Posted on 03/24/2008 10:16:51 AM PDT by NYer
ITALIAN editor and critic of Islamic extremism Magdi Allam, who converted to Catholicism from Islam and was baptised by Pope Benedict XVI, today branded his former faith as intrinsically violent.
"I had to do this (abandon Islam)", Allam wrote in a long letter to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
"Beyond ... the phenomenon of extremists and Islamist terrorism at the global level, the root of evil is inherent to a physiologically violent and historically conflictual Islam," wrote the Egyptian-born journalist, who says he has received death threats and is under police protection.
One of seven adults baptised during an Easter vigil yesterday evening, Allam, 55, is an editorial writer and deputy editor at Corriere.
Regarding a combative tone that has made him famous in Italy, Allam wrote: "Over the years my spirit has been freed from the obscurantism of an ideology that legitimises lies and deception, violent death that leads to homicide and suicide, blind submission to tyranny."
He described Catholicism as "an authentic religion of Truth, Life and Freedom".
By baptising Allam in the public ceremony, the Pope "sent an explicit and revolutionary message to a church that until now has been too cautious in the conversion of Muslims ... because of the fear of being unable to protect the converted who are condemned to death for apostasy," Allam said.
"Thousands of people in Italy have converted to Islam and practise their faith serenely," he wrote.
"But there are also thousands of Muslims who have converted to Christianity who are forced to hide their new faith out of fear of being killed by Islamist terrorists."
Allam adopted the Christian name of Cristiano (Christian), not a common name in Italy.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
“Alright alright — so you aren’t Catholic and you believe (as do I) in full-immersion baptism. Surely you can make your point without being rude?”
Not a rude word in the lot, nor rude structure of words. With all I read on FR, to have that taken as rude is quite something.
Oh, but a-theism has not been responsible for...
oh... wait...
Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao, Kim, ...never mind
There are rude jackasses in every congregation ... I promise not to hold his misbehaviour against other Baptists (?) who actually have some manners.
“I’ve just never seen anyone from the Catholic Church preach the Gospel.”
You’ve never been to a Catholic Church then. No matter, simply open up the Holy Bible and thank the Catholic Church as you praide God and His Holy Word. The Catholic Church gave you the Bible and it is the biggest sermon that has ever been given.
“I don’t understand why this had to be done in the public eye.”
It is a signal to Islam. And they know it.
“Linking religions to violence in public can only be done when one’s own religion has a spotless record of peace and love.”
That is the worst kind of twaddle.
Even a murderer has standing to decry the crime of murderer.
This pig vomit about, “Only the perfect have standing to criticize anything” is of and from Satan, and needs to be discredited once and for all.
I think not. Unfortunately most extremist anti Catholics on Freerepublic are to put it as charitably as possible are like a fart in church. Rude, noisy, leave a bad smell and serve as a reminder of worse things to come.
> Not a rude word in the lot, nor rude structure of words. With all I read on FR, to have that taken as rude is quite something.
Nevermind the sophistry: it doesn’t cut any ice. Calling the Pope “a man in some kind of helmet or something” is rude. Of course, you knew that already.
“Put any date on there you want and it will be too recent for me.”
That is as stupid as it is bigoted.
“He probably took a Jack Chick tract out of somebody’s hands and threw it on the ground.”
“The mention of Islam gives me an itchy trigger finger.”
Present company excepted, of course. If nothing else, these trying times will separate the men/women from the boys/girls.
“Nevermind the sophistry: it doesn’t cut any ice. Calling the Pope “a man in some kind of helmet or something” is rude. Of course, you knew that already.”
All right, I’ll make my point. That man in the religious garb is a sinner with no more credential or standing before a holy God than any other sinner.
“All of them were published either by the Fellowship Tract League in Lebanon, Ohio, or by a local assembly in Batangas Province, Philippines. Such things happen quite frequently in the Philippines.”
Now tell me that they weren’t intended to seduce people away from the Church.
“God called me to preach the Gospel two months later. Since then I’ve served as a pastor, evangelist and foreign missionary.”
You should take yourself out of the mission and study the Gospel more. When you’re studying the Bible, praise God and thank the Catholic Church every day for the Bible. Don’t dare read the early Church fathers, because if you do, your anti-Catholicism will come crashing down around you. Then you’ll have to learn how to love instead of hate.
I know it’s a signal (not an amicable one), but it confuses me. On the one hand, the ecumenism movement in Catholicism has been dominant, especially regarding post Vatican II and Pope JPII. Now, this seems to be a reverse course amidships. From my profile, you can guess where I stand on this.
You’ve never been to a Catholic Church then. No matter, simply open up the Holy Bible and thank the Catholic Church as you praide God and His Holy Word. The Catholic Church gave you the Bible and it is the biggest sermon that has ever been given.
rbmillerjr--RIGHT ON BROTHER!
I was in Russia for two years, and a group of young people came to our door one evening distributing the very same titles, but in the Russian language. The Russian Orthodox priests, too, like to use words like “seduce” when non-RussOrth Christian people are working at personal evangelism in that country which in every aspect of life is influenced (often controlled) by the Russian Orthodox Church. Of course, the overwhelming majority of people who ever receive a Gospel tract in Russia have been raised in Russian Orthodox religion. So the much smaller number who aren't Russ-Orth, if they practice personal evangelism, are accused of proselytizing, or “seducing” people away from the church.
There was no planned activity at the Skyway Park (Philippines) to annoy any priest. Just a hand full of non-Catholic young people serving the Lord instead of bee-bopping, break-dancing, dulling their brain on rap, rock or drugs. There happened along a garbed man, identifiable as a RCC clergyman, who didn't like the fact that the young people offered tracts to a group of people also enjoying the park.
Your history reading is very narrow, hemmed in by the RCC’s recommended reading list, evidently.
Admiral Benedict XVI, standing on the bridge of the "Barque of Peter", has ordered 'Right Full Rudder'.
Does that help?
“Your history reading is very narrow, hemmed in by the RCC’s recommended reading list, evidently.”
LOL, no I’m a former Protestant, who was always warned not to read certain passages of the Bible. So, I started looking at the translation of the Bible and found out that it was Protestant beliefs that forbit looking at the original Bible translation. You read the KingJames version of the Bible, which purposefully changed original meanings of important words.
Research it on your own. That reality is objective.
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