Archive for March, 2006

Faith In The Face Of Terrorism

“The city was under siege. As when a house is on fire, the inhabitants wanted to flee. The populace seemed eager to save themselves, even if naked and ashamed. Others heard of the calamity and received the exiles. Tales of the horrors which had befallen the city were widespread; stories of tortured souls shook the city. Shaking of foundations was a well-known cause of alarm.

Now every heart quivered. All saw death daily before their eyes. Terror was constant. Many were shut up within the walls of their own houses. The enemy was encamped around. There were those who roamed the streets seeking the guilty as well as the innocent. Formerly free persons sat shackled, anxiously inquiring of those they felt safe to ask, “Who today has been seized, carried off, or punished? How did it happen? How did they fall?’ The people lived a life more dreadful than death.

This calamity is an enigma, isn’t it? In this scene there is flight without an enemy. Inhabitants are expelled without a battle. There is captivity without capture. No fires of barbarians are visible. No faces of the enemy are seen.”

Those are the opening paragraphs of my book entitled “Farewell to Fear.” The story is a parody. The city is “you” and the enemy attacking the city is “fear.” Fear attacks us as an army lays siege to a city. Now read those paragraphs again.

Here is another line from the book, “No emotion so completely robs the mind of all its powers of reason and action as fear.”

Tension and stress caused by the uncertainty of potential terrorist activity has everyone a bit edgy. Y2K was only a primer compared to this. The terrorists have already accomplished part of their goal, that is, the disrupting of daily life and raising the fear factor. How can we respond most properly?

A young pilot returning from flying an unarmed reconnaissance flight over Iraq wrote to tell me of his fear. He had just been reading my book and he wrote, “I remembered the line from your book, “The God who conquered Canna said, “Fear not’ and in that I found consolation.'”

My working title for the book was “Fear Nots Untie Fear Knots.” I still think that was a good title.

This conflict has religious roots. The counter point personal remedy is a spiritual one. Use your spiritual resources and if you don’t have any make establishing them a priority. One of the most useful spiritual weapons is prayer. Prayer is not just telling God what He already knows – it is meditating and giving Him time to tell you what you don’t know. Commit Scripture to memory. Here is a starter: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand” (Philippians 4:6,7 NLT).

If you have your spiritual priorities in order you live in a no lose position. It is time to reassess what really is of value. With our value system properly ordered life takes on new meaning. That helps relieve tension and stress.

Evolution: Fact Or Theory

Attending a state university and having a major in biology I learned what is required for a matter to be considered a scientific fact. It must pass three tests.

1. Is or was it observable?
2. Is it demonstrable?
3. Is it repeatable?

In light of that three fold test consider whether evolution Is a scientific fact. Religion is not in that equation.

If it is not a scientific fact what is it? It is a theory. It is undeniable that there has been change. There is no evidence however that the species line has been crossed.

Reference is often made to “the missing link.” Link? Links. There are numerous reputable scientists with prestigious degrees who acknowledge it.

Consider point number one. Was anyone there to observe the first amoeba crawl out of the primordial swamp and become another higher creature?

Point three: Is there anywhere an ape in the process of becoming a Homo Sapien? Careful how you answer that one.

It is said most people believe in evolution. Not so. Studies show the opposite. Still most people who believe in evolution believe in it because they believe most people believe in evolution.

Why are some people so passionate about the issue? Some conscientiously believe it is a science. They have been taught only principles supporting the idea. They have never challenged their belief by reading such works as “Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution” by Dr. Michael J. Behe or “The Design Inference” by Dr. William A. Dembski or “Evolution: The Challenge of the Fossil Record” by Dr. Duane T. Gish. These are scientists highly regarded by their peers. A reading of some challenging articles can be readily accessed on the web at “Behe, Michael J. – On-line Articles.”

A good way to confirm your beliefs is to challenge them. I established my beliefs in college by being required to read material supporting evolution. In a secular classroom I saw enough flaws in the theory to at least evaluate alternatives. Though not required to do so why not read scientific works that challenge the theory of evolution? You might come out believing in it even more. You might not.

Don’t be like the Paduanesian theologians who refused to look through Galileo’s telescope for fear they would see something they could not believe. By giving concepts other than evolution a quality study you might see something you didn’t know and come to believe it. Explore! After all, isn’t that what science is all about?

Bottom line: creation or evolution, which ever you believe you will have to do it on the basis of faith. For proof of this review the three points above.

You don’t know what you don’t know —- you know.

The Emergence Of Evil

Evil is a word that has almost been lost from our language. President Reagan called Russia the “Evil Empire” and was criticized.

The word has had a second coming lately. President Bush has referred to the terrorist actions as “evil deeds.” To use language of our youth: “Right on Mr. President.” There is no other word for these terrorists actions.

However, that is the same word used by zealots who oppose America. In every religions there are extremist who exploit their faith and dishonor their founder. There are many Moslems who disagree with actions of Moslem extremist. This is especially true of American Moslems. It would be encouraging to hear more of them being more vocal in opposition to the evil being done under the guise of Islam.

There are twenty military conflicts going on in the world right at this time. Eighteen of them involve Islamic societies. Not all is peaceful in that world. American’s have shed blood in defense of Islamic governments, such as, in Somalia and Bosnia. We get no credit in the Moslem world for these actions favoring them.

Members of the Islamic community must concede there is a significant extremists element exploiting their faith as a shield for their evil deeds.

Osama bin Laden said it is his religious duty to seek weapons of mass destruction.

Saddam Hussein said he has given his life to serve Allah. Over the past months he has donated more than 50 pints of blood. It is not for use of the needy in his country. It has been given to be mixed with an ink base and used to write the Koran. Under the umbrella of his faith he continues to develop weapons of mass destruction to ultimately be used in initiating further evil deeds.

Now comes the appeal for us to halt military action during Ramadan. Iran and Iraq fought through several periods of Ramadan. Mohammed even fought through it. He raided caravans around Medina to start his movement and stopped for nothing. It has not been uncommon for Moslems to fight during the holiday season.

Our president is right, this is not a fight with Islam or the Moslem people. Unfortunately those against which this war is waged are hiding behind that shield. Therefore, it is being sold to the Moslem world as America opposing Islam. Or as Mohammed called Christians and Jews, “People of the Book,” fighting Islam.

Evil is a word used in the Moslem world for America. Our movies, music, manner of dress, and entertainment are thought to be evil. Elements of each are. In general what we call progress is undesired by Islamic extremists. They have been taught to do everything as Mohammed did. That even includes what fingernail to cut first and how. Their traditions are very defined. Western civilization is thought to be alien to such a life style and therefore evil. These extremists (note I didn’t say all Moslems) hate Western society because they believe it is evil. That very hatred is the evil resulting in terrorist activities.

Don’t Be A Goose

While playing cowboy on a ranch in Montana I observed the behavior of two animals that illustrate human conduct. When I thought of writing on this topic I thought it mirrors teens and it does. However, it also typifies some adult behavior.

One was a goose named “Goose.” The ranch foreman, Lyle, rescued Goose the day he hatched. A predator killed his mom and siblings. Goose manifested a trait of geese. They imprint with whatever they are around during their earliest days. Goose happened to be around Lyle and his dog Pinkie. Therefore Goose thought he was a dog or human. He walked around following Pink Dog because Pink Dog followed Lyle. When Pinkie wasn’t around he followed Lyle. If Lyle wasn’t around he walked around following the nearest human. He walked rather than fly.

He ate dog food and slept in the dog house. When Pinkie would bark Goose would squawk. He delighted to pick at shoe laces and if a person crossed him he would attack with wings flapping.

Wild geese would fly up and down the Big Hole River honking but Goose paid them no attention.

Goose will never know the exhilaration of flying the North American flyway. He will never develop his full potential as a Canadian Goose. He practiced one dog trait too many. He chased Lyle’s car one time too many without Lyle knowing it. Goose was run over without ever knowing his true identity. He never lived up to his potential.

The other animal was actually several horses. There were seven in the corral and pasture when a new one was introduced. The seven bonded together to exclude the new guy, Tug. They would graze together and if the new horse came too close they would run him away snipping at his flank and trying to run along beside and kick at him. Day after day the seven smoozed together. The new boy on the block was forced to stay out of their grouping.

One of the quarter horses was a beautiful paint. He seemed to know he was good looking and was dominant in keeping the intruder from getting involved. Not only would the paint, Scout, drive the loner away he would even walk away and lead the others to follow leaving Tug alone. It was class discrimination at its best. It was a click horse style.

It is one thing for horses to be antisocial but for human beings to practice this behavior is ridiculous. Tug did nothing other than be new to the society of horses. That alone caused the petty group to ostracize him. I didn’t know horses could be so insecure. Humans do the same thing to one another and the primary reason is their insecurity. There was nothing wrong with Tug. There was something very wrong with the horsing around of the group.

The same scenario will be acted out on campuses early this fall. The basic conduct will be applied in adult social circles.

The moral of these stories! Be all you were created to be and help others be all they can become. Don’t rob the world of the original you by imprinting with an unbecoming person or philosophy. Open yourself and emotionally embrace those around you.

Do Christians And Muslims Worship The Same God?

You decide, do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?

In answering this question the resources are the Qur’an (Koran), and the Hadith from a Sunni Islam perspective. The Qur’an is considered by Muslims to be the sacred writing given Muhammad. The Hadith is a compilation of sayings by Muhammad compiled by his loyalists in the eighth century A.D. From a Christian perspective the Holy Bible is the source of insight.

With reference to Jews and Christians Muhammad wrote in the Qur’an: “We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which has come down to you; our God and your God is One; and it is to Him we bow.”

Among Arabs the name “Allah” stemmed from use of it before the birth of Muhammad in reference to the only true God.

The name “Allah” was introduced to Islam by Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians living in the Arab Peninsula as referring to the one and only true God.

Allah is viewed as the Almighty, the eternal Creator, who is omniscient and omnipotent.
Though Muslims and Christians use many of the same terms to refer to God they have widely divergent understandings of His nature and character. Each claims to have the true concept.

Muhammad was highly offended by the rejection of much of his writings by Jews and Christians. When he move from Mecca to Medina his writings regarding them changed radically. At this time he also changed the direction in which his followers were to pray from Jerusalem to Mecca. He also published his account of Abraham and his son Ishmael building the Ka’bah in Mecca (Surah 2:125-27). Islam later replaced the biblical account of Solomon building his temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem with the story of Abraham along with his son Ishmael building the Ka’bah.

Muhammad began with the concept of only one true God, Allah. He initially attributed to Him many of the attributes he learned from Christians and Jews. He gravitated to a non-biblical view of God’s nature. This impacted all of Islamic doctrine.

Muhammad’s move from Mecca to Medina coincided with many changes. His writing of the Qur’an up until this time was basically poetic and philosophical. It changed to being more political and militant. This is a primary reason for current confusion over whether Islam is a peaceful religion. It depends on which part of the Qur’an you read. It was at Medina he began to elevate the Arab people in prominence and himself as their leader.

In fairness it must be noted when Muslims refer to Allah and Christians refer to God they are referring to the same being. The word for God among Arab Christians is Allah. As “Dieu” is the French word for God so “Allah” is the Arabic word for God.

However, the Qur’an concept of the nature of God and the Christian perspective are diametrically opposed. The same God could not have authored the Qur’an and the Holy Bible in that they have contradictory perspectives of the nature of God as well as conflicting historical accounts. It is at the point of the nature of God the two faiths differ.

To say Allah is the God of the Bible and then attribute to Him unbiblical characteristics is worse than saying the two are different entities.

The nature of God among Muslims is He is monotheistic, one God. It is the concept of the Trinity they reject.

Christians also believe in One God but as a tri-unity. They are three persons that cannot be condensed into one with one will that cannot be divided into three. As St. Patrick used the shamrock to illustrate there is one clover with three petals. So with H2O. As a solid it is ice, as a gas it is fog, as a liquid it is water, yet in each form it is one, H2O.

Muslims conceive of Allah as a unit and Christians conceive of God as a union, three-in-one.

The concept of God as one entity poses a question unanswered in the Muslim faith. The Holy Bible says “God is love.” Conceding He is eternal and existed before the dawning of creation consider that. For there to be love there must be one loving and the object loved. Before creation there was nothing and no one to love. Without an object there is no love. Without an object to love there could be no love. Love being the very nature of God there had to be an object to love before creation.

Before the dawning of creation the preexistent Trinity existed and did so in love. Their loving nature made them in all things one.

To profess monadic monotheism as advocated in Islam is to deny the incarnation of Jesus Christ and all things associated.

In Surah 5:118 Jesus is said to have told God He is free to punish or to forgive His followers who said that He, Jesus, claimed deity. The Qur’an does not ascribe deity to Jesus Christ.

In the following Holy Bible passages deity is attributed to Jesus Christ: Colossians 2:9, Romans 9:5, Titus 2:13, I Timothy 3:16, Acts 20:28.

It is also said He is able to destroy Jesus, His mother, and every living creature (5:17). Jews and Christians are categorized as worshipers of evil for rejecting Islam and are considered only next to those who have incurred the curse and wrath of God, those whom He transformed into apes and swine (60).

In Islam there is no need for a savior for Allah forgives whom He pleases and condemns whom He pleases. “He forgives whom He pleaseth, and punishes whom He pleaseth.” (Surah 2:284)

“Whom Allah willeth, He leaveth to wander; whom He willeth, He placeth on the way that is straight.” (Surah 74:31)

One of the last Surah of the Qur’an presents the strongest attack on the nature and character of the God of the Bible. Among Muslims it is believed Allah’s will is not based on His nature but His fiat, that is, what He says not who He is. By his fiat it is determined what is defiled and what is not (5:1-6), severe punishment for disobedience (2,4,5b,87,95), in affirming no one escapes (7,8), and conditional rewards (9-1).

These truths place Islam and Christianity opposite each other in revealing that to Christians it is God’s nature that provides His love and in Islam it is His fiat and has nothing to do with His nature.

The Asharites, who represent orthodox Islam, say no trait or characteristic attributed to man can be applied to Allah as meaning the same thing for that would make Him like man. Though He is called “Most Merciful” does not mean He has the quality of mercy ascribed to a human being. Terms applied to Allah in the Qur’an do not mean the same they do when applied to a human being. That makes it very difficult to understand the nature of Allah because the same term can be interpreted to mean different things by different interpreters.

Each Surah begins with, “In the Name of God the merciful and compassionate.” This is not intended to describe what God is, but rather what He can do, if He wants to, but He can also be the opposite. God’s moral character is subject to His will under this understanding. For the Christian God is in His very nature merciful and compassionate. His actions are based on this. All discussions concerning the nature of God are considered blasphemy.

The Holy Bible reveals the very nature of God and it is very different from that of the Qur’an. The God of the Qur’an contradicts Himself depending on His will not His nature. This results in capricious actions at times. The true God of the Holy Bible is the God of truth whose nature is eternal faithfulness and reliability. His actions are consistent because they are in keeping with His nature. His actions and provisions are never contrary to His character. God loves not because He can, but because it is His nature. God is love.

Reflecting back to the concept of Monadic Monotheism it leaves one with an understanding of a God who in His essence is alone. Before and apart from creation Allah is depicted as existing in total solitude, alone. Such a God who existed in total nothingness and darkness is not one who was eternally loving. There was nobody and nothing to love. The tri-unity of the Christian Godhead reveals that in eternity God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit existed before creation in a loving relationship so intimate they are one. They indeed constitute a monotheistic God, three in one. Their love prompted creation. Thus, human beings were created by love and for love.

They are three in one as three matches placed together and struck comprise one fire. Their nature is the same from eternity and never changes. Thus, they can be known in a loving relationship.

[This article is based on material found in “Bibliotheca Sacra,” Volume 161, Numbers 641 & 642.]