By taking a little time to read the text in question, it becomes obvious the passage isn’t referring to apostates. Rather, when you read the context, you discover that believers were being enticed to serve other gods, which would entail sacrificing children on an altar. Therefore, the passage isn’t about killing apostates, but about punishing people who sacrificed children and enticed others to do the same.

It’s well known that Islam strongly discourages apostasy. Abandon the faith, and you might end up dead. Though many Christians point to this practice as a blight on the Islamic faith, some skeptics claim that Christianity requires a similar punishment for disbelievers (a command allegedly found in Deuteronomy 13:6–10) and, therefore, is just as unjust. This challenge—and how it’s resolved—demonstrates the importance of knowing your theology and proper interpretative principles.

Read the Text

First, it’s always important to read the passage yourself. Don’t assume another person’s interpretation is correct. Here’s the passage in question:

If your brother, your mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, “Let us go and serve other gods” (whom neither you nor your fathers have known, of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end), you shall not yield to him or listen to him; and your eye shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to seduce you from the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Deut. 13:6–10)

Upon a cursory reading, there’s no command to kill apostates. An apostate would be a person who was once a Jew but has now abandoned his religion. There’s no indication that someone fell away from their faith. Instead, the passage commands you to stone a person who tries to “entice you secretly” to “go and serve other gods.”

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