Five Percent Links

Is the Nation of Islam Christian? There has been a certain trend started within the Nation's circles claiming that you can be both a Christian and a part of the Nation of Islam at the same time. The idea is that - Christians are following and submitting to God, and the word Islam means submission. Since we are both submitting to God, then we are essentially doing the same thing. Strange reasoning, huh? I am currently looking for documentation to support these claims because I have heard him say it as well as some within the Nation. However, below is a chart that juxtaposes both Christian doctrine and that of the Nation of Islam. There can be no question after evaluating the chart that the Nation and Christian beliefs are diametrically opposed.

Term Christianity Nation of Islam

God God is revealed as a trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in unity. Often referred to in unity as the Godhead – monotheistic. (Deut. 6:4) There is no other God. (1 Sam. 8:60) Belief in many gods – polytheistic. Sometimes, like in Five Percent beliefs, black men are said to be gods [1]. God is a man. "Allah came to us from the holy city of Mecca Arabia, in 1930. He used the name of Wallace D. Fard."[2] The Trinity is flatly denied.

Man/Original Sin Made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). This means man is made like God in abilities (reason, faith, love, etc.)
Original Sin is a term used to describe the effect of Adam’s sin on his descendants (Ro. 5:12-23). It is our inheritance of a sinful nature from Adam. Sinful nature originated with Adam and passed down from parent to child. We are by nature children of wrath. Yacub (sometimes spelled Yakub and pronounced Yah - cube) was one of the council of 24 black scientist-gods. He rebelled against Allah and the council, causing havoc. He created the white race as a race of devils to strike back at the black race. Elijah Muhammed said that black people are not sinners, but that the white man is at fault for their problems.

Jesus Second person of the Trinity. He is the word who became flesh (John 1:1, 14). He is both God and man (Col. 2:9). Rejects the essential Christian doctrine that Jesus is both God and man. "Jesus did not consider himself to be God or a son of God or equal of Him… Jesus was only a man and prophet of Allah."[4] In a 4-hour videotape of Louis Farrakhan’s 1994 Easter service, "The Crucifixion of Jesus: The Imprisonment of Minister Farrakhan", Farrakhan discusses the crucifixion and relates it to himself, saying, "I am hanging on the cross right now and the more I suffer, the more our people are raised to consciousness… you don’t have to look for Jesus. I represent him. I was born to die for you and I love the thought of dying for you."[5]

Holy Spirit Third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is fully God in nature. He is not a force

He has a will [1 Co. 12:11]

He speaks [Acts 13:2]

He loves [Rom. 15:30]

He can be grieved [Eph. 4:30]

He convicts of sin [John 16:8]

He intercedes [Rom. 8:26]

He teaches [John 14:26]

NOI denies that the Holy Spirit is God. They view the Spirit as a "spook." "The so-called Negroes think of God in terms of something without form (spirit or spook) and they believe that His throne is somewhere in the sky....The teachings of Christianity have put God out of Man into nothing (spirit). Can you imagine God without form but yet interested in our affairs who are the human beings? What glory would an immaterial God get out of a material world? We also learn that a spirit is not self-independent; it is dependent upon air, water and food. Without it, the spirit can have no life. So how can a spirit be God?"[6]

The Bible The inspired and inerrant word of God in the original manuscripts [2 Tim 3:16]. Bible inspired and written by holy men [2 Pet 1:20-21] Although they do make use of it when it does not contradict their own teachings, the Nation of Islam believes the Bible has been tampered with by the white man. "The Bible is now being called the Poison Book by God Himself, and who can deny that it is not poison?...the Book cant be recognized as the pure and Holy Word of God."[7]

Atonement and Salvation The sacrifice of Christ on the cross [1 Pet. 2:24] whereby His blood becomes the sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God [1 John 2:2] from the sinner when the sinner receives [John 1:12], by faith [Rom. 5:1], the work of Christ on the cross. Salvation is a free gift from God [Eph. 2:8-9] to the person who trusts in Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. He is our mediator [1 Tim 2:5]. No works are sufficient in any way to merit salvation since our works are all unacceptable to God [Isaiah 64:6] The Nation of Islam rejects the essential Christian doctrines of atonement and salvation. "We know we have a Savior. In 1877 a Savior was born [i.e., Wallace Fard]....A Savior is born, not to save the Jews but to save the poor Negro....A Savior has come to save you from sin, not because you are by nature a sinner but because you have followed a sinner."[8]

Heaven/Hell The place where God dwells. Heaven is the eventual home of the Christians who are saved by Gods grace, It is heaven because it is where God is and Christians will enjoy eternal fellowship with Him. Hell is a place of torment in fire out of the presence of God. There is no escape from Hell [Matt. 25:46]. NOI do not believe in the hereafter, whether it be heaven or hell. "I have no alternative than to tell you that there is not any life beyond the grave. There is no justice in the sweet bye and bye. Immortality is NOW, HERE."[9] To the Nation of Islam, heaven and hell are regarded as special conditions here on earth now, not as special places to go after death. "The Christians say, Confess the Lord Jesus Christ or you (who are other than the Christians) will burn in hell forever. That hell must not be so hot that one can burn in it forever and never burn up."[10]

1Elijah Muhammad, Our Savior Has Arrived (Newport News, VA: United Brothers Communications, n.d.), 35.
2Elijah Muhammad, The Supreme Wisdom, vol. 1 (Newport News, VA.: The National Newport News and Commentator, 1957), 11.
3Muhammad, Message to the Blackman in America (Philadelphia: House of Knowledge Publications, 1965) 1.
4Elijah Muhammad, The Supreme Wisdom, vol 2 (Hampton, VA: U.B. & U.S. Communications, n.d.), 80.
5Videotape of 3 April 1994 Easter message by Louis Farrakhan delivered at Mosque Maryam, Chicago, Illinois, entitled, "The Crucifixion of Jesus: The Imprisonment of Minister Farrakhan."
6Muhammad, Supreme Wisdom, vol. 2, 9-10.
7Muhammad, Message, 94.
8Ibid., 237.
9Ibid., 219.
10Muhammad, Supreme Wisdom, vol. 2, 42.

Term	Christianity	Nation of Islam
God	God is revealed as a trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in unity. Often referred to in unity as the Godhead – monotheistic. (Deut. 6:4) There is no other God. (1 Sam. 8:60)	Belief in many gods – polytheistic. Sometimes, like in Five Percent beliefs, black men are said to be gods [1]. God is a man. "Allah came to us from the holy city of Mecca Arabia, in 1930. He used the name of Wallace D. Fard."[2] The Trinity is flatly denied.
Man/Original Sin	Made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). This means man is made like God in abilities (reason, faith, love, etc.) Original Sin is a term used to describe the effect of Adam’s sin on his descendants (Ro. 5:12-23). It is our inheritance of a sinful nature from Adam. Sinful nature originated with Adam and passed down from parent to child. We are by nature children of wrath.	Yacub (sometimes spelled Yakub and pronounced Yah - cube) was one of the council of 24 black scientist-gods. He rebelled against Allah and the council, causing havoc. He created the white race as a race of devils to strike back at the black race. Elijah Muhammed said that black people are not sinners, but that the white man is at fault for their problems.
Jesus	Second person of the Trinity. He is the word who became flesh (John 1:1, 14). He is both God and man (Col. 2:9).	Rejects the essential Christian doctrine that Jesus is both God and man. "Jesus did not consider himself to be God or a son of God or equal of Him… Jesus was only a man and prophet of Allah."[4] In a 4-hour videotape of Louis Farrakhan’s 1994 Easter service, "The Crucifixion of Jesus: The Imprisonment of Minister Farrakhan", Farrakhan discusses the crucifixion and relates it to himself, saying, "I am hanging on the cross right now and the more I suffer, the more our people are raised to consciousness… you don’t have to look for Jesus. I represent him. I was born to die for you and I love the thought of dying for you."[5]
Holy Spirit	Third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is fully God in nature. He is not a force He has a will [1 Co. 12:11] He speaks [Acts 13:2] He loves [Rom. 15:30] He can be grieved [Eph. 4:30] He convicts of sin [John 16:8] He intercedes [Rom. 8:26] He teaches [John 14:26]	NOI denies that the Holy Spirit is God. They view the Spirit as a "spook." "The so-called Negroes think of God in terms of something without form (spirit or spook) and they believe that His throne is somewhere in the sky....The teachings of Christianity have put God out of Man into nothing (spirit). Can you imagine God without form but yet interested in our affairs who are the human beings? What glory would an immaterial God get out of a material world? We also learn that a spirit is not self-independent; it is dependent upon air, water and food. Without it, the spirit can have no life. So how can a spirit be God?"[6]
The Bible	The inspired and inerrant word of God in the original manuscripts [2 Tim 3:16]. Bible inspired and written by holy men [2 Pet 1:20-21]	Although they do make use of it when it does not contradict their own teachings, the Nation of Islam believes the Bible has been tampered with by the white man. "The Bible is now being called the Poison Book by God Himself, and who can deny that it is not poison?...the Book cant be recognized as the pure and Holy Word of God."[7]
Atonement and Salvation	The sacrifice of Christ on the cross [1 Pet. 2:24] whereby His blood becomes the sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God [1 John 2:2] from the sinner when the sinner receives [John 1:12], by faith [Rom. 5:1], the work of Christ on the cross. Salvation is a free gift from God [Eph. 2:8-9] to the person who trusts in Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. He is our mediator [1 Tim 2:5]. No works are sufficient in any way to merit salvation since our works are all unacceptable to God [Isaiah 64:6]	The Nation of Islam rejects the essential Christian doctrines of atonement and salvation. "We know we have a Savior. In 1877 a Savior was born [i.e., Wallace Fard]....A Savior is born, not to save the Jews but to save the poor Negro....A Savior has come to save you from sin, not because you are by nature a sinner but because you have followed a sinner."[8]
Heaven/Hell	The place where God dwells. Heaven is the eventual home of the Christians who are saved by Gods grace, It is heaven because it is where God is and Christians will enjoy eternal fellowship with Him. Hell is a place of torment in fire out of the presence of God. There is no escape from Hell [Matt. 25:46].	NOI do not believe in the hereafter, whether it be heaven or hell. "I have no alternative than to tell you that there is not any life beyond the grave. There is no justice in the sweet bye and bye. Immortality is NOW, HERE."[9] To the Nation of Islam, heaven and hell are regarded as special conditions here on earth now, not as special places to go after death. "The Christians say, Confess the Lord Jesus Christ or you (who are other than the Christians) will burn in hell forever. That hell must not be so hot that one can burn in it forever and never burn up."[10]