Jews for Allah

Jewsweek ^ | 9-9-03

[SJackson]

	October 7, 2003

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Jews for Allah

It began as a joke, but it's now all too real. Adopting the same methodology of Jews for Jesus, a Web site is trying to tell you it's OK to be a Jew and follow Mohammed too.

by Alexandra Alter

October 3, 2003

It began as sort of a joke. Mohamed Ghounem, 32, a mild-mannered, laid-off telecom worker who lives with his wife and daughter in suburban Connecticut, says it was the headline "Christ Converts to Islam" in the satirical newspaper The Onion that gave him the idea for his Web site, JewsforAllah.com.

At first, he laughed. Then he thought, "Why not?" Ghounem, whose religious pedigree includes a year of study at al-Azhar, the world's foremost institute of Sunni Islamic learning, said he felt frustrated by Muslims' lack of evangelical activity.

		The curious conversion

		Jewsforallah.com

Although Muslims are the world's fastest growing religious group with more than a billion adherents, they haven't been active enough in the battle for Jewish souls, Ghounem says. "Muslims haven't been doing it," he says. "The Muslim attitude, unfortunately, was 'Jews will never convert'."

But why target Jews, fellow monotheists whose faith is regarded by many as Islam's closest relative, and who the Quran describes as "People of the Book?" According to Ghounem's reasoning, to help the Jews, who remain dangerously ignorant of Mohammed's prophecy, and, in the long run, to turn Israel into an Islamic state.

Ghounem's goals, while seen by many as laughably far-fetched, have outraged leaders of Jewish counter-missionary groups who have already been fighting off Christian evangelists for decades and are wary of new attempts to convert Jews by aggressive or deceptive means.

A fervent admirer of Moishe Rosen, the founder of the messianic group Jews for Jesus, Ghounem has studied the groups' tactics and adopted their rhetoric. Like Jews for Jesus, an organization renowned for claiming a Jew who believes in Jesus is a "completed Jew," Ghounem says converts can maintain their Jewish cultural identity and observe Jewish holidays. He stresses Judaism and Islam's shared lineage of prophets and their similar dietary laws. And, in language almost identical to his Christian mentors, he insists that a true Jew follows Mohammed.

"If you're a true Torah follower, you'll believe in Mohammed, because he's predicted in the Torah," Ghounem says.

He also argues Jews can liberate themselves from the stringent demands of their religion by embracing Islam. "The holy Quran is a mercy to Jews," Ghounem says. "A lot of the things in the Torah, they're not going to have to do anymore."

The suggestion that Judaism's proximity to Islam justifies conversion remains odious to many, however, who see Ghounem's efforts as an affront to both religions. "What this guy is doing is a disservice to both faith systems," says Scott Hillman, executive director of Jews for Judaism, a group that seeks to educate and protect Jews from evangelical groups. "If he's going to say, 'Judaism is fulfilled by Islam,' he's saying Islam is incomplete."

Others say Ghounem is simply acting on the centuries-old impetus for people of all faiths to seek converts. Ibrahim Hooper of the Council for American Islamic Relations says Ghounem's objectives are in keeping with the principles of Islam, which encourages evangelism. "Muslims are encouraged to present accurate and balanced information about their faith to people of all religions," Hooper says.

Before he set out to convert Jews, Ghounem underwent a conversion of his own, from being an American college student who was mostly ignorant about his faith, to a self-fashioned Muslim scholar combating the pervasive myths about Islam he encountered on the Internet.

Ghounem, who immigrated to the United States from Egypt at age six, says his knowledge of Islam was tenuous when he graduated from Western Connecticut University with a degree in engineering. After returning to Cairo for a year to study at al-Azhar, Ghounem began spending hours a night in chat-room debates with Messianic Jews and Christians.

Unlike Jews for Jesus, Ghounem has no sponsors and no missionaries; he relies solely on the Internet for outreach. His Web site, which has had more than one million visitors since it was launched three years ago, has attracted about 200 "converts" who use it as a support group. It also provides a forum for Ghounem to address misconceptions about Islam, like the idea that Islam was spread by the sword, that the Quran is anti-Semitic, and that Jews and Muslims worship different gods.

Leaders of Jewish counter-missionary organizations claim they aren't overly concerned by Ghounem's efforts, saying the content of his Web site is so outrageous that most people don't pay attention. "This is a freak show, a side show," says Rabbi Tovia Singer, the head of Outreach Judaism, a group that works to bring converts back into the fold.

Moreover, they say Ghounem's background as an Egyptian-born Sunni Muslim probably doesn't help his quest for Jewish converts. "Ghounem wasn't a Jew in the first place. The Jews for Jesus founder was at least a convert who was Jewish," Hillman says.

Ghounem may not be Jewish, but the man who he has described as his alter ego, Yousef al Khattab, was born a Jew. The 35-year-old Brooklyn native, once known as Joseph Cohen, now lives in the Arab quarter of Jerusalem, where for the past three years he has operated the Web site JewstoIslam.com. Though the two men have never met, they monitor each other's progress and frequently chat online.

While Ghounem's site may invite ridicule, al Khattab's has been attacked with viruses, threats, and complaints. With links such as "My Heroes the Taliban" and "Freaky Jewish Stuff," which details such familiar anti-Semitic myths as rabbis sucking babies' blood, it is no wonder the site has been taken down several times.

As a former Jew preaching conversion amid the treacherous political and religious fault lines dividing Israel, al Khattab is a far more controversial figure than Ghounem. His transformation from being an ultra-Orthodox American Jew to a fundamentalist Muslim gives him license to preach a higher level of invective against Jews than his Gentile counterparts, says Singer, who says al Khattab threatened his life by posting his home address on the Internet and inviting Muslims to "visit him at his home."

"Jews who've converted to Islam are disenfranchised and self-hating," Singer says. "When you listen to them, you will hear virulent hatred toward Judaism. Their message is pregnant with hate."

But al Khattab, who denies ever having contact with Singer, says it is Judaism, rather than Jews, that he opposes, arguing that Jews have been misled by their rabbis. "Muslims are all inclusive and the whole message of Islam is to invite Jews, Nazis, capitalists, all religions and beliefs," al Khattab said in an e-mail.

Al Khattab, who has converted 11 Jews, said he was attracted by Islam's clear message of obedience to God. He seems unfazed by charges that he supports the goals of terrorists (he has called on Muslims to take up arms against Jews who don't convert), or by other Muslims' initial suspicions that he was a member of Mossad, the Israeli secret service.

"When we become Muslims we do this for the sake of Allah all mighty alone," he says. "We don't care if Muslims or non-Muslims approve of our goals."

Ghounem, who shares al Khattab's goal of turning Israel into an Islamic state, has chosen a different approach, however, taking careful stock of opinions about his Web site and often adjusting its content to appease critics. He took down a link about Sufism, the mystical strain of Islam, after some of his more orthodox fans complained Sufism is a fringe movement alien to Islam.

Ghounem said he recognizes converts risk alienation from both faiths, but hopes his Web site might lead to dialogue between Muslims and Jews. Well, that and one other thing. "My goal is to surpass Jews for Jesus, which I consider 100 percent inevitable," he said enthusiastically.

[Cacique]

Ding

[A CA Guy]

It's a false religion, but if it were peaceful I could live and let live.

[American in Israel]

I realize you do not believe the Bible is the word of God, because it says that the Jews are the chosen people and that forgiveness and love are enlightment, whereas the Qu'ran teaches that rage, revenge and conquest is the path to Gods favor.

But the radical errors and local bias in the Qu'ran invalidate the book. Mohammad was by his own admitted history a caravan bandit, and wrote a religion that justified his murderous crime spree and raised an army of like minds.

The big question is did he get help writing that religion and from who? If it was an angel, was it one of light or one of darkness that spoke to him?

You can judge a tree by its fruit, if it teaches murder, rape, pillage, revenge and conversion at the point of a sword it is not an angel of light, where as the Bible teaches in the ten commandments to not lust after your neighbors wife or his goods. That stands in the next door kind of neighbor and also for the nation next door.

It also teaches that you should love your neighbor as yourself, what does the Qu'ran teach?

How about the do not steal part? Does not fit well with the kill them and take their wives and property part in the Qu'ran part.

No matter how you justify it as a "holy war" murder, rape and pillage is murder, rape and pillage.

Now I know the way old Mo got around the rape part was to say it was ok to kill the husband and marry the wife as the booty of war, have your way and then divorce her later when you find a prettier prize, but if you ask the woman who just had her husband beheaded before her and then was molested by his killer, it is rape.

The problem is you are falling into the very bait on the hook that Islam was founded with, you lust, rage and pride can be exalted, justified and praised as holy, if you will only agree to worship Allah.

Seems the exact same thing Satan promises everyone, but somehow when it is Allah, it is holy...

You are intellectually dishonest dude, and God is not mocked. There is none so blind as those unwilling to see and you have closed your eyes to the truth to embrace your lusts. Now with eyes tightly shut you claim there is no such thing as light.

But the truth is the truth, and you will be judged by your choices in life like every other man. And like every other man you will fall short. That is why the story of Jesus is so darned important for you to understand.

What is stronger, sin or righteousness. How much darkness does it take to extinguish a candle? That is why a sinless man loosing his life to pay for sin that is not his own can pay for it all and then some.

He died for you. Can you swallow your pride and accept that? For that is the trillion dollar question.

[judicial meanz]

Ok....I prefer to argue logically instead of calling names, but this is a challenge for me, to be honest. I honestly can say I almost hate Islam, and I try not to hate anything.

If the strategy was to defend the faith, it came up sorely lacking. Describing yourself as a "radical muslim" didnt help your cause, and your rant about the Israelis killing Palestinians didnt help either.

Jordan has killed more Palestinians than Israel, and it only took them 1 month in 1970 to do it. Other Arab countries have killed or outright massacred Palestinians. More Palestinians have died in neighboring countries than have been killed by Israel, and thats a fact. Where is the muslim outreach to stop this among brothers?

Why did the muslims conquer the Holy Land, place the dhimmi system in existence, and then build the Al Aqsa mosque on the one place in the entire world the Jewish people are told in the Torah to place the Solomonic Temple in 685 AD?

Why havent muslims taken prisoners of war and treated them fairly in Afghanistan or Iraq? Instead they massacred them or used the few they did keep for propaganda purposes.

Why isnt Israeli aviator Ron Arad back with is family? ISrael hardly ever gets its prisoners of war back either. Is it some kind of coincidence that muslim nations refuse to treat POWS with respect, or return them to countries with opposing religions?

Why do muslims always seem to have a fascist or socialist government in place in their countries, if they arent a corrupt monarchy?

There is about 1300 years of Muslim tyranny I could go over, but I dont have the time or want to waste the bandwidth. I personally think Islam has nothing to do with peace.

Islam always accuses others of what it is guilty of, just like the Democrats. They accused Israel of massacre in Jenin, which was a lie, yet they massacre small children and the elderly in Israel literally by the busload.

I was trained as a soldier to recognize my enemy, and it is your religion, and by extension, you. Dont make apologies for your faith to me. Your faith is determined to exterminate my wife, children, and me; that is proven fact.

Unlike your faith, I simply desire to live in peace, but your faith forced another war on me at a time in my life I should be enjoying my children and grandchildren. Your faith has killed my friends and countrymen for over 24 years. It wont stand.

I know the worst of this war isnt over yet, and it will get bloodier. I dont look forward to it, either. But rest assured when you look over the lines at the other side, I will be there waiting.

[Admin Moderator]

Cool it.

[MarMema]

"The Islamist movement makes no secret of its intentions to convert the West. Its propaganda, published in booklets sold in all European Islamic centers for the last thirty years, sets out its aim and the methods to achieve them. They include proselytism, conversion, marriage with local women, and, above all, immigration. Remembering that Muslims always began as a minority in the conquered countries ('liberated,' in Islamic terminology) before becoming a majority, the ideologists of this movement regard Islamic settlement in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere as a chance for Islam."
( Bat Ye'or, The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam, p. 217.)

[MarMema]

"It is true that Muhammad started from the east and came to the west, as the sun travels from east to west. Nevertheless he came with war, knives, pillaging, forced enslavement, murders, and acts that are not from the good God but instigated by the chief manslayer, the devil."

Saint Gregory Palamas, 14th century Byzantine Saint

[Alouette]

by the way, i've read most of the bible, in an english translation.

By the way, I've read most of the Bible, in the original Hebrew.

Rote memorization is not a virtue. Big freakin' deal. I know plenty of people who have memorized the entire Bible AND the entire Talmud (in Aramaic) from simply studying it thoroughly.

[clueless idiot]

He also argues Jews can liberate themselves from the stringent demands of their religion by embracing Islam. "The holy Quran is a mercy to Jews," Ghounem says. "A lot of the things in the Torah, they're not going to have to do anymore."

Ha! So it's not only the Religion of Peace ®, it's also the Religion of Liberation ®!

[TrueBeliever9]

anyway, show me the source for the belief. it's a tricky matter. the qur'an says very little and the hadith say a lot. it's also the case that many muslims confuse them all with tradition.

the whole qur'an is a tricky - as in treacherous (look that word up)- matter!

I come to you The Name of the Living God and I speak TRUTH! Y'shua HaMashiach - Jesus Christ - died on the cross for your sins joe032783....HE shed His Blood and HE NEVER ASKS US TO SHED THE BLOOD OF MANKIND to appease Him. Indeed, you are confused - when you believe that murdering man/woman/child - Jew, Christian or gentile will bring you into the presence! The only presence it will bring you into is Satans (the father of lies). It is Satan that is a blood thirsty spirit who deceives you...the more people you murder in allah's name the more you please Satan. No matter how you try to white wash that evil - it stinks to High Heaven! The LORD God of Israel is LOVE! HE bids you to come and be forgiven for your sins. Even now, if you seek HIM with all your heart - and pray to know TRUTH - HE WILL reveal TRUTH to you. HE will renew your mind because He is not a God of confusion but of power (The Holy Spirit), LOVE and a sound mind.

[DannyTN]

"complete repentence between the sinner and G-d has always sufficed"

Agreed, but you can't reject the Son of God and simultaneously claim to be in complete repentance. Well, you can claim it, you will be wrong.

"you must consider that the "substitutionary death" theory of the crucifixion is but one among many, and according to the Orthodox it is a late and foreign interpretation.

Then the Orthodox are wrong, because the idea of a substitutionary sacrifice is clearly stated in the Apostolic writings. 1 Corinthians 5:7 - Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Ephesians 5:2 - And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

And if whatever you know about Christianity comes from such sources, then I would encourage you to step back and understand what the apostles said, not what some Christian sect half way around the world said hundreds of years later. It is Satan's job to introduce as much error and false doctrine and as much confusion as possible. Go back to the source instead of relying on such when you talk about Christianity.

"The sad fact is that your "once saved always saved" vicarious damnation Protestantism has no roots in the ancient chr*stian past"

And yet there is Paul long before any of these sects you quote saying, "Nothing in life nor death... can separate me from the Love of God. For I am confident that He can keep that which I've committed."

So if chr*stianity is the message of the Torah (!!!) I must according to you either join hypcritical churches ... or else accept a beliefs (salvation by J*sus' death alone, once saved always saved, etc.) that obviously didn't even exist in the days of the early chr*stians.

Didn't exist, huh? Here are the words of St. Clement, a post apostolic writer. "And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

"Leviticus 17:11 - For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."

Explain that to me.

"What about the grain and wine offerings? "

Grain and wine offerings are recognition that everything we have is God's. In effect they are like the tithe. If you look at the story of Cain and Able. I've heard it said, but I'm not sure scripture actually says this, is the reason Cain's offering was not accepted by God, is that it was not a "blood" offering it was grain. Thus it was not an acceptable offering for sin. It would have been fine as an offering, just not as a sin offering.

"I know that at present you cannot believe that G-d is even capable of forgiving sins or granting (not owing, but granting) merit to people without the vicariously damned scapegoat, in the absence of which each and every human being must be eternally damned.

You still have to deal with the innocent animals being sacrificed for our sins in the Torah. Does it make any difference to you that the "vicariously damned scapegoat" was God Himself?

[DannyTN]

"Similarly, though "salvation" is not a Jewish concept"

They sure used the word a lot.

Genesis 49:18 - I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.

Exodus 14:13 - And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD

Exodus 15:2 - The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation

Deut 32:15 then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation

1 Samuel 2:1 - And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

In fact I got about 12 pages of quotes using the word salvation from just the Old Testament alone.

[Agitate]

From #98: DannyNT: But I thought the qur'an says both the Old and New Testament are to be considered Scripture and are true. Which makes the qur'an's subsequent contradictions of the New Testament an internal contradiction in the qur'an. And yes I know the qur'an claims for itself not to have internal contradictions but if I'm right about this, that's an internal contradiction in itself. agitate: I have read this also in my studies of Islam so far.

ChicagoHebrew wrote in reply to #98:
Muslims believe that the Tanakh and so-called New Testement were originally given in a form different than what they are now. Indeed, they were originally given as the Koran itself. Overtime, Muslims believe that Jews corrupted the text for their own purposes. Therefore, God sent Jesus to restore the uncorrupted text of the Koran. However, in the Islamic view, Christians also overtime corrupted the text for their own purposes. Therefore, God needed to send Muhammed as a final messanger to once again restore the pure Koran.

Accordingly, Muslims accept all Jewish and Christian prophets as prophets... but do not necessarily accept the strict text and language of their prophecies, as they feel that subsequent generations corrupted the pure original versions.

You can criticize this theology all you want, I personally find it no more unreasonable than Christian efforts to distort the Tanakh to manufacture Jesus prophecies. But your specific "contradiction" doesn't hold water.

In this paragraph you merged my comment with Danny's. My comment was the last sentence, stating that I have read this in my studies of Islam as well. I am not presenting it as an arguement, howere I am not accepting your conclusion that the argument doesn't hold water either; I am just beginning to study Islam and I have alot more reading to do.

As for your statements about the "so-called" new testament and christian manufactured prophicies; I am not here to argue with Jews about prophecy nor do I believe in trying to convert or convince Jews to accept christianity; although I admit to being a fan of JFJ, which makes sense because I am a "fan" of Jesus, Israel and the Jews (for Jesus or not).

[DannyTN]

"But perhaps you should realize that nowhere in the TaNa"KH is there any such thing as "eternal damnation" in the entire book."

Isaiah referred to it. So did Daniel

Isaiah 33:14 - The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?

Daniel 12:2 - And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

[Agitate]

I firmly believe that the Jewish people are Gods chosen people, and if it were not for them, us Christians would not be here. On top of that, I believe that a Christian can learn a LOT from any Jewish person if they lay conversion attempts behind them and engage in honest study and discourse.
I dont want to convert Jews. I honestly want to learn from them.
Ok....now let me don my asbestos suit and put on my ultra high sunblock. Fire away, folks.
116 posted on 10/08/2003 5:28 PM CDT by judicial meanz

I agree and I personally don't believe in evangelizing Jews. I love the Jewish people the way they are and I am not prepared to say that God's chosen people will go to Hell. Christians have a debt to Jews, Jesus was Jewish and said salvation is through the Jews. We wouldn't have what we have without them.
I have many Christian friends who are deeply into studying Judaism and I intend to join them, though I will always believe in the diety of Christ. Christians have alot to learn from Jews and Judaism and would be much better off if they did so.

[DannyTN]

Here's an interesting article on the importance of God's covenant with Abraham. Why did Jesus have to die?

[Agitate]

Joe;

I appreciate that you are defending your faith and doing so in a non combative manner. I know that all Muslims are not wild jihadis wanting to become martyrs. This will I have a close friend who is a Muslim immigrant who I have worked with for many years. I know this sounds like a line but it's the truth--he's a good friend and a decent person. We are aware of each other's faiths and there is still love between us. The day he suicide bombs us is the day I may start painting all Muslims with the same brush, and I don't expect that will happen knowing him.

I don't want to debate Christianity vs. Islam necessarily, and certainly not with hostility. I just want to know if someone can explain why:
1) Islamic countries have cultures that embrace death and murder in the form of honor killings and suicide murderers;
2) Show great intolerance for Jews, Christians and Hindus;
3) Support despotic leaders; appear to have little regard for human life in general, especially women.

My friend has 2 beautiful daughters and wouldn't harm a hair on their heads. When I see fathers, brothers etc. in other countries murdering their daughters sometimes on the basis of hearsay, I have to wonder what kind of culture this is. Have you ever lived in an Islamic country and can you give any insight?

[Zionist Conspirator]

Before you waste your time tryint to reconvert me from something I already fully considered and then rejected, why don't you try to convert those Catholics and Orthodox who who so self-assuredly insist that the Protestant theories of the atonement are recent and inauthentic? And as for them being "some sect halfway around the world hundreds of years removed," I once again remind you that "halfway around the world" is where your religion comes from and that they were closer in time to the apostles than Martin Luther, John Calvin, or you. Also (again), some of these "false churches" were founded by the apostles themselves and were never under Constantine. Was Thomas in the year "52" less knowledgeable about the "new testament" than you are? Well actually, yes, because he didn't have a "new testament." The original chr*stian church was not founded on the "new testament" but pre-dated and wrote it. Only people alien to the original church turn to the written "new testament" as a rule book.

Will you then insist that the ancient liturgical churches "don't read the Bible?" Do you think Martin Luther invented it? True, there was no printing press until the "fifteenth century" and Bibles had to be hand written, which means the kind of "Bible-based" church you believe in could not have existed until the renaissance when printing made books cheap and available to all. Do you honestly think the ancient chr*stians (before Constantine) brought their Thomas Nelson Bibles to church with them and read along to make sure the preacher was being faithful, as Protestants do nowadays? You can't possibly be that naive.

As to what the Bible says, at least I can read it, whereas you can only read a translation. And if you truly believe in verbal plenary inspiration you cannot be satisfied with a translation. How ironic that the same people (Fundamentalist Protestants) who insist on verbal plenary inspiration are the same people who (thanks to their roots in the Protestant reformation) insist on the all-sufficiency of translations! Unless you want to claim that the KJV of "1611" was written by G-d (as some do). But if you're going to do that, you lose your right to attack the Catholic Church for claiming their translation (Jerome's Latin Vulgate) was also "divinely inspired!"

I suggest you continue this debate with some of the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox FReepers. The latter (at least) will tell you that their Byzantine Greek text of the "new testament" is the original authentic apostolic text and that your KJV mistranslates in several places. For example, where your nt has Paul saying that all men die because they are sinners, they claim the original says that all men sin because all men are going to die (strangely, Eastern Orthodoxy claims that it is not sin that causes death but death that causes sin). What do you say to this other than to quote your "divinely inspired" translation?

Your assertion that Isaiah and Daniel teach chr*stianity's eternal damnation is based once again on the theory of "progressive revelation," that what is unimportant or hinted at in the Torah is later elaborated upon as the revelation rises to greater peaks of inspiration. One might make the same claim about techiyyat hameitim (the resurrection of the dead), but unlike eternal damnation, that has been a constant teaching of Judaism's Sages from the time of Moses and was thus included by RaMBa"M in his thirteen essential principals of belief. (BTW, Daniel was not a prophet and his book was not written under prophetic inspiration but under ruach haqodesh, which means his predictions are more contingent than those of a prophet.)

It is really heart-wrenching to know the country is full of good Bible-loving people like you who will not even consider that the "new testament" is merely a false revelation just six hundred years older than the "holy qur'an" and that you will spend your life believing that your version of chr*stianity, which exists only in northwestern European cultures and their colonies/mission fields, is the restored original version of chr*stianity, and that you either are totally ignorant of, or else afraid to confront, the actual ancient churches founded by the apostles and which contain the descendants of the original chr*stians simply because they are so old (and thus more authentic) and "halfway around the world" (and thus ethno-culturally more authentic).

It is obvious to me that you are so committed to the "new testament" that you cannot stop invoking it even when arguing with people who do not accept its authority (once again, that logical fallacy). I am afraid I must allow you to continue these Protestant arguments with the ancient churches who claim you are wrong and that they are right. Then when you have convinced them and all chr*stendom speaks with one Protestant voice we'll talk again.

Be well.

[Zionist Conspirator]

tryint to reconvert me from

Oops. Should read "trying to reconvert me to." My apologies.