Episode 132:
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Host: Adee Simon Macdowell.
Guest: Grant Miller.

Today we speak with Abdur Rahim (Grant Miller). He's a new revert (11 months) and reverted after a two year study and comes from a Catholic background, being a Eucharistic minister and member of the Knights of Columbus.

About Grant:

Converted in 2021 (July 10th)
59 years old
Born in USA, Pittsburgh, Caucasian, grew up in Los Angeles. I was in foster care since I was 9 years old.
Currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina


Some topics discussed:

Paedophilia in the church and how it push him away from Catholicism
Growing up in a foster family
The son-ship of Jesus
The feeling of betraying Jesus when he started thinking about Islam
Suspension of disbelief as apposed to critical thinking and making mental decisions and being open to all faiths
The feeling of having a 'returning of faith' after leaving the church
Researching about Islam and 'Jesus in Islam'
The pamphlet he read, "My Great Love of Jesus Led Me to Islam"
How his wife accepted his looking into Islam
The day of conversion


Grant states:
My journey to the faith started in London. It was a Friday evening sometime in March, 2019, and I was returning to my hotel from work, it was around 8pm, and I passed by a table somewhere near Piccadilly Circus, where there were a few brothers and sisters with Qurans and other materials. At that time I was experiencing a crises in faith. Having been a lifelong Catholic, I was shaken to the core by the priest scandals and to be honest I was ready to just give up on religion. My depression led me to drink heavily, give up on God and religion, and do things that are considered immoral.
I stopped by the table because I had always been curious about Islam and wanted to pick up some materials. A brother started talking to me. He asked if I was a Christian and I said yes, but at the moment not practicing. Then he asked if I believed in God, and I said yes. Then he asked if I believed in the Trinity, and I believe my answer surprised him, because I said 'No'; Honestly, he was a stranger, it was how I felt, and I just replied plainly. He then asked if I believe that Jesus was God, and I replied no again. I felt strange about this, being a Catholic they believe in the Trinity and Jesus being part of it. However, I always felt that Jesus was 'infused' with God, that He worked through Jesus. But with the crises I was going through, and the priests doing what they did, and they were supposedly devoted to the church and Jesus and look what happened. So in my heart I just could no longer accept any of it. The brother gave me a Quran, a booklet "My Great Love of Jesus Led Me to Islam", and other materials (which I still have to this day!), pointed out that I should start at Fatihah and then said something to me which sticks to me:
"Promise me that when you get back to the hotel that you will pray openly and sincerely to God"
He did not know what I was going through, nor did we even talk about anything personal. So he was not aware of my depression or anything. I was quite taken aback. I followed his advice. And when I got back and started praying, I literally began to sob and cry and poured out my whole heart, and asked God to help me, that I was so lost.I guess I can fill you in on the rest during our talk.

More about Grant:

Job/Expertise: I am consultant with the Oracle NetSuite Financial platform/ERP specialising in administration and programming. I have been in information technology all my working life, starting with the old IBM AS400 systems. I was an adjunct professor for MIS at Penn State University for a number of years, and have been a contributing author (Sybex, Coriolis publishers) and techni