I am struggling with something that I have been struggling with for a while.  I have always been a Fundamentalist Christian (that is the title I gave myself), and I converted from Catholicism.  However, after a few years of being a Protestant, I started to look at Islam.  Last week, I converted.  In the beginning, I never felt better.  But now, I am doubting myself and wondering if I should return to Christianity.  I would convert back, but there are some things that bother me about it that I cannot get over.  Chiefly among them is the fact that the Bible has been changed so much and edited so much over the years.  How can I trust it?  Also, I do not understand the Trinity and why God would need a Son.  I think just worshiping God Himself makes a lot more sense.  So can you help me with these two things?  Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Stuck Between A Crucifix And A Crescent

Dear Stuck,

The Bible is exactly the same today as it was when it was originally written.  The Dead Sea Scrolls prove that fact.  When the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, they predated any other copy of the Old Testament by hundreds of years… and yet, they matched with the newer texts by over 99.9%.  The differences were only minor (such as spelling) and never affected the meaning of the text.  There are over 16,000 different manuscripts, texts, and archaeological references to Scripture that have been collected throughout the centuries, and they paint a picture of a perfectly (we would say divinely) preserved Bible.  We also recommend you read “Who Wrote The Bible” for further reasons that the Bible is definitively from God.  The Bible you read today is proven to be the same Bible that God originally wrote.  The Q’uran can’t make that claim because it isn’t from God.

And the fact that the Bible is accurate answers your second question – there are three parts to God (The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – Matt 3:16-17).  It may be hard to understand… but it is what it is.  We can’t make God into what we want Him to be… we must accept who He really is.  Even if Islam is a more comfortable religion for your personality – that doesn’t make it right.  We must serve God in truth (Jhn 4:24), even if it isn’t convenient.  If you would like help finding a faithful Bible-believing church in your area to ask further questions, e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

If the devil influenced Osama Bin Laden to kill so many people, what happened to the people who were killed that had not yet given their lives to Christ?

Sincerely,
No-sama

Dear No-sama,

Osama bin Laden’s death marks a major victory for us Americans, and it brings our minds back to that fateful day on September 11, 2001 when so many perished because of the desire of that man to follow the Quran to its ultimate end – death of all the infidels (non-Muslims).

So, since so many people died so unexpectedly through Osama’s acts of terrorism, what does happen to them?  All death is unexpected, meaning that none of us know when we will die.  Our lives are merely vapors that quickly vanish (Jas 4:14).  Because of the uncertainty of life, David prayed that God would teach him to contemplate his own death and to measure his days (Ps 39:4).  Whether we die quietly in our sleep at a ripe old age or suddenly in a car crash in our early twenties… the effect is the same – we must be ready to meet our God.  We all must ask that all-important question: “What must I do to be saved?”… because we never know when we will go to the judgment (Heb 9:27).