Posted on 01/17/2003 6:11:48 AM PST by chance33_98
Church's sign has Muslims outraged
Florida pastor says criticism of Islam is legal and fair
Associated Press Friday, January 17, 2003
Jacksonville --- The Council on American-Islamic Relations-Florida is calling on state religious leaders to repudiate a Jacksonville Baptist church's roadside sign the group claims is anti-Muslim.
The sign outside the First Conservative Baptist Church in Jacksonville's Mandarin area reads: ''Jesus Forbade Murder. Matthew 26:52. Muhammad Approved Murder. Surah 8:65.''
Altaf Ali, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Florida, said his organization attempted to talk with the Baptist church's officials about the sign, but were rebuffed with belligerent language.
''All Americans must band together to condemn hate speech designed to divide our nation along religious and ethnic lines,'' Ali said. ''Any attempt to marginalize or vilify one religious community is an attack on all people of faith.''
The church's pastor, the Rev. Gene Youngblood, who also leads the Conservative Theological Society and Conservative Christian Academy, said he has been using the marquee-type sign to express the church's opinion for 15 years and has no plans to remove the message.
''First and foremost, are we not entitled to freedom of speech?'' Youngblood said.
Youngblood, who said he is an expert on world religions, said he had been threatened and his property vandalized. He said he has filed 13 police reports since July.
Youngblood said his church would issue a formal statement later.
Iman Zaid Malik, spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida, said some Christian friends brought the offensive sign to his attention.
''Misinformation must be rejected by all people of conscience,'' Malik said. ''This shows that the vast majority of Americans reject hate and seek a society where good overcomes the evil.''
Malik said the Quran verse indicates that those who believe and are steadfast in battle will overcome much larger armies. It is not an endorsement of murder, he said.
The verse reads: ''O Prophet [Muhammad]! Inspire the believers to conquer all fear of death when fighting, [so that] if there be twenty of you who are patient in adversity, they might overcome two hundred; and if there be one hundred of you, they might overcome one-thousand of those bent on denying the truth, because they are people who cannot grasp it.''
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the Quran also states, ''whoever murders a person . . . it will be as if he killed all mankind, and whoever saves a life, shall be regarded as if he saved all mankind.''
ON THE WEB: Council on American-Islamic Relations-Florida: www.cair-florida.org
First Conservative Baptist Church: www.conservative.edu/main.htm
And what is the purpose of the sign? Its certainly not to bring Muslims to Christ? If that's not the case, the only other reason I can think of is so the Preacher can feel superior and spread hate. That is, unless he feels his flock is going to convert to Islam.
As a pro-life Christian, I take no offense in Appy's words because I think he was saying that it is inconceivable for one who is truly pro-life to bomb/kill someone who is blind and misguided.
But then again, Appy is well able to speak for himself.
Probably because Islam is a religion based upon fear, whereas Christianity is based on a "perfect love" that casts out fear.
That's precisely what the 1st Amendment is for!
Wrong, they can pray in Arabic. Do their little on their knees dance to Allah the deomn for all I care. The minute they start preaching hate and jihad is when you take them up and throw them out "Inciting a Riot or Violence" is a criminal offense in most places.
Islam is a political system masquerading as a religion.
There was no replacement of beliefs in the Old Testament. The same Father spoke in both. Both Testaments are of the very same God.
To fulfill the law was not to replace the law. The law never saved anybody in either the old or the new testament. Faith is what saved people in both. The law was only given to help people understand sin. I believe it's you who needs to do some more studying of the bible.
The Koran was just dictated to Mohammad by God, Therefore there is no seperation in time or thought.
Except it wasn't God, it was a spirit. Mohammad thought it was an evil spirit, but his wife convinced him it was good spirit. This is one time when a Muslim really should have ignored his wife. Mohammad was right the first time.
And Except that it wasn't dictated to Mohammad. Mohammad was illiterate. Mohammad recited and eventually it got written down, but by whom and when I don't think they know.
Therefore there is no separation in time or thought.
But the Koran in one place claims to accept the previous scriptures. And then it contracdicts them. And then it claims that it has no internal contradictions.
Therefore there is a separation in time or thought and then not and then just a jumble of confused and contradictory thought.
ABSOLUTELY!
But then, Mormons would do the same in many cases--not only believe that for many people, the only way for them to have salvation--is to die for their own sins. Further, some Mormons have felt 'called of God' to help said people die for their own sins by killing them. I don't recall who--Joseph Smith or B Young was worst about that. It's still written into their doctrines. Though last I checked they didn't go about it near as openly as they did long ago.
IN-GROUP/OUT-GROUP STUFF IS VERY powerful.
And that's WITHOUT authentically bringing God into it at all.
Like to know how you pull that off. All oil is fungible. How you can be sure that your gas tank is never filled with gas pumped from the mideast is beyond me.
If there are Muslims or Arabs in a restaurant I go to, I turn around and leave
Unless you live in Israel, you are truly paranoid.
And this may come as a shock, but historically speaking, most terrorists were using their stategy to free their comrades, or support a revolution. Lately, the terrorist push has justified itself by doing as I described prior to 9/11 ...'Those who would espouse their religion, faith or superstitions upon the public...'. Try thinking before attacking, I know it takes time; but it's worth it.
Do you see anything wrong with this:
"Jesus Forbade Murder. Muhammad Approved Murder."
(no references to Bible or koran verses)?
Who are you to say what this preachers duty is? You've never heard of St. Stephen? It's called Christianity, not Pollianity.
Exactly... no problem. You could go even further and say 'Mohammad demands murder'. Current event would support that. And the muslums would not be able to discredit you.
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