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Objections to A Message of Ancient Days
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David’s going to the brook to pick out stones, which is in the Bible. But notice how obscure facts are repeatedly chosen if they line up with Islam. In the Quran, the only mention about Goliath has to do with a stream!

"Allah will test you at the stream…
By Allah's will they routed them;
and David slew Goliath" (2:249-2:251)

The textbook continues:

The textbook fails to mention that Samuel the Prophet had already prophesied God chose David to be king and anointed him with oil. David did not actually become king until after a long string of miraculous events, long after the prophet died. The Bible is rich with quotes from God which are omitted:

"Finally the Lord said to Samuel,
'…for I have selected one of his sons to be My new king."
(1 Sam 16)

Yet Houghton Mifflin presents the Jewish belief as though David just grew up to be king and claims prophets did not tell the future.

What’s the prime agenda, to keep God completely out or to match it up with the Quran? Why, in the Islam section, are events described so beautifully and compelling toward Allah, but in the Jewish section, everything is rewritten to omit God while events occur in happenstance?

5. The textbook states,

"Solomon showed his skill as a diplomat by making treaties with the pharaoh of Egypt and other rulers. These treaties assured Israel’s safety." (pg 309)

This is a HUGE Bible story about the wisdom and relationship between God and Solomon. Instead, the textbook chooses to credit Solomon independent of God.

6. The textbook states:

"The prophets taught that God had power over all peoples, not just the Jews. As a result, the Jews came to believe that their god alone controlled all nations and directed the course of history."
(pg 311)

This statement discredits the object of Jewish belief, (God) and again credits Jewish belief to the prophets alone, who apparently needed time to convince the Jews for they had to "come to believe." God showed Himself over and over again to the Jews throughout the ages, but not according to Houghton Mifflin, unless the god discussed is Allah and the beliefs of Islam.

This sounds like a disclaimer of validity of the Bible. Because the next paragraph says,

Is this a self-authenticating license to change what the Bible says? The lesson is titled "EARLY BIBLICAL HISTORY," not the Bible as rewritten by historians.

7. The textbook states:

"To remind themselves to obey the law of the Torah,
some Jews wear phylacteries." (pg 312)

They wore phylacteries because God told them to! "And you shall place these words upon your hearts and upon your souls and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hands and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." (Deut. 11:18) How can Houghton Mifflin write so many pages about a religion and avoid God so much? Why didn’t they present Allah and Mohammad this way in the Islam section?

8. The textbook states,

"Religious Jews did not object to Syrian rule…" (pg 313)

Oh my gosh, this is almost as ridiculous as saying everyone benefited from Muslim tolerance.

V. CHIPS AWAY AT THE ROOTS:
The textbook states:

"The ancestors of the Israelites
worshipped many gods, including Baal…
however the Israelites came to believe
that there was only one true god."

Jews did not just "come to believe," God called them out from His people. Evidence proves that before Ba'al as well as other polytheistic religions, people believed in monotheism (one God). Which is exactly what God tells us in the Bible, as He called Abraham out from his people, why? Because the people had gotten corrupt with idol worship. This is supposed to be a unit about what Judaism believes, not an opportunity to tear it apart unanswered. The Israelites didn’t just "come to believe" in God. God specifically blessed the nation of Abraham.

In this unit, surgical clips of Moses, Abraham, David and Solomon are given, but only to the exact extent that Islam agrees with the story. In fact, all that is given concerning Abraham are two quotes from the Bible around his name, which are also cited in the Quran. (see Addendum B for specifics)

This is interesting because when Muhammad tried to convince Christians and Jews that he was a Prophet, he said his ministry should be judged by the Bible as true. Muhammad was here 600 years after Jesus and the Bible was already established. The Quran claims it is an extension of the Bible and it cannot contradict it. (2:136) When it is found to be so completely different from the Bible, the claim is made that the Bible is corrupt, which is supported by the textbook in both the Islam and Judaism section. (see Ezra below) The only backup of what Muhammad claims is the angels told him. It is the Bible that is complete with dates, events, and historical backup.

There are too many to list

Rather than cover the above Bible greats, the textbook focuses on the lesser-known EZRA (Uzair). The textbook states:

"The laws of the Jews were contained in the writings that made up what are now the first five books of the Bible. However, at that time there were many different versions of these holy writings. No one version was accepted as law by Jews in all parts of the ancient world. Then in the 400 BC, a priest and scribe named Ezra returned from exile in Babylon. He brought with him a collection of the many versions of holy writings that had been put together by Jewish scribes in Babylon." (Pg 312) (excerpt of topic)

Possible reasons for the emphasis on Ezra:

1. Muhammad mistakenly thought the Jews revered Ezra (Uzair) as Christians revere Jesus. The Quran says, "The Jews call Ùzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Jesus the son of Allah…Allah's curse be on them! (9:30)

2. Another possible reason to note Ezra is because the textbook account supports the claim of Islam that the Bible is corrupt. Ezra came with "many different versions" implying contradictions, and "no one version was accepted as law by Jews" worldwide. The textbook states, "The Torah brought back by Ezra became the accepted version of Judaism’s holiest writings. With the backing of the Persian authorities, Ezra demanded that the Jews obey the Torah and separate themselves from people who did not." This paints a picture of a forced acceptance.

I am not a Jew, but I studied Ezra in the Old Testament. It looks to me like Ezra simply verified the authenticity of different copies and organized them with the help of 120 men. Persia did send Ezra back to Jerusalem to administer the affairs, as he was so impressed with Ezra’s religious knowledge. When Ezra got there and found the wicked practices of people, he threw himself down in front of the temple, wept and prayed to God for forgiveness. One by one people started to join in weeping and a national revival began. That’s a far more beautiful and true picture than a dictator back from Babylon.

Why didn’t the textbook find it worthy to mention all the amazing facts showing the Bible as accurate? Dead sea scrolls, the incredible care the Jews took to copy it over and over precisely? When the Islam section discussed the Quran, it talks of how the Hadith was "passed down in oral form through several generations, and compiled into authoritative collections. Together, the Quran and collections of Hadith, make up the authentic sources of Islamic beliefs and practices." (pg 61)

Recap: the Jews copied the scriptures painstakingly for centuries, gathered them back together, compared, verified and organized the Torah. Yet their version is "corrupt." Islam on the other hand, memorized it for generations, got all the dates and people differently, pulled it all together and our textbook gives it the phrase "authentic source of Islamic beliefs and practices."

Why is Esther, then, in the Judaism section? I can think of two reasons, First, because Esther is the only story in the whole Bible that is completely devoid of God’s name.

Second, because Esther is the perfect example of how a Jewish wife should behave in Islam. A Persian king fell instantly in love with Esther, a beautiful virgin no doubt, who kept her faith and nationality in total secrecy. Islam approves of mixed faith marriages, as long as the husband is Muslim, the wife is not. The Muslim husband has total authority over his wife, and has the Quran’s instruction to beat and slap her if she misbehaves. Esther found herself in a precarious situation of little choice. Her nation conquered, she was in a foreign land, she had to completely submit or die. She won her husband’s favors (saving the Jews) by pampering him in total submission at the risk of her own life. I wonder how many Muslim’s with Jewish or Christian wives direct them to Esther of our own Bible.

Quran Contradictions with Christianity, avoided in textbook:

Surah (verse) 19:22 Jesus’ birth and miracles Quran states Jesus was born under a palm tree not a stable, and miraculously spoke as an infant in the cradle, saying he was a prophet of Allah. Also states that as a boy, Jesus created clay birds and brought them to life. The Bible specifically states Jesus’ FIRST miracle was turning water into wine at a party (as an adult). The circumstances of Mary’s conception are not the same and the Quran states Allah has no son.

Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God and Savior "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." (1 John 4:14) Islam rejects Jesus as the Son of God, (4:171 below), but the Quran states the Christians wrongly believe he is (9:30 below). It appears that as the Quran admits Christians believe, the textbook concedes ONE time as a subtitle to a picture: "The Fish was one of the earliest Christian symbols. The Greek word for fish contains the first initials of the words, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior."(459) Interesting, it couldn’t quite come right out and say, "Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God."

4:171. O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not "Three (Trinity)" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is One God. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son.
9:30. The Jews call Ùzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!

ADDENDUM B
Surgically matching what agrees with Islam

Abraham (pg 299)
Text/Bible quote: "God created the heavens and earth." (Gen)
Quran quote: "He it is Who has created the heavens and earth" (6:73)

"But God became upset with humankind and finally decided to create a new nation within the human family. God commanded a shepherd named Abraham… (Genesis doesn’t state what Abraham did before being called from Ur, but the Quran has some very bizarre stories about that time.) Then we get another Bible Quote:

Textbook/Bible quote: "Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation." (Gen 12:1-2)

The Quran says, "And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled: He said: "I will make thee an Imam to the Nations" (2:124)

From there the Quran takes a sharp left and some extremely different versions take place. It couldn’t possibly continue and be the same story.

Samples of Quran’s versions
This is only a fraction, stories are extremely different, and it would take a book.

41:9-10,12 Creation: Islam says Allah created everything in 8 days, Bible says 6 and rested the 7th.
2:31-37 Adam and Eve Islam believes Allah told Adam to tell the angels the names of the animals and then give tell them their natures. Allah had the angels bow down to Adam and satan was the only "angel" that would not.
27:4-6, 28:38, 29:39 Tower of Babel Different Bible names that lived hundreds of years apart and in different places are listed as working on the Tower of Babel.
11:32-48; 11:44 Noah and the ark. Islam says one of Noah’s sons stayed behind, Bible says the whole family went; Islam says the ark landed on a different mountain than the Bible. Also states that the flood happened at the same time as Moses. The Quran has a lot of confusion with names, dates and places.
37:100-112 Isaac and Ishmael Islam says it was Ishmael that was offered as a sacrifice and then Isaac was born later. Bible states Isaac was offered on the alter.
6:47, 14:37, 21:68-69, 9:69 Abraham Quran and Bible disagree on the name of Abraham’s father. Quran states Abraham was thrown into a fire by Nimrod (who lived hundreds of years previously). Many Biblical names listed as living in the same time frame of Abraham which the Bible does not back up. States Abraham became Christian.
12:21 etc. Joseph Quran states the brothers plotted to kill Joseph and begged their father to let him come with them. No coat of many colors but a mere shirt. Was found in the well by a caravan. A wife tried to seduce him but Joseph’s innocence was believed from the start. Oh it’s bizarre, you have to read it yourself.
19:28 Miriam is confused with Mary. Muhammad actually believed Moses sister Miriam was the mother of Jesus
28:8-9, 7:136, 7:59, 2:87 Moses Quran states he was picked out of the water by Pharaoh’s wife, not his daughter as the Bible states. Quran states Moses traveled in darkness, nothing about following the pillar by night and a cloud by day. Quran says the flood took place in Moses’ day. The Golden Calf is suggested by the Good Samaritan. (there were no people or nation of Samaria yet) Jesus was at the same time and Moses’ sister Marian/Mary was Jesus’ mother.
2:249-250 Gideon According to the Quran, the test of which soldiers should go to battle by how they drank from a stream didn’t happen in Gideon’s time but rather happened with who would fight Goliath.