Believers of Christianity and Islam are competing to spread their respective holy book around the world, but distributors of the Bible have some advantages over the Koran.
The Bible is translated into 2,426 languages (complete or in part) and counting, including 900 English versions ranging from street slang to comic book-like translations, according to The Economist. On the other hand, the Koran is disadvantaged by the belief by some that the word of God must not be changed, even translation-wise.
Although most Muslims now accept translation of the Koran, it is still widely held that reading and memorizing the Koran in Arabic is superior. There are only 20 English versions of the Koran compared to the nearly 1,000 versions of the Bible in the same language.
Another advantage of the Bible is the sheer larger quantity of Bibles distributed compared to the Koran. Over 100 million copies of the Bibles are sold or given away each year.
In comparison, oil-rich Saudi Arabia, the main player in the printing and distribution of the Koran and Islamic teaching materials, gives away some 30 million Korans a year around the world through the Muslim World League or wealthy individuals.
Bible distribution is helped by Christian missionaries who work to spread the Gospel to every tribe and tongue. Through the missionaries, the Word of God has reached even the most remote jungles in the world.
While evangelism in Islam exists, it is largely confined to regions where the religion is already strong and less active in regions where people have never heard of Islam before. In other words, Islam’s growth is more dependent on internal population growth than conversion.
Another Bible distribution advantage is the factor of finance. The United States, the world’s richest and more powerful country, is the largest financer of Christian organizations and plays a huge role in marketing the Holy Book.
In the United States, Bible publishing is big business in which annual Bible sales are worth between $425 and $650 million, according to The Economist. Publishing house Thomas Nelson alone made $473 million in 2005. Moreover, secular publishers have also jumped into the rising religious bookselling market. HarperCollins recently bought the Bible publishing house Zondervan.
American Bible marketers have drawn on modern technology to sell and spread the Bible, including the Internet, TV and radio stations, palm pilots, cell phones, MP3 players, and iPods.
Christians have thus far found more ways of getting the Bible in the hands, computer monitors and iPods of people around the world than Muslims. Currently, there are some 2 billion Christians in the world compared to 1.5 billion Muslims. But Muslims are growing at a faster rate than Christians, moreso due to birth rates than conversion.
Comments
Dear Khanson,
You are a liar similar to 'doubt casting serpent' on the Book of Genesis 3: 4-5
Take heed of what your book the false Al Qur'an support your comment of "For Muslims, human life is sacred and it shall be preserved"
Qur'an Sura (9:30) - "And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!"
Qur'an Sura (2:191-193) - "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]...and fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah."
Stop, confess your sin, embrace our Lord Jesus Christ and got saved, live eternal live and leave life of lies, hatred and violence.
From Indonesia,
Bible beats Al Qur'an on the holy book war because that is God's (Yahweh and not Allah) plan.
Compare these verses in order to determine which was in true (Christian Bible) and which one is false (Al Qur'an)
John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Qur'an Sura (9:29) - "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."
for the individual who delete both my last comments here, why the need for censorship?
do you act like danny2/danny/first/bob when confronted and loose a debate?
aritonang
I had thought that you are not a good Christian and you confirmed it by using indecent language against me and in this religious forum. In this forum we exchange our convictions and do not spray dirt on others. No matter how much you hate Islam and Muslims; it is customary for Muslims to revere Jesus Christ as Unique Messenger Prophet Of Almighty The-God. On the day of Judgement, you would remember that I conveyed the truth and Islam / Shalom has been the religion of all Prophets.
Since you have morally lost my confidence in exchanging knowledge and values what Jesus Christ taught, I would advise you to read Gospel for the guidance. Until then you do not deserve an answer to your post from me. I wish you had kept the devil out of you and stuck to the guidance of Jesus Christ.
Dear Khanson,
You are a liar similar to 'doubt casting serpent' on the Book of Genesis 3: 4-5
Take heed of what your book the false Al Qur'an support your comment of "For Muslims, human life is sacred and it shall be preserved"
Qur'an Sura (9:30) - "And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away!"
Qur'an Sura (2:191-193) - "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]...and fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah."
Stop, confess your sin, embrace our Lord Jesus Christ and got saved, live eternal live and leave life of lies, hatred and violence.
aritonang
You are not the Christian by convictional reasons but you are the Christian with economic reasons. For Muslims, human life is sacred and it shall be preserved. Unfortunately, Christians carry on peaceful Muslims in Philippine, Afghanistan, Iraq, South Sudan, Chechnya and Balkan. Unfortunately, not many Christians came to show their love of humanity.
From Indonesia,
Bible beats Al Qur'an on the holy book war because that is God's (Yahweh and not Allah) plan.
Compare these verses in order to determine which was in true (Christian Bible) and which one is false (Al Qur'an)
John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Qur'an Sura (9:29) - "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."
jesus4me.....Cont
'The concept of Trinity is not the teaching of Jesus Christ'. 'If the Trinity is not a Biblical teaching, how did it become a doctrine of Christendom'? Many think that it was formulated at the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. That is not totally correct, however. The Council of Nicaea did assert that Christ was of the same substance as God, which laid the groundwork for later Trinitarian theology. But it did not establish the Trinity, for at that council there was no mention of the Holy Spirit as the third person of a triune Godhead.
Why, for thousands of years, did none of God's prophets teach his people about the Trinity? At the latest, would Jesus not use his ability as the Great Teacher to make the Trinity clear to his followers? Would God inspire hundreds of pages of Scripture and yet not use any of this instruction to teach the Trinity if it were the "central doctrine" of faith?
Are Christians to believe that centuries after Christ and after having inspired the writing of the Bible, God would back the formulation of a doctrine that was unknown to his servants for thousands of years, one that is an "inscrutable mystery" "beyond the grasp of human reason," one that admittedly had a pagan background and was "largely a matter of church politics"?
The testimony of history is clear: The Trinity teaching is a deviation from the truth, an apostatizing from it.
But you are so much entrenched in your belief, you cannot see the truth beyond your perception. I am glad that a minority of Christians (30 Millions) believe that The-God is one and Trinity is based on Greek mythology which Paul (Saul) invented. My job is to convey you the truth in worshipping ONE-GOD. By worshipping One-God; you go to heavens, I will be happy to let you land in heavens. I do not need anything from you but I am serving the Honour of Almighty The-God.
jesus4me
The doctrine of the Trinity is the conservative Christian belief inherited from Greek pagan religions that there is one God who has revealed Himself in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons make up their God. These three persons are alleged to be of the same substance, equal in power and glory. This is the sacrilegious conservative Christian belief categorically opposed by Almighty The-God in the religion of Islam / Shalom.
The Old Testament clearly states that there is only one God.
Deuteronomy 6:4 states, "Hear Oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one".
Isaiah 44:6 states, "I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me".
Clearly, these biblical verses reveal that there is only one God. Yet, zealots in Christianity have fabricated three separate persons in the New Testament who are allegedly called god and give the characteristics only God can have that is a shameful blasphemous belief.
kahanson, i meant Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:26. sorry, i mistyped Genesis 1:16 here.
"In a similar manner, although not the same, God is ONE GOD, but composed of three different persons. He is God, the Father, God the Son (the Word that was made flesh), and God the Holy Spirit referred to in Genesis 1:1, and Genesis 1:16."
continued to khanson:
In Addition, in the Gospels, why would the Apostle John who walked with Jesus make mention of Jesus being in the beginning of Creation??????????
John 1 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
John 1
The Eternal Word
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend[a] it.
khanson, I don't believe in 3 different god's when I say I believe in the Trinity. I'll put it as imple for you as possible in human terms; when God said in Genesis let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, He made man as 1) body, 2) soul (i.e. mond, emotions, your conscience, etc), and 3) spirit. Now I wouldn't say there are 3 "men" walking around when I see one man, because all men, and women are created with a body, a soul, and a spirit.
In a similar manner, although not the same, God is ONE GOD, but composed of three different persons. He is God, the Father, God the Son (the Word that was made flesh), and God the Holy Spirit referred to in Genesis 1:1, and Genesis 1:16. khanson, there are many more Scriptures in the Old Testament Law ad Prophets (Torah, Pentateuch, and the Prophets), as well as the Gospels, and the Epistles in the New Testament; ad lastly the Book of Revelation whcih will prove that God set His Son Jesus Christ to redeem the world of sin. If you are trully honest with what you claim to believe, then you will investigate this for yourelf. I have no doubt based on the Old ad te New Testament that Jesus Christ is Deity (meaning part of the Triune Godhead). This is wy I asked you if you knew what te word Elohim meant, because Elohim is a plural for God in Hebrew. Just like when Jesus used words like Yahweh to refer to Himself in the New Testament as God as well. See khanson, it is not the Old and New Testament that have a problem; it is you my friend. I do not follow Paul, or anyone else But God the Father the One and Only God Creator of Heaven and Earth, but I d this thru His plan of Redmption which was His Son Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit of God drew me to Jesus Christ as the bridge to God. See, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ all point to the Father God.
Genesis 1:1 and 26
Genesis 1 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Genesis 1
The History of Creation
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was[a] on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
In Hebrew:
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all[b] the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
khanson, if God is not One God part of a Trinity, then why is there mention of the Spirit of God in Genesis 1:1, and mention of the word "US" in 1:26??????????
khanson, if Elohim is a not plural in the Hebrew for God, ten why did God say: "“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness" in Genesis 1:26.
jesus4me
As per the Jewish theology; Elohim refers to The-God which Jesus cried with (Eloi) while on the Cross. Eloh, Elohim, Eli, Eloi and Ilah are the synonyms referring to The-God.
In my dream Jesus Christ did not say that he is god or son of god but his appearance (descension) did prove that he is coming back to take the lead of strict monotheists unlike you. If you follow him literally as per his guidance in Gospel, you will enjoy a better life than what you do now. Thou shall worship Lord The-God: the deity of Jesus Christ whom Jesus Christ worshipped.
If you sing the trinity song - "which other distractors from The-God" - have been living with then you are not a true Christian but you are following St Pauls Christianity not of Nazrene.
khanson wrote:
"jesus4me: My concept and my faith about Jesus increased manifold but it strenghtened exactly how Almighty The-God highlighted him in The-Qur'an."
khanson, I do not doubt that you had a dream about Jesus. However, i want you to seriously evaluate something. Did this Jesus you saw in your dream tell you to follow Him and Worship Him? If not, the Jesus you saw is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Apostle Paul, a serious persecutor of Christians and member of the Pharasees was struck down with blindness on the road to Damascus (after he had been present and witnessed the stoning death of Steven the Christian) by Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Jesus Himself asked Paul, "why do you persecute me?", and Paul asked "who are you LORD?". Clearly here you see Paul having a dramatic conversion experience, and he was commanded to see Annanias. God had spoken to Annanias about Paul and was commanded to lay hands on his eyesight. Paul turned from a religious zealot who legalistically followed the Jewish Torah into a born again person who saw the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. He never turned back and preached Christ to others; even to his martyrdom.
For more info, see:
Acts 9:12
And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
Acts 9:11-13 (in Context) Acts 9 (Whole Chapter)
Acts 9:13
Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
Acts 9:12-14 (in Context) Acts 9 (Whole Chapter)
Acts 9:17
And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 9:16-18 (in Context) Acts 9 (Whole Chapter)
Again khanson i say to you:
IF you knew the Jesus Christ of the Holy Scriptures; the Son of God as Deity personally like we do, maybe you would have a smile on your face when you post instead of the bitter, angry look ALL THE TIME YOU POST. You also may want to check the meaning of the word ELOHIM in the Torah. It may answer your questions concerning the Trinity All one God in three persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.