Bibles for the Middle East

Saw this link on Buzzflash

http://give.ccci.org/featured/middleeast-cw/

now that gives me the creeps

will be very offended by Christians coming into their country, denouncing their religion, and treating them as heathens who need to be converted? . . . many offended to the point of violence? . . . how dare they presume that their "truth" is the only truth? . . . and that God speaks only through them? . . . talk about hubris . . .

I agree with nearly all of what you say, except for the part about "presume that their "truth" is the only truth". Everyone should presume this, in my view. One should acknowledge that one may be wrong, but if one believes that Christianity is not completely wrong one *has* to believe that Islam is, and vice versa, I think (or one can think that both are, of course).

Ecumenism is a good idea when it consists of saying "Even though I think you are wrong, we can be friends", but I don't approve of saying "Even though I believe things that contradict your beliefs, your beliefs may be right too". To be fair, the *effects* of that kind of thought are usually good, and it's practitioners are usually good people, but it's still indicative of fuzzy thinking.

I think one has a duty to respect one's neighbour, but not to respect his beliefs. The problem with these people is that they don't even respect their neighbour.

I will never fully understand this strange acceptance on the Left of the unbelievable intolerance in the Muslim World.

Do I think being a Christian missionary in the Middle east is the wisest move? No. But I don't think we should criticize Christian "hubris" while accepting that Muslims are naturally murderous (as your post suggests).

Although many are moving, fearing a new theocratic government. Historically, Islamic countries have often been tolerant of Jews & Christians--but the "new" theocracies are a bit more fanatical.

Muslims know about Jesus & revere him as a prophet. I can't imagine them being impressed by simple-minded bible-thumpers.

And they all still have substantial Christian populations (Iraq less so today...many fled under Saddam and many more are fleeing now).

The problem with these people is that they aren't so interested in targeting Muslims as they are the current Christians. Most Middle Eastern Christians today are either Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Jacobite, and the protestant churches generally regard all three of these religions as heretical and un-Christian. Their goal is to "save" these "false Christians" by converting them to one of the many evangelical protestant faiths, so they can in turn preach among their neighbors in an effort to re-Christianize the middle east.

The problem is that they stand on the verge of undoing a millennia of peaceful compromise. The middle eastern Muslims have had an unspoken contract with their Christian neighbors since shortly after the Arab conquests that followed the rise of Islam. The agreement was simple: You don't try to convert us, and we won't kill you. By converting them to an evangelical form of Christianity, they are simply inflaming Arab sentiment against the Christians and are starting the entire region down the path to a Christian pogrom.

in town..all the clowns are getting out!:crazy:

Where do they think bibles came from? Europe? There were Christians in Iraq before there ever was a fundamentalist hayseed south and plain states in the US.

is a Christian. They could ask him to hand them out on the streets of Bahgdad as community service.

The mandate of the born-again is to go into all the world and preach (minister) this gospel... so they are doing what they are supposed to do and will do until Jesus returns.

that applies to silly evangelical Christians as well as to Muslims.

Most of the Muslim world has no freedom of religion. In Saudi Arabia, Christians are not allowed to pray even in the privacy of their own home. If the Saudis are aware you are Jewish, you won't be allowed to enter the country. (Western oil companies are careful not to assign their Jewish employees to that country.) Judenrein is what the Germans called this. Blasphemy (criticizing the Prophet) carries the death penalty in countries such as Pakistan. This is sometimes code for Christian evangelization.

Even Muslim countries that "tolerate" Christians and Jews generally have very strict control on them. No new churches can be built and no proselytization is allowed. Special taxes must be payed by these minorities. Polytheists such as Hindus are not tolerated at all.

I by no means support the current war, and I think we should get the hell out of the middle east now. But I have little sympathy for these Muslim regimes.

to do with freedom of religion -- in fact it is its opposite.

It is the most demeaning, hateful and perverted thing someone could be compelled to do. What pathology do they harbor about themselves that they feel compelled to make other people believe what they believe -- is it the real doubt that they harbor within but deny?