Courageous Faith Is Needed More than Military Might
For several decades now the West has been advancing global openness through its revolution in communication and information technologies. But openness poses an existential threat to repressive dictatorships, corrupt systems and false religions. Now, in a fight for their survival, repressive dictatorships, corrupt systems and false religions are seeking to protect themselves by rolling back liberties and erecting bulwarks: repressing information and punishing dissent.
Because Islam is a global as distinct from a local phenomenon, the apostaphobic dictators of Islam are of necessity forced to pursue not only a revival of repressive, punitive Sharia in Muslim countries, but the extension of Sharia beyond the Muslim world and into the international arena through the Islamisation of human rights and laws. To this end, they use the threat of “uncontrollable” Islamic violence as leverage.
Today we are again at a pivotal moment in Christian-Muslim and Western-Muslim relations. However this time the outcome is not going to be determined by military might, but on the strength of moral and ideological convictions. Unfortunately, that is exactly why the West is in danger, for while Islam is weak militarily it is strong on conviction, the West is strong militarily but weak on conviction. The West will either buckle, surrender and submit, handing Islam the ascendancy, or it will brace itself and stand firm for what it believes (if in fact it can remember what that is).
By his very public Easter baptism of the high profile Egypt-born Italian journalist and Muslim convert to Catholicism, Magdi Allam, Pope Benedict has made a decisive and very courageous statement in defence of religious liberty, specifically a Muslim’s right to convert.
Excerpted From:
**WEA Religious Liberty News & Analysis**
Email: Religious-Liberty(at)hub.xc.org
Date: Friday 4 April 2008
Subj: Religious Liberty: the pivotal issue in these pivotal days — Apostasy, and the baptism of Madgi Allam
Themocracy
Hey I find myself mixed in reaction to the article, it seemed as though it is assumed that the US is right in it’s militarism. We have been intervening in the politics of the middle east since the British drew up the new geo-political map of the Mideast after WWII. That’s why they have such conviction and animosity toward the US, we are constantly staging CIA led coups (Like in Iran when we took down Mosedeq). furthemore my hangup is also that we are a country that tortures and imprisons people without trials, so that’s my prayer for the people the State has labeled “Terrorists” is that they would not be tortured and that they would get a trial so we can determine wether or not they indeed are terrorists.
That I think is the best application of loving our enemies, treating them better than they would us.
Bob, Thank you for your comments. You should pray as the Spirit leads you. And I hope you will encourage others to “adopt” and “pray.” This movement isn’t about “us” and “them”. It’s about God and everyone. We all need God’s grace. Even the worst of us. Even the USA. This movement is just a very practical and specific way to imitate Jesus.