Testing my faith- Muslim reaction is hard to swallow

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Damascus

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I am having a hard time dealing with the muslim response to the Pope’s comments.

This is causing me to have very unchristian thoughts about the whole thing and I really am wondering if I can remain a Christian in good standing since I think Islam should be stopped.

Any suggestions on how to fight this battle I am having in my thoughts?

I am too angry to pray.
 
Well, to start, remember that many Arab media outlets are highly biased. They are reading the pope’s statements out-of-context, and these stations are infamous for spreading propaganda. If you’re a poor Muslim in one of these countries, where do you think you’re going to get your information from? For example, if all you heard on an American news broadcast was that the president of Iran stated that the pope represented evil in the world and that the Catholic church was incredibly dangerous, you’d be extremely angry too. None of these stations are putting the message into context.
 
Rolltide said:
Well, to start, remember that many Arab media outlets are highly biased. They are reading the pope’s statements out-of-context, and these stations are infamous for spreading propaganda. If you’re a poor Muslim in one of these countries, where do you think you’re going to get your information from? For example, if all you heard on an American news broadcast was that the president of Iran stated that the pope represented evil in the world and that the Catholic church was incredibly dangerous, you’d be extremely angry too. None of these stations are putting the message into context.
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They don’t need to. Remember, the objective is to subjugate all the world into Islam. You don’t have to philosophize about anything, all you need to do is obey the word of Allah in the Koran. Everything else, to them, is falsehood, including Greek philosophical methods, which the Pope was encouraging. They have their eye on the prize, we don’t.
 
If you are a Christian, you should remember that we are supposed to bring all our problems to the Lord in prayer. Remember, Jesus has already won the victory that He came to win.

Islam combines religion and politics. In that sense, it is no different from communism or naziism that has a single world view, and it can go to extremes to be intolerant of anything else around it.

Muslims know that other people have different opinions, it’s just that they don’t agree with those other opinions, or even with the right of others to hold other opinions.

It is not a failure of Christianity to not have an instant answer to the problem of evil in the world. At its best, Christianity is supposed to be spread through voluntary conversion. Groups like Muslims wouldn’t understand the virtue of meekness.

A news commentator said some months ago, Americans shouldn’t be surprised that Muslims are mad at us, but Americans should be wondering why they are not afraid of us. What we see is an enemy that wants to kill us any way they can, and have said so. They don’t seem to recognize the restraint that we have shown towards them.

If nothing else, the war in Iraq shows the radical Muslim world that we are not afraid of them or not afraid to die for what we believe, too. We believe in something higher and better than they have.

The biggest problem is that Muslims are trained not to think independently. This post sounds hateful and hatefilled, but it is not meant to be. We’re dealing with hatred here, and it is directed at Christians, Jews, and the West.
 
I’ll repost this from another thread I answered:

When I was in college, I had a Turkish roommate who was Muslim and who has gone on to be one of my very best friends. He has travelled extensively with me throughout the US, and my family and I visited him for a month in Turkey. I have also on another occasion visited Morocco for five days. While I was there, I found the local population to be nothing but polite. In fact, if I had to judge my reaction in Turkey (in 1992), I’d say that the majority of the Turkish population loved Americans! I can tell you that my friend, his family and friends, and all of the other Muslims I know are very peaceful people. I will say that a major problem in Turkey is a huge difference in development between west and east. Istanbul and the Aegean coast is very western and developed, stable, peaceful, and accepting. The eastern frontier is very poor and still living in a pre-industrial age in many places. That ignorance and lack of education causes many of the problems. Remember, that Islam is a religion that is much akin to Protestantism. There is no central authority to regulate doctrine. It can be interpreted however someone chooses. Many people join the most radical form of Islam for the exact same reasons that ordinary people joined the Nazi party in the 1930s. They feel powerless, they have no jobs, and they blame the west for that. They are usually very young and can be influences. They are the Islamic version of Christian cults. How well does the Westboro Baptist Church represent Christianity, for example? What about David Koresh and the Branch Davidians? There are countless Christian cults that give us problems too. They just aren’t as widespread or as organized as they are in the Muslim world because we have far less poverty.
 
Rolltide,
I hope your friends then defend the Pope and don’t participate in the violence.

Interesting info here:

Fighting the Long War-- Military Strategy for the War on Terrorism

For those who don’t know:
All Christian Denominations (including Catholics) make up between 1.9 and 2.1 billion worldwide.
Roman Catholics number 1.1 billion.
Muslims comprise 1.1 to 1.3 billion
Hindus number approximately 800 milion
Buddhists number approximately 325 million
Jews number approximately 14 million
 
gilliam said:
Rolltide,
I hope your friends then defend the Pope and don’t participate in the violence.
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Yes. In fact, I have been personally invited by a Muslim professor I know to participate in an interfaith dialogue next year, both at the college I work at and in several major Muslim nations. The conference is only in the planning / discussion phase at this point. My friend may be involved in planning the Turkish side of things.

I’m not sure of their exact position on the statement since I haven’t talked to him in a few weeks, but I know he is very dedicated to ecumenical activities.
 
Rolltide said:
Yes. In fact, I have been personally invited by a Muslim professor I know to participate in an interfaith dialogue next year, both at the college I work at and in several major Muslim nations. The conference is only in the planning / discussion phase at this point. My friend may be involved in planning the Turkish side of things.

I’m not sure of their exact position on the statement since I haven’t talked to him in a few weeks, but I know he is very dedicated to ecumenical activities.
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Read the lecture. It was a lecture on faith and reason, it was not a statement. The Pope brings out a lot of good points. see: catholicnewsagency.com/bavaria06/message9.htm

I think most orthodox Muslims would say that reason has no business in faith. One of the pope’s points was that if reason has no business in faith, then blind obedience to the Quran would lead people to violence. Guess what? It is. That IMHO, is the danger of Islam. It is not a benign religion. And it is NOT a religion of peace if you read the Quran and if you abide by it totally, without reason, you will invariably be lead to violence against non-believers.

Many people say that the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda and other terrorists are bad Muslims. I think it is very, very, very possible that they are good Muslims abiding by Islamic Law. The point being that Islam is not a very nice religion.
 
I do not see that it is unChristian in any way to recognize an errant and ungodly belief for what it is; and to resist it with every fiber of one’s being.
 
Damascus said:
I am having a hard time dealing with the muslim response to the Pope’s comments.

This is causing me to have very unchristian thoughts about the whole thing and I really am wondering if I can remain a Christian in good standing since I think Islam should be stopped.

Any suggestions on how to fight this battle I am having in my thoughts?

I am too angry to pray.
Click to expand...
My mom just said that the Holy Father stuck his foot in his mouth. We’re German Catholic and have a lot of men in the family with the same problem.

I believe in the Holy Father and I believe that he can make this right. He’s a smart guy and if he crossed a line, he’ll apologize for it and make amends. If he didn’t cross a line (and who are we to judge that) then he’ll still find a way to make it right.
 
Indeed, Gilliam, indeed. Thekla, read the lecture and then tell us what is so offensive.
 
gilliam said:
Rolltide,
I hope your friends then defend the Pope and don’t participate in the violence.

Interesting info here:

Fighting the Long War-- Military Strategy for the War on Terrorism

For those who don’t know:
All Christian Denominations (including Catholics) make up between 1.9 and 2.1 billion worldwide.
Roman Catholics number 1.1 billion.
Muslims comprise 1.1 to 1.3 billion
Hindus number approximately 800 milion
Buddhists number approximately 325 million
Jews number approximately 14 million
Click to expand...
You may add 300 million Eastern Orthodox to you count also.
I do not know the total of Oriental Orthodox and Armenian Apostalics but Im sure they are in the millions.
 
The muslim reaction only makes B16’s point for him. 4 Christian churches were firebombed in the West Bank & Gaza today, another was fired upon by gunmen…

foxnews.com/story/0,2933,214128,00.html

There is plenty of reason to be angry, and there is no sin in that.
 
brotherhrolf said:
Indeed, Gilliam, indeed. Thekla, read the lecture and then tell us what is so offensive.
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It’s not for me to determine if something was not offensive to followers of Islam. Obviously, some followers of Islam have taken offense and the Holy Father will figure out how to make it right.
 
Well of course Islam should be stopped: all Muslims should become Catholics—no need to fell ashamed here. As for being too angry to pray, it is sometimes most important to pray when we feel the least like it; bend your will to it and God will give you His grace.
 
Thekla said:
My mom just said that the Holy Father stuck his foot in his mouth. We’re German Catholic and have a lot of men in the family with the same problem.

I believe in the Holy Father and I believe that he can make this right. He’s a smart guy and if he crossed a line, he’ll apologize for it and make amends. If he didn’t cross a line (and who are we to judge that) then he’ll still find a way to make it right.
Click to expand...
The Rev. Robert Taft, a specialist in Islamic affairs at Rome’s Pontifical Oriental Institute, said it was unlikely the pope miscalculated how some Muslims would receive his speech.

“The message he is sending is very, very clear,” Taft said. “Violence in the name of faith is never acceptable in any religion and that (the pope) considers it his duty to challenge Islam and anyone else on this.”

signonsandiego.com/news/world/20060915-1401-popeandislam.html
 
One thing is for certain, we can’t cower in the West any longer, fearing that we will enrage Muslims. This isn’t going away.
 
Damascus said:
I think Islam should be stopped.

Any suggestions on how to fight this battle I am having in my thoughts?
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Yes. The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima is always looking for prayer warriors. It’s no coincidence that Mary chose to appear in a place named after one of the favorite daughters of Mohammed.
…

http://www.wafusa.org/front1.jpg

For more information on the Blue Army and the Fatima message, please feel welcome to click the following link:

wafusa.org/

~~ the phoenix
…
…
…
 
Thekla said:
It’s not for me to determine if something was not offensive to followers of Islam. Obviously, some followers of Islam have taken offense and the Holy Father will figure out how to make it right.
Click to expand...
Using this kind of logic, then it is not for me to discern if something is not offensive to neo-Nazis or the KKK. So, if they show up on your lawn and burn a cross, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out how to make it right. Mon Dieu! Dios mios! No right, no wrong. Relativism taken to extremes.
 
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