I am a Christian Man (Response to "I am a Muslim Woman")

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.

Islamic Holy War Against More Than Just Israel
Yes, the world has changed! Suddenly, America joins the host of countries where war is on their own soil. A once obscure Arab guerilla leader named Osama, pledges, "I swear to God that America will not live in peace before peace reigns in Palestine, and before all the army of infidels depart the land of Mohammed."
And the greatest superpower the world has ever seen — listens.
So, what is this "new kind of war" that President Bush says we are in? He says it is not with the Islamic people, that Islam is a peaceful religion, that it has been hijacked by radical terrorist thugs.
But if this is true, there are a lot more of these "thugs" around than just in Afghanistan. The daily news continues to carry stories of violence and brutality from Indonesia to Sudan to Pakistan, to Nigeria, to the Philippines. And all these incidents are occurring where Islam either dominates or is operating guerilla war to topple a legitimate government.
These radicals are referred to as "fundamentalists." This means they take their religious teaching literally. Bible believers are branded with the same label. So, what is the difference? In a word: "jihad."
Islam, like Bible Christianity, sees a two-part world: kingdom of God and kingdom of Satan. The great commission prescribes discipleship as the method of advancing the kingdom of God against the kingdom of Satan.
Islam's great commission also includes advancing the kingdom of Allah against the kingdom of Satan, but with a very different method. Mohammed, himself, set the pattern. When asked what was the most important thing in Islam, he replied, "Faith in Allah and jihad in His path."
Then he proceeded to demonstrate what he meant by leading his army against all his neighbors until he had imposed his new religion on them on pain of death by his sword.
Jihad means "struggle." The "moderate" Muslim says that this means the personal struggle against sin. In the first part of the Koran, this appears to be Mohammed's teaching.
But later, when he gained power, he redefined it as a "holy war" and promised elaborate sensual pleasures in paradise for any "martyr" who died fighting to expand Allah's rule over the land of "infidels."
When an Islamic leader several years ago called America the "Great Satan" this placed the U.S. in the infidel camp, an open target for the "holy warriors." We now know that this was about the time when the plot against the World Trade Center was hatched.
Hundreds of young Muslims answered the call to attack the Great Satan spurred by the promise of dozens of virgins in paradise if they died in the process. Thus was born the most effective terrorist weapon, the suicide bomber.
Some see Israel as the focal point of Islamic violence and that the U.S. is only involved because of her support of Israel. But Israel is only called the "little Satan." One newsletter published by a Messianic ministry in Israel, says, "Here is the awful truth. Radical Islam is absolutely, utterly and totally at war with the world's Western Democratic nations."
Dave Hunt, in his book, A Cup of Trembling: Jerusalem and Bible Prophecy, says, "Islam is fighting a holy war for control of the world! That war was begun by Mohammed himself in the seventh century and is still carried on today by his faithful followers through terrorism."
But war is more than guns, planes and tanks. These are just tools used by armies to advance an idea or belief system. Islam believes that they are destined to conquer the world. And it teaches that war is holy if it advances Islamic control. Muslim soldiers who die in this war receive immediate entrance to paradise where 70 virgins lay on 70 bed sheets waiting for them.
In this war of ideas, Islam sees two arch enemies: Jews and Christians. Converted Muslim G.J.O. Moshay in his book, "Who is this Allah?", states: "The fact is never hidden as to the attitude a good Muslim should have towards Christians and Jews. In fact, much of the incitement to violence and war in the whole of the Koran is directed against the Jews and Christians..."
Sadly, Islam's concept of Christians is based on the inquisition and the crusades, not on exposure to true Bible believers. On this basis, Islam has virtually eliminated all "Christians," including soul winners, in the countries that they control. To them, the hated "Christian" nations have conspired with the Jews to invade Muslim territory (Palestine) and lay claim to the exact spot (the temple mount) where sits Islam's 3rd most holy mosque.
When bin Laden pledges to drive the infidels out of the land of Mohammed, he means Jerusalem first, but also, any other Muslim land where westerners dare enter, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. After the Jews, he sees Americans as the next most hated intruders.
As you can see, Satan has constructed an almost air-tight domain in the Muslim world. Soul winners are particularly unwelcome. The penalty for "proselytizing" in any of the Muslim dominated countries is often death.
What can Bible believers do? Fortunately, millions of followers of Allah have settled in the western world. Estimates range up to 6 million in the United States. Europe and the UK host millions more.
We have freely welcomed them into our open, diverse society. Some have used that welcome to bring their "holy war" to our land. Most have settled here and are enjoying freedom's prosperity. They must be able to see the contrast between freedom's blessing and Islam's oppression. But few have been told that Jesus is the real reason for the difference.
Soul winners, that's where we come in. If we could get just a small percentage of them saved here, they would begin to share the power of the gospel with friends and relatives in their home land.
America has vowed to use military might to "smoke out" the terrorist cells. For some, that will be the only way to stop them. But, if we could win the spiritual war by winning enough of them to Christ, most of those cells would dissolve. If someone had won Mohamed Atta to Christ, would the Twin Towers still be standing?
-- excerpted from The Battle Cry, Nov.Dec. 2001 Issue.

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