Back to Basics

Let me start with a story. A man who had survived the great Johnstown flood died and went to Heaven. And not long after, all of the inhabitants of Heaven were allowed to take center stage and tell everyone about the most significant event that had happened to them while on Earth. The man couldn’t wait to tell everyone about his surviving the great Johnstown flood. After a long wait in line, it was finally his turn. The man was so excited to tell everyone his story. But just as he was climbing the stairs to the platform, an angel leaned over to him and whispered, “Don’t forget; Noah is in the audience.”

I am reminded of that story when I read the Scriptural passage in Hebrews 12: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.” The witnesses the Apostle speaks of are the great champions who have gone on before us, which are mentioned in chapter eleven. Included by implication in the great “Hall of Faith” of Hebrews 11 are the three young Hebrews: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (verse 34, “Quenched the violence of fire.”)

So, what was it that got these three young men included in this list that along with the likes of Abraham, Moses, and David? You’ll find their story in Daniel chapter three. In a nutshell, they refused to bow down to the image of the king. In other words, THEY DISOBEYED A CIVIL GOVERNMENT THAT HAD BECOME TYRANNICAL. And for refusing to submit to the king, they were thrown into a burning fiery furnace.

Come to think of it, many of the people named in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith” got there because of civil disobedience. Speaking of Moses, the Scripture says, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king.” So, when did Moses forsake Egypt? When he killed the Egyptian taskmaster who was beating a Hebrew slave to death. That’s when!

Rahab is also mentioned in this Biblical “Hall of Faith.” Who was Rahab, and what did she do? She was a prostitute who lied to government soldiers and helped the Hebrew spies escape the city of Jericho. Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthae are also listed. Who are they, and what did they do? They were men who led armed rebellions against oppressive governments to which they had been subject.

Daniel is inferred in Hebrews 11 when it says, “Stopped the mouths of lions.” What did he do? He refused to submit to his civil government when commanded to not pray aloud (for only thirty days). And for refusing to submit to his government, he was cast into a den of hungry lions. Yes, God delivered Daniel from the lions and the three young Hebrews from the burning furnace of fire. But the point is, they each DISOBEYED civil government, and God brags on them for it in Hebrews 11.

So, what are all these “Romans 13-ers” going to say to Daniel, Moses, and Gideon when they get to Heaven? What are they going to say to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? What are they going to say to those men who “overthrew kingdoms” (Heb. 11:33), “waxed valiant in combat” (vs. 34), and “turned to flight . . . armies”? (Armies are government-sanctioned, government-supported, government-ordered entities–vs.

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In 1970 even the churches were not regularly taught the doctrine of the second coming of Christ more commonly known as premillennial prophecy. Then along came Hal Lindsey’s block buster best seller, “The Late Great Planet Earth.”

The nation and the world were catapulted into a revival of knowledge that even the Prophet Daniel proclaimed would not be well known or revealed until the last days. A few great works have been added to Lindsey’s book and those who had only Clarence Larkin’s 1918 version of “Dispensational Truth” were reinvigorated to begin again to start studying the subject of eschatology. (The last things)

Certain signs have been fulfilled in this generation that make it impossible to miss that the generation Jesus spoke of as the one sure to precede the second coming of Christ, is as the Bible says, “at hand.”

Of all the latest signs and the greatest teachings and discoveries about Christ’s imminent return in power that have graced this generation, none is more specific to America than the parallel Israel and America share in the passages of Isaiah 9: 10 and following.

Since online journalism often falls prey to the speed of surfing and the new lightning speed of digital browsers, I will state the early and emphatically; the Isaiah 9:10 prophecy/parallel is, without doubt, the most important and impressive discovery in this decade. It is a wakeup call that we can only ignore at our own peril.

It was apparent from the beginning that reviewing this documentary would not be easy and the standard review techniques would need to be suspended in lieu of some other means of elucidation. Joseph Farah is an articulate man who in this interview manages to touch on many of the questions anyone may think to ask, but to begin with we will use the four P’s to introduce the production.

PRIMARY – In both Old and New Testament days the Lord made it clear to his apostles and prophets and servant’s that if they went unheard and subsequently unheeded that it was God that was being rejected not the servant. Under inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, God, his message and the messenger stand as one. That being said the primary here is Rabbi Jonathan Cahn.  Jonathan is what is known as a, Messianic Rabbi, (Christian) whose message is heard daily on hundreds of radio stations across the nation.

President of the ‘Hope of the World Ministries’ Cahn is also the Senior Pastor of the ‘Jerusalem Center/ Beth Israel located in Wayne, New Jersey. Cahn has ministered to thousands across the globe. He is the author of the bestselling book ‘The Harbinger’ which is subtitled “The Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America’s Future”

In a normal review we would hail the long list of accomplishments and roles the principle has played to accent his career. In God’s economy he was only looking for someone to be obedient to what they saw or heard and in that vein Jonathan Cahn is best described.

What was spoken of about Cahn’s ancient Father Abraham may also be said about him. Little more needs to be said for those whose pleasure it is to serve the living God.

A very wise cleric once said to me, “Sometimes the answer to your prayer is no.”

For someone who has not stepped into a house of worship for a very long time, except to attend the occasional funeral, it may seem inappropriate for me to be writing about prayer, but the fact is that I pray every day, if by prayer one means a brief conversation with God. For me prayer has always been a great solace, a confirmation of my belief that there is, indeed, a greater power. I take this on faith, but so does everyone, other than atheists.

Thursday, May 3rd is the National Day of Prayer and thus it a good time to examine the power of prayer. Enacted in 1952 by the U.S. Congress, it is traditional for the President in office to issue a proclamation each year recommending prayer.

Its origins date back to George Washington who referred to God repeatedly throughout his public and private life. Just before the Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776, he told his assembled forces, “The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army.”

The National Day of Prayer has been challenged in the courts by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The first challenge was unanimously dismissed by a federal appellate court in April 2011, but they are not likely to go away.

I have friends and even some family members who are atheists. I don’t mind that they have concluded there is no God. Many have. I do mind that atheist groups are forever trying through the courts to remove religion from our nation’s life. There would be no America if a bunch of pilgrims did not get on the Mayflower and come here for the express purpose of wanting to pray free of the intervention and persecution of the Crown.

I don’t even argue that religion has not been and is a great source of genuine evil in the world, but that is the work of man, not God.

One need only cast an eye on the roiling Middle East and see how Islam is the source and cause of so much murder it boggles the mind. Islam is far less a “religion” than a cult around the self-anointed “prophet” Muhammad. It is a political contrivance intended to mask its quest for power, for tyranny written large. The very word Islam translates as “submission.”

I don’t think we are here to submit to God so much as to partner with Him to live our lives in such a way as to reflect His love for humanity. God is not some distant figure to me, but a power for good that I can tap at will. Prayer puts me at one with the universe. It is a defense against the perversity of ill fortune and an aid to overcoming it.

My thought here is not about religion per se, but the power of prayer in a person’s life. I believe it acts as a guide and underlies what courage we can muster to deal with life’s challenges. I believe it brings great solace to the troubled heart. I think it brings out what Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature” in his first inaugural speech.

Those who can hardly stand the syntax and rhythmic schemes of the English usage in our Constitution will not find any magnificence or beauty in the Elizabethan phrases of the Bible’s King James Version. Not to worry – other versions are readily available to elucidate and amplify; there is hope for those whose cognizance has been slighted.

King James says “O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?” (Ps 4: 2) The hurried generation doesn’t employ, nor is familiar with terms like ‘leasing.’ Visions of new car leases or Fifth Avenue apartments that rent for five million dollars or more, per year, are not the subject spoken to in the King’s most regal version of writ.

Let’s use a simpler version, broken down for the hurried minds and the erudite of the day. Here is a chance for those fully endowed with acquired knowledge, but who remain unable to engage the ancient, revered yet fully preserved mechanism by which to use knowledge correctly; commonly referred to as wisdom.

The easier version, quoted from the Message Bible removes the clouds thus rendering it accessible even to the minds of children. “You rabble—how long do I put up with your scorn? How long will you lust after lies? How long will you live crazed by illusion?” (Opere citato)

The ‘everything came from nothing’ crowd, (Big bang,) insists that God could not have actually spoken these words. That’s OK, because the same crowd is still wrestling with the question of whether the tree falling in the forest makes any noise in the absence of anyone being present to hear it. Passing by their own fully accepted, empirically derived, definition of sound, we should not be surprised that they haven’t arrived at a fully supportable definition for the beginning of the universe.

To review: whether a falling tree in the forest makes a big bang cannot be answered – but a big bang in outer space can make a universe. No witnesses for either event but an entire society that believes one big bang equals one big universe. This raises the specter of two more great questions. First, if a mind asks a question when no one is there to witness it, does it create a great intellect? Second, do you actually want to leave the explanation of the universe in the hands of people who think like this?

As they wrestle with the question of trees in the forest, we at least already know, that not one human being was present to hear the big bang, subsequently, explanations for the origin of the universe are still, knocking, flailing and floundering at wisdoms door.

If wisdom arose, he would no doubt rebuke those who pounded on his door. He would ask the question of why he should have to speak to them a second and third time on the subject he has addressed so often and so concisely. Why should he have to repeat it again to the dull of hearing when there are those who haven’t heard it for the first time? Have you heard it yet?

“Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.

Comparing Obama to Hitler is something that the liberal/left used to blame on the Tea Party. However, posters and signs showing Obama with a Hitler moustache were inevitably traced to followers of Lyndon LaRouche. They sometimes tried to portray themselves as conservatives, but in reality LaRouche is a former Marxist who ran for president as a Democrat. They like to cause deliberate political confusion.

Now that an educated Catholic Bishop with knowledge of history and a commitment to religious freedom has made the comparison, however, the national media cannot decide on how to respond.

When I saw the headline, “Bishop Compares Obama Policies to Hitler, Stalin,” over an article on Newsmax.com, the conservative website, I thought at first it must be an error or exaggeration. Was a Catholic Bishop actually being this harsh? I have reported on the reaction of the Catholic Church to the Obama Administration’s birth control mandate affecting religious institutions. My local priest called it evil and demonic and has suggested the church will be persecuted and ministers jailed for resisting the federal onslaught. But comparing the President personally to Hitler and Stalin?

The Newsmax headline about the charge concerned a story from LifeSiteNews.com. The Daily Caller titled it: “Illinois Bishop: Obama ‘intent on following a similar path’ as Hitler, Stalin.”

I went to the www.LifeSiteNews.com and the headline over its story was only slightly different: “Obama taking ‘similar path’ as Hitler and Stalin: Illinois bishop.” The question then became—were these stories somehow exaggerating what the Catholic Bishop said?

The Catholic Post ran the full text of the homily of Bishop Daniel R. Jenky at the Mass during the April 14 “A Call to Catholic Men of Faith” in Peoria. The homily is also available on podcast. The headlines did indeed capture the essence of what he said. The Bishop goes by the title “Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C., D.D.” CSC stands for the Congregation of the Holy Cross, the order that runs Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. D.D. stands for Doctor of Divinity. He is an educated man. His education includes:

• College: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
• Novitiate: Holy Cross Fathers’ Novitiate, Bennington, Vermont.
• Seminary: Moreau Seminary, Notre Dame, Indiana
• Theology: Moreau Seminary, Notre Dame, Indiana

Taking aim at Obama, Hollywood and the media, the Bishop said:

“For 2,000 years the enemies of Christ have certainly tried their best. But think about it. The Church survived and even flourished during centuries of terrible persecution, during the days of the Roman Empire.

“The Church survived barbarian invasions. The Church survived wave after wave of Jihads. The Church survived the age of revolution. The Church survived Nazism and Communism.

“And in the power of the resurrection, the Church will survive the hatred of Hollywood, the malice of the media, and the mendacious wickedness of the abortion industry.

“The Church will survive the entrenched corruption and sheer incompetence of our Illinois state government, and even the calculated disdain of the President of the United States, his appointed bureaucrats in HHS [Health and Human Services], and of the current majority of the federal Senate.” (Applause)

It turns out that the Bishop was just getting warmed up.

On Monday night April 9, 2012 Brit Hume stated during an interview on Fox News that being critical of someone’s religion only helps the person being criticized and does not speak well for the one who is being critical.

It was clear that Hume was again attempting to smooth over another area of contention among the writers, journalists and pundits that have of late noted that Mitt Romney is a Mormon and that is a religion that since its inception is held to be a ‘pseudo Christian religion, not part of mainstream Christianity.

Brit has always been a ‘healer of the breach’ in the business of TV journalism and while he is at least consistent, the attempt to label all criticism of someone’s religion as ‘bigotry’ falls far short of the truth and if not more thoroughly discerned could also become very damaging to those less versed in theological intricacies.

If a political or personally vindictive motive is attached to a criticism then it may be found to be bigoted. If criticism is driven by a search for truth and a purely didactic pursuit of sound theological evidence, it must never be dismissed as bigotry.

As an exemplar we need only to apply this to the various views we all hold about politics. Any kind of refutation of liberalism and the dangers it poses to the country could be called bigotry. Every conservative could be labeled a bigot and all discourse and argument would cease overnight. This is a case of a definition of higher criticism that is too broad and itself becomes bigotry. Telling theological truths is no different than demanding truth in political discourse, anything less is hypocritical at best.

Let’s start with a disclaimer of sorts about Mitt’s Mormonism. If his connection to the church is as an adherent, attendee or congregant, even his generosity toward the Mormon Church and some work done for the Mormons in his past, he hardly qualifies as a fire and brimstone preacher for the Mormons. His views and practices stay hidden in the background and don’t seem to bleed into his political message. Perhaps those who think his Mormon views will little affect his policies are right, but even that doesn’t make erroneous doctrine and theology right.

Hundreds of questions about the origins of Mormonism bother many people and some of the doctrines that twist the Divinity of Christ and could promote the view that abortion is OK because a person is not endowed with a God given spirit until birth. This is not scriptural and defies the clearest teachings of the Bible. This worries pro-lifers and not without good reason.

Before going on it must be noted that if questioning Mormonism is bigotry then questioning biblical Christianity would be as well. With that said, it is no secret that the founder of the Mormon religion, Joseph Smith said God had told him specifically that all the Christian churches were wrong in total. Is that bigotry?

What we have here is a case for rejecting extra-biblical revelation. That is why many of today’s historic denominations will not allow the ministry of prophets and interpreters to continue in their respective churches. Now only Apostolic, Pentecostal and non-denominational churches allow for these kinds of ministries, but not without good reason.

This Sunday we commemorate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, the One we call the Christ. The resurrection is the foundation of our faith, and Christianity itself rests on the truth of the claim that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. His physical resurrection is a sign pointing to our own physical resurrection, but also a deeper, spiritual rising from the dead.

In Matthew 20, Christ predicted his own death:

“And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.’”

Indeed, Christ was raised to life. He ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us as our High Priest. Why was Christ’s death necessary at all?

Genesis tells us that death entered into the world after Adam and Eve sinned, separating themselves from God. Everyone born thereafter inherited Adam’s sin nature. We don’t take on Adam’s sin; we commit our own sins. We are spiritually dead and unable to do anything to save ourselves. Before salvation, we were as spiritually dead as Lazarus was physically dead in his tomb. Christ called to him and commanded him to come forth, and the dead man rose and came forth.

“I am the resurrection and the life,” Christ said to Martha, Lazarus’ sister. “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Christ’s necessary death satisfied the penalty for our law breaking and for justice. Christ’s necessary death reconciled us to God. His death is a completed sacrifice. He offered once, for all time, to bear our sins. Just before He succumbed to death, He said, “It is finished.” No more sacrifices required. Once saved, always saved. Get the point?

Christ’s rising from the dead should be foremost on our minds every day, not just on Resurrection Sunday. The empty tomb witnessed by His followers bears witness to us through the ages. The empty tomb is part of the gospel, for without it, there is no gospel. If Christ’s body had remained in its tomb, decaying, what hope would we have for our own resurrection? What hope would we have that we are forgiven and reconciled to God?

The empty tomb reminds us of the sinless Christ’s pain and humiliation that paid the penalty for our transgressions. The empty tomb reminds us that we worship not a dead man who rotted in his grave, but the living God who works in the world and through us to extend His kingdom.

He is not here; He has risen. Now go and make disciples of all the nations.

In hearing a recent sermon by renowned pastor, John MacArthur, of Grace to You Ministries wherein he stated that today’s Jews are God’s chosen people and that God has a separate plan of redemption for Jews and Gentiles (dual covenant theology), I felt compelled to write a biblical and historical retort.

Are today’s Jews really God’s chosen people?

In a nutshell . . . No! In fact, not all of Abraham’s physical descendants were children of the Old Testament Abrahamic covenant. Nor were all of them children of the promise. God made his covenant with a person “Abraham” and not a nation, and it was by faith that he and his descendants were justified by God, not national origin (Gen. 15:6, Rom. 4:3-22, Jas. 2:23).

Moreover, it was Isaac, his second-born, supernaturally selected by the Spirit, and not Ishmael who was born of the flesh by his bondservant Hagar, through whom God’s blessings would flow (Gen. 21:12).

Then through Isaac’s twin sons, by His sovereign right and election, God chose Jacob and rejected Esau to carry forth the Abrahamic seed promise of God. Covenants were always ratified by faith not by flesh.

Four hundred years later God made a conditional covenant with Moses and the Jewish people. It was faith again and not physical lineage that would determine inclusion or exclusion for those “called” as “God’s Chosen People.”

Under this nationalistic, Mosaic covenant, God set the ethnic nation of Israel apart from other nations, and brought them into a conditional covenant relationship with him. One of those conditions was to be holy (Lev. 20:24, 26) and would provide either blessings or cursings (Exod. 19:5; Deut. 28). Membership was restricted to Israelites, but could be gained or lost. Gentiles could be included via proselyte laws (circumcision, ritual cleansing, repentance, obedience to the Torah, and renouncing their natural parentage and heritage. Israelites who committed certain high sins and refused to repent were excommunicated, treated as pagans. Through their unbelief, hardening, idolatry, or refusal to keep the Law, they lost their citizenship and covenant privileges. Again, it was faith, not flesh, that was the basis of inclusion.

Then with the birth of Christ, the long promised and prophesied New Covenant broke into human history (Jer. 31:31-37; Ezek. 16:60; 36:26,27), two designations for one identical people. The “Israel of God” and “God’s Chosen People” were covenantally redefined (Gal. 3:16; 26-29; 4:21-31; 6:15-16; Acts 2:16-21; 1 Pet. 2:9-10). The basis of inclusion or exclusion changed (John 3:1-8; Luke 19:9) and extended to the whole world (Matt. 21:43).

Jesus clearly delineated His “Faith-Only” inclusiveness and the dichotomous division within the Jewish people of His day when he said:

“Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14).
“You belong to your father the devil”( John 8:44a, Rev. 2:9, 3:9).
“Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham” (Matt. 3:9).

Even before Jesus, Isaiah had prophesied of this contrast between these two Jewish groups and their different destinies (Isa. 65:7-16). Hosea likewise prophesied about many Jews, “Ye are not my people” (Hos. 1:9-10; 2:23). They were only Jews outwardly, not inwardly (Matt. 3:9; John 8:37,39; Rom. 2:28,29).

Those of us who believe in constitutional government, the Bill of Rights, personal liberty, and State autonomy are beginning to taste what German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and pastor Martin Niemoller experienced back in 1930’s Germany. These two great lovers of God and freedom were ostracized and eventually persecuted by both Germany’s political and social societies and by “German Christians.” History does have a way of repeating itself, doesn’t it?

Anyone who does not recognize that America is rapidly being transformed into a fascist state is as dumb as Balaam’s ass. No, dumber! At least the ass had the sense to stop when it realized it was heading smack into God’s wrath.

For all intents and purposes, the US Constitution is dead; the Bill of Rights is dead; the vision of the Founding Fathers is dead; and federalism and republicanism are also dead. What we have left is a blend of socialism, welfarism, fascism, statism, and warfarism, with fascism becoming the dominant “ism” of the bunch.

If you want to know where America is quickly heading, go watch the movie “The Hunger Games,” currently playing in theaters everywhere. Or read Orwell’s “1984,” or Huxley’s “Brave New World.” Or better yet, take your eyes off ESPN just long enough to take a good look outside. America, as “the land of the free,” is disappearing. It is already unrecognizable from the country I grew up in, not to mention the country that our Founding Fathers fought and died to create. What happened in fascist Germany is happening right now in America. And one of the telltale marks of this emerging fascist society is the way people who believe in constitutional government, liberty, and individualism are being treated by the mainstream media, mainstream religion, and mainstream politics.

For years, the mainstream media has characterized constitutionalists, patriots, and traditionalists as “far-right,” “extremist,” “radical,” etc. Establishment politicians in both major parties have likewise branded anyone who would not subscribe to their big-government agenda. Groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) have regurgitated the same inflammatory rhetoric, throwing “racist” and “anti-government” into the mix. And since 9/11/01, the Naziesque Department of Homeland Security has picked up the hype and fomented fear and suspicion of anyone so identified in the hearts of law enforcement personnel nationwide. Now, just like in Nazi Germany, even churches and professing Christians are getting into the act.

For the sake of their precious 501c3 non-profit corporation status, many churches are becoming little more than government disinformation centers. Instead of energizing men and women with the message of Christian liberty (of which the Gospel is at the center), churches are busily sedating them. The Caesars’ “bread and circus” scheme had nothing over the “music, smoke, and entertainment” scheme of the modern American church. Instead of giving young people the scriptural tools necessary to be the champions of liberty, they are providing the opiate by which they will sheepishly take the Mark of the Beast. And woe be unto any Christian who decides to step outside these politically correct religious boxes!

In his blockbuster book, “Hitler’s Cross,” Erwin Lutzer wrote, “The crisis of which he [Bonhoeffer] spoke was only partly a conflict between Hitler and Christianity.

News Report, March 19, 2012: “Four people, including three children, have been killed after a man opened fire outside a Jewish school in the French city of Toulouse Monday. Police say the bullets came from the same gun that was used last week in the murder of three soldiers.”

Recently, according to several Arabic news sources, Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the Grand Mufi of Saudi Arabia, declared that is “necessary to destroy all the churches of the region.” By “region” one assumes he was referring to the Middle East, but he might as well have been referring to the entire world.

There are no churches in Saudi Arabia and no bibles either. No evidence of or access to any other religion is permitted and one has to pause to ask whether Islam is a “religion” in any other than its outward appearance. It has mosques for “religious” worship. It has clerics in the form of imams and ayatollahs. It has a holy book, the Quran. And it has more than a billion people who identify themselves as Muslims.

As Raymond Ibrahim noted in a recent article, “Likewise, consider the significance of the Grant Mufti’s rationale for destroying churches; it is simply based on a Hadith. But when non-Muslims evoke hadiths—this one or the countless others that incite violence and intolerance against the ‘infidel’—they are accused of being ‘Islamophobes’, of intentionally slandering and misrepresenting Islam, of being obstacles on the road to ‘dialogue’, and so forth.”

Islam translates as “submission” and it is a common human trait to let someone or some institution do all one’s thinking as opposed to personally having to grapple with ethical, social, moral, and academic issues. Authoritarian regimes exist to stamp out all independent thought or action.

Reviewing a book by Robert R. Reilly, “The Closing of the Muslim Mind: How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern islamist Crisis”, Imbrahim, a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowtiz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum, notes that, in Islam, “Reilly chronicles how the giants of Muslim philosophy, such as Ghazali and Ashari, concluded that knowledge was unknowable, that moral truths can only be ascertained through revelation. Accordingly, all knowledge—the very bounds of reality—came to be limited to the words of the Quran and its pronouncer, Islam’s prophet Muhammad.”

This explains why the burning of some Qurans in Afghanistan brought scores of Afghanis into the streets in protest and resulted in the killing of American soldiers, but the massacre of Afghanis by an American soldier has not produced the same response. They are regarded merely as “martyrs.” Indeed, what the West has witnessed countless times, the killing of infidels does not result in any calls for an end to the murders.

Mosques are hotbeds of violence planned and perpetrated against “infidels”, unbelievers.

There is, from a Western, Judeo-Christian point of view a total incomprehension of Islam’s utter contempt for any other system of faith or governance.

This is why Christians and those of other faiths are fleeing the whole of the Middle East if they can because they have no protection from either Islam or from their respective governments against the violence that has been preached and practiced against them since the rise of Islam.