Mclaren joins Muslims in fast during Ramadan

[Abiding in His Word]

Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of fasting for spiritual renewal and purification. It commemorates the month during which Muslims believe Mohammed received the Quran through divine revelation, and it calls Muslims to self-control, sacrificial generosity and solidarity with the poor, diligent reading of the Quran, and intensified prayer.

This year, I, along with a few Christian friends (and perhaps others currently unknown to us will want to join in) will be joining Muslim friends in the fast which begins August 21. We are not doing so in order to become Muslims: we are deeply committed Christians. But as Christians, we want to come close to our Muslim neighbors and to share this important part of life with them. Just as Jesus, a devout Jew, overcame religious prejudice and learned from a Syrophonecian woman and was inspired by her faith two thousand years ago (Matthew 15:21 ff, Mark 7:24 ff), we seek to learn from our Muslim sisters and brothers today.

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[savedbygrace]

it calls Muslims to self-control, sacrificial generosity and solidarity with the poor, diligent reading of the Quran, and intensified prayer.

And what god is this intensified prayer supposed to be going to? It is not the same god as our faithful and loving Creator. Muslims worship a god who has no Son. That is an antichrist, according to John.

1 John 1:2"Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

I don't see this fasting and praying along side muslims on their pagan holidays is a beneficial thing to do because it gives the world the idea that Christians are condoning/accepting their religion and that all religions are equal, all gods are the same, all roads lead to the same eternal destiny, etc. Instead, we should be fasting and praying for them always, pronouncing a goat is still a goat, asking our One True God for their repentance, and praying for their hearts to be softened and that their spiritual eyes would see the Messiah.