Saturday, December 7, 2024

Why Christianity is True and Islam is False: A Journey of Faith and Reason

By Bobby Darvish, Iranian-American Ex-Muslim, Former Vegan, Former Socialist, Former CAIR-Columbus Executive Director, Former Muslim Forum of Utah President, Christian Conservative LDS Priest


For much of my life, I was bound by the confines of Islamic doctrine, a faith that seemed rigid and unyielding. Raised as a Muslim, the tenets of Islam were ingrained in me, teaching me that God (Allah) was an omnipotent but singular being—so singular, in fact, that the very thought of the Trinity seemed heretical. I now see this concept as one of the fundamental flaws in Islam, and in the course of my journey, I have come to recognize why Christianity—particularly the doctrine of the Trinity—is not only coherent but deeply true.

The Truth of Christianity

Christianity holds a unique and deeply profound understanding of the nature of God. Through the doctrine of the Trinity, Christians believe that God exists as three persons—God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit—yet these three persons are of one essence. This theological understanding is often misunderstood, especially by those from monotheistic backgrounds like Islam, where the emphasis on God’s singularity is overwhelming. But Christianity does not see this as a contradiction. It sees it as a deeper revelation into the fullness of God’s being.

As someone who was once a devout Muslim, I can now appreciate the brilliance and beauty of the Christian conception of God. God, in Christianity, is not an impersonal, invisible bogeyman lurking in the shadows, but a loving, relational being who desires communion with His creation. The Trinity reveals that God, by nature, is not isolated but is in eternal relationship within Himself, a community of perfect love and unity. This is a concept that resonates deeply with my own experiences as I reflect on the importance of relationship and connection in human life.

The Christian doctrine of the Trinity does not limit God—it reveals His complexity and richness. God, as the Father, remains transcendent and sovereign. As the Son, He enters into human history, fully God and fully man, to redeem the broken world. As the Holy Spirit, He empowers believers, dwelling within them. This understanding of God allows for a dynamic and personal relationship with Him, something that Islamic theology—despite its professed reverence for God—fails to offer.

Why Islam is False

In contrast, Islam’s depiction of God is monolithic. Allah is a singular, undivided being, and the very idea of a triune God is considered a grave heresy. Muslims are taught that God cannot be divided into parts, and any attempt to assign human-like attributes to God is seen as blasphemous. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for Muslims to understand the Christian concept of the Trinity.

Islamic theology emphasizes Allah’s absolute transcendence and absolute unity. There is no room for God to relate to humanity in a personal, incarnate way. The Qur’an refers to Allah in the third person, and while Muslims may say that Allah is close to them, He remains distant and unapproachable in a very real sense. I lived with this understanding for years, and despite all the rituals, prayers, and observances, the feeling of being far from God never dissipated. The idea of God as an unknowable, singular entity was not a concept I could reconcile with my deeper yearning for connection with my Creator.

The notion of God as an "invisible bogeyman," to use a phrase from my own journey, is what ultimately led me to question the veracity of Islam. If God is truly all-powerful, then why should His nature be confined to a single, unknowable being? Why, if He is truly loving, would He not reveal Himself fully to humanity? Why would He send a message through an intermediary (Muhammad), with a book that is distant from human experience and too abstract to relate to? Christianity, with its incarnational revelation of God in Jesus Christ, answers these questions in ways that Islam does not.

God Can Do Anything He Wants

One of the most profound realizations I have had since leaving Islam and embracing Christianity is the understanding that God is not limited by human definitions of logic or reason. The God of Christianity is not bound by our expectations. He is free to reveal Himself as He desires, even in ways that transcend our finite understanding. The Christian understanding of God as three-in-one—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is not a contradiction, but a revelation of the fullness of God’s nature.

In Islam, Allah is depicted as being so utterly beyond comprehension that human beings cannot even imagine what He is like. This often leads to a deistic view of God, where He is a distant, detached creator. Christianity, however, offers a more personal relationship with God, rooted in the idea that God can be both transcendent and immanent, both infinite and personal.

The Christian belief in the Incarnation—the idea that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ—is a radical departure from Islamic teachings. But it is also a more complete and satisfying view of God’s nature. A God who would choose to enter into human history, suffer alongside His creation, and die for the sins of the world is a God who demonstrates both incredible power and unimaginable love. This, to me, is the clearest sign that Christianity offers a truer understanding of the divine.

Conclusion: A Personal Transformation

In the end, my journey from Islam to Christianity was not just intellectual, but deeply spiritual. I came to realize that the Christian God is not the distant, invisible force that I had once believed in. Instead, He is a God who is near, a God who loves, a God who sacrifices Himself for His people. The doctrine of the Trinity is not a stumbling block but a revelation of the richness and depth of God’s nature.

For anyone still bound by the falsehoods of Islam, I urge you to seek the truth of Christianity. Christianity does not merely offer a set of doctrines to be followed, but a relationship with the living God who is both Creator and Redeemer. The God of Christianity is not an abstraction; He is real, personal, and active in the world.

I now know, without a doubt, that Christianity is true and Islam is false. The God of the Bible is the one true God, and through the grace of His Son, Jesus Christ, I have found the peace and truth that eluded me for so many years.


Citations

  1. The Holy Bible, New International Version.
  2. The Qur'an, Translation by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem.
  3. "The Doctrine of the Trinity: Christianity’s Central Mystery." Catholic Education Resource Center.
  4. Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. HarperCollins, 2001.
  5. Rahner, Karl. The Trinity. Herder and Herder, 1970.

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