Download Folk Islam - St. Luke Evangelical Church

Folk Islam
By
Dr. Mark Anderson
The Andersons
The Islamic World
Muhammad: 570 AD- 632
AD
Jerusalem
captured
638 AD
630 AD
M
Conquors
Mecca
622 AD M.
Flees
to Medina
610 AD
M: First
Revelation
(age 40)
Mount Hira: Place of
Mohammad’s Revelations
Good News!
More Muslims have come to Christ
in the past 30 years
than the total number during
the previous 1,300 years
There are first-generation
converts from Islam
to Christ all over the planet
Definition: “Official Islam”
“Official Islam”
answers ultimate
issues of life
theologicallythe “big picture”
Official Beliefs of Islam
1. Allah
2. Angels of Allah
3. Prophets of Allah
4. Books of Allah
5. Day of Judgment
6. Destiny
7. Life After Death
Five Pillars of Islam
1. The Shahada or Confession:
“There is no God but Allah and
Muhammad is his prophet”
2. Required
prayer performed
five times daily
3. Almsgiving: giving to the poor
equal to 2 ½ percent of ones property
Five Pillars of Islam
4. Fasting
during Ramadan
5. Hajj
- Pilgrimage to Mecca at
least once in a lifetime if
affordable
– holy war or internal
struggle?
(6) Jihad
Alvin Niendick asks:
So what
is Folk
Islam?
“Folk Islam” Defined:
“Folk Islam” handles
immediate, everyday
life problems by
finding spiritual
causes and solutions
Is Folk Islam Common?
About 75% of
the world’s Muslims
practice Folk Islam
What Does This Mean?
Muslim practices
can look quite
different from
personal and official
belief statements
It’s About Power:
Solutions for spiritual
causes in everyday
life involve powerFolk Muslims seek power
for daily life
Power For What?
1. Power
over spiritual enemies
Goal: Appeasing or manipulating
them for one’s benefit:
a. Satan (Shaytan): mentioned
59 times in 31 of the Koran’s 114
Suras (chapters)
b. Spiritual
angels
powers, jinn: demons,
Power For What?
2.
Power over the power
of evil persons:
a. Envy
b. Curses and spells
c. Manipulation
Power For What?
3. Power over threats to:
fertility
health
possessions
family
resources
Power For What?
4. Power over:
a. Threats to Islam
b. Dawah- bringing Islam to
Dar al-Harb (Domain of War):
Europe, United States, Israel,
Africa, Central & South
America, Asia.
Daily Life May Include:
Amulets
Divination
Curses
Astrology
Jinn or spirits
Sorcery
Ancestral spirits/ghosts
Dead saints & baraka
Magic
Daily Life Continued:
Impersonal spirits
Angels
Sorcery/witchcraft
Satan
Sickness-healing
Charms
Medicine person
Evil Eye
Dreams and visions
In Folk Islam
The supernatural and
natural realms are seen
as totally
inter-dependent.
They interact between each
other normatively.
Normative interaction of the
natural with supernatural is
assumed in: Buddhism,
Hinduism, Witchcraft, Sikhism,
New Age Thought, Voodoo,
Native American religion,
Mormonism, Scientology,
Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.
Obtaining and Using Power
Pastor
Barnes, I
still refuse
to join the
worship
team!
Folk Religion: The Evil Eye
Among contributing factors,
the evil eye is seen as
a major cause of crises
in Muslim’s lives.
Bill Musk. The Unseen Face of Islam.
Ch. 1, p. 24.
“Evil Eye” Defined:
A person
communicates
a destructive force
with their eyes
(i.e., anger, jealousy)
Envy: Sura 113
(1)
Say: I seek refuge with the
Lord of the Dawn,
(2)
From the mischief of
created things;
From the mischief of
darkness as it overspreads;
(3)
Envy: Sura 113 continued
(4) From
the mischief of those
who practice Secret Arts;
(5) And
from the mischief of
the envious one as he
practices envy.
Evil Eye: Places of Origin
- North Africa
- The Middle East
- India
- Southern Europe
David Burnett The World of the Spirits, 143.
Evil Eye Protection
Blue Eyes: Most Dangerous
Evil Eye Protection: Hand
of Fatima, or “Hamsa” (five)
Door Knocker: Hand of
Fatima
Hand of Fatima
Spiritual ProtectionBracelet: Piece of Koran
Pendant: Koranic Writing
Pendant: Koranic Writing
Shi’ite Armband Amulet
(Koranic verses, Allah’s names, etc)
Guess What?
Muslims have brought
Folk beliefs and practices
with them to America.
They seek power to deal
with everyday life
issues.
What About Us?
God
God’s Angels
†
Rebellious Angels
Michael & Gabriel
∆ ∆ ∆
∕ ∕ / \ \
∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆
\
∆∆ ∆∆ ∆∆∆∆ ∆ ∆∆∆∆
Satan
▲
∕ ∕ \ \
▲▲ ▲▲
|
| \
▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲
↨↨ ↨ ↨ ↨ ↨↨ \ \ \
∕ ∕ ∕ ↨ ↨ ↨ ↨↨
People
☺☻☺☺☻☻ Pastor Barnes ☺☻☺☻☺
A Christian Challenge
God
-------------------------------------↨
An Excluded Middle
↨
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God’s People
Jesus is Lord: Eph. 1:19-21
IN HIS ASCENSION,
JESUS IS ELEVATED
TO A POSITION OF
AUTHORITY OVER
ALL POWERS,
WHOM HE JUDGES
Jesus the Center
- Creation
- All powers
- The church
- His people
Col. 1:15-23
Muslims Coming to Christ
#1 Reason:
The lifestyle of Christians;
they practiced what they
preached
Muslims Coming to Christ
#2 Reason:
The power of God to
answer prayers
and to heal
Reason Number Three:
Dissatisfaction With The
Type of Islam Experienced.
- The Qur’an’s emphasis on
•
judgment over love and
acceptance.
- The need for liturgy in Arabic.
- Folk Islam’s use of amulets
and praying at graves of saints.
Reason Number Four:
Dreams and Visions
More than one in four
respondents, 27%, noted
dreams & visions before their
decision for Christ, 40% at
the time of conversion,
and 45% afterward.
Why is Jesus appearing
to Muslims?
Dreams/visions are where the
supernatural and natural
“intersect” in traditional
Islamic worldview
Christ “shows up” where such
things would be
expected to happen
Reason Number Five: The Gospel
Message
The gospel message, especially its
assurance of salvation and forgiveness,
is a significant attraction to Muslims.
- Muslims have no certainty of salvation.
- The Qur’an demands absolute
obedience with no assurances
(Allah might change his mind)
God’s People Praying =
Unleashing
God’s
Power
St. Lukes Church
Prayer Walking
Praying With And For
Muslims Identifies You As:
1. A holy person
2. One loved by God
Praying With And For
Muslims Identifies You As:
3. One who refuses
secularism, humanism,
atheism
4. A friend of Muslims
Praying With And For
Muslims Identifies You As:
5. A source of help
6. One whose prayers
reveal power over
spiritual forces
Prayer: Lining Up With God
Prayer: Spiritual Weight-Lifting
God Listens
The smoke of the incense,
together with the prayers
of the saints, went up
before God from the
angel’s hand.
Revelation 8:4
Bad Evangelism #1
Bad Evangelism #2
#2
To Do:
1. Locate a Muslim
2. Pray for and with them
A Key Resource: Bill Musk
Lynn and Donna about to
contact Muslim neighbors
Comments?