Why Are Christians Afraid to Read?

It seems like so many things are forbidden to read by most Christians. Or maybe they make them forbidden to themselves through fear and ignorance. Take reading the Qur'an. I am often baffled when I get into discussions on religion with Christians who feel or believe that the Bible is the word of God. After all, if they think their way is the true way and have examined all other beliefs under a microscope and found them to be flawed in some way, why don't they bring some relevant proof that the Bible is the word of God? And why run out into this spiritual battle armed with little else than faith and hope that the blood of Jesus is enough to get one into Heaven? Every time I ask them "Well, have you read the Qur'an and seen the chapters where Jesus is mentioned?" they always say no. But this doesn't stop them from wishing to engage me in debate, to see which of us really has the word of God. If only an annotated, abridged, English language, edited King James version (one of many versions) was enough to run blithely out into the world where Satan and his minions run rampant. Have mercy!

And if faith alone in the blood and sacrifice of Jesus is enough to get the faithful into heaven, why bother doing any good deeds? Isn't it enough to say, "I'm a Christian," and let the leaves fall where they may? But good deeds are essential to get into Paradise for a Muslim, even though it's by the Mercy and Forgiveness of God that anyone goes there.

Now let me, for a moment say that I know these people are basically ignorant because they are unaware of the Qur'an, so it is not right to criticize them. They are babes in the wood, not aware that faith only is not enough to protect them from the lingering dangers in the woods. Yet this "word" they claim they have cannot even swat a fly. At best, its good reading while in the bathroom.

But I know I have the Word of God contained inside the Qur'an because of the way I see it affecting other people when I read it. It has true power, not only over non-Muslims, but over Muslims. I notice that homes that have people inside reciting the Qur'an on a regular basis are full of light and have a positive aura, whereas those that have people in it whose main pastime is gossiping and watching TV or other things definitely don't have the same vibe.

All I want them to do is at least get an all English variety of Qur'an and read it from cover to cover. I hope they can at least get a good translation and actually read it without fearing that by reading it they must have converted unintentionally. Is their faith so weak that any type of serious religious reading is enough to shake their faith? This type of knowledge should not be forbidden, especially when there is so much useless and wrong information out there that people are eating up like candy.