Posted on 11/22/2006 7:13:43 PM PST by Tim Long
Official state news report quotes 'Purpose-Driven' author criticizing U.S.
Syria's Grand Mufti Sheik Badr al-Din Hassoun and Rick Warren
California mega-church pastor Rick Warren, author of the best-selling "Purpose-Driven Life," reportedly told a Syrian-controlled news agency the U.S. should have been holding dialogues with Damascus; Syrian Muslims and Christians co-exist peacefully; and the Syrian leadership is responsible for the nation's tolerance and stability.
That's according to the news agency SANA, which has issued a number of reports this week as Warren visits Syria and meets various leaders and officials, much to the dismay of many in the U.S.
"We at VCY America Radio network are appalled and angered that Rick Warren is praising a nation that has long supported international terrorism and that desires the utter destruction of Israel," said a statement from the broadcasting organization.
(Story continues below)
"The U.S. State Department reports that Syria – along with Iran – gives the Lebanese militia Hezbollah 'substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organization aid.' The State Department also has documented that Iranian arms destined for Hezbollah pass through Syria on an ongoing basis," the group continued.
"Syria has also let Hezbollah operate in Lebanon and attack Israel, the results of which were seen in the July, 2006 violence between Hezbollah and Israel in which many lost their lives," the statement said.
The SANA reports included statements that:
"Pastor Warren hailed the religious coexistence, tolerance and stability that the Syrian society is enjoying due to the wise leadership of President al-Assad, asserting that he will convey the true image about Syria to the American people."
"Syria wants peace, and Muslims and Christians live in this country jointly and peacefully since more than a thousand years, and this is not new for Syria."
Warren told Syria's Islamic grand mufti there could be no peace in the region without Syria and 80 percent of Americans reject the U.S. administration's policies and actions in Iraq. The comments attributed to Warren contradict documentation by the International Counter Terrorism organization and U.S. State Department of Syria's extensive use of terrorism for its political goals.
The ICT said "frequent use of the 'terror weapon' has been made by Syria against Lebanon, Jordan and the Palestinians" in an attempt "to impose Syrian hegemony over them and bring them into line with Syrian policy."
"The main Lebanese leaders killed by Syrian proxies were: Bashir Gemayel (who was accused by Syrian propaganda of being a 'Zionist proxy'); and Kamal Jumblatt (accused of being a 'traitor' and an 'American agent.')," the ICT said.
Syria also has used terror tactics against Egypt and Iraq, although less successfully, the ICT said, but it has been used against Christians in 1978 and in the city of Zahle in 1980, and even against Muslim residents of Beirut.
The broadcast group says Warren "has no business involving himself in any role that appears to be representative of the United States and his promise to Syria to present a brighter view of that nation to America and Saddleback members demonstrates his willingness to serve as a mindless shill for a nation that embraces terror as a legitimate way of solving problems."
Messages left with Saddleback requesting a comment were not returned immediately.
But Mark D. Tooley, writing in FrontPageMagazine.com also noted "Warren has reportedly promised to carry that state sponsor of terrorism's propaganda message back to the U.S."
He accused Warren of being adrift in a religiously left direction.
"The supposed quote from Warren reads like a news release from Assad's propaganda ministry. Perhaps, the translation into Arabic and back into English does not do Warren justice. We can hope," he wrote.
"Needless to note, there was no mention by the Warren delegation, at least not as mentioned by SANA, about Syria's one-party police state, its political prisoners, its chambers of torture, its support for Hezbollah terrorism in Lebanon, and its continued devotion to the destruction of Israel," he wrote.
Freedom House notes Syrian people have no way to change their government and no influence into its policies.
This is a nation, Tooley wrote, "where only the ruling Baathist Party and its allies are permitted to win elections, where all news media are owned or controlled by the government, where independent labor unions are prohibited, where universities must proclaim Baathist Party policies, where clerics are appointed by the government, where the president by law must be Muslim, and where women's limited rights are governed by Islamic Sharia law, even though the government is ostensibly secular."
No new Christian school has been allowed to be built in 40 years, and all schools by law must have Muslim principals, Freedom House said.
"It is a sad story, repeated often. Big-name U.S. preachers, often otherwise sensible and orthodox in their faith, visit despotic regimes and naively curry favor with police state thugs," Tooley wrote, resulting in "a propaganda bonanza for the tyrants."
Saddleback, with 30,000 members, was begun by Rick and Kay Warren in 1979 and now has more than 200 ministries in the Orange County area.
His popular book, which has sold about 12 million copies, focuses on worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. It tells readers the life is "not about you," and shows how God can enable each one to live for His purposes.
Warren already is scheduled to preach in North Korea next year.
Rick Warren,has that book'My money driven life'or how to extract money from morons who believe the crap I spew.
Why was he there? To spread the good news?
If its from a Syrian news agency he must know its being reported. Is Mr. Warren denying he said those things in Syria?
See post 132 for some details.
He's admitted to being a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He's trashed himself.
Your rant just proves my point.....nothing of substance...just your thoughts and belief's.....as for me doing my homework....how is it you are so knowledgeable about what it is I know or don't know? I do know one thing....when people call other people ignorant...that in all likelihood is a reflection on their inadequacy to reply logically with a well thought out reply and at the least a very stupid statement!!
...which is ironic, considering that Reagan was a Presbyterian, and a member of the mainline Presbyterian denomination.
Well .. I've studied the Bible for over 20 years, and if you had bothered to read my FReeper page, you would have seen that I have graduated from a 3-year Bible school - and I was also Administrator of the School. I also have my own Bible Institute on the internet.
Sorry .. but your "excuse" only proves your ignorance. Everybody is ignorant about something .. but I carefully did not say you were stupid. Being ignorant only means you don't know enough about the subject you're trying to argue with me about.
If you wanted a "rant" I'd have been more forceful. Actually, I was stating facts .. facts which you seem unable to comprehend. This tells me you either don't want to learn anything about a Christian or what Christianity is .. you'd rather just call me names and tell me I'm ranting which gives me a clue you're either very young or you're just trying to pick a fight and so far you haven't been able to goad me into it.
Therefore .. for those reasons, our conversation is over.
All of the preceeding qualifications of course makes my points invalid and yours superior??
If you wanted a "rant" I'd have been more forceful. Actually, I was stating facts .. facts which you seem unable to comprehend. This tells me you either don't want to learn anything about a Christian or what Christianity is .. you'd rather just call me names and tell me I'm ranting which gives me a clue you're either very young or you're just trying to pick a fight and so far you haven't been able to goad me into it.
I don't believe I called you any names....but of course your thoughts and beliefs are superior....so of course, may I remind you is the muslims....in their minds....which I believe is where this discourse started.
Well they're not and that can be proven by 2 words Jesus Christ.
How do the Christians view Jesus?
How do the Muslims view Him?
Those two views cannot be reconciled period.
Now, do Muslims believe that they serve the only true God and so do Christians - then, yeah, we are barking up the same tree.
If you believe the tree is the same because we believe pretty much the same thing, I will refer you back to Jesus.
He's overstepped his competence and it looks like his ego is better than his brain. Messengers of the divine often get themselves mixed up with the message and, unfortunately, this guy is turning out to be no exception. Too bad.....Just add him to the list of Falwell, Bakker, etc., etc., etc.
He must be the Democrats' answer to the radical evangelical right....This is proof that they, too, can be good Christians.
Media is going to make this out to be the second coming now that he's on the side of the pro-Islamic agenda.
Syria has been nothing but a terroist haven and run by thugs like the Assad family for decades. If anything we should invade them and take those clowns out as well.
May I suggest the Catholic Church? It's full of sinners just like every other church, but we have the Cure for spritual sickness -- the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Yeah. Knowingly or not, he's made a good career move.
Count me in to the "wait and see" club. All too often words have been twisted by the media, wherever they originate, into something entirely different.
Funny how people are willing to take the word of the Syrians over one of our own just because they don't like Christians. I'm not Christian, but I'd give the guy the benefit of the doubt over a Syrian any day.
The major problem with muslims is the nature of sin. For them, man is born free of sin. Sin happens as a person learns pride and rebellion which teaches them, against their nature, sin. The Christian, however, believes that man is born with a sinful nature and, only through the sacrifice of Christ, sin has been wiped clean for all of mankind. A person cannot save himself. The Muslim believes he can atone for his sin through a sincere request for forgiveness from Allah and good deeds. The major problem comes with the idea that such forgiveness is never a sure thing. For the Christian, forgiveness is a sure thing due to a sacrifice of Christ. The only requirement is to believe in Jesus Christ. For the Muslim, salvation is no sure thing. All is up to Allah and one cannot be sure that Allah is ever satisfied with ones deeds. There is nothing that one can do that is good enough. God is seen as a God of wrath and not as a God of love. Because of that, there is no hope that ones deeds are good enough and will outweigh ones bad deeds. There is only fear that one will do something that will incur Allah's wrath. Such a religion calls for self-righteosness and salvation by works. There is only one sure thing that a Muslim can do to guarantee salvation: in a jihad (holy war) one dies for Allah.
One thing is for sure, there can be no compromise between Christianity and Islam. If the Bible is the true word of God, Islam is that false word and, as such, is a false religion.
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