SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #199B ---- 10/28/01
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
A personal letter of encouragement to you, written solely to "lift up hands that hang down".
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SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #199B ---- 10/28/01
TITLE: "More On Islam"
My Dear Friend:
Following a letter Monday from a friend referring to the fourth series "BreakPoint" letter by Charles Colson, I felt I wanted to send it along to you in order to complete the set of five, allbeit a bit late. They are excellent. This one particularly exposes the actual intolerance the Islamic religion has toward all other religions, particularly Judaism and Christianity.
There are some other bits of information I've included as well.
Have a great day. I'm about finished on Monday's regular letter, and am excited about what God is showing me and impressing me to share with you.
ISLAMIC INTOLERANCE:
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BreakPoint Commentary - October 18, 2001
Understanding Islam and Tolerance: Islam Series 4
By Charles W. Colson
In nearly every discussion about Islam we're told that Islam is, among other things, a "tolerant" religion.
Is Islam really a tolerant faith? According to some historians, the historical record is far from clear on this score.
One example of Islam's tolerance that is often cited is the treatment of Jews and Christians living in Islamic societies. We are told that Jews and Christians were freer to practice their faith in places like medieval Baghdad and Southern Spain than Jews were in Christian Europe.
Now there's no denying Christians weren't as tolerant as they should have been. But this characterization of Islam's treatment of Jews and Christians, is, according to historian Bat Ye'or, "a radical distortion of what happened." In her book "The Decline of Eastern Christianity Under Islam," the Egyptian-born Ye'or says that Islam's regard for its Christian subjects could best be described as one of contempt.
How could be it otherwise? As she reminds us, Islam's spread was the product of a "military conquest," not peaceable conversions. The degree of massacre,
enslavement, and other brutality exceeded any thing being done in Christian Europe.
For those Christians who survived the initial conquest, life wasn't that much better. There were pockets of relatively good treatment. But on the whole, "tolerance" is hardly the word to describe the treatment. Hundreds of thousands of Christians and Jews were traded as slaves; they were required to wear distinctive clothing; and they were denied the protection of Islamic law.
And the closer we get to our time, the worse things seem to get. In 1916, 1.5 million Christian Armenians died at the hands of their Turkish Muslim rulers. Many more went into exile in Western Europe and America.
No less lethal is the treatment Sudanese Christians have received from the Islamic government since that government tried to impose Islamic law, or Shari'a, on them. At least 2 million have died, and thousands have been sold into slavery.
Another place where Muslims are trying to impose their faith on their Christian neighbors is Northern Nigeria. There, three northern states, all of whom have a sizable Christian population, have followed Sudan's example and adopted Shari'a, the Muslim law.
If you're looking for a place where Christians are doing the same thing to Muslims, you won't find one. In fact, the last time a non-Christian society volunteered to convert en masse -- Japan after World War II -- we opted to send Bibles and missionaries to encourage spiritual rather than cultural conversions.
What accounts for the difference? Historian Richard Connerney recently wrote that in Islam, "the themes of religion, politics, and law are inseparable . . ." According to Connerney, conquest and jihad are woven into the fiber of the religion. Thus, belligerence towards people of other faiths and cultures is, arguably, inherent to Islam.
In contrast, while Christians have mistreated non-Christians, a fair examination of Christian history and doctrine shows this conduct is in violation of Christian beliefs, not in their furtherance.
I'm not saying Christians should regard Islam or Muslims as their enemy. We should respect and love Muslims in our midst. But we should insist on an accurate telling of the story. To do otherwise would be to fail to learn from history. And, we know what happens to those who do that.
For further reading:
Richard D. Connerny, "Islam: Religion of the Sword?,"
Salon Magazine.
< http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2001/10/11/sword/index_np.html
<http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2001/10/11/sword/index_np.html> >
Bat Ye'or, The Decline of Eastern Christianity Under Islam:
>From Jihad to Dhimmitude, Seventh-Twelfth Century. Trans
Miriam Kochan and David Littman (Fairleigh Dickinson Univ
Press, 1996).
Copyright (c) 2001 Prison Fellowship Ministries
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REPORTED MASS HINDU CONVERSIONS TO CHRISTIANITY:
We get so many reports about unusual happenings, that I wanted to send you information that clarifies the rumor that as many as five million Hindu's may convert to Christianity. Of course, you and I both know it takes more than an intellectual decision for real salvation to take place. However, thought you might find this interesting, because it certainly opens the door for future mission opportunity. This information is found on the http://www.truthorfiction.com website. I have heard Dr. Pudaite speak on prior occasions; he's a real man of God who has apparently been raised up to minister in this situation.
One Million Outcasts in India Will Renounce Hinduism on November 4 and Choose Another Faith-True!
Summary of eRumor:
Two or three messages on the eRumor Underground say that some of the lowest of the low in India, outcast Hindus, have decided to change religions. Of particular importance is a meeting coming up in India on November 4.
The Truth:
TruthOrFiction.com has had contact with Dr. Rochunga Pudaite, a native of India and a respected Christian leader. He is going to be the representative of Christianity at a mass rally in India on November 4 at which an estimated one-million "untouchables" will renounce Hinduism and will be given the chance to consider both Buddhism and Christianity...and they will be making their decisions on the spot. The ripple effect of the rally could be huge. There are 300 million other untouchables who could be influenced by what happens that day.
Here is the latest:
As many of you know, there is a class of people in India who have been born into what the Hindus regard to be the lowest caste, the "untouchables." Known as the Dalits, or literally "broken people," they live in slums of mud and foul water and are relegated to doing India's "dirty jobs." They are the lowest of the low.
In recent years, the Dalits have begun to fight back and a civil rights movement has emerged. In fact, many African-Americans have taken interest in, and applauded, the Dalits' efforts to improve their lives. The more the Dalits have pushed for progress, however, the more opposition has emerged from higher caste segments of Indian society.
In recent years a Dalit named Ram Raj has risen to the forefront as a the popular leader of the outcasts. He is one of the few Dalits to advance to any level of influence in India. He is well educated and is the Income Tax Commissioner in New Delhi.
He has argued eloquently for various improvements in human rights for the Dalits and some have likened him to Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
Dr. Pudaite says that not since Ghandi has there been this kind of leader the Indian people have followed.
After working hard for changes for the Dalits, Ram Raj came to a point where he concluded that the Dalits needed to change religions because they didn't have much a chance for progress as Hindus.
The result was that through his influence, it was decided that there would be a massive gathering on November 4 in India at which one-million college-educated Dalits would renounce Hinduism.
It was also originally decided that there would be presentations at this mass gathering on behalf of Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity and each of the Dalits in attendance would decide which to choose.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11 in the United States, the Moslem representative was removed from the program, much to the dismay of the many Moslems who condemned the terrorist activities and did not want Islam characterized by them.
Dr. Pudaite invited Ram Raj to visit with him in Colorado Springs, Colorado during August, 2001. The two men spent 8 days together.
As of now, the ralley of one-million will feature presentations from two representatives of Buddhism...and one presentation from a representative of Jesus Christ, Dr. Rochunga Pudaite.
How many of the one-million may decide to choose Buddhism versus Christianity? No one knows, but Ram Raj has told Dr. Pudaite to be prepared for at least 200,000 who may decide to be baptized that day.
A real example of the story as it has been circulated:
May I have two minutes of your time. to tell you this remarkable story?
Three hundred million Outcast Hindus, tired of being outcasts, have decided to change religions.
One of their key leaders, Ram Raj, is in the air as I am writing this (Friday afternoon) flying from India to Colorado Springs to meet with Dr. Rochunga Pudaiti to spend the weekend learning about Jesus Christ. Ram Raj has told Dr. Pudaiti that he and the other leaders have been investigating the Muslim and Buddhist religions, as well as Christianity. Muslim and Buddhist leaders have assured them that they would do whatever was needed to bring the 300 million Outcast Hindus into their camp. When they met with Christian leaders they were told that the Christians could not help them because they would not be able to handle the repercussions from the Indian government.
Ram Raj told Dr. Pudaiti that he was keenly disappointed to hear this, as Christianity had been his first choice. Dr. Pudaiti offered to assist and it was decided that Ram Raj would come to the U.S. He reported that an excitement and eagerness has been building in his soul as he prepared for this trip. On October 14, Outcast Hindu leaders will meet in India to decide which religion to adopt. Dr. Pudalti has been invited to make a presentation on Christianity.
A leading Christian writer in India (a personal disciple of Dr. Francis Schaffer) will distribute 100,000 copies of a book called "The Road to Liberty and Dignity" to Outcast Hindu leaders that day. They are hoping to print and distribute 1,000,000 copies of the Gospel of John for that same day. It is the plan of the Hindu leaders that all 1 million leaders will make the same decision to follow a different god or God. Within one month they expect 5 million to be followers, and 50 million in one year.
Bob Tolliver -- Rom 1:11-12
Copyright October, 2001
Life Unlimited Ministries
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