Tom H. C. Anderson made a study (January 20th, 2016) comparing with the Bible and the Quran that is the Quran really more violent than the Bible? Tom H. C. Anderson is the founder and managing partner of Anderson Analytics (developers of OdinText), a consultancy and software development firm that takes a “next generation” approach to research by fusing advanced analytics and traditional methodologies with leading edge technologies like data and text mining.

At first we should pay attention that Tom H. C. Anderson is not an expert and scholar, neither the Bible and the Quran. Anderson compared words of the Bible and the Quran through text analytics method. Anderson emphasized that his analysis is not exhaustive, nor is it intended to advance any agenda or to conclusively prove anyone's point. Anderson brought out that terrorism is connected to Islamic fundamentalism and is there something inherently violent about Islam.

As the result of Anderson's word comparison he stated that the Bible has more emotions of hate than the Quran and in the Bible was less thoughts related to trust. According to word comparison references to destruction and violence was in the New Testament 2,8%, the Quran 2,1 and the Old Testament 5,3%.

When we study this subject more deeper, so we see indisputably the result that the Quran is a more violent book than the Bible. The Old Testament has been written during many thousand years telling about the works of God, salvation history of the Old Covenant, phases of Israel's nation and its ancestors' history. The New Testament has been written during about 50 years telling ministry of Jesus, salvation and faith, describing shortly the history of the Early Church and about the message and teaching how to believe in the Lord Jesus. The Quran has been written during 23 years telling about Allah and how Muslim must believe in Allah and live as a Muslim.

It is obvious and clear that words war and kill appear more often in the Old Testament than the Quran, because OT tells the history of several thousand years about wars of Israel and nations who have attacked against Israel. The words war and kill in the Bible don't mean only wars of Israel, but also warfare that other nations have practiced against Israel many times. The Quran has only 23 years history, so in relation to the war and violence, we can't compare the Old Testament and the Bible, because OT has recorded wars and violent actions over many thousand years and the Quran only during 23 years.

We should also remember that the Old Covenant era has ended and Israel has no intentions to conquer the world as Islam has. The Bible places connected to war have ended and those Bible passages don't have any kind of impact to present times. The Quran's last Sura 9 says that fight and slay (kill) the pagans (non Muslims) wherever you find them. Sura 9 order to curse the Jews and Christians. Sura 9 says that Allah has sent his prophet (Muhammad) to guide people to find the real religion, which shall set aside other religions. The Quran's "holy war" is valid everywhere at all times. This makes the Quran more violent book than the the Old Testament.

Jesus forbade killing in the New Testament and said, all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. The New Testament is not all violent book, because Jesus forbid the war and the violence. The Quran is a more violent book than the New Testament.

The word hate can appear also in positive meaning in the Bible, because it appears many times in such kind of connections, which commands to hate the sin, hate iniquity and injustice deeds and hate idolatry. The appearing of the word hate in the Bible don't always tell about negative hate and thus we can't make analyses and make conclusions how many times the word hate appears in the Bible.

If we want to make the word comparison, so the most reliable comparison should make from the original texts, but directional comparison can make through the Bible and Quran versions that are faithful to the original texts. We should notice in the word comparison that words can appear either positive or negative meaning and therefore comparison don't tell the whole truth.

The word comparison or rather what is the message of the book should make between the New Testament and the Quran, because the Old Testament era has ended and Israel has no world conquer intentions as Islam has.  The message of the New Testament is  in the power at present, revealing the salvation history of the New Covenant and therefore we should compare it with the text of the Quran and not with the Old Testament.

I used in the word comparison King James Version 1769 (OT, NT), because it is very accurate version and very close to the original text. The text of the Quran is Yusuf Ali, which is one of most popular English versions and it is also very close  to the original text. The words are in basic forms.

The word battle appears in NT five times and four of them it appears in places where nations are at war against one another at the end of the times. The New Testament never uses the word battle in relation to where believers must or should kill their neighbors in armed wars or conflict. NT forbids killing of neighbors in every situation. In the last revelation of the Quran says that fight and slay (kill) the pagans (non Muslims) wherever you find them. The word slay appears in the New Testament, such places, in which is told how God's prophets were killed, how Jewish religious leaders wanted to kill the apostles of the Early Church, how the Hellenist Jews wanted to kill apostle Paul and how in the last days devastations the third part of the people shall die through the actions of evil powers.

In the New Testament the word slay never appears such connections in which the disciples of Jesus should kill their neighbors. The Quran is much more violent and warlike book than the New Testament, because the Quran says that fight and slay (kill) the pagans (non Muslims) wherever you find them.

When we compare the command not kill, so it appears in the OT 5 times, in the NT 6 times and in the Quran once. In the Quran the words not kill appears in the place, in which is said that believer women shall not kill their children (this should be self-evident without instruction). In the New Testament the words not kill appears 6 times, in which it means that a believer can't kill his neighbors. The last revelation of the Quran says that fight and slay (kill) the pagans (non Muslims) wherever you find them and because it is the last revelation, so it is always in the power. The message of the Quran is more merciless and violent, because the Quran advises to kill non Muslims wherever you find them. The command of Sura 9 to kill non Muslims wasn't bound to certain and specific time, but it is always in the power, because it is the last revelation of the Quran. The Quran is more violent and warlike book than the New Testament, because according to Jesus' teaching a believer can't kill his neighbors and not use violence against his neighbor.

The next I bring out some positive words from the Bible and the Quran. The words are in basic forms:

Through my word comparison in the New Testament appears much more positive words than the Quran. As I earlier brought out, so appearing of single negative words don't tell the whole truth that what is negative and positive. The positive words tell much more, because usually they are used to describe positive things, not negative things.

In the New Testament the words love thy neighbor or love your neighbor appears 7 times, but not even once in the Quran. The concept love your neighbor include respecting his neighbor, every kind of inviolability concerning his neighbor, you can't kill your neighbor, you should love your neighbor as yourself. This concept lacks from the Quran, but in the New Testament, it appears 7 times. Number seven in the Bible tells about the perfection of God and it also the number of the perfect works of the God. The New Testament advice to love his neighbor through the love of God, but in the Quran is not this of kind of teaching. Because in the Quran is not this command, so therefore the New Testament is a more philantrophic book than the Quran.

Petri Paavola 19.2.2016

Sources:
33/38 Finnish Bible
Biblia 1776 Finnish Bible
King James Version 1769
Quran Yusuf Ali
iltalehti.fi
odintext.com/1
odintext.com/2
odintext.com/3