Forced Conversion - A Comparative Study
The abduction and eventual release of Fox News journalists, Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig revealed the stunning news that the two men had converted to Islam at gunpoint.
Both men were captured in Gaza City on August 14th by masked gunmen, who covered their heads with black hoods and bound the wrists of the two men behind their backs. They were then held in a dark garage and tied up, left lying on the floor often in painful positions.
During their captivity the two men were forced to make a video, dressed in Arab garb denouncing the West.
Centanni is quoted as saying “We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint” and “it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns”.
Which lead me to compare Islam and its authoritative source the Koran and what it has to say about such a coerced conversion with Christian teachings from the Bible.
We will be looking for didactic or teaching principles that are applicable to our daily lives. This study excludes passages that were specifically for a time, place and event as in (Deut 7:1-3).
The Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) is chock full of teaching material.
I am not nor do I claim to be a Koranic scholar. I will rely heavily on my research which for the most part was done on line using the USC-MCS Compendium of Muslim Texts at the University of Southern California.
Within the stated parameters let us look at a Koranic teaching from (Surah 9:5).
Paraphrasing Surah 9:5 Muslims are instructed to fight and kill idolizers/pagans wherever they are found. They are to lay in wait, besiege, ambush and capture them unless the idolizers/pagans repent, worship Allah and pay the poor tax.
This verse is taken out of context, but I assure you it loses nothing by itself. I encourage you to follow the link above and make up your own mind. From where I sit it sounds like a forced conversion to me.
Christianity teaches that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31) to the extreme of making this the second greatest commandment!
We are to love those who hate and persecute us (Matt 5:44).
In both cases the Greek word used is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) means among other things, “to love dearly”.
Far different the commands of Jesus to love than those we normally would want nothing to do with when compared to the commands of Islam to convert by violent means.
Our weapons are the Word of God through His Grace by the power of the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus said before He departed :
On this point the Koran and the Bible teach diametrically opposing methodologies for conversion, but fear not Christian, I have read the ending and Christ prevails.
Both men were captured in Gaza City on August 14th by masked gunmen, who covered their heads with black hoods and bound the wrists of the two men behind their backs. They were then held in a dark garage and tied up, left lying on the floor often in painful positions.
During their captivity the two men were forced to make a video, dressed in Arab garb denouncing the West.
Centanni is quoted as saying “We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint” and “it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns”.
Which lead me to compare Islam and its authoritative source the Koran and what it has to say about such a coerced conversion with Christian teachings from the Bible.
We will be looking for didactic or teaching principles that are applicable to our daily lives. This study excludes passages that were specifically for a time, place and event as in (Deut 7:1-3).
The Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) is chock full of teaching material.
I am not nor do I claim to be a Koranic scholar. I will rely heavily on my research which for the most part was done on line using the USC-MCS Compendium of Muslim Texts at the University of Southern California.
Within the stated parameters let us look at a Koranic teaching from (Surah 9:5).
Paraphrasing Surah 9:5 Muslims are instructed to fight and kill idolizers/pagans wherever they are found. They are to lay in wait, besiege, ambush and capture them unless the idolizers/pagans repent, worship Allah and pay the poor tax.
This verse is taken out of context, but I assure you it loses nothing by itself. I encourage you to follow the link above and make up your own mind. From where I sit it sounds like a forced conversion to me.
Christianity teaches that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31) to the extreme of making this the second greatest commandment!
We are to love those who hate and persecute us (Matt 5:44).
In both cases the Greek word used is agapao (ag-ap-ah'-o) means among other things, “to love dearly”.
Far different the commands of Jesus to love than those we normally would want nothing to do with when compared to the commands of Islam to convert by violent means.
Our weapons are the Word of God through His Grace by the power of the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus said before He departed :
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
On this point the Koran and the Bible teach diametrically opposing methodologies for conversion, but fear not Christian, I have read the ending and Christ prevails.
posted by Clyde | 10:05 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home