Why I Care

Really I am not a bold person. Most of the time I ignore others' lack of belief, poor discernment, or worldly attitudes. But here is a group who care about eternal issues. People who look for Judgment Day, and consider which of their actions could have an effect. They know that the Almighty exists and desire to please Him. Some of the messages in the Koran are so valid and important compared to the nonsense being trifled with in secular society that I want to reward them for their discernment.

"You are so close," I want to say. Just as I've been told by Muslims, "you are not far from Islam." I am infinitely separated from it because of the "sin of shirk." But otherwise, theologically, we are similar. I care because you are Abraham's descendants, though the Bible has much to say about who his heirs really are. It is because I can respect so much about you that I bother. And of course, there is the issue of having to fight for my survival, and that of my country and culture.

This is the duality I face. I feel great rapport, yet must keep my guard up realizing lives and freedom are at stake. I understand having a sense of spiritual freedom in believing you are obeying God. The peace in believing that counterbalances the loss of some opportunities. All who seek to live godly lose some things in order to gain others. This I understand. Yet I see and grieve for the serious oppression of women who cannot work to support themselves except illegally as prostitutes, because they are not allowed to go out. I mourn for the limitations of the rights of Christians and others within your societies. I fear for their safety, and mine as well.

I cannot ignore the issues. Many of the Jews who read or heard of Hitler's plans early on did not flee-because they believed in the rights they had within their societies. They thought that they would be safe. It cannot be true, right, or wise to ignore serious threats. Nor can it be for you to tell yourself that jihad just means some personal searching of the soul. That may be what a modern theologian has constructed, but intellectual honesty will see that is not the genuine message of Mohammed.

A book I read about the Taliban remarked that these guys did not have a comprehensive knowledge of the history and heritage of Afghanistan, or Pakistan. They had not studied the theological weighings of centuries of holy men. No. They have only the Koran, and perhaps the hadith. And they are honestly dealing with what the teachings of that book are. Let me explain why that is important from an example of my life.

I have three sisters. Years ago, I described them as "one's a lesbian, one's Jewish, and one's a lawyer. The lawyer was at the time attending a Methodist church whose pastor denied the gospel. She and her husband were networking. She's since gotten saved, as has the Jewish one. But the Lord showed me that the lesbian and the Jew were being more intellectually honest with Him. They were clearly evaluating the teachings of Christianity, saing "I believe this much and no more."

The one who was going to church for her networking, or so her husband could sing in the choir, was not being honest. In order for anyone to make any spiritual progress, they must analyze what they do believe, and be willing to throw out what they find to be untrue. And so must you. It is well and good to say, someone in the 1200's said this that I find more to my liking. But it does not address the legitimacy of those in the 600's. For if their lives or actions were in error, so is the basis of your faith.

At least have the courage to look at your foundational book, not the ones you claim to be peripheral. I do not desire to attack you, nor to insult you or even them. I believe they believed in what they did. I only desire to stimulate you and provoke thought. We have a verse that says we should provoke one another to love and good works. Please accept my efforts in this manner.

As I weigh the costs of this battle, I wonder if it is worth it. When I review the Koran, I can continue to find some nitpicking thing (or maybe somewhat more substantial) to discredit it. At the same time, I do see someone who tries in his own mind to do good. Mohammed has written many things correctly. He mourns the dead babies: girls who were discarded. He argues against adultery. He even says that women should be modest, keeping their eyes down demurely, instead of being wanton. I cannot disagree with these things. He desires to help men put aside some worldly things, in favor of prayer, and doing good deeds of helping the poor, and so on.

Perhaps he did misunderstand Christianity. There were Christian heretics who claimed Jesus was not the Son of God, and discussed other issues hard to comprehend. Certainly it would be consistent with desiring to protect God's honor and his reputation to be aghast at the thought of a Zeus-like god. (Though what kind of deity requires help to defend itself?) I wonder at the example of his uncle or cousins, or the others he acknowledges are his opponents. He seemed to have a love and respect for the God of Abraham, for the ancient traditions. I suspect the homes he grew up in were foundational in teaching the importance of godly service and activities-much more so than many of his followers whom he criticizes for desiring loot.

Let me say this first, using my country's history, before I continue my complaints against your heroes. Thomas Jefferson was a great man. He wrote the Declaration of Independence, stating all men were created equal. Yet he kept slaves. He was honorable, yet he had a black mistress after his wife died. Those who want to slander him, state that a person who is a slave cannot give permission. Even if it is not violent rape, the situation is rigged so that she would be a fool to refuse. The added benefits of greater freedom, better clothes, protection for her children, all add up to unequal freedom to refuse. She could not turn him down and do better for herself.

They see a man caught by the mores of his time, which viewed a couple of hundred years later are shocking. But he did not have to give her an honored position. He did not have to protect her children. He owned her, and according to the laws he lived under could do with them as he wished. For him to not take his rights, to give more than necessary, in fact to go so much beyond showed him to be a gracious and thoughtful, deeply good man.

George Washington has also been maligned. (He was our first president, and the general who led our troops to overthrow the world power of his day.) So much of our history has been re-evaluated that I feel some want only to destroy it, rather than acknowledge that yes, these men had feet of clay. (That is a Biblical analogy from the book of Daniel, which means they had weaknesses that flawed them.)

But I do not turn away from seeing the reality. It is true Jefferson had a slave mistress. It is true George owned slaves as well. His plantation would not have made him or his ancestors as rich as he was without it. I do not deny it. Wishing it to disappear or being mad at whomever points it out does not solve the problem. But they are mere men, not claiming more than that. They wrote or fought and brought us our independence.

It is a bit harder for me about Mohammed. Yes, he kept captives, allowed himself many wives. The social mores of ancient times allowed this. (Although with Christian tribes this should have been in the process of being eliminated for centuries.) So did Solomon. And for that matter, King David-though I don't believe they were responsible for capturing their wives. David certainly did his share of killing his opponents. Though he was instructed to destroy their goods, and he honored this, some of his followers got caught doing otherwise. (As did Saul.)

As for Aisha, this is revolting to me. Not only do I question what kind of man would take a nine year old, I wonder at what kind of father would give his daughter at six. It is kind of kinky. And I think of people who go through midlife crisis, doing things they would never have considered before. And even if I can have some understanding of what our flesh would lead us to if indulged, I cannot make the transition that it is okay for a spiritual leader, and example from God.

I used the example of David, a man said to be after God's own heart. Yet he was not without serious correction. The prophet Nathan came and rebuked him. God allowed the king's first child with Bathsheba to die,who was the result of their adultery. The Lord allowed another son to run him out of office for a while, for chastisement. And greatest of his punishments was that he was not allowed to build the temple for the Lord, though he had accumulated many riches to do so. He was allowed to make preparations but had to leave it to someone who was not a man of war.

Solomon, the world's wisest man, had his own failings. Some very significant, which he admitted sidetracked him. He was able to summarize his life in the book of Ecclesiastes, where he could state, I've tried every thing-wealth, wisdom, power, sex, but all things under the sun are vain. He concluded, serving God was the only thing that mattered. (Btw, this paragraph not only inadequately conveyed some of the world's greatest literature, it butchered it. I recommend reading the original.)

But Solomon learned from his mistakes, and repented. He was not honored for his sins. Even after repentance, our holy God requires consequences. In fact, the kingdom of Israel was taken from his lineage as a result of his behavior. After his death the kingdom was divided into Israel and Judah. His family got to keep only two of the twelve tribes. Anyone God loves, according to the Bible, will be corrected. So, that is another major sign for anyone familiar with our Scripture, a person allowed to indulge in gross sin without correction, cannot, simply cannot be from the Lord.

So the ones who knew the Lord asked Mohammed, "Is this who Allah would send as a messenger?" It wasn't merely that he was from a poor or un-powerful family. Jesus was as well. It wasn't that they questioned his education. For calling him a "poet possessed," acknowledges some ability with words.

Anyway, I grow weary from battling this. I wonder if I will be able to ever return to Morocco, if I will offend my daughter or son-in-law sufficiently that it might breach our relationship, or if I would be allowed to see my granddaughter (and others) ever again. Such is the price I am willing to pay to speak the truth. Even the possibility of death appears, for if they would put to death a woman for allowing children to call a teddy bear Mohammed (or be willing to do so), I could not expect leniency for what I have written. Nor could I retract it. I can only hope I would die even in torture rather than deny my Lord.

This is not mentioned to somehow exalt myself, as if I am some special martyr. Not so. I am as much a coward as anyone else. And even I occasionally consider what might offend another, and what might be more polite. But Jesus told us that if we wanted to be His disciple, we must take up our cross daily and follow Him. He said we must (in comparison to the love we have for Him) hate our mates, parents, children, and even our own lives, or we would not be worthy of Him.

I treasure my family. I do not desire to offend. But my debt to His sacrifice and the depth of His love far exceeds what I owe others. And I question the effectiveness (efficacy) of my efforts. I just don't know if there is a better way. (Such as suggested in I Corinthians 13, coordinated with prayer.)

Consequently I must work only as the Lord directs me. Each time I write only what I feel compelled, and have erased other parts. Sometimes I think I have only one or two posts left to have comletely covered the subject. Then something else will surface. I know there are a couple of drafts I need to polish. A few more written elsewhere remain to be typed. I need to finish reading The Choice, and answer his accusations. Whether this work might make up into a fine book, remains to be seen.

But after that, I think I will move on to another subject. I do not know. I do know I feel my time to work on this is running out, but that remains to be seen.

The Incarnation-God Became Man.

The message of Christmas was revealed thousands of years ago by the prophet Isaiah. Emmanuel (which means God with us) would come. Some of the verses are set within passages that describe the return of Messiah where He would rule forever, as well as short term parts that describe what God is going to do with Israel. Jesus later revealed that the events foretold were sequential and limited. Messiah would come and accomplish all they were expecting-but not all at the same time.

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel. Isaiah 7:14.

Chapters 11 and 12 of Isaiah hold more. (Is.11:2,3.) The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him-the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

These things were known before Jesus' birth. It was not merely a matter of followers of Jesus misunderstanding the passages. The verses had been treated as foretelling the Messiah long before He came on the scene. When the wise men came seeking the baby, Herod could call the religious leaders asking where Messiah was to be born. What were the prophecies? And the soldiers were sent to Bethlehem accordingly-to slaughter the male babies. Unfortunately, that was also prophesied.

Recently my daughter ridiculed the idea of the Almighty making Himself so small that He could inhabit the body of a man. I tried re-emphasizing what I'd thought I had conveyed to her as a child. It is a miracle!

Yet I have to agree, it is more than we can fathom. God Himself, the eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, maker of the universe could insert Himself, not merely into the form of a man, but of a baby. It is stunning. That is why we worship. And here's a further mind blower. The Bible records that when Mary went to visit Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with John, the babe (Yahya to Muslims) leapt within her womb. By the Spirit, he recognized Him. So meditate on the fact that God could put His essence within a fetus, or embryo. (Jesus was several months younger than John.)

As Jesus later said, "If you don't believe my words, believe me for the sake of my works." He gave signs to prove it: From angels appearing to shepherds, wise men who followed the star, and prophets who occupied the temple and recognized Him even as an infant as He entered there.

Ultimately it comes down to this. We don't have to understand how He could do it. We have merely to ask and answer, is there anything too hard for God? Can the One powerful enough to create the universe and everything in it not be able to do something? He can create an infinite space with stars shining through billions of miles-from the power of their nuclear reactions. He makes wind and water capable of gently stirring our senses, yet strong enough to wipe all evidence of life away. He can create billions of humans, intricately managing their development from single cells to old age. Mountains or microbes, His artistry, His complexity, His knowledge empowers the large and infinitely small. He is Spirit. Can He not control where He places Himself?

Jesus set His godhead aside. Thus that body does not need to hold all His glory. He left the Father in Heaven, who still reigned, continuing His work of managing the Universe. Perhaps it is like a phone. Forgive me for the inadequacy here. When my baby granddaughter has a phone stuck to her ear, she hears the caller. She communicates with the essence of the callers-hearing their actual voices and the words they speak. She may look into the phone and wonder how her mother got so tiny as to be compressed into the contents and size of a cellphone. But she does recognize the genuine voice of the loved one.

Christians do believe Jesus was fully God, fully man. So I do not mean to imply he was somehow mystically transmitted as a mirror reflects something that is not actually present within it. Or as the moon reflects light, that it does not create. But He was not the only part of God in Existence. So the spirit of God transmitting Himself down in and through a baby, however it was done, was done. And we have received the benefit of it.

While you consider the concept ridiculous, I have to wonder at your lack of belief. After all, if you can believe that the Almighty would use a robber of caravans and villages, an admitted murderer of his opponents, someone who captured and enslaved women and others, a destroyer of his son's marriage, you seem to have a great capacity to trust in faith. Or else you have not considered the truth of the reports contained even within the Koran and the hadith.

I regret having to be deeply harsh. Please examine if what I say is true. It is not that I would want you to deny your mind. But perhaps you could ask the Almighty to reveal Himself. Jesus promised that if anyone needed wisdom, and asked in faith, it would be given. So if you are willing to examine your credulity, ask. At least let your faith be placed in one who is worthy.

Jesus told us to

A-sk
S-eek
K-nock.

Merry Christmas.

On Submission and Freedom

Having just finished reading the account of Carmen bin Laden, I feel moved to address this issue. Although I live in "the land of the free and the home of the brave," I believe my life has equipped me to address this. As Christians we are instructed to submit as well: to the Lord, to our husbands, to each other, to the elders of the church, to our parents if we are children, and even to the governing authorities who are secular.

As Christians we are admonished to let our brothers cheat us rather than to go to secular courts and embarrass the name of Jesus. Many church goers have taken advantage of the teaching, stealing outrightly from their "brethren" through business deals. Whether they themselves are truly believers, I cannot say. The Bible points out "by their fruits shall you know them."

This has even been found in Christian ministry. So many musicians, agents, and churches caused trauma to me that I nearly lost my faith, if not my mind. Some I believe are genuine believers in Jesus, who had blind areas that they had not repented of, or even seen. We are all influenced by the world, in addition to being selfish souls by nature. (Some thought they were being "professional" by following the procedures of the secular music world.)

The alternative to going to court was found in taking issues to church elders. But I found problems there as well. The vision and clarity of those individuals was sometimes severely lacking in discernment. Politics, stereotypes (or not fitting into them), and other concerns allowed for unjust decisions. Ultimately I learned to take my issues to a higher court to One who knew the truth of what had been said or done, or promised. He saw the hearts, as well as the deeds, and could in truth judge righteously.

Outside of the church my husband and I have faced injustice as well.Inheritances have been stolen, with wills never being properly executed. A lot is edited here to spare the reader the details.

Unforgiveness hardens your heart, and separates you from God. In the Lord's Prayer and other places, Jesus instructed his disciples to forgive others as they were forgiven. If we did not forgive those who sinned against us, neither would we be forgiven. Let me tell you, it really destroys a good case of self-righteous anger to have to obey this and confess as sin what you feel is entitled to you for justice.

Though I tended towards women's liberation, as a Christian I was required to submit to my husband whether he made right decisions or not. Furthermore I was told I was limited on what ministry I could do within the church. Though I could understand Scripture as well as the next, or sometimes better, having female body parts made me unauthorized. (Admittedly, I was allowed in the same room of Sunday School classes, and sat beside him in the worship services.)

"Submit," I was told. I lived in Texas-the home of the Alamo, where a small group of men withstood the Mexican army and lost. Well, they earned by their sacrifice the time for Sam Houston to be able to get the final victory and gain Texas independence. So I did. By submitting, I continued living with my husband and provided a stable home for my children. No step-mother got to raise my children, or add to the number of heirs to the estate. It probably wasn't large enough for all this strife, but my kids had both parents, though sometimes hearing extra fighting.

I got beaten down. Am I as proud as I used to be? No. As self-righteous? No. Because of the resistance in my spirit, I have learned the depths of my heart and it was not a pretty sight. Have we survived? Yes, and have learned a lot. My children are not nearly as materialistic or selfish as many.

Sometimes I justified myself in forgiving that I was more spiritual than others. I doubt that is so. I told myself that I was avoiding cancer and heart attacks by trying not to hold onto stress. That my enemies were not frothing over how they had sinned against me years ago, and that I was making myself suffer rather than just getting over it. Sometimes I question whether this was genuine obedience to the Lord, in turning the other cheek, or cowardice.

My conclusion is that submission in not inherently a bad thing. Nor is the covering of women. It can be, could be a wholesome thing. Perhaps extreme, but it need not be oppressive. Does it protect women from the lusting of others? Yes, but not necessarily. Can it be true that in submitting, women are in fact being protected? Some are-if the person in charge is trustworthy. (Carmen more than adequately covers this.)

Yet for the women who are divorced, having their children forcibly taken from them, or who cannot leave their homes, or drive, or leave the country based on the whim of a disgruntled husband, or ex, father, brother-in-law, uncle or brother, their lives are not merely inconvenienced. They are destroyed. Men who have to submit to their clan head or patriarch may experience some safety in submission too. Or not, depending on their advice.

Rocking the boat is never safe. Such is the history of the United States, of France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Poland, and many other countries. The people of old Czechoslavakia invented a lovely word, "defenestration." A tyrant was taken and thrown out of the castle window rather than submit to him! John Hus was burnt at the stake. Wycliffe had to flee the country (England) in order to print Bibles in his own language. Luther stood up to the most powerful organization of his time, the Roman Catholic Church. Nailing his 99 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, he changed the world.

Such is our history. I do not claim all Christians were brave. Certainly some submitted meekly praying and hoping that things would change. They did. They got worse. Such is the nature of our humanity. Out of their own selfishness, people will take advantage of others to the extent it is allowed and beyond. In fact, as it was said in WWII, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

Hoping and praying are good for a time. But at some point it becomes necessary for someone to say "enough. That's it, we will take it no more." I do not dispute the efficacy of prayer, nor faith in entrusting one's suffering to God. But He has proven in the Bible many times that when the prayers have been heaped up, when He has heard the crying of the innocent, He will move someone to fight.

To leave others at the mercy of a system that protects corruption, endorsing the rights of men or kings-that puts you in the place of being part of the cause! Of enabling the raping of women as punishment, of stealing money of widows with no one to protect them from the predations of their brothers-in-law. Leaving a system that allows truly young girls to be given in marriage because the prophet did it.

Men and women deserve to be free. Submission and forgiveness are important concepts, worthy of exploring. But we must all be careful of hiding from strife. As our refusal to face facts may not provide safety, but worsen the oppression. It is our choice, no matter what society. And it has been proven over millenia that freedom comes to those who are willing to fight for it. And it is lost by those who are not.
Of course, I am writing this to those in Islam who claim it is not a violent religion, that the terrorists have taken these things out of context. It is not to those who would use violence or opposition to stifle the freedoms of those who disagree with them, nor for those who desire to impose the religion on others in their own or other parts of the world. Wars and rebellions are also part of your heritage-at least as far as the History of Islam, Vol. II by Prof. Masud_ul_Hasan, would reveal. (I don't have volume I, so I am not neglecting it.) Perhaps you can consider if fighting to protect the innocent is not as spiritual as fighting to force a religion on others.

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The previous were supposed to be excerpts from a fictional newspaper, in case you didn't get it. The explanation ended up being put below the articles, so you might have missed this.
After this, I wrote several articles in Word, but failed to retype them into drafts and posts on the blog. Partly this was because I was strapped for time in December. Another reason was I was re-analyzing my approach. And I tried not to write unless it was warranted. And even then, not unless I felt I had something constructive to say. Useful to discussion, not necessarily positive. Though honesty should almost always be valued. Hence I have some Christmas related posts, which I am now including, though it's January. But if it is not useful the rest of the year, the holiday is questionable.