Monday, January 24, 2011

You become like what you worship



My last article here on the will of Allah being higher than the moral nature of Allah , and questions and comments by TUAD, caused me to think more about this, because the article at 9 Marks ministries about evangelism with Muslims also came into the picture; and wrestling with the struggle of those three different approaches to evangelism/apologetics/polemics/debate/friendship evangelism with Muslims.

Civilization Sharia, creeping Sharia, stealth Jihad

“Because I’m an expert and they are not.”
Ebrahim Moosa
Associate Professor of Islamic studies, Duke University

see his comments and context in the video below:



Not only is this pretty arrogant, and similar to Bart Ehrman’s “trust me, I’m the expert” type of argumentation as regards NT scholarship and textual variants, as Dr. James White has pointed out; it is also similar to Muslim reactions when one starts getting deeper into discussions about details in the Qur’an or the Hadith or Islamic issues.

It reminds of the same thing that many Arabic speaking Muslims told me when I was preaching the gospel to them from the NT; and also quoting from an English Qur’an in pointing out inconsistencies, contradictions and basic apologetic issues. Especially that the Qur’an affirms the previous revelations (OT and NT) as from God and true (5:44-48; 5:68; 10:94; 2:136; 29:46); and yet, contradicts them in content and meaning.

They would say: “You don’t understand the deep meaning of the Arabic word.” And “you must go talk to my sheikh” or “come and see the Imam”

Then they would not return my phone calls and then they would avoid me; after we had several good meetings in a hospitable and friendly environment around Arabic coffee or hot tea and fruit, pistachios, roasted pumpkin seeds, shish kebab and rice, pita bread and hummus, cucumber salad, Tabouli, and many other wonderful middle eastern cuisine.

Because Islam is more than a spiritual religion about worship and God; it is a socio-political-military-economic system that controls every area of life; eventually in witnessing to Muslims, politics and laws about punishing criminals and military issues always comes up, many times brought up in conversation by Muslims themselves. They interpret all of our politics and social trends in the west as “Christianity” because their politics and social trends of their cultures are part and parcel of Islam.

This article and video is very interesting about “civilization Jihad” or “creeping Sharia” or “stealth Jihad”.

The laws about lying and deception are clearly a part of Islam.

Everyone should watch the video and read this article at the www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org site

They discuss this book, Sharia, The Threat to America




This part from the article is very significant:
“How could the Professors both have gotten this all so wrong? The answer might be found, once again, in shariah. According to Shafi'i fiqh, as stipulated in the ‘Umdat al-Salik, lying is not only sometimes permissible for a Muslim but actually obligatory.

Umdat al-Salik (Reliance of the Traveler), section r8.0, "Lying". Section r8.2, entitled "Permissible Lying," cites the 11th century Islamic scholar Abu Hamid Ghazali:
"When it is possible to achieve such an aim by lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if attaining the goal is permissible....and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory." See also the Qur'anic verses 16:106 and 66:2. See also "Ghazali and the Poetics of Imagination," by Ebrahim Moosa (June 2005) in which he argues that Ghazali's work has lasting relevance today.

Moreover, deliberately misleading infidels holds a special status in Islam and goes by two forms: taqiyyah (deceit or dissimulation) and kitman (lying by omission). Because the defeat and conquest of infidels by jihad is an explicit obligation defined in Islamic law, deceit, dissimulation, and outright lying to infidels in the execution of jihad is also obligatory.

Umdat al-Salik (Reliance of the Traveller), o9.0 (pg. 599), "Jihad" says:
"Jihad means to war against non-Muslims..." and is scripturally commanded in a number of Qur'anic verses, including 2:216 "Fighting is prescribed for you," 4:89, "Slay them wherever you find them," and 9:36 "Fight the idolators utterly."
This is the complete opposite of what Prof. Moosa told his listening audience during this interview. In response to a listener's question, Prof. Moosa said: "...under no circumstances is any Muslim allowed to lie, because lying is a major sin. And you cannot even lie to a non-Muslim. You cannot lie to a non-Muslim. You cannot lie to a Muslim." “


“The Reliance of the Traveler (Umdat al Salik): A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law” ( Sharia in Arabic = شریعه ; Shariat in Farsi = شریعت )



But in Muslim cultures, the ability to “outwit” and trick and deceive the other person is a very highly admired quality, as long as the person doing the deception doesn’t get caught.

Do Muslims trick and lie and deceive, because they worship a god who is the best trickster, liar, schemer, deceiver?

Allah is the best of deceivers” (Qur’an 3:54, 8:30; 10:21)

وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ

Qur’an Surah 3:54 - “And (the unbelievers) schemed/deceived and tricked, and Allah too schemed and tricked, and the best of schemers/tricksters/deceivers is Allah.” (my translation) See all ten English translations. A few come close, but none of them bring out the full significance of the Arabic word, مکر (deception, trickery, guile) http://www.quranbrowser.com/

Especially since the context of Surah 3:54 is the crucifixion of Christ – it is seen as a deception by Allah, along with Surah 4:157-158, that Allah tricked the Jews into thinking that they had crucified Jesus. That means also that all the Christians, and pagan Romans also were deceived. (Yet, the Qur'an claims that the followers of Al Masih (Jesus the Messiah) were full of integrity, helpers of Allah, and believers in Allah, and that Allah would never trick the believers, hence there is a big contradiction in the Qur'an and Islamic theology on this point. (see Surah 5:111; 61:14. Muslims read their theology back into the previous Scriptures. They think the disciples of Jesus were Muslims. Surah 61:14 even says that the believers in Islamic monotheism, the way they interpret who the original followers of Jesus are, (they have to assume that they did not believe in the crucifixion, yet in reality they did; and they assume that they and the first 6 centuries the true believers did not believe in the Deity of Christ, no Trinity; oops, that doesn't work!) The true believers became the "uppermost" - victorious. That contradicts the first 6-7 centuries of Christian history. ) That also means that this deception dominated history for 6 more centuries until Islam came later and “set the record straight” with “40 lonely Arabic words in one verse”. ( I first heard the emphasis on “40 lonely Arabic words" from Dr. James White)

Maybe this is why conspiracy theories are big in the Muslim world. They project onto the west what they know to be true in their own culture and politics. Many Iranians have told me that they think that behind closed doors, the Ayatollahs in Iran, later, Ahmadi Nejad, earlier Saddam Hussein in Iraq (until he got caught) and George W. Bush and Dick Cheney (or Ronald Reagan, pick the leader at the time period) and Tony Blair were together plotting and scheming how to control the world.

We become like in character what we worship. Those who worship false gods become like them. Psalm 115:8

Worshiping the true God of the Bible transforms our character into true goodness, the moral character of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (see also Romans 8:29; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:21-24; Colossians 3:1-17; 2 Peter 1:4)

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV, 2010)

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18, NASB)

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. ( 2 Cor. 3:18, ESV)

“keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. . . Set your mind on things above . . . ( Colossians 3:1-3)

10 comments:

Ken said...

As with all my articles, this one evolved during the day; and I decided to embed the video later, a few minutes ago.

I just didn't think about it when writing it, and putting it together.

These articles do take time, and thought.

It (embedding the video) occurred to me later after I read the final product and saw that it needed more, especially understanding the context of professor Moosa's statement at the beginning.

Truth Unites... and Divides said...

"My last article here on the will of Allah being higher than the moral nature of Allah , and questions and comments by TUAD, caused me to think more about this, because the article at 9 Marks ministries about evangelism with Muslims also came into the picture; and wrestling with the struggle of those three different approaches to evangelism/apologetics/polemics/debate/friendship evangelism with Muslims."

Hi Ken,

When it comes to evangelism and apologetics, I have a rather MMA approach. (MMA = Mixed Martial Arts).

Whatever works as long as the whatever is not contrary to God's Word.

Eg., Presuppositional Apologetics or Evidential Apologetics? My take? Stupid Question! Use both.

BTW, I've met some Presupps who think that using evidential apologetics is very wrong.

Witnessing to Muslims via Polemical Debate or Friendly Conversation? My take? Do both if necessary!

Also, if threatened with physical harm by Muslims to you and your family, and if you have the capacity to neutralize the threat, by all means neutralize the threat to the Glory of God!

The Blogger Formerly Known As Lvka said...

If this is true, then ask yourself this simple question: how does belief in a God whose love is limited (or restricted) to only a certain number of people shape one's heart, mind, and soul?

Ken said...

Romans 9:14-24 (New International Version, ©2010)

14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!

15 For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.

17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?”

20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”

21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?

23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—

24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

Ken said...

Revelation 7:9

9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

Ken said...

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,


5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ken said...

Spurgeon on "Limited Atonement" or "particular Atonement"

http://www.davidnormanblog.com/spurgeon-on-limited-atonement/

John Piper also has an excellent message on Particular Atonement From Hebrews 2.

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/for-whom-did-jesus-taste-death


We don't limit God's love [those are your words, wrong way to express it; not biblical]; we believe in both His Amazing Love for all the nations and His just and holy and righteous wrath for those sinners who don't believe in Him.

God is both Love and Justice, Holiness and mercy, Truth and Grace.

Many People go to hell. (Matthew 7:13-14, Revelation 20:10-15) they went their justly condemned in their sin. God is just to condemn them. No one goes to hell unjustly.

But we don't know who the elect are; so we preach the gospel to all people. Acts 17:30-31

2 Cor. 5:11

The Blogger Formerly Known As Lvka said...

It MAY be unbiblical, but it's NOT un-Calvinistic (the expression IS, after all, *Limited* Atonement).

And the problem is NOT with God-not-saving-everyone, but rather with God-not-even-wanting-to-save-everyone-in-the-first-place.

And I didn't ask you to defend it (Muslims can defend Islam from the Qur'an as well), but rather to think logically about where such beliefs lead.

Ken said...

Lvka,
I don't have confidence that you read my whole article, with understanding, nor do I have confidence that you meditated on all the Scripture passages that I gave you; nor that you read the Spurgeon quote with understanding, nor that you listened to John Piper's sermon.

You have to hold to all the Scriptures at one time consistently.

since we both believe in the Trinity, and the God of the Bible is both love and holy; punishes sin and loves and saves sinners; the God of the Bible is true; and the god of Islam is not true.

You just don't like the parts of the Bible that show Calvinism to be biblical - like Romans 9, John 6, Ephesians 1 - so you have to play with them to make them fit into another understanding.

Calvinism is consistent in harmonizing all of Scripture.

Please don't comment again until you listen to Piper's sermon (with prayerful meditation and openness; and reading all the other verses I gave and the original article (it appears you only read the title and reacted) and read Spurgeon's quote also.)

The Blogger Formerly Known As Lvka said...

If it's truth you're after, regardless of the consequences, then say so. DON'T say that it's something else you're after. And don't throw at Muslims reasons and reasonings for which you yourself obviously don't care [such as "We become like in character what we worship."]. For they will only say to you what you said to me: "We don't care, it's the truth, that's all that matters".


word-verif. = "barkbox" (I kid you not!)