An overview of Islam: Allah's plan for you +

In my experience, Muslims commonly view life as a test from Allah. Those who pass the test go to paradise, those who fail go to hellfire.  Yet the Quran describes Allah as "merciful" over and over.  I never understood this point, and I don't think most Muslims can explain it either.  If you are convinced by the historical resurrection of Jesus, and you don't hear a convincing response from the Quran, then die and land in Allah's hellfire, you might not think that was so merciful.

In the Bible, the first three chapters of Genesis set the stage for the rest of the book, which describes a rescue mission by God after mankind joined Satan's rebellion.

In contrast to the Quran, the basic story of the Bible is this:

• Creation
• Fall of Mankind
• Redemption
• Restoration

I find it remarkable that the creation, fall and redemption of man are described right at the start of the Bible, before Genesis 3:15. 

If God is willing to send Jesus to die on the cross for us, then he is doing all he can to save us.  Compared to Christianity, in what way does Allah inconvenience himself to save us?

For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

--John 3:17


[The Lord] is not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
--2 Peter 3:9

In Christianity, God is on our side, to save those who would be saved from their sin.

Understanding The Trinity +

Is God like his creation, or totally different?

The trinitarian view of God is that he is one being, three persons, so a little of both.

Many people, when trying to understand God as a trinity, make the mistake of assuming that since they are just one person in one being, that God has to be the same way.
The problem with that is that, without realizing it, they are measuring God by using themselves as the standard, and comparing themselves to God, and making an idol for themselves instead of accepting the God who revealed himself.
Since God made man in his image, God is like humans in some ways, but in other ways he is very different from us.

Does 1+1=1=1?
You are likely to by asked this question by Muslims in the topic of the trinity comes up.
First of all, the plus (+) operator only works on things of the same kind, like apples.  But adding apples to oranges does not make sense, unless you are adding fruits in general.

Another answer is to point out that ∞ + ∞ = ∞.

Does the Bible allow a man have more than one Wife?

Several men in the Old Testament had multiple wives.
This does not constitute permission--just as Lot committing incest is not permission for us to do so.