James Faris and Jared have posted recently about Islam in light of the cartoon fury in Europe. Below are some scattered thoughts that I have been brooding over for some time.
1. Society is quick to assign responsibility for violent messages and acts to the "extremist" Muslims, but I have often wondered why non-extremist Muslims appear to ignore commands in the Koran, such as commands to kill the infidel (unbeliever) or where their outcry is against the extremists. The most obvious goal of Islam, to me, is to conquer and kill non-Muslims. Are the extremists really extremists or are they really "moderates" with regard to their faith and just more outspoken?
2. James commented on the seeming difference that people claim exists between moderate and radical Muslims, that the clash of Islam is a clash within the religion and not between civilizations. However, James stated, "Muslims, whether moderate or radical are all monotheistic, and they have the same goal. It’s just that some are in first gear and some are in fourth gear. The moderates are more than willing to take their time in Western nations to gain influence quietly." I agree completely, and it addresses what I said above about whether the extremists are really extremists, etc. While I do realize the danger from the "extremists", I also, like James, see cause for much concern over the "moderate" Muslims, those who are seeking to infiltrate various societies by living among them and bearing more children (4.4 avg. in 1996) than the average Asian, European or American. "Muslim countries are among the champions of demographic growth" (source). How long will it take until the majority of different nations are Muslim? That is a scary thought to me.
Thoughts?
There are two other things I am thinking about but will save those for another day.
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2 comments:
Alicia - good thoughts. You're right about Muslims taking over quietly through having more children (for an example we need only look to Western Europe where most people have one kid if that, but Muslims are growing far faster). Reformed Christians are right to talk about growing the Kingdom through having big families (and I'm all for it) but I hope that mindset doesn't predispose us to thinking Islam is a bigger threat than it is. We can try to combat it by having more kids, but let's not forget that we can also grow the Kingdom by spreading the Gospel to Muslims AND their children.
Muslims are just non-Christians, as are athiests and secular humanists and so forth. Everyone wants to see his own way of thinking advanced, and as you pointed out in your comments on Jared's blog, the world hates Christ and His followers...
I would agree that having kids should never be a conversion tool. Kids are human beings not manipulation. Man, that is more violent then blowing up a tower. Using your kid to gain power over another person's faith. The only one who has that right is God. And He did it through Jesus Christ. I don't think there are many parents today that support their kids going to a cross. That is because it doesn't work anymore. Christ did it once and for all. Moderate or extreme I must say we are all decieved if we think our child's faith will win a soul (or action for that matter). I must tell you such moderate men strike terror in me because their extreme faith might just be converting others. Faith without Jesus is still destructive and verbally degrading. Your point has me thinking.
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