America is losing its morality, and its identity as a nation founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Just one glance at recent headlines and one will be hard-pressed to formulate an argument against this notion. But if you want more, just read David Limbaugh’s book Persecution, and you’ll discover what is happening to Christianity in America.
In Fairfax County, VA, a Church was denied a noise ordinance waiver to allow its bells to ring as they have for many years. Now, the bells will be silenced because of noise complaints. In New York, a local school board has ruled that displays of the Nativity scene will not be allowed on school grounds, but they will allow the Jewish Minorah and the Muslim Crescent. Several retail stores have openly come out with statements that they will NOT instruct their employees to say Merry Christmas, preferring the "more inclusive" happy holidays greeting. Rep Keith Ellison, America’s first Muslim congressman, has refused to take the oath of office on the Bible. At William & Mary College, a cross has been ordered removed from the main chapel despite being present for over a century. In Turkey (yes, I know its not America, but it follows the trend), the Pope is being hailed for ‘praying toward Mecca’ while visiting a Mosque. These are just from the past few days. Is this a trend for America, and the world? I think so.
First, Rep Ellison. Yes, he has the right to take the oath of office with the Koran and not the Bible. The Constitution guarantees him that and I respect his personal beliefs enough not to condemn him for it. So the question isn’t a matter of could he, but more should he? If he takes the oath on the Koran, how will the radical Muslims view this?
And the Pope? I know that he is hoping to reconcile with the Muslim community. I know that he wants peace between all religions. His intentions are pure, but how will the radical Muslims view his actions?
And what about the every day occurrences in small town America? When a school board bans the nativity, but allows the Muslim Crescent, or when a town silences church bells, or a college removes a century-old cross from its chapel, how does the radical Muslim community – those we are at war with – view these changes?
I think it empowers them. These people are intent on global domination with purpose that mirrors the Nazis, the Italian Fascists and the Soviet Communists, but slightly different. Those dark forces wanted to govern the world with tyranny, the forces of the radical Muslims seek religious dominance. Their intent is for ALL people to worship their god and none other and anyone who refuses will be killed. Just look at what’s happening in Europe, and you can easily see the effects of their bullying. They are strong-willed, much stronger than the waning Christian base in that part of the world and the result is a gradual Muslimization of Europe. In short, Europe is becoming a Muslim continent because their suppression of Christian ideals has left a religious void that is slowly being filled by the more vocal and more vibrant Muslim extremists.
Is America next? We may have a strong Christian base, but society has clearly turned against that base. This can be seen most clearly in the media, the courts and the universities. Anti-Christianity is now the only acceptable form of discrimination in this country. So are we creating a void in America similar to Europe? And, if so, who will fill that void?
The war we are waging is not a religious war, thankfully so because the Christian religion forbids conversion by force. Instead, Christians are commanded to spread the Word of God and provide others with means of free-will conversion. The idea of free-will is critical to the Christian faith, not so in the Muslim world, where they are literally commanded to "convert or kill". This can be found in any number of Koran passages. So Christians are immediately at a disadvantage in any religious war. The only way we can possibly protect our religion is to protect our freedom to practice that religion openly, to protect our right of free-will. It’s this free-will that has become the target of the Muslim extremists.
So is America showing a desire to protect the free-will of Christianity? Some may say that ‘separation of church and state’ does that, but the ones who say that aren’t Christians. While it is vital for America not to recognize an ‘official’ religion, it is also vital that America protect its Judeo-Christian principles on which it was founded. Without those principles, the concept of democracy and free-will become obsolete but Christianity is one of the few religions that holds free-will sacred.
Os Guinness once said, "Faith requires freedom, freedom requires virtue, virtue requires faith, and so on ad infinitum." Where do we stand on virtue? Where do we stand on faith? If these are waning, then what will become of our freedom?
1 comment:
"If he takes the oath on the Koran, how will the radical Muslims view this?"
My thought would be that it's less important how the radical Muslims view it - they're a minority still - but how the Muslims at large view it. And I think it reflects favorably upon our nation that we truly are living up to our ideals that people are free to worship and live how they will, as long as it's peaceably.
The only power that the tiny minority of radical Muslims have - those willing to use deadly violence even against innocents - is the power that we give them when we validate their view that we are the Great Satan and/or a rogue nation that only gives lip service to democracy and freedom.
We've already empowered them way more than we should have by our unprovoked attack upon a sovereign nation. Acts like this help restore our credibility.
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