Vol. 6, No. 9, 1989

Articles on Other Religious Topics

Craig Branch

The focus of Watchman Fellowship is on pseudo-Christian cults and destructive cultism. There are distinctions made between "cults" and what are termed other "world religions", such as Judaism and Islam. Formerly included on the list of other world religions were Hinduism and Buddhism; but, with the resurgence of the New Age Movement and its synthesis of these eastern mystical religions, claiming to be compatible with Christianity, these distinctions are blurred.

Of course, Christianity declares that both cults and other world religions are false and, thus, Christians desire to effectively share the true gospel with everyone.

Recently Saudi Arabia must have invested a fortune in advertisements promoting its "vital role in today's diplomacy and commerce" with the United States. Saudi Arabia purchased a twenty-page advertising supplement in the Wall Street Journal (July 28, 1989); and a four-page ad in the July 30, 1989 Parade magazine. In these ads they promoted the close ties and interconnection with the U.S. in education, commerce, politics and religion.

There was a major effort to promote Islam and to overcome so-called misunderstandings. What drew the interest of Watchman Fellowship and its concern was the article An American View of Islam by Lucius Battle, former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt in the Advertising Supplement, Wall Street Journal, p. D-13. In it Battle reminds us that Islam "is the fastest growing religion in the world today and it is increasing its adherents in the U.S. very rapidly.... It should be understood as one of the major religions contributing to global thought and culture."

The article bemoans the fact that Americans see Islam as "remote and threatening, having little bearing on life in the U.S.... This is singularly untrue".

Battle goes on to try and correct these negative impressions, but the fact is that Battle needs the correcting. He states that, "They share above all a belief in a single, all powerful God, the same God worshipped by Jews and Christians," (emphasis mine). Whereas Christians are to love their neighbors, which certainly includes Moslems, the God of Christianity is not the same god of Islam. Islam teaches that Christians are infidels and polytheists, committing the worst kind of blasphemy in believing that God is a Trinity (Koran, Sura 4:171; 5:72-73).Islam rejects the deity of Christ and His unique Sonship; claiming that He was only a prophet and apostle (Koran, Sura 4:169; 112:1-4; 19:31-33).

Islam denies the crucifixion of Christ and His atoning mediation for our sins (Sura 4:156; 43:81-86). Islam denies the total depravity of man, and Islam teaches that man is capable of saving himself as long as he is among Moslems -- a united Muslim state (Reaching Muslims Today, Arab World Missions, p.18).

Jesus says that to know Him is to know the Father, that he alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that to reject Him is to reject God (John 14, 1 John 5:11-13).

Battle says in conclusion, "It is a religion that if understood can enrich a non-Muslim's life, his understanding, and his approach to his own religion Judaism, Christianity and Islam share many similarities," (emphasis mine). Yet, Islam teaches that it is wrong to make friends with Jews and Christians, that it is right to kill the infidel, to make war with unbelievers and to slay the idolaters (Sura 5:51, 81; 9:4-5, 73).

Islam's Koran, like Mormonism's Book of Mormon and the many New Age additional "revelations", actually claims to supersede Biblical revelation and reinterprets it to fit their alien theology. Christians certainly need to be aware of the tremendous growth of Islam and should accept the challenge to intelligently share our faith and to respond lovingly and effectively to those misled by Islam.

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