Let’s process together. For each issue, select one letter that best reflects your position. Name * First Name Last Name Email * 1. My view of religions is that: * a. All roads lead to Rome. b. Goodness and morality are the essence of religions. c. They are an essential part of the human psychological and sociological need. Although God is the absolute truth, no single religious system is infallible or completely satisfactory. d. There is only one ultimate truth, and that is God. e. There is only one religion that is truly from God: Christianity. 2. Islam was: * a. A religion that originated from God, but like all religions, it has undergone many human influences as well. b. A sociopolitical phenomenon, successful because of its strong religious ideological element, which was carried over essentially from the Judeo-Christian tradition. c. A human developed religion whose understanding of God is misleading. d. A scheme developed and carried out by the devil. e. A sociopolitical phenomenon like any other successful religious movement of human history. 3. Muhammad was: * a. A charismatic prophetical and political leader who genuinely believed he had received a divine prophetic calling for his people. b. Misled and may have had some psychological problems that led him to believe that he had received a prophetic calling. c. Possessed by demons, an antichrist whose mission was to deceive all people. d. A shrewd sociopolitical leader who knew how to use his contemporary economic and historical realities to the advantage of his community and personal ends. e. To some degree the recipient of a divine calling to be God's prophet to the Arabs. 4. The Qur'an: * a. Was a plagiarism of the Bible and contains many mistakes and inaccuracies. b. Was inspired by the devil and is full of lies and deceit. Merely reading it renders a person unclean. c. Was a literary achievement of Muhammad himself or some of his entourage, which Muhammad used to impress a society that was strongly attracted to poetic literature. d. Contains substantial elements of the divine truth and is to be respected as Scripture. e. Was Muhammad’s genuine attempt to provide what he believed to be the essential elements of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures in the Arabic language. 5. Practicing Muslims are: * a. The deceived followers of a religion who have nothing good to offer the world. b. Adherents of a religious ideology that offers a viable code of ethics and makes them into good citizens. c. Viewed positively by God when they faithfully strive to be pious and devout. d. Primarily concerned to please God, but they lack the ability to enjoy a deep, personal relationship with him through Christ. e. Being misled by a worldly religion that drives them away from the worship of the true God. 6. In the end: * a. Muslims will go to hell, because they have fallen to deception. b. Muslims will not be saved, because they did not come to a knowledge of Christ. c. Muslims who are genuine seekers may come to a knowledge of Christ even based on the Qur’an. d. Muslims will be saved if they are faithful to the religion of Islam. e. Muslims, like all other people, will be saved by the unlimited benevolence of God. 7. My purpose in relating with Muslims is: * a. To evangelize them by demonstrating to them the truth of Christianity and refuting the validity of Islam. b. To have an opportunity to witness about the unique elements that Christ brings to enrich human beings’ relationship with God. c. To encourage mutual social and religious understanding and tolerance between Christian and Muslim communities. d. To invite Muslims to be a positive part of a multicultural and multireligious universal humanity in all its rich plurality. e. To demonstrate to Muslims the falsity and deceitfulness of Islam and save as many of them as possible from perdition. 8. In interacting with Muslims, the best methods are: * a. The use of the Qur’an, the Bible and other elements of both traditions as a foundation for discussing theological, doctrinal, and cultural issues. b. The affirmation of common ground and avoidance of divisive issues. c. To dialogue on social, economic, and political issues. d. To accentuate religious differences and use polemics to discredit Islam, or not to relate to Muslims at all. e. Public debates that make heavy use of apologetic arguments. 9. I believe that my interaction with Muslims should lead: * a. To positive transformation of mutual perceptions and relationships b. To greater tolerance and appreciation between communities. c. To the accentuation of differences between religious communities and to the prevailing of Christianity. d. Muslims to convert to Christianity by being convinced of the prevailing truth of Christianity above all other religions. e. To deeply impact Muslim societies without creating immediate enmity between members of the community, avoiding “extraction” for those who might take up Christ. 10. In order to interact effectively with Muslims, I believe that: * a. I need to comprehend Islam as a political reality. b. I need to learn all the weaknesses and problems in Islam. c. I need to acquire a though knowledge of the answers to Islamic questions and challenges. d. I need to acquire a thorough insider’s knowledge of Islam. e. I need to comprehend the broad lines of Islam as a religion. Thank you!
