Sue
Watson, Professor, Pastor, Church Planter and Missionary, Now in Saudi Arabia
An eight year student of formal theological studies accepts Islam
due to the consistency of its message.
By Sue Watson
"What
happened to you?" This was usually the first reaction I encountered
when my former classmates, friends and co-pastors saw me after having embraced
Islam. I suppose I couldn't blame them, I was a highly unlikely the
person to change religions.
Formerly, I was a professor, pastor, church
planter and missionary. If anyone was a radical fundamentalist it was I.
I
had just graduated with my Master's Degree of Divinity from an elite seminary
five months before. It was after that time I met a lady who had worked in
Saudi Arabia and had embraced Islam. Of course, I asked her about the
treatment of women in Islam. I was shocked at her answer, it wasn't what
I expected, so I proceeded to ask other questions relating to God and Muhammad
[may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him]. She informed me that
she would take me to the Islamic Center where they would be better able to
answer my questions.
Being
prayed up, meaning-asking Jesus for protection against demon spirits, seeing
that what we had been taught about Islam is that it is Demonic and Satanic
religion. Having taught Evangelism, I was quite shocked at their
approach, it was direct and straightforward. No intimidation, no
harassment, no psychological manipulation, no subliminal influence! None
of this, "Let's have a Quranic study in your house," like a counter
part of the Bible study. I couldn't believe it! They gave me some
books and told me if I had some questions they were available to answer them in
the office. That night I read all of the books they gave. It was
the first time I had ever read a book about Islam written by a Muslim, we had
studied and read books about Islam only written by Christians. The next
day I spent three hours at the office asking questions. This went on
everyday for a week, by which time I had read twelve books and knew why Muslims
are the hardest people in the world to convert to Christianity. Why?
Because there is nothing to offer them!! (In Islam) There is a
relationship with God, forgiveness of sins, salvation and promise of Eternal
Life.
Naturally,
my first question centered on the deity of God. Who is this God that the
Muslims worship? We had been taught as Christians that this is another
god, a false god, when, in fact, He is the Omniscient-All Knowing,
Omnipotent-All Powerful, and Omnipresent-All Present God - The One and Only
without co-partners or co-equal. It is interesting to note that there were
bishops during the first three hundred years of the Church that were teaching
as the Muslim believes, that Jesus [may the mercy and blessings of God be upon
him] was a prophet and teacher!! It was only after the conversion of
Emperor Constantine that he was the one to call and introduce the doctrine of
the Trinity. He, a convert to Christianity who knew nothing of this
religion, introduced a paganistic concept that goes back to Babylonian
times. Space, however, does not permit me to go into detail about the
subject, but God willing, we will another time. Only, I must point out
that the word TRINITY is not found in the Bible in any of its many translation
nor is it found in the original Greek or Hebrew languages!
My
other important question centered on Muhammad [may the mercy and blessings of
God be upon him]. Who is this Muhammad? I found out that Muslims do
not pray to him like the Christians pray to Jesus. He is not an
intermediary and in fact it is forbidden to pray to him. We ask blessing
upon him at the end of our prayer but likewise we ask blessings on
Abraham. He is a Prophet and a Messenger, the final and last
Prophet.
In fact, until now, one thousand four hundred and eighteen years
(1,418) later there has been no prophet after him. His message is for All
Mankind, as opposed to the message of Jesus or Moses (peace be upon them both)
which was sent to the Jews. "Hear
O Israel" But the message is the same message of God. "The Lord Your God is One God and you shall
have no other gods before Me." (Mark 12:29)
Because
prayer was a very important part of my Christian life I was both interested and
curious to know what the Muslims were praying. As Christians we were as
ignorant on this aspect of Muslim belief as on the other aspects. We thought
and were taught, that the Muslims were bowing down to the Kaaba (in Mecca),
that that was there god and center point of this false deity. Again, I
was shocked to learn that the manner of prayer is prescribed by God,
Himself. The words of the prayer are one of praise and exaltation.
The approach to prayer (ablution or washing) in cleanliness is under the
direction of God. He is a Holy God and it is not for us to approach Him
in an arbitrary manner, but only reasonable that He should tell us how we should
approach Him.
At
the end of that week after having spent eight (8) years of formal theological
studies, I knew cognitively (head knowledge) that Islam was true. But I
did not embrace Islam at that time because I did not believe it in my
heart. I continued to pray, to read the Bible, to attend lectures at the
Islamic Center. I was in earnest asking and seeking God's
direction. It is not easy to change your religion. I did not want
to loose my salvation if there was salvation to loose. I continued to be
shocked and amazed at what I was learning because it was not what I was taught
that Islam believed. In my Master's level, the professor I had was
respected as an authority on Islam yet his teaching and that of Christianity in
general is full of Misunderstanding. He and many Christians like him are
sincere but they are sincerely wrong.
Two
months later after having once again prayed seeking God's direction, I felt
something drop into my being! I sat up, and it was the first time I was
to use the name of God, and I said, "God, I believe you are the One and
Only True God." There was peace that descended upon me and from that
day four years ago until now I have never regretted embracing Islam. This
decision did not come without trial. I was fired from my job as I was
teaching in two Bible Colleges at that time, ostracized by my former
classmates, professors and co-pastors, disowned by my husband's family,
misunderstood by my adult children and made a suspicion by my own
government. Without the faith that enables man to stand up to Satanic
forces I would not have been able to withstand all of this. I am ever so
grateful to God that I am a Muslim and may I live and die a Muslim.
"Truly,
my prayer, my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are all for God the
Cherisher of the Worlds. No partner has He, this I am commanded.
And I am the first of those who bow to God in Islam." (Quran 6:162-163)
Sister
Khadijah Watson is presently working as a teacher for women in one of the
Da'wah (Invitation to Islam) Centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
.
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