Community (5 of 5)

Community – In Conclusion

What you prefer as the community in which you live, your belief system and your freedoms, depend on the influences of family, your environment and your education.  Elders outside family, the government, and educators have a significant impact as well.  However the mind is a wonderful thing.  It can distinguish between right and wrong.  There exists within the mind of every man (and woman) the inherent sense of what is ‘truth.’ 

In today’s world it is difficult to imagine anyone who does not know God.  Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jew, Christian, and so on, all know God.  There may exist some hidden culture that is not aware of the biblical God, but still they have a sense, an awareness of the unknown, a creator, a greater essence that oversees and ultimately controls the world.  

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – – his eternal power and divine nature – – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Rom. 1:18-20)

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images…other gods as idols. Rom 1:21-23)

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity ….They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – – who is forever praised. Amen. (Rom 1:24-25)

Furthermore since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God (the Trinity), he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderous, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Rom 1:28-32)

This is biblical truth.  ‘Thou shall not kill’ is not on the lips of every Muslim.  Allah is the best of ‘deceivers.’ (Sura 3:54)  Enmity (hatred) towards those who do not believe in Allah, especially Jews and Christians, is proclaimed in the Quran. (Sura 60:4)  Malice, the killing of Infidels, is prevalent in the Quran. (Sura 9:29 – “Fight those who believe not in Allah…”).  Depravity is allowed as men are permitted to marry children – Muhammad the example by marrying a 9 year old (A’isha).  Khomeini even announced support for pedophilia.  Khomeini’s fatwa called for killing Salman Rushdie, a universal request for any Muslim to act upon his request.  Muslims are God-haters, indeed, if the God is Christ or the Trinity.  Yet God, the biblical God, the Trinity loves them – loves Muslims and welcomes them to join the family of true believers, those not encouraged towards hatred or deceit.  Ruthlessness is seen by those Islamists who overtly attack Christians, their churches, worshippers, and encourage others to do the same – even on Christian holy days. Approval of such practice against so labeled infidels has become obvious in Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq and other Muslim dominated areas. Not providing and insuring security for all people is when a sinful, heartless government prevails – and does so using Allah as a shield; hiding behind a religious claim.  There is no love of God; therefore there can be no love of Allah except for the permission to sin, to murder and cause fear in the hearts of others who do not acquiesce to their demands and desire. 

The Umma-grand is not the community God desires.  If we do not resist, we too will, as many already living in Muslim dominated areas know, become subjects of Islam, Allah, Muhammad and an Ideology controlling our minds and our lives.  And Why? 

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We must be prepared to be criticized.  Criticism may not always be objective, however valid questions, concerns,  can be addressed with honest answers – not weapons.  Without the criticism the concerns will never be aired.  I heard the expression ‘sensory moments’ on TV recently referring to differences of opinion that can be addressed.  ‘Moronic’ statements are often made, but to claim they incite murder, as the likes of Paul Krugman (a most liberal New York Times opinion writer) suggests of radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh or politico Sarah Palin, and not weighing counter comments from the other side of the political divide, is equally ‘moronic’, so suggests Kenan Malik (From Fatwa to Jihad).  He goes to say, “people do not respond to words like robots.  They think and reason, and act upon their thoughts and reasoning.  Bigots are, of course, influenced by bigoted talk. But it is the bigots who must bear responsibility for translating talk into action. In blurring the distinction between speech and action, incitement laws blur the idea of human agency and of moral responsibility.”

Freedom of Expression should not be curtailed, even if the expression is not PC (politically correct).  Artists should not be afraid to say what they wish to say, even when many may vehemently disagree.  Limits may occur as to where and when such freedoms are permitted, or restricted, such as when possibly viewed or heard by children, or supported by governments that are representative of all the people (the government needs to stop any support for artists as the position they take may not be representative of the position the people would endorse – such is not the role of government), or made available in public places.  The expression remains, the audience desiring to experience the thoughts accessible, but not necessarily all audiences.  Free peoples have the right to free access to information they want, even pornography, but the limits imposed must protect those not wanting to be exposed to such rhetoric.  No one had to read The Satanic Verses.

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Why discuss freedom of speech in connection with a series on Community.  In Understanding Islam it is important to understand the Umma, be it micro pr macro.  Restrictions on Freedom of Speech is characteristic of all Muslim communities, large or small.  It is a device used to limit liberty and enable totalitarian control.  The Islamists, those within Muslim dominated cultures and those arising in democracies where Muslims have immigrated and/or been born, are using restrictions on freedom of speech, similar to restrictions on racist hate speech, to suppress freedom of expression in opposition to Islam.  Islamists wish to instill fear, gain political clout, be heard, cause self-imposed-censorship (out of fear of retribution) and advance their own theories on Islam, whether that of the majority or not.  Islamists are a minority, but have used the media, the freedoms of speech they enjoy in democratic areas, to foster their own brand of cultural hatred and induce politicians to enact legislation good for them, the minority they represent, and not for the whole of society, even the majority of Muslims.  Even the language of the Quran that calls for Muslims to hate, to have enmity towards infidels, especially Christians and Jews, to fight, kill, behead non-Islamic-believers has been diffused by the actions of Islamists.  They insist the Quran expresses respect for all religions, having no compulsion in religion, avoiding the abrogation of this claim by the Medina passages which call for death to those who oppose Allah until all are for Allah.  By the hate laws themselves the Quran and the Islamists who interpret this word of Islam as fundamentally as they do should be banned, as called for in the Netherlands by Geert Wilders.  Politicians need to read, understand, and know what is being said and not be cowardice in standing up for Freedom, freedom of thought, speech and expression. 

 ‘Community’ must be free, even the Muslim communities, to do and say as they please, without a desire, command (via the Quran), or a call (fatwa) to kill the opposition; they must be free within their communities to seek answers to questions and concerns, to criticize their government and leadership, to demand their voices be heard and their rights as humans, male and female, be respected and protected.   

We pray the freedoms the Lord provided us all, to have His light shine on mankind, to read and hear his truth and to allow those to find the Way to the eternal kingdom as he only provided be secure, safe and available.  Let no one harden your heart.  Those whose hearts are hardened to God, the Trinity, choose such a path of denial while at the same time embracing their selfish interests and desire for power and control.  They will not be welcomed at the gates of heaven.  They cannot see the light God has provided; being blind to te Truth. 

We pray today also for those in Tunisia who have spoken out for freedom, ousting a repressive overlord, only now to see Islamists, fundamental radical Islamists, attempt to intervene.  Continue to fight for your secular state without a dictator, continue to protest and demand a government you, the Tunisian people, elect that support the freedoms, the separation of mosque and state, a government without corruption and  representative of the people – not of their personal self-interests.  Fight to avoid being enslaved by the oppressive Ideology the Islamists perpetrate. 

Blessed are those upon whom the light of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit shine.  May they be always thankful.

Grace and Peace.