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Apologist Rev. Bob Siegel, of Jewish background now a Christian pastor, shares with us one of his favorite Bible passages, Psalm 23. During the challenges he has faced during his journey from Judaism to Christianity the words of this psalm (zabur) have comforted him, especially knowing that surely goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life and he will live with the Lord forever.
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Huda asks Dr. C about how to approach the Bible, so Dr. C gives an introduction to how the Bible is composed for those who know little about it. The Bible consists of the Old Testament, which are the collected holy writings from before Jesus came, and the New Testament, which are the books composed after Jesus came.
The Old Testament reveals to us who God is, and gives us guidance on living a good life. It contains the Torah (known as Taurat to Muslims), which is also called the Law, or the Books of Moses, since he is most closely associated with him. These five books in the Torah include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Old Testament also gives many prophecies of things we see come to pass in the New Testament. The word “testament” means “agreement.” The New Testament does not cancel or “abrogate” the Old Testament, rather it fulfills it. Jesus told his followers that having his new teachings alongside the Old Testament was like adding new treasures to old.
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What is the Bible and how is it put together? These are questions answered in the video segments on Introduction to the Bible and What’s in the Old Testament and What’s in the New Testament. Huda knows that The Bible is the Word of God. Dr. C tells us that is true! It is also called God’s message to us, the story of God and us, God’s love letter to us, and the book which explains the way of salvation.
Like a news article, the Bible answers the big Ws of life: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How. Who? God and us. What happened? What does God expect of us? When did salvation come? Where did we come from and Where are we going? Why are we on earth? And How should we live and get to know God?
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Bible Teacher Mark explains to Dr. C and our viewers that Christians do not read the Bible for points, as Muslims believe accrue to them for reading the Qur’an. The benefit of reading the Bible is to let it purify our minds, let hope, faith, and truth enter it, and live these out in our lives, not for points toward salvation or heaven. Salvation and eternal life in heaven are gifts we receive by humble faith, not effort.
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This reality clip takes you with Dr. C and Huda on their visit to Washington D.C. Besides seeing a few sites of the area, you are encouraged to think about the importance of a map, or GPS. What is the guide for your life? Is it the Qur’an? The Bible? Or simply your impulse of the moment?
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Something here.
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In contrast to Islam, which preserves only the writings from its Prophet Mohammed, the Bible contains the writings of many prophets written over many centuries. It is a far greater challenge to collect the writings of only true prophets over such a long time, than to merely collect the words believed to be revealed to a single prophet. Isn’t it wonderful that we can read and know what God revealed to his men and women over more than 4,000 years?
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“Injeel” is an important word used by Muslims to refer to the Bible, but unfortunately, there is confusion about what it means. In the Qur’an, Injeel refers to the book revealed to Jesus, and means, roughly, “The Gospel.” In practice however, at times Muslims use Injeel to refer to the four gospels, to an individual gospel, to the New Testament, or even the entire Bible. This segment attempts to clarify the distinction between individual gospels, like Injeel Yuhanna for the Gospel of John, the Injeel as the New Testament, etc.
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In this continuation of Dr. C’s discussion on the Bible and the Qur’an, the focus again is not on which book is true, but the different ways that Christians and Muslims approach their holy books (see also “Why Believe the Bible” and “Has the Bible Been Corrupted?”).
Another significant difference between the Bible and the Qur’an is that the actual Arabic words of the Qur’an are believed to have supernatural power in themselvres. For Christians, it is the message of the Bible that holds the power, not the words specifically in the original Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. So, the Bible has the same power in any language. Not so with the Qur’an! It must be read and memorized in Arabic to count. This is a reason that reading and writing in Arabic is so important in Muslim lands, regardless of the national language.
These are some, but not all, of the important differences between the Bible and the Qur’an. By understanding these approaches to the Bible and the Qur’an, we can better understand each others’ religions.
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Filmed in the early spring, we find Dr. C and Huda surrounded by mustard flowers beneath the bare branches of a walnut orchard. Dr. C points to the bright yellow flowers and mentions how they faithfully return every year as spring begins. This faithfulness reminds her of God’s Faithfulness. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, God is with us and cares.
Huda shares with us an example from her week of how it seemed like all her friends had abandoned her, but she was glad to know that God never would. They say we should always rejoice in God’s faithfulness and presence.
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Apologist Bob Siegel adds new light to the discussion of Good Friday and Easter with historical evidence of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Bob is from a Jewish background. Perhaps for this reason he has spent time researching the ancient Jewish historical texts from the time of Jesus, as well as the better known Roman ones. As we discuss elsewhere in more detail, Muslims have difficulty accepting that Jesus died on the cross. Bob tells us that the fact is well documented by sources outside of the Bible. He also mentions that the Jewish histories and commentaries admit that Jesus did fantastic miracles, but attributed them to sorcery. They also say he was put to death for blasphemous statements, like claiming to be God.
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This clip allows us to view the reality of a former Muslim’s first Easter. Huda here has the opportunity to experience Easter for the first time as a Christian, in church with other Christians. Hear part of the sermon by Dr. James Anderson on the hope we have in Easter. Because of Easter, even if life is hard, he tells us that the power of God and the hope of the resurrection give us a new perspective. Easter celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The earth comes back to life in the spring, reminding us of the birth into new life experienced by someone who has become Christian from Muslim. Join us in singing along with the subtitles to Christ the Lord is Risen Today!
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Dr. Cynthia made a presentation at California State University Sacramento on the topic “Why Follow Jesus of the Bible vs. Islam” on September 17, 2016.
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Huda on Islam (English) is a video clip of Huda, a in reality. In it Huda, a former Muslim is driving Dr. Cynthia to a meeting about Islam when she starts talking about Islam. Dr. C grabs the camera to catch her in candid discussion. Huda relates with animation how she feels she was deceived in Islam for many years while she lived in a Muslim country with no access to the truth. She is very glad that now, due to the internet and websites (like this) Muslims across the world finally have access to the truth.
By watching debates, Huda has learned that the Muslim debaters and leaders do not have good answers to the objections put forward by Christians, atheists, and other critics of Islam. She says there are many ugly things about Mohammed and Islam which are hidden from the Muslim world. Because of this, Huda was well into adulthood before she came to America and discovered the truth about Islam. She challenges all Muslims to research through the internet, and every other ways to find out the truth about Islam.
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This clip is the testimony of a former Muslim who for safety’s sake goes by “MBI.” MBI lets us know that before he became a Christian, he used to debate against Christians. He thought he had the truth and the good answers. This former Muslim shares with us two Bible verses that Christians shared with him that opened his mind to the truth and out of Islam: John 14:6 and Romans 5:8. He was stunned to hear that no one came to God except through Jesus, as is said in John’s gospel. He says when he learned that the God of the Bible loved us even when we were sinners, in the contrast of to Allah of the Qur’an who only loved the good, was so striking that it closed the door on Islam for him. Now he is a Christian, a former Muslim who is “sold out” for Jesus!
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While Huda and Dr. Cynthia are on a trip they come across a mosque. This triggers a diatribe by Huda on Mosques in America. As Huda sees it, she had no choice about what religion she would follow until she came to America long into adulthood. She points out the impossible challenges Christians have in trying to build churches in the Middle East, compared with the ease with which Muslims can build mosques in America. She strongly feels this is unfair.
Huda states Muslims should build mosques in their own countries, not America. Dr. Cynthia points out (in the background) that the United States has freedom of religion. As Huda claims in other video clips as well as this one, she fears that Americans will loose their freedoms if Islam takes root by building Mosques in America. She has said, off camera, if Islam gains power in America, “Then women will be nothing again.”
Being candid reality, this video clip exposes Huda’s gut reaction to Mosques in America. It also reveals a glimpse of the Middle Eastern attitude, still held even now that she is a Christian, that not all religions should be allowed in a country. Do not fear however, we at www.ChristianfromMuslim.com are not saying that there should be no mosques in America. In a later instructional clip that was used in this same TV episode, Dr. Cynthia explains why we do indeed allow Mosques in America.
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What Huda likes about the Bible in Arabic with subtitles.
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In this clip of “Dr. Cynthia’s Side,” she discusses the place of disillusion with Islam in the process of Muslims leaving Islam and/or becoming Christian from Muslim. The nearly universal presence of violence and human rights abuses in Muslim countries have caused many to become disillusioned with Islam. When Huda was a Muslim, she looked at the Muslim world, its trials and abuses, from the view that since Islam was the true religion, it must be the best. “No country in the world practices true Islam,” she would say. Iran under the Shah before the revolution she felt was the closest to true Islam, because of the more open attitude there at that time.
However, when an Arab evangelist BE, who works with Dr. C, challenged Huda that the teachings of Islam actually reinforce the abuses in the Muslim world, she began to look into facts for herself. In this way, Huda’s disillusion with Islam because of its principles was added to her disillusion with Islam because of its practices. Her example underscores the teaching of BE that in order for a Muslim to have the courage to leave Islam, they must move beyond disillusion with Islam to knowing that it is wrong.
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New believers commonly ask, “Where do I start reading the Bible?” This is an important question because the Bible is a very large book, and although every part is important, some places are definitely better for a new believer to start reading that others. For many Muslims a good place to start reading the Bible is the first book, Genesis. In Genesis are the stories of Adam, Abraham, and Noah – characters with which Muslims are already familiar and call “prophets.”
It is also important for seekers and new believers to learn about Jesus. The Gospel of John is great favorite among Christians for its beautiful and spiritual analogies. But the Sermon on the Mount is refreshingly powerful in is message, and Muslims should not miss it, so Matthew is an excellent place to start. And you could start reading the Bible with the Gospel of Mark, which being the shortest gospel is very fast paced and gives a quick view of the life of Jesus. Since it is held to be the earliest gospel, it is one that Muslim critics of Christianity are most likely to accept: yet even it shows the remarkable and unique person of Jesus Christ.
And finally, Dr. Cynthia says you can start reading the Bible based on what is being studied at your church or in your Bible study group.
