Mosque of Jesus, Son of Mary: A Notable Gesture

American Thinker ^ | 3/30/2014 | Jenna Bowen

[markomalley]

A spectacular Roman Catholic church in Syracuse, NY is about to become the Mosque of Jesus, Son of Mary.

Holy Trinity Church, established in 1891, is a stunning piece of Gothic-style architecture with glorious stained glass windows depicting the life of Christ. It was closed in 2010 when the Catholic diocese there blamed a declining number of priests and a population shift from the cities to the suburbs.

St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church took over ownership of the building, and it was registered with the Syracuse Landmark Preservation Board. In 2012, St. John’s petitioned the preservation board to sell the church to a parish in Baton Rouge, LA. The parish wanted most of the building's contents and its striking stained glass windows. The board turned down the request in favor of keeping the building intact instead of giving another Christian parish the opportunity to use the relics in the type of worship they were intended for.

Fast forward to December 2012 when the Catholic diocese sold the building to the Northside Learning Center, who subsequently leased it to an Islamic society.

[markomalley]

They should have torn the church down rather than this desecration.

A true testament to the wide swath of destruction left by liberalism.

[livius]

I don’t think they expected it to be used as a mosque - this organization seems to have been some sort of community activist group which was, of course, a front for Islam and probably planned all along to sell it to the second group for use as a mosque.

In general, I think they should tear these churches down and just sell the land, because the potential for abuse is too great. Better yet, make n effort to recruit more members and keep them open...

[Vaquero]

I live a block away from what used to be a little fundamentalist Christian church. Around 15 years ago it was sold to the Muslims and it became a mosque. The Catholic Church my family attends around 5 blocks away is 10-15 times larger but the muzzies have their toe hold in. Every gas station, 7-11, dunkin donuts and more is run by islamicists. It’s getting to be about time to move out to the country somewhere.

[trebb]

They should have torn the church down rather than this desecration.

A true testament to the wide swath of destruction left by liberalism.

It's a building - expensively ornate, but just a building. How is it a desecration?

[babble-on]

I agree.

[Ouchthatonehurt]

“...but it’s just a building.”

I must beg to differ here.
Most of these late 19th century, early twentieth century churches are churches built by European immigrants with the little money they had. They are monuments to faith, culture and struggle.
Occupying the religious structures of conquered peoples is a hallmark of Islamic conquest. It is aggression.
Holy Trinity is a nave church with a north-south orientation. The sanctuary faces south. The architecture of the building is a processional space with an unmistakable hierarchy culminating in the south apse. These jokers will no doubt put up a mihrab along the east nave wall which they will face in prayer. Every service they have will be a statement of conquest over the Christians who erected the building and their children who submitted to them.
I agree with Mark. Stay and defend, or respectfully remove.

[onedoug]

Is it just a matter of time for us now?

[trebb]

I must beg to differ here. Most of these late 19th century, early twentieth century churches are churches built by European immigrants with the little money they had. They are monuments to faith, culture and struggle. Occupying the religious structures of conquered peoples is a hallmark of Islamic conquest. It is aggression. Holy Trinity is a nave church with a north-south orientation. The sanctuary faces south. The architecture of the building is a processional space with an unmistakable hierarchy culminating in the south apse. These jokers will no doubt put up a mihrab along the east nave wall which they will face in prayer. Every service they have will be a statement of conquest over the Christians who erected the building and their children who submitted to them. I agree with Mark. Stay and defend, or respectfully remove.

I understand the tendency to attribute holiness to historical structures due to the hearts of the believers who built them. I don't see where the idea that all church structures, even the most splendid examples are holy in and of themselves. It is what goes on in them 9or out of them) that adds the holiness: Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst."

Jesus does not require any man-made structure to shine in all His Glory.

Pre-death/resurrection (Old Covenant) the Temple was whole. Upon His death, the curtain was split and the original symbolism was destroyed to be replaced by the New Covenant where men in temples no longer stood between us and God.THE TEMPLE is supposed to be rebuilt when the abomination that stands in its place is overthrown - that is the only structure that will have true consequence in the scheme of His Reign and it hasn't stood since 70 AD or so.

I think we get diverted by too many things that are of the Earth and it takes the focus away from the important stuff - wherever we gather to worship, He is there - what more do we need while we await His return?

I know He preached in numerous temples, but that was where those who needed to be educated (pharisees/priests) about their misguided ideas about their own importance/standing spent their time.

Monuments come and monuments go - He was/is/will be (as His part of the Great I Am) and we have the opportunity to be part of the is/will be crowd with or without these monuments.

While taking over these monuments is part of Islamic aggression, we can't stop it and whenever we rail against such things, we are missing opportunities to carry the message of Him - that message has nothing to do with the buildings we gather in - we don't keep building holy places; we build places where holy interaction and worship can be conveniently undertaken.

Those who take over the religious monuments think their 'god' requires protection and defense by mortal men - our God does not require such pitifully impotent support. He IS, regardless of His detractors or even if all the buildings in the world collapse today.

[ExCTCitizen]

The Mosque will be called 'Terrorist Center for Anti-American, Anti-Israeli Activities'.

Which way is Mecca, so I can urinate in its direction.

[Ouchthatonehurt]

“Jesus does not require any man-made structure to shine in all His Glory.”

Trebb, I agree wholeheartedly.
I hope you’ll give me a wide berth here because I’m an architect. While God “does not require any made-made structure,” I do, or at least I’m well served in having such places.
You may be correct that some become too diverted by things of this earth, but that is just the opposite of my argument here in support of Christian sacred architecture. To me they are sacramental in that they help manifest that which is, but cannot be seen. I’ve often thought of what it must have been like to be a French pig farmer outside Paris hundreds of years ago. Imagine doing very physical work from sun up to sun down everyday in filthy smelly conditions. Then imagine on a sunny Easter Sunday going to Notre Dame Cathedral for a Mass. The smell of incense, the sound of a choir in perfect harmony and the soaring height of the interior filled with the entire spectrum of stained glass light shining on iconography telling the biblical stories that as an illiterate you are unable to read about. God does not require such things, but man, that would sure help me understand the glory of the risen Lord!
My problem, my big problem, with church-mosque conversions like this is largely a cultural one. I do not want Islam to use such spaces as props for their crypto political passive-aggression. They can build their own buildings if they’re serious about appropriate worship space.

[delchiante]

These Muslims with this name of the mosque are honoring Mary!

This should be a joy to Roman Catholics who believe those 15 promises she gave for her rosary..

Mosque’s new name? Mosque of ‘that guy’who was the Son of MARY...

I doubt they will have lobbying/workshop sessions of the LGBT community in the mosque like the Roman Catholic All Saints Church did in the same city...
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/02/transgender_talks_hosted_by_two_syracuse_catholic_churches.html

[Ethan Clive Osgoode]

I think we get diverted by too many things that are of the Earth and it takes the focus away from the important stuff

Important stuff like muslims turning our churches into mosques.

[delchiante]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3127542/posts

I thought I pasted the forum link the first time...sorry..

[GreyFriar]

Moslems do NOT recognize Jesus as our Savior, but as another minor Jewish prophet, inferior to Mohammed. There is no recognition for Mary in the Koran. Thus their naming their new mosque is nothing but a LIE. They are permitted to lie to infidels and non-believers, including Christians and Jews, if it furthers the cause of Islam.

To me this is desecration just as it would be to slaughter a pig in a synagogue or Jewish cemetery.

[zot]

This is Islam.

[usconservative]

Most of these late 19th century, early twentieth century churches are churches built by European immigrants with the little money they had. They are monuments to faith, culture and struggle.

So they're not monuments to God or God's house of worship then. Fine, burn it to the ground, it doesn't matter then what happens to it.

[NYer]

H/t to freeper Grey Friar for the ping.

[SevenofNine]

Why just tear it down

[NYer]

Why just tear it down

$$$

[daniel1212]

The Catholic Diocese of Syracuse knew who they were selling their church to. They didn’t care that people like Anna Giannantomio, who attended Holy Trinity for nearly six decades, might be insulted that the Learning Center would lease the building to an Islamic Society that would petition to remove all crosses on the steeples and grounds. Catholic Charities didn’t care because they (along with Interfaith Works), have been assisting copious amounts of Muslim refugees in coming to Central New York for years.

The liberals fellowshiping at Starbucks worship center choose Islam over anything remotely Christian, in order to justify themselves as morally superior, helping those it sees as persecuted by Christian ethos that upholds both merit=benefit and mercy as mercy, versus the victim-entitlement lie from Hell.

While i oppose Catholicism on many things, and also know the church is not a building, it evidences a faith that professes God and traditional morality which liberalism wants out, and as buildings are a testament to that, they and Islam gloats over taking such over.