The New Iconoclasm and the Triumph of Orthodoxy

Seventh Ecumenical Council

At the Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers this evening, the homily included a very compelling presentation of the iconoclast heresy, complete with its historical context. Fr Justin elaborated on one of the more interesting facets of the iconoclast movement of the 8th century, the influence of Islam on the Byzantine Empire, specifically Emperor Leo III. Although iconoclasm did not spring fully formed from Islam, the Mohammedan tendency to reject images (especially Christian images which assert Christ as God Incarnate, and most especially therefore images of the Cross) often led to Muslim destruction of Orthodox churches, icons and crosses. Leo III may indeed have felt strongly motivated to adopt an aggressive iconoclastic stance in large measure to ally himself with the ideology of Muslim aggressors threatening Byzantium, thus hopefully appeasing the belligerent caliph. One Orthodox writer sums up the historical scene this way:

In the 8th century, the religion of Islam supplied one of the major forces in favor of iconoclasm. A notable example of this pressure came from the caliph Iezid II (720-724), who “ordered the destruction of all pictures in Christian churches within his dominions” (Edward James Martin, A History of the Iconoclastic Controversy, p. 23). Considering the warring relations consistently endured by nations bordering the Muslims, it is not difficult to imagine why an unscrupulous state official (such as the Emperor) might think it advantageous to proactively destroy certain elements likely to cause friction with neighboring aggressors. Source

We see a similar phenomenon in play today, whenever our political leaders turn a blind eye to Muslim persecution of Christians in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Indonesia and elsewhere in the Islamic world, choosing instead to side with the Muslim Brotherhood in its efforts to establish shariah law with its institutionalized discrimination of Christians, Jews and other non-Muslims. Politicians who do not openly condemn the unbridled genocidal behavior and teachings of Muslim mobs and Islamic governments are complicit in mass murder by their silence.

This is exactly what the Obama State Department has chosen to do by ignoring persecution of Christians in Muslim countries. (See also here.)  (The Administration had also banned from its National Security documents and training any mention of the ideology of jihad and anything which might reflect negatively on Islam, thus preventing those entrusted with national defense from identifying and combatting the threat.)  Much concern and outrage has rightly been raised over Obama's Health and Human Services assault on American Christians and our Freedom of Religion through the abortion/contraception/sterilization mandate contained in Obamacare. Couple that with the Administration's stance in support of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamic extremists and we see a broad pattern of anti-Christian activism conducted in an apparent effort to court the favor of the Islamic world. The tacit acceptance of Muslim persecution of Christians in the Islamic world, and this New Iconoclasm here at home, are blatant attempts to drive Christianity out of the public square and hammer away at it until Christians are cowed and intimidated into silence. The Christian conscience is under attack, no less than in 726 A.D. when Leo III started smashing the holy icons.

Complementary to the Obama Administration's anti-Christian, pro-Islamist agenda is a direct assault on Orthodox Christianity in the teaching of certain Christian leaders, educators, theologians and even hierarchs and clergy, only instead of iconoclasm, their heresy is one of softness, appeasement and flattery. In my book, Facing Islam, I term it the 'Same God Heresy', namely, the idea that Muslims worship the same God as Christians. Put another way, it is the false teaching that Allah of Islam is the same One True God whom we worship as Trinity, only Muslims worship him differently, as absolute oneness. Christians who buy into this false teaching often state their position using the language of epistemological and religious relativism; e.g. "Muslim and Christian conceptions of God are quite different, but they worship the same God." This is a double apostasy, for it reduces the Christian revelation to a subjective, human conception and equates it to the Muslim conception of God. Such a position of course is the complete negation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and a direct rejection of Orthodox dogma. 

The Same God teaching is also an ontological fallacy, for Allah and the Blessed Trinity could not be more dissimilar in their revelations given to man. When we look at even a few passages of the Koran, we see the matter could not be more clear:

The similitude of Isa (Jesus) before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”: And he was. (Sura 3:59)

Say not “Trinity”: desist: It will be better for you: For God is One God: Glory be to Him: (Far Exalted is He) above having a son. . . . (Sura 4:173)

In blasphemy indeed are those that say that God is Christ the Son of Mary. (Sura 5:19)

They do blaspheme who say: “God is Christ the son of Mary . . .” They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them (Sura 5:75,78)

Christ the son of Mary was no more than an Apostle; many were the apostles that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how God doth make His Signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth! (Sura 5:78)

The Jews call 'Uzair a son of God, and the Christians call Christ the Son of God. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. God's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth! (Sura 9:30)

In fact, they never killed him, they never crucified him — they were made to think that they did. All factions who are disputing in this matter are full of doubt concerning this issue. They possess no knowledge; they only conjecture. For certain, they never killed him. (Sura 4:157)

A child in my parish's Sunday School could see that these Koranic verses reject Christ's divinity, reject the Blessed Trinity, and reject the crucifixion (which echoes the ancient heresy of Docetism). Yet learned scholars and even clergy blandly teach the Same God heresy. Other passages in the Koran spin a bizarre, fabricated tale of a "different Jesus" (2 Cor. 11:3-5) obviously patched together from fragments of the second century gnostic gospel of Barnabas and the fanciful false infancy gospel of Thomas. In spite of the Koran's anti-Christian, heretical nature, yet we see  the Ecumenical Patriarch give copies of the Koran as gifts, seeming to endorse it in doing so. Since, in Islam, the Koran is considered to be the literal and inerrant words of Allah, and the Koran is explicitly and irreconcilably anti-Christian, therefore the presumed source of the Koran, Allah, cannot be the same as the Triune Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

In spite of this simple clarity (and numerous other proofs against the same God teaching, which I present in my book), we see the afore-mentioned Same God proponents flattering Muslims by acceding to and repeating central tenets of Islamic dawah (missionary teaching), such as Allah being the God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, and the notion that Muhammad was "an apostle, a man of God" (Patriarch Parthenius of Alexandria). The Purpose-Driven pastor Rick Warren is deep into this realm, having launched a Peace initiative with Southern California mosques where they affirm to worship the Same God, and agree not to evangelize among Muslims. And so Truth is betrayed and Christ is denied for some vague sense of "peace."

The New Iconoclasm is a betrayal of Christ by equating a false god (Allah) with the True God. As with the iconoclast heresy of the eighth century, the Same God Heresy is also a direct assault on the Church and the Faithful. One of the most pernicious effects of this false teaching is the confusion and wasted energy it introduces into the life of the Orthodox Church. Like other contemporary assaults against the Faith (same-sex marriage, abortion, secularism in general, etc.), the Same God Heresy saps the vitality of the Church, and dampens efforts at missions, especially missions among Muslims. Why should Orthodox Christians share the Gospel with Muslims if (in the words of one Antiochian bishop)  "Islam and Christianity are 90% the same, and only differ regarding the Divinity of Christ?"  And why would Muslims feel drawn to Christ if Christians do not incarnate Him before their eyes, but rather adopt an "I'm okay, you're okay" milk toast theology of equivalency?

Yet our task should be to pivot from false teachings, and use our repudiation of the Same God Heresy as an opportunity to seize the high ground, and proclaim the Truth of our Faith boldly and without reservation. If Christ be for us, who can be against us?

Once we come to the Truth, we are called to share it: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19). The Truth is a Person. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him (Jn 14:6).  "This is the True God, and Eternal Life," says the Beloved Apostle. And he closes his letter by warning, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 Jn 5:21).  The Same God Concept is just such a false idol.

Deacon George (Yuri) Maximov, of the Moscow Theological Academy, and co-laborer of New Martyr Missionary Priest Fr Daniel Sysoev of Moscow (†2009), offered this admonition:

Among those who call themselves Orthodox, I have met such strange people who say that Fr. Daniel should not preach to Muslims, that one must respect their religion, and that there is no benefit from his preaching. But Fr. Daniel thought, as did the Lord, the Apostles, and all the saints, that one must respect mistaken people but not their mistakes. Truth is one, that which contradicts and negates truth is a lie, and respect for a lie is contempt for the truth.

Ultimately, turning to Christ — embracing the Truth — for each one of us, can be our own personal Triumph of Orthodoxy. And what better time to do so than during Great Lent. This is how we can triumph over the New Iconoclasm. Therefore, to embolden us all, myself being most in need, I post here the Anathemas from the Service for the Triumph of Orthodoxy.  (Note, we do not present the Anathemas to our neighbor as part of our missionary efforts. The Anathemas are intended for the Church, to strengthen the faithful and serve as a corrective rebuke to false teachers and straying hierarchs and clergy. God willing, future postings will emphasize missions among Muslims.)

This is the faith of the apostles! This is the faith of the fathers! This is the Orthodox faith! This faith has established the universe! 

Furthermore, we accept and confirm the councils of the holy fathers, and their traditions and writings which are agreeable to divine revelation. 

And though the enemies of Orthodoxy oppose this providence and the saving revelation of the Lord, yet the Lord has considered the reproaches of His servants, for He mocks those who blaspheme His Glory, and has challenged the enemies of Orthodoxy and put them to flight. 

As we therefore bless and praise those who have obeyed the divine revelation and have fought for it; so we reject and anathematize those who oppose this truth, if while waiting for their return and repentance, they refuse to turn again to the Lord; and in this we follow the sacred tradition of the ancient Church, holding fast to her traditions. 

To those who deny the existence of God, and assert that the world is self-existing, and that all things in it occur by chance, and not by the providence of God, Anathema! 

All: Anathema! (and so after each exclamation) 

Deacon: To those who say that God is not spirit, but flesh; or that He is not just, merciful, wise and all-knowing, and utter similar blasphemies, Anathema! 

To those who dare to say that the Son of God and also the Holy Spirit are not one in essence and of equal honor with the Father, and confess that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not one God, Anathema! 

To those who foolishly say that the coming of the Son of God into the world in the flesh, and His voluntary passion, death, and resurrection were not necessary for our salvation and the cleansing of sins, Anathema! 

To those who reject the grace of redemption preached by the Gospel as the only means of our justification before God, Anathema! 

To those who dare to say that the all-pure Virgin Mary was not virgin before giving birth, during birthgiving, and after her child-birth, Anathema! 

To those who do not believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the prophets and apostles, and by them taught us the true way to eternal salvation, and confirmed this by miracles, and now dwells in the hearts of all true and faithful Christians, and teaches them in all truth, Anathema! 

To those who reject the immortality of the soul, the end of time, the future judgement, and eternal reward for virtue and condemnation for sin, Anathema! 

To those who reject all the holy mysteries held by the Church of Christ, Anathema! 

To those who reject the Councils of the holy fathers and their traditions, which are agreeable to divine revelation and kept piously by the Orthodox Church, Anathema! 

To those who mock and profane the holy images and relics which the holy Church receives as revelations of God's work and of those pleasing to Him, to inspire their beholders with piety, and to arouse them to follow these examples; and to those who say that they are idols, Anathema! 

To those who dare to say and teach that our Lord Jesus Christ did not descend to earth, but only seemed to; or that He did not descend to the earth and become incarnate only once, but many times, and who likewise deny that the true Wisdom of the Father is His only-begotten Son, Anathema! 

To the followers of the occult, spiritualists, wizards, and all who do not believe in the one God, but honor the demons; or who do not humbly give their lives over to God, but strive to learn the future through sorcery, Anathema!

The 'Same God' Belief: a Fatal Heresy and a Theological Trojan Horse

Time again for an extended refutation of the "Same God" position.

The “Same God” belief is a "Theological Trojan Horse" for Christians, as it contains within it the seeds of apostasy, and predisposes its adherents to deny Jesus Christ.

I recently enjoyed a correspondence with a fellow who goes by the name of Giorgio, and who is quite a thoughtful theological writer. He asks:

Dear Zosimas, I was reading your blog and noticed in your featured post, you refer to the “Same God Heresy” – I assume by this you mean “Muslims and Christians worship the same God” is heretical. I was surprised to see this, since this seems contrary to what our saints have taught and also to reason (not that there is a difference, since the saints were very reasonable people). 

I argue this here, if you care to look... I would be interested in hearing your opinion about it. Sincerely, Giorgio

A couple of excerpts from Giorgio's article (do read the entire piece for his closely reasoned argument):

...whoever does not know God’s essence cannot love God, and it is clear that whoever does not love God cannot worship Him. But whoever does know God’s essence can, to at least a certain extent, love God and in this way be said to worship Him. 

By essence we mean that which makes God, God. But God is not God in virtue of being triune, or in virtue of being omnipotent, but by the fact that there is no distinction between His existence and His essence. For this reason, when Moses asks God who He is, God responds by saying: I am The One Who Is (Exodus 3:14, LXX). 

This is not to say that God being triune, His omnipotence, or His holiness are mere accidents, but rather properties which flow from His essence without being included in it, as St. John Damascene says in the fourth chapter of his exposition on the Orthodox faith: 

"All that we can affirm concerning God does not show forth God’s nature, but only the qualities of His nature. For when you speak of Him as good, and just, and wise, and so forth, you do not tell God’s nature but only the qualities of His nature. "

Now since Muslims generally acknowledge that God is He Who Is, they therefore grasp His essence and so can be said to know Him and worship Him. 

Like Muslims, the pagans were unaware of the Trinity, yet St. Paul did not say [in Acts 17:22-23] they worshipped a different God, but rather applauded them for worshipping God to the best of their abilities. The Apostle writes elsewhere: 

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made "(Romans 1:20). 

Here he clearly states that one may attain knowledge of God without revelation – therefore Muslims can be said to have some knowledge of God and worship Him. This is also clear from what St. John Damascene writes about knowledge of God’s existence and essence in the beginning of his exposition on the Orthodox faith, especially when he says in the eighth chapter that: We believe, then, in One God … believed in and ministered to by all rational creation.

First of all, it is not clear that in Islam there is any sense of "loving" God, hence some of the terminology used is wholly inappropriate to an honest discussion of Islam and Allah. In Islam, Allah is classically presented as being so "other", so utterly transcendent and beyond, that he is ultimately beyond the grasp of humans to know him, let alone love him. Islam calls man to be slaves of Allah, not to love him.

Secondly, there is no consistent, universal teaching of the saints in the Orthodox Church on the god of Islam being the same as the True God who sent His Only Begotten Son into the world for our salvation. In fact, a few quick quotes makes clear that several great Fathers of the Church seem to repudiate the "Same God" position:

"It is true that Muhammad started from the east and came to the west, as the sun travels from east to west. Nevertheless he came with war, knives, pillaging, forced enslavement, murders, and acts that are not from the good God but instigated by the chief manslayer, the devil." ~ St. Gregory Palamas (14th c.)

"...the vengeful and God-hating Saracens, the abomination of desolation clearly foretold to us by the prophets, overrun the places which are not allowed to them, plunder cities, devastate fields, burn down villages, set on fire the holy churches, overturn the sacred monasteries... Moreover, they are raised up more and more against us and increase their blasphemy of Christ and the church, and utter wicked blasphemies against God." ~ St. Sophronius of Jerusalem

St John of Damascus writes very strongly against Islam and Muhammad at the start of his section on the new religion in his Fount of Knowledge, which leaves it open to debate as to whether or not he would agree with my description of the Same God position as a heresy. Indeed, in our time, it may need to be defined in Council as a heresy, due to the danger it poses to the faithful who carelessly adhere to it.:

Crucifixion in Islam: As Christians ascend their Golgotha, the Great Winnowing accelerates

Islam's fixation on crucifixion reveals much about the false religion of Muhammad, and leaves no excuse for Christians who have yet to renounce the "Same God Heresy."

By Ralph Sidway

Orthodox, Coptic and Oriental Christians celebrated Pascha (Christ's Resurrection) on May 1 this year. That means we celebrated Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) on Sunday, April 24, commemorating the entire following week — Holy Week or Passion Week — leading to Jesus’ crucifixion, death and burial, and ultimately to his resurrection.

Without minimizing or shying away from Christ’s horrific sufferings, the Orthodox services offer beautiful and moving hymns in praise of Christ and the means of His sacrifice for our salvation: the “Precious and Life-Giving Cross.”

For some profound reflections on the Cross, you may wish to go here or here. (There are of course many superb resources on numerous Orthodox websites.) What I would like to concentrate on instead is the practice of Crucifixion itself, and then look at some implications of this horrific method of torture and execution.

In one of the meditations on the Cross linked to above, the author provides this excerpt from Martin Hengel’s book, Crucifixion:

Crucifixion satisfied the primitive lust for revenge and the sadistic cruelty of individual rulers and of the masses.  It was usually associated with other forms of torture, including at least flogging.  At relatively small expense and to great public effect the criminal could be tortured to death for days in an unspeakable way.  

Crucifixion is thus a specific expression of the inhumanity dormant within men which these days is expressed, for example, in the call for the death penalty, for popular justice and for harsher treatment of criminals, as an expression of retribution.  

It is a manifestation of trans-subjective evil, a form of execution which manifests the demonic character of human cruelty and bestiality. (p. 87)

Screen capture from a recent Islamic crucifixion in Yemen.

It is all too common to view the practice of crucifixion as a form of torture and execution from antiquity which hasn’t been used in nearly two millennia, yet this is hardly the case. 

In fact, crucifixion is a standard means of execution in Saudi Arabia, and there is a growing movement among Islamists (ISIS and others) to bring back crucifixion as the preferred means of punishment for a variety of crimes, including apostasy from Islam, “fitna,” which is a pliable term which can refer to unbelief or mischief-making, or anything which goes against Islam and Shariah. This is explicitly taught in the Qur’an:

Illinois Christians refuse to accept 'Same God' indoctrination in public school

"Dozens of people spoke out... against a homework assignment made at an Elgin-area U46 school in which it was asserted Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths all believe in the same God..."

"Several people attacked the assignment, quoting Bible and Quran verses to support their argument that Christians do not follow the same God as Muslims."

Bravo for these informed and motivated Christian parents and citizens, who are not afraid to speak truth to power, to rebuke the sinister establishment and Islamic forces arrayed against them.

The "Same God" teaching is a cornerstone of Islamic dawah (proselytization), and is a deceptive "Trojan Horse" theological belief which, on the basis of seeking peace, actually sets up Christians to commit apostasy and deny Jesus Christ, thus cutting themselves off from the grace of God.

Mark Durie warns about this false teaching in his book Revelation: Do We Worship the Same God?:

The traditional Islamic view is that if you want to know what the God of the Bible is like, then read the Koran. Not only must Muslims believe that "we worship the same God," but this message is always a central component of the presentation of Islam to Christians and Jews. 

[This message] provides the lynchpin of Muslims’ efforts to convert the "People of the Book" to the faith of Muhammad. In addition, this belief, once accepted, can lead Christians to support Islamic perspectives in ways other than conversion. For example, embracing this Islamic doctrine wins a measure of respect and even support for Islam from Christians. (Durie, Revelation, pp 50-51, 75-76.)

I refute at length, through several arguments, the Same God Heresy in my book, Facing Islam - What the Ancient Church has to say about the Religion of Muhammad.  For a serious Christian, there really is no other way to think about Islam than as a heresy and a "forerunner of Antichrist" (as St. John of Damascus wrote, and he was in a position to know, living under Muslim rule during Islam's first century). Christians today should be prepared to defend their faith, and to explain why Allah is a false god, and Islam a false religion, put forward by a false prophet, and that its primary purpose is the destruction of Christianity.

That Islam claims to worship the same God, and to venerate Jesus, should provide no comfort to Christians, but rather alarm, when Christians finally wake up, study Islam even a little bit, and learn that Islam teaches that Jesus will return, but as a Muslim, with a vendetta against Christians:

In Islam, Prophet Isa is expected to return, but to condemn the Christians’ misunderstanding of him as divine and to literally destroy Christianity and judge all non- Muslims; the Koran universally brands all unbelievers as “the vilest of creatures” (Sura 98:6). 

The Prophet Isa will be a “good Muslim,” and will direct his followers to the Mahdi, the Muslim messiah, before taking a subservient position somewhat behind the Mahdi. Isa will “fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill the swine and abolish jizya” and establish the rule of Allah throughout the world (Hadith from Sunan Abu Dawud, Book of Battles, 37:4310).  (Facing Islam, p80.)

The "breaking of the cross" by this Muslim Jesus ("Isa") contains within it a clear reference to the Koran's denial that Jesus was crucified:

In fact, they never killed him, they never crucified him — they were made to think that they did. All factions who are disputing in this matter are full of doubt concerning this issue. They possess no knowledge; they only conjecture. For certain, they never killed him. (Sura 4:157)

Liberal and milquetoast Christian academics, who routinely tell us "Muslims and Christians worship the same God," will likely dismiss these sincere and honest Christian citizens as "rubes" and "rednecks," lacking the learning to appreciate the "nuances" of Islam. We, however commend their bravery and zeal in standing against a blatant lie, falsehood and heresy being taught as "fact" in public schools, a brazen attempt to indoctrinate students into Islamic beliefs.

Illinois: Citizens protest school homework claiming Christians, Muslims and Jews all believe in same God

Creeping Sharia, February 4, 2018:

Source: Christians protest religion-themed assignment in Elgin-area school – Elgin Courier-News

Dozens of people spoke out Monday against a homework assignment made at an Elgin-area U46 school in which it was asserted Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths all believe in the same God.

One month after the assignment was criticized by U46 school board member Jeanette Ward, people who identified themselves as part of the Christian community attended the school board meeting Monday to add their opposition.

Several people attacked the assignment, quoting Bible and Quran verses to support their argument that Christians do not follow the same God as Muslims. Some of those who spoke live outside the U46 boundaries, including one person who came from Florida.

“To say that Allah of the Quran and the God of the Bible are the same is simply absurd,” said Art Ellingsen, a church pastor from Arlington Heights.

Worshipping with Muslims?

"Our ultimate goal and divine mandate is not co-existence with Muslims but their conversion—as it is for all the children of men." —Fr. Lawrence Farley

In the below outstanding essay — which may have been prompted in part by the recent Presbyterian Church USA's (PCUSA) General Assembly, at which a Muslim Imam was invited to offer a prayer in which he denied the divinity of Jesus Christ and denigrated Christians — Fr. Lawrence Farley presents in a very gracious way the message I have been stumbling to articulate for the past seven years through my book, Facing Islam, and since early 2011 with this blog.

Fr. Lawrence's essay is one of the most clearly written pieces on Islam and Muslims from a Christian perspective I have yet encountered, and is a welcome antidote to the deeply misleading writings of Metropolitan George Khodr of Lebanon and others who promulgate the "Same God Heresy". Met. George Khodr has written:

I am completely sure that if you are a Christian and you know a lot about Islam and love what you know, your heart will embrace the Muslims around you and if you are educated, you will hold in esteem much from their religion and openly recognize the truth that is in their religion.

Alas, there is not much truth in Islam, the Muslim religion, because Allah himself and Muhammad explicitly reject the Way, the Truth and the Life, Jesus Christ, rejecting the Divinity of Christ, denying that he was even crucified and resurrected, even claiming the New Testament was corrupted to obscure the true teachings of Islam which Jesus brought (!). The Koran repeatedly calls for jihad against Christians who do not convert to Islam or at least submit to its rule. To take but one example:

Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth [i.e. Islam] among the people of the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Koran 9:29)

Met. George Khodr has reversed everything with his confused theology, and is extolling the "truth" of Islam as the reason for Christians to love their Muslim neighbor. This is the complete opposite of the Gospel, and is a form of "soft apostasy." It is merely a more ornately worded version of the PCUSA's simplistic "Same God Heresy."

Rather, as Fr. Lawrence Farley makes clear, Christians are called to love all people, Muslims included, because God loves them. Christ commanded us to love our neighbor, to love even our enemies. We know that God "desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth." And as we know from the Gospel, the truth is not a book or a set of dogmas or teachings. Rather, the Truth is a Person, Jesus Christ. To the extent that we abide in Him, we will seek to share that Truth with others — including and perhaps especially with Muslims.

We do not love Muslims because we venerate their religion and long to find the beauty and truth in it. Rather, we love them because God loves them and we long to be like God. We love them because they are created in the image of God just like we are. We love them in spite of their false, pagan religion and its blatantly evil commands and beliefs. 

And how do we show our love for Muslims? By sharing the Gospel with them, by our deeds, and by our words. May the Lord deliver them from the spiritual deception and delusion inherent in Muhammad and the Koran, and lead them into the freedom and light of Jesus Christ.

Worshipping with Muslims
by Fr. Lawrence Farley, No Other Foundation, July 8, 2016:

In the current cultural debate over Islam, we sometimes meet people who rush to defend Islam and assert that Muslims and Christians both worship the same God. Sometimes they give liturgical expression to this assertion, and participate in joint Muslim-Christian worship services, in which both the Qur’an and the Bible are read. 

What are we to think of this? Can Muslims and Christians unite in worship? Is it true that they both worship the same God?

The question is deceptively complex, and since Islam post-dates the New Testament by six centuries, the New Testament cannot be expected to provide a direct answer. But the New Testament does help answer a similar question: Do pagans and Christians worship the same God? There were differences obviously, since paganism worshipped many gods and Christianity was staunchly monotheistic. But paganism did in some way dimly acknowledge that there was a supreme god of sorts, called Zeus or Jupiter (depending upon one’s geography). Could Zeus and the God of the Christians be more or less identified?

The answer (frustratingly for those who like to scream about such things on Facebook) is: Yes and No. 

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:

The Same God Heresy - Part 4: End of Days & Eschatology

Jesus is coming soon, but which Jesus?  — "The radically opposite end times teachings of Islam and Christianity rest on radically opposite views of Jesus."

End of Days & Eschatology

(Continued from Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3)

by Ralph H. Sidway

The “End of Days,” or Eschatology, also referred to as the Apocalypse, reveals much about Islam and Christianity, and the Same God Question. If you want to understand any belief system, look at what it teaches about Origin and Fulfillment, Beginning and End, about Ultimate Things.

Christian Anthropology and the Destiny of Man

Before getting into actual Eschatology, I suggest we look at a critical corollary, the question of Christian anthropology. Who and What is Man (and Woman)? Why were they created? What is their destiny? These are not philosophical or existential questions here, they are ultimate questions about our very existence. 

Significantly, Islam does not share this central view of Man's nature, of his being created in the image and likeness of God. In Islam, man is at best a slave, and is not to question Allah's will, even when Allah orders him to kill:

"Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not." — Koran 2:216 [1]

Christians believe Mankind is created in God's image and according to His likeness, per the creation passages in Genesis (Gen. 1:26-28, 5:1-4), but that Adam and Eve fell through disobedience and believing the serpent, who was trying to convince them to become gods without God. The import of the Creation story is summed up in Genesis 5:

In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. And Adam… begot a son in his own likeness, after his image… (Gen 5:1-3)

The Same-God Heresy: Gateway to Apostasy (Part 1)

Rod Dreher's sincere confusion on a fundamental theological point brings the “Same God” question out into the public square.


Introduction: An Epistemological Malady

by Ralph H. Sidway

(See also Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

Professor Larycia Hawkins

I am thankful for Rod Dreher’s December 17, 2015 post, “Muslim God, Christian God”, even if I am deeply saddened by it.

Dreher is grappling with one of the most important questions of our age, prompted by Wheaton College’s suspension of a professor over this very question. Dreher cites Wheaton’s statement:

On December 15, 2015, Wheaton College placed Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Larycia Hawkins on paid administrative leave in order to give more time to explore theological implications of her recent public statements concerning Christianity and Islam…  

[Her] recently expressed views, including that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, appear to be in conflict with the College’s Statement of Faith.

And so, we launch into the theological deep-end, with the “Same God” question finally being brought out into the public square. You can read the whole thing, which for all its obvious sincerity is hopelessly muddled, but I think that’s part of Dreher’s point.

I commend Dreher for his honesty, especially this section (emphasis added):

To be honest, I’ve never thought at all about whether Muslims pray to the same God as Christians. The Catholic Church teaches that they do, and that was my belief when I was a Catholic, though I never gave it a minute’s thought. I don’t know what I believe now, to be honest. We know that Muslims do not pray to the Holy Trinity — but this is also true of Jews.  

Don’t Christians (most Christians) believe that Jews pray to the one true God, even if they have an imperfect understanding of His nature? If this is true for Jews, why not also for Muslims, who clearly adhere to an Abrahamic religion? This is why my tendency is to assume that Muslims do pray to the one true God, even though they have a radically impaired view of Him. 

But how far do we go with that?

How far indeed!

The Church Fathers would have plenty to say about this, including a vigorous denial — based on the Scriptures — of the statement that Islam is an “Abrahamic religion.” 

Do all Religions have the same Heavenly Father?

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew asserts so, and quite a bit more along with it, as in these pronouncements:

“We are all created by God and as such we are all brothers and sisters. We have the same heavenly Father, whatever we call him.” 

“God is but one, independently of the name we give him, Allah or Yahweh, and so on. God is one and we are his children.”

In addition to these recent deceptive remarks, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has absurdly written (without any trace of irony) of a “dialogue of loving truth” with Islam, of Orthodoxy having for centuries “coexisted peacefully” with Islam. He also projects the chimera of an “interfaith commitment... still felt and lived by Greeks [and] Turks” (Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Encountering the Mystery, Doubleday, 2008, pp xxxvii, 196, 174).

As students of history know, Islam has no history of dialoguing or coexisting peacefully with any non-Muslim peoples, and has waged relentless warfare against the Christian world since the very time of Muhammad, slaughtering, enslaving and subjugating millions over the centuries, right up to our own day. Islam offers peace only at the blade of the scimitar, as Allah commands in the Koran:

Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth [i.e. Islam] among the people of the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Q 9:29)

Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush. (Q 9:5) 

I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite over all their fingers and toes. (Q 8:12)

Bartholomew is not the first Ecumenical Patriarch to preach the heresy of ecumenism and openly defend Islam and Muhammad (why would a Christian bishop do such a thing?):

"The Prophet Muhammad is an apostle, He is a man of God, who worked for the Kingdom of God... When I speak against Islam, then I am not found in agreement with God" (Patriarch Parthenius of Alexandria, Orthodoxos Typos 854, May 1982).

I have written about this deplorable trend among recent Ecumenical Patriarchs in my book, Facing Islam, warning about Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's absolutely bizarre, obsequious, and anti-Christian statements about Islam, in which he blunders into the Same God Heresy:

"As with some recent Ecumenical Patriarchs, Bartholomew eventually ventures too far, as when he calls for the tearing down of 'the wall of separation between East and West, between Muslims and Christians, between all religions of the world,' and when he writes warmly, 'One who achieves the state of inner peace in relation to God is a true Muslim' (Encountering the Mystery, pp 205, 209). 

"This meme concerning Islam (and world religions) is not unique; it springs not from Christian tradition, but directly from the pan-ecumenist movement, and it resonates with the spirit of our times..." (Facing Islam, xxxi)

In the below article, Orthodox priest and author Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis shines the bright light of Truth, the Light of Jesus Christ, on EP Bartholomew's false and fuzzy theology.

Do all Religions have the same Heavenly Father?

by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis, Over The Rooftops, June 15, 2014:

"WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS" Are we? First in Jerusalem (May 27, 2014), and more recently in Rome (June 8, 2014), Patriarch Bartholomew hammers the message of universal brotherhood with intra-Christian and interfaith prayer services (which according to the canons of the Orthodox Church are prohibited) and with statements and declarations to that effect.

Back on Nov. 2, 2009 in an interview Patriarch Bartholomew had given to Charlie Rose he had stated: “We are all created by God and as such we are all brothers and sisters. We have the same heavenly Father, whatever we call him.” Charlie interrupted the Patriarch: “All religions have the same heavenly Father?” “Of course,” was the Patriarch’s reply, adding: “God is but one, independently of the name we give him, Allah or Yahweh, and so on. God is one and we are his children.”

Although the two statements (everyone believes in the same God; and, we are all his children) appear to be self-proclaimed truths, for us Orthodox Christians (and to me, as I understand my faith), they are erroneous, outrageous and totally unacceptable. If the Patriarch is correct what meaning do the words, “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no Savior” (Is. 43:10b-11)? 

Organize a Parish Study Group on Islam

"My people perish for lack of knowledge..." — Hosea 4:6

Not where I was this week, where much knowledge is being shared.

This past Tuesday I was the guest speaker at a monthly parish study group on Islam. It was a great experience, and I commend founders/organizers John and Bill for doing this important work, all on a volunteer basis.

We had some excellent discussions, with everyone in the group sharing some piece of news or information which they had gathered since the September meeting.

Launched about a year and a half ago, the group has studied a wide range of materials to learn more about Islam and the challenges it poses for the West generally and Orthodox Christians in particular. They are currently watching in serial form a BBC documentary on the life of Muhammad, and comparing it to actual Islamic source texts, including the Koran, the Sira, and the hadiths, in order to give a complete picture.

I strongly encourage Orthodox Christians who are seeking to do something to educate themselves and their brothers and sisters to replicate this concept and create a study group. There are literally 4-years' worth of material right here on this site:

• Start with Islam 101 for an overview. 

• On the left-hand column you can explore the lives of martyrs and the teachings of various Saints and Church Fathers on Islam. 

• The right-hand column features several excellent books which you can assign as study projects. 

• The special page on New-Martyr Fr. Daniil Sysoev has a wealth of material, as well as providing one of the most encouraging examples of fearless and authentic Christian witness for our darkening days.

• Study the resources for the Centennial commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

• Explore the uplifting Conversion Stories and the page Especially For Muslims.

You can do this. You need to do this.

As something of a follow-up to our discussions from Tuesday night, here is a brief survey, with links for further reading, on key topics we covered:

Refuting the Same God Heresy: See this post, The New Iconoclasm and the Triumph of Orthodoxy. There are many other posts which you can explore by entering "Same God Heresy" into the Search field. Of course, my book, Facing Islam, was written primarily to destroy the satanic heresy which asserts that Allah of Islam is the same as the True God. Order it from my online store and prepare yourself for the trials ahead.

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. 

The Same-God Heresy: Gateway to Apostasy (Part 2)

"Christianity and Islam cannot both be true. The Allah of Islam is directly, and in a specific, vigorous manner, opposed to the Christian God... In the Islamic view, Jews and Christians alike are under Allah’s judgment and wrath. "


Allah’s Theological Jihad against Christianity

by Ralph H. Sidway

(Continued from Part 1- See also Part 3, Part 4)

The Koran: words against the Word.

The first problem for a Christian who affirms that Muslims worship the same God, is that such a Christian has to contend with the Koran, which Muslims believe to be the unalterable, eternal words of God, revealed to Muhammad alone, which pre-existed in heaven before all eternity. 

Allah in the Koran explicitly condemns the foundational truths of the Christian Way, calls Christians “blasphemers” and “deluded”, and pronounces curses on Christians:

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.”

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.

'Breaking of the Crosses in North Carolina' continued: It's worse than we first thought

"[Pastor Jim] Melnyk said he has personally worshiped Allah with Muslims during interfaith gatherings in Raleigh... "

Journalist Leo Hohmann shines a light on the galloping apostasy in mainline Protestant churches, as typified in this story of how good intentions and generous hearts, cut off from the truth and fullness of the apostolic faith, can lead Christians to embrace a false god, false prophet, and false religion.

I look at this travesty as a 'teachable moment', and have provided commentary throughout the article.

Related:

'Breaking of the Crosses' in North Carolina: Christian leaders welcome conversion of church into mosque

Worshipping with Muslims? — "Our ultimate goal and divine mandate is not co-existence with Muslims but their conversion—as it is for all the children of men." —Fr. Lawrence Farley

Christian pastor in Bible Belt admits personally worshiping Allah
Muslim deity takes over church as leaders claim to honor 'same god'
by Leo Hohmann, WND, May 15, 2017

A former church has been taken over and converted to a mosque in a rural North Carolina county, and a group of Christian pastors took part in the conversion ceremony in an effort to show mutual respect for their Muslim neighbors. 

Crosses have been removed from the former church’s facade and steeple, and mosque leader Ali Muhammad turned them over to the group of pastors. 

“What they were attempting to do is honor our tradition and so they wanted to turn the crosses over to us,” said the Rev. Jim Melnyk, pastor of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Smithfield, a small town in Johnston County about 45 minutes south of Raleigh. “They were reaching out to us, and we were reaching out to them.” 

No, Rev. Melnyk.

They were symbolically "breaking the crosses", an eschatological sign of their belief in the ultimate triumph of Islam over Christianity, and then they duped you into thanking them for doing it.

Melnyk said he was joined by pastors from the United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ and three different Baptist congregations at Saturday’s ceremony, which marked the official conversion of a former Pentecostal church into a mosque. One lay person from the local Presbyterian Church was also present for the “celebration.” 

Melnyk told WND the mosque had reached out to the local churches through an interfaith group in Raleigh and was hoping to strike a welcoming and respectful tone for the two faiths. 

Melnyk said Christianity and Islam “share common origins and scriptures” and that he felt it was the right thing to do to participate in the mosque opening as a show of respect for Islam, a fellow monotheistic faith. 

“Christians, Jews and Muslims are all people of the book, and we all claim what the Hebrew Scriptures call the Abrahamic faith,” Melnyk told WND. “We call it the Old Testament, and Muslims also claim the Bible.” 

No, Rev. Melnyk.

This naive and false theology and history expressed by Rev. Melnyk is the perfect summation of why the Same God position is so dangerous.  Islam does not "share common origins and scriptures" with Christianity. To say so is to assert that Islam and Christianity are spiritually and ontologically linked, stemming from the same source, with the equally false implication that they are spiritually equivalent, leading their followers to the same destination.

Rather, Muhammad sought to appropriate Christianity and Judaism, retelling in the Koran, as Allah's mouthpiece, various events in the Old and New Testaments, yet in narratives with significant, irreconcilable differences from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, and always with the same purpose, the assertion that Islam was always the true religion, that Abraham, Moses, and even Jesus, were true Muslims, but that the Jews and Christians distorted their scriptures to conceal the true Islamic teaching.

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.

"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).

What About the Violence in the Old Testament?

This essay, by Orthodox priest Fr. John Whiteford, tackles one of the perennial challenges posed by not only atheists, but all those who hold to the fallacy of religious universalism or equivalency. Those who hold this view consider Islam as functionally no different from Christianity or Judaism, and point to the violence in the Old Testament (specifically God's commands to Israel to wage war) to make their point.

Of course, there is a functional difference between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. In the context of God's commands alone, Islam considers Allah's commands to wage jihad and subdue the whole world under the rule of Allah as a perpetual command. This is the mainstream view in Islam, and is taught in 80% of the mosques in the U.S.A., not merely in Islamic countries where Muslims openly oppress Christians and other non-Muslims.

What About the Violence in the Old Testament?
by Fr John Whiteford

Question: "What are we to make of passages of Scripture in the Old Testament in which God commanded  the Israelites to slaughter entire cities or tribes, including the women and children? How do we square such a vengeful God with the merciful God we find in the New Testament?"

This is a question that is often raised by atheists to attack the Christian Faith, but it is also raised by sincere laymen who are unsure of how we should understand these passages. To answer the question requires that we consider several issues, and not look at the question in a superficial way.

What is interesting is that people do not generally raise moral objections to the flood in the days of Noah, even though every man, woman, and child, except Noah's family, was drowned. Nor do they raise moral objections to the fact that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even though women and children were no doubt killed. And no one raises moral objections when the Scriptures talk about God sending other nations to destroy the Israelites, even though men, women, and children were killed as a result.

The problem we have with God telling the Israelites to kill women and children is that we live in a rationalistic age, and people are not so sure God really talked to people like Joshua. Also, we don't want folks to go around killing people because they claim God told them to do it. But if God could wipe out a city with fire and brimstone, there's no reason why He couldn't do it via the Israelites if that was indeed His choice. And so if He did indeed tell the Israelites to utterly destroy a city, He had the sovereign right to do so, and the people of Israel, who had seen so many miracles worked by God had every reason to believe that God was speaking to them through, Joshua, and later through their Judges. The Church has not taken this as a precedence, but has seen it as something of literal application only to that specific time and place. The applications we can make from these passages today would be primarily of an allegorical nature, from a patristic perspective.