On June 26,
2011, Trinity Episcopal Church,
409 East Court Street in Janesville WI, will hold what they are calling an
“Interfaith Dialogue” in which:
“Three faith leaders
will openly be sharing scripture and its meaning from Islam, Judaism and
Christianity..."
Below is the
actual copy from their website at
http://www.trinityjanesville.org/
:
 Interfaith Dialogue June 26 at Trinity |
Three faith leaders will
openly be sharing scripture and its meaning from Islam, Judaism and
Christianity on Sunday at 6 pm at Ortmayer Hall, 419 E. Court St. The
Diversity Action Team of Janesville is sponsoring this event in conjunction
with a nation wide effort sharing faith, tolerance, respect and understanding
(see faithshared.org). Time will be given
for question, answer and discussion. Seating will be on a first come basis.
Two prior dialogues on Islam sponsored by DAT has drawn over one hundred
people. |
The organizations Faith Shared and Human Rights First, in conjunction with the Interfaith Alliance, are sponsoring this event.
The Faith Shared website states:
Faith Shared asks houses of
worship across the country to organize events involving clergy reading
from each other’s sacred texts (emphasis mine - HR). An example would be
a Christian Minister, Jewish Rabbi and Muslim Imam participating in a worship
service or other event. Suggested readings will be provided from the Torah,
the Gospels, and the Qur’an (emphasis mine - HR), but communities are
encouraged to choose readings that will resonate with their congregations. Involvement
of members from the Muslim community is key (emphasis mine - HR). We will also provide suggestions on how
to incorporate
this program into your regular worship services (emphasis mine HR). And
we will assist local congregations in their media and communications efforts.
While there is a strong preference for
all of the events to happen on the same day, a number of congregations held
interfaith services in January and February giving us wonderful examples of how
communities can come together in support and fellowship. We will be posting
photos, sample programs and audio files from theses services.
Faith Shared will collect
images and videos from these events to use in our efforts to spread this
message of respect and understanding from America.
Say,
WHAAA-AAA-AAT?
The Qur’an
being actually preached in a Christian church (or a Jewish synagogue)? Really?
"The concept of Chrislam, now embraced by such preachers as Rick Warren and Robert
Schuller, appears to have emerged from a program on the meaning of “love your
neighbor” at Grace Fellowship Church in Atlanta, Georgia “In 2001, like most
Americans, we were pretty awakened to the true Islamic presence in the world
and in the United States,” says Jon Stallsmith, the outreach minister at Grace
Fellowship. “Jesus says we should love our neighbors. We can’t do that without
having a relationship with them.”
Stallsmith maintains that a
rapprochement between Muslims and Christians can be achieved by the fact that Jesus
is mentioned twenty-five times in the Quran (emphasis mine - HR).
The Chrislam movement has gained impetus by statements from President
George W. Bush that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship the same God and
by Rick Warren’s reference to Isa (the Muslim name for Jesus) in his prayer at
the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Only 30 percent of Americans have a
favorable view of Muslims, according to a Pew Forum poll. At the same time,
more than half the country says they know “not very much” or “nothing at all”
about the Islamic faith. “The recent political developments and the fact that
we’re fighting two wars in Muslim countries should sharpen that need to know
how to talk to these guys,” Stallsmith insists “We want to find peace,
reconciliation around a scriptural understanding of Jesus.”
Jesus in the Quran is neither the
only-begotten Son of God nor the Messiah who was divinely appointed to restore
the House of David. He is rather viewed as [merely] a prophet who was appointed by
Allah to prepare mankind for the coming of Mohammad.
(emphasis mine - HR)” (Source – thelastcrusade.org)
Please
explain to me what business a church that claims to follow Jesus Christ has
doing allowing the Qur’an – one of the most hate-filled “sacred scriptures” of any religion
ever to have been seen on this earth – to be preached in a place supposedly dedicated to the worship of the One Who said, "Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34)?
“Be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord
hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of
the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and
I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing];
and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons
and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” - 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 KJV
I have to
ask: Why, oh WHY would any real, bible-believing, Christ-preaching
church try and teach its members about a religion that teaches Jesus as He is
portrayed in the Qur’an - as merely a harbinger of Mohammad??? Jesus
Christ as nothing more than a John the Baptist to Mohammad???
What in the
name of all that is good and holy are Christian churches thinking
by sponsoring and promoting this sort of blasphemy???
And – Oh,
yes, it most assuredly IS
blasphemy!!!
What is
blasphemy?
When the
people of the world observe those who profess to be saints living immorally,
they frequently speak injuriously against the Lord himself: “Some God he must
be if his children live like that!” To speak injuriously against God, against
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is blasphemy. The word comes from the Greek
blasphemia
–or- blasphemeo,
which derive from two roots—blapto, to injure, and pheme, to speak:
“As
Christ was hanging on the cross, certain folks passed by his quivering body and
“reviled him” (KJV), or “railed on him” (ASV), according to the record of Matthew 27:39. The Greek
literally suggests they blasphemed (
blasphemeo)
him.
Here is
what they said: “Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days
[cf. John 2:19ff], save yourself: if you are the Son of God, come down from the
cross” (Matthew 27:40). The apostle thus informs us that these who repudiated
the divine sonship of Jesus were guilty of blasphemy.
If such
was the rage of those ancient rebels, what shall be said of today’s rabid,
slobbering modernists who deny that the humble Nazarene was born to the virgin
Mary, as both Matthew and Luke affirm. What about those who rationalize the
Savior’s astounding miracles by saying they were but natural phenomena
misinterpreted by a superstitious age, and those who insist that the Lord’s
body still lies in some unmarked Judean grave? Men who promote such ideas are
blasphemers of the rankest variety, and yet, sadly, they occupy hundreds of
pulpits in this nation of ours.”[i]
Denying that
Jesus Christ is the Divine Son of God IS blasphemy. The Qur’an and the religion
of Islam expressly deny the divinity of Christ. Therefore, they are all blasphemers’
– and, as such, have no place in our
churches.
In the
book of Revelation, chapter thirteen, John saw a beast rising from the sea.
Obviously representing an enemy of God, the beast had seven heads, upon which
were “names of blasphemy” (v. 1). The apostle declares, “And he opened his
mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle,
even them that dwell in the heaven” (v. 6)...
How do
men accomplish that abominable act? ...Though the Bible clearly teaches that
Christ is the savior of the [B]ody, which is the church (Ephesians 5:23; 1:22,
23), numerous religious leaders boldly announce that that blood-bought organism
is but an option, that a lost person does not necessarily need to enter the [(B)ody
of the] church in order to enjoy the blessings of redemption.[ii]
Muslims may claim
to look up to Jesus as a prophet, but they regard it as blasphemous to view him
as God’s son and the savior of the world. As Durie remarks, “Certainly there
are some similarities between Isa of the Koran and Jesus of the Gospels. The
Koran calls Jesus ‘al-Masih’ – the Messiah – and both figures are said to have
been born of a virgin, to have performed miracles of healing and to have raised
the dead. Yet here the similarities end. Isa of the Koran was not crucified and
did not die but was raised up by Allah.” (Source: Mark Durie)[iii]
Now, I don’t
say we should hate those who follow Islam – not at all!! I do not hate anyone –
regardless of their religion, etc. I view such individuals as very sadly
misguided at best or enslaved to the powers of darkness at worst. I pray for
them, for their salvation – but I do not hate them.
However – I
also will not allow their poison to be injected into the Body of Christ with
impunity!! Those who arrogantly say that the Bible is merely a collection of human
works, blaspheme that Word which is “inspired of God” (1 Timothy 3:16). Those
who blaspheme God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the church itself are all
intent on poisoning the Body of Christ – and many, it seems, are even in the
very pulpits that are the supposed to be the breastworks upon the frontlines of
the battle for lost souls!!
Yes, we are
to show love. Yes, we are to show compassion. These are qualities that Jesus
Himself told us that, as His followers, we are to exhibit. However, “...to
attribute the Spirit's work through Jesus to the power of demons is ultimate
blasphemy. It blasphemes God who promised the Messiah would come in the power
of the Spirit. It blasphemes the prophets who spoke with the authority and the
voice of God about this ministry. It blasphemes Jesus because it associates his
work with Satan. Finally, and ultimately, it blasphemes the Holy Spirit because
the Spirit's work in Jesus' ministry is called Beelzebub's work. As long as
people... attribute [Jesus' work] to evil and demons, then there is no hope or
forgiveness available.”[iv]
So, what do
demons and evil have to do with it? Because Allah is NOT the YWVH of the
Bible!!
Christian
leaders who are pushing for Chrislam collectively state that Muslims and
Christians worship the same God. NO -
they do not! Allah was
the Arabic name for a god, specifically the god that Mohammed worshipped –
Allilah - the moon god (which, conveniently, became the generic name for a god,
Allah). This is why a crescent moon and star is on the flag of Islam and prominently
displayed on mosques.
Not only is
this blasphemy – it is heresy as well.
Some
misguided Christians believe they can somehow combine the two religions
(Christianity and Islam) and still have something recognizable as the Christian
faith. They think that they can blend their faith with that of Islam and still
remain intact, effective, and biblical Christians. Sorry, but it just doesn’t –
and can’t ever – happen. Not only is such a thing expressly forbidden by Christ
Himself and by the entire Bible, but it just doesn’t work on an even more
practical level – because Muslims are quite happy to use these “ecumenicalized”
versions of religious syncretism to first gain entry into the heart of Christian
circles, but it then will result in Christians becoming second-class citizens –
if they are given any sort of standing whatsoever in Muslim society.
Now, I
understand some of the thinking behind this. “Know your enemy” is a big one.
But others think that, by mixing Islam with Christianity that, somehow, the
Christianity will “Christianize” Islam or that it will do away with the
“fanatics” that are blamed for all of the horrors unleashed upon the world in
the name of Islam.
Uh... not.
Some may
think that since the two religions have apparent similarities that they are
then fully compatible with one another. These similarities include the fact
that both are world religions, both have Abrahamic origins, both are
monotheistic, etc. The differences, however, are far greater than any
superficial similarities.
Some have
even gone so far as to share their church facilities with Islamic groups –
claiming it is the “Christian thing to do” – to be all neighborly and nice and to
develop relationships – even with those who don’t share your beliefs.
OK, sounds
good, on the surface – but...
If a Christian
group needed a place to worship in say, Saudi Arabia, would the local mosque be
as happy to open its doors to them? Of course not. In Muslim countries Christians
must either submit to Allah and renounce their false beliefs, or live as
dhimmis there.
(A “dhimmi”[v]
is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance with sharia law.
Linguistically, the word means "one whose responsibility has been
taken". Essentially non-Muslims are treated the way African-Americans were
treated prior to the days of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights
Movement)
The problem
is that, like the National Socialist German Workers' Party in Germany in the
early part of the 20th century, this sort of thing seems innocuous enough,
at least at the outset.
The German
Worker’s Party, as it was originally known, was intended to help advocate for
better wages, better living conditions and improved social welfare for
Germany’s citizens following the upheavals of WWI and its aftermath. Seems like
a good thing, doesn’t it?
This group
had rapidly grown out of smaller predecessor groups with strong nationalistic
emphasis – because Germany had very heavy reparation burdens laid upon it
following its loss in WWI – and the average citizens as well as the underprivileged
classes felt this burden most keenly. Stories abound of people carrying money
in wheelbarrows. (Actually wheelbarrows were rarely, if ever used to carry
money. Suitcases were the preferred method of transport.)
The inflation
was triggered by the huge increase in the nation's money supply, caused in part
by the heavy demands of the reparations. Soon an inflationary mentality set in:
Merchants raised prices automatically, people hoarded goods, figuring the price
would go up, thus causing shortages and they wouldn’t be able to afford to buy
things – or, worse yet, be able to make a fortune by selling the same items at
hyper-inflated prices. The vast quantities of money flowing about were issued
not only by the German central bank (The Reichsbank), but also by numerous
communities, cities, states and companies, which only compounded the inflation.
Similar to
the US Dollar, that is made up of 100 cents - the German mark is made up of 100
pfennig (where we get our word for "penny"). In 1914, a 10 Pfennig
coin made of a copper-nickel alloy, would buy ½ dozen eggs or 2 ½ pounds of
potatoes. Bread was 13 Pfennig for a 1 pound loaf. By 1916, the 10 Pfennig coin
was made of iron and would buy only 2 eggs or 1 ½ pounds of potatoes. Bread was
19 Pfennig a loaf.
However;
between 1919-1923, because of the harsh reparations demands; the cost of living
went through the roof. By end of 1923, it now cost 80 BILLION marks to buy a small
½ pound loaf of bread!! (That’s 8 trillion pfennig, or 615,384,615 and ⅓ one-pound
loaves of bread at 1914 prices!!!!!!) The government issued a new currency, at
that time, called the Rentenmark, which was worth an exchange rate of a
trillion of the old marks (You could get one RM for every trillion marks of the
old money you traded in – this is likely where the stories of people carrying
money in wheelbarrows came from – and it now cost 35 Rentenpfennig to buy a
loaf of bread – or 35 billion of the old marks!). Though this move stabilized
the economy, the damage was done - and the wealth of the nation had been
destroyed - along with all of the institutions both secular and non-secular
that had been supported by the land and wealth of the country.
As a result
- the people were tired, hungry, lost and looking for a leader who would take
them out of this grim despair and take them into a new and brightly shining
future. Thus, when Adolf Hitler; who came to national prominence through
usurping the National Socialist German Workers' Party in 1920 and although
avowedly anti-Semitic, anti-monarchist and anti-Marxist, as well as believing
in the superiority of Germans who claimed to be part of the Aryan "master
race" (Herrenvolk); accused
international capitalism of being a Jewish-dominated movement and denounced
German capitalists for their war profiteering in World War I - which had led to
the accumulation of vast amounts of wealth that had been taken out of the
mouths of the German people (he said) – the people listened. And loved him for
it.
The people
were tired. They were hungry. They had lost savings, jobs, homes and in many
cases their breadwinners and many family members due to soldier deaths and
deaths from disease during and after WWI. They naturally rallied to someone
they thought could lead them out of the morass they were in. They wanted to
blame someone for their problems - and they got what they wanted in Adolf
Hitler and what became the Nazi Party.
Now we know
the diabolical results of this, but at the time, the world could not
conceive of the evil that was about to be unleashed upon it – and how could it?
Nothing like it had ever before been seen!
These were just
ordinary people - just like us. They weren't monsters or sociopaths - they were
ordinary men and women beaten down by circumstances and just wanting to feed
their kids and put a roof over their heads and maybe have a glass of bier at
the end of a long, hard day.
So, why the history
lesson? What could this possibly have to do with combining
Islam and Christianity?
So simple a
thing, so innocent a thing, did Nazism seem in its infancy. It promised to do
good, to bring unity, to bring an uplifting and betterment of man and society.
It spoke of a millennial reign of peace and plenty. It seemed so innocent, so
pleasing - so much so that most of the churches in Germany either endorsed it
or, at least, didn't denounce it.
So - WHY do
I not hear a hue and cry over this from every pulpit of every Christ-preaching,
Bible-believing and God-fearing church or church-group across the land? Why are
the sheeple in these churches sitting back and smiling – smiling - smiling at
this wonderful new ecumenical wonderment? Would they allow a coven of witches
to hold a sabbat in their churches? Why not build a late-term abortion clinic
just off the sanctuary?
After all, they want to show just how tolerant and
friendly we Christians are, don’t they?
And lest we
buy into the current cant of “Not all Muslims are fanatics – Islam is really
a religion of peace”, let me show you something:
A prominent
element in the Islamic daily prayers is the recitation of Al-Fatihah (the
Opening), the first chapter of the Koran. Often described as a “blessing”,
Al-Fatihah has a sting in its tail. After introductory praises, the final
sentence of Al-Fatihah is a request for guidance ‘in the straight path’ of Allah’s
blessed ones, not the path ‘of those against whom You are wrathful, nor of
those who are astray.’
Uh – what?
What was that last part? Who are these who are under Allah’s wrath or have gone
astray from his straight path?
Muhammad
himself gave the answer: ‘Those who have earned the anger are the Jews,
and those who are led astray are the Christians.’
Al-Fatihah
is central and it is recited at least 17 times a day as part of required
daily Muslim prayers! Yet - according to Muhammad himself - this prayer recited
by every pious Muslim castigates Christians and Jews as misguided and objects of Allah’s wrath!!!!!
According to
the Bible, the church age ends in apostasy. The last church age is humanistic in
nature and about the "rights of the people". Doesn't this sound like
what we are seeing right now? Among supposedly Christian churches? It’s all
about the rights of the people and world peace, at the cost of truth and sound
doctrine.
Especially
with all of the false teaching and false doctrine abounding now - and the
influence of books like "The DaVinci Code" and "lost
gospels" - people are starting to rely more and more on the opinions of
men. They feel that, since it seems we don’t know what God really said or
didn’t say, why not reunite all of “Christianity", Judaism and Islam under
one umbrella? Ah, shucks, let's invite 'em all in! One big happy family,
worshipping in peace and love, tolerant of everyone and singing "We Are
The World" in a wonderful harmonic chorus!!!!
It’s enough
to make me want to vomit.
Of course,
I’m not alone. It makes Jesus Himself want to vomit, too. He even said so:
“I know thy works, that thou art
neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” –
Revelation 3:15-16
Why would
Jesus want to spew out those whom He came to save? What could possibly make Him
want to do that?
“It is in Muhammad’s vision of the
end times that the role of the Muslim Jesus (Isa) comes into sharp focus.
Muhammad taught that when Isa returns, he ‘will fight for the cause of Islam.
He will break the cross, kill pigs, and abolish the poll tax. Allah will
destroy all religions except Islam’ (Sunan Abu Dawud 27:4310).
And it is
here that we see the final truth about how Islam and the Qur’an view Jesus and
Christians: The cross is symbolic of Christianity and by breaking it, Christianity
is thus abolished. Pigs are symbolic of the Jews – who will be killed outright.
According to Islamic law, the poll tax, or jizya, only buys the protection of
the lives and property of Christians (and Jews) until the end times. The doing
away with of this tax would mean that jihad will begin again against all Christians
as well as other non-Muslims. No further protection will be given to those who
do not submit to Islam – they will fall under the sword and be beheaded.
I can't wrap
my own head around so-called Christians, who have this supremely naive attitude
towards our avowed enemies! After all - what do these “Christians” think they
will achieve by “crawling” to the Muslims like this? They will only confirm for
the Muslims that the Christians are weak. Muslims despise weakness in their
enemies, but have a healthy respect for strength in opponents.
Remember -
our freedom of religion in the US is so that people of ALL religions can
worship without fear of reprisal or discrimination nor have the establishment
of a “state religion”. The most basic, fundamental tenet of Islam is
intolerance - and freedom of religion would be the first thing to be thrown out
under a Muslim regime. No amount of white-washing can clean that ugly dark
truth from the face of Islam.
Bringing a
false religion like Islam into Christian churches is the beginning of the end
of those houses of worship. They have effectively signed their own death
warrants by foolishly seeking for some sort of theological compromise with the deadliest
enemy of Christianity and it completely undermines the Christian faith.
Additionally,
we do a huge disservice to our Muslim neighbors, friends and family members who
desperately need to be set free from the bondage of Islam and released into the
freedom of the gospel of Christ when we appear to accept the Laodicean lukewarm
ecumenical compromise of Chrislam, rather than standing firmly on the true gospel
and preaching Christ crucified, arisen and coming again in power and glory!!!
Maybe this is
just yet another of the multitude of signs of the great falling away of the end
times as spoken of in the Bible – this sheer madness of embracing a religion
that would immediately dismantle the freedom of religion it is hiding behind
right now.
“The goal of
Islam is world domination. That’s the goal. Wherever [they] plant a mosque, the
people who attend the mosque [must be able to] walk to that mosque. They have
to be able to get there by foot. The entire area they walk by foot they [then] claim
is Islamic territory... just like they claimed Israel as Islamic land.” –Franklin
Graham
So, when you
allow a Muslim to worship in your church – you have essentially just voluntarily handed it over to
them, because any place they worship at is theirs. But, remember: They move in,
not because they want such buildings, but in order to destroy the Christian
faith.
It is
impossible and completely un-biblical to combine these faiths – because Islam
will never permit it (present appearances notwithstanding!) and Christianity
should never allow it. If these Christians are foolish enough to think they can
let in the devil, but keep his evil outside - then they’re in for a rude
awakening.
Hold fast to what you have and be ready
for His coming!
MARANATHA!!
In
His Service,
Heidi
M. Roberts – June 23, 2011 7:00 AM
NOTES:
[i], [ii] http://www.christiancourier.com “Blasphemy — What Is this Great Sin?";
Wayne Jackson
[iii] Islam
regards itself not as a subsequent faith to Judaism and Christianity, but as
the primordial religion, the faith from which Judaism and Christianity sprang.
The Qur’an says that Abraham was not a Jew but rather a monotheist Muslim (l
‘Imran 3:66). So, therefore, it is actually the Muslims, and not Christians or
Jews, who are the true representatives of the faith of Abraham in the world
today. (Al-Baqarah 2:135)
The Biblical prophets were all Muslims and many
prophets of the past received the one religion of Islam. (Ash-Shura 42:13) Who
were these previous prophets? According to Al-Anam 6:85-87 they include Ibrahim
(Abraham), Ishaq (Issac), Yaqub (Jacob), Nuh (Noah), Dawud (David), Sulaiman
(Solomon), Ayyub (Job), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses), Harun (Aaron), Zakariyya
(Zachariah), Yahya (John the Baptist), Isa (Jesus), Ilyas, Ishmael, Al-Yasha
(Elisha), Yunus (Jonah) and Lut (Lot).
[iv] “Ultimate
Blasphemy” - Phil Ware; June 13, 2010; HEARTLIGHT®Magazine; Heartlight, Inc.
[v] (Arabic:
ذمي [ˈðɪmːiː]), (collectively أهل الذمة ahl al-dhimmah, "the people of the
dhimma or people of the contract") The dhimma is a theoretical contract
based on a widely held Islamic doctrine granting special status to adherents of
Judaism, Christianity, and certain other non-Muslim religions ("People of
the Book"). Dhimma provides rights of residence in return for taxes.[2]
Dhimmi have fewer legal and social rights than Muslims, but more rights than
other non-Muslims.[3] They are excused from specifically Muslim duties, and
otherwise equal under the laws of property, contract and obligation.[4]
Under sharia law, dhimmi status was originally afforded
to Jews, Christians, and Sabians. The protected religions later came to include
Zoroastrians, Mandaeans, Hindus and Buddhists.[5][6] Eventually, the largest
school of Islamic legal thought applied this term to all non-Muslims living in
Islamic lands outside the sacred area surrounding Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (source:
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Dhimmi)
[2] H. Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World.
Oxford University Press, 2007, pg. 218–219.
[3] Lewis 1984 p. 62
[4] H. Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World.
Oxford University Press, 2007, pg. 219.
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