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I am a Christian Man (Response to "I am a Muslim Woman")
Self | November 21, 2001 | Jeff Head

Posted on 11/21/2001 7:53:40 AM PST by Jeff Head

This letter/note is to all Muslims, and people everywhere caught up in discussion of and debate regarding the 9/11 attacks in America and what it means about those who perpetrated them or supported them. It is also in response to a Ms. Rini of Indonesia, who posted an article/testimonial about herslef entitled, I am a Muslim Woman.

I was raised to believe in and place my allegiance to God, Family and Country. In that order. My God and the One whom I worship and defer to in all things is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died for all mankind and who will return to this earth someday (I hope soon). He is a God of mercy, compassion and love who taught us to love those who despitefully use us and to turn the other cheek and forgive others ... He also taught that there are times when men, if they do not already own one, must sell their clothing to buy a sword to defend themselves and their free will with.

I was raised to respect, cherish and defend to the death the principle of free will. I have a firm conviction that free will, exercised within moral constraint, is the single most fundamental principle associated with mankind's ultimate happiness and progress. I believe the single most conducive place for the exercise of that principle in the world (despite its faults) is the United States of America, and I have traveled throughout the world in my engineering profession and come to observe and respect many differnet cultures and peoples.

I was taught (by good parents and through my faith) a tolerance for others, a desire to share my faith with anyone willing to listen, and the understanding that not wanting to listen is a perfectly understandable and acceptable right I should respect in others and hold dear myself.

I married in my early twenties and have (along with my dear wife) raised five children (actually the youngest is twelve and not quite "raised" yet). Each of these five, with minor variations, believes as I believe ... and that is good and is one of the things (in my opinion) that will always keep America strong. I am now 45 and just visited my first grandchild, a grandson born to my oldest daughter who is raising him the same way ... so the circle of life and freedom continues.

We abhor immorality, vice and sin. We abhor the threat of force and compulsion even more.

This is because people cannot truly repent and change for the better when coersed, they must freely choose. Hence, in the Christian faith, (wiith very few exceptions) forebearance, persuasion, teaching and the voice of warning are the tools we are taught to use as opposed to secular law, force and compulsion to win the hearts of mankind. This, when coupled with the basic tennants in American society regarding free will that I already discussed have made for the freest, most prosperous and most tolerant nation on earth.

It has also, regrettably, made for a lot of vice, pornograhpy, drug culture, etc. But we continue to work on that through the means I already mentioned, and through wise (and sometimes not so wise) use of laws when those immoral or sinful activities cross the line and begin to infringe (through force or compulsion) on the rights of others.

I hope this gives people a little flavor of what is underlying in "Christian" America, at least from my perspective living in "heartland" America ... particualrly when it comes to our feelings about the horror of 9/11.

This brings me toan important understanding, that is a critical part of my own testimonial that I related earlier ... a part often unappreciated and misjudged and doubted by those (foreign or domesctic) powers and entities who would use compulsion and violence to change the heritage I just spoke of. That is this ... We WILL fight to the death to defend these principles and visit terrible, just retribution on those who try and destroy them.

So, Ms. Rini, understand that there are millions of Americans who believe God is love too and that He loves us enought to allow us to be free and make our own individual moral choices (when not infringing on others) and to seek to influence others through persuasion and long suffering.

I know there are several hundred million Indonesians and that it is the largest Muslim nation. I also know that there are good and bad amongst all peoples, parties, sects, denominations and religions. I believe your testimony about your beliefs and I wish you God's blessings.

At the same time, and this is VERY critical and germaine to the discussion, there are many, many in the Islamic faith (as we see it) who either approve of what happened in America on 9/11, or are unwilling to condemn it. Please, Ms. Rini, write a codemnation of what happened on 9/11 to supplement your remarks. That would immeasurably help most people posting on this forum and all Americans alike.

We Americans, Christian and otherwise, are very disturbed by a general lack of avowed and open condmentation, with no excuse, by Islamic clerics, both abroad and here in our own country. That is the fuel (along with the burning pyre of the WTC and the Pentagon) that is fueling many of the feelings of rightous indignation you see here.

If you and others truly believe that God is love and that He is merciful yet Just, then go with God and distance yourself from these others who will not condemn such atrocities ... because these others WILL feel our terrible retribution. Not a retribution out of revenge, rather out of Justice and a true desire to never see it happen again.

So, again, Ms. Rinin, I am a Christian man. There are millions here like me ... I am nothing special. I believe what I have related to you is something your people and Muslims everywhere need to hear and understand. Please forward it.

Sincerely,

Jeff Head


TOPICS: Announcements; Culture/Society; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: christianlist; michaeldobbs
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To: Jeff Head
That was very well said Jeff.

Praise God.

61 posted on 11/21/2001 10:37:44 AM PST by VaBthang4
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To: Jeff Head
Amen Brother.
62 posted on 11/21/2001 10:37:56 AM PST by F16Fighter
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To: Syncro
We shall see ... one of the FReepers apparently has an open line of communication with her and I hope she gets to see this.

I believe she was sincere and is a good person ... so we shall see.

There are many others in that faith who are unwilling at all to consider condemnation of such atrocity and those are either in fact, or in waiting, the enemies of liberty, truth, justice, virte and Godly love.

63 posted on 11/21/2001 10:39:53 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: Reagan's_Mom
And Amen. Thanks.
64 posted on 11/21/2001 10:40:30 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: Noumenon
As surely as the sun will rise tomorrow in the east ... the day of retribution for all of those who would use force and compulsion to thwart free will governed by moral constraint is indeed coming.

Whether we are the tool of its dispensing, or some other, it is nonetheless sure.

Free will governed by moral constraint is self government and the very essence of this Republic. It is the jewel for which we fight and for which we thank God in Heaven.

No Free will is tyranny.

Free will ungoverned by moral constraint is anarchy and invariably leads to the same tyranny.

God grant that we as a people will retain the virtue to understand these basic principles.

65 posted on 11/21/2001 10:44:56 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: Sabertooth
'ol 'calypso louie' was probably laughing his @$$ off at the planes hitting the towers!

take that, whitey!

66 posted on 11/21/2001 10:46:15 AM PST by rockfish59
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To: Asclepius
Hey, man. Speak for yourself, man

I speak for none other.

But, in my experience, a mind consumed by revenge, or a purpose filled with that desire ... is a torch that will bunr itself up with its own fuel.

Justice on the other hand, can be meted out with some degree of precision (despite our being imperfect mortals) and allows one to retain the moral constraint necessary to quench the flame that would otherwise consume all.

Justice in war is the vriety of which I speak and is however much more harsh, and a more fitting retribution than the justice in America's current civilian jurice prudence system. It is that type of justice of which I speak, where the effort is made at moral constraint, but the rightous indignation and the requirement to destroy those involved is not set aside.

Again, just my experience and my thoughts on the matter ... but I believe historically and morally accurate.

67 posted on 11/21/2001 10:51:45 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: wai-ming
Thanks. FRegards to you and yours my friend.
68 posted on 11/21/2001 10:52:19 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: Jeff Head
I am not ready to throw in the towel or condone destroying all of Islam. Like I said, I have met too many good people, people who do condemn what happened and who are Islamic.

But are they the exception, or the rule?

Is there a point at which you finally do throw in the towel?


69 posted on 11/21/2001 10:53:10 AM PST by Sabertooth
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To: califordubya; wwjdn
Thanks! I hope the folks over there get to see it.
70 posted on 11/21/2001 10:56:28 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: Jeff Head
bump
71 posted on 11/21/2001 10:59:47 AM PST by Tribune7
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To: twigs
Thanks for the kind words and the congrats. ,p. When my daughter first told me she was due ... I thought, wow, I'm too young to be a granddad ... I don;t feel old enough to be a grandad ...

But when I got over there to hold that little critter ... all of that vanished in an instance. Now, I am PROUD tp be a granddad!

... and who wouldn't?


72 posted on 11/21/2001 11:01:26 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: LN2Campy
If you really feel that way ... post one. I'll be happy to read it.

If you're being sarcastic and don't like this thread ... I am sincerely sorry ... use your perogative and boycott it.

Regards.

73 posted on 11/21/2001 11:03:58 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: F16Fighter; VaBthang4
Thank you both. I hope this gets forwarded to Ms. Rini and other folks over there.
74 posted on 11/21/2001 11:05:03 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: Jeff Head
Excellent.
75 posted on 11/21/2001 11:10:15 AM PST by muggs
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To: Jeff Head
Been there, done that-you will miss them when they're all gone. Those grandkids they bring home for visits are a blessing and a treasure.

Keep up the good work on that writing. The world needs to know that while we are not bigots, we aren't stupid either.

76 posted on 11/21/2001 11:12:07 AM PST by F.J. Mitchell
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To: Sabertooth
What does throwing in the towel mean?

If it means killing them all, or compelling them to deny their faith on pain of death, imprisoment or expulsion (I'm talking about US citizens here) simply because it might be construed badly ... then no.

If it means killing those who abjectly show by their actions and their words a desire to kill and destroy liberty and free will and all those things I talked about here ... then my friend, I have already thrown in that towel.

I can say, from my own experience (meaning my travels around the world and my work with people of that faith), that there are enough Muslims who are good, moral, upright people (even if I disagree with their theology) that I cannot in good conscience throw in that towel purely based on their religious preference.

Now, in times of war like this, when it comes to non-citizens ... meaning people here on visas or here illegally ... I say we close the borders to them and expel them for the duration. Not because I hate their religion, but because we cannot take the risk.

Then, any citizen or non-citizen left in the country who gives comfort and abets the enemy, they are treated harshly as either a traitor or a spy.

These are the things (IMHO) we should be doing.

77 posted on 11/21/2001 11:15:30 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: Tribune7
Thanks ... and BUMP back!
78 posted on 11/21/2001 11:16:02 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: muggs
Howdy! muggs.

Thanks.

hope all is well over in that Ohio River country.

79 posted on 11/21/2001 11:17:11 AM PST by Jeff Head
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To: Sabertooth
Very well said...
80 posted on 11/21/2001 11:18:48 AM PST by F16Fighter
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