A Christian Apologist's Letter to a Muslim

Friend,

I am glad that you have expressed an interest in Christianity, and am thankful that God has given me the opportunity to share the Gospel of Christ with you. I know that you consider yourself a Muslim, but I hope you will take a serious look at Christianity's answers to your questions and the objections of Islam. While some in the media have suggested that Islam and Christianity are very similar (claiming that the God of the Bible and the Allah of the Quran are the same), that is simply not true.[1]

For example, the concept of "original sin" as described in the Bible is absent from Islam.[2] The Bible teaches that Adam and Eve (the first woman and man created by God) sinned by disobeying God, and that every man and woman born since then has inherited a natural inclination to sin. The apostle Paul expressed this truth in the book of Romans when he said, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned...."[3] Friend, I believe that the existence of original sin can be demonstrated simply by observing the world around us. Does a young child have to be taught to misbehave and be disobedient to his parents? No, children are born with a rebellious nature and must be instructed, corrected, and disciplined by their parents. A child's inherent disposition is to disobedience because he or she has inherited "original sin." The death of Jesus Christ on the cross gives us the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins, however, if we put our faith in Him.