Clearly, there is no point denying that many evil deeds have been done, in the name of Christianity in her 2,000 year history. Nor is there any point in denying, or even trying to deny that many of those same said evils were done by folk claiming, and perhaps even believing, that what they were doing was precisely what their "guide-book" instructed.
What is perhaps very critical to note, is that the Holy Bible does not teach, condone or otherwise instruct one to behave in such a fashion. The problem is, too many of us form our opinions and / or beliefs based upon what we heard from someone else. “So-and-so told me the Bible says __________________________.” But they lack perhaps the opportunity, or “WILL” to seek out and read the Book for themselves.
For example, if I were to say to you the Bible says: “Judas hanged himself, then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."” Would anyone believe me? It’s there, right there in the Bible, albeit completely out of context, nonetheless those words are there. Matt 27:5 and Luke 10:37 And the two passages quoted are taken wildly out of context. Text, taken out of context, becomes pretext, PERIOD.
The point is two-fold.
First, the era of the Crusades was one of limited access to the Bible, or most any book. Only those of royal blood, or the priesthood were legally allowed to read the Holy Scriptures. It was believed (very foolishly believed) that the common man (or woman) could not possibly understand God’s Holy Word. Thus the margin for erroneous interpretation was HUGE. (not making excuses, simply reiterating history)
Second, if one wants to really know what any given religion’s “holy” book teaches, one needs to (I mean one absolutely MUST) read full passages, in FULL context and NOT take either what they heard someone else say, or a single passage (out-of-context) by itself.
Many argue that there are Christians, even today, who are doing evil… Sadly that is true, there are. Does that not make Christianity evil? Well let’s consider this for a moment. What does it mean if a Christian breaks a law, or lies, or cheats? Does that not prove Christianity is evil? Well it shouldn’t. The Bible certainly neither teaches nor even condones such behaviour. So why then do people do such things? Human (Carnal) nature, simple, that’s why. (again, not making excuses, just stating fact)
Question:
Isn’t Islam really just terribly misunderstood, and at its core basically a variant of Judaism, or Christianity?
Answer: “NO!”
There is absolutely NOTHING genuinely similar about Christianity (Jesus - the Son of God, Jesus - is GOD, Word of God, Word made flesh) and Islam. Any perceived similarities between Judeo / Christian teachings (the Holy Bible) and Islam's teachings from the Qur’an are based upon Islam’s gross bastardizations of the Judeo/Christian writings.
Additionally, yes there were many who during the Crusades that did terribly evil deeds, oft times in the name of Christ. Bear in mind, those days are what some call the dark ages. Sadly Islam seems to be stuck in the 7th century.
Fast forward to the 21st century and alas, there are folk, in all circles of life, Atheists, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists etc., who commit heinous crimes. The point here is not so much about the specific crime(s), as it about the rationale (or motivation) behind the commission of said crime(s).
These heinous crimes are committed against society in general and sadly... very very sadly, against their own families / family members. What's the difference between some Christian father who abuses his own daughter and the example of honour killings by a Muslim father / husband? You may ask...
Simple - The "Guide Book", if you will for the Christian (Holy Bible) absolutely and unequivocally condemns such behaviour. Whereas the "Guide Book" of the Muslim, the Qur'an, not only condones these so-called Honour Killings, it COMMANDS it of its followers. Think about this – If Muslims believe that it’s Okay for a man to kill his wife or children, simply because one feels that the wife’s or child’s behaviour may bring shame to his name, and therefore his family would be seen as an embarrassment to Islam; how much more readily do you think Muslims will be willing to exterminate the us, the Infidel(s)…
Don't believe that the Qur'an teaches such things... READ one.
In order to be a Muslim, one must first and foremost worship Allah (a devil really), and second MUST follow all of the precepts of the Qur'an.... precepts such as these set out in the following passages:
(Qur’an 5:33): The Punishment for those who oppose Allah and his messenger is: Execution or Crucifixion or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides or exile from the land.
(Qur’an 9:5): Then when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush.
(Qur’an 8:12): Remember Thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): "I am with you: give firmness to the believers, I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, Smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger tips of them."
(Qur’an 2:193) "And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah
(Qur’an 76: 4): Lo! We have prepared for disbelievers chains, yokes and a blazing fire.
(Qur’an 47:4): When you meet the disbelievers in the Jihad strike off their heads and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly.
Islam, the religion of PIECE(s) . . . L
Please remember, first do not take what I have written at face value, READ for yourselves. And second read full passages, not just what has been quoted, but preferably read entire chapters. Context, context, CONTEXT!
Finally read two chapters from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV) John 3 and John 14!
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
I used to be one of those people who believed that all religions were, in their essence, similar. Over the years however, I have learned and experienced enough to know this is not the case. The constant and growing violence perpetrated by Islamists, has put a spotlight on the evil cultish fundamentals of their religion. Islam is completely incompatible with Judeo/Christrian traditions and western civilization, of which the latter has as it's foundation. Reflecting on "Is Islam Alone . . ." I am in complete agreement with the central argument, that although there is evil committed by Christian people, it cannot be said, that it is "because" of their faith that they committed the evil acts. It is completely to the contrary when put into the context of Islam.
ReplyDeleteI have found that John 8:7 has given me strength when confronted with the relativistic lie that all faiths are equal. Next time someone uses this excuse not to get involved, or take a side in order to stand up to Islamist violence, such as in the case of "honour killings," I remind them that even Christ drew a line in the sand, and placed himself between the condemned and those condemning. Christ is our protector and our redeemer. He tells us to go and sin no more. This is the opposite of the Islamic teaching. Forgiveness is not the norm, it is the exception. Reasoning with such people is impossible. We must stand between them and what they want to destroy. Namely all of western civilization. We must defend our beliefs and ways of life--sinfulness and all, because as Jesus said, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone . . ."
Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this increasingly distressing topic.
Lana Raposo