When you're pregnant, one of the beauties of it is that you have vivid dreams that for me, at least, lead to deep sleep. For me, the dreams are all usually positive. For the past few days, I've been praying for that kind of sleep because I have been tossing and turning all night with thoughts of the mosque that is planned near Ground Zero. Not the structure itself but the ideology within it's walls as professed by Imam Rauf and what it means to not just be built at Ground Zero (although highly and obviously significant) but what it means to be built within our boarders.
Do we, as people, understand what it means that Imam Rauf advocates the acceptance and eventual cultural observance of Shariah law in this country? Shariah law calls for the blatent oppression and abuse of women and girls. Shariah law calls for midevil punishment for moral offenses under Islamic law. Women can't get divorced. Women can't be seen in the company of non-related males. Have you seen a woman in a theme park on a summer day covered in a black burqua with hardly an eye showing? Shariah law calls for Shariah compliance. Shariah calls for deception in order to further the cause of Islam. And persecution and cruel punishment for not following it. Oh, and the destruction of Israel and conversion by sword for non-believers. And honor killings for those who leave the faith. Ask the African countries who've experienced genocide at the hand of Shariah-following and Shariah-imposing Muslims. Ask the girl on the cover of liberal Time Magazine that is missing her nose and ears at the hands of this Islamic law.
This is the belief system of the man who is behind and will be the leader of the Ground Zero Mosque. He does not denounce Jihad. He calls America an equal accomplice in the 9/11 attacks. He will not call Hamas a terrorist organization. This is the ideology of the mosque. This is not what is being built but what is being preached, spread, spewed. But we should believe he is "moderate" because he tells us, in other sentences, that he is. No one's ever lied to further their agenda or manipulated people with words, right? So it must be true... But how can you attest that embracing a strategy to impose Shariah compliance is moderate? That is the definition of "not moderate." Scary not moderate.
Not all who call themselves Muslim hold these beliefs. I know that. But some do. He does. And while it is extreme I do not believe it to be as obscure a ideology as many want you to believe but it's become too taboo to challenge Islam. Terrorist attacks were not Islamic attacks... except for the fact all the attackers basically yelled "praise Allah" in arabic and made it very obvious that their actions were done in the name of Islam. Not all muslims are terrorists, but all the recent terrorists are Muslim and it's done in the name of Islam. Why can't we embrace this truth? Why are we so fearful if the religion is so peaceful. Because a Danish cartoonist has been killed for depicting Mohammed. Because a Dutch filmmaker had his throat slit for a documentary on the mistreatment of women.
What is more disturbing is the call for "religious freedom" in regards to this mosque. My issue is not the location of this mosque - although it's outrageous. It is an obvious statement of triumph and a slap in the face that should be appalling and alarming to all Americans, regardless of creed (unless, of course, you support its agenda). But I am more disturbed by how this is an anti-American ideology exploiting the very freedoms it hopes to dominate and destroy. And we are supposed to embrace, encourage and further it all. And at least a third of us are.
More disturbing still is that some Christians, or some who call themselves Christians - hard to tell who's who and who believes what anymore - are calling on Christians to support the building of the mosque under the guise of religous freedom. Some of the things being espoused: "Jesus said to love your neighbor," "bless those who persecute you," "we value religious freedom in America." Excuse me? Have you read the Bible? All of the aforementioned is true but let's get a little context.
At no point in scripture will you find Jesus advocating for an evil agenda or offering support for those that do. At no point in the entire Bible will you find God, whether speaking through Old Testament Biblical heros, prophets, or Christ himself, uring people to not speak out against evil. God told Jonah to go preach in Ninevah to warn the people of their wickedness. God speaks out and acts against evil historically and God has never changed and cannot change, the God of Abraham and Moses is still the God of the univers. "Loving the sinner" does not mean promoting his/her agenda. When Christ met with the prostitute, he approached her though she was "unclean," showed her love and told her to go and sin no more. He showed her love and treated her with dignity and respect but he did not advocate the act of prostitution. He didn't rally behind her without acknowledging the evil and requiring correction.
To support the construction of this mosque or any mosque which espouses the views that this Imam holds, is supporting abusive oppression, murder, the destruction of Israel, conversion by sword for non-believers. We are not called to to advocate for these things; in fact, we are called to speak out against evil.
Still, we are also called to bless those who persecute us and love our neighbors. But again, to use a trite "Christianese" phrase, "loving the sinner" never is to be translated into advocating the sin, whatever that sin is - whether in our own lives or in the lives of others. How then do we bless and love? Be a friend to your muslim neighbor. Pray tirelessly that those blinded by Islam will be freed in Christ. Don't hate the people but do speak out against evil. That's what Jesus did, just as his Father called him to do.
Friends, don't be blinded by the deception of a world turned upside-down.
(photo by Jodi Bieber/INSTITUTE for TIME)
Hi Becky,
ReplyDeleteI'd like to respectfully counter some of your statements.
1) You wrote about the laws against a woman's freedom. That is indeed horrific. But let me quote Biblical scriptures that are equally as horrifying.
"& the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire." (Lev 21:9)
"For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man." (I Cor 11:8-9)
"Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. (I Tim 2:11)
"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are comm&ed to be under obedience, as also saith the law. & if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." (I Cor 14:34-35)
So the Bible & the Shariah pretty have much the same level of contempt for women.
2) The woman on the cover of Time; an unspeakable tragedy. But the people that did this are extremists. Comparing the people that did this to this poor woman is like saying all Jews are responsible for killing Christ; all gun owners are responsible for Columbine, all Christians are responsible for killing abortion doctors, & all Muslims are guilty for the travesties of 9/11.
3) You wrote: "All of the aforementioned is true but let's get a little context."
The Bible doesn’t work in context. The word of God comm&s you to "love your neighbor". It doesn't say; "Love thy neighbor except when you don't want to." If you accept the word of God as scripture & pure & never failing, then you have to adjust your moral compass.
4) You wrote; "To support the construction of this mosque or any mosque which espouses the views that this Imam holds, is supporting abusive oppression, murder, the destruction of Israel, conversion by sword for non-believers." etc, etc, etc.
More people have been killed in the name of "God" than any other reason. The Crusades, the Middle East, 9/11. Do you know how many people God killed in the Bible?
One blogger counted 2,476,633. Do you know how many people Satan killed in the Bible? 10. (Source:http://bit.ly/22f5sk)
So, just how seriously does God take murder?
But concerning the Mosque in NYC, it comes down to freedoms. We have to fight & speak & defend for all freedoms; religious, gay rights, online poker, mosque erection, abortion.
If we stay silent on a freedom that isn't important to us as an individual; "they" will eventually come after a freedom that we do care about.
America needs more freedoms, not less.
Hi Becky, Ellen just told me about your note. Not a big deal at all. I totally get it. But thank you for publishing the comment.
ReplyDeleteHave a great night!
Here are some of my off-the-cuff responses: (in 3 separate comments because I'm too verbose of the character limit!)
ReplyDeleteMy first statement would be that the Bible ONLY works in context/as a whole. As a Christian, I believe the Bible to be the unfallible word of God. One of God's characteristics is that he cannot contradict himself. So every verse in the Bible must always be taken in light of the whole text. Otherwise, you get the, "God is love!" and forget all about his wrath. Or you have those that say, "eye for an eye!" and forget all about mercy. You can pretty much something in the Bible to support any position - especially if you contort it enough with your own two cents - putting it in context with the entire text prevents that. If it seems contradictory, dig deeper, it's not.
First, the "whore burning" verse. Sounds barbaric, doesn't it? God is a holy God and has always been. People have been dirty sinners and have always been. Before Christ came to fulfill the law, Jews were mandated to follow it in order to approach the Holy God. Being deemed God's people didn't give them a purity pass. Still doesn't. Levitical priests were the ones who presented the offerings to the Lord, who entered into the holy of holies. Read Leviticus and Hebrews. The processes they had to go through were ridiculously exhausting - and is a picture of how far all of us are from approaching God on our own. I am sure that the reasoning (without looking this up) to kill the daughter would be that it made the father priest unclean and then he couldn't carry out that which was required. It absolutely is horrible. But sin is horrible to God - it cannot come near God, period. Which is why burnt offerings were routinely made. Which is why, ultimately, Christ was the offering and ended the need for these things once, for all. These kind of things didn't just extend to women or daughters. Much of the OT practices seem barbaric. Like God requiring Abraham to place his only son on the alter as a burnt sacrifice (foreshadowing of Christ alert!) - and then spared him at the last minute. This is why I'm happy that I live under grace and not the law - still a holy God, still an impure sinner, but through Christ, I am presentable to God because he bore my burdens and made me clean as a result.
I personally have no problem with "being made for man." All that tells me is that men need women. Again, as I believe the Bible to be the infallible word of God - I wholly believe that God created Adam from dirt/dust and Eve from his rib. And then he saw that it was good, together. I don't find that an oppressive idea at all.
Agreed: People of all faiths have routinely killed in the name of God. I believe that to be taking the Lord's name in vain. If you thought it was wrong then, then it is just as wrong today - and it is the Muslims that are currently committing genocide - most evident in Africa (Sudan, Somalia). It is good to stand against it. All of it.
ReplyDeleteGod takes murder very seriously - enough to be one of the 10 Commandments. Commandments that apply to people, not God. Murder is different thank killing - murder is unjustified killing. Our own American law is based on the Commandment. God's killing will always be justified - I would guess, without looking up examples, that it is mostly as a result of Old Testament disobedience to him. New Testament says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Rm 8:28. And "the wages of sin is death." Rm 3:23, I believe - could have the verses mixed up. The Lord also killed out of obedience - his son hung on a cross, as he planned, to die for our sins, if you believe. To that, I say thank God that he kills! Don't confuse God's actions with what is acceptable for man.
Satan killed two or whatever in the Bible - well, killing as sacrifice became necessary to begin with b/c of Satan. Because of Satan's temptation in the garden and Adam and Eve's giant FAIL, sin entered the world. Sacrifice had to be made in order to be presentable to God. Blood sacrifice. So that type of killing was necessary as a direct result of Satan. As well as the normal horrible murders between people that we are accustomed to in modern times - like any other sin - is a direct result of Satan. So how many people did Satan kill? Well, he's the author of sin.
Love thy neighbor - Absolutely, 100% agree that it is not "love they neighbor... when you want" or when it's convenient, etc. However, loving your neighbor is not letting them do whatever or condoning sin. I thought I made my POV on that clear in this post. The Bible says that we are to love sincerely, hate what (not who) is evil and cling to what is good. That's in Romans, too, I just cited it in my most recent post, "Justice is Good." Standing up against something and loving someone are not contradictory. Making smart judgments, which may thwart someone's plans, is not contradictory to loving. In the context of this post, hating Muslims is absolutely unbiblical. I don't hate Muslims. Do I hate some of their practices? Yes. I hate what is evil - whether committed by the woman on the corner or the man in Saudi Arabia. It is different than hating the person. We are to hate evil. We are to loathe sin. In our lives and others. And that is good.
The Mosque in NYC - you are right, it comes down to freedoms. I just think you don't have to extend certain freedoms when they become perverted to the point of being given to those that seek to destroy the country. At that point, it becomes the enemy combatant issue. Sharia advocates are jihadists. Jihad encapsulates physical and cultural jihad - pushing for Sharia is the first step towards the latter.
ReplyDeleteSharia and the Bible have zero similar contempt for women. I would argue that the Bible has no contempt for women, actually. Christ had female helpers, like Phoebe, who shared in his work of spreading the gospel. This was a big deal back in the day. Salvation was for both men and women. Mary and Martha were the ones that went to the tomb to find an angel, rather than Jesus, follwoing the resurrection. Women have prominent stature in the Bible, especially New Testament. Men are implored to love their wives as Christ loves the church - sacrificially and completely. That sounds pretty good. Sharia calls for men to treat women as wholly dominated, not treasured. Old Testament treatment of EVERYONE is different than New Testament treatment, and that is what we now live under ("we" being Christians) - because Christ fulfilled the law. And we've lived under a different set of rules since then. So, for example, the concept of human sacrifice is abhorred now because Christ died once, for all. Human sacrifice no longer has a place.
Under Sharia, that is not the case. And, frankly, human sacrifice and honor killings are at the whim of men. Not at the beckon of the Holy God, as was the case in ancient times as reflected in the Old Testament. And we're talking about 2011 Sharia, which is the same barbaric practices as it did in the antiquities.
Secularly, we live under our set of American Jurisprudence, not religious laws. Rule of law is important and the backbone of this country - the Constitution being the founding LEGAL document. Sharia undermines our legal system completely. Honor killings are a great example of this.
I think this covers it. My bet is that we a) have differing religious beliefs and b) have different beliefs, secularly, about America and freedoms. So we'll never agree on much of these things.
Anyway, I appreciate your thought and comments.
Hi Becky,
ReplyDeleteI read your 1st two comments and sat down and wrote a logical response with this as the beginning.
Thanks for your thoughts, I really enjoyed reading them. Yes, we have vastly different beliefs and you're right, we aren't going to agree on much :-) But I have a deeply rooted belief that the more people talk (like we are doing) and less screaming and killing (like Christians, Muslims, Jews, and every other religion have done for thousands of years) we can learn more and become more accepting of the differences between each other and make the human experience better for everyone.
Then I read the 3rd comment where you wrote; "To that, I say thank God that he kills! Don't confuse God's actions with what is acceptable for man."
And I was sick to my stomach.
Does this make killing abortion doctors justified? After all the people that pull the trigger claim it is god's will. What about the DC sniper who claimed god instructed him to kill those people. Does that make his actions justified? Where do you draw the line?
Jesus said; "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Matthew 7:1
"Love your neighbor as yourself." Mark 12:31
These are straight forward simple rules for Christians to follow. But you celebrate god's killings? You celebrate death?
Praising god's "killing" is perverted and a twisted representation of what Christ taught.
You wrote; "Our own American law is based on the Commandment." No, it's not and I'm personally tired of Christians trying to say that our morality is based on the Bible.
The idea of "Thou shalt not kill" didn't originate in the Bible. Look up the Code of Hammurabi and other texts that condem murder, stealing, and lying, that FAR predate the Bible.
The "killing" I referred to when I said thank God that he kills - is literally, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (Who then rose again) - life triumphing over death. That is all that I was referencing - the redeeming sacrficie of Jesus, so that I may actually not have the death I deserve but the life he graciously gives. God is the author of life, Satan is author of death. Anyway - I am not a fan of murder! Sorry that something got lost in translation? I was literally referring, maybe abstractly?, to Christ's death on the cross.
ReplyDeleteJesus also said I am the way, the truth and the life, no one gets to the Father except through me. That doesn't contradict anything you wrote and I'm not really trying to - just sayin.
ReplyDelete