It can be difficult to accept something as fact, even if it logically makes sense, Abdu Murray told the Aletheia Apologetics club Friday.
“You hold an opinion in an open hand,” Murray said. “But a conviction is held in a closed fist. You hold it tight to yourself to keep it safe.”
A former Muslim who converted to Christianity, Murray is the founder of Embrace the Truth, an organization dedicated to apologetics and spreading the Christian faith.
Murray grew up in a Muslim family near Detroit, Michigan. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan. He still lives in the Detroit area with his wife and family.
Murray has written a number of books, including “More than a White Man’s Religion,” “Saving Truth,” and “Grand Central Question.” Murray now speaks to college students about the arguments that led him to convert from Islam to Christianity.
Murray detailed his conversion process, which he said took nine years.
“I got all the answers within the first two years,” he said. “I spent the other seven coming to terms with it.”
Murray explained what he found most compelling while debating Islam with his friends from other faiths. He said he found contradictions in the Quran regarding the truth of the Bible.
“If the Quran says the Bible is right and the Bible is wrong, the Quran ends up being wrong, too,” Murray said. “If the Quran says the Bible is right and the Bible is right, then the Quran is wrong because the Bible contradicts it.”
Murray also discussed the Trinity and how it differs from Islamic teachings.
“Many people shy away from the Trinity. But it was one of the things that made me convinced of Christianity,” he said. “Muslims believe that God is the greatest being, and also that God is loving. Without the Trinity, God would need to bring humans into the world for him to be loving. With the Trinity, the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Holy Spirit.”
Students who attended this event had different takeaways regarding what they found important about the talk.
“It was fascinating to see how Mr. Murray was able to take the tenets of the Islamic faith and the text of the Quran and use them to contradict conventional Muslim theology and support the Christian faith,” freshman Matthew Tolbert said. “I was especially pleased to see someone actually explain the doctrine of the Trinity and provided a purely philosophical argument that such a God would be greater, because he could fully practice love, than a strictly unitary God.”
Sophomore Lukas Becker said he was struck by how genuine Abdu was.
“I had never heard of a way to use the doctrine of the Trinity as an evangelical tool until Mr. Murray presented one,” Becker said. “Islam is an important worldview here in Michigan, and we need to be equipped to speak with Muslims. We’re excited to continue learning ways to be ambassadors for Christ this semester.”
