Raymond Ibrahim: 'How Islam Mutilates Christ'

 "While relying on the figures of the Old and New Testaments—for the weight of antiquity and authority attached to their names—Islam completely recasts them in a manner that validates itself and invalidates Judaism and Christianity.  This would seem to burn rather than build bridges." 

— Raymond Ibrahim

As we enter into the Nativity Fast and the Advent/Christmas season, it seems an especially proper time to post some recent articles of a theological nature. This new piece by Raymond Ibrahim surveys numerous examples of how Islam strives to appropriate Jesus Christ, Abraham, and a whole range of Old and New Testament figures, and even some Christian saints, but as Muslim heroes, distorting historical fact and mutilating their actual theological and spiritual message and import. 

This is a well known tactic of Muslim 'dawah' which dates back to Muhammad himself, and must be exposed as one of the primary lies of the Same God Heresy which Islamic apologists and well intentioned but gullible Christians so often promote.

How Islam Mutilates Christ

by Raymond Ibrahim, 11/2/2021

Not only does Islam claim Abraham, Moses, and Jesus; it apparently claims post biblical figures, such as Saint George, as well.  So states a recent article on My London, the real point of which is apparently to assert Christian and Muslim “commonalities.”  Thus, we learn that “on St George’s Day, which in Eastern Christianity is marked on May 6, Muslims in the area [of Nazareth] join Christians in their venerations of the saint.”

Judaism also finds its way into this article on religious syncretism: “According to some Sufi traditions, the [Hebrew] Prophet Elias, Al-Khidr [a character in the Koran], and Saint George are all the same person. They believe Elias reappears at different times in human history under different names to help stricken believers in times of crisis.”

The entire article is a testimony to the widely entrenched conviction that, because Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share many of the same characters, creating rapprochement between the three faiths is not just easy; it’s the most natural thing to do.

Left out of this calculus is the all-important fact that Islam does not treat biblical characters the way Christianity does.  Christians accept the Hebrew Bible, or “Old Testament,” as it is. They do not add, take away, or distort the accounts of the patriarchs that Jews also rely on.

Conversely, while also relying on the figures of the Old and New Testaments—for the weight of antiquity and authority attached to their names—Islam completely recasts them in a manner that validates itself and invalidates Judaism and Christianity.  This would seem to burn rather than build bridges.

Consider, for example, Islam’s treatment of Jesus (‘Isa in the Koran).  Not only does Islam vehemently deny Christ’s sonship to God, a new book on Islamic sources inadvertently underscores the fact that ‘Isa is the antithesis of Jesus—his doppelganger.

Can there have been Two Annunciations?

 

Today is March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. 

As the hymn for the Feast says, 

Today is the beginning of our salvation,

The revelation of the eternal mystery!

The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin

As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace...

Islam also begins with an annunciation of sorts, to Muhammad, coincidentally by a spirit being also identified as the angel Jibril (Gabriel). Only the nature and outcome of that annunciation is quite different from the one to the Virgin Mary six centuries earlier.

This article contrasts the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary — filled with light and grace — with that 'second annunciation' — a dark annunciation — to Muhammad. This is one of the most significant and revealing facts about Islam, one which we should always keep in the forefront of our considerations.

If Muslims worship the Same God as Christians, how could that Same God possibly send two such radically opposed revelations and messages? And could it be the Same God if He chose to send His revelation to Muhammad through such a dark and blatantly evil "annunciation"?

Ex-Muslims denounce Abu Dhabi ‘Deception', warn against Muslim practice of 'Taqiyya'

Arabic-speaking Muslim converts to Christ warn that Roman Catholic support of the Abu Dhabi Declaration "is not based on the 'Islamic theological implications of the Arabic text', and this reflects an inability to see through the 'deception' and fall for the 'fake human rights rhetoric'."

In short, these brave converts to Christ are warning against the Same God Heresy.

Embracing Deception: Pope Francis signs Abu Dhabi Declaration

Their point is well taken, and fully in keeping with the teaching of the New Testament, which warns against accepting a false gospel, a different Jesus, and a different spirit:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the Gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be anathema!” (Gal 1:6-8). 

"As we said before, so say I now again: If any preach any other gospel unto you than that which you have received, let him be anathema" (Gal 1:8-9). 

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the Faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy" (1 Tim 4:1-2). 

The indefatiguable Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch offers this warning in his post on the article:

“The chasm between Islam and Jahiliyyah [the society of unbelievers] is great, and a bridge is not to be built across it so that the people on the two sides may mix with each other, but only so that the people of Jahiliyyah may come over to Islam.” — Sayyid Qutb, Milestones, chapter 10. (Mother Mosque Foundation edition p. 140) 

It is abundantly clear from this report that the Muslim framers of the bu Dhabi declaration were following Qutb’s guidance and crafting a document designed to lead Catholics to Islam. Meanwhile, the Catholic partners in the dialogue had no idea that this was happening, and assumed that their partners were operating in good faith as they were. Their naivete will cost the lives of the Christians murdered in the lands of Islam while no one speaks up for them, for fear of harming the dialogue, much less lifts a finger to defend them.

 “Leave them; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)

Related:

• Pope signs pact with Islam declaring ‘diversity of religions’ is ‘willed by God’
• Historic 'Covenant of World Religions' sees Pope Francis openly commit Apostasy, equate Islam with Christianity

Ex-Muslims Unmask Abu Dhabi ‘Deception’

by Jules Gomes, ChurchMilitant.com, May 27, 2020:


ROME (ChurchMilitant.com) – A network of Muslim converts, who face the death penalty for apostasy from Islam, are denouncing the Abu Dhabi declaration as a “deception” for “subtle but significant differences” in the Arabic text of the document.

The ex-Muslims from the Arab world are also lamenting Cdl. Gerhard Müller’s naïveté after the orthodox prelate defended the covenant on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together in the May-June issue of Communio.

Müller insists that the text focuses on “fundamental human rights” with “God as their originator and guarantor,” because “all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights” and “human rights are based on the dignity that God himself bestowed on every human being.”

In a preliminary analysis of the declaration shown to Church Militant on condition of anonymity, the Arab-speaking converts say that Cdl. Müller’s reading is not based on the “Islamic theological implications of the Arabic text,” and this reflects his inability to see through the “deception” and fall for the “fake human rights rhetoric.”

Apostasy in Ireland during the Coronavirus Pandemic - Catholic Priest invites Muslims to offer prayers at Mass

"A video of the Islamic prayer released on Twitter showed one of the Muslims in the pulpit cantillating the Adhan [Islamic call to prayer] in Arabic... which unambiguously asserts that God’s revelation to Muhammad has supplanted and superseded God’s prior revelations to Moses in the Old Testament and to Jesus in the New Testament.”

With Pope Francis' ongoing initiative towards Islam, we can expect to see many more such instances of open apostasy in Roman Catholic churches. 

Inviting Muslims to speak at or pray at Christian gatherings is one of the most blasphemous manifestations of the Same God Heresy. Bishops, priests and clergy who do so have openly sealed their apostasy, and should be excommunicated. And Orthodox Christian Churches, Seminaries and institutions who are in dialogue with Christian bodies who perform such scandalous acts should immediately break off their relations with them until they repent.

In related news, the Coronavirus is also being used as an opportunity to spread the virus of ecumenism in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese:

Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America of the Patriarchate of Constantinople led an ecumenical prayer service with the Catholic Cardinal and Evangelical Lutheran bishop of Chicago. 

Previously, on March 14, he issued a directive ordering the immediate suspension of “all liturgical services in parishes of the Holy Metropolis of Chicago.”

Muslim Declares Muhammad’s Supremacy Over Jesus at Catholic Mass 

by Jules Gomes, ChurchMilitant.com, April 3, 2020:


COUNTY MAYO, Ireland (ChurchMilitant.com) Muslims, invited by a Catholic priest in Ireland to pray alongside him during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, prayed the Adhan — the Islamic call to prayer that categorically proclaims Islam’s supremacy over its forebears — Judaism and Christianity.

Father Stephen Farragher, parish priest of St. Patrick’s Church in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, invited two Muslims to “pray in solidarity” with him “the final blessing and prayer” at the 10 a.m. Friday Mass to be broadcast on radio, Midwest Radio Irelandreported.

Mohammed Cherbatji and Mohammed Rahmani joined Fr. Farragher to seek a blessing on all frontline health care workers and frontline workers during the pandemic and pray for the eradication of the Wuhan virus. The church was reportedly empty because of the Wuhan virus restrictions.

However, a video of the Islamic prayer released on Twitter showed one of the Muslims in the pulpit cantillating the Adhan in Arabic.

Church Militant contacted a scholar in Islamic jurisprudence and Arabic expert who confirmed that the prayer was not a blessing for health care workers but the “Islamic call to prayer, which conclusively and unambiguously asserts that God’s revelation to Muhammad has supplanted and superseded God’s prior revelations to Moses in the Old Testament and to Jesus in the New Testament.”

The Adhan asserts: “Allah is the greatest. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer. Come to salvation.” These affirmations are repeated twice.

VIDEO: Why it is of the Utmost Importance to denounce and expose the 'Same God Heresy'

At the root of today's confusion over Islam is the widespread acceptance of the 'Same God Heresy'.

"When the Church is being betrayed and the faithful led astray, it is no time for compliments and polite 'dialogues', nor for placing sympathy above truth." 

 ~ Blessed Hieromonk Seraphim of Platina

Consider this brief video, and the exhortations from Church Fathers on standing for the Truth and not remaining silent when Christ is being blasphemed:

Lastly, consider this excerpt from the Epilogue to my book, Facing Islam:

WHEN I WAS A YOUNG CONVERT new to Orthodoxy, the late Archbishop Michael (Shaheen) of the Antiochian Archdiocese came to our parish. In delivering the homily, he stated unequivocally that (and I paraphrase), 

“We must embrace the Muslims, the Hindus, the Buddhists, for we all worship the same God; we just worship in different ways, and are merely traveling different paths to the same destination.” 

In doing so, he was blatantly standing against Jesus Christ, the Apostles, the Fathers of the Church, the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the Confessors and Martyrs and all true Orthodox believers of every age. 

Robert Spencer: 'Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? Absolutely Not.'

A fresh look at the Same God question, considering three striking and essential differences between Allah and the True God worshiped by Christians.

Robert Spencer is perhaps best known for his blog Jihad Watch, and for his numerous bestselling books tracking the malevolent history and muscular rise of Islam around the globe. But he is equally adept at looking beyond the existential threat of Islam to its subversive theological claims, as evidenced in his 2013 book, Not Peace But a Sword.

In this new article, Mr. Spencer goes beyond the obvious dogmatic differences between Christianity and Islam, and provides us with yet more clear and direct refutation of what I call the Same God Heresy.

Read and share widely.


Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? Absolutely Not. Here’s Why.


by Robert Spencer, PJ Media, August 15, 2019

The Qur’an says that Christians and Muslims worship the same God (29:46), and so does the Catholic Church. The Irish Catholic newspaper recently considered this question and offered an argument from authority, which is the weakest of all arguments: Christians and Muslims worship the same God because the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council says so in the documents Lumen Gentium and Nostra Aetate. But a closer examination of the evidence shows this to be false.

Besides the obvious differences regarding the Trinity, the crucifixion, and the divinity of Christ, there are deeper differences that are often overlooked.

Free will

There are numerous passages of the Qur’an, as well as indications from Islamic tradition, to the effect that not only can no one believe in Allah except by his will, so also no one can disbelieve in him except by his active will. “And to whoever God assigns no light, no light has he” (24:40).

The issue of free will versus predestination has, of course, vexed Christians of various sects for centuries, as different biblical passages are given different weight in various traditions. Calvinism, of course, in its pure form is notorious for its doctrine of double predestination, the idea that God has destined people for hell as well as for salvation. But this position is largely unique to them in the Christian tradition, which generally holds that God desires all men and women to be saved, and gives them the means to attain this salvation. The idea that God would create men for hell is in total conflict with the proposition that God “desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), and that he “takes no pleasure in the death of anyone” (Ezekiel 18:32).

The situation in Islam is, on first glance, even worse, with the Qur’an’s testimony on this, as on other matters, appearing to be hopelessly contradictory. The Qur’an, says the Qur’an, is “nothing but a reminder to all beings, for whoever of you who would go straight; but you will not do so unless Allah wills, the Lord of all Being” (81:27-29). Those who would “go straight” — follow Allah’s straight path — cannot do so “unless Allah wills.”

"If Abraham were your father..."

 Refuting the Lie of the 'Abrahamic Religions' Fallacy

by Ralph H. Sidway

1. Introduction

Muslim apologists — and their Christian enablers — claim that Abraham is the father of Islam just as he is of Judaism and Christianity, that all three religions worship the God of Abraham. The well-intentioned embrace this line of thought without exploring precisely what it means.

However, it is clear from the New Testament that neither biological lineage, nor simply saying “Abraham is our father” necessarily makes it so. Indeed, in John’s Gospel, Christ explicitly warned the Jews that they were not sons of Abraham, because they did not do the works that Abraham did. Rather they were sons of the devil, because they did as he showed them (cf. Jn 8:31-47). The Jewish leaders — biological sons of Abraham — rejected Christ, and eventually had him condemned by the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, and executed by crucifixion.

The same can even more easily be said of followers of Muhammad who reject the Divine Lordship of Jesus Christ, persecute and kill His followers, and follow a false prophet. Indeed, some have seen the violent, barbaric nature of Islam prophesied in the Old Testament, where Ishmael (and therefore symbolically, Islam) is foretold by the LORD to be violent and opposed to Isaac and all others: “He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him” (Gen 16:12).

Historic 'Covenant of World Religions' sees Pope Francis openly commit Apostasy, equate Islam with Christianity

"Historic covenant with leaders of the world’s major faiths, [pushes] us much closer to a one-world religion, one of the major goals of the New World Order. 

"...The signing of this covenant was done 'in front of a global audience of religious leaders from Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other faiths'."

This is a shocking followup report to this story by Leo Hohmann which I posted on 7/26/19. The sources adduced in this news report make it clear that this was a global event, attended and signed by world religious leaders, and kept out of the mainstream media, which makes this far more disturbing than had I had previously thought. This is ominous in the extreme, unleashing demonic forces of apostasy upon Christians around the world. I will try to find more info on the attendees, and especially if there were Orthodox bishops who signed this covenant of apostasy.

We live in dark times indeed. Be forewarned and watchful, as many false prophets and false, hireling shepherds have gone out into the world, deceiving the flock. Time again to re-post what I had warned in my book, Facing Islam (p.87):

Against the Different Gospel — the Same God Heresy we have identified in this chapter — put forth by Islam and promoted by unwitting Christians, the Holy Apostle Paul warns us today most urgently:

"As we said before, so say I now again: If any preach any other gospel unto you than that which you have received, let him be anathema" (Galatians 1:8-9). 

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the Faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy" (1 Timothy 4:1-2 ). 

And the Beloved Disciple and Evangelist, John warns just as severely: 

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world" (1 John 4:1-3).

Pope Francis Claims Islam And Christianity Are Equal In The Eyes of God

by Baxter Dmitry, NewsPunch, February 25, 2019:

Pope Francis, who has previously called for a “one world government” to “save humanity”, has now signed a historic covenant with leaders of the world’s major faiths, pushing us much closer to a one-world religion, one of the major goals of the New World Order.

According to the document produced by Pope Francis and published on the Vatican’s official website, all religions must be considered equal, and Islam is as acceptable to God as Christianity.

Disturbingly, world religious leaders are also now coming together as one to preach from the same hymn sheet as Pope Francis, instructing their sheep to accept the final components of the New World Order’s one world government.

The historic interfaith covenant was signed by leaders of the world’s major faiths in the Middle East this month, and despite the extraordinarily high-profile nature of the attendants, the mainstream media has entered almost complete blackout mode and is refusing to report on the story.

Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the most important imam in Sunni Islam, arrived at the signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi with Pope Francis “hand-in-hand in a symbol of interfaith brotherhood”, exactly as foretold in prophecy regarding the rise of the Antichrist.

But this wasn’t just a ceremony for Catholics and Muslims. The reality is much darker than that.

Pope signs pact with Islam declaring ‘diversity of religions’ is ‘willed by God’

"This is just the latest in a line of papal statements on Islam dating back to the 1960s that describe Islam as an 'Abrahamic' faith that will lead its adherents to the same God worshiped by Christians."

Pope Francis is a false teacher, preaching a "different gospel," which is the Same God Heresy, which leads its adherents inevitably to apostasy and openly denying Jesus Christ.

Pope signs pact with Islam declaring ‘diversity of religions’ is ‘willed by God’


by Leo Hohmann, February 10, 2019:

Almost without notice from the global media, Pope Francis held a historic meeting last week in the United Arab Emirates with Grand Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, head of Egypt’s al-Azhar University, the world’s most authoritative institution on Islamic law.

El-Tayeb, while touted as a “moderate” by some in the West, unapologetically teaches that Muslims who leave Islam for other religions, or no religion at all, are guilty of apostasy and should be killed.

So what is the Pope of Rome, the supposed Vicar of Christ, doing cavorting with such a man?

The two religious leaders released a joint declaration titled On Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.

Among the many lies, half-truths and deceptions in this document is the following:

“The pluralism and the diversity of religions, color, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings.”

The key words here are “diversity of religions.” The pope would have us to believe that all religions have merit, especially that of Islam.

This is just the latest in a line of papal statements on Islam dating back to the 1960s that describe Islam as an “Abrahamic” faith that will lead its adherents to the same God worshiped by Christians.

The new document reaffirms Islam as a religion of peace and says that any violence committed in its name is the result of “an accumulation of incorrect interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and pride.”

If this were true it would mean that nearly 1,400 years of scholarship by all four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence would have to be thrown into a massive bonfire. Until we see the smoke rising from such a fiery spectacle, it’s safe to say that Sheikh al-Tayeb played the pope for a fool. Others are suggesting that Pope Francis is no fool at all, but rather is himself a master deceiver with dark intentions.

Leo Hohmann: 'The coming convergence of Islam and apostate Christianity'

"Some of the world’s most prominent Muslims are working on a plan that they hope will offer the secular elites in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia-New Zealand some relief. Give them a 'third way' that will lead to peace and security for all... a new 'convergence' of Islam with Christianity."

Sobering, even prophetic, insights from Christian journalist Leo Hohmann. Read and share.


The coming convergence of Islam and apostate Christianity

By Leo Hohmann, April 16, 2019

With astonishing speed and amazing efficiency, the French government declared early Tuesday morning that the fire which had largely consumed the magnificent, 850-year-old Cathedral of Notre Dame was a mere “accident.”

That’s right: Before investigators had even been cleared to enter the smoldering ruins of the Western World’s most iconic Christian symbol, they had already ruled out the possibility of arson.

I am not saying that any person or group should be blamed for this fire without proof. What I am saying, is that the French government’s absurdly quick action in determining the fire’s non-cause makes a mockery of the concept of an honest investigation. Such malfeasance in carrying out due diligence could easily backfire.

Without an honest and transparent investigation, people will always look at the burning of Notre Dame as a monumental conspiracy. Fill in the blank as to who you want to make responsible for the devastation because the French eliminated certain possibilities from consideration before even the most basic investigative procedures were employed.

It begs the question: Why were the French so eager to sweep this fire under the rug of history?

Well, for the sake of argument, let’s say that a real investigation gets underway and turns up proof of a Muslim plot to burn down the nation’s most famous Christian shrine. [And there has been a disturbing pattern of arsonists targeting hundreds of Christian churches across France over the last few years, including 10 in a one-week period last month].

With nearly 10 percent of its population now Muslim, France would quickly devolve into chaos. Police would launch a nationwide manhunt for the Muslim arsonists. Muslims would be out in the streets, burning and defacing more churches, cemeteries, anything that stands as a symbol of Christian France. Priests and pastors might be kidnapped and killed. Regular Frenchmen, feeling threatened, might strike back, possibly burning down mosques in retaliation.

The last thing President Macron wants is to take a chance that a thorough forensic investigation could spark a civil war. You can hardly blame him. But show me a nation that has lost the will, for whatever reason, to enforce the rule of law and lost faith in its ability to blindly apply justice, and I will show you a nation that has already been conquered.

And it’s not just France.

Most of the Western elites who control the governments across Europe and North America find themselves flailing about in the same murky waters. After decades of importing Muslim migrants to replace the millions of children who were never born because of abortion and “family planning,” these Western nations face a problem of their own making and it’s called Islamic immigration.

Their native populations are getting restless as they discover that their globalist leaders have been lying to them all these years. Islam is not content with its role of being the new “work force” that props up the economies of Germany, France, Belgium and Britain. The nature of Islam is to politically dominate wherever it is given a foothold.

Yet, the Western political class are reticent to confront Islam when its violent side spills out into the open. This is why France, the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany have all become increasingly anti-Israel in recent years. They don’t want to offend their growing Muslim populations. They must bow to this foreign religious ideology, or risk violence in the streets.

The elites need a way out of this dilemma because right-wing parties are quickly gaining strength, and before long these European countries will all have their own versions of Donald Trump to contend with. That’s the last thing they want. They need an out, a way to save face with native European voters while somehow also giving their new Muslim citizens the feeling that they have a seat at the table of political power.

They can’t go on indefinitely with Muslims and Christians [even if most are Christian in name only], representing opposing cultural values and worldviews, living in the same cities and growing further apart by the day. The current model is not sustainable.

Arise, a new inter-religious community

That’s where the interfaith movement comes into play.

Some of the world’s most prominent Muslims are working on a plan that they hope will offer the secular elites in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia-New Zealand some relief. Give them a “third way” that will lead to peace and security for all.

The hope is that this third way provides Western elites with an opportunity to stave off a complete Islamic takeover while accepting the most basic tenets of Islamic Sharia. This includes, first and foremost, an end to all Christian proselytizing of Muslims, and secondly, a silencing of all anti-Islam rhetoric in the public space. Any Christian who insists on pointing out the dark side of Islam will be silenced. That’s pretty much already been accomplished, to varying degrees, in the post-Christian, formerly-free Western nations. But Muslim leaders still put forth the “Islamophobia” meme in hopes of getting more out of the deal.

After 1 Million Views, What's Next?

This landmark on the Facing Islam Blog calls for a little reflection, and looking towards what lies ahead.

First of all, my sincere thanks to all my readers and visitors, who have helped put this blog over 1,000,000 views, and to be ranked #35 in the 2019 list of Islam blogs.

That number includes at least one DOS attack, when malicious bots tried to overwhelm the servers and shut down my blog, but that merely resulted in a spike in my numbers, and no loss of service. I am proud to have been attacked on the internet. It is a badge of honor and a sign of the integrity of this site, which speaks Truth to the Enemy, and warns about the threats from Islam.

What now?

Having passed 1 Million page views, and having been posting only sporadically over the past year or so (while working on an unrelated project), I am striving to ramp things back up here, emphasizing more consistent output and focus.

Here are my goals, which I hope to diligently work towards, if the Lord doesn't return first, and if He grants me time, health and energy:

Apostate Pope advocates for Islam, forces Dhimmitude on Moroccan Christians

Pope Francis has for some time now been openly teaching an explicitly false Gospel, what I have termed the "Same God Heresy". This is one of the greatest heresies and scandals of our age, and many Christians are falling all over themselves to endorse it.

Catholic news site Gloria.tv reports:

On the eve of his visit to Morocco (March 30-31), Pope Francis said in a video message on VaticanNews.va that “as Christians and Muslims we believe in God, the Creator and Merciful”... 

This message repeats Francis heretical Abu Dhabi declaration according to which the diversity of religions that contradict each other and religions which deny the Trinity and Incarnation are willed by God.

Of course, there are also some Orthodox Christian bishops (e.g., Met. Georges Khodr) who preach religious syncretism, pan-ecumenism, dhimmitude and submission to Islam, but when the Pope of Rome does this on the global stage, cue the "Last Pope Prophecies" trailers. The Apostate Pope's heretical teachings are clearly a sign of the age.

Traditional, orthodox-minded Roman Catholics, come to Orthodoxy. We are waiting for you with open arms!

"Come out of her, My people..." (Rev. 18:4)

Pope Francis offers more doves to be attacked by crows.

The Pope to the Christians of Morocco: Please do not need to preach

BBC Middle East, March 31, 2019 (Google Translate from Arabic)
Thanks to Timothy R. Furnish.


The Pope, Francis, told members of the small Catholic community in Morocco that the role of community members in the country is not to try to make their neighbors convert to Christianity, but to live in brotherhood with other religions.

The Pope took the two-day trip to emphasize interreligious dialogue, while supporting King Mohammed VI's efforts to promote religious moderation in order to promote interfaith dialogue and renounce violence in the name of religion.

Roman Catholic Christians in Morocco represent less than one percent of Morocco's 35 million population, while there are 23,000 Christians, mostly immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa and those from Europe, particularly France.

"Christians are a small minority in this country, and I see that this is not a problem, although I realize that this may be difficult for some of you," he said during a meeting with community leaders in a Rabat cathedral.

VIDEO: Orthodox Church in Florida hosts Robert Spencer for address on Muslim Persecution of Christians

Thanks be to God for this brave Orthodox parish hosting the fearless and indefatigable Robert Spencer, to speak the truth about Islam and Muslim persecution of Christians.

Robert Spencer is, of course, the director of the Jihad Watch blog, and author of bestselling books such as The Truth About Muhammad, and his newest book, the essential title, The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS.

The Orthodox Church has a long memory when it comes to Islam's 1400-year war against Christianity. Sadly, very few Orthodox Christians are willing to face the truth about the false prophet Muhammad and the heresy of Islam, which St John of Damascus called a "superstition" and a "forerunner of the Antichrist."

Fortunately, intrepid Orthodox priests like Fr Josiah Trenham of St Andrew Orthodox Church in Riverside CA and others are warning and educating about Islam. In August 2017 Fr Josiah conducted a wide-ranging and most edifying interview with Robert Spencer.

This address by Mr. Spencer, hosted by St Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Naples, Florida, is another landmark event in the ongoing effort to educate and warn Christians about the true nature of Islam, Muslim persecution of Christians, and the Same God Heresy.


Video: Robert Spencer speaks at Christian Rights and Freedom Institute, explains why Muslims persecute Christians

Jihad Watch, February 12, 2019:




"On January 21, 2019, I had the honor of speaking at the Christian Rights and Freedom Institute at St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Naples, Florida, on the Muslim persecution of Christians. I explained why those Muslims who do persecute Christians actually think that when they do so, they’re doing something right and righteous."

' NOT THE SAME GOD' - Franklin Graham delivers robust Christian response to the latest Islamic jihad terror attack

"Graham reacted strongly to a recent Islamic terror attack in Strasbourg, France, warning that radical Islam continues to be a major global threat."

There are so few Christian voices stating the obvious, that the obvious is in decline. 

'AXIOS' to Rev. Graham for having the courage and conviction to boldly rebuke those who hold to the Same God Heresy, to bravely condemn the false religion of Islam, and to blast weak Christian leaders like Pope Francis who deny that Islam is behind jihad terror attacks. Graham recently stated that

Islam “is behind the violence and jihad we’re seeing in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and here in this country. 

“It’s a religion that calls for the extermination of ‘infidels’ outside their faith, specifically Jews and Christians.”

Franklin Graham: Allah and the Christian God ‘Not the Same’

by Thomas D. Williams, PhD, Breitbart News, December 16, 2018:

Celebrated evangelical pastor Franklin Graham reacted strongly to a recent Islamic terror attack in Strasbourg, France, warning that radical Islam continues to be a major global threat.

In a two-part tweet Saturday, Rev. Graham, the son of the prominent Christian leader Billy Graham, reminded citizens that Islamic extremism has not ceased to be a menace to the world and that, contrary to popular opinion, the Muslim idea of God is very different from the God worshiped by Christians.

Radical Islam continues to be a huge threat around the world. I thank God for the hard work of the French police & law enforcement who tracked down terrorist Cherif Chekatt. Remember the families of those whose lives were taken and the many wounded. 1/2 https://t.co/edjAvRxde7

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 15, 2018

Contrary to what some may say, the god of Islam & the God of the Christian faith are not the same. The God of the Christian faith is Creator of the Universe & sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to save us from our sin. He can change every heart who will put their faith in Him. 2/2

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 15, 2018

In the past, Rev. Graham has said that bloody jihadist attacks should not surprise anyone, since hatred and violence against nonbelievers are central to the teachings of Islam.

“Why does Islam hate so much?” Graham asked in a 2016 Facebook post. “It’s because the Quran teaches its followers to hate.”

“Jews, Christians and others are to be subdued so that Islam may ‘prevail over all religions,’” he added. “It’s all in the final chapter of the Quran—‘Kill or be killed in battle, and paradise awaits,’” he said.

Graham has been an ongoing critic of theories that would equate Islam to Christianity.

Apostasy in the UK: Cathedral hosts Ramadan “Grand Iftar Service” on anniversary of London Bridge jihad massacre

The crumbling into apostasy and de facto dhimmi status of Western Christianity continues to gather momentum with yet another cathedral in the UK hosting an Islamic service.

Ramadan is the 'Month of Jihad' for Muslims, and as this news report below shows, Ramadan has become the 'Month of Apostasy' for more and more Christians.

"The cathedral announced it would “host its second Grand Iftar which, this year, will also mark the anniversary of the London Bridge attacks and will bring all communities together to celebrate Ramadan."

Defiling the cathedral and committing apostasy. The 'Church' of England is finished.

By comparison, the Orthodox Church absolutely forbids the reading of texts from any other faith during any of the divine services. Only the Old and New Testaments, and select texts from the Orthodox service books and perhaps lives or writings of saints or of recognized Orthodox writers may be read in an Orthodox Church during a service.

No non-Orthodox speaker should be allowed to give an address in a church. A Christian from another confession could be invited to speak in a parish hall, but not in the church itself. No non-Christian should be allowed to give an address in an Orthodox setting of any kind.

No prayers other than Christian prayers may be offered in an Orthodox church, and those officiated only by a consecrated Orthodox clergyman (or, if no clergy are available, by Orthodox laymen in a "Readers Service").

If an Islamic service of any kind, or a reading from the Koran, or Muslim prayers were somehow forcibly (or ignorantly, or in a modern-day spirit of multi-culti vapidity) conducted in an Orthodox church, that church would be considered defiled, a great blasphemy committed, an "abomination causing desolation" having occurred, and that church would need to be exorcised, cleansed, and completely re-consecrated before any Christian services could be held again in it. Its pastor or bishop should be severely disciplined and possibly defrocked if not excommunicated.

Why these strong words?

Because Islam is of the spirit of Antichrist, a forerunner of Antichrist, per these verses from the Koran:

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Though published in 2010, I feel this book is more important than ever. Facing Islam is unique in providing a robust defense of the Christian Faith against the 'theological jihad' of Islam, which presents "a different Jesus, a different spirit, and a different gospel" (cf, 2 COR 11:3-4, also GAL 1:6-8).

Rather than being "ripped from the headlines" of its day and thus outdated, Facing Islam presents timeless theological sources and arguments not usually heard in the ongoing debates about Islam. The teachings and warnings of the saints of the Christian East are not only rarely encountered nowadays, they are often obscured by scholars who are so "nuanced" in their treatment of Islam as to paint a completely opposite and false picture of the Islam encountered by Christians in the 7th, 14th, 15th and subsequent centuries. My main purpose is to decisively repudiate the 'Same God' position and to show it to be a dangerous fallacy and a Christian heresy, as well as being a real and physical threat to Christians everywhere. 

I hope my message is reaching people. We certainly have seen an amazing growth since our humble launch in April 2011: 900,000 views, with the very real possibility of hitting 1 Million by the end of the year.

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Thanks again so much for your visits, and I hope you profit from and are blessed by my efforts here.

The Church and Islam: 'Dangerous Illusions' can have Eternal Consequences

While preparing to post William Kilpatrick's article,  'The Church and Islam: Dangerous Illusions',  I ended up with quite a long introduction which, I felt, took away from Mr. Kilpatrick's presentation. Therefore, I decided to hold back that introduction and use it to create this follow-up post to further address the 'Dangerous Illusions' which plague those Christians who praise Islam and refuse to see it for what it is.

For an Orthodox Christian to praise and affirm Islam and the Qur'an is akin to spitting on the holy icons of Christ and His Most Pure Mother. When the Muslims invaded Tbilisi, Georgia in 1227, they set icons of Christ and the Theotokos in the middle of the bridge, and promised to spare all those who spit on the icons, denied Christ and converted to Islam. 100,000 Georgian Orthodox Christians chose martyrdom rather than deny Jesus Christ. Let us honor their memory by confessing Jesus Christ to our dying breath! (Source)

William Kilpatrick warned in his article about the threat Islam poses to non-Muslims everywhere, depending on how seriously Muslims take the commands in the Qur'an to wage jihad against the unbelievers. We have seen Islamic jihad attacks climb dramatically in the years since 9/11/2001, with over 33,000 deadly terror attacks since then. This is undeniable evidence that there is something dark and violent at the heart at Islam.

However, in addition to the deadly threat Islam poses in this age, there exists also a grave spiritual danger for Christians who praise and affirm Islam, or who even affirm that Muslims worship the 'Same God' as we do.

Consider:

• the Qur'an explicitly and vehemently denies Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, [1]
• presents Jesus as an apostle and prophet only,
• denies the Holy Trinity, 
• denies that Christ was crucified, 
• curses Christians, 
• and commands Muslims to attack, persecute and kill Christians until they embrace Islam or pay the jizya. [2]

Therefore, whether they realize it or not, a Christian who praises and affirms Islam, Muhammad and/or the Qur'an is praising and affirming a false and militant religion which forcefully denies Jesus Christ and persecutes those who follow Him.

Leo Hohmann: 'Have U.S. Christians already lost the right to publicly speak against Islam?'

“Those who are in denial, who don’t think there is Christian persecution, or who even think there is more Muslim persecution, those pastors better wake up, better be aware, that you now have Christian conferences being closed down by these Islamofascists, Antifa, the SPLC, they’re all working together.” 

— former Muslim-turned Christian Pastor Shahram Hadian

'Axios!' to Leo Hohmann for exposing these thuggish tactics being used to silence Christians warning about the threats from Islam. 

Christian broadcaster Brannon Howse
on the set of his Worldview Weekend radio and Internet podcast show.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ” – John: 15:18-19

By LEO HOHMANN, April 13, 2018:

It’s no secret that the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center, aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR], scour the country looking for Christians who dare to speak or write about their beliefs that Islam poses a threat to our constitutional freedoms — especially the freedom of speech. 

When these intellectual gangsters find a Christian who dares to speak the forbidden thoughts in public, they pounce like ravenous wolves. They inform Antifa, #Ungovernable, #Resist and other activists who flood social media with disparaging comments about the speaker and show up at the advertised venue to cause chaos. 

But before employing any of these disruptive tactics, they first try to get the speaker’s event canceled. 

That’s what happened this past weekend in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. 

Christian radio host Brannon Howse had scheduled a five-city Worldview Weekend speaking tour. Howse had enlisted speakers including former Muslim-turned Christian Pastor Shahram Hadian and Bible-prophecy teacher Jimmy DeYoung, and booked venues months in advance, only to see those reservations canceled at the last minute. 

Managers of the city-owned Omni Center in Onalaska, Wisconsin, told Howse they received 57 phone calls when they opened their office on Friday, April 6, from activists threatening to protest his event. They told Howse he needed to up his liability insurance policy, which already provided $1 million in coverage. They canceled his event four hours before the doors were due to open. 

Howse said he was on the phone with three different city officials that day, including the mayor, police chief and city administrator, all telling him they could not host his event at the Omni because his insurance was not sufficient. 

“They violated the terms of our contract, which requires them to inform me of any cancellation in writing, either hand-delivered or via U.S. Postal Service,” Howse said. 

Hotels in Milwaukee and Green Bay also canceled Howse’s events. 

“We have a legal team in Wisconsin and they are looking at suing all three venues but they are particularly distressed that the city government of Onalaska stifled our free speech,” Howse told me. “When the government shuts you up, that is real censorship. Our attorneys are telling us the punitive damages for that could be astronomical for them.” 

The last time I checked, talking about political or religious matters, however controversial or unpopular, was exactly the type of speech that our First Amendment was meant to protect. 

The speaking events sought to expose how leftists supported by billionaire George Soros and elitist private foundations are intimidating America into silence by labeling anyone who exposes them as “racists,” “Islamophobes” and “white supremacists.” 

“It re-affirmed what we’ve been talking about for over a year now in terms of where things are headed in this country and what we are facing as Christians,” Hadian told me.

Mark Durie on 'The Noble Qur'an' and its Call to Violent Jihad

Similar to how the Gideons place Bibles in America's hotel and motel rooms, Saudi Arabia globally distributes free copies of its edition of 'The Noble Qur'an', "which can be found in mosques, prayer rooms and meeting places around the world."

But what is contained in this book at the heart of the world's second largest (but fastest growing) religion?

Mark Durie uses the placement of The Noble Qur'an in a prayer room at the airport at Canberra, Australia as an opportunity to reveal what is actually contained in Muhammad's recitations of the literal words of the Islamic god, Allah. And this has much to teach us about the nature of Allah and what lies at the heart of Islam.

Related: 

• The 'Same God' Belief: a Fatal Heresy and a Theological Trojan Horse
• The Wheat and the Tares - 'An enemy has done this...'

Calling for Violent Jihad in Australia

by Mark Durie, April 11, 2018:


There is not a Bible, Jewish or Christian, containing such incendiary commentary as populates page after page of 'The Noble Qur’an', which for four years has preached to the faithful in Canberra Airport's prayer room. The ideology it promotes is violent jihad. It is a book to start a war.

The Saudis, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt recently cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions, accusing the Qataris of supporting terrorism. The Saudis have demanded that Qatar close Al-Jazeera and cut all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Islamic State. Qatar’s long-standing and well-known support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which aims to unify Muslim nations under an Islamic caliphate and has networks of supporters across the Middle East, is now perceived as a serious threat its neighbours.

This is the pot calling the kettle black, for Saudi Arabia itself has a long record of exporting Islamic radicalism. Among its most notable exports are millions of Korans in translation, which, through commentary (mainly in footnotes) and accompanying materials, incite Muslims to wage violent jihad to establish an Islamic state.

Among the Saudis’ exported Korans is an English-language edition, The Noble Qur’an, which can be found in mosques, prayer rooms and meeting places around the world. Anyone who applies to the Saudi embassy in Canberra will be sent a copy gratis.

The handsomely gilded Noble Qur’an is distributed as part of the Saudis’ global da’wa or effort to propagate Islam. It appears to target two kinds of readers: 

First, The Noble Qur’an seeks to enlist Muslims in violent jihad against non-Muslims, to establish an Islamic caliphate. 

Second, it aims to engage with Christians. The longest essay in the appendices is an argument that Jesus was a prophet of Islam, and commentary throughout... challenges and “corrects” Christian teachings.

The Noble Qur’an can be found in the musallah or prayer room of Canberra’s airport. What is apparently the same edition, with “AIRPORT MUSALLAH”written in black marker pen on the page ends, has been sitting there for the past four years, ever since the new airport was built. The Noble Qur’an is also publicly available in other “multi-faith” spaces that have been springing up in institutions across Australia in recent years, in universities, hospitals and other public places.

The Resurrection of Christ and the Rise of Christianity

Because the false prophet Muhammad and the false-god Allah in the Koran deny that Jesus Christ was crucified, deny the Resurrection of Christ, and deny that Christ is the Son of God, now is an ideal time, as we in the Orthodox Church celebrate Jesus' Bodily Resurrection from the Tomb, to defend the historical truth of these events. 

In proclaiming the Truth and defending the Orthodox Christian Faith, we note that Islam's bizarre fabrications about Jesus Christ reveal it as an antichrist religion, and are a strong proof against the 'Same God Heresy'.

Below is one of the finest articles on the Resurrection I have ever encountered.

To my Muslim readers, do not be deceived! Learn about the true Jesus and God's love for you, in the Orthodox Christian tradition, and "Come and see" what "Life in Christ" is all about! We are waiting for you with open arms!

Christ is Risen!

Indeed He is Risen!

_______

The Resurrection of Christ and the Rise of Christianity
by Fr. Steven C. Kostoff

The Myrrhbearing Women encounter the angel at the empty tomb: "Why do you seek the Living among the dead?" (MT 28:1-8, MK 16:1-8, LK 24:1-9, JN 20:1-2, 11-13)

Orthodox Christians believe that the New Testament Church and the Christian faith itself appeared at a particular point in history because the crucified Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead. The cause behind the emergence of the Church and the Christian Faith was not a crucified, dead and buried Jesus. Rather, that very crucified, dead and buried Jesus was revealed to be both Lord and Christ following His Resurrection “on the third day.” 

God vindicated the messianic claims of Jesus when He raised Jesus from the dead “according to the Scriptures.” Contemporary Orthodox Christians readily agree with the Apostle Paul’s insistence on the absolute centrality of the bodily resurrection of Christ as the foundation of Christian faith in Jesus: "If Christ is not raised, then your faith is in vain and our preaching is in vain” (1 Cor. 15). Among all Christians this has been an overwhelming consensus since the initial witness of the apostles to the Risen Lord.

But since the emergence of critical biblical scholarship within the last two centuries or so, we find Christian scholars and those influenced by them questioning, reinterpreting or openly denying the bodily resurrection of Jesus. This process may be more accelerated today, or simply more prominent and public in its expression. A vivid – if not lurid - expression of this skeptical approach to the resurrection claims of the first Christians can be found in the work of the New Testament scholar Dom Dominic Crossan. In his reconstruction of events, the body of the crucified Jesus was discarded in a shallow grave, there to suffer the further humiliation of becoming the food of ravenous dogs. That is also the kind of counter-claim that will attract a good deal of publicity.