Do you fear the rise of Islam in the West?

[FabiusMaximus]

Most Muslims teens do not practice their faith. When I was in school I met several Muslims who were lukewarm in their religion. Supporting gay marriage and other liberal ideas.

In Europe, the third generation tends to become more radicalized than anything else.

 

[Indifferently]

It is a tragedy to see Europeans being replaced by Islamic immigrants, who will totally transform the continent into an appendage of the Muslim world.

Immigration to Europe needs to be immediately halted.

Immigration is a great danger to our identity and culture. Of course we must preserve what we have left. I don’t blame the Jews in Israel for their terror of Muslim rule - I fear it too.

 

[FabiusMaximus]

Immigration is a great danger to our identity and culture. Of course we must preserve what we have left. I don’t blame the Jews in Israel for their terror of Muslim rule - I fear it too.

Me as well. The thought of thousands of years of Italian culture and history being eroded in a few decades of Muslim immigration devastates me. I can imagine you share similar feelings with regards to the United Kingdom.

May God have mercy on us.

 

[Indifferently]

From the old Scottish Prayer Book (which has probably been banned):

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly
Father, who in thy goodness hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine
in our land: Extend thy mercy, we beseech thee, to the nations of the
world that still walk in darkness. Enlighten the Moslems with the knowledge
of thy truth; and grant that the Gospel of salvation may be made known
in all lands, that the heart of the peoples may be turned unto thee;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

[gxensen]

What are your views on the demographic shifts in Western countries and the rise of Islam? Do you think this is a threat to Christianity? Do you think that Muslim immigration needs to be stopped? What is to be done?

I’m not too worried, since they’re sprawling in Europe and Southern parts of South America, and not in North America.

Anyway, I’m not too afraid of people around me practicing the religion itself, as in my community. I’ve lived in really diverse populations all my life. And, I mean, one my of my best friends is a Muslim…and he, oddly enough, actually convinced me to revert back to Catholicism. God bless his heart.

But,** I am scared of radical/fundametalist Muslims**, like the ones that exist in their own secluded communities, in England, France, and Belgium. I would really hate living around that atmosphere…

 

[George_Stegmeir]

Those of you who are not concerned about the Moslem incursion in Europe, or think that Islam is a tolerant forgiving religion either do not know their history, or know very little about Islam.
Before Islam was invented in the 7th century AD, All of North Africa including Egypt, Palestine, Syria (including what is now Lebanon) and what is now Turkey were Christian. In less than 300 years, the Arabs conquored these areas and converted the population by the sword. A Christian had the option of converting to Islam or being killed. Guess what most people did? By the year 1100 all of the areas I mentioned were solidly Moslem.
The greatest threat to the European governments today is not economic. It is the radicalism of the 2nd or 3rd generation descendants of Moslem immigrants and the demand of the European Moslem communities to be governed by Moslem religious law instead of the civil law of the countries in which they reside.
Once these people get what they demand…watch out! And there will be no one to protect the Christian population in Europe. I cannot imagine any circumstance that would induce the US to fight another war in Europe. Especially a religious war!

 

[gxensen]

The greatest threat to the European governments today is not economic. It is the radicalism of the 2nd or 3rd generation descendants of Moslem immigrants and the demand of the European Moslem communities to be governed by Moslem religious law instead of the civil law of the countries in which they reside.

Exactly.

This is why I can’t believe that the Brits have been so tolerant as to giving the radical Muslims all they want, to an extent giving them even more legal benefits/rights than other non-Muslim Brits.

No one should be lawfully above another, especially for religious reaons.

 

[Nigel7]

What’s to fear??

http://www.discerningthetimesonline.net/muslimsbritain.jpg
http://www.theodoresworld.net/pcfre...s.com/2010/08/muslims_protest_pope_london.jpg

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

What are your views on the demographic shifts in Western countries and the rise of Islam? Do you think this is a threat to Christianity? Do you think that Muslim immigration needs to be stopped? What is to be done?

As a Catholic who was nearly murdered by his peers because they thought I was Muslim I find this question highly offensive and divisive.

It isn’t Islam that is the problem, the problem is people bringing tribal attitudes with them and these attitudes are by no means necessary to being a devout Muslim.

 

[jackson3997]

I’m more worried about the war on Christianity from the (DUN DUN DUNNNN) Athiests. Trying to ruin Christmas here in RI, and the governor gives in to their every demand

David, please elaborate on the athiests and the governor of RI and what’s going on in your state if you don’t mind. I like to keep informed on these things. Athiests who celebrate Christmas to me are like vegans who wear leather.

As for the muslims, I suggest anyone reading this thread check out Ann Barnhardt’s survey of Islamic sexuality on you tube. (I’d post the link but its just as easy to search it yourself with those keywords) VERY eye opening…

 

[Reuben_J]

What causes church death?
In no case that I can see does a church simply fade away through indifference. What kills a church is persecution. What kills a church is armed force, usually in the interest of another religion or an antireligious ideology, and sometimes that may mean the destruction or removal of a particular ethnic community that practices Christianity. So churches die by force. They are killed.

But what about the old saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”?
That was said by Tertullian, who came from the church in North Africa, where the church vanished. If you were to look at the healthiest part of Christianity right around the year 400 or 500, you might well look at North Africa, roughly what we call Tunisia and Algeria. It was the land of Augustine. Then the Arabs, the Muslims, arrive. They conquer Carthage in a.d. 698, and 100 years later—I don’t say there were no Christians there, but there certainly was only a tiny, tiny number. That church dies.

How do lessons like that apply to Iraq, where Christians are under pressure from Muslims?
Iraq is a classic example of a church that is killed over time. The church will probably cease to exist within my lifetime. It has probably gone from a figure of about 5 percent to what it is now, 0.5 percent, in the last 50 years or so. You can’t continue losses like that forever. At some point, you are down to the last one or two people.

Do I think that literally there will be no Christians in Iraq? No. But I believe the communities will be all but eliminated as entities. There are odd communities, including on the Nineveh plains, but they are quite small, and are mainly waiting for visas to allow them to leave the country.

From Interview of Philip Jenkins author of the Lost History of Christianity
christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/march/24.52.html?start=1

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

What causes church death?
In no case that I can see does a church simply fade away through indifference. What kills a church is persecution. What kills a church is armed force, usually in the interest of another religion or an antireligious ideology, and sometimes that may mean the destruction or removal of a particular ethnic community that practices Christianity. So churches die by force. They are killed.

But what about the old saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”?
That was said by Tertullian, who came from the church in North Africa, where the church vanished. If you were to look at the healthiest part of Christianity right around the year 400 or 500, you might well look at North Africa, roughly what we call Tunisia and Algeria. It was the land of Augustine. Then the Arabs, the Muslims, arrive. They conquer Carthage in a.d. 698, and 100 years later—I don’t say there were no Christians there, but there certainly was only a tiny, tiny number. That church dies.

How do lessons like that apply to Iraq, where Christians are under pressure from Muslims?
Iraq is a classic example of a church that is killed over time. The church will probably cease to exist within my lifetime. It has probably gone from a figure of about 5 percent to what it is now, 0.5 percent, in the last 50 years or so. You can’t continue losses like that forever. At some point, you are down to the last one or two people.

Do I think that literally there will be no Christians in Iraq? No. But I believe the communities will be all but eliminated as entities. There are odd communities, including on the Nineveh plains, but they are quite small, and are mainly waiting for visas to allow them to leave the country.

From Interview of Philip Jenkins author of the Lost History of Christianity
christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/march/24.52.html?start=1

It’s grossly incorrect to assert that the North African branch of the Church basically disappeared, there were still enough Christians that there were four bishoprics in the 14th century.

Actually Iraq was 5% Christian just before the invasion by the US in 2003. The severity of the decline is a direct result of the invasion.

 

[GaryTaylor]

What are your views on the demographic shifts in Western countries and the rise of Islam? Do you think this is a threat to Christianity? Do you think that Muslim immigration needs to be stopped? What is to be done?

Its a passing phase in the history of the Kingdom of Christ. What’s to be done? Embrace the Church and Apostolic Teaching’s. As St Teresa of Jesus stated; “All is passing, let nothing disturb you, only God suffices.”

Peace

 

[kimg901]

America will never allow the muslims to take over. We have our rights and freedoms (2nd amendment , For now anyways)

 

[austenbosten]

America will never allow the muslims to take over. We have our rights and freedoms (2nd amendment , For now anyways)

Bwahahahahahahahhahaha!

Oh ye of too much faith.

 

[Dolezal]

Reuben J –

Tertullian was stating what he observed. The Church grew and spread after every persecution in the Roman Empire, especially after Diocletianic Persecution.

The decline of Christians in North Africa was not the result of a persecution like the persecutions in the Roman Empire. In the first few centuries after the Islamic conquest of Egypt, there was no incentive for Christians to convert to Islam. The Copts were still the majority and had greater freedom under Muslim rule than they had before under Byzantine rule. They were architects, shipbuilders, land owners, they had career opportunities in the fiscal administration and the Church. The great decline came when the Ayyubids took over Egypt in the twelfth century and removed Christians from public office and taxed them highly. The weak Christians then, having grown indifferent, converted to Islam for social improvement and career opportunities.

So the persecution Tertullian observed was very different and brutal. Whenever the Church is persecuted so directly she is purified because the false Christians fall away. The true Christians remain and when they are martyred many are inspired to follow them.

“But go zealously on, good presidents, you will stand higher with the people if you sacrifice the Christians at their wish, kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust; your injustice is the proof that we are innocent. Therefore God suffers that we thus suffer; for but very lately, in condemning a Christian woman to the leno rather than to the leo you made confession that a taint on our purity is considered among us something more terrible than any punishment and any death. Nor does your cruelty, however exquisite, avail you; it is rather a temptation to us. The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed. Many of your writers exhort to the courageous bearing of pain and death, as Cicero in the Tusculans, as Seneca in his Chances, as Diogenes, Pyrrhus, Callinicus; and yet their words do not find so many disciples as Christians do, teachers not by words, but by their deeds.”

 

[Sarcelle]

What are your views on the demographic shifts in Western countries and the rise of Islam? Do you think this is a threat to Christianity? Do you think that Muslim immigration needs to be stopped? What is to be done?

The greatest threat to Christianity is neither Islam nor Atheism/Secularism. It’s lukewarm Christians.

 

[DavidSears]

David, please elaborate on the athiests and the governor of RI and what’s going on in your state if you don’t mind. I like to keep informed on these things. Athiests who celebrate Christmas to me are like vegans who wear leather.

As for the muslims, I suggest anyone reading this thread check out Ann Barnhardt’s survey of Islamic sexuality on you tube. (I’d post the link but its just as easy to search it yourself with those keywords) VERY eye opening…

Well, it all started with an Atheist at my school who demanded a school prayer banner be taken down from our school which hung there for 50 years. Taken down. Look up Cranston High School West prayer banner on Google, I’m sure itll come up. Then, They tried to take down a WWII memorial because it had a cross on it. (This is all work of the ACLU alligned with Atheists) Then finally, Governor Chafee starts calling the RI annual Christmas Tree lighting at the State House, the Holiday Tree because he wants everyone to be included and we “live in a new time.” The Atheists are also all upset on a national level that most businesses are closed and that Christmas is a national holiday.
But I was actually very afraid about the whole Islam thing because of my scruplosity, which the only thing that helps is reading testimonies from apostates of Islam and converts from Islam to Christianity. I hope and pray it doesn’t result in another Crusades…

 

[wcknight]

Some say Islam is the fastest growing faith in the world (including in the US). Sadly it seems to be true. I don’t necessarily fear it. I just hope it does not take the form of radical Islam.

What bothers me. is that there seems to little or no response from so called moderate Islamists when there are terrorist arracks. Shortly after the attacks of 9/11 a few spoke out but very little has been said since. IF violence is not tolerated by most of Islam, then there needs to outcrys against it. The silence is deafening.

A religion that condones violence or even tolerates violence and in some cases advocates violence, is certainly to be feared in any society that values peace and tranquility.

 

[Dakota_Roberts]

Some say Islam is the fastest growing faith in the world (including in the US). Sadly it seems to be true. I don’t necessarily fear it. I just hope it does not take the form of radical Islam.

What bothers me. is that there seems to little or no response from so called moderate Islamists when there are terrorist arracks. Shortly after the attacks of 9/11 a few spoke out but very little has been said since. IF violence is not tolerated by most of Islam, then there needs to outcrys against it. The silence is deafening.

A religion that condones violence or even tolerates violence and in some cases advocates violence, is certainly to be feared in any society that values peace and tranquility.

Actually there were many condemnations, but the media didn’t really report it because fear and hate sells better.