World Religions

Introduction
I. Read Genesis 3:7-13; 4:3-5ff; Acts 14:8-18; 17:22-31. Compare also
Isaiah 41 and Romans 1:18-32.

 What is mankind’s mindset toward God ever since the Fall into sin?

 How does it show itself?

 What does each of the world’s religions have in common?

II. Some interesting stats

 On the world scene

 On the U.S. scene

III. Read Ephesians 6:12 and discuss how the forces of evil are at work
in the following:

 Humanism – the exaltation of ____________________ in the place of God.

 Materialism – the exaltation of ____________________ in the place of God.

 Rationalism – the exaltation of ____________________ above God.

IV. Some discussion questions (from Christianity, Cults, and World
Religions, an adult Bible study course from NPH)

 Why are mainline Christian churches often losing members or barely holding
their own?

 Discuss Gamaliel’s argument concerning the early Christians: “If their purpose or
activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able
to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God” (see Acts
5:27-40). Is the growth of a church body necessarily a sign that God is behind it?
Give examples.

 At times true religion can seem to fail outwardly. Think of the history of the
Prophet Elijah (see I Kings 19:14-18). How did the Lord answer the discouraged
prophet? How does God answer discouraged believers today?

 What are we doing to proclaim the gospel through our congregation or church
body, and what more might we be doing?

 Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5.

 World Religions
Mormonism (Latter-Day Saints)
I. Some facts

 Brief history

1823 – 17 year old Joseph Smith; vision of angel Moroni; tablets; golden
spectacles; “reformed” Egyptian; Book of Mormon; Palmyra, NY

1830 – church founded

from NY to Ohio, Missouri, Illinois

1844 – Joseph and Hyrum Smith murdered in Carthage, Illinois by angry mob

post 1844 – majority head west to Utah under leadership of Brigham Young

 Membership

1949 - 1,000,000
1959 – 1,620,000
1969 – 2,810,000
1979 - 4,400,000
1989 – 7,000,000
2000 – 11,394,500 (5.2 in U.S.)

II. What are Mormons known for?

III. What are some of Mormonism’s unique teachings?

 “God”

 Eternal progression (aka gaining eternal life, exaltation, having an eternal family)

 Perfection
  Their “scripture”
IV. Why do you think Mormons view themselves as Christian?

V. A closer examination of Mormons’ view of

 Jesus

 Grace

 Forgiveness

VI. Why would it be good to know and use the following passages when
speaking with someone who is LDS?

 Matthew 5:48

 Hebrews 10:10-14

 Ephesians 2:1-10

 Romans 5:12-19
 World Religions
Islam (“peace” or “submission to
the will of Allah”)
I. Some facts

 Islam’s place in the world and U.S.

 1.3 billion (Christianity – 2 billion skewed)

 Where do you think the highest concentration of Muslims is?

 Where do you think Islam is growing quickly?

 Islam’s role in U.S. - overheads

 Brief history

 Muhammed – A.D. 570-632

 Born in Mecca (Makkah)

 Shepherd; fasting and meditation

 Angel Gabriel – revelations over 20 year period

 Recited to followers Koran (Quran)

 Koran about 85% the length of NT

II. What are some of Islam’s teachings?

 “God” – Allah – “There is no god but Allah;” reject Trinity as “joining gods with God.”
  Jesus – another one in long line of prophets, “only a messenger of Allah”, not the eternal
Son of God and Savior of the world; – greatest is Muhammed

Certainly they disbelieve who say: “Allah is Christ the son of Mary” But Christ said: “O
Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” Whoever joins other gods with
Allah—Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire will be his abode. For the wrong-doers,
there will no one to help. They disbelieve who say: “Allah is one of the Trinity”: for there is
no god except the One God. If they do not refrain from their word (of blasphemy), verily a
grievous punishment will befall the disbelievers among them. (5: 73, 74).

“They who set their face Godward and do what is right – their reward is therefore with their
Lord, and no fear shall come on them, neither shall they be grieved.”

 The Five Pillars of Islam

 The Pillars of Faith

III. What are some similarities between Mormonism and Islam? What’s the
biggest similarity?

IV. Where would you start in a discussion with a Muslim? What passages
might you use?

 Romans 3:9-31

 Mark 10:17-27

 Luke 24:1-12 (Colossians 1:15-23)

 Galatians 3:26-4:7
• The first of these "Pillars" is the belief in the oneness of God, which in Islam is called
Tawhid. It means that God is a Unity that is Eternal and Absolute; that He is the All-
Powerful Creator, the Sovereign Ruler and Sustainer of the whole universe; and that
there is none like Him. The universe runs on His Natural Laws; and in the sphere of
His moral laws, which are applicable to the human beings who have limited freedom,
one has to be consciously and willfully obedient to Him. This belief in God is central
to the Muslim's faith and actions. A Muslim is one who subjects all the concerns of
his life to the commands of the One and Only God. God's laws take precedence over
all other considerations and so a Muslim lives in accordance with the Holy Qur'an,
and the Prophet’s example (the Sunnah).
• The second Pillar of Islam is salah or the ritual prayer of Islam. Five times a day,
Muslims turn towards the Ka’bah in Makkah (Mecca) and perform ritual prayers. The
method and manner of this ritualistic prayer is modeled on the example of Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) given during his lifetime. Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) used to lead the congregation of Muslims in Makkah and
Madinah in prayer, thus demonstrating to them the way in which prayer should be
performed. The prayer consists of reciting the first Surah (chapter) of the Qur'an, Al-
Fatihah, referred to as "the seven oft-repeated verses," followed by the recitation of
a chosen verse or verses of the Qur'an, and various praises to God. For each
segment of the prayer, a Muslim adopts a distinguishing bodily position, beginning
with standing and placing hands across the heart, and then bowing and kneeling.
Muslims repeat these positions a prescribed number of times depending on which
prayer is being performed. The five daily prayers are the morning prayer (Fajr), the
noon prayer (Dhuhar), the afternoon prayer (Asr), the evening prayer (Maghrib),
and the night prayer (Ishaa). To pray five times a day is a duty incumbent on every
Muslim.
• The third Pillar of Islam is Zakat, or mandatory charity, which is like a tax levied
annually upon the Muslim's savings and investments. The money collected thus is
distributed to the most deserving, according to the norms given in the Qur’an. The
Zakat provides a source of revenue for the Muslim State in the form of a combination
of income tax and wealth tax. It is seen as an act of worship where the rich provide
for the poor and the needy.

• The fourth Pillar is the fast of Ramadhan (a month of the Hijra calendar). This
obligatory fast commemorates the revelation of the Holy Qur'an. Muslims fast
approximately 29 to 30 days of Ramadhan. From dawn to dusk Muslims abstain from
food and drink, sexual intercourse and all actions that blemish righteousness. People
who are ill or on a journey and women who are in childbirth and in their monthly
courses are exempted from fasting; they should compensate when they are free
from those constraints.

• The fifth Pillar of Islam is the pilgrimage, or Hajj. This is a duty binding only on those
who are physically able and who can afford it. The Hajj is a pilgrimage undertaken to
the holy places in and around the city of Makkah. The most important site is the
Ka’bah (the house of God) which is in the heart of the city. The pilgrims have to
perform certain religious rituals and prayers in the same way as they were
performed by Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and his Companions, and long
before them by Abraham and his wife Hagar.

Source: Islam Online.com

Note: As with all other religions listed on this page (including Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism
and Hinduism), not all historical branches of Islam consider each other acceptably orthodox. The
numerically largest branch of Islam, Sunnis, believe that adherence to the five pillars of Islam
and acceptance of certain key doctrinal positions are requisite for an individual's classification as
a Muslim. Statistical data collection and secular/academic classification, however, are primarily
based on self-identification and historical considerations.

The Druze, for example, are not considered part of the numerically dominant (i.e. "mainstream")
Muslim grouping. But Druze are classified from a secular/historical perspective as a branch of
Islam because they are derived from a branch of Shi'ite Islam. Having developed independently
for hundreds of years, their cultural and religious self-concept is primarily Druze, without regard
to how outside groups perceive or classify them. Nevertheless, they retain some self-concept as
Muslims in addition to their clear historical ties.

This is merely a list of major branches of Islam. There are other groups which fall outside of the
groups listed here. In the United States the Nation of Islam has varied widely in numerical and
ideological prominence among American Muslims. It has variously been considered both
heretical and acceptable by other Muslims. Sufism has been variously classified as a separate
branch, a pan-Muslim movement, an order, a discipline, and as heretical or acceptable, as viewed
by other groups. Movements such as the Moorish Science Temple and the Five Percenters have
arisen from time to time, but have remained numerically minor. On balance, of course, Islam has
exhibited far less division into different branches than other large religions.

Source: Adherents.com
Likewise, Sunni Islam is not a religious body in the traditional organizational sense, but it is
highly cohesive in doctrine and core practice (the hajj, especially, has a powerful unifying
effect). There is an Islamic Conference which "represents" one billion Muslims worldwide. The
Islamic Conference is not really a religious body, however, but a forum for consultation and
discussion by national Muslim leaders.

Including Sunni Islam as a single block makes more sense and is far simpler than trying to list
large national Muslim bodies, because most Muslims live in Muslim states, where, unless they
register otherwise, they are Muslim by nationality. As individuals, most Muslims do not belong
to churches or religious bodies in the sense that most Christians do.

It should be noted that during the past twenty years the rift between Shiite and Sunni Muslims
has been mended to a large degree. The Islamic University of Cairo, one of the leading academic
voices in the world of Islam, has stated that Shiites form a "fifth school" of Islam and are part of
the same communion. Nevertheless, given the profound cultural and some doctrinal differences
between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, these two branches of Islam, taken together, can not be
compared to a "religious body." Where Shiites and Sunnis coexist in the same geographical
regions they usually form their own, separate mosques.

Shi'ite Islam: As with Sunni Islam, Shi'ite (or Shia) Islam is NOT a single religious body, but is
the second major branch of Islam. See Major Branches of Major World Religions. Shi'ite
Muslims number approximately 125 million worldwide and live primarily in Iran, Iraq, Saudi
Arabia and the Indian subcontinent. Possibly, if Sunnis are listed on this page, then Shi'ite
Muslims should be as well. But Shi'ite Islam, as a whole, appears to act as a single "religious
body" to a lesser degree than worldwide Sunni Islam.

Source: Adherents.com

Islam. Muslim leaders in the United States optimistically estimate that there are approximately
6.5 million Muslims in the country (Aly Abuzaakouk, American Muslim Council, 1999). More
recent newspaper accounts (2001) frequently refer to an estimated 8 million American Muslims.
This would equate to 3% of the U.S. population, or roughly 1 in every 33 people in the country.
No comparable figure has been confirmed by independent research similar to the Kosmin or
Glenmary studies, or the Gallup, Harris, Barna. polls. Currently, surveys consistently report less
than 1% of people surveyed identify themselves as Muslims. Muslim community leaders say that
many American Muslims are relatively recent immigrants who either do not have telephone
service, or do not participate in surveys. Researchers generally agree that the estimate of 300,000
Muslims in the Kosmin study (1990) and Kosmin's adjusted estimate (to 500,000) are too small
to reflect current (year 2001) numbers of American Muslims. The latest edition (2000) of the
annual Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches estimates 3,950,000 Muslims in
America. According to a study released by the American Jewish Committee in October
2001, the highest possible realistic estimate for the current number of Muslims in the
United States is 2.8 million.

Source: Adherents.com
The sayings and deeds of the Prophet recounted in the sunna are also an important
source of belief and practice in Islam. The religious obligations of all Muslims are
summed up in the Five Pillars of Islam. The fundamental concept in Islam is the Sharia,
or Law, which embraces the total way of life commanded by God. Observant Muslims
pray five times a day and join in community worship on Fridays at the mosque, where
worship is led by an imam.

Sacred scripture of Islam, regarded by Muslims as the infallible word of God, revealed
to the Prophet Muhammad. The book, first compiled in its authoritative form in the 7th
cent., consists of 114 chapters (suras) of varying length, written in Arabic. The earliest
suras call for moral and religious obedience in light of the coming Day of Judgment; the
ones written later provide directives for the creation of a social structure that will support
the moral life called for by God. The Quran also provides detailed accounts of the joys
of paradise and the terrors of hell. Muslims believe the God who spoke to Muhammad is
the God worshiped by Jews and Christians, but that the revelations received by those
religions are incomplete. Emphasis on the stern justice of God is tempered by frequent
references to his mercy and compassion. The Quran demands absolute submission
(islam) to God and his word, and it serves as the primary source of Islamic law. It is
regarded as immutable in both form and content; traditionally translation was forbidden.
The translations available today are regarded as paraphrases to facilitate understanding
of the actual scripture.

In Islam, the central doctrine that calls on believers to combat the enemies of their
religion. According to the Quran and the Hadith, jihad is a duty that may be fulfilled in
four ways: by the heart, the tongue, the hand, and the sword. The first way (known in
Sufism as the "greater jihad") involves struggling against evil desires. The ways of the
tongue and hand call for verbal defense and right actions. The jihad of the sword
involves waging war against enemies of Islam. Believers who die in combat become
martyrs and are guaranteed a place in paradise. In the 20th cent. the concept of jihad
has sometimes been used as an ideological weapon in the effort to combat Western
influences and secular governments and establish an ideal Islamic society.

Yahoo Encyc. Brittanica Concise

Islam is a complete way of life; and one who accepts it has to commit
himself totally to God. He should be ready to bring the entire spectrum of his
attitudes, aspirations and activities into harmony with the Will of the
Creator.

By Pillars of Faith are meant the fundamental beliefs a Muslim holds as part
of his submission to God. These are distinguished from the Pillars of Islam,
which are ritualistic actions based on the beliefs.

The articles of faith are six, and they are:

• Believe in Allah as the One God, the Creator, the Sustainer, and the
Sovereign Law-Giver of the Universe.

• Believe in God's angels who are God’s agents of Divine providence and
action.

• Believe in the Books of God; such as the Holy Qur'an, the Last and the
Complete Book of God revealed to Muhammad (peace be on him), and
in the other Holy Books, like the Torah, (revealed to Moses), the
Psalms (revealed to David), and the Gospel (revealed to Jesus).

• Believe in God's Messengers, who include among others, Adam the

first man, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad, the
Last of the Prophets. “There never was a people to whom a prophet
was not sent.” (Holy Qur’an).

• Believe in the Last Day, the Resurrection of the dead, the Day of
Judgment, and the Eternal Life Hereafter.

• Believe in Divine Pre-ordainment. Every thing that happens here,

whether good or bad, can happen only with the knowledge of God.

Source: Islam Online.com