From Islam to Christ: One Woman's Path through the Riddles of God by Derya Little

(San Francisco: Ignatius, 2017), 204

On Islam

"The biggest problem caused by this early indoctrination was the closing of the mind to any and all questioning...It is a worldview based on fear and the utter submission that results from that fear." (23)
"It is undeniable that religion functions as a glue in a society. What the glue is made of, however, is equally important." (47)
"Although it appears that Muslims and Christians have similar moral codes, the worldview and the source of these laws are completely opposite, and this reality renders the two religions incompatible with each other...Islam is a religion not of peace but of submission." (48-49)

"In Christian culture, the grace of God manifested through the sacrifice of Christ mitigates against the tendency of men to dominate those physically weaker than themselves, in other words, women and children." (28)
"everyone who takes his religion seriously is naturally a missionary" (81)
"Thankfully the Holy Spirit is more stubborn than I am" (95)
The Grand Inquisitor (The Brothers Karamazov): "There is both beauty and misery hidden within freedom. It is not that God lets us down; it is that we let Him down." (101)
"Refusing to forgive is like drinking poison and hoping that the other person will die" (130)
What the priest in Ankara told her to do when she was confused about whether to become Catholic (157-158):
- Pray
- Paint (she likes drawing/painting)
- Come to mass
Interesting discussion about resurgence of Islam in the modern world: "Everything that makes the West attractive, however, is a mere echo of its Christian past...what does the West have to offer without Christ? Not much, actually." (196)
Her tips (200-204):
- Learn the faith
- Pray
- Tithe

interesting how reading about the historical Mohammed (44) helped lead her away from Islam (especially his sexual exploitation and violence), and likewise how Luther (150-151) led her away from Protestantism
the power of the witness of a Christian family (109+)
the vision she sees of God offering us a greater gift but us refusing it because we have a small gift to keep us company for now (similar to Lewis's house) (118)
science and reason (88, 150, etc.)
beautiful discussion of being a stay-at-home mom (197+)

Columbus Catholic Conversations, August 25, 2018

G.K. Chesterton: "The riddles of God are more satisfying than the solutions of man."
on the sexual abuse crisis: "there is nowhere to go except the church"
the lack of conversions from Islam is due to servile fear (vs. filiar fear c.f. St. Thomas Aquinas)
"until I moved to the West I never heard that Islam was a religion of peace"
- only peace is when everyone worships Allah
on reading Marx: "just don't do that to yourself!"
her friend Theresa made her realize that Allah is a very small god: no natural law, no science, no consistency
Grand Inquisitor: free will and sin
Islam and Protestantism are both very Gnostic: the spiritual and natural worlds never meet
advice for raising kids: teach them to be skeptics so they can evaluate and embrace faith for themselves
Islam is a disease > you get attacked when your immunity is down; watered down Christianity and secularism don't have anything substantial to offer to people look at Islam
- "the only thing that will save the West is a strong Catholic Church"

Topic: Conversion Story

Source
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Bibliography

Price to Pay by Joseph Fadelle (25)
What's Wrong With the World by G.K. Chesterton (85)
By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition by Mark Shea (140)
Principles of Catholic Theology by Joseph Ratzinger
Without Roots by Joseph Ratzinger
The Apostasy That Wasn't: The Extraordinary Story of the Unbreakable Early Church by Rod Bennett
The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton

Created: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2022-12-04-Sun