Woke Welby and his 'white Jesus'

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby                                 Source: Rebel Priest

From The Jerusalem Post: The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that the Anglican Church should reconsider its portrayal of Jesus as a white man.

It is not clear for whom he was speaking when he expressed his belief that Anglicans thought of the Son of God as a white man. The archbishop and most of his trendy episcopal colleagues long since abandoned the faith as orthodox Anglicans along with the Church in Wales and the Episcopal Church of the United States (TEC), both of which have become irrelevant as Churches for the faithful.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Justin Welby said that in light of the Black Lives Matter protests, the West needed to question whether the traditional portrayal of Jesus as a white man by Western churches was the correct approach to take.

The archbishop added, “Jesus is portrayed in as many ways as there are cultures, languages and understandings."  He did not think that "throwing out everything we’ve got in the past is the way to do it" but thought "that’s not the Jesus who exists, that’s not who we worship. It is a reminder of the universality of the God who became fully human.”

Commenting on the Black Lives Matter campaign to remove statues to figures deemed controversial, he said that people should forgive the 'trespasses' of those who were being commemorated, rather than remove statues, but added that the church would be reviewing the monuments it holds.

When asked if people should forgive the trespasses of those immortalised in the form of statues, rather than tearing them down, Welby said: "Some will have to come down. We can only do that if we've got justice, which means the statue needs to be put in context.

"Some names will have to change. The church, goodness me you know, you just go around Canterbury Cathedral, there are monuments everywhere or Westminster Abbey, and we're looking at all that, and some will have to come down."

Described as the Woke Archbishop the Archbishop of Canterbury, Welby is “ashamed of our history” and of his supposed advantages as a straight white male.

He has become leader of the self loathing brigade, apologising for anything and everything in the past that is questioned in the woke culture.

He preaches the gospel of woke and slanders his own flock. With no supporting evidence he asserted "There is no doubt," that "when we look at our own Church we are still deeply institutionally racist."

Bending the knee to the latest trend is not leadership. It is capitulation.

Source: BBC/LORNA MAY WADSWORTH

It encourages gestures such as that in St Albans Cathedral where a copy of a picture of the Last Supper showing a black Jesus was placed at an altar "in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement" presumably without knowing what the BLM movement stands for.

According to BBC News the artist used a Jamaican-born model for the basis of her interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci's 15th Century work because she wanted "to make people question the Western myth that [Jesus Christ] had fair hair and blue eyes".

Jacob Epstein's 'Christ in Majesty'

 One aspect lost in the controversy about the suitability of artwork is the effort put into producing the work and possible motivations behind it. It may represent an interpretation by the artist or sponsor or result from a specific commission.

If someone in a free society objects to a work they are at liberty to criticise it. Once gone the opportunity for criticism is lost, along with the hard won freedoms which allow extremist pressure groups to behave as they do.

The example of ISIS destroying artefacts they disliked should be a warning of the destructive power now being unleashed, something religious leaders should be speaking against, not for.

Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew born in Bethlehem of Judea. He would have been neither black nor white but somewhere in between - see So what colour was Jesus?

 As the Religious News Service (RNS) aptly put it: We can’t cancel ‘white Jesus,’ but we can keep telling our church’s story.

Mad or bad? If you are dead you're dead.

“All of you are infidels… we will go to paradise if we kill you and you will go to hell.”

There is no shortage of Muslims who believe that they will have a place in paradise if they die killing infidels even if their stock of virgins is depleted. It is neither here nor there that the vast majority of Muslims do not kill infidels. The God they worship sanctions death for unwilling converts as well as apostates. Unless Muslims face up to this reality and enter into serious dialogue about their supremacist religious ideology, the killings will go on and on.

After each atrocity the media scurry around to find any excuse they can to point the finger away from Islam. Why? It is the common thread that has linked 1400 years of violence. Two questions are usually asked. Was the perpetrator in need of psychiatric help? - as if other perpetrators are normal - and, Has the 'so-called' Islamic State claimed responsibility or is there any evidence of a link? The introductory video, 'Persecuted and Forgotten' clearly illustrates that the persecution of Christians is not peculiar to ISIS.

The quote "All of you are infidels… we will go to paradise if we kill you and you will go to hell" is taken from an article in the Catholic Herald: "A priest is slaughtered at Mass in rural France. This is what life is like for Christians in the Middle East". The article recalls: "One priest, Fr Thaer Abdal, was shot dead at the altar. In total, 58 innocent people were murdered. Their killers were members of an Iraqi faction of Al-Qaeda that had declared war on churches, “dirty dens of idolatry”, and in particular “the hallucinating tyrant of the Vatican. The Baghdad massacre was one of countless atrocities that have reduced ancient Christian communities in the Middle East to shrivelled and terrified ghettos or underground churches".

In Egypt: Muslim attacks on Christians are "increasing at alarming rate". So widespread has the problem become that after the French priest was murdered a 'UK Church leader' who asked to remain anonymous has warned that "it may be sign of things to come". He said:

"There needs to be a connection made between what is happening here and what has been happening in places such as Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan and Iraq. Suddenly we are seeing this in Europe. It could be an alarming sign of things to come. There is a lot of copycat psychology in these kinds of attacks. We are hoping this does not turn into anything more serious and get out of hand, but we are concerned that it might." Full report here.

For Christians there is only one way to the Father, through Jesus Christ. There is no compulsion.

For Muslims "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger".
This is the basic statement of the Islamic faith: "anyone who cannot recite this wholeheartedly is not a Muslim".

When a Muslim recites this they proclaim:
That Allah is the only God, and that Muhammad is his prophet
That they personally accept this as true
That they will obey all the commitments of Islam in their life

Little surprise, then, that other religions are held in contempt by Islam. 'Blasphemy' is a tool often used in Islamic states. Sadly this process is aided by attitudes in the West which imply that only Islam is sacred. In the wake of latest atrocity in France it has been reported that a "Fireman Sam" episode has been pulled amid a "Koran row" in marked contrast to the persecution of Christians highlighted in the "Persecuted and Forgotten" video above.

In the following video, former Prime Minister Tony Blair along with former US Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton insist, contrary to all the evidence available, that Islam is a religion of peace, ignoring the opinions of experts. Only a sensible dialogue will expose the truth but while Islam is regarded as above criticism the West will remain compliant without uttering a word of the Shahadah.

Meanwhile the slaughter of the innocents continues.

Postscripts [31.07.2016]

From The Telegraph: Islamism is an attack on our civilisation – this must be recognised, not evaded.

also [03.08.2016]

From OnePeterfive ISIS Rejects Pope’s Interpretation of Their Own Religion

Footprints

The God of Abraham, ... Christian and Muslim!

Deluded or devious? 

The beheading of 21 Coptic Christians on a beach in Libya - for being Coptic Christians - has "brought ISIS to the doorstep of Europe". Italy has been warned that Libyan jihadists are ‘just south of Rome’. We are assured by all and sundry that these people are not Muslims, they are terrorists, but has no-one in authority noticed that there is an elephant in the room?

Dr Shuja Shafi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain says that he has “no idea” why some young people become radicalised. Really? He should watch this video. He says "many British Muslims feel very disillusioned that the government is not treating us as equal." Really? Read here and about discrimination against Christians in British Society here.

"All we are looking for as British citizens is to be treated as British citizens. Anything that is done with a community identified as having the potential for extremism or terrorism is not going to make you feel comfortable" said Dr Shafi. "That is one of the problems: there is a trust deficit.... The Muslim community as a whole is being "treated with suspicion" pointing to instances such as counter-terrorism officers visiting nursery schools.

To avoid charges of Islamophobia we are expected to show tolerance and understanding of everything Muslim regardless of the circumstances while Islamic states see no problem suppressing Christianity and exporting Islamic extremism around the world. Saudi Arabia has being identified as "a cash machine for terrorists". The French government has announced a series of measures to clamp down on radical Islam being spread in mosques and wants to cut financial support from countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia. We should do the same.

According to a  report in The Spectator, "British mosques aren't that moderate after all" and "only two out of 1,700 mosques in Britain follow modernist interpretations of the Koran". Hard line Sharia Islam has no place in Britain. If British Muslims are genuine in wanting to live as British citizens they should be demanding change holding up their faith to the same scrutiny as others. Excuses are wearing thin.

No doubt the majority of Muslims in this country want to live their lives peacefully as British citizens but being a British citizen requires more than being "treated as such", there are obligations. One is to be honest about the problems facing us all, Muslims included. It is no good pretending that the footsteps on the Libyan beach have nothing to do with Islam when the perpetrators are following verses in the Koran. The facts are here.

These facts must be faced. If a religious ideology can be used to justify barbaric executions of believers and non-believers, followers are either deluded or devious in denying that it has anything to do with their religious faith when the evidence to the contrary is freely available. Here is the important test:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance". The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 18).

Every British citizen must be able to subscribe to that. If not there are serious questions to be answered.

Further reading:

Beheading of Christians is clearest indication yet of religious cleansing. Evangelical Alliance

If ISIS could kill us all, they would. Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, Catholic Herald

What will it take to stop Isis using rape as a weapon of war? The Guardian

The True History of Christendom and Islam Raymond Ibrahim, FrontPage Magazine

Mosul

The Islamic State militias set fire to a 1,800 year-old church in Mosul

From Al-Ahram (published in Egypt 24 July, 2014): 

"The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has seized Mosul along with other parts of northern Iraq and over 30 per cent of the territories of adjacent Syria, last Friday decided to evict the few remaining Christian families from the town after giving them the choice of forced conversion or the payment of a special tax, the jizyah, which was paid by non-Muslims during the Ottoman period in return for protection and exemption from military service...

...these Nazi-style terrorists had imprinted the Arabic letter n, standing for nassara [Christians] on houses to indicate that the residents should be forced to leave and that the houses should be confiscated as the property of the Islamic State."  Read 'here'.

"All are invited to take part in a day of prayer on Friday 1 August, 2014 for our most neglected brethren in Iraq, Syria, and throughout the Middle East". Details here. 

The few

Welcome to Great Britain, saved by "The Few" for an alien few to do what Hitler couldn't do.

For my generation "The Few" means the gallant Allied Airmen referred to in Winston Churchill's inspiring phrase, "Never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few."

These Airmen demonstrated how much can be achieved by so few. Today the position is reversed. The 'few' are 'extremists' who, we are told, "do not represent Islam". Why? Because they say so.

But Muslims are encouraged to lie if necessary to advance their cause even to those who have welcomed them, schooled them and cared for them when in need. Welcome to jihad!

In wartime Britain we used to huddle around radios waiting to hear our fate. Reassuringly Churchill said "we will never surrender " but "our native soil" is being surrendered by politically correct do-gooders who have welcomed the very people Churchill warned us against. Now we are paying the price. A former MI6 Director has been reported as saying that the security services will be able to monitor only a few of the 500 or so "Britons" who return to the country after fighting in Syria.

Three of the four ring leaders in the propaganda video shown by the BBC are from Cardiff in the Diocese of Llandaff where its bishop, the Archbishop of Wales and leader of 1% of the population, has been busily engaging with Muslims and anyone else he can find other than adherents of the Catholic faith creating a religious vacuum to be exploited by the unscrupulous.

In Great Britain Christians struggle to maintain their churches. When closed, mosques often replace them. According to the Mosque Directory there are 33 Mosques in Cardiff. It is unclear where these 'innocent boys' were radicalised.

Two of the four are brothers. According to a report on the BBC News they lied to their parents about their intentions when they left home. It is difficult not to sympathise with parents when their children have been led astray. But have they? If lying is a religious duty how do we know if they are speaking the truth? In the Middle East, armed to the teeth, ISIS warriors were filmed handing out copies of the Koran in the street. It would be naive to assume this was to convince locals that Islam is the religion of peace. Apologists should read here what the religion of peace is doing in the main Christian stronghold of Mosul in the province of ancient Nineveh.

This should come as no surprise. Christians are the "most persecuted group in world" (read here). Back in February, 'a jihadist group in Syria' demanded that Christians pay a levy in gold and accept curbs on their faith, or face death (here). ISIS is now said to control funds of $2bn.

On Newsnight last night there was a piece about three more "lovely boys" who had travelled to Syria to join other jihadists (story here). The local Imam was blamed by a parent for radicalising them but the Imam denied it. A representative of the Muslim Council of Great Britain on the programme complained about the demonization in the media of young Muslims.  Lord Carlisle agreed that demonizing young Muslims must be avoided because "99.9% recurring" of Muslims in this country are "totally opposed to this type of action". That misses the point. It takes just a few to create havoc while the majority simply claim it is wrong when asked but where are the protests about Islamist excesses to match those in the lead picture?

It is not 'Muslim men' but the basis of their beliefs which needs to be examined and discussed openly without charges of Islamophobia. Of course it would be wrong to demonize all young Muslims but if the faith of "99.9% recurring" of Muslims in this country is as shallow as it has become for many new Anglicans, do they really understand the implications of their belief? How can a 'Religion of Peace' be sending them to war? Answer: Peace will occur when Islam dominates the world but that seems to be lost on the warring factions in the Middle East.

Evidence from abroad is clear. Some Islamic states do not tolerate other religions. It has been estimated that Islam will be the dominant religion in this country within ten years. The outlook for non-Muslims (the Kafir) is bleak. It is the expansionist religious ideology that must be exposed before it uses more impressionable people to perform evil deeds against humanity in the name of their religion.

Lord Carlisle blamed "religiously heretical violent extremism" for jihad but added that we are "trying to do our duty to protect our own country and our citizens". That involves awareness of the dangers of cultural jihad which is gradually changing the face of Britain. If only there were 'the few' in government prepared to defend our native soil instead of making excuses and displaying their ignorance. They need to get to the route of the problem while there is still time.

And now for some good news:
 KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — "A Sudanese woman [Meriam Ibrahim] on death row for apostasy had her sentence canceled and was released by a Khartoum court on Monday, her lawyer and state media said."

Meriam Ibrahim with her newborn baby girl she gave birth to while shackled in jail
 (AP Photo/Al Fajer)

Such faith!

Update

"Meriam Ibrahim detained at airport in 'abuse of power' " Story here.

For the love of God! WAKE UP Cameron. No more excuses.

Postscript [26/06/14]
Ultra-conservative branch of Islam growing in popularity in Wales. See HERE.

Wars of the world

Battle of Vienna on 12 September 1683

From the Guardian: The terrifying rise of Isis: $2bn in loot, online killings and an army on the run

They're too extreme for al-Qaida, they boast of their brutality and they have forced the Iraqi government on to the defensive. How did the insurgent group rise to such terrifying power?

Talking with Iran Vienna 2014

At last governments seem to have woken up to the threat posed by Islamists, even to Islamist governments by other Islamists who want their own brand of Islam imposed on the world. So grave is the threat that talks with Iran, ironically in Vienna, may be used to work out a strategy to counter the threat. It is as though planet Earth were under attack by Martians in the War of the Worlds.

While the threat by ISIS dominates the headlines other Islamist atrocities continue around the world. "At least 48 people have died after al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked hotels and a police station in a Kenyan coastal town" (here).  "Gunmen killed at least 22 people at a village market in remote northeast Nigeria, a security official said on Monday, in what was likely the latest attack by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram" (here). Looking at 'Wars in the World' (here) the results are chilling. Not all conflict is Islamist based but 'religious' fanaticism is a real problem.

A list of some of the major Islamic terrorist attacks from 1990 to Sept 2013 can be found here. The response of the British government has been to dismiss the Islamist threat as the work of fanatics who do not represent the majority of Muslims. Perhaps not but they all have in common a religious ideology in which ALL should be subject to Sharia laws which permit death by stoning, amputations and public floggings. Whether achieved by armed jihad or cultural jihad the result is the same.

Will the nettle be grasped at last ?