Posted on 05/26/2004 2:19:38 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
There is one sin that may be worse than all other sins. And it is taking place on a large scale today.
There are some religious people who maintain that one cannot declare any sin worse than any other – that a person who takes an office pen is committing as grievous a sin in God's eyes as a murderer. But most people intuitively, as well as biblically, understand that there are gradations of sin.
Having a background in theology and a lifetime of teaching the Bible from the original Hebrew, I would like to offer evidence for demarcating one sin as worse than all others. Indeed it may be the only sin that God will not forgive: Committing evil in the name of God.
My basis is the Ten Commandments. The Commandment widely translated as "Do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," is imprecisely translated. The original Hebrew literally reads, "Do not carry the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
And, the Commandment continues, "for God will not hold guiltless (literally, "will not cleanse") whoever carries His name in vain."
As a strong believer that God (or whomever one credits with authoring the Ten Commandments) has at least as much common sense as I do, it seems inconceivable that God can "cleanse" (implying "forgive") a murderer, but not someone who said God's name when he shouldn't have. Therefore, the Commandment about the misuse ("misuse" is the translation of the New International Version of the Bible, my favorite translation) of God's name must be about far more than merely using God's name "in vain."
I admit that I come to this conclusion as a result of my Jewish education. Every yeshiva student learns early in life that the greatest sin is khillul Hashem, public desecration of the Name (of God), and conversely, the greatest mitzvah (commandment, good deed) is kiddush Hashem, public sanctification of the Name. I well remember, for example, one of my rabbis in yeshiva telling us not to go to what were then called "dirty" movies, but if we did go, to take off our yarmulkes first – to enter a dirty movie theater announcing that we were religious Jews would desecrate God's name.
Imagine, then, how bad committing atrocities in God's name must be.
Let me explain this in another way.
When a secular person commits evil, it is surely evil, but it doesn't bring God and religion in disrepute. When a person commits evil in God's name, however, he destroys the greatest hope for goodness to prevail on earth – widespread belief in a God who demands goodness (ethical monotheism). There is nothing as evil as religious evil.
The chanting of "Allahu akbar" ("Allah is the greatest") by militant Muslims as they commit barbaric acts against innocents around the world is the greatest sin a human can commit.
The Nazis were as cruel, and so were the communists. But they only sullied their own names (though in the case of the communists not nearly enough), not the name of God. But the immense amount of evil being caused by those Muslims murdering and slaughtering innocents in the name of God is hurting God's reputation. That is probably one reason the New York Times, with its anti-Judeo-Christian agenda, recently decided to print "God" whenever militant Muslims say "Allah." Why allow only Allah to get a bad name, when the Times can give God a bad one, too?
One can only pray that Muslim institutions will realize the immensity of damage done to the name of Allah and to Islam by those Muslims who preach or practice evil in the name of Allah and Islam – and the even greater damage done by the rest of the Islamic world's failure to protest against this evil. If only they realized that they could go a long way in mitigating this damage by publicly announcing over and over that evil preached or committed in the name of Allah and Islam is the greatest sin and its practitioners will go to hell.
For if there is a hell, those who murder and torture the innocent while praising God are surely the first to go there.
I've never figured out why there are Jews and atheists who so frequently use Jesus' name in vain.
The fact is, they learned it from some non Jewish neighbors.
IMHO, this is the sort of attack that must be made against the most vile belief system in the world. To commit atrocities in the name of Allah is beyond belief.
I've personally known an atheist who did this. I don't know if he deliberately did it just to irritate any surrounding Christians or what. I never saw him yelling "Mohammed!" at a middle eastern restaurant.
There are a number of famous Jewish comedians who use Jesus as an exclamation too (or shout it in a movie).
Discussion of those who proclaim to be Christians but betray the Word is more applicable for those churches that ordane sexually active homosexuals as ministers and perform same sex weddings.
In my mind, Mohammed was a false prophet. He is antiChristian even if he is not the AntiChrist. He rewrote the Bible as he saw fit and denied the divinity and resurection of Jesus. He sought to lead the flock astray.
I don't follow the book of Revelations much, accepting Jesus is the message I get from the Bible and the church. Studying the prophecy of the end times may let me know "when it is coming" but apart from repenting and seeking forgiveness, there is nothing I can do about "the end times". I should be repenting and seeking forgiveness every day, not just in the end times.
There have been a number of prior eras when people forsaw the end times (that came and went). If the scope of the "end times" is not necessarily one lifetime, could Mohammed be the AntiChrist? Or are we looking at a new figure who will appear to be akin to the second coming?
Much like a late night TV preacher encouraging the poor old ladies to send him their social security checks to further God’s work. Much like a politician wrapped in religion to further career. Yes, much like abortion bombers and Muslim terrorists.
I've said that muslims must actively reform Islam to purge the Islamofascists from the ranks. Too many mosques and Imam preach this hate.
If these are "false muslims" then they should have no qualms about defusing them. Unfortunately, there are some Imam who say that no muslim should judge the faith of another muslim. And attempts to supress Islam (including the Islamofascists' "false Islam") trigger the biggest call for physical jihad holy war (this is the undeniable sign).
The worst abuses in this field of taking the Lord's name in vain were committed by the Pharisees in Jesus' day, when men who purported to be on the lookout for the Promised One killed the very Son of God, the Messiah who was sent, justifying it by claiming He was a blasphemer and it was their duty to kill Him to honor God's Name. The martyrdom of many others throughout the centuries could also be attributed to this heinous sin - religionists claiming to represent God the Only God, the Great I Am, killing those whom He had sent as witnesses, emissaries, and prophets.
This article, which equates the Name of the Lord with that of the false god "Allah," is itself a travesty of Truth.
Agree for the most part. Revelations, means to be revealed so gives the student of the word using symbols of players involved.
However, the prophets actually give the prophecy that the book of Revelation speaks too from John who was brought in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. The book is like looking back as to what things with transpire and who the players will be.
Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 tell the signs not the date, as we are told no man knoweth.
However there is one bit of information that plays into the things that are to be is that "TIME" has been cut short, events are not change only compacted into a shorter time.
Repentence is key and for all of us.
Paul has included an interesting Old Testament scripture in the New quoting fromIKings 19:10-18 in Romans 11:4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? "I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal."
Now what this exactly means and just who these 7,000 are I do not know, however, I do know there are no wasted words written.
Consider Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
Now Paul tells us in ICorinthians 10:11 Now allthese things happened unto them for ensamples: (examples) and they are written for our admonition, (warning) upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take hee lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolarty.
Now "idolarty" is what cause our Heavenly Father to divorce Israel and yet Paul warns we Christians this day to flee from idolarty. This seems to go to the core of what the "deception" is about "idolarty".
Now as to those who freely use "Jesus Christ's name as profanity/exclamation", they are not believers, and outright reject Christ, so can't expect anything more from them.
Christ himself told us to "fear" not about wars and rumors of wars, and Paul further informs us what the "end time war" is about Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places.
The muslims committing murder in the name of allah have clearly made their choice. They will live with it in all eternity. Whatever their intent, they chose evil. Won't matter what words they use, God knows our heart and what we choose.
Prager is absolutely correct. To commit evil in the name of God is the ultimate blasphemy.
I have lived around the country, and it is not nearly as bad in the South.
If you must explitate--"Good Grief! for Crying Out Loud!"
Or even, "Oh S**t!" is just bathroom obscenity--not blasphemy.
Cut it out!
LOL--good one. The PC crowd is too "respectful" and "sensitive" to do such a thing. Translation--they're SCARED of doing that.
hey, I just might start...
Oh, mohammet!! the kids just spilt cranberry juice all over the white carpet! Oh, mohammet, I missed my exit!
Almost works like "darn it!"
Wonder if it could catch on?
I have always thought that "Do not take the Lord's name in vain" was translated too narrowly in people's minds.
I think it has less to do with shouting the wrong word when you hit your thumb with a hammer, and much more to do with "using" God to preach your purposes. Or using God to elevate yourself or your importance, which a lot of the most religious people do. I never had this belief explained to me like that before, was just something that I thought made more sense in the big scheme of things.
Someone should fill them in on the fact that saying the name "Jesus" followed by "Christ" is a statement of faith, not His second name. It means you believe Jesus is the Messiah.
As for Jews, it is inconceivable to them that Christians worship Jesus as God. Such an attitude is misguided and ignorant at best.
Using the name of Jesus in vain during an outburst, is no more distasteful for them than to use the name of Mickey Mouse in the same manner.
A thoughtful article that goes to the core. Thanks for the post.
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