Is Allah an Idol? Jesus' Life from Twelve to Thirty. Obeying Bad Governments.
by the Rev. Walter Snyder

Q: I heard that Allah was one of 360 idols that Mohammed chose to be his god. Then
Mohammed, along with his followers, wiped out the remaining 359 idols in a massacre. Is
this true? Is Allah actually an idol and not the same God as Yahweh?

A: There are many stories of the beginning of Islam. Basically, however, Mohammed, like many
other Arabs, came from a polytheistic (worshiping many gods) background. Yet he created a
religion that was strongly monotheistic (worshiping one God). There is some indication that the
basis of your story is true. The Qur'an (or Koran, the holy book of Islam) itself at times seems to
drift toward an older Arabian folk religion, keeping the ideas of such creatures as the genii, as
well as one god.

However, I would not say that Allah is an idol simply because the Muslims are strictly anti-image
(even more so than are most radical parts of Christianity toward statues, pictures, or images of
Christ). Many parts of the Moslem world will not tolerate any images of living creatures,
including animals. Thus, there are no modern "Allah idols."

Finally, Allah is not the same as Yahweh (the Lord), the God of the Hebrews, although much of
Mohamed's monotheism was influenced by Judaism and Christianity. He is the fabrication of the
false prophet's fertile imagination as it drew upon the one-god worship of his neighbors and the
religious and cultural roots of his own people.

Q: Why does the Bible skip thru many years of Jesus' life, from when He was twelve to when
He was thirty-something?

A: We don't have a clear answer. Probably, after age twelve, there were no special events to show
that He was fulfilling either the Law or any of the prophecies. Note that the Nativity (and the
introductions of Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, and John) establish His true humanity while
also completing some of the Old Testament prophecies, such as his place of birth. His
circumcision shows that He placed Himself under the full Law as given to Israel at Sinai, as does
His presentation at the temple. The trip at age twelve shows Him following normal human
development (although not normal as regards either His perfection in character or His
attentiveness to His Father's business). I assume that any following accounts would only continue
the pattern established in early years.

As for the wait, it was probably at least in part because rabbinical tradition dictated that one had
to be at least thirty to study certain books of the Scriptures and the commentaries and no teacher
would have been taken seriously until he'd reached this final majority age.

Q: Romans 13 states that all authorities are established by God. It tells us to submit to
these authorities. It also says that "rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for
those who do wrong. (Romans 13: 3)." When I read this passage, I thought of Nazi
Germany. I certainly don't see how Hitler's Nazi Party can be an authority established by
God. And historically it has shown that the Nazi Party had persecuted many people who
did right things (such as helping to save innocent Jews living under the Third Reich). I am
a Christian and I believe what the Bible tells me. How am I to understand this passage?

A: Basically, if a government doesn't do those things that God demands of it, then it is not a good
government. If it engages in sinful, brutal, godless behavior and encourages or commands its
citizens to do likewise, they are then free from obedience, for a clear division between God's right
and man's wrong exists (as the disciples said, "We must obey God rather than man"). It helps to
see other passages and to study the interrelationships we have in God's kingdom of grace, which
is exercised only in and through His Church and in His kingdom of power, which is exercised also
in society and nature. Notice that Paul and Peter both write also of the good that government
does. Thus, if it calls evil good and good evil, and especially if it commands us to sin, it is not a
government to be obeyed by Christians, for it is not fulfilling God's commands to do good for its
people.

Note, however, that even wicked governments are sometimes used by God. Assyria, one of the
most brutal and evil nations ever to exist, was God's instrument of judgment upon Israel.
Babylon, an idol-worshiping empire, nevertheless was called by God (although they didn't realize
it) to similarly execute God's judgment upon Judah. Yet God also brought down both of these
great nations---in fact, Babylon was the destruction of Assyria and was later conquered by the
pagan nation of Persia, which was an integral part of the Babylonian empire.

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Walter Snyder is the pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Emma, Missouri and coauthor of
the book "What Do Lutherans Believe."

Ask the Pastor is copyright (c) 2001 by Walter P. Snyder. It may be reproduced in totality,
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