the rejecters reject that God created everything, that all the living things we see - which color and populate our world - are the result of blind chance, that means that what we think

Yet, these same rejecters claim that science proofs that there is no God and therefore is on their side. But to use science - ordered thinking - they must assume principles only God can give. These principles are at length presented in "laws of logic" which you can see here!

Ishmael: Even the descendants of Abraham, who believed in the mortality of the soul and kept God's seventh day holy, and the descendants of his son, born of the free woman, so too probably the descendants of Ishmael believed these things, for we read, "And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirtyseven years: and he gave up the ghost and died: and was gathered unto his people. . . . and he died in the presence of all his brethren." Genesis 25:17,18 and "And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!" Gen. 17:18, hoping Ishmael might be a follower of the true God in Heaven while alive on earth as Abraham obeyed God and kept His commandments, statutes and laws, Gen. 26:5. But Ishmael nursed anger toward Abraham because of not being considered primary heir. However, all he knew originally about certain basic beliefs like what happens at death and on which day to rest, were uneffected by that at least for a season.[30] So it is true that the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael became mighty nations and we may have this hope in our bosom that, once the Arabic descendants of Ishmael find out that their highly esteemed progenitor "Father" kept the Sabbath, they will too, and Islam will be pacified and God in Heaven glorified so peace can reign in the heart.

Since we first tried to tackle the worldviews of Muslims compared to those of Christians, some years have passed and we found new data which can shed more light on these issues. To begin with we must consider some basic understandings

World Views: Each person on earth evaluates all "evidence" and compares them to their presuppositions, the knowledge they gained living in the world saturated with their views how things work in the life of people and what they believe.

The God of Muslims stated so Christians can comprehend who he is.

Why?

Because, according to the Quran

1. he is merciful, but he has no just cause for his mercy.
   
2. the Christian Bible gives logical reasons so that we can know God and find consolation in His mercy.

What further understandings can we present?[40]

Unknowable, Impersonal

Often times people from anywhere do not know how to state items of faith so we can understand each other. This is especially true on the subject of religion. In this presentation we attempt to bring more understanding on the subject.

Islam's God comes across to Christians, and Muslims too, as a God we cannot really know.

Why?

Because Islam is about absolute monotheism as the central point in their religion. Thus their doctrine of tawhid (`oneness') states that Allah is so far beyond, so transcendent that we cannot really know him, Quran 112:1-4. That is to say, He is not merely `mono', alone, but He is

1. wholly distinct,
   
2. unique,
   
3. He exists without a place,
   
4. He is independent of creation,
   
5. He is with no resemblance to His "creation,"
   
6. He is indivisible, and a
   
7. completely separate (impersonal) being,
8. nothing in all of creation can be compared to Allah, who is therefore
   
9. unknowable by "personal" beings like we are.

Therefore, this doctrine of tawhid challenges us logically for how can we know anything about something that is unknowable?

In addition, the Hadith, the traditions attributed to Mohammed, also seem to teach that Allah has ninety-nine (99) names that describe various aspects of Allah's nature and personalities.

The question which then may arise in many is,

if Allah is unknowable, how can we attribute 99 names to him and make him known?

How does that compare to the God of Bible Christians?

The God of the Bible is

1. personal, He has revealed Himself in the Bible so He can be known,
   
2. more specifically, He created mankind for the express purpose that we may know Him personally.

A Just but Merciful God

Islam calls Allah that He is `just', that He is righteous, Quran 4:40.

So we realize, to be perfectly just, Allah must punish everything of sin. Yet, at the same time the Quran teaches that Allah is merciful; meaning, that he forgives those whom he chooses to forgive, Quran 4:110; 73:20.

However, this seems to create a logical contradiction, which prevents Allah from being either of the two - just and/or merciful.

If he is truly merciful, why then is he not saving people during their life on earth rather than leaving their destiny unknowingly uncertain, until the afterlife, as is being taught in the Quran?

To withhold salvation until the afterlife means that Allah ignores people's daily crying for freedom from sin and Satan. In other words, he is not interested in establishing heavenly justice while his followers live on earth, thus liberating them from Satan's present rulership or dominion.

How is it in Christendom?

Unlike Islam, for Christians they have an answer to the apparent dilemma of a just but merciful God.

What is that answer?

1. the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ satisfied God's justice while enabling Him to show mercy, thus
   
2. the God of the Bible extends His justice to people while they live here on earth, allowing them to
   
3. trust Him and to know that they are saved now while living on this earth. [100]

That should help us to see that the approach of the God of the Bible in the way He treats people is both just and merciful.

How Does Islam View the Bible and How Do We Respond?

Islam teaches that the Torah was Allah's first revelation and the gospel was second, but that both became corrupted and that is given as the reason why Allah gave the Quran to Mohammed (around 620 A.D.) in order to put people back on the right path.

Thus, Muslims believe the Quran is Allah's third and final revelation, his perfect, unchanged words.

This brings up another difficulty in the Quran. The Quran teaches that Allah's words cannot be changed, Quran 6:115; 18:27. Yet, at the same time Islam teaches that the Torah and the Gospels were changed and became corrupted. So, how could those two have become corrupted but not to the Quran?

How is that explained in the Bible?

The Bible recognizes no other writings as Scripture. In fact it warns us against adding to or subtracting from what the whole Bible teaches.[150]

Only in more recent times, Catholic publishers of the new Bible like the New International Version (NIV) and similar new Bibles, have subtracted or left out many verses and even some chapters in their versions compared to what the Bible contained since the days of the apostles in the Bible. That is why we suspect that Roman Catholic monks or writers in past centuries have produced writings which they then introduced in populations which became religious texts of which the Quran is probably an example.[160]

Overall, the long existing Bible versions are based on the original manuscripts routed through the East which escaped later corruption brought in by Latin Catholic monks and writers.

Study of the Quran has revealed that `Mohammed' changed some of its verses and that some of his followers shredded the Quran, see Quran 2:106; 16:101; 15:90,91.

For this reason it will be eye-opening for our dear Muslim people to compare the Quran and the Bible which will help them see that the Bible is absolutely trustworthy while the Quran is not.

Since Islam teaches that especially the writings of Moses as well as the Gospels in the New Testament - is God's Word, it is very important to study these issues so we can talk intelligently about the subject in Christian love.

What may be a good thing to say in `Old Arabic', which I hope will still be understood, the first time you meet an Arabic speaking person?

You could say,

"Salam alaikum." `Peace be with you.'

Good words to remember:

"tajjib" = `good'
"mush' arif" = `I don't know'
"min inte" = `Who are you?'
"ma fihimtish" = `I don't understand you'
"o jazik" = `I am sorry'
"nehārak sa'īd we mubārak" = `have a good and blessed day'

There three types of love.

1. Eros love - Sexual Love
   
2. Agape love - Divine Love - Loving your neighbor as yourself.
   
3. Charitas love - A mixture of love.

Agape Love

We need more `agape love' in the world, so children will love their parents, and parents their children; so that neighbors will have neighborly love of willing helpfulness without taking advantage but just for the sake of human kindness to one another.

Those practicing `agape' love, will help the needy and the sick, the stranger in the gates, the inquiring mind who tries to understand something to learn how to understand where he is at. We even ought to love our enemies and make them our friends, by kindness and longsuffering love - a godly, divine love. Husbands ought to love their wives without anything disrupting it. We ought not to entertain evil-surmising, evil-thinking. Seeing a woman does not cause all men to think of sex right away. No!!! - We all know that `agape' love thinks no such things; only `eros' love does. Christians are not to practice `eros' love, but `agape' love. When a Christian sees a woman, he may feel sadness, if the woman displays herself, instead of being aroused like Islam imagines all men to be. Not so!!! Not all men automatically think of sex; they may think, or wish, the woman may be needful to learn to know God's kind of love as do all men need to know it. Why does Islam not teach `agape' love? Why, O why, do they not teach true, friendly, kind, longsuffering love and plan on never to cause pain or hurt?

Why do they have to assume automatic indulgence in evil things between men and women? Not so!!!

Arabic Don't they know that "jōm el achir", judgment day, is for all men and women, where they have to appear before God?

Don't Muslims know that even God's creatures are able to love their young ones, and a dog his master, once he sees his master love (treat friendly) his dog?

Why should men or women ever want to destroy true, `agape' love? Why, O why?

They must learn that `eros' love is not all there is in this world. They must learn that some of their teachers may be evil people.

We must learn to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, and true from false!!

They must seek only very good, loving teachers for their children. They must know that many among them are evil people, like among all nations their are such evil ones.

Don't listen to their words, see how they live when they think they are in control or unseen by others.

Walk away from the enemies of `agape' love.