The A,B,C's Of The 'Religion Of Peace'

Earlier in the week, the world was treated to another round of the politics of semantics thanks to US President Barack Obama's speech at the United Nations.

I'm sorry, but Romans 13 aside, as a Christian whose brothers and sisters are being violently persecuted (many unto death) around the world for His namesake, I hope you will grant me the opportunity to say a few things about both Islam and Christianity.

Can we all stop pretending that Islam is the true 'Religion of Peace' as we're constantly told it is by our political and religious leaders?

Let's all perform a quick study of contrasts for just a moment. First, let's take a look at what Islam teaches its devoted followers.

QUESTION: Does The Quran Really Promote Violence?
ANSWER: Yes

Quran (2:191-193) - "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]...but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah."

Quran (2:244) - "Then fight in the cause of Allah, and know that Allah Heareth and knoweth all things."

Quran (2:216) - "Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not."

Quran (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority".

Quran (4:74) - "Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward."

Quran (4:76) - "Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah…"

Quran (4:89) - "They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks."

Quran (4:104) - "And be not weak hearted in pursuit of the enemy; if you suffer pain, then surely they (too) suffer pain as you suffer pain..."

Quran (5:33) - "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement"

Quran (8:12) - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them"

Quran (8:15-16) - "O ye who believe! When ye meet those who disbelieve in battle, turn not your backs to them. Whoso on that day turneth his back to them, unless maneuvering for battle or intent to join a company, he truly hath incurred wrath from Allah, and his habitation will be hell, a hapless journey's end."

Quran (8:39) - "And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and religion should be only for Allah"

Quran (8:65) - "O Prophet, exhort the believers to fight..."

Quran (9:5) - "So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them."

Quran (9:29) - "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."

Quran (9:123) - "O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness."

Quran (17:16) - "And when We wish to destroy a town, We send Our commandment to the people of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein; thus the word proves true against it, so We destroy it with utter destruction."

Do I really need to keep going? As one study put it...

The Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. Muslims who do not join the fight are called 'hypocrites' and warned that Allah will send them to Hell if they do not join the slaughter. Unlike nearly all of the Old Testament verses of violence, the verses of violence in the Quran are mostly open-ended, meaning that they are not restrained by the historical context of the surrounding text. They are part of the eternal, unchanging word of Allah, and just as relevant or subjective as anything else in the Quran.

Most of today's Muslims exercise a personal choice to interpret their holy book's many calls to violence according to what their own moral preconceptions find justifiable. Apologists cater to their preferences with tenuous arguments that gloss over historical fact and generally do not stand up to scrutiny. Still, it is important to note that the problem is not bad people, but bad ideology. Unfortunately, there are very few verses of tolerance and peace to abrogate or even balance out the many that call for nonbelievers to be fought and subdued until they either accept humiliation, convert to Islam, or are killed. Muhammad's own martial legacy - and that of his companions - along with the remarkable stress on violence found in the Quran have produced a trail of blood and tears across world history.

[Source]

Precisely. That's why it's so laughable to me whenever I hear a person praising Islam as the 'Religion of Peace' because it's so absurd.

The 'peaceful Muslims' that we hear so much about are actually Islam's apostates because they are not living the life that their holy book prescribes for them.

Now, by contrast, let's take a look at just a few verses that show us what Christianity teaches its devoted followers.

Matthew 5:39 (ESV) But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV) But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Romans 12:19-20 (ESV) Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."

I rest my case. Now, which is the true 'Religion of Peace' in this world? For others to claim that Islam is 'peaceful' borders on being downright delusional.

For further emphasis, here's another teaching from the Quran.

Quran (4:95) - "Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward,-"

Folks, this passage criticizes 'peaceful' Muslims who do not join in the violence, letting them know that they are less worthy in Allah's eyes.

It also demolishes the modern myth that "Jihad doesn't mean 'holy war'..." in the Quran, but that it's rather a spiritual struggle. How absurd. Not only is the Arabic word used in this passage, but it is clearly not referring to anything spiritual, since the physically disabled are given exemption.

In fact, the Hadith reveals the context of the passage to be in response to a blind man's protest that he is unable to engage in Jihad and this is reflected in other translations of the verse.

Simply put, there is nothing 'peaceful' about Islam. These are the A, B, C's of Islam, or the A, B, C's of the so-called 'Religion of Peace' -- 'A' for Attacks', 'B' for 'Beheadings', and 'C' for 'Crucifixions' -- all in the name of 'Allah' and the 'Prophet Muhammad' we're told.

Still not convinced? The please allow me to clarify.

'A' for 'Attacks'
Grenade Attack On Fair In Thailand Wounds 30

'B' for 'Beheadings'
Two Afghan Children Beheaded In Separate Incidents

'C' for 'Crucifixions'
Horror of Black Christian Crucifixion in Egypt, Yemen

So, again, can we just stop pretending that none of this is happening around the world? Can we stop acting like this are only a few 'isolated incidents' rather than being truly characteristic of the Muslim faith?

By contrast, what do Christians do when they feel like they've been offended? Turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39) and pray (Matthew 5:44-45) at best, or stage a protest and file a lawsuit at worst. Oh the horror of it all!

Friends, we live in a dark and depraved world when chaos, death, destruction, mayhem, murder, and torture has become embraced as a 'Religion of Peace' so much so that the nations and their leaders all around the world trip over themselves as they compete to be the first in line to praise such a faith and its followers while encouraging others to do so as well. It's all just another sign of the times.

Isaiah 5:20 (ESV) Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

I, for one, will not succumb to such vile actions in the name of 'political correctness' because there is only one Prince of Peace and His name is Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6).

Other than the fact that Muslims haven't killed every non-Muslim under their domain, there is very little else that they can point to as proof that theirs is a peaceful, tolerant religion.

Where Islam is dominant (as in the Middle East), religious minorities (and particularly Christian converts) suffer brutal persecution with very little resistance.

Where Islam is in the minority (as in Europe and the United States), there is the threat of violence if Muslim demands are not met.

Either situation seems to provide a justification for religious terrorism, which is persistent and endemic to Islam. Still, our war is not with Islam.Ephesians 6:12 makes that abundantly clear.

We need to pray for the conversion of Muslims and pray for our fellow brothers and sisters who live in other parts of the world where this type of behavior is not only embraced and encouraged, but where it's a tragic part of daily life.

Keep looking up (Luke 21:28)!

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