n.b. in fact, you could console yourself that he is not a Muslim.
that is right, I forgot to mention it in my prior note and it is no theory of mine. He is* not* a muslim.
Here is why:
As a jew takes his authority from the Hebrew scriptures and a Catholic’s authority is the magisterial teaching of the church, doctrines solidly grounded on scripture and tradition and an evangelical uses onl scripture as his authority, you can see that a real Muslim’s sole authority is the Koran.
As it advocates literal, continual world wide jihad - the conquest, or at least submission and tribute from infidels those Muslims who do not advocate this are only giving their personal opinion which differs from the Quran, which claims to be the literally dictated word of Allah to Mohammed, his last messenger or prophet.
It has been noted by others in the press and academia that if we were to really open our somnabulent, secularist western eyes we would realize that Osam bin Laden, the Al Zarkawi beheaders, the Taliban and all related jihadist groups are the true Muslims.
That Chaplain is to Islam as a Unitarian/Univeralist is to the Holy Catholic Church - just another personalist take on a religion’s real, claimed authority.
No Koran, no Islam. No literal obedience to its precepts and one is a heretic or apostate, punishable by death.
The real Islam of the Koran must also be spread by the sword, not by smiling chaplains, Xian run orphanages, hospitals or schools.
So, if your maritime mullah is not expouding these tenets in his talks to those he ministers to, he is not teaching them Islam, just a western variant of it, an a variant a priest I know told me we usually have less to be afraid of because once taken out of its culture, Islam withers and dies.
This is because you cannot separate the state and the mosque in the land living under the crescent. Those of us under the crosses real or at least barely waning shadow see no need for true Christianity to be propped up in force by men with guns, mysogynist theocrats and technnology fearing luddites with suicide for values and hate as mistake as piety.
So I say as the Old Boys told you here: salute the office. I paid honour to priests and bishops I disagreed with or didn’t like or trust, but it was in the interests of charity and civility and to hope to win them back over to orthodoxy.
There are lengthy protocols and terms of address for writing to Catholic priests, monsignors, nuns, bishops, nuncios, legates, Cardinals and the Pope.
Each letter must must have certain salutations, i.e. Most Reverd Sir , or Your Excellency, Your Grace, - the same way you would humbly besech a Lord (Bishop), a Prince of the Church (all Cardinals), a respected courtier (monsignor), a priest (Dear Sir, or Dear Rev, or Dear Reverend Sir); a religiousl (Dear Abbotess…
The encyclopedia of etiqutte (may not be in print) outlines the respecful way to address each office holder. And how to address them when speaking to them - some of the titles change.
It explains the sympolism of ring kissing - acknowledging the Holy Mother Church who appoined this man to this office.
