The Problem With Islam

Many non-Muslims — even some Christians — are attracted to Islam. It appears to them as a much simpler faith. There are no difficult doctrines such as the Trinity and Islam believes in Jesus, although only as a prophet, not as God.

But Islam as a religion has many problems. Here are a couple of things to consider if you’ve thought about joining that faith.

The Quran has a weak sense of history.
While not everything in the Bible is history, many passages relate to real historical events. They even provide verifiable dates and places. In the Gospels, for example, you read about the birth of Jesus happening during the reign of Caesar Augustus. And St. Paul names individual witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection.

The Quran also recounts many historical events, but without the precision of the Bible. In the Quran, you don’t have as many ways to verify places and time periods.

Plus, most of the historical events in the Quran simply repackage stories found in the Bible and early Christian or Jewish apocryphal literature, like the Gospel of Thomas. We know where the stories come from. The Quran betrays the fact that it was written by men of a specific time and place, rather than prophets inspired by God.

Islam also denies that Jesus was crucified, yet the historical evidence is so great that even many non-Christian historians accept it.

Islam’s moral teaching justifies behaviors few find acceptable today.
For example, there is a passage in the Quran that seems to imply that men can sleep with girls who have not yet reached puberty. There is also justification for hitting women. The morality presented in the Quran stands in stark contrast to Jesus’ teachings.

While many Muslims don’t follow these outdated practices, they still claim that the Quran was dictated by God, which implies that everything in it is true. They have to face the fact that the morality of the Quran falls short of what many people today consider ethically acceptable.

Keep these things in mind if you feel drawn to Islam’s supposed simplicity. Also remember that we Catholics have the most beautiful gift on earth: the Eucharist! Islam doesn’t have anything remotely close to this precious gift. Stay close to Our Lord’s Eucharistic heart and you will want for nothing.