First of all, I do not discard it. Probably many of the relatively
few historical statements it makes are accurate. Even the theology is
perhaps 80% acceptable. But there are reasons I am not a Muslim.
My current reasons are:
1) The Quran identifies Mariam the mother of Jesus as the sister of
Aaron, Moses' brother. This seems to be a major error putting very
important people in a historical context that is more than 1000 years
off! No proposed Biblical problem is anywhere near this far off the
mark.
2) The Islamic position that Jesus is a prophet but not divine violates
the Lord Liar Lunatic trilemma. If the Gospels are even partially
accurate, Jesus made some (perhaps indirect) claims to Divinty. To
believe in
Islam you must either totally disbelieve the Gospels or believe
they have been changed. I think the evidence for the general
historicity of the Gospels is overwhelmming.
3) If the Gospels were changed, when? If before Mohammed, why does he
speak so favorably of the Bible in the Quran and encourage Christians
to study it? If after, we have manuscripts to disprove this.
4) One day in Singapore I was reading a book by a Muslim apologist who
was trying to convince me that Paul distorted Jesus' teachings. I was
almost persuaded for a few days until I learned that his source, the
epistle of Barnabas, is clearly not authentic. I have always felt some
tension between Paul's teaching and the synoptic Gospels, but have
never felt the two can possibly be in opposition because of Luke - Acts
which bridges the two sides. I believe a contemporary of Paul (Luke?)
wrote Acts
because of the "we" passages around chapter 20.
5) Most Muslims believe that Jesus did not even die on the cross, let
alone get resurrected. I find this extremely unlikely given the first
century Gospel reports. Such a wild idea, first mentioned 600 years
later is just not likely to be true.
6) I much PREFER to believe in Love, salvation by Grace through faith
rather than works. Works is horrible - the most devoted Muslims seem
to be exptremely insecure regarding their own salvation (they may
commit a big
sin tomorrow) which is a motivation for extremism which some have
fallen into.
I know the fourth isn't rigorous, but its important to me.
Fred
P.S. The book of Mormon is even easier to reject. I lived in Utah
seven
years. Mormons usually accept their faith based on a "burning in the
boosom." One day I was with some Mormon missionaries and my boosom did
burn, but my head convinced me that a totally unhistorical book which
claimed to be historical is unlikely to be true. Thus, historicity is
important to me in choosing a belief.
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