WHY DID THESE PEOPLE EMBRACE ISLAM?

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PEOPLE OF ISRAEL ONLY

I am W. W .Greene, 36 years. One night, I was reading in The New Testament when I came across a sentence said by Jesus which I had never seen before. Jesus said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24)

I could not believe my eyes. Jesus was sent to the people of Israel only. This is what Jesus himself confirms, and his statement stands there right in The Bible. Please, check it right now.

I remembered what a Muslim friend once said to me, ie., that every prophet was sent to his own people except Prophet Muhammad, who was sent by God to all humans. My friend's words were true and came to be verified by Jesus himself.

Jesus was sent to the people of Israel only. Since I am not from the people of Israel, Jesus was not sent to me. The one sent to me is Prophet Muhammad with his message of Islam. Jesus himself told his people to follow Prophet Muhammad when he would come. Jesus said, "Howbeit when he, the spirit of truth, is come, lie will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himselj:" (John 16: 13-14)

Jesus tells us to follow Prophet Muhammad, but the people of the West have turned their backs on Prophet Muhammad exactly as the Jews did turn their backs on Jesus. This is, in fact, the real tragedy of both the Jews and the people of the West; they have rejected God and His final perfect message, which is Islam.

If you love Jesus, you must love Prophet Muhammad and believe in him as God's last Messenger. This is exactly what Jesus wants us to do, and this is exactly what I have done.

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BEARER OF SINS

I am R. L. Dodge, 30 years. I could not see how one may bear others' sins. This is an invitation to people to sin as often as they wish. The Christian advice is always this: sin and sin and sin; don't you ever worry a bout your sins because Jesus is there; he loves you, and he will bear all your sins with all pleasure. Christianity gives its followers an open check for sinning. The church always emphasizes that Jesus came to bear all our sins.

Islam says that everyone is responsible for his own deeds before God and no one bears another's sin. That is it: very simple and very logical. I like the logic of Islam and the individual's ethical accountability adopted by Islam.



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CRUCIFIXION

I am H. P. Harrell, 33 years. All Christianity centers around the cross and Jesus' crucifixion. I don't see how the whole religion may center around one single incident or accident, i.e., crucifixion. Crucifixion happened at the end of Jesus' short three-year mission. What about Jesus' followers who died before his so- called crucifixion? Christianity holds that if you believe in Jesus' crucifixion, you are saved. The problem, accordingly, is that Jesus' followers who died before his crucifixion will go to Hell because they failed to meet the salvation requirements. You cannot build a whole creed on a death incident. Christianity finds pleasure in Jesus' death on the cross. I do not see much guidance in the story of crucifixion. Let alone the strong doubt in the truthfulness of crucifixion per se.

I have come across a book that contains some sayings of Prophet Muhammad. There I read several hundreds of sayings full of daily guidance, legislations, pieces of wisdom, ethics of behavior, and sincere counseling needed by us all. There is a big difference between the two religions: Christianity centering around the cross and Islam centering around guidance. If you hear Christian preachers, their main focus is Jesus' crucifixion; if you hear Muslim preachers, their main focus is guidance related to daily behavior. What actually and practically helps you and me is guidance, not crucifixion stories.


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WHAT IS HE?

I am S. A. Hilden, 37 years. The church talks about Jesus as the son of God. Then it refers to him as God. Until today, I have never been able to see how Jesus could be God and the son of God at the same time. I feel that Christianity is a net of unsolved riddles. There are many statements in The New Testament where Jesus thanks God or prays to God. If Jesus prays to God, then he cannot possibly be God, yet the church chooses to ignore such facts. The church can say whatever it likes to say, but what counts is not to say; it is to convince.

I thought that if Jesus himself prays to God and thanks God, why would we thank Jesus and pray to Jesus? We must thank God, not Jesus.

Christianity has caused me a lot of confusion, in fact. The pastor himself seemed confused too: sometimes he prays to Jesus; sometimes he prays to God; sometimes he prays to God via Jesus. Is Jesus God or God's son or one of three gods or vice-God? The whole thing is just chaos.

Islam gives a clear simple constant answer. Jesus was God's messenger to the people of Israel only. That is it. He is neither God nor God's son. He is just Mary's son, sent by God as His messenger, exactly like Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad.


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Slaying the son!

I am N. M. James, 47 years. The church pastor used to repeat that God slew His son in order to save us, but the story was never received very well in my mind. Why should God slay His only son? Because He loves us. Well, if He loves us, He should love His son even more, and He would not sacrifice him for anyone or anything.

I could not accept the claim that God slew His son Jesus to save us. God, being The Almighty, could surely have a better way, a way fairer and cleaner, rather than slaying His poor innocent kid.

Islam says that God saved Jesus from his enemies, and thus he was not crucified. I accept this Islamic story to be more in line with God's power, mercy, and justice.