'Je Suis En Colère!': The A, B, C's Of The 'Religion Of Peace'

I took French class from the 7th Grade in Middle School through my Senior year in High School.

I still remember enough from those days to be able to say, "Je suis en colère!" ("I'm angry!"). Lord, forgive me for not having a heart that sees Muslim terrorists as the "mission field" right now when all I see is the vile "murderers" that they are instead.

Ironically, I guess I'm also a "murderer" like them, huh (1 John 3:15)? 

Here's the thing though.

I, for one, am growing increasingly sick and tired of those (especially other Christians) who continue to refuse to speak "the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) as it pertains to Islam and Muslims.

Here's what I once wrote several years ago that still holds true today...

 

The A, B, C's of The 'Religion of Peace' 

As a Christian whose brothers and sisters are being violently persecuted (many unto death) around the world for His namesake, I hope you will grant me the opportunity to say a few things about both Islam and Christianity. 

Can we all stop pretending that Islam is the true "Religion of Peace" as we're constantly told it is by our political and religious leaders? 

Let's all perform a quick study of contrasts for just a moment. First, let's take a look at what Islam teaches its devoted followers. 

The truth of the matter is that the the violence verses in the Koran/Quran are PRESCRIPTIVE rather than DESCRIPTIVE. In contrast, the violence verses in the Holy Bible are the complete opposite, or DESCRIPTIVE rather than PRESCRIPTIVE. 

I'll show you what I mean by that.

QUESTION: Does The Koran/Quran Really Promote Violence? 

ANSWER: Yes!!! 

PROOF: Multiple passages of the text!!! 

Koran/Quran (2:191-193) - "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out,for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of nonbelievers]...but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah.” 

Koran/Quran (2:244) - "Then fight in the cause of Allah, and know that Allah heareth and knoweth all things." 

Koran/Quran (2:216) - "Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not." 

Koran/Quran (3:151) - "Soon shall we cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority." 

Koran/Quran (4:74) - "Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him we shall bestow a vast reward." 

Koran/Quran (4:76) - "Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah" 

Koran/Quran (4:89) - "They but wish that ye should reject faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (from what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks." 

Koran/Quran (4:104) - "And be not weak hearted in pursuit of the enemy; if you suffer pain, then surely they (too) suffer pain as you suffer pain..." 

 Koran/Quran (5:33) - "The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement" 

Koran/Quran (8:12) - "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strikeoff their heads and strike off every fingertip of them" 

Koran/Quran (8:15-16) - "O ye who believe! When ye meet those who disbelieve in battle, turn not your backs to them. Whoso on that day turneth his back to them, unless maneuvering for battle or intent to join a company, he truly hath incurred wrath from Allah, and his habitation will be hell, a hapless journey's end." 

Koran/Quran (8:39) - "And fight with them until there is no more fitna (disorder, unbelief) and religion should be only for Allah" 

Koran/Quran (8:65) - "O Prophet, exhort the believers to fight..." 

Koran/Quran (9:5) - "So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them." 

Koran/Quran (9:29) - "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." 

Koran/Quran (9:123) - "O you who believe! fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness." 

Koran/Quran (17:16) - "And when we wish to destroy a town, we send our commandment to the people of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein; thus the word proves true against it, so we destroy it with utter destruction."

Those are "red letters" of a different kind, aren't they? 

Do I really need to keep going though? As one study put it:

The Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers for the sake of Islamic rule. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. Muslims who do not join the fight are called 'hypocrites' and warned that Allah will send them to Hell if they do not join the slaughter. Unlike nearly all of the Old Testament verses of violence, the verses of violence in the Quran are mostly open-ended, meaning that they are not restrained by the historical context of the surrounding text. They are part of the eternal, unchanging word of Allah, and just as relevant or subjective as anything else in the Quran. Most of today's Muslims exercise a personal choice to interpret their holy book's many calls to violence according to what their own moral preconceptions find justifiable. Apologists cater to their preferences with tenuous arguments that gloss over historical fact and generally do not stand up to scrutiny. Still, it is important to note that the problem is not bad people, but bad ideology. Unfortunately,there are very few verses of tolerance and peace to abrogate or even balance out the many that call for nonbelievers to be fought and subdued until they either accept humiliation, convert to Islam, or are killed. Muhammad's own martial legacy -- and that of his companions along with the remarkable stress on violence found in the Quran -- have produced a trail of blood and tears across world history. 

[Source]

Like I said, the truth of the matter is that the the violence verses in the Koran/Quran are PRESCRIPTIVE rather than DESCRIPTIVE. In contrast, the violence verses in the Holy Bible are the complete opposite, or DESCRIPTIVE rather than PRESCRIPTIVE. 

That's why it's always so laughable to me whenever I hear a person praising Islam as the "Religion of Peace" because it's so absurd. 

The "peaceful Muslims" that we hear so much about are actually Islam’s apostates because they are not living the life that their holy book actually PRESCRIBES for them (and, make no mistake, that false religion is definitely one that promotes "Works-Righteousness" or Law, Law, Law!). 

In other words, they're the "Muslims-In-Name-Only" (or no Muslims at all). 

Now, by contrast, let’s take a quick look at just a few PRESCRIPTIVE verses from the Holy Bible that show us what Christianity teaches its devoted followers.

Matthew 5:39 (ESV) But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 

Matthew 5:44-45 (ESV) But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 

Romans 12:19-20 (ESV) Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.'"

I rest my case. 

Now, which is the true "Religion of Peace" in this world? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that it's the one that has the Prince of Peace Himself serving as the Head of it's Church (Isaiah 9:6; Ephesians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 11:3). 

For others to claim that Islam is "peaceful" borders on being downright delusional. 

For further emphasis, here’s another teaching from the Quran...

Koran/Quran (4:95) - "Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in faith) hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight hath He distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward,"

Folks, this passage criticizes the "moderate" and "peaceful" Muslims who do not join in the violence, letting them know that they are less worthy in Allah's eyes. 

It also demolishes the modern myth that "Jihad doesn't mean 'holy war'..." in the Koran/Quran, but that it's rather a spiritual struggle. 

How ridiculous! Not only is the Arabic word used in this passage, but it is clearly not referring to anything "spiritual" since the physically disabled are given exemption! 

In fact, the Hadith reveals the context of the passage to be in response to a blind man's protest that he is unable to engage in Jihad and this is reflected in other translations of the verse. 

Simply put, there is nothing "peaceful" about Islam. These are the A, B, C's of Islam I'm afraid, or the A, B, C's of the so-called "Religion of Peace" where the following in this harsh reality -- "A" for "Attacks," "B" for "Beheadings," and "C" for "Crucifixions" -- all in the name of "Allah" and the "Prophet Muhammad" we're told. 

So, again, can we just stop pretending that none of this is happening around the world? Can we stop acting like these are only a few "isolated incidents" when, in fact, they are actually much more commonplace than we'd like to believe, and a true characteristic of the Muslim faith? 

As I've said before, the so-called "moderate Muslims" are really the "apostates" of their religious faith (think "Christians-In-Name-Only" or "Lutherans-In-Name-Only"). 

By contrast, what do we Christians do when we feel like we've been offended? Simple. Turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39) and pray (Matthew 5:44-45) at best or stage a protest, file a lawsuit, and/or think politics is our salvation at worst. 

My dear friends, we live in a dark, depraved, fallen, sinful world. The proof? Besides Scripture, you mean? When chaos, death, destruction, mayhem, murder, and random acts of violence and torture have become embraced as a "Religion of Peace" so much so that a nation's leaders all trip over themselves as they compete to be the first in line to praise such a faith and its followers while encouraging others to do so as well by "looking the other way" let's say, then that's all the real-world proof you need.

Isaiah 5:20 (ESV) Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

I, for one, will not succumb to such vile actions in the name of "political correctness" because there is only one Prince of Peace and His name is Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6).

Galatians 1:10 (ESV) For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Other than the fact that Muslims haven't killed every non-Muslim under their domain, there is very little else that they can point to as proof that theirs is a peaceful, tolerant religion. 

Where Islam is dominant (as in the Middle East), religious minorities (and particularly Christian converts) suffer brutal persecution with very little resistance. 

Where Islam is in the minority (as in Europe and the United States),there is the clear threat of violence if Muslim demands are not met or, "Allah forbid!", Muslims are -- gasp! -- "offended" in any small way (and don't even get me started on the very real threat of Sharia Law influencing politics in this country!). 

Either situation seems to provide a justification for religious terrorism, which is persistent and endemic to Islam...and demonic/satanic too. 

Still, our war is not with Islam. I think Ephesians 6:12 makes that abundantly clear. We need to pray for the conversion of Muslims and pray for our fellow brothers and sisters who live in other parts of the world where this type of behavior is not only embraced and encouraged, but where it's a tragic part of daily life.

God willing, perhaps I should do a series on "Muslim Outreach" given its relevance to current events not to mention the fact that I currently work with several Muslims at my new job.

In the meantime, there are a couple of additional resources for us to prayerfully consider. Two separate but related items to include in this piece and they are fantastic reads in response to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France.

The first, a brief commentary by Rev. Mark Surgburg on the tragedy in Paris from the past few days. The second, a letter written by Franz Pieper in 1901 immediately following the assassination of US President William McKinley with this powerful excerpt that kind of alludes to what I was getting at before:

"All people, but especially Christians, should recognize that the murderous spirit, which brought about this horrid murderous act, resides in every human heart and therefore must be acknowledged and fought. He who knows our heart described it this way (Mark 7:21-23): 'For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within.' So it is with every heart, also with every American heart. And it does not merely remain a matter of thought. The murderous spirit is so evident in word and deed that it is hard to comprehend."

We close with a verse from Matthew 26.

Matthew 26:52 (ESV) "Then Jesus said to him, 'Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.'"

Here's what The Lutheran Study Bible (TLSB) has to say about this verse and surrounding text:

"Peter had forgotten the blessings of persecution (Matthew 5:10-12). Violence brings down violence on those who practice it. Judas betrays Jesus, but Jesus refuses to allow His disciples to use violence to defend Him. Evil permeates the scene -- there is treachery, cowardice, and false bravado. But the sinless Son of God stands in the midst of these evils and allows these things to take place so He can redeem us."

In a Lutheran layman's terms, "Je suis en colère!" but I must remember to try to love my neighbor and confess Christ crucified for the sins of all mankind even to my enemies in this world.

After all, if we claim to take the Gospel seriously, and know the power of the Holy Spirit and what He can do through a faithful confession and proclamation of God's Word, then we should at least try to be somewhat aware of our obligation to Muslims as we encounter them in our daily lives while fulfilling our vocations, shouldn't we?


NOTE: I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or a Christian, Candy-Making, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast. To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this note, I'm also a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism a little over a year ago. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with our Confessions and Lutheran doctrine (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and point us back to) so that I can correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1). Finally, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier pieces I wrote on this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that category since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). In addition, there are some entries that are a little "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavy influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because we now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse notes from my Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I defer to what other Lutheran Pastors have already preached and taught about such passages since they are the called and ordained shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries. I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a dude's diary in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#trending" at the time, but is instead all the things that I'm studying myself at the moment. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Grace and peace to you and yours!

Share|