Commentary: 10 Reasons You Should Not Fear Muslims

[Beryllos]

am I not allowed to decide who I choose to fear- being concerned for my own safety and that of my family? we all process information and have survival instincts. I won’t walk alone at night in a bad neighborhood. I won’t be visiting Syria, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria in the near future. I probably won’t be planning any trips to Europe soon. I also plan to stay out of Mexico. I don’t need someone telling me who I don’t need to fear. I can figure that out by myself.

Of course you are allowed to decide. Of course you can figure it out.

What do you have to lose by reading an essay full of verifiable facts and statistics?

Did anyone besides myself read the article? If you can get past the inapt analogy to ladybugs, which is only the introduction, you will find some more solid arguments, complete with references and links to real information.

The article is about Muslim Americans. They are not the threat.

 

[Servant19]

Please pay particular attention to paragraph 844.

841 The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”

842 The Church’s bond with non-Christian religions is in the first place the common origin and end of the human race: All nations form but one community. This is so because all stem from the one stock which God created to people the entire earth, and also because all share a common destiny, namely God. His providence, evident goodness, and saving designs extend to all against the day when the elect are gathered together in the holy city.

843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as “a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.”

844 In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them: Very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair.

845 To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son’s Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is “the world reconciled.” She is that bark which “in the full sail of the Lord’s cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world.” According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah’s ark, which alone saves from the flood.

May I ask you please?

What is the “serving the creature rather than the Creator” seen in the Quran?

Thank you.

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[Servant19]

Thank you. I apologize that I got a little vehement.

Pleaese note that the document says we “regard with esteem” **those portions (i.e., those customs and precepts) ** of other religions that “reflect a ray of Truth”. In other words, the areas where their customs and precepts match what God has revealed to us through Jesus Christ.

It does not say how we are to regard those customs and precepts that are diametrically opposed to Truth. For example, if Islam denies that Jesus is the Christ, we are not required to esteem that. We know that that Islam’s denial of Jesus’ divinity could not have come from God because God does not deny himself. We also know that God wants all of humanity to know and believe in Jesus, to leave their other religions,and to enter his Church.Therefore, the Islamic precept that Jesus is not God must be a deception that is keeping poor souls from knowing that Jesus is the Christ, and from joining his Church.

I think we can agree that the vast majority of Muslims are “good people”, that we should try to get along, and that where we should recognize the good, the true, and the beautiful wherever we find it. However, unless we are willing to accept that God has made two separate, diametrically opposed, simultaneous revelations to mankind - one through Jesus Christ which tells us that Jesus is God, and another through Muhammad which tells us that Jesus is not God - then Christianity and Islam cannot both be revelations from God.

Peace to you.

Maybe a perspective to consider is that Jesus had two natures, a human and a Divine nature.

Could it be possible that in a climate of polytheism and idol worship, introducing another divinity into the picture might be unwise?

Is it possible that Muhammad’s focus to the idol worshippers was to convey an Invisible God superior to all the visible ones already known? And to focus solely on the human nature of Himself and Jesus?

Muhammad brought millions of idol worshippers out of sin and into a correct relationship with a Supreme Godhead.

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[Peter_Plato]

Of course you are allowed to decide. Of course you can figure it out.

What do you have to lose by reading an essay full of verifiable facts and statistics?

Did anyone besides myself read the article? If you can get past the inapt analogy to ladybugs, which is only the introduction, you will find some more solid arguments, complete with references and links to real information.

The article is about Muslim Americans. They are not the threat.

The article traffics in “facts” at the same time as it ignores realities. The United States is unique precisely because the relative numbers of Muslims are small. The Middle East is far more indicative of the reality of Islam than the U.S. Europe is also more of an indicator since it is reaching what could be called “critical mass” in terms of numbers of Muslims in the population.

The article uses the current state to argue all possible future states as if no matter how the relative numbers of Muslims in the U.S. changes, there will be no noticeable consequences as a result. We have no reason for thinking this to be true. This is like arguing that oxygen is a stable and benign gas. Sure it is at lower concentrations, but it becomes highly reactive and dangerous at critical density. Judging by the rest of the world (and not merely the U.S. experience) we ought to know what to expect and there is no reason to think the situation will be different on American soil – unless you subscribe to some form of magic dirt theory.

Verifiable facts and statistics only hold given certain other facts – they don’t hold indefinitely. Try reading the source documents from Islam to get a better sense of the facts behind the rise of Islam. Muslims after all are “Muslim” BECAUSE they subscribe to Islamic doctrines and beliefs. Go to the source.

It is pointless arguing about “Muslims” as if there can be some academic separation between the belief system to which Muslim’s subscribe and Muslim believers. The separation only holds when no attempt is made to understand what it is that Muslims actually do believe. Then it becomes a shell game of hiding certain unmentionables because “not all Muslims” believe that. What, precisely, is it that all Muslims believe, then? What is it that makes them Muslim to begin with? That Muhammad is the Prophet and the Qur’an is the final word of God on everything? Yes and THAT entails what precisely?

This article is a very good one to put things into perspective, especially what the Church’s view on Islam entails with regard to accepting it as an Abrahamic religion:

catholicworldreport.com/Item/4526/the_true_islam.aspx

 

[Peter_Plato]

Maybe a perspective to consider is that Jesus had two natures, a human and a Divine nature.

Could it be possible that in a climate of polytheism and idol worship, introducing another divinity into the picture might be unwise?

Is it possible that Muhammad’s focus to the idol worshippers was to convey an Invisible God superior to all the visible ones already known? And to focus solely on the human nature of Himself and Jesus?

Muhammad brought millions of idol worshippers out of sin and into a correct relationship with a Supreme Godhead.

.

Yes, and Muhammad’s teachings also brought untold numbers of slaughters in the Middle East, Africa and Asia over the centuries. Whether or not killing, beheading, enslaving and raping millions is the “correct relationship with a Supreme Godhead” is debatable, but it is undeniable in history.

 

[Beryllos]

… The article uses the current state to argue all possible future states as if no matter how the relative numbers of Muslims in the U.S. changes, there will be no noticeable consequences as a result. We have no reason for thinking this to be true. This is like arguing that oxygen is a stable and benign gas. Sure it is at lower concentrations, but it becomes highly reactive and dangerous at critical density.

An interesting point.

What a pity that the Native Americans did not have such wise counsel when the Europeans first landed in America.

 

[DonCampbell]

Maybe a perspective to consider is that Jesus had two natures, a human and a Divine nature.

Could it be possible that in a climate of polytheism and idol worship, introducing another divinity into the picture might be unwise?

Is it possible that Muhammad’s focus to the idol worshippers was to convey an Invisible God superior to all the visible ones already known? And to focus solely on the human nature of Himself and Jesus?

Muhammad brought millions of idol worshippers out of sin and into a correct relationship with a Supreme Godhead.

.

…proving my point that Christianity and Islam are mutually exclusive belief-systems that cannot both be revelations of the same God. As a result, Christians must believe that Islam is not “of God.” It follows that Christians must believe that Islam is a delusion that keeps people separated from Jesus Christ and his Church. We must therefore do everything we can to evangelize Muslims, draw them out of their delusion, and lead them to the Truth. Of course, there may be aspects of Islam that are good, true and beautiful but the Islamic faith is predicated on the denial that Jesus Christ is God; therefore, it cannot be “good.”

 

[7_Sorrows]

…proving my point that Christianity and Islam are mutually exclusive belief-systems that cannot both be revelations of the same God. As a result, Christians must believe that Islam is not “of God.” It follows that Christians must believe that Islam is a delusion that keeps people separated from Jesus Christ and his Church. We must therefore do everything we can to evangelize Muslims, draw them out of their delusion, and lead them to the Truth. Of course, there may be aspects of Islam that are good, true and beautiful but the Islamic faith is predicated on the denial that Jesus Christ is God; therefore, it cannot be “good.”

And they think we are delusional because they think we believe in 3 Gods rather than Triune God.

 

[Beryllos]

Muslims believe in one God, almighty, creator, etc.

Daily prayer is part of their faith.

Almsgiving (care for the needy) is basic to their faith.

They got that much right. I think they worship the same God.

 

[Servant19]

Yes, and Muhammad’s teachings also brought untold numbers of slaughters in the Middle East, Africa and Asia over the centuries. Whether or not killing, beheading, enslaving and raping millions is the “correct relationship with a Supreme Godhead” is debatable, but it is undeniable in history.

That’s not really relevant to my post, but the denial of the slaughters and genocides committed by the followers of Moses in the OT is baffling.



Did Moses have a relationship with the Supreme Godhead?

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[Servant19]

…proving my point that Christianity and Islam are mutually exclusive belief-systems that cannot both be revelations of the same God. As a result, Christians must believe that Islam is not “of God.” It follows that Christians must believe that Islam is a delusion that keeps people separated from Jesus Christ and his Church. We must therefore do everything we can to evangelize Muslims, draw them out of their delusion, and lead them to the Truth. Of course, there may be aspects of Islam that are good, true and beautiful but the Islamic faith is predicated on the denial that Jesus Christ is God; therefore, it cannot be “good.”

Judaism teaches the same thing as Islam

Is Judaism not of God too?

.

 

[Servant19]

Muslims believe in one God, almighty, creator, etc.

Daily prayer is part of their faith.

Almsgiving (care for the needy) is basic to their faith.

They got that much right. I think they worship the same God.

A true Catholic post

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[worldcitizen]

Hi everyone,

Everywhere I go, on every form I visit and anyone I talk to I say love all humanity with all your heart for all of us are God’s children created in His image.

There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world.

When I tried to divide the number of possible terrorists my calculator could not give a percentage so low is it.

God is no respecter of persons. He loves all His children whether they be Christian, Jew Muslim or otherwise.and I choose to follow His example.

There is nothing to fear in Muslims unless one watches the media everyday highlighting an ‘islamic’ crime. Does anyone ever ask why these stories are so newsworthy when there are millions of children under 10 who die each year from preventable diseases? Why the prejudice and deliberate focus on negative things about Muslims? Who’s behind it? I bet I know.

Muslims, Catholics aetheists are all my brothers and no media is going to turn me against them or make me fear a lovely, beautiful race of people who have contributed so much to humanity. I love the Quran, Muhammad and all Muslims and people of all faiths and none and so does God.

 

[Sarcelle]

I do not fear or hate Muslims.

I disagree with the teachings of Islam. I do not get why some people think Christianity and Islam are the same. They most definitely are not.

 

[Erikaspirit16]

Perfect love casts out fear.
Maybe you should stop watching corporate controlled news media which traffics in fear.

In my own search for truth I’m ignoring anything in the news entirely. I’m only looking at ancient writings and the behavior of my Muslim friends.

 

[Disciple_Leader]

Read the book; Islam, A Catholic Perspective

 

[Reuben_J]

I do not get why some people think Christianity and Islam are the same. They most definitely are not.

Brain not working properly?

Of course they are as different as night and day.

 

[TonyBS]

All that I read was what shows in the post. The examples are not appropriate. It is true that lady bugs are not harmful to humans(but are to aphyds). But it is not true that no muslims are harmful to the U.S. or any other non-muslim country. That is proven daily in the newspaper.

A Muslim and a Christian is one that Follows the Word of the book without transgression.

A name is not a right, it is earned. A thistle can call itself a Rose, bit it is always a thistle.

Regards Tony

 

[TonyBS]

I do not fear or hate Muslims.

I disagree with the teachings of Islam. I do not get why some people think Christianity and Islam are the same. They most definitely are not.

You are right yo should not fear or hate them because they have different Laws and way to practice their Faith. This difference is obvious between a Jew and a Christian as well.

As we tend to concentrate on this aspect of Faith, If we choose to look at the Spiritual Virtues in all Faiths, you will only find the same One and Only God.

Regards Tony

 

[TonyBS]

Brain not working properly?

Of course they are as different as night and day.

They are as different as Christianity is from Judaism. Thus I would consider what Truth you find in Christianity will be a truth found in Islam.

Here we are not talking about interpretation, but the Fundamental spiritual Truths, one being doing unto others as you would have then do unto you.

Regards Tony