For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)
The Islamic terrorist group ISIS, also known as ISIL, recently committed their latest terrorist act against 21 Coptic Christians, by beheading them all on the coast of Libya. My thoughts as a Christian is that ISIS just made 21 Christians Martyrs and dispatched them all quickly to the gates of Heaven, and in doing so, reserved a special place in the deepest recesses of Hell for themselves. True martyrdom does not come from strapping a bomb on yourself and blowing up innocent people along with yourself but in standing true to your faith, even in the face of death by your enemies.
Of course, that is my own personal opinion and belief. Unlike those who believe their own religion is the one and only religion that matters, I do not expect others to accept that personal belief of mine.
I was raised in a Pentecostal denominational church; the True Holiness, which had a strict doctrine that insisted that you had to believe as they did, or you were not going to Heaven. The Baptist, the Catholics, the Presbyterians, all of them was going to Hell if they did not change the way they believed. Of course, the members of my church did not go out beheading people who did not believe as we did.
Many years later, I became more enlightened as I met so many different people throughout my lifetime, and I grew to understand that many of those people believed just as strong as I did in their own personal beliefs. I also came to an understanding that the denomination of a church had nothing to do with what was in someone’s heart. There are true believers in almost every church, synagogue, temple and mosque, with a true love for God.
Certainly, there are churches that teach a clear doctrine of hate, such as the Westburo Baptist Church in Kansas, the church that is well known for their protest at U.S. Troops funerals, carrying signs, which declare that God hates fags, and God made IUDs, etc. It would be difficult to believe anyone who sat in on the teachings of that church could maintain a healthy relationship with God. The Bible says, “He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:8
It is contradictive to say “God Hates” anyone, when God is love.
In all religions; at least the three religions that are based on the same God; Christianity, Judaism, and Islamism, there are a sliver of an extremist element that insist that everyone must believe as they do. I say a sliver, because in all religions, most of the believers are people who simply want to live by their faith. Many of them might believe that their faith is the only true faith but they are willing to accept that others do not believe the way they do, and respect that. It is the most outspoken who are usually the extremist elements, spouting hateful rhetoric to anyone who will listen. They give a bad name to religion in general; no wonder so many have become turned off to any belief in God.
It is when governments and organized groups take it to task to force upon all others beneath its control, to believe, or at least to live by, a certain religion, serious conflict always results. In Middle Eastern countries that enforce Sharia Law upon its people, certain minorities and groups of people are oppressed. Women are treated as property and denied equal treatment. Young girls cannot obtain an education and must rely on men to support them. Harsh punishment and even capital punishment is used toward misdemeanor crimes, and discrimination against those who believe in other religions is an acceptable practice to the point of violence.
If Christian dominated nations were less developed as those Middle Eastern nations, Leviticus Law would be just as harsh as Sharia Law. Many Christians living in America want to believe that their own beliefs are somehow more humane and acceptable, even though capital punishment is still acceptable to many Christians, even those who claim to be pro-life.
Many of those who claim to be Christians believe that their government should enforce laws that reflect their religion, all the while criticizing Muslims in other countries for their Sharia Law. Those same Christians believe that same-sex marriage should not be allowed, just on the basis of their interpretations of the Bible, specifically the Old Testament. They do this while ignoring other strict laws from the same scriptures that they themselves break in their everyday lives, cherry picking what they choose to follow and what to ignore.
In this day and age, there are millions of enlightened individuals all around the globe; some who believe in God and some who do not, that are perfectly willing to allow all others to live their own lives in the way they seem fit. I truly believe if you could round up the entire lot of extremist; those who believe their religion should be enforced upon the rest of the world by any means necessary. Take all of them; the Muslim extremist, the Christian absolutist and any other religious groups of people who would enforce their own doctrine upon us all, and place them some place safe, away from the rest of us. Surely, the world would be a much more peaceful place. Of course, they would all be busy killing each other.
Lastly, the apocalypse: religious extremists believe that somehow they have the power to bring on such an event by their own actions. It is as though they believe they can even control God himself. If that were true, it would not be in their favor. The evil that lurks in the dark corners of hypocrisy shall surely be revealed in those last days. True believers never seek out the apocalypse because to do so, would be to place oneself in the eye of the storm, where judgment sees all things. It is because if you judge, you shall be judged, and yet if you are merciful, then you shall see mercy.
The signs of the times point clearly that the apocalypse is heading in our direction but it is only up to God to choose the day, and no man has such power to accelerate such an event. Those with true faith will wait patiently on the hand of God while those who would stir the fire, by the vanity of their own handiwork, will surely find themselves on that day, lacking in not only faith, but in the love that sustains the true believers in a God who surely answers their prayers.
It is not man that is evil but a hidden power that lives within the very spirit of man; of those who would raise themselves not only above others to claim some absolute religious doctrine upon us all, but also above God and all the good that God stands for. If we seek to rout out that evil, then we must always understand it is within a deep river of contention born from a deceptive spirit that is not based on faith but on the lies whispered in ones ear that all who are different, should not stand at all. We can choose to listen to those voices of hate, or we can trust our God to one day shine a light bright enough to overcome all the darkness that would hide the truth from us all.
This is a republish from my website: Fidlerten Place