Islam's greatest boost

I've often said that the 9/11 Terrorist attacks that happened on September 11 in the year 2001 were the best thing to ever happen to Islam.  Two ill-conceived and executed wars, in which most casualties were the result of Islamic insurgents, have allowed Islam to emerge as a religious faith on the move, in which we respect, learn about, discover and even promote it against our growing loathing and disgust for all things Christian.  Before 9/11 it was still an obscure religion seen as a threat to modernity and progress by religious and secular alike.  Since 9/11?  You could do worse in our pop culture than be Muslim.  Despite an historically unprecedented level of restraint on the part of the US, we're told that Muslims by the millions have been slaughtered by endless mobs of bloodthirsty Americans.  Or at least you'd think.  Meanwhile, we continue to unpack Islam, learn about Islam, focus on Islam, assume the best and give the benefit of the doubt to Islam. 

And now, a brand new Marvel Comics Hero is about to be introduced who is, guess what, Muslim.  No problem with that of course.  If it were a small, isolated story.  But when put against the overall narrative of the last 12 years, you can see that Islam has truly won, and the terrorists achieved what Japan had only hoped for on that sunny December 7th all those years ago.  As for the progressives who seem to embrace this approach and support such things, there can only be one of two reasons.   Either they are that scared of a real threat, as opposed to the supposed threat by those little old ladies in the country church.  Or it's true that progressivism is truly the enemy of the Church, and sees it and only it as the sole enemy that needs defeated. 

Maronite leader responds to anti-American riots

By condemning the film that supposedly forced Muslims to take to the streets and slaughter innocent people.  Once again, there is that latent love/hate throughout so much of the Catholic world when it comes to America.  If Muslims made an anti-American film, and Americans took to the streets to blow up Mosques and kill Muslims, would his reaction have been to call the film shameful, or to condemn Americans for killing Muslims?  I don't know.  You decide.  But it would have been nice if he was quoted as saying 'as much as I disagree with this movie produced by a Coptic Christian, I must emphasize my utter disgust at the barbaric slaughter that seeks to use violence and bloodshed to squelch the freedom to express opinions about any religion, no matter how offensive.'  It would have been nice, and I hope he just wasn't fully quoted.  If he was, and that's all he had to say about it, then shame on him.

Pray for our brothers and sisters in the Middle East

As they withstand wave after wave of assault, persecution, and death from members of the Religion of Peace.  Of course it's only a few thousand Muslims in this case.  And some Christians probably did something back in the day, so serves these folks right.  And of course it doesn't mean anything about Islam itself.  Now when Pastor Jones threatened to burn a Koran despite overwhelming public opposition to his plans, that just proved America has always been a racist nation.  But that's just obvious.  Which is why, I'm afraid, more Americans aren't focusing on what's really happening to Christians around the world, since we spend all of our time focusing on the sins of our fathers.  So pray for those forgotten by so many here at home, may the Lord protect them and keep them from the fury of their neighbors. 

Good to see

Looks like folks are beginning to stand up and defend Youcef Nadarkhani.  He's the fellow who has stood up to Iran and refused to deny his faith even if it means his death.  That's called being a martyr.  In this story, we see several in Western Christian communities starting to raise their voices.  It's dated from a rally on September 28, but still.  Nice to see Rick Warren getting into the act.   Several in Washington as well.  Still no word on Pope Benedict or the Vatican.  Supporters of the Church continue to assume, maintain, hope that this is due to secret behind the scenes meetings with Iran trying to free Pastor Nadarkhani.  I hope and pray that is the case.  In the meantime, prayers go out to him and his loved ones and all believers around the world falling to persecution and oppression for their faith.  I won't hold my breath for the ideologues and A-list celebrities who were so vocal during the Troy Davis hearings.

Thank goodness Christians aren't the majority in Iraq

Otherwise things could be even worse than this.  Like Tavis Smiley said, Christians are more violent than Muslims, going around murdering people, gunning people down, blowing them up every day.  So the fact that concrete walls have to be built around churches in Iraq because of the rash of killings and violence against Christians by Muslims just shows, according to Smileyland, how bad it would be if Christians were in charge.

Clemency denied for Pakistani Christian

Asia Bibi, the Christian mother of five who has been sentenced to death for blaspheme charges, has lost a key battle for her freedom.  Many observers had hoped her conviction would be overturned and a pardon would stand, but it has been struck down by a Pakistani high court.  Pray for her that a miracle happens and someone steps in and saves her and her family from this horrible fate.