Today's mail contained a post card from what I have to assume is a local Christian church. The card annoounced an opportunity to learn about Islam. But this card had an interesting way to promote this "education" about the Islamic faith.
The front:
Islam (large letters) Rising World Power (smaller letters)
Text: "Do you understand the role of this explosive movement in earth's history? It will affect you. Are you ready? Join us October 7-9, 2005"
The colors are reddish-orange with the images of Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, two gun-toting shadowy figures with head coverings and a mosque.
The back:
Text: "The Islam movement is already having an impact on life in the United States. Because of recent events you may have many questions. Come join us for a look at the Islam philosophy and it's (sic) influence on America in Bible prophecy."
The text also includes the date, time and location in East Wenatchee. The card's mailing label is addressed to "Neighbor."
This kind of mailing has a sinister subliminal effect and a goal of triggering latent fears about an unknown religion and steering people toward a more mainstream view. Perhaps I am unfairly assuming this is sponsored by an Evangelical church, but I doubt I am wrong. In fact, the tactic smacks of the methods used by some churches in other areas.
The images, colors and words on the front of the post card are intended to frighten and to associate the Islamic faith with bad people who are also Muslim. Undoubtedly, people like bin Laden and the members of Hamas and Al Qaeda use their faith as a motivator to cleanse the world of infidels. However, they represent a small percentage of Muslims.
The card's text also does not even call Islam a faith, instead using the terms "explosive movement" and "philosophy."
This is another dart in a large campaign to scare people away from the truth and toward one "philosophy" whose believers won't acknowledge other world views and who also blend the radical actions of a small minority with the benevolent responsibility of millions of other members of that faith.
If every religion were judged by its most radical members, I suspect that there would be a lot fewer members of every faith, including Christianity.
The program at this location has already passed (the dates were last weekend), but I would not have gone anyway. I don't need a Christian church to tell me about another faith. I'll get my information from a reliable source.
-- Wenatchee, Wash.
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To the commenter who posted to this blog last week that stated something about how the secular world was making CHristians look bad....um...well...I think Christians are making themselves look bad. When people ask if I am a Christian, I don't want to tell them. Its not that I am ashamed of my faith, I am ashamed of those people who call themselves Christians yet do things that are so obviously un-Christlike. Would Jesus put up billboards and display bumperstickers for a festival in which he was going to speak, yet never mention his own name? NO! Would Jesus spend/raise $500,000 dollars to promote himself, at this festival to the people of Wenatchee, rather than spend the money feeding the poor? NO! (Thirty to Fourty percent of the children attending schools in this valley are on free or reduced lunch) Would he send out post cards advertising a night to learn about the other "infidel"? Need I even answer that question. When are Christians going to see the log in their eye and pull it out!
I don't think the festival was a bad thing at all, but I agree it shouldn't have been played out as a "Christian" Festival (although I didn't even know it was until word of mouth spread since I don't read the paper).
I still think the media and hollywood are playing there part to brainwash people into thinking Christians are bad/stupid people...since there are so many regular church attenders sitting in jail...right.
Adam, you exactly proved my point. The festival was a Christian event that no one disclosed until nearly the time when people showed up.
As for Christians incarcerated, I don't have statistics, but I think it is a safe generalization to say that at least some of those people are Christians. Heck, some of them may have even committed crimes believeing they were righteous (look at assults on people of color or who are gay). Not sure how so many find Jesus in jail, but they say many do. Do they stay innocent after jail? I don't know that either.
But I don't make sweeping generalizations, either. I go on facts.
-- L.
I think Adam's right. I heard Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon have a special bunker for "conditioning" the public's notions about religion. They work on the world one person at a time. Anthony Burgess is smiling right now.
Most people who assault homosexuals, bomb abortion clinics, and kill "in the name of Jesus" generally aren't part of an organized church or very informed. I am upset and displeased to see the media trying to link terrible acts of violence with christianity.
Islam-extremist terrorists are a large religion-based organized group of people who commit acts of terror in the name of Islam. The actual church of Islam (with the exception of few) doesn't really do anything to fight it. I think it's because most muslims (extremist or not)share the same hatred toward western culture. So-called Christian terrorist attacks such as the ones I mentioned above are never supported by churches (unless they are some obscure cult that has nothing to do with christianity but claims they do), and they don't even hold a candle to the consistency of radical-Islam attacks.
I know this has nothing to do with the topic, but I felt it was a good opportunity to get a point across: Christians are good people that do wonderful things. Each week when that collection plate is passed, that money is going to charitable causes with only a very small percentage going to maintain the church.
The Church of Islam does a lot to fight the idea of terrorism. Islam is a religion of peace, freedom and moral living. They pray 5 times a day, they love their neighbor, give to the poor (much more than they do in the US) Ramadan is a celebration of peace and forgiveness. Yet people in the Middle East have been living with terrorism for so long, that they think we are reactionary when it happens to us. It is not that they approve of terrorism, they just look at us as fools, because we thought it couldn't happen to us. I think you are talking about two separate issues.
Adam's "knowledge" of Islam doesn't seem to be based much on fact. It seems to be based on the types of misinformation found in programs like the one Loganite got a postcard for.
Every religion has extremists. Christians have Fred Phelps, Eric Rudolph and Pat Robertson. Muslims have the Taliban and the Islamic Jihad. Same lyrics, different tune.
Most Muslims do not support terror any more than the average Christian does. To suggest they do is inflammatory and degrading to millions of people worldwide. What's more, it is exactly the attidue that has led to mistreatment of American Muslims in the post-9/11 world.
Adam, if you are upset and displeased when people try to link what you term "terrible acts of violence" to Christianity, perhaps you shouldn't participate in the very act you claim to abhor. Because, really, you're doing exactly what so many people hate about so-called Christians--spreading ignorance and fear instead of love and tolerance.
These Christian extremists you speak of are fairly objectionable. They don't even hold a candle to the Islamic Extremists.
Woe is he to be contradicted by "Uberlander" and "Count Fergula". A much higher percentage of Christians support the war on terror than Muslims do. And to say that Muslims give more to the poor than the U.S.? That's pretty vague...are you saying Muslims worldwide compared to U.S.? Muslims compared to Christians in the U.S.? What kind of charities are we talking about?
By the way, I never said all religions didn't have extremists, just that Islamis are the worst, most organized, most consistent, and least objectable.
I really wish we could form a better foundation with support for the war.
"More Christians support the war on terror than Muslims do." Yikes! Do you hear yourself? Christians should not be supporting a war on terror. They should be supporting a war on poverty, a war on bigotry, a war on the ideology of war.
Christians do support a war on poverty, unless you're talking about LBJ's pathetic war and his way of fighting it.
I think you are out of your mind. Christians don't like war; Christians know when war is neccessary.
A war on the ideology of war? How do you conduct a war on an idea? The idea of war isn't going to go away. Man you're so wise.
It's hearing people that think like this that swings me to the conservative side. That and crazy facist gun laws :-/ *thumbs down*
Adam wrote: "How do you conduct a war on an idea? The idea of war isn't going to go away."
Well, how is terrorism different than war? It's a tactic. When we have parchment paper and signatures, we call it a war. When it is not state-sanctioned or the people believe in a religion you don't support, it's terrorism?
You support a war on terrorism, but you disagree that there can't be a war on the ideology of war? That doesn't jive, Adam.
Timothy McVeigh -- warrior or terrorist? Eric Rudolph -- warrior or terrorist? Oh, they can't be because they belonged to Christian churches. But there are no Christian terrorists.
Step back and look at facts objectively. Acknowledge that there are some Christian terrorists, thet they belong to churches and organized religion, that they commit these acts in the name of their God -- the same god worshipped by hundreds of millions of others.
I don't judge all Christians by Eric Rudolph or Timothy McVeigh or even Fred Phelps. Don't judge all Muslims by Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein or Hamas or al Qaeda.
-- L.
Good idea, bad idea, or maybe just thinking about what it's like, it doesn't matter. The "idea" of war isn't going to go away. A war on the ideology of war just plain doesn't make any sense.
"Christians don't like war; Christians know when war is neccessary. "
What do you think I meant when I said that?
In response to your 5th paragraph: I do
In response to your 6th paragraph: I don't
It just seems like everyone here is trying to make Christians look worse than they are, and just the reverse for Muslims.
Like I said, Christian terrorism doesn't hold a candle to Muslim terrorism.
Let's all sing a song about ignorance...
Adam, you first.
You don't think Christian terrorism holds a candle to Muslim terrorim? Why don't you go to Belfast and talk to the people who have been living in conditions similar to those in the Middle East for decades--as a result of Christian terrorism? I'm sure they'd have some interesting things to tell you about terror done in the name of Jesus.
I don't know how you can claim that one form of terrorism, or one set of terrorists, is "worse" than the other. Who decides what is worse? Is it a body count that makes it worse? Or is it simply worse when "they" don't look or believe like you? Isn't it all terrorism equally bad?
I don't think anyone here is attempting to deliberately make Christians look bad, especially since uberlander and I are, in fact, Christians. What we were trying to do is to make the point that there are a number of "Christians" who use a cover of faith to spread intolerance, misinformation, fear and hatred instead of a message of hope, love, forgiveness and peace.
And as for LBJ's "pathetic" war on poverty, I'm not sure "pathetic" is the word to use when discussing a set of programs that reduced the number of Americans in poverty from approximately 37 million in 1964 to just around 23 million in 1973 (US Census Bureau). Gosh, 14 million fewer starving adults and children in 9 years.
Sounds like something Jesus would have liked to me.
Ok, Count, you don't get to sing now.
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