Very good points. What I am not seeing in this thread, either, is how far most of us would feel it was okay to go in publicly denying our principles, religious or not. I think this question is going to come to many of us, Christian or not, before too long, when Islam makes its all-out assault or when we find ourselves living in a country that has become Muslim by demographics.
And, as you say, for religious people, there must be some acknowledgement that this was not a good thing, that they were horrified by what their weakness led them to do, etc. Frankly, I dont think I'd be brave enough to stick it out. But there wouldn't be a moment afterwards that I wasn't contrite for it.
I am horrified that these two men were put into this situation by unGodly terrorists, and forced to speak these things against their will while guns were pointed at them. I don't think, however, that if they are Christians, that God will now turn His back on them for choosing to save their lives instead of becoming martyrs. Who knows what future God has for these men? Perhaps they will become great speakers in favor of Christianity in the media or something wild like that? But I don't think they've been condemned for all time because they spoke words that were basically put into their mouths.
If you didn't see it, I did. Submitting to anything is GOOD to do if it saves your life. And that's how they will beat us.
When I was an adolescent girl, I had a pinup of Bobby Sherman on my bedroom wall. Palestianian girls have pinups of shaheeds. Parents want their little boys to be martyrs. They think we have more to fear from their toddlers then they have to fear from our grown men. Episodes like this confirm their thinking. They don't care that the conversion wasn't real. The only important thing to them is that they could force adult Western men to SUBMIT and declare something they didn't believe, and that's definitely what they have in mind for the rest of us. Islam does mean submission
I think this question is going to come to many of us, Christian or not, before too long, when Islam makes its all-out assault or when we find ourselves living in a country that has become Muslim by demographics.
Yes, and it's becoming obvious that when push comes to shove, most are going to choose to submit.
I'd like to thank you for your posts on this thread; my husband and I have both admired them.