While reading a book this afternoon, I came across a six paragraph article regarding the term “assassin.” What it reveals is not suprising given both past and present history.

Some murderers are called assassins because this name was given in the 11th Century to a sect of Shi’ite Muslim fanatics who pledged themselves to murder those who did not believe in their religion.

The word assassin comes from the Arab hashishi or hashish eater, supposedly because the killers were alleged to take hashish to give ecstatic visions of paradise before setting out on a mission which might well end in their own deaths.

The Family Book of Questions and Answers, edited by Anthony Addison, (London: Treasure Press, 1987), 122.

However, the veracity of this explanation is questionsed by some. An online search introduced the idea that the hashish connection actually comes from Marco Polo’s account of his visit to Alamut in 1273.

The Old Man kept at his court such boys of twelve years old as seemed to him destined to become courageous men. When the Old Man sent them into the garden in groups of four, ten or twenty, he game them hashish to drink [sic]. They slept for three days, then they were carried sleeping into the garden where he had them awakened.

When these young men woke, and found themselves in the garden with all these marvelous things, they truly believed themselves to be in paradise. And these damsels were always with them in songs and great entertainments; they; received everything they asked for, so that they would never have left that garden of their own will.

And when the Old Man wished to kill someone, he would take him and say: “Go and do this thing. I do this because I want to make you return to paradise.” And the assassins go and perform the deed willingly.

“ETYMOLOGY OF ASSASSIN” as viewed at http://www.alamut.com/subj/ideologies/alamut/etymolAss.html on January 29, 2008.

To be honest, I’m not overly concerned about the etymology of the word. What struck me initially was how things haven’t changed over the years. Muslims are still killing people for religious leaders and “assassins” are still hoping their actions will earn them paradise. How sad it is that so many people have willingly given their lives for a lie. That makes biblical evangelism and mission all the more important as they will perish unless they hear the gospel.

For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Romans 10:13-15

Who then will go?

A lawyer expressed his belief in the following terms, and it is the faith of every true Roman Catholic: “The sacrifice of Christ atones for our original sin, but the actual sins of our lives need to be purged by good works, obedience to the Church, and at last by the fires of purgatory, which are more or less severe and lengthy, according to the circumstances and actions of the person in this life, from which he is ultimately liberated by the intercession of Mary.”

McConnell, William W., “Roman Catholicism in Theory and Practice,” published in the March 1904 edition of The Missionary Review of the World.

Remember Martin Luther and his 95 Theses? Luther later spoke out against the Roman Catholic Church and the pope because of its non-biblical teachings and practices. A good student of the Bible and history will find that Luther was right to oppose the Church of his time for its deviance. But what about now? Has the Roman Catholic Church changed its ways?

Evangelicals and Catholics Together was an attempt for both sides to sing “Why can’t we be friends?” but it didn’t (hopefully) convince the majority of true Christians. From what I have read and experienced personally, it is quite apparent that the Catholic Church is still practicing and teaching error. Consider the following chart about salvation as ample evidence.

Followers of the Islamic religion have been in the news quite a bit since September 11, 2001. And the American people have bent over backward to protect the rights of this minority group in our country. And yet the dangerous beliefs and actions propagated by its founder and many of its current teachers are still not quite understood by most people. It is my hope that the following article may help Christians to understand this false religion and to be able to present the truth to its followers.

History

“Sources on Muhammad’s life concur that he was born ca. 570 CE in the city of Mecca in Arabia. He was orphaned at a young age and was brought up by his uncle, later worked mostly as a merchant, and was married by age 26. At some point, discontented with life in Mecca, he retreated to a cave in the surrounding mountains for meditation and reflection. According to Islamic tradition, it was here at age 40, in the month of Ramadan, where he received his first revelation from God. Three years after this event, Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that ‘God is One,’ that complete ‘surrender’ to Him (lit. islām)] is the only way (dīn), acceptable to God, and that he was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, and other prophets.

“Muhammad gained few followers early on, and was largely met with hostility from the tribes of Mecca; he was treated harshly and so were his followers. To escape persecution, Muhammad and his followers migrated to Yathrib (Medina) in the year 622. This historic event, the Hijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. In Medina, Muhammad managed to unite the conflicting tribes, and after eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, his followers, who by then had grown to ten thousand, conquered Mecca. In 632, on returning to Medina from his ‘Farewell pilgrimage’, Muhammad fell ill and died. By the time of his death, most of Arabia had converted to Islam. (“Muhammad”)

Five Pillars

“For the Muslim, attaining heaven (or Paradise) rests upon five pillars, or five good works. These are the confession of faith, prayer (with purification), fasting, giving alms, and the pilgrimmage to Mecca. …[Some Muslims] were asked if doing these things would asure one of a place in heaven. They responded that they could not be certain” (Dickson 13; see also the “Five Pillars” articles in the bibliography).

Jihad

“The term ‘Jihad’ used without any qualifiers is generally understood to be referring to war on behalf of Islam. … In Muslim tradition, the world is divided into two houses: the House of Islamic Peace (Dar al-Salam), in which Muslim governments rule and Muslim law prevails, and the House of War (Dar al-Harb), the rest of the world, still inhabited and, more important, ruled by infidels. The presumption is that by natural law these domains will compete and fighting is inevitable therefore the duty of jihad will continue, interrupted only by truces, until all the world either adopts the Muslim faith or submits to Muslim rule. Those who fight in the jihad qualify for rewards in both worlds—booty in this one, paradise in the next. For most of the recorded history of Islam, from the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad onward, the word jihad was used in a primarily military sense.” (“Jihad”)

False Teaching

While Muslims may be commended for their diligent quest to please “God,” their beliefs are a direct contradiction to what the one, true God has revealed in the Bible. When narrowed down to a short list, the following questions reveal the differences between Islam and Christianity. (For a more comprehensive list of the differences, see M. J. Bardon’s chart in the bibliography.)

1. Is the Bible or the Quran true?

Christians believe that the Bible is inspired by God and is the final rule for faith and practice (2 Tim. 3:14-17). Muslims believe that the Quran is the final revelation of God and that it supercedes what is taught in the “corrupted” Bible of Jews and Christians.

2. Are Allah and the God of the Bible the same?

The Bible teaches that God wants to be known and that he expressed his love for mankind by sending his Son to die for the sins of the world (Jer. 29:13; Acts 17:27; John 3:16). Muslims believe that Allah is unknowable but hope that he will be merciful and reward them for their good deeds after death.

3. Is Jesus just a prophet or is he God?

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the perfect God who became man to die on the cross for the sins of the world (Matt. 1:21-23; John 1:14). Muslims believe that Jesus was not divine but was simply a prophet who taught good things. They also believe that Jesus was rescued from the cross and that he did not die or rise from the dead.

4. How can anyone be accepted by God and get to heaven?

The Bible teaches that God saves from eternal punishment only those who repent of their sins and receive the Lord Jesus as the substitute for their sins (John 1:12; 2 Cor. 5:21). Muslims believe that paradise is a probability for those who follow the Five Pillars of Islam. But in the end, they hope that Allah will be merciful.

Reaching Muslims

1. Show them God’s love (John 3:16; Rom. 5:6-8).

“Christians can share with Muslims that the Christian God transcends man’s finitude and sinfulness because He cares about people individually, and He loves individuals. Divine love is a concept missing from Islam and yet essential to human peace and happiness with God. A powerful witness of Scripture to God’s love is John 3:16.” (Martin 367)

2. Show them the Biblical Jesus (John 1:1-3; John 14:6; Col. 1:15-19).

“When told about Jesus, many Muslims will refuse to listen, claiming that our scriptures are distorted and untrustworthy.” However, the Bible is still true and must be believed. “Jesus Christ is truly God and is the only way to salvation.” (Martin 367)

3. Show them how to find true peace with God (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-10).

“Tell the Muslim the good news that salvation and peace with God does not depend on his own insufficient efforts, but on the grace of God displayed through the atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross. No one can work his way to heaven (or Muslim paradise). The Muslim will agree that Allah could justly choose to bar all men from paradise since no man is perfect as Allah is perfect. However, biblical salvation does not depend on man’s imperfections. Biblical salvation depends on the work and love of God.” (Martin 367)

4. Show them a positive example (1 Tim. 4:12).

“When a Christian can demonstrate the power of the Word of God through the Holy Spirit, and use his own life as an example of the joy and peace possible to those who love Jesus Christ, he becomes an effective example… . (Martin 367)