Saturday, September 25, 2010

There Would Be No Mosque Controversy IF….!



For weeks intense controversy has raged over the intention to build a mosque very close to the “ground zero” site where the World Trade Center was destroyed on September 11, 2001 due to terrorists hijacking loaded commercial aircraft and flying them intentionally into the Twin Towers --- from a myriad of mass media reports on the issue.

Muslims are resolved to put up a mosque near the location of the World Trade Center where the destruction of the gigantic Twin Towers took place nine years ago on September 11th.

The real tragedy is not the destruction of the Twin Towers, as horrible as that event was, but in the fact that we have arrived at such a place that the building of a Muslim mosque is a very real possibility and will likely be brought to completion with a great deal of fanfare!

When this nation was put together in a formal statement on July 4, 1776, the persons responsible were nearly unanimous in agreement in their identification with the Christian faith as Protestants.

They further acknowledged the need to depend upon and be obedient to the God Who had revealed Himself in two very special ways – through His inspired recorded Word (the Bible) and by becoming incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ – that is, the belief that Almighty God chose to become human and personally visit this planet which He had created!

For some time such beliefs and convictions were held by the larger number of leaders and it was not unusual for them to make statements of the need to acknowledge the existence of God, but also that it was imperative that the entire nation seek to comply with His commands in order to experience His blessings and insure a positive future in years to come.

The Christian faith was embraced by a large number of the growing population. As migration toward the west took place so did the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as demonstrated by such persons as the Methodist circuit riders.

The influence of the Christian faith in the early decades was evident in at least two significant ways. Sunday was a day set aside to provide opportunity for families to worship and to rest after a week of work. In the public school systems the practice of reading from the Scriptures and praying the Lord’s Prayer was instituted. So, if a school pupil came from a heathen home, or his/her family was identified with some religious expression other than the Christian faith, there still was daily exposure to God’s revelation during the school year.

But the time came when at the end of the 19th Century heresy began to be imported from the European continent and certain truths in the Christian faith began to be questioned. The skirmishes in the early years of the 20th Century became known as the “fundamentalist-modernist” controversy – or perhaps “war” is a better term to apply. The rebel seed began to be sown and terms used were changed a bit. A pastor became known as being “liberal” if he could not accept certain things in the Bible as literally taking place. One of the early facts questioned was the virgin birth of Jesus with liberals concluding that it really didn’t make any difference and probably Jesus did have a human father -- either Joseph or someone else!

Time rolled on and eventually insane and bizarre court decisions took place that altered the religious landscape of the United States permanently. Two most significant decisions were the banning of Bible reading and reciting of the Lord’s prayer in public schools and a few years later the decision that it is a “constitutional right” for a female to deliberately arrange to have her unborn child mutilated and murdered! Strangely there were and are church leaders who support such decisions. A host of politicians support and attempt to defend the practice of destroying about 25,000 unborn children each week!

Compromise had been extremely common within church circles as the last half of the 20th Century came to a conclusion. Doing “dialog” is the big thing as we sit down and discuss our “common ground” with other religions in the world and how we can work together for a better world. We discuss controversial moral issues and seek to find a way which is acceptable to all by concluding that God did not really mean what He said when He drew the boundaries for acceptable sexual expression and experience!

So today, after decades of sowing the rebel seed within professing Christian circles, the Christian faith is regarded by most as simply a religion on a buffet table with many other religions in which you simply pick and choose what suits your fancy – or if you don’t want to choose any, that’s ok too. We can still work together to build a better world!

If the Christian faith had not been compromised, divided, and greatly weakened as the result of imported theological garbage from Europe in the closing years of the 19th Century and early years of the 20th Century, there would be no controversy over the building of a Muslim mosque near “ground zero” in New York City!

Do not spend any time fussing and fretting over the mosque construction plan – rather, be more concerned about the fact that this nation is going to experience the outpouring of God’s wrath due to its unwillingness to fully repent of its abominations which are so widely accepted and practiced at the present time. Our leaders, elected officials and church, show absolutely no real concern about this, nor is there much of any genuine concern among us, the ordinary citizens either!

Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down," says the LORD. Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.' Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, 'listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen.' --- Jeremiah 6:15-17

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."..... Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." --- John 8:12; 14:6

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Burning the Koran (Quran)?


Pastor Terry Jones, after days of intense and very negative publicity, has announced that he will not conduct the Koran (Quran) burning event at his church as planned on September 11 on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the year 2001. --- various news sources on the internet

Even President Obama spoke out against the planned burning of copies of the Koran (Quran) by Terry Jones and members of his congregation on September 11th. In fact different government officials went on record expressing great anger over the intention to destroy what are clearly considered "holy books" in the faith of those who worship Allah in the world of Islam. And, as might be expected, a mighty chorus of voices from different organizations and churches joined in the protest as well.

As this is written the announcement has been made by Jones that he and his people will not carry out the planned burn on September 11th. The claim is being made that an "agreement" has been reached and the controversial building of a mosque at "ground zero" in New York city will not take place at that location. Sources supposedly close to those intent on building the mosque at the site deny any deal has been made.

A major problem in the whole incident is the witness that Jones and his people are making as professing Christians. It is highly unlikely that many Muslims will be brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through such antics as that!

Jesus, of course, instructed us as to our conduct in regard to those who even persecute us and think that they are doing service to God by killing us. Such commands as loving the enemy and praying for them are not easy to put into practice when it is really happening, but the commands to do such have not been rescinded.

What Jones and his congregation have done is to build a case against Christianity on the part of those who have concluded that Christians are nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites anyway!

Christianity and Islam in their purest expressions of faith are totally incompatible with each making the claim of being the "true" faith. There is a difference in how those outside the faith are to be regarded and treated. Islam labels all who are not Muslim in faith as infidels and there is sanction on occasion to kill infidels if they refuse to accept Islam as the true faith and practice it as such. The Koran (Quran) at one point specifically instructs Muslims not to take Jews or Christians for their friends because of the corrupting influence such persons might have on the one who worships Allah!

While Christianity would apply the term "unbeliever" to all who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, there is to be no violence committed in advancing the faith throughout the world. The motivation for confronting unbelievers is out of love and the desire that they experience total forgiveness through Jesus Christ and have the assurance of everlasting life and a place in His eternal Kingdom.

The approach to the Muslim on the part of a Christian is the same as that to those of the many other religious expressions existing in the world, and also including professing atheists -- "Jesus Christ loves you as much as He loves me -- He died on the cross to pay the penalty and satisfy God's justice in regard to your sins just the same as He did for mine, which were many! Receive Him as Savior and Lord into your life and know peace with God and the assurance that you have everlasting life."

Terry Jones and his people have created a stumbling block in this matter that will take a very long time to undo, if ever!

Now then, another question to think on -- the president and individuals as well as groups were quick and very loud to protest the planned burning of copies of the Koran (Quran), sacred book to those who identify with the religion of Islam. Do you think President Obama and all the others so upset over this issue would express the same outrage if there were a planned public burning of Bibles? Since Christianity has been assailed in numerous ways over recent years here in the United States, most of us know the answer to that one, do we not?

It is simply a matter of time, however, until the day arrives when Jesus Christ will personally return to this world which He originally created and take full control of it. There is an indication in the book of Revelation that there will be an attempt at resistence by a powerful leader and armies of nations. But as indicated elsewhere on my web site, it will be somewhat like a gnat or a mosquito trying to stop a loaded 18 wheeler barreling down Interstate 80 in Clarion Co. PA -- no loss in speed -- just a splat on the windshield and it's all over! Be sure to think of all the implications of the Scripture statement quoted below!

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" --- Revelation 11:15