Church in Wales Bishop's Easter Message prizes

He and his diocese have been the subject of some criticism by commentators on this blog but, for me, despite some reservations about his views on the "refugee" crisis, the outright winner is the Bishop of Bangor who poses the question "Can I be different?" in this imaginative Easter Message video:

The loser taking the booby prize is the Bishop of Llandaff who as Archbishop of Wales has urged in his Easter message: "Do not show fear after 'tragic' Brussels attacks".

The myopic views he expresses will result in the death of Christianity. There is a time to turn one's cheek and a time to follow Christ's example and oppose injustice and wrong doing. Jesus cleansed the Temple and He healed the sick on the Sabbath after being angered. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.

Jesus told Peter to put his sword back into its sheath because Jesus had to drink the cup that the Father had given Him, glorifying the Father's name. For what has been accomplished Christians must spread their faith in Christ crucified.

In his Easter message Dr Morgan calls on people to exhibit the Christian values of 'forgiveness, compassion, mercy and grace' in the face of fear by 'turning the other cheek' and 'valuing those who are least valued in society'. The least valued in Islamic society are Jews and Christians but the blind can't see.

As we approached Easter an innocent, peace loving Muslim shopkeeper who wished his 'beloved Christian nation' a Happy Easter was "stabbed 30 times by a 'fellow Muslim' who sat laughing on his dying victim's chest". The assailant will have found authority for his actions against 'errant' Muslims and non-Muslims in his holy book, as have members of al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS and any Muslim who is prepared to do so.

Dr Morgan is deluded if he thinks turning the other cheek to his Muslim friends while other Muslims are fighting for Allah is going to save us. The evidence is everywhere, even in his backyard. In news from a regular worshiper in a Cardiff church I was told that after their Good Friday service when the crucifix was carried to the church porch as is their custom, there were shouts from across the road of "Allah is greater!"

He is not. The other cheek was turned but just as Jesus was angry we should not be afraid to be angry when justified, exposing false doctrine for what it is while we can. The consequences of following the Archbishop's example are already grim. A court order was made in Great Britain banning a father from taking his son to church because his mother is a practicing Muslim.

He said his son 'is being fed the same lies I was as a child' and I want better for him. "I was taught that Christians were heartless and immoral, that only Muslims have a peaceful faith and all others are evil. It was only when I began mixing with Christians that I learned this was nonsense."

Dr Morgan was right about one thing, we must not show fear. We must expose the truth about Islam not endorse it blindly. There is no other way to defeat its threat to Christianity.

Well done +Andy for some Christian witness. More please.

The will of Allah

The extraordinarily violent events on British streets and resultant court cases have largely eclipsed the dreadful plight of the people of Somalia who been suffering on a far greater scale than we can ever imagine in Great Britain.  'The will of Allah' oddly links these tragic stories. The Somali Islamist insurgents see it as their duty to purge, what they see as their land, of non-Muslims while Tariq Johan exhibits a dignified acceptance of Allah's will after the loss of his son in the riots. A N Wilson gives a moving account in his Mail Online article, Legacy of a society that believes in nothing.

In his grief Tariq Johan echoes the 'pale blue dot' sentiments of Carl Sagan while in Somalia the Islamist militants Al-Shabab are content to see millions of people suffer for the Islamic cause using taqiyya to spread lies in the process. With the situation worsening, the BBC has now picked up the story again in this report showing the continuing dire need for aid.

Back in in Britain a moving call for unity tribute  has appeared on YouTube. Speaking of his son's death and the faith that sustains him, Mr Jahan said, "I’m a Muslim. I believe in divine fate and destiny, and it was his destiny and his fate, and now he’s gone may Allah forgive him and bless him."


If only Muslims the world over shared the same vision there would be less need for non-Muslims to fear 'the will of Allah'.

Death by stoning

Allah is merciful! Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is not to be stoned to death, she is to be hanged instead! But stoning is stll allowed to carry on in the twenty-first century in the name of religion. The perpetrators of this barbarism show no mercy persecuting Christians as well as fellow Muslims and Jews even though we are all children of Abraham and worship the one God.

Iran is not the only country in which stoning takes place but victims have a chance to prove their innocence. If they are able to struggle free having been bound and buried to the waist, or the chest for women, they can go free. Not surprising, no-one has.

Two thousand years ago Jesus of Nazareth said, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" John 8:7. Which would you choose? Islam or Christianity.

World Day against the Death Penalty is on Sunday 10 October 2010.

What the halal is going on here?

I am not a Daily Mail reader but I picked up this unsettling piece thanks to Cranmer (see Blog List). How many people in Great Britain, other than Muslims presumably, knew that we were eating meat slaughtered in the name of Allah, that is, animals having had their throats cut and left to bleed to death while ritual prayers are recited? I didn’t nor did many who have said they will vote with their feet and give New Zealand lamb a miss along with any other halal products they can identify. But the problem is identifying them. Even the apologists for political correctness must recognise that we have been victims of a subterfuge in the absence of proper labelling.

I suspect this revelation has been more of a shock to people than the frequent calls to sacrifice our Christian identity for inter-faith understanding. In our increasingly secular society the suggestion scarcely raises an eyebrow when we are told to celebrate CHRISTmas as a winter festival. That is hardly surprising when Christianity in schools has given way to all-faith teaching. That of course changes when the majority of children are Muslims. Christians who protest at the loss of our Christian identity are roundly condemned for their intolerance. It took Pope Benedict XVI during his recent visit to explain the dangers to Parliamentarians meeting in Westminster Hall that “There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none.”

Before the Pope’s visit I received a video clip Three things about Islam which confirmed my impression that inter-faith understanding was a one-way traffic so far as Islam is concerned. Christianity preaches love and forgiveness so when told that Islam is a religion of peace we accept that ‘assurance’ from a Christian perspective. Watching the video shows that view to be seriouly mistaken. Conscious of the dangers of accepting one piece of evidence as ‘gospel’, the friend who sent me the link had spoken with ex-Muslim contacts who confirmed the veracity of the views expressed in the video. Islam's idea of peace is 'peace' under Sharia law which would then dominate our lives. Freedom of expression would be what was permitted under the Koran.

Like most Christians I let the matter rest but after reading the Mail Online article and more unsettling reports of Sharia law ideas of justice, I viewed the video again. Looking for further evidence I have watched reports of children being executed, some for so called homosexuality, one at the age of nine, stoning people to death on trumped up charges and more, all in the name of religion but the most alarming video confirms what is said in Three things about Islam can be viewed it HERE. If you need more click here.

Pass this message to other Christians with the warning of the fate that befalls us if we allow others to impose their will. Spread the Word.

POSTSCRIPT

In the soup:

"As part of Campbell Canada's commitment to diversity and extraordinary, authentic nourishment for all, our selection of Halal-certified products are here to help you meet your Islamic dietary requirements." - Another small step!

But at least one step in the right direction. We must stand up for what we believe, Muslims do.