Basic
Worldview:
104
Why Christianity?
Islam
Conclusions
Evidentiary
Religions - Islam Introduction
Koran
and Judeo-Christian Apostles
Koran
and Judeo-Christian Scriptures
Koran
Contradicts Judeo-Christianity (Part 1)
Koran
Contradicts Judeo-Christianity (Part 2)
Koran
Contradicts Judeo-Christianity (Part 3)
Koran
Contradicts Judeo-Christianity (Part 4)
Another
Gospel and Explaining the Success of Islam (P. 1)
Explaining
the Success of Islam (Part 2)
Explaining
the Success of Islam (Part 3)
Islam
Conclusions
Introduction | Section 1
| Section 2 | Section
3
In closing, we have now thoroughly demonstrated from both
common reference materials and the Koran itself that the success
of Islam was the simple outcome of natural, human activity
rather than a divine mandate. Financial incentive was provided
both for conversion and for fighting by means of dividing
the spoils of the raids to Muslim families who participated.
Financial incentive led to more converts. Increased fighters
led to increased military victories. Increased military success
led to more converts and more financial spoils for Muslims,
which in turn provided still further incentive to fight, conquer,
and spread Islam.
All these excerpts from both the Koran as well as common reference
sources thoroughly establish that the spread of Islam is due
to military conquest by Mohammed and his successors. Therefore,
the rapid expansion of Islam and subsequent conversion of
large numbers of people does not indicate God's mandate for
Mohammed or Islam. Instead, the rapid expansion and subsequent
conversions are simply the natural result of military conquest.
At this point, some might suggest that this military success
is itself a sign providing evidence of God's mandate of Islam.
However, the fact is that many historic figures who did not
subscribe to Islam have been able to conquer and control large
regions of the world both before and since Mohammed. Among
the many military leaders who were not remotely Islamic, there
are Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C), Genghis Khan (1167-1227 AD),
Charlemagne (742-814 AD), Napoleon (1769-1821 AD), and Adolf
Hitler (1889-1945 AD) just to name a few.
In short, if military success proved the particular religious
views of the conqueror, then we would be forced to conclude
that the religion of every conqueror in history is the true
religion. The fact that other men besides Mohammed have been
able to assert their values on other peoples through military
conquest without being Muslim demonstrates quite sufficiently
that the Islamic military success on its own does NOT in any
way prove the legitimacy of Islam.
Instead, we are left simply with the fact that Islam grew
both during and after Mohammed's lifetime through normal,
military conquest. Military conquest does not prove the religion
of the conqueror. So, Islam's growth and military success
add absolutely no credibility to Islam. In fact, the opposite
is true. Since Islam's growth can be explained through military
conquest and given the fact that Mohammed and the Koran are
self-contradicting, there is no reason whatsoever to accept
Islam as anything more than the invention and life's work
of a military conqueror named Mohammed without any help or
involvement of God.
And this brings us back to our recurring question that we've
been addressing throughout this article series. Anyone can
stand up and claim to have a message from God or about God.
But the question is, as people who sincerely want to know,
how are we to determine whether or not someone is actually
speaking the truth from God? How are we to know if they are
speaking divine truths or if they are just pretending or delusional?
In the case of Mohammed, there is no reason to believe his
message is actually from God as he claimed. He performed no
miracles. The Koran, which he claimed were his revelations
from God, are self-contradicting. The very same apostles and
scriptures that he affirms and appeals to as confirmation
of his own divine mandate deny him and his religious views.
Mohammed's message is entirely self-serving, making him the
pinnacle figure of all religions and granting him both financial
income and political authority from this status. And even
the successful spread of Mohammed's religious claims can be
explained by his prolonged military conquest without needing
to assume that God aided in Islam's rise and expansion.
In short, we have no evidence whatsoever to support Mohammed's
claim that his message was from God. And therefore, we not
only can but also should conclude that Mohammed
was just a man on his own who, despite his claims, was not
sent from God. As such, the claims and beliefs of Islam about
God should be regarded as nothing more than human imaginations
and inventions.
Now, opponents might point out that Judaism, too, has its
share of militant conquest required by the teaching of Moses
and carried out under Joshua as the Israelites took over the
Promised Land. While this is true, it is necessary to point
out that the authors of this website do not appeal to the
Israelites conquering of the Promise Land as evidence validating
the divine origin of Judaism. Since we do not appeal to Jewish
military conquest as proof for the validity of Judaism, it
is perfectly legitimate for us to argue that Islam's military
success doesn't prove the validity of Islam, as we have done
above.
Similarly, there is also no shortage of wars and battles fought
in the name of Christ, starting with the Constantine's Battle
of Milvian Bridge (312 AD) near Rome and most notably exemplified
in the infamous Crusades. However, such historic fighting
does not refute or diminish our arguments here for two reasons.
First, we denounce these wars as completely incompatible with
New Testament Christianity. Christ and the New Testament expressly
forbid Christians from engaging in violent acts including
warfare. So, despite the fact that wars were waged in the
name of Christianity, all such wars are in direct contradiction
of Christian doctrine as expressed in the New Testament. (For
more on this topic, please visit our article entitled, "Christianity
and War.")
Second, Christianity rose to prominence during nearly 3 centuries
of persecution and only afterward did men begin to wage war
falsely under the banner of Christianity. So, unlike Islam,
Christianity's growth and establishment as a religion did
not occur through fighting or warfare of any kind. As such,
our criticisms of Islam as a religion that arose through mere
human military prowess remain legitimate and do not apply
to Christianity.
Islam, Christianity, Conversion, and Persecution
While financial benefits and military force provided sufficient
motivation for conversion to Islam in the first few centuries,
we can see that the motivation for accepting Christianity
in its opening centuries was entirely the opposite. As we
will see and as we have partially already seen in our last
section, not only was persecution of Muslims quite mild by
comparison to what Christians endured, Islam actually became
the persecutor of unbelievers in a relatively short time after
Mohammed's flight to Medina.
This section of our study begins with Mohammed's protected
status in Mecca before his flight to Medina in 622 AD.
"Muhammad - About 610, as he reflected on such matters,
Muhammad had a vision of a majestic being (later identified
with the angel Gabriel) and heard a voice saying to him,
"You are the Messenger of God." This marked the beginning
of his career as messenger (or apostle) of God (rasul Alla
H ), or Prophet (nabi )." - Britannica.com
It is important to establish the timeframe for when Mohammed
began preaching Islam. From the above quote we can see that
this began around 610 AD. This is important because it will
demonstrate exactly how long Mohammed is able to preach his
new religious views before his flight to Medina in 622 AD.
"Muhammad - Though his grandfather had been head
of the prestigious Hashem (Hashim) clan and was prominent
in Mecca politics, he was probably not the leading man
in Mecca, as some sources suggest. Muhammad came under
the care of the new head of the clan, his uncle Abu T alib,
and is reputed to have accompanied him on trading journeys
to Syria." - Britannica.com
As can be seen from the excerpt above, by birth Mohammed was
a member of at least one of if not the most prominent clan
in Meccan politics. His grandfather was the head of the clan.
And when Mohammed began to preach Islam in 610 AD, he still
enjoyed the clan's protection despite the fact that some found
his teachings to be quite an annoyance.
"Muhammad - In about 616 Abu Jahl organized a boycott
of the clan of Hashim by the chief clans of Mecca, allegedly
because the clan continued to protect Muhammad and did not
curb his preaching...After three years the boycott lost momentum,
perhaps because some of the participants found they were harming
their own economic interests." - Britannica.com
Mohammed doesn't flee to Medina until 622 AD. We can see that
as early as 616 AD, opposition to Mohammed was attempting
to silence him. However, the opposition's efforts were unsuccessful
because of the ongoing protection of Mohammed by his families
membership in the Hashim clan, the most prominent clan in
Mecca.
But protection from the clan didn't prevent all persecution
to Mohammed and his small number of followers.
"Muhammad - Commercial pressure was brought to bear
on Muhammad's supporters, and in some families there
was mild persecution of junior members who followed him."
- Britannica.com
"Muhammad - It is difficult to assess the nature and
extent of the persecution of the Muslims in Mecca. There
was little physical violence, and that almost always within
the family. Muhammad suffered from minor annoyances,
such as having filth deposited outside his door." - Britannica.com
So, there was "mild" persecution of Mohammed's early followers
in Mecca. And while this persecution included unbelieving
family members putting pressure on Muslim converts, commercial
pressure, and putting trash and refuse outside of Mohammed's
door. The "mild" nature of these inconveniences becomes obvious
in light of what Christian's suffered in the opening centuries
of the Christian faith, which we will examine later in this
article series.
To a large extent, Mohammed's protection through the Hashim
clan kept the opposition unsuccessful. In other words, while
from it's beginning Christianity suffered opposition from
those in power, both from the rulers of the Jews as well as
the Romans, Islam's early years before the flight to Medina
were largely marked by protection by the ruling class.
Nevertheless, the protection came to a close in 619 AD, after
almost a full decade in which Mohammed's preaching was under
the broad protection of the prominent Hashim clan.
"Muhammad - Both Muhammad's wife, Khadijah, and his
uncle Abu T alib died in about 619, and another uncle,
Abu Lahab, succeeded as head of the clan of Hashim. He
was closer to the richest merchants, and at their instigation
he withdrew the protection of the clan from Muhammad.
This meant that Muhammad could easily be attacked and
therefore could no longer propagate his religion in Mecca."
- Britannica.com
With the change in leadership in the Hashim clan from one
of Mohammed's uncles to another, Mohammed lost his protected
status in Mecca. This loss of protection in 619 AD, resulted
in Mohammed's famous flight to Medina in 622. It was only
during this 3-year time from 619 to 622 AD that Mohammed had
to endure growing opposition without protection by the ruling
class. And even if the persecution of Muslims in Mecca from
610-622 AD was more severe than indicated by these quotes,
it was still quite insignificant as a deterrent to conversion
for two reasons.
First, this persecution comes largely comes to an end when
Mohammed migrates to Medina in 622 AD, after which he and
his followers become a military force of their own. And second,
the growth of Islam to significant numbers occurs after the
flight to Medina at which time Mohammed and the Muslims begin
to have significant military victories against opposing groups.
So, the persecution that occurs before the flight to Medina
does not in any way provide a deterrent to the significant
growth of Islam, which occurred after that persecution was
largely ended by Mohammed's own military action.
At this point, it is necessary for us to highlight the dramatic
contrast between the short-lived and relatively mild persecution
of Mohammed and Muslims to the severe persecution endured
suffered for centuries by early Christians.
Demonstrating this contrast is necessary for the following
reason. While conversion to Islam can be explained as a response
to the twin motivations of financial gain and military force
under relatively mild and short-lived persecution, conversion
to Christianity cannot be explained away by such normal, natural
means. The following contrasts between Christian and Muslim
persecution are striking and significant. (The early years
of Christianity will be explored in greater detail in a later
section of this series.)
1.) Ruling class protection vs. ruling-class persecution.
"Muhammad - In about 616 Abu Jahl organized a boycott
of the clan of Hashim by the chief clans of Mecca, allegedly
because the clan continued to protect Muhammad and did not
curb his preaching." - Britannica.com
"Muhammad - Both Muhammad's wife, Khadijah, and his
uncle Abu T alib died in about 619, and another uncle,
Abu Lahab, succeeded as head of the clan of Hashim. He
was closer to the richest merchants, and at their instigation
he withdrew the protection of the clan from Muhammad."
- Britannica.com
"Christianity - For 250 years it was a martyrs'
church; the persecutions were fueled by the refusal of
Christians to worship the state and the Roman emperor."
- The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
Islam - Mohammed enjoyed protected-status from the
ruling class of Mecca for nearly a decade after he began preaching.
Christianity - Early Christianity faced constant opposition
from its start through the first few centuries by the most
powerful government in the world, the Roman Empire.
2.) Short-lived persecution vs. centuries of persecution.
"Muhammad - The emigrants (muhajirun, the men from
Mecca) were at first guests of brother Muslims in Medina,
but Muhammad cannot have contemplated this situation continuing
indefinitely. A few emigrants carried on trade in the local
market run by a Jewish clan. Others, with the approval
of Muhammad, set out in normal Arab fashion on razzias (ghazawat,
"raids") in the hope of intercepting Meccan caravans passing
near Medina on their way to Syria." - Britannica.com
"Muhammad - On March 15, 624, near a place called
Badr, the two forces found themselves in a situation,
perhaps contrived by Muhammad, from which neither could withdraw
without disgrace. In the ensuing battle at least 45 Meccans
were killed, including Abu Jahl and other leading men,
and nearly 70 taken prisoner, while only 14 Muslims died.
To Muhammad this appeared to be a divine vindication of his
prophethood, and he and all the Muslims were greatly elated."
- Britannica.com
"Christianity - For 250 years it was a martyrs'
church; the persecutions were fueled by the refusal of
Christians to worship the state and the Roman emperor." -
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
Islam - The persecution of early Muslims was relatively
short, lasting little more than a decade, including the period
of mild persecution during Hashim protection in Mecca. This
persecution was arguably brought to an by 622-24 AD, when
Mohammed and his followers began to assert themselves militarily,
including the attacking of caravans and defeating the Meccans.
Christianity - the persecution of early Christians
lasted for centuries.
3.) Mild persecution vs. severe persecution.
"Muhammad - Commercial pressure was brought
to bear on Muhammad's supporters, and in some families
there was mild persecution of junior members who followed
him." - Britannica.com
"Muhammad - It is difficult to assess the nature and
extent of the persecution of the Muslims in Mecca. There
was little physical violence, and that almost always within
the family. Muhammad suffered from minor annoyances,
such as having filth deposited outside his door." - Britannica.com
"Circus - The Roman circus was a round or oval structure
with tiers of seats for spectators, enclosing a space in which
the races, games, and gladiatorial combats took place...Other
famous circi of Rome were the Circus Flaminius (221 B.C.);
the Circus Neronis, of Caligula and Nero, at which many
Christians perished; and the Circus Maxentius." - The
Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be
afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of
all nations for my name's sake.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it
is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
2 Corinthians 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken;
cast down, but not destroyed;...11 For we which
live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that
the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal
flesh.
Islam - Early Muslims endured commercial pressure,
family pressure, and, occasional refuse outside of Mohammed's
door.
Christianity - The persecution of early Christians
was severe involving torture and gruesome death.
4.) Financial benefits vs. poverty.
"Muhammad - The emigrants (muhajirun, the men from
Mecca) were at first guests of brother Muslims in Medina,
but Muhammad cannot have contemplated this situation continuing
indefinitely. A few emigrants carried on trade in the local
market run by a Jewish clan. Others, with the approval
of Muhammad, set out in normal Arab fashion on razzias (ghazawat,
"raids") in the hope of intercepting Meccan caravans passing
near Medina on their way to Syria." - Britannica.com
"Muhammad - In March 624 he was able to lead about
315 men on a razzia to attack a wealthy Meccan caravan returning
from Syria." - Britannica.com
"Muhammad, prophet of Islam - Medina had a large
Jewish population which controlled most of the wealth of the
city, and they steadfastly refused to give their new
ruler any kind of religious allegiance. Muhammad, after a
long quarrel, appropriated much of their property, and his
first actual conquest was the oasis of Khaibar, occupied by
the Jews, in 628." - The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth
Edition. 2001.
"Muhammad - Muhammad spent 15 to 20 days in Mecca settling
various matters of administration...To relieve the poorest
among his followers, he demanded loans from some of the
wealthy Meccans." - Britannica.com
"d. Early Christianity - The early Christian community
comprised poor Jews and Greeks and was led by Peter, who
seemed to have espoused a doctrine of freedom from Jewish
law, which quickly led to violent reactions by observant Jews."
- The Encyclopedia of World History. 2001.
1 Corinthians 4:11 Even unto this present hour we
both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted,
and have no certain dwellingplace;
James 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not
God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs
of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love
him?
2 Corinthians 6:10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing;
as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing,
and yet possessing all things.
Islam - Muslim converts made a living by making raiding
on caravans, sanctioned and ordered by Mohammed. The spoils
from these raids were given as a financial gain to the converts.
Christianity - Early Christians remained among the
poorest of the poor in the Roman Empire for the first three
centuries of the Christian faith. The rich among the early
Christians helped the poor by giving up their own property
and possessions.
5.) Persecutors vs. persecuted.
"Muhammad - The emigrants (muhajirun, the men from
Mecca) were at first guests of brother Muslims in Medina,
but Muhammad cannot have contemplated this situation continuing
indefinitely. A few emigrants carried on trade in the local
market run by a Jewish clan. Others, with the approval
of Muhammad, set out in normal Arab fashion on razzias (ghazawat,
"raids") in the hope of intercepting Meccan caravans passing
near Medina on their way to Syria." - Britannica.com
"Muhammad, prophet of Islam - Medina had a large
Jewish population which controlled most of the wealth of the
city, and they steadfastly refused to give their new
ruler any kind of religious allegiance. Muhammad, after a
long quarrel, appropriated much of their property, and his
first actual conquest was the oasis of Khaibar, occupied by
the Jews, in 628." - The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth
Edition. 2001.
"Muhammad - In the flush of victory some persons
in Medina who had satirized Muhammad in verse were assassinated,
perhaps with his connivance...The remaining waverers among
the Arabs probably became Muslims about this time. Thus
the victory of Badr greatly strengthened Muhammad." -
Britannica.com
1 Corinthians 4:11 Even unto this present hour we both
hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have
no certain dwellingplace; 12 And labour, working with our
own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we
suffer it: 13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as
the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things
unto this day.
Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you:
bless, and curse not.
1 Peter 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing
that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren
that are in the world.
Islam - As the three excerpts above demonstrate, shortly
after the migration to Medina, Mohammed and his converts began
to take on the role of the persecutor, attacking unbelieving
caravans, assassinating critics, and confiscating the wealth
of other unbelieving groups such as the Jews.
Christianity - For nearly the first three-hundred years,
early Christians followed a policy of strict non-aggression
in accordance with the command to turn the other cheek and
often in the face of torture and violence. (For further information
about the early Christians and their strict refusal to act
in violence, please visit our two-part article entitled, "Christianity
and War.")
6.) Provocation vs. religious persecution.
"Muhammad - The emigrants (muhajirun, the men from
Mecca) were at first guests of brother Muslims in Medina,
but Muhammad cannot have contemplated this situation continuing
indefinitely. A few emigrants carried on trade in the local
market run by a Jewish clan. Others, with the approval
of Muhammad, set out in normal Arab fashion on razzias (ghazawat,
"raids") in the hope of intercepting Meccan caravans passing
near Medina on their way to Syria." - Britannica.com
"Muhammad - At last, in January 624, a small band
of men was sent eastward with sealed orders telling them
to proceed to Nakhlah, near Mecca, and attack a caravan
from Yemen. This they did successfully, and in doing so
they violated pagan ideas of sanctity - thereby making
the Meccans aware of the seriousness of the threat from Muhammad."
- Britannica.com
"Muhammad, prophet of Islam - Medina lies on the
caravan route N of Mecca, and the Kuraishites of Mecca
could not endure the thought of their outlawed relative
taking vengeance on his native city by plundering their caravans."
- The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
"Christianity - For 250 years it was a martyrs' church;
the persecutions were fueled by the refusal of Christians
to worship the state and the Roman emperor." - The Columbia
Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001.
Islam - After the flight to Medina, the persecution
of Muslims was in large part provoked by the Muslim practice
of raiding caravans from Mecca and other unbelieving groups.
Christianity - Christians engaged in no acts of violence
or crime and their only provocation was their peaceful proclamation
of their beliefs, which stood in denial of the beliefs of
both the public and the Roman Empire itself.
In conclusion, we can see that while conversion to Islam can
be explained as a response to the twin motivations of financial
gain and Mohammed's military force after a relatively mild
and short-lived persecution, conversion to Christianity cannot
be explained away by such normal, natural means. Converting
to Islam meant going along with the natural flow of Mohammed's
military force and financial incentives. Conversion to Christianity
meant going against the flow of the military force of Rome
without the possibility of any financial elevation. Having
seen that the rise of Islam is easily explained by Mohammed's
military strength and financial incentives, the fact that
Christianity had none of these favorable conditions means
that the rise of Christianity cannot be explained in terms
of the natural, human factors that led to the expansion of
Islam. Instead, we are left to inquire about exactly what
could have motivated so many early Christians for almost three
hundred years to accept a religion that would guarantee them
nothing in this life except poverty, persecution, exile, and
death.
Conclusions about Islam
So, we conclude from this intensive study that we must reject
Islam's claims as well. There are two main reasons for this
rejection. First, though Islam has historically identifiable
origins these origins do not provide any reason for concluding
that Mohammed's teachings are an accurate view of God, the
universe, and mankind. Instead, the circumstances surrounding
the origin and rise of Islam can clearly be understood simply
as a product of normal human affairs and ambitions.
It is also necessary to point out that these normal human
affairs and ambitions are available to us within the
historical record concerning Mohammed and the rise of Islam.
In other words, the existence of military raids, the sharing
of spoils with those who participated in fighting, the exaltation
of Islam and Mohammed through military conquest, and the absence
of miracles performed by Mohammed are all a part of the historical
record. Thus, the explanation of Islam's rise to prominence
based upon the combination of these factors does not require
us to employ centuries removed "after-the-fact" speculations
or modern contrivances superimposed upon the historical record
in order to explain the events and circumstances that led
to the popular acceptance of Islam.
As we will see later on in our next section, this fact stands
in striking contrast to the modern criticisms against the
central events of Christianity, which necessarily employ superimposed,
"after-the-fact" modern speculations that are completely foreign
to the available historical record.
Second, the evidence that Islam does offer to substantiate
the accuracy of its claims has shown to be invalid. Islam
contends that it is the final successor to the Judeo-Christian
tradition, which it claims expected Islam and which Islam
also claims to fulfill and confirm. However, as we have shown
above neither Judaism nor Christianity allows for the teachings
of Mohammed. And additionally, Islam undermines the fundamental
claims made by both of its supposed predecessors.
In this way, Islam is similar to Sikhism or Baha'ism, which
we looked at in our previous section. These two religions,
which claimed to spring from and yet supercede Islamic teaching,
were dismissed in part because both relied upon Islamic tradition
as a foundation for their own views and then contradicted
the main tenets of the Islamic tradition with their own views.
In doing so, Sikhism and Baha'ism were shown to be in contradiction
of themselves. For if Islam is in error where Sikhism or Baha'ism
disagree with its teachings then Islam cannot provide the
historic foundations for Sikhism or Baha'ism. In which case,
both religions' affirmation that the Islamic tradition was
a message from God is in error since both religions also deny
the main tenets of the Islamic message from God by asserting
their own claims.
Likewise, Islam is also invalidated by its claims to come
from and uphold the Judeo-Christian tradition, which Islam
claims is from God. Since the Judeo-Christian tradition in
no way permits Islamic teaching then Islam must be in error
either in its own teaching, which deviates from that of Judaism
and Christianity, or Islam must be in error in its assertion
that the Judeo-Christian tradition is of God.
Despite the fact that Islam is an Evidentiary religion, an
examination of that evidence has revealed that it does not
substantiate the claims of Islam. But instead, the evidence
offered actually contradicts Islam. So, for both of the reasons
summarized in the preceding paragraphs, we reject the claims
of Islam and proceed to the final stage of our study, our
analysis of Judaism and Christianity.
