Searching For God And Finding Allah

By Gene Netto

What does Islam say about Christianity, Jesus, the Trinity, the Holy Bible, and Almighty God? What does Islam say about the Absolute Truth of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad, and the Holy Qur’an (also spelled Koran)? If there is only One Almighty God, then Christians and Muslims must be praying to the same God. So, what are the differences between the two religions, and why do Muslims reject Christianity, the Bible, and Jesus as the Son of God, but still accept Jesus as a prophet of God?

For non-devout and ex-Christians, this book will explain the problems with Christianity from an Islamic perspective. It will also explain that the Prophet Muhammad was sent to replace Jesus as the next person in a succession of prophets that started with the Prophet Adam and finished with the Prophet Muhammad. For Muslims who grew up without a strong religious education, this book will explain that all religions are not the same, that Christianity is no longer valid or accepted by God, and that we should use the logical brains that God gave us to understand Islam.

In this book, you will discover that Islam is simply the continuation of Judaism and Christianity, that Islam is the One True Religion of Almighty God and always has been since the time of Adam and Eve, and that the Prophet Muhammad is the next messenger and also the Final Messenger from God, that Jesus promised to his followers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gene Netto
• Release date: Jun 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781913227784

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 Gene Netto

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise — without prior written permission of the author, except in the case of quotations in reviews and other noncommercial uses permitted by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests and all other queries, please contact the author via email.

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Publisher: Gene Netto

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Website: www.genenetto.com

Contents

DEDICATION

NOTES

1. Quotes from the Holy Qur’an

2. Quotes from the Holy Bible

3. Quotes from the Hadith (Narrations)

4. Who Are Christians?

5. Who Are Muslims?

6. Use of the Words God and Allah

7. The Pronoun We for Almighty God in the Qur’an

8. The Names of Prophets

9. The Use of PBUH After the Name Muhammad

GLOSSARY

INTRODUCTION

1. HOW I BECAME A MUSLIM AND WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK

1.1. In the Beginning

1.2. Learning About Islam and Becoming a Muslim

1.3. What Is the Purpose of This Book?

1.4. All Human Beings Can Be Good or Bad

2. A SUCCESSION OF PROPHETS

2.1. Three Religions or One: Who Is a Muslim?

2.2. Jews, Christians, and Muslims Accept the Concept of Succession, but Only Muslims Accept All of the Prophets

2.3. Did the Succession of Prophets Stop with Moses or Jesus?

2.4. Another Advocate

2.5. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth

2.6. Unless I Go Away, the Advocate Will Not Come to You

2.7. Is Muhammad the Advocate Promised by Jesus?

3. A SIGN FROM GOD

3.1. There Is No Trinity and Jesus Is Not God

3.2. Jesus Is Not the Son of God

3.3. Jesus Was Not Crucified and Did Not Die

3.4. There Is No Original Sin for Jesus to Erase

3.5. There Is No Salvation Through the Death of Jesus

3.6. Jesus Was Raised Up by God

3.7. Jesus Will Return to Earth as a Muslim Leader

3.8. Jesus Never Asked to Be Worshiped

3.9. Christians Are Disbelievers

3.10. Only Christians Go to Heaven?

3.11. The True Fate of Christians

3.12. What Does This Mean?

3.13. God Gave Us Logical and Intelligent Brains, but Some People Refuse to See His Signs

4. FOLLOWERS OF JESUS

4.1. Jesus Did Not Go to Church

4.2. Jesus Followed the Sabbath

4.3. Jesus Read the Torah or the Bible?

4.4. Jesus Prays to God

4.5. Jesus Bows Down While Praying

4.6. Jesus Never Made Any Statues

4.7. Final Words from Jesus to His Followers

5. FOLLOWERS OF JESUS AND FOLLOWERS OF MUHAMMAD

5.1. How Are People Influenced?

5.2. Comparison of Jesus and His Followers with the Prophet Muhammad and His Followers

5.3. Who or What Are Christians Following?

6. THE TRUTH OF ISLAM

6.1. All Religions Are Not the Same: Islam Is the Only True Religion and Also the Final Religion from Almighty God

6.2. Muhammad Is the Final Prophet

6.3. The Qur’an Is Not from Muhammad

6.4. Almighty God Revealed and Protects the Qur’an

6.5. Only Disbelievers Dispute God’s Verses

6.6. Almighty God Is the Enemy of the Disbelievers

6.7. Good Deeds Are Not Accepted from the Disbelievers

6.8. A Disbeliever Is Like a Non-Employee: They Have No Rights

6.9. Most People Just Follow Their Parents in Ignorance

6.10. Almighty God Could Easily Make Everyone Follow His One True Religion If He Wanted to Do That

6.11. After Seeing Hell, the Disbelievers Will Ask to Return to Earth

6.12. Only Die as a Muslim

7. THIS IS WHAT ALMIGHTY GOD SAYS ABOUT THE HOLY QUR’AN

7.1. The Qur’an Is from Almighty God (Allah)

7.2. The Qur’an Is Free from Corruption

7.3. The Qur’an Was Created for People Who Will Think and Reflect

7.4. The Qur’an Is Full of Guidance for the Believers

7.5. The Qur’an Is a Reminder and a Warning

7.6. Many People Will Reject the Qur’an and Islam

7.7. Muhammad Is Not Responsible for Those People Who Disbelieve in the Qur’an

7.8. The Qur’an Confirms the Previous Scriptures: Jews and Christians Should Recognize the Word of God

7.9. People Who Reject the Qur’an Will Regret That Decision in the Afterlife

7.10. Almighty God Could Take the Qur’an Away!

8. A LOGICAL RELIGION

8.1. There Is Only One Almighty God and He Is Eternal

8.2. Almighty God Calls Himself Allah in the Qur’an

8.3. The Meaning of Life: Life Is a Test

8.4. Belief in Destiny

8.5. We Are Responsible for Our Own Sins and Only God Can Forgive Us

8.6. The End of the World

8.7. The Day of Resurrection (Judgment Day)

8.8. The Afterlife: Heaven and Hell

8.9. Islam and Science

8.10. Islam and Science: Orbit of Celestial Objects

8.11. Islam and Science: The Big Bang and the Expanding Universe

8.12. Islam and Science: All Life Originated from Water

8.13. Can Miracles Be Logical?

8.14. Miracles of Muhammad

8.15. The Origin of the Ka’bah and Its Importance in Islam

8.16. All Prophets of God and Their Holy Books Are Accepted in Islam

8.17. The Holy Qur’an Is God’s Final Testament: It Was Dictated, Memorized, and Recorded in Writing at the Time of the Prophet Muhammad

8.18. The Holy Qur’an Is Still in the Original Language of the Prophet Muhammad, and Its Message Has Not Changed

8.19. The Method of Formal Prayers (Salat) That Was Created by God and Given to Muhammad Has Not Changed

8.20. Fasting During the Holy Month of Ramadan Has Not Changed

8.21. Payment of Zakat (Alms/Tax) Has Not Changed

8.22. The Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) Has Not Changed

8.23. All Good People Do Not Go to Heaven: Islam Is the Only Way

8.24. God Wants Us to Use Our Intelligent and Logical Brains

9. A LOGICAL REASON WHY WE CANNOT SEE GOD

9.1. Moses Wanted to See God as Well

9.2. The Curse of God on Satan (the Devil)

9.3. Adam, Satan, and the Killer of 100 People

9.4. The Benefit for Us If God Is Not Visible

10. OUR SPIRITUAL NEEDS AND GOD’S SOLUTION

10.1. Physical Needs

10.2. Emotional Needs

10.3. Spiritual Needs

10.4. How Can We Fulfill Our Spiritual Needs?

10.5. God Created the Five Daily Prayers (Salat) to Fulfill Our Spiritual Needs

10.6. Is it Difficult to Pray Five Times Per Day?

11. IT IS YOUR CHOICE: YOU CAN ACCEPT GOD OR REJECT HIM

11.1. For Christians and Ex-Christians

11.2. If You Are Uncertain, Ask God to Help You

11.3. Becoming a Muslim is Very Easy

11.4. What Do Muslims Say in the Five Daily Prayers?

11.5. For Muslims

12. CONCLUSION: THIS IS THE END. OR THE BEGINNING.

About the Author

Endnotes

DEDICATION

I first met my teacher KH. Masyhuri Syahid MA (1933-2007) a few months after I became a Muslim, and then he started teaching me every week. I soon discovered the depth of his knowledge and the beauty of his character. He treated all of his guests with great kindness and patience, and he was always available for anyone who wanted to talk with him. He demonstrated how to be a wise, knowledgeable, kind-hearted, benevolent, modest, unassuming, and noble Muslim. In 2007, he passed away at the age of 75 years old. This book is dedicated to him.

NOTES

1. Quotes from the Holy Qur’an

Quotes from the Holy Qur’an in English were copied from two online sources. First, from the website Quran.com, available at www.quran.com. And second, from King Saud University, available at www.Qur’an.ksu.edu.sa. (Select the English Translation). Please note that the Arabic word Qur’an is usually spelled Koran in English. See Al-Qur’an in the Glossary for more information. Only the translations of Qur’an verses are provided in this book because including the original Arabic verses would not be useful to many readers who cannot understand the Arabic text.

Quoted verses are followed by a reference to the verse, that consists of four parts: name of the holy book, chapter name in Arabic, chapter number, and verse number. For example, a quote of verse 85 from chapter 3, known as Ali Imran, is written as: (Al-Qur’an, Ali Imran 3:85).

2. Quotes from the Holy Bible

All quotes from the Holy Bible were copied from the website BibleGateway.com, available at www.biblegateway.com. The version of the Bible used is the New International Version.

Quoted verses are followed by a reference to the verse, that consists of five parts: name of the holy book, Old or New Testament, book name, book chapter, and verse number. For example, a quote of verse 49 from Chapter 12 in the Gospel of John is written as: (The Bible, New Testament, John 12:49).

3. Quotes from the Hadith (Narrations)

Most of the hadith (narrations) quoted in this book were copied from two online sources. First, from the website HadithCollection.com, available at www.hadithcollection.com. And second, from the website Sunnah.com, available at www.sunnah.com. Some hadith referred to Muhammad PBUH with the word Apostle and others used Messenger. All uses of Apostle were changed to Messenger to avoid any confusion.

4. Who Are Christians?

In this book, I talk about Christians. There are many divisions in Christianity, and so the comments given may not represent the beliefs of every Christian. However, most Christians are very similar, so the word Christians is used to mean all Christians in a general sense. The assumption is that most Christians believe in Almighty God, believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, believe in the Holy Trinity, and believe in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Most Christians are followers of the Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox Churches, and so all Christians are discussed as a single group, regardless of any differences they have.

5. Who Are Muslims?

In this book, I talk about Muslims. Most of the world’s Muslims are known as Sunni Muslims. There are also minority Shia Muslims, and others. However, most Muslims are very similar, so the word Muslims means all Muslims in a general sense. The assumption is that most Muslims believe in Almighty God, believe in the Prophet Muhammad PBUH as the Final Messenger of God, and believe in the Holy Qur’an as the Final Holy Book from Almighty God. All Muslims are discussed as a single group, regardless of any differences they have.

6. Use of the Words God and Allah

In the Holy Qur’an, it is stated that the name of Almighty God is Allah. Muslims believe that this Almighty God was the same God of Adam, the God of Abraham, the God of Moses, the God of Jesus, and the God of Muhammad PBUH. In the text, I have used the words God and Almighty God for the benefit of readers who are not familiar with Islam. Non-Muslims may find it strange to see Qur’an verses referring to Allah, rather than God, but if readers understand that Allah and God have the same meaning for Muslims, then hopefully there will be no confusion.

7. The Pronoun We for Almighty God in the Qur’an

9. Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.

— (Al-Qur’an, Al-Hijr 15:9)

There are some verses in the Holy Qur’an where Almighty God refers to Himself using the pronoun We. Some Christians might misunderstand and think that this is proof of a Trinity, but the Qur’an makes it extremely clear that there is no Trinity, and that God has no partners. The Prophet Muhammad PBUH never explained God’s use of We in the Qur’an, and so Muslim scholars are permitted to give their own analysis.

There are two common explanations. First, this could be a royal We. This is a function in many languages where the speaker gives themselves a higher, majestic status that is superior to everyone else. In some countries, members of royal families and people with a high social status might use the pronoun we when talking about themselves.

Second, this use of We could also mean that other individuals, such as angels, humans, or other things that we do not know about, were also involved in a specific action. So, when God talks about something that He did but says that We did it, then we can think about who else might be involved in that action, aside from God.

8. The Names of Prophets

Throughout the text, I have used the names of the prophets as they are known in Christianity, and so those names should be familiar to most English-speaking readers even if they are not Christians. I have sometimes given the names of those prophets as they are known in Islam so that non-Muslim readers will be aware of both names and will understand that those prophets are mentioned in the Holy Bible and in the Holy Qur’an.

For example, the Prophet Abraham is written as Abraham or sometimes as Abraham (Ibrahim). Jesus is known in Islam as the Prophet ‘Isa and is written as Jesus or as Jesus (‘Isa). The name Muhammad is used with only one spelling. The names of the prophets mentioned in the text, and the different spellings of their names that are used in Islam, are in the Glossary.

9. The Use of PBUH After the Name Muhammad

The Prophet Muhammad PBUH is considered by Muslims to be one of Almighty God’s most beloved prophets and messengers, just like Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. So, Muslims are taught to always pray for Muhammad PBUH whenever we say his name. The Arabic prayer for him is translated into English as Peace Be Upon Him (PBUH). So, the example used in this book is: the Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

GLOSSARY

Some common Islamic words are used throughout this book because they are an important part of Islam. For example, Muslims might talk about salat instead of praying as salat is a special type of praying, which involves bowing down to place the forehead on the floor and then standing up again. The translation for each Islamic word is given with its first use in every chapter and then again randomly throughout the chapter if it is often repeated.

ISLAMIC TERMS / COMMON TRANSLATIONS OR MEANINGS

Al-Qur’an — The Koran. The holy book used by Muslims. Qur’an is a more accurate spelling of the word Koran that is used in English. Al-Qur’an = the Koran.

Allah — The Name of Almighty God in the Holy Qur’an.

Daud — The Prophet David.

Dhul Hijjah — The name of a month in the Islamic calendar when Muslims perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.

Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha — The two holy days of celebration in the Islamic calendar that were celebrated by the Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

Hadith — A narration or written statement. The hadith are a written collection of the statements and actions of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. They were first memorized by his companions and then later recorded in writing. The name of the scholar who made the collection is also given. So, Hadith Bukhari is a narration that was collected by a scholar named Imam Bukhari. There are tens of thousands of written narrations. They are compiled in large collections created by numerous different scholars.

Hadith Sahih Bukhari / Hadith Sahih Muslim — The Authentic Hadith Collections of Bukhari and Muslim. These are the two most famous collections of narrations that were created by two Muslim scholars known as Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim. Their collections contain thousands of narrations that are considered authentic (sahih). So, Hadith Sahih Bukhari = Authentic Narration collected by Bukhari.

Hajj — The major pilgrimage to Mecca, which is compulsory for all Muslims once in their lifetime if they can afford it.

Iblis (or Shaitan) — Satan, The Devil.

Ibrahim — The Prophet Abraham.

Injil — The Islamic name for the Gospels, the holy book that was given to Jesus (‘Isa) by Almighty God. (Injil is also spelled Injeel.)

‘Isa — Jesus (known in Islam as a prophet of God, and not the Son of God).

Jibril — The Archangel Gabriel.

Jinn — (Mentioned in the Qur’an). The jinn are a race of invisible creatures that God created before Adam and Eve. The Qur’an says that the Devil (Satan) is one of the jinn and not an angel (although there is some debate about that). The Devil’s descendants are also invisible jinn, and they are commonly known as evil spirits or demons. There are billions of jinn all around us, and just like human beings, they are also required to worship God, but they do not. So, most of the jinn will try to influence mankind in a negative way to take us away from God. However, some of the jinn became Muslims when they heard the Prophet Muhammad PBUH reciting the Qur’an. The Arabic word jinn became genie in English, as in a genie in a bottle.

Ka’bah — This is a small, stone building that was built by the Prophet Abraham in Mecca. It was the first House of God ever built on earth and has existed there from the time of Abraham until today. The Great Mosque in Mecca was built around the Ka’bah.

Maryam — Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Masjid-al-Haram — The Great Mosque in Mecca, which was built around the Ka’bah (the first House of God on earth).

Musa — The Prophet Moses.

PBUH — Abbreviation for Peace Be Upon Him. This is the English translation of an Arabic prayer for the Prophet Muhammad that Muslims often say after mentioning his name. This example used in this book is: the Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

Qur’an — See Al-Qur’an.

Salat — A specific style of ritual prayers in Islam. (Salat is also spelled salah.) There are five compulsory daily prayers, where Muslims must bow down in submission to Almighty God. There are also other optional prayers. To perform salat, Muslims must wash their faces, hands and feet, stand in rows, facing Mecca, read the first chapter of the Qur’an, read additional short chapters or verses, bow down and stand up, and then repeat the same actions until the required number of units has been completed. From the start of the prayer, to bowing down, to standing up again creates one complete unit. The final unit ends with sitting down. One prayer time consists of 2-4 units, and the whole prayer can be completed in less than five minutes.

Shahada — The Islamic Declaration of Faith (two sentences said in Arabic to become a Muslim).

Shaitan (or Iblis) — Satan, the Devil.

Sulaiman — The Prophet Solomon.

Surah — Chapter of the Qur’an, followed by its name, e.g. Surah Maryam = Chapter Mary.

Umrah — The minor pilgrimage to Mecca.

Zakat — Alms or tax. Known in Christianity as alms, zakat is a type of tax (or compulsory charitable payment) that all wealthy Muslims must pay. Generally, it is 2.5% of a person’s total wealth, after it reaches the minimum level (85 grams of gold) and has been owned for one year. It can only be given to 8 specific groups of people, such as people who are very poor, people in debt, slaves who can buy their freedom, people or activities working in the path of God (e.g. students), and so on.

INTRODUCTION

What does Islam say about Christianity, Jesus, the Trinity, the Bible, and Almighty God? What does Islam say about the Absolute Truth of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, and the Holy Qur’an? If there is only One Almighty God, then Christians and Muslims must be praying to the same God. So, what are the differences between the two religions, and why do Muslims reject Christianity, the Bible, and Jesus as the Son of God?

Most people who grew up in a Christian-majority country would not be able to answer those questions very easily, and when I was a child in New Zealand, I had no information about Islamic teachings either. My family was Catholic, and so I was taught to be a Christian until, at the age of 11, I decided that the teachings of Christianity were too illogical and could not be accepted. But Islam was not an option at that time because I knew almost nothing about it. So, what could I do? When it seemed that there were no logical religions available, I became an atheist.

Much later, at university in Australia, I met a Muslim person for the first time in my life, and he said something that made me curious about Islam. He said that in Islam only God could forgive us for our sins, and no priests were allowed to do that on behalf of God. Although that seemed very logical, I did not believe that any logical religions existed because all religions were man-made, and there was no God. So, I started to investigate Islam to prove to myself that Islam was also an illogical religion, just like Christianity, and I was certain that I would find many reasons not to believe in Islam or in Almighty God. But against my expectations, the opposite happened, and I slowly learned that Islam is built upon a foundation of simple, clear, and logical teachings. That surprising discovery led me to study Islam for the next 5 years until finally, at the age of 25, I felt that I had no choice but to become a Muslim because Islam was so logical that I could not reject it.

Now, after more than 20 years of studying Islam, I have also learned a great deal about Christianity at the same time. The reason is that I continuously meet people who are thinking about becoming Muslims, and so they want to ask me a lot of questions about how to understand the relationship between Christianity and Islam. While talking with those people, I have to explain the basic teachings of Islam and also explain why Muslims cannot accept the teachings of Christianity. In other words, what does Islam say is wrong with Christianity?

Clear verses in the Holy Qur’an say that the Crucifixion of Jesus never happened. God gave someone else the same physical appearance as Jesus, and that person was arrested and crucified instead of Jesus. Then, Jesus was raised up from this earth, without ever dying, and he will return before Judgment Day. The Qur’an states that there is no Trinity, that Jesus is not the Son of God, and that people who say such things about Almighty God have no knowledge about the Truth, and they will be punished by God in the afterlife. That is obviously not easy for any Christians to hear! But according to the Holy Qur’an, which Muslims accept as the Final Testament from Almighty God, this is the Absolute Truth, and the fact that Christians may dislike something does not prevent that fact from being true.

For Christians and ex-Christians, this book will explain how Islam views Christianity, what the fundamental problems with Christianity are, and why Islam teaches that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH was sent to replace Jesus as the next person in a long succession of prophets that started with the Prophet Adam and finished with the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. This book will try to help Christians understand that their experience of being a Christian, or an ex-Christian, can lead them towards accepting Islam and becoming faithful to Almighty God according to His Rules rather than man-made religious teachings.

For Muslims, this book will explain that Christianity is not the same as Islam, that all religions are not the same, and that all good people are not allowed to go to Heaven. Non-devout Muslims should try to accept the fact that they were already blessed by being born as Muslims, but perhaps they never understood Islam very deeply. Maybe they thought that praying five times per day was not very important, and so they did not spend much time learning about Islam. Some of those non-devout Muslims may have also considered becoming Christians because they thought that Christianity and Islam were almost the same. Hopefully after reading this book, they will see Islam in a new light and will want to search for Almighty God once again, through Islam.

The meaning of life is that life is a Test. We must try to find out the Truth about Almighty God, worship and obey Him according to His Rules, and then we will pass His Test and be permitted to live forever in Heaven. But in order to pass His Test, we must accept all of God’s prophets and messengers, and all of the holy books that were given to them by God. According to Islam, Muslims are the only people who remain faithful to God because we accept all of His prophets, and their holy books, and reject none.

If you would like to understand what Islam teaches about Christianity, and why Muslims believe in the Absolute Truth of Islam, then this book is for you. You will discover that Islam is simply the continuation of Christianity and Judaism, that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH is simply the next prophet after Jesus, that Islam is the One True Religion of Almighty God, and that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH was sent to all of mankind as the Final Messenger from God.

— Gene Netto

1. HOW I BECAME A MUSLIM AND WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK

I began writing this chapter because I was always telling the same stories to people in Indonesia who were curious about how I became a Muslim. Whenever I complained about repeating the same story, my friends jokingly said that I should write a book. At the same time, whenever my students asked what I would like to do if I was not an English teacher, then I usually said that I would like to be a writer because I have always enjoyed reading and writing.

I have been living in Jakarta continuously since 1995, so most of my conversations are in Indonesian language, and I always get asked the same questions: How did I become a Muslim? How did I learn to speak Indonesian so well? And why do I live in Indonesia? Like all developing countries, there are many problems in Indonesia, and so some people are confused about why a westerner would choose to live here.

The reason is simple. Other Muslims often comment that my way of explaining Islam is very different to what they usually hear. They were born as Muslims whereas I spent 5 years examining the teachings of Islam in order to make sure that Islam was correct and logical. They just accepted what their parents told them, but I questioned absolutely everything, continuously analyzing Islam with logic, and always asking, Why? Many Muslims only pray because their parents told them to do it, and so they believe that Islam is correct, but they did not analyze what they were doing or why. That difference in our approaches to religion made my understanding of Islam seem very unique to them.

Because I explained Islam in a different way, I often felt that perhaps I had an important job to do in Indonesia. I could speak the language and express my ideas clearly, and my explanations about Islam often had a strong impact on many people. For example, one Muslim man who had not prayed for 30 years suddenly started performing the five daily prayers again after only one conversation with me. And that is what normally happens every time I have that same conversation with each new person. So, I decided that I should stay in Indonesia and try to develop and improve the Muslim community rather than seek a comfortable life for myself in a developed country.

In this chapter, I will explain how I went through the slow process of becoming a Muslim, but this is only for the benefit of readers who are curious about my background. After this chapter, the remainder of the book is not about me, but rather it is focused on my analysis of Christianity and Islam. I explain why I consider Christianity unacceptable from a logical perspective and explain that Islam is a religion based on clear, logical, and intelligent teachings. This means that Islam should appeal to everyone who is trying to understand the meaning of life, as long as logic and intelligence are used to search for an Absolute Truth that could only come from Almighty God.

1.1. In the Beginning

I was born in a small city in New Zealand (which is a small country near Australia). As a child, I was very curious and wanted to learn about a lot of serious topics: the pyramids, dinosaurs, ancient civilizations, world history, global politics, wars, religion, and the whole universe. I remember staring at the stars in the sky one night and thinking about where they came from and how long they had been there. So, I was generally interested in topics that were complicated and mysterious.

Like most kids, I had to learn about Christianity in Sunday School, and I was taught all of the standard Bible stories about Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and so on. However, I found a lot of things in Christianity very confusing. I was taught about the Trinity, which says that Almighty God is also Jesus, and also the Holy Spirit. All three of them are God, but there is only one God, not three gods, because they are one, but also separate. God created Himself as a human being named Jesus, and that man was the Son of God, and also God, at the same time. Then Jesus died, but God is immortal, so God should not be able to die, but that man who was also God did in fact die, even though he could not