Page:The young Moslem looks at life (1937).djvu/184

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

and institutions of every kind for the needy and the oppressed; in inspiring great hosts of individuals with a deep and satisfying faith men and women who practise the closest fellowship with God and who are giving their all to help forward the world's great causes. He did not mention these things, and thereby he failed to give a true picture of Islam versus Christianity.

The truth of the matter is that while there is much in our Western civilization of which we may be ashamed as our Moslem friend has clearly pointed out, and which we know all too well and while many of us individual Christians and the organized churches fall far short of our ideals, yet no case has been made out for our being ashamed of Christanity. At this point there is a vast difference between Islam and Christianity. Every one of the undesirable elements which have been noted in Islam is something that is rooted in the religion itself. They are all lawful: polygamy, child marriage, easy divorce, the keeping of concubines, slavery. But in Western lands, all the objectionable features of life exist in spite of the ideals and standards of Christianity. These evils cannot be fastened on Christianity as part and parcel of the system. One cannot find sanction for them in the teachings or example of Jesus Christ.

The final challenge of Islam to each Christian is to live as a Christian should. That is the hardest challenge of all. That is the last and most convincing argument, and the only adequate response to the Moslem's