MUSLIMS: In Their Own Words

I have been privileged (and I count it a privilege) to know and dialogue with several Muslims here in my own city.  They are peaceful, God-fearing people pursuing a life that is generally characterized by a deep commitment to prayer, personal integrity and purity, and family.  Much deeper than what I have observed in the broader community, including most who count themselves as Christians. 

I continue to have profound disagreements with them regarding the Quran, Mohammed, the relationship of ‘works’ to ’salvation’, and even the very nature of God.  I find that when pressed, theirs is a religion based on fear and performance.  And, from the perspective of historical theology, I disagree with their assertions that the Allah of Islam is the same as the God of the Jews and the Christians.

These things notwithstanding, I am apalled by the virulent anti-muslim rhetoric and practice that has become so commonplace in our culture since 9/11 and the advent of the so-called “war on terror”.   Reasonable voices and questions are drowned out by the sheer volume of general nonsense, blanket judgments, and fear mongering leveled at an entire people.  “Deport them all.”  “Tear down the mosques.” “Their goal is the destruction of the West and world domination in the name of Allah.”

I understand that there are some adherents to Islam who pose a grave threat to our nation, and to me personally.  The Muslims I know personally pose no such threat.  Period.  How do I know?  I have taken the time to talk with them.  To spend time with them.  To think and discern. 

So here is my challenge as a Christian.  I know that there are people who call themselves Christian and yet believe and behave in ways that are wholly inconsistent with authentic Christianity (i.e. the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles).  I also know that if one looks carefully at those teachings, the difference between authentic and inauthentic becomes fairly apparent.  What I remain unclear about at this point is this:

WHICH TEACHINGS AND PRACTICES CONSTITUE AUTHENTIC AND CONSISTENT ISLAM?  Are my aquaintances fair representatives of true Islam, or are the so called Islamic extremists?  The Taliban?  Hamas? Sufis?  Shiites?  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? 

On a blog entitled “In Their Own Words”, writer Trinity3  wrote:

“Soon Islam will become the dominating force in the world, occupying first place in the number of followers amongst all other religions…We don’t shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world” - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran

“Peace initiatives, the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement.” - Hamas Charter 1987, Article 13

“Believers (Muslims), take neither Jews nor Christians to be your friends: they are friends with one another. Whoever of you seeks their friendship shall become one of their number, and God does not guide (those Jewish and Christian) wrong-doers.” - The Quran, Sura 5:51

“Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it” - Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood

“Sons of Islam everywhere, the jihad is a duty - to establish the rule of Allah on earth and to liberate your countries and yourselves from America’s domination and its Zionist allies, it is your battle - either victory or martyrdom.” - Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Hamas co-founder and spiritual leader

“If the refugees return to Israel, Israel will cease to exist.” - Former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, a key player in the Six Day War who openly advocated the destruction of Israel

“Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces. Although we don’t accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem? If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe - like in Germany, Austria or other countries - to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe.” - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

“Our revolution’s main mission is to pave the way for the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam, the Mahdi.” - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [Editor's Note: In the Islamic faith, the Mahdi is the ultimate savior of mankind. His appearance will usher in an era of Islamic justice and bring about the conversion of the heathen amidst flame and fire. The Mahdi will establish Islam as the global religion and will reign for seven years before bringing about the end of the world.] (read Daniel 9:27and keep in mind that a week is equal to one year)

“There is no use in giving concessions. The more you concede, the more generous you are, the more it is seen as weakness and they will attack you again to get more concessions.” - Tawfik Hamid, former Muslim extremist

“The Prophet said, ‘If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.’” - The Hadith, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 260

“Allah’s Apostle was asked, ‘What is the best deed?’ He replied, ‘To believe in Allah and His Apostle (Muhammad).’ The questioner then asked, ‘What is the next?’ He replied, ‘To participate in Jihad’” - The Hadith, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 25

“Fight and slay the pagans (infidels) wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war.” – The Quran, Sura 9:5

Most Americans - and even most Christians - have no real awareness of the nature of Islam: its origin, its agenda, and its methods. To learn more about the growing threat posed by Islamic extremists we encourage you to watch the film Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West (click on the link above for a special offer). This new documentary has been described as “required viewing” and “one of the most important films of our time.” It contains an “insider’s view” of the true nature and agenda of radical Islam. “

THIS IS AN OPEN REQUEST TO MUSLIM READERS:  
1.     LOOK AT AND RESPOND TO THE STATEMENTS MADE ABOVE.  SPECIFICALLY, ARE THESE PEOPLE REPRESENTATIVE OF AUTHENTIC ISLAM?  WHY OR WHY NOT?
2.     WHAT IS THE GOAL OF ISLAM?
3.     WHAT IS JIHAD?
4.     WHO IS THE MAHDI AND WHAT IS HIS ROLE?

Those readers who are not Muslim are free to comment and participate as well.  Patriots, political agnostics, conservatives, liberals, Chrisians, people of other faiths, people of no faith.  But lets talk.  And listen. And think.  And discern.                       

Thank You, Jennifer Granholm

It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times…Well, maybe not the best.  I don’t write much about politics, per se.  For all intents and purposes, I’m a political agnostic.  I don’t have a lot of patience for ideologues and I gave up street fighting a long time ago.  A minister of sorts, and a businessman,  I think I’m a relatively astute observer of the human condition.  And the political process continues to leave me with an aching cynicism. 

After all,  I live in Michigan.  The reality is inescapable.  And it just keeps getting better and better.  50th out of 50 states economically.  Highest unemployment in the nation.  Businesses and residents fleeing in hordes.  People with legitimate job offers are simply abandoning their houses in order to move.   And now, as I write,  the state government is a mere six hours away from shutting down.   And true to form, rather than exercising the real leadership qualities needed in such a crisis, Hillary, Hillifer, Jennifer Granholm continues to cast blame, pitch tantrums, and press forward with an agenda that can only transform the state into the 52nd or 53rd worst business environment in the nation.  She shrieks that the congress has been unable to pass a functional budget, but will only accept a budget that has the stamp of her agenda on it.  The stamp of higher taxes.  Some solution!  And in the meantime, when ordering the shutdown of all but essential state services beginning at midnight tonight, the only thing she is actually accomplishing is the raising of the misery level in the state.  No  purpose is actually served other than to create news and panic so as to bring public pressure on the house and senate to pass a budget package that will meet with her dictates.  Never mind any unrelated attachments that may be hanging on the bill, slipped in by opportunists slithering in the background.

Should there be any lingering doubts as to the true nature of this battle as it has played out, one needs only look carefully at the services to be suspended and those emergency services being maintained.    No one can or should argue against continuation of emergency services, basic law enforcement,  and assistance to those most vulnerable in society.  And yet, an examination of those other state activities which WILL be shut down under Hillifer’s Jennifer’s orders will show that quite a number of those activities actually GENERATE REVENUE for the state.  So with the state in a budget crisis (read more money going out than coming in),  the governor in her wisdom chooses to shut down all the programs that bring in money.  My head hurts.  Only one explanation comes to mind here.  She is more interested in pressure and political capital than she is in sound fiscal decision-making and leadership. 

So I, for one, want to encourage the thoughtful and honorable (wherever they are) in the legistlature to continue to be thoughtful and honorable and not to bow to the Granton’s Granholm’s bullying.  Pass a package that works and does not further undermine the economy of Michigan.  And insist on a package that does not attempt to ram through last minute attachments that have nothing to do with the budget.  Then get to work on some REAL fixes for this mess.

And I want to thank Jennifer Granholm.  Sincerely.  Your handling of this situation has certainly cemented your place in the public’s mind and heart.  There is a storm brewing over the state of Michigan, and power plays and tantrums are not going to solve it.  If there were any lingering illusions as to your “mandate” in the state of Michigan, they now linger in your head alone.  November ’08 is just a little over a year away.  And I think I feel the wind changing.   Was that thunder? 

Andrew Meyer and the Greater Good

By now, the tazering (or would it be tazing) of a Florida college student  at a John Kerry forum has been seen and discussed in blogs all over the web.  I have jumped into a couple of those discussions, and was not going to post anything about the incident here. But the best laid plans of mice and men…Because this really isn’t so much about Andrew Meyer and his behavior at a John Kerry engagement now, is it?  Really? 

Back in 2000, I was privileged to be sent as a delegate to the International Congress on Prayer Evangelism, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Perhaps the most striking impression I was left with after my time in that city was the continual presence of armed security forces in virtually every public place. The general population seemed so accustomed to their presence as to hardly take notice. But occasionally, one would catch a furtive glance and notice a quickened step. These guys were impossible to miss, with their automatic weapons in hand, surveying the crowds. On street corners. In the subways. The train stations. “Trained to see movement…” in Bruce Cockburns words. Given the recent history of that nation, it was all too apparent how thin the veneer of democracy really was (and is), and how close a nascent fascism lay to the surface. I remember the sense of relief I felt upon my return to the US, a place that would not tolerate that sort of thing on a widespread scale. Then came 9/11. And the “War on Terror”. And the Patriot Acts. And “Homeland Security”.

And now, I fear, those who continue to value liberty are becoming suspect…or worse.  The more I’ve read on this incident, the more upset I’ve become over the short-sightedness of many respondents. “Watch the video.”  “The kid was annoying.”  “He deserved it.”  “He resisted arrest.” “The crowd applauded.”  Don’t resist authority? Don’t fight false arrest? My late father-in-law was among those first US soldiers to discover the true fruit of such thinking after the fall of Germany. Do we honestly believe that the “greater good” imposed by a Hitler or a Stalin is so very long ago and far away?

Some Hard Facts on Success

Me again, Son.  Have I told you recently that you make me proud?  You do!  You just seem to keep looking for ways to do the right thing.  And that’s good.  It’s not always easy.  But it’s good. 

So you want to talk about success?  Think.  Take the time to look things over, pray, and make wise choices.  If you rush into anything, or choose foolishly,  it doesn’t affect just you.  It has an impact on everbody around you, especially those you love.  If you get into a pattern of foolishness, it’s really hard to get back on track.  And your mamma, especially, would be fussing all the time.  Mamma’s are like that. 

You know this is another of those areas where everybody seems to have an opinion and everybody’s opinion seems different?  The bible says you can find wisdom if you take stock of what wise people say, but you do need to decide who you’re going to accept as wise people.  So here are some tips.

Some folks will do anything they can get away with just to put money in the bank.  They’ll cheat.  They’ll steal.  Maybe not outright.  They may not break the law, but they’ll bend it as far as they can.  They may not lie, but they won’t tell the truth either.  Then they’ll laugh about it over drinks on Saturday night.

People like that are looking for the easy way.  And sooner or later, it will catch up to them. You can see pretty easily what those people become.  Every day they turn a little darker, and die a little inside.

Now if you keep doing the right thing, that won’t happen to you.  And if you keep following God, and get to know Him and His ways, he will not let you go hungry.  That is a fact.  He’ll keep you on the right path, too, if you pay attention.  He has a real knack for derailing plans that are based on wrong desires.

Do you want to be successful?  Work.  If a person doesn’t want to work, or does a half-hearted job, that person will end up poor.  If someone takes hold of the opportunities that are there, makes wise choices, does the right thing, and consistently gives their honest best, that person will do well. 

But success takes time.  A farmer puts seed in the ground, and then takes care of his fields for a long time before they produce anything to eat or sell.  And when the time comes to harvest that field, he needs to be paying attention.  He needs to recognize the right time to harvest, and act immediately.  If he decides to stay in bed, or go on vacation when there’s opportunity or work to be done, well that’s just plain stupid. 

If you make up your mind and set your heart to do the right thing, you will be blessed.  Those “easy way” people with their fast money schemes are all talk.  And their talk is a cover for the fact that they really don’t care who they hurt as long as they get what they want.

If you build a reputation for doing the right thing, people will remember you.  What’s more,  that memory will keep on having an influence and blessing long after you’re gone. And make no mistake.  Folks remember the ones who hurt or took advantage of them too.  Those people may have even had a good name once,  but the memory of their bad actions lives on like a cancer, until there’s nothing left of the good.

If you’re honest, you won’t need to worry about your future.  Most good folks can see through a phoney, and eventually they figure out who the real crooks are.

If you listen with your heart to God’s commands and leadings, that’s wisdom.  Fools and self-appointed experts just run their mouths and are only interested in their own opinions.  And they end up getting knocked down to size. 

The guy who’s always got a new scheme to get rich and avoid work is a troublemaker…for everybody.  Don’t be taken in by promises of a sweet deal for a select few.

Don’t throw in with people whose fancy words just cover up arrogant and hurtful plans.
Underneath it all, their ways are just plain hateful. 

When you speak, speak the truth.  Speak wisdom.  Be a source of blessing and life to everybody you come in contact with. 

Don’t carry grudges.  They keep the hurt going.  Forgive.  Move on.   Above all, love.  Always remember to love.   That’ll help you get through a lot of stuff.  

I love you.  We’ll talk more later.

(hint:  Proverbs 10:1-12)

The Real Key

Alright Son, so you want to live a long and peaceful life?  Then don’t forget the things I’ve been teaching you.  The simple rules.  Don’t be like a fool who lets good advice go in one ear and out the other.  Don’t just write them down on a scrap of paper and then lose the paper!  Write them on your heart.
     Do you remember when you were little, and you kept your house key on a special chain you wore around your kneck?  When you got home, you could always open the door.  God’s truth is like that key.  Keep it close, over your heart, and you’ll never be locked out.
     Never, ever, stop being kind or truthful.  That’s the way to keep a good reputation.  It pleases the Lord and it gains you favor with anybody else that really matters.
     Now here’s the thing about trustin the Lord.  That trust has got to come from the heart!  You can’t do it half-way.  You either trust Him totally, or you don’t.  It’s your starting point.  It makes you who you are, and it colors everything else about you. 
     Give up trying to figure everything out on your own.  It’s never going to happen anyway.  Just live your life so that everything you do points back to Him, and He’ll show you a path to walk that’s straight and level.
     A lot of people think they know it all.  They think they have all the answers.  They’re never wrong.  Just ask them!  Don’t be like that.  If you’re wrong, own up to it.  and if you don’t know, don’t bluff.
     You’ll keep your head and your heart straight if you just keep your eyes on the Lord.  You see, compared to Him, we all fall so far short that it’s scarey.  He is so totally pure and loving and powerful and full of wisdom…It’s impossible to really wrap our minds around it.
     Son, the world is full of people who have opinions about God.  A few even set themselves up as experts of some sort.  And a lot of other folks spend their entire lives running from one “expert” to another trying to figure out the real truth.  In the end, though, they usually wind up settling on something that just “fits”.  Kinda like picking out a comfortable sweater or a new pair of sneakers.  I guess that’s fine if you want to simply make up a god that suits your tastes.
     There is another way, though.  Stop trying to know all about God and finally just get to know God.  Spend time with Him.  He really is there.  And He’s a person.  And He wants to be close to us.  Talk to Him.  Listen to Him.  It can be the most important thing in your life.
     I know it’s not easy.  Getting to know someone never is.  And this is GOD we’re talking about!   I mean, if it’s intimidating to walk across the street to meet a new neighbor, the idea of actually getting to know GOD is absolutely terrifying!  But you already know that Jesus made it possible, right? 
     So where do you start?  I guess we come full circle back to trust.  Sure, God is HUGE! And He’s holy.  And He’s powerful.  And He’s pure.  And He’s the standard for good and truth and beauty and love against which everything else is judged.  And we’re not!  But like I said, He WANTS to be close to us.  Mind boggling as it is, His desire is for us!
     The first time I was really with Him, close like I sit and talk with you, it was so intense I almost ran away.  I think it helped me understand those people in the bible who kept saying, “No way, Moses, He’s too scarey.  You go talk to Him.”  I knew He was there.  Right there in that place with me.  And in me.  And all around me.  I knew.  Not just with my mind, but with my everything.  I felt like I was covered inside and out with liquid light and fire and electricity all at the same time.  And I could feel His love and I could actually hear him somewhere inside me.  It didn’t hurt, but still, all that light and love and power and pure was too much for who i was.  My knees literally buckled under the weight of it.  All I could do was be there, in Him, knowing that I’d never be the same.  I wanted to run away, and I wanted to stay there just like that forever.  It was terrifying, but good beyond anything I can begin to describe.  It’s still too much for who i am.  But having experienced being with Him in that way, I can’t go back to just knowing about Him.
     I think this is a bit of what the bible’s writers meant by ”the fear of the Lord”.  And it’s a good place.  For everyone.  Because, if this is where we always begin, and where we always return, then we should have no problem recognizing evil and wrong and turning away from them.  
     Of course people are still going to do bad things, and make wrong and selfish and destructive choices.  And sometimes, just being a part of the world and living life will get us “slimed”.  But if we continue to come back to Him, to be with Him and know Him more and more deeply, then being with Him will clean us up and heal us and change us and make us fresh and strong.  And more and more, we’ll come to be like Him.
     When it comes right down to it, Son, that’s what He wants for you.  The best!  To be like Him!  And that’s what I want for you too.  I love you.  
     We’ll talk more later.   

STRANGE LAND–Where Is the God of Elijah?

In the mid-seventies, I read a fascinating book by William Stringfellow entitled An Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in a Strange Land.  The emphasis, as the title might indicate, was that real biblical faith calls real Christians to live lives that are always in some sort of tension with the world around them.  To live, in fact, as aliens and strangers in a foreign land. 
     I’ve been privileged over the years to have developed relationships with believers from all over the world.  One thing that baffles so many is the degree to which American Christians in particular, and Western Christians in general, have come become accustomed to a position of privilege in society.   They may not be members of a privileged class economically, but for the most part they do live lives which are more or less free from the threat of persecution.  But this privilege comes with a price.  Silence.  In exchange for the freedom to worship relatively unhindered, Western Christians have tacitly agreed to play by certain rules and allow certain socio-religious assumptions to go unchallenged.  Faith is a private matter.  At best, outside the four walls of the church building, it serves to make nice neighbors, good honest workers, and peaceful obedient citizens who pay their taxes and don’t rock the boat too much.  In recent years, the faith community has seen its national influence wax and wane in relation to certain domestic policy issues, but almost always to the degree that that influence has been linked to broader political and social alliances.  Power politics.  
     New Testament Christianity was something wholly other.  Here was an emerging community that lived and functioned by a different set of rules.  And the very life and understanding of that community as an outpost of God’s Kingdom in the world served as a constant prophetic countersign to the values and agendas of that world.  They saw themselves differently.  Their identity was as citizens of the Kingdom, living by specific Kingdom standards, and serving ONE authority.  Their life on earth was as aliens, strangers in a strange land.  
     We’ve lost our prophetic edge in America.  We’ve given it away in trade for a bowl of stew.  And until we make it our priority to articulate and embrace distinctly biblical values and agendas rather than simply American values and agendas, we will never be what we are called to be as Christians in the twenty-first century.  Are the god of America and the God of the bible one and the same?  How safe are we in assuming that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is on our side?  When living in the city, working in the marketplace, or standing in the public square, “what WOULD Jesus do…really?”
     The prophet Amos confronted his hearers once, asking, “Do you REALLY want the day of the LORD?  Do you honestly know what you’re asking for?  Are you ready for what it takes when the very Presence of God actually shows up in the streets?”  I think we need to take a hard look at what we so glibly claim to desire as Christians in the West.  We need to regain the realization of who we truly are, and who our Lord and our God truly is.  Then, as a community, maybe we can step forward and begin crying out “Where is the God of Elijah?”