It’s All About the Koran
Islamic jihad visited the United States again last week in San Bernardino, California when a radicalized young Muslim American and his Pakistani wife burst into a seminar/Christmas party and cold-bloodedly killed fourteen innocent Americans and wounded twenty-one others.
It was the second largest terrorist attack on American soil after the infamous 9-11 carnage in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania fourteen years ago.
The San Bernardino killers died in a police shootout, the FBI is frantically scanning the world to try and understand who was involved, and many politicians are expressing their opinions on what should be done.
Today, I will state mine.
It’s all about the Koran.
Though the first days following the terrorist attack centered on the hideous bloodbath itself, soon the narrative changed to a potpourri of concerns.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump started a media fire storm by saying that he wanted a pause in all Muslim travel to America until “we figured out what was going on.” He was denounced by many Republican contenders and also by the Democrats and mainstream media. White House spokesman Josh Earnest declared that Mr. Trump’s statement should “disqualify him from becoming president.”
Others chimed in their usual chorus about gun control. But all the guns were purchased legally in a tough gun control state–California. Terrorism can’t be stopped by taking guns away from the good guys.
Bad guys will always find guns.
President Obama weighed on the tragedy giving a rare Sunday night message from the Oval Office. His words offered no new strategy for defeating ISIS and the Islamic jihad movement and he even lectured the American people about being careful not to demean all Muslims.
African-American economist Thomas Sowell gave this critique of the president’s speech:
“The president struck a familiar chord when he emphasized that we shouldn’t blame all Muslims for the actions of a few. How many people have you heard blaming all Muslims?”
“Even if 90 percent of all Muslims are fine people, and we admit 10,000 refugees from the Middle East, does that mean that we need not be concerned about adding a thousand potential terrorists — even after we have seen in San Bernardino what just two terrorists can do?”
“The first responsibility of any government is to protect the people already in the country. Even in this age of an entitlement mentality, no one in a foreign country is entitled to be in America if the American people don’t want them here.”
“Obama’s talk about how we should not make religious distinctions might make sense if we were talking about handing out entitlements. But we are talking about distinguishing between different populations posing different levels of danger to the American people.”
Score one for Sowell.
Senator Ben Sasse, the junior senator from Nebraska, gave a passionate speech from San Bernardino that was strong on the nature of freedom, the importance of respecting all non-violent religious views, and labeling the jihad for what it really is.
You can listen to Ben Sasse’s message here. It’s worth four minutes of your time.
And then there was all the talk about being “radicalized”, who’s really a Muslim, should we screen people out of the West based on religion, and what should we do about the growing Islamic Caliphate in the Middle East.
In my opinion, all the talk and analysis does not get to the heart of either understanding or solving the the problem of Islamic jihad.
It’s all about the Koran–and what the Muslim world must do about it.
I have a new book coming out next year on the five major views of God (religions) in the world. The book is called “The River of God: Discovering the Source of the World’s Major Religions and Why Only One of Them Can Be True.” I believe it will make a contribution to the debate about Islam–what it is and what it’s not.
I started studying the Muslim faith some forty years ago when I purchased a paperback copy of the Koran and read it from cover to cover. Then more recently, when I was doing research for “The River of God,” I again purchased a Koran to give it a second read.
So I’ve read all the words of the Koran two times. That gives me a little familiarity that most people don’t possess to make some observations.
You can’t comprehend Islamic jihad until you’ve understood and read the Koran.
Some people compare the Koran to the Bible–as if they are equal–one being the “Holy Book” of Islam and the other “The Scriptures” of the Christian faith. No, the Bible and the Koran are as non-comparable as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “Handel’s Messiah:”
- The Bible is a library of 66 books written over two thousand years by over forty authors. This breadth of confirmation makes it unique among books and clearly inspired. The Koran is a book of “writings or recitations” by one man over twenty-two years and compiled forty years after his death.
- The Bible describes the origins of man and earth, the history of the Jewish nation, contains four eye-witness accounts of the coming of the Messiah Jesus (Isa in Arabic), the history of the Early Church and its mission, contains inspiring prophetic books and clearly describes the end of time (Revelation). The Koran contains few of these things and sports numerous historical errors.
- The Bible contains beautiful poetry, songs, and wisdom literature and shares some of the most memorable sayings and parables the world has even heard. The Koran has nothing memorable and is very poorly written.
- The Bible speaks of a God of love who came to earth to die and redeem humanity from their rebellion and sin. The Koran describes a warring and distant God who tells his followers in 109 different war verses to kill others to advance their cause. Here are three examples from the Koran: “Seize them and put them to death wherever you find them” (Sura 4:89). “Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you” (Sura 9:123). “When you meet unbelievers in the battlefield, strike off their heads and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly” (Sura 47:4).
- Muslims don’t like to translate the Koran into other languages because it is an embarrassment. Followers of Christ are passionately trying to translate the Bible into all 7,000 languages that all might come to know the Savior.
Let’s first of all admit that the Bible and the Koran are not the same. The Bible is a symphony of revelation. The Koran is not. That’s the simple truth.
And the Koran is at the heart of the problem with Islam. Those doing terrorism and promoting “holy war” in the world today are reading and taking seriously Mohammed’s poorly written book.
You saw the Koran on the table of the killer’s home in San Bernardino.
The Koran is the problem.
Let’s also be honest about those who call themselves Muslims around the world–both Sunni and Shiite. First of all, most of them are peaceful people who don’t believe in killing innocent folks if left to their consciences and sensibilities.
Most human beings don’t murder people.
Secondly, many Muslims in the 55 Muslim-majority nations (primarily in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia) and also scattered elsewhere are “nominal” in their beliefs. They may or may not attend a mosque. They have a general belief in Allah and some of the moral principles of their tradition.
But they don’t sanction murder, sharia law, and other hard core teachings of the Koran (Writings), Hadith (Traditions) or Sunna (Practices) found in Islamic theocracies.
Most Muslims in the world are peaceful people or nominal followers. We don’t need to fear them–and freedom of expression is theirs in all free societies as Senator Sasse affirms.
It’s the other group of Muslims we are fighting–the ones that follow the Koran. These include ISIS, Boko Haram, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the imams and spiritual leaders in numerous Muslim nations.
The greatest freedom threat to the world right now is the ISIS caliphate. They are ruthless killers who must be defeated militarily.
That’s the role of governments.
But when we think of global Islam, what one thing should be encouraged that could positively influence its one billion followers?
Rejecting the Koran. Starting an Islamic Reformation that repudiates the false teachings of Mohammed.
Muslims can keep four of their five pillars of faith:
- Prayer (Salah). Talking to God (Allah is the generic word for God in Arabic) is a good thing.
- Fasting (Sawm). Usually done during Ramadan to focus on dying to fleshly desires.
- Giving (Zakat). Encouraged by all people and beliefs.
- Pilgrimage (Hajj). Maybe this is a stretch, but allow the trip to include Jerusalem and other sacred parts of the Middle East.
But Number One must go–the Confession (Shahadah). Mohammed’s jihadi words and actions are not inspired and he and his book must be rejected.
“Submission to God” (Islam) is good. The Koran’s distortion of God’s true nature and false methods of submission are not.
Let’s expose the Koran. Read it for yourself. Then encourage peaceful Muslims to break its chains and reject its murderous violence (and slavery, subjugation of women etc.). Let’s expose mosques that preach venom. Let’s work for a needed reformation of Islam all over the world.
And finally, let’s pray that all Muslims worldwide add one crucial pillar to their understanding:
“God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son (Isa). That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
The Climate Change Fraudaville Show Does Paris
I have written or re-printed a number of articles on “global warming” or “climate change” over the past few years. At the least. these phrases are unproven and inconsequential, and at the worst they are the biggest fraud ever forced upon the people of Planet Earth.
This week nearly 150 world leaders gathered near Paris for what is being billed as a last-chance summit to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Here’s the simple truth about the climate change fraud show.
Regarding the conference in Paris, left-leaning NPR (National Public Radio) spokeswoman Eleanor Beardsley said about the biggest diplomatic meeting in France since 1948:
“French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius welcomed the 147 world leaders and more than 45,000 participants as he opened the U.N. climate conference. It is the first time developing nations will also commit to reducing emissions. But they will rely on funding from richer countries. 2015 is so far the hottest year on record. Scientists warn if nothing is done, the planet will suffer rising sea levels, more floods, worsening drought, water shortages, storms and other catastrophic events.”
And at the kickoff in Paris, President Barack Obama remarked, “I’ve come here personally, as the leader of the world’s largest economy and the second-largest emitter to say that the United States of America not only recognizes our role in creating this problem, we embrace our responsibility to do something about it.”
Another stop on the apology tour and soaring empty rhetoric.
Two weeks before Paris, a more truthful gathering took place in Austin, Texas on November 19th that was conveniently overlooked by NPR and the drive-by media. Here are the highlights from that conference, after which I will state the plain facts about the climate change fraud.
(Note that the scientists who came to Austin are from places like MIT and Princeton–not fringe group crazies.)
Prominent Scientists Declare Climate Claims Based On Nonsense, and Leading Us Down a False Path
By Mark Morano, Climate Depot
A team of prominent scientists gathered in Texas today at a climate summit to declare that fears of man-made global warming were “irrational” and “based on nonsense” that “had nothing to do with science.” They warned that “we are being led down a false path” by the upcoming UN climate summit in Paris.
The scientists appeared at a climate summit sponsored by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The summit in Austin was titled: “At the Crossroads: Energy & Climate Policy Summit.”
Climate Scientist Dr. Richard Lindzen, an emeritus Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT, derided what he termed climate “catastrophism.”
“Demonization of CO2 is irrational at best and even modest warming is mostly beneficial,” Lindzen said. Lindzen cautioned: “The most important thing to keep in mind is – when you ask ‘is it warming, is it cooling’, etc. — is that we are talking about something tiny (temperature changes) and that is the crucial point.”
Lindzen also challenged the oft-repeated UN claim that most of warming over past 50 years was due to mankind. “People get excited over this. Is this statement alarming? No,” Lindzen stated.
“We are speaking of small changes 0.25 Celcius would be about 51% of the recent warming and that strongly suggests a low and inconsequential climate sensitivity – meaning no problem at all,” Lindzen explained. “I urge you when looking at a graph, check the scales! The uncertainty here is tenths of a degree,” he noted.
“When someone points to this and says this is the warmest temperature on record, what are they talking about? It’s just nonsense. This is a very tiny change period. And they are arguing over hundredths of a degree when it is uncertain in tenths of a degree,” Lindzen said.
Lindzen noted that National Academy of Sciences president Dr. Ralph Cicerone has even admitted that there is no evidence for a catastrophic claims of man-made global warming.
Lindzen also featured 2006 quotes from Scientist Dr. Miike Hulme, Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, and Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, admitting that claims of a climate catastrophe were not the “language of science.”
“The discourse of catastrophe is a campaigning device,” Hulme wrote to the BBC in 2006. “The language of catastrophe is not the language of science. To state that climate change will be ‘catastrophic’ hides a cascade of value-laden assumptions which do not emerge from empirical or theoretical science,” Hulme wrote.
“Is any amount of climate change catastrophic? Catastrophic for whom, for where, and by when? What index is being used to measure the catastrophe?” Hulme continued.
Lindzen concluded his talk by saying: “Learn how to identify claims that have no alarming implications and be free to say ‘So what?’”
Princeton Physicist Dr. Will Happer, who has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, called policies to reduce CO2 “based on nonsense.”
“Policies to slow CO2 emissions are really based on nonsense. They are all based on computer models that do not work. We are being led down a false path. “Our breath is not that different from a power plant,” he continued. “To call carbon dioxide a pollutant is really Orwellian. You are calling something a pollutant that we all produce. Where does that lead us eventually?” he asked.
“Coal, formed from ancient CO2, is a benefit to the world. Coal is CO2 from ancient atmospheres. We are simply returning CO2 to the atmosphere from which it came when you burn coal. And it’s a good thing since it is at very low levels in the atmosphere. We are in a CO2 famine. It is very, very low,” Happer explained.
Happer continued: “CO2 will be beneficial and crop yields will increase. “More CO2 will be a very significant benefit to agriculture,” he added. Happer then showed a picture of polluted air in China with the caption: “Real pollution in Shanghai.”
“If you can see it, it’s not CO2. “If plants could vote, they would vote for coal.” Happer also rebutted the alleged 97% consensus. “97% of scientists have often been wrong on many things,” he said.
Ecologist and Greenpeace founding member Dr. Patrick Moore discussed the benefits of rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. “Let’s celebrate CO2! “We know for absolute certain that carbon dioxide is the stuff of life, the foundation for life on earth,” Moore said.
“We are dealing with pure political propaganda that has nothing to do with science,” he continued. “The deserts are greening from rising CO2.”
There you have it from some honest, eminent scientists.
Why then the climate change circus in Paris? Here are the real reasons for this scientific charade:
1. It is being led by the United Nations to promote one world governance that will regulate the planet. Never trust the UN on anything consequential. The UN is anti-American. anti-freedom and controlled by tyrants.
2. It is a new way to raise taxes which are in short supply in many national economies. Governments already tax your purchases, income, property, vehicles, and dozens of other things, but Big Government needs more to satisfy its voracious appetite. Global taxes on carbon is their new windfall (no pun intended).
3. One of liberalism’s normal scare tactics is to make “the folks” feel guilty about their actions (driving cars that are too big or not having enough solar panels), then coming to the rescue to “solve the problem.” The elites think they are smarter than the people (free markets). They are almost always wrong.
4. The essence of the “Paris Plan” is to transfer billions of dollars from the wealthy economies of the world to the non-productive poorer nations. This global income redistribution scheme won’t really elevate the poor (global free markets would do that) but rather raise prices and lower living standards in the West.
5. It is a means to the end of controlling the world. And you know who is behind control (tyranny): Satan’s kingdom of darkness.
You also know who is behind liberty and freedom: God’s eternal kingdom of light and love.
Let’s reject once and for all the climate change fraud. Maybe we can then concentrate on fighting evil in the world, bringing poorer nations into the blessings of freedom and prosperity, and pointing people to Jesus.
He never changes.
Different Degrees of Thanksgiving–or Not
For the past two weeks when I sat down in my office to compose this weekly blog, I experienced the same agonizing phenomenon:
The power went out and I was plunged into darkness.
Last week, the Pacific Northwest was struck by an unusual November storm that thrust 200,000 people into hunker-down mode. We slept in a cold home that night, took care of our parents with generators and visits, and waited for the work crews to do their thing.
The wait lasted 28 hours.
Yesterday, some violent winds from the north again knocked out power to 20,000 homes–just as I sat down to write to you. After only four hours in a cold bedroom, the lights burst on and our lips pursed a “thank you” for the blessing of electricity, heat, refrigeration, and hard working repairmen.
Some thoughts on the different degrees of giving thanks-or not.
Of course, Thursday is our USA Thanksgiving when hundreds of millions of Americans gather with friends and family and give thanks for their many blessings.
Gary Randall wrote a good piece this week on the origins of the American Thanksgiving Day. The first one took place in October of 1621 when the Pilgrims joined forces with the native tribes near Plymouth, Massachusetts to eat, play some games, and give thanks to God.
One hundred and fifty years later in 1777, during the early trials of the War for Independence, all thirteen colonies joined in a day of giving thanks. Twelve years later, following their “providential victory” in the war for freedom, George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation.
Another eighty years went by, including forty years of advocacy by an American journalist, until Abraham Lincoln authored his famous Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1863 during the dark days of the Civil War.
But it wasn’t until 1941 that Congress, during the early stages of World War II, established the fourth Thursday in November as the official American Thanksgiving Day. Every year since, each American president has signed a proclamation calling the citizens of our nation to give thanks.
You can read the details here.
With the power going out and Thanksgiving arriving tomorrow, I’ve been pondering the many aspects of how human beings give thanks–or fail to do so. I’m sure on November 26, 2015, there will be a variety of responses around the nation:
- Many will gather with family and friends and say a prayer around the dinner table (like they do on the TV show Blue Bloods during each episode–one of the only evening sit-coms that I sometimes watch).
- Other will attend parades, watch football, and maybe even begin their holiday shopping.
- A few will attend special church services and Masses to give thanks.
- And some will do nothing at all except to lay around and enjoy a day off.
The different responses reveal a different attitude about life, God, gratitude and what and who a thankful spirit should be directed toward.
Gratitude is an attitude–but there’s a negative form as well.
There are a few people that are so angry at God and life that their “thanks” takes the form of profanity. My father once had a patient who was dying of cancer. During his last moments of consciousness, this man’s bulging face spewed obscenities at God whom he hated for his circumstances in life.
His last words contained gurgling hatred-not an ounce of thanksgiving for the life he’d been given.
Other people see the “glass of their lives” half empty much of the time. They bitch and moan about most everything and everyone around them. You all know people like this. The ones I’m most familiar with live in the Western world in “palaces” compared to the poor of the earth. They have shelter, heat, electricity, cars, TV sets, cell phones, and bank accounts–but are, for a variety of reasons, disgruntled at their lot in life and rarely say a word of praise or thanks.
If they took a moment and thought about the poorer two-thirds of the world–without running water, in horribly hot climates, without jobs, living in huts or shanties, and many without hope in God–they might repent of their attitude and realize just how grateful they should be–at least for the “stuff” they have that others don’t.
These “Eeyores” generally will not say a prayer when they feast on turkey and the trimmings, and will probably get mad when their favorite team loses the game on Thanksgiving Day.
Bitterness is a poison, and is not fun to be around.
So that’s a quick look the negative attitude side of the Thankgiving meter–those who are angry at God and those who are generally mad at their circumstances.
Then there is the positive side: the attitude of gratitude.
There will be many people in America tomorrow who will spend some time thinking about or thanking God or someone for the good things in their lives:
- They will be thankful for family and appreciate getting together around a good meal.
- They are thankful they have a job in a continuing bad economic environment.
- They will be grateful for the day off to rest, eat, watch TV, and hang out with people they love.
- They are pleased with their overall health and the safety of their loved ones.
- They might even be thankful to be an American–and appreciate the freedoms they enjoy.
This list could go on and on if we had time, thought, and length of page. There is really no end to the things in our lives that bless us, encourage us, and let us know that life is worth living.
I believe when most Americans think about Thanksgiving this year, they will be thankful for at least something. In fact, when we think about Thanksgiving at this time of year, we usually focus on the stuff if we’re worldly or “blessings” if we’re religious.
To many Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of rest to be thankful for things. But “things” are a lower level of the attitude of gratitude.
Let me give an example.
The young groom-to be is excited to finally give his bride her cherished wedding ring. He arranges all the circumstances leading up to one of the greatest moments in their lives.
She doesn’t know what’s coming. But at the pre-planned moment, he drops to one knee on the carefully chosen beach, reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a package that looks like it might have a ring in it!
She gasps and accepts the small box….and excitedly opens it. There it is! A beautiful personalized engagement ring meant only for her and only from him!
Lost in wonder, she pulls the ring and box close to her chest and begins dancing up and down the beach giving thanks for the ring! She has an engagement ring! Drunk with delight, she completely forgets about the ash-fallen man still kneeling on the sand behind her as she frolicks down the beach alone.
She’s thankful for the ring!
Now, wait a minute. Let’s go to take two.
The groom gives her the ring, she opens it and bursts into a tearful shout of joy! She admires the ring, but quickly closes the box and jumps into the smiling guy’s arms because the ring is all nice and good–but what she really appreciates, loves, and is thankful for, is him.
It’s not the gift that is most important. It is the loving heart of the giver that is most to be cherished. In this scene, the two love birds then walk arm in arm down the beach holding the ring but truly being thankful for each other–not the stuff.
That’s the higher level of thanksgiving. It must be directed at a person, not at things.
Material things are good. They are blessings in our lives. But loving relationships–the source of all gifts–are far more important than the things.
And the giver of all good things is God (James 1:17).
Our thanks must be directed to a Person who loves us, died for us, and wants us to be with Him forever. Some don’t do it because acknowledging Him demands that they give Him his rightful place in their lives–as Savior, Lord, and Friend.
Those who love Him do. Thus the Bible focuses thanksgiving and praise toward God, not his blessings. “Give thanks TO THE LORD” ( i.e. Psalm 106:1 and Psalm 136:1).
Don’t settle for a lower level of thanksgiving this year. Lovingly submit to God. Pray for those who are angry and bitter, appreciate deeply the blessings of your life, but in everything:
Give thanks TO THE LORD.
Happy Thanksgiving.