Things Are Not Always What They Seem
There has been a lot of interest in Islam's presence in New Zealand, post the Christchurch massacres. How may the people of God exploit this has become an interesting issue. For one thing, it's a good opportunity for Christians to get their theology straight on a few issues.
It is helpful to distinguish "ordinary" Islam from "radical" or "conservative" or "extremist" Islam. The fact is that "ordinary" Islam in New Zealand does not take the Koran, the hadith, or Sharia law all that seriously. True, "ordinary" Islam may refer to the Koran and the hadith and recite texts as part of their rituals. But in reality they do not call for, nor appear to believe in, marital polygamy, for example. They do not appear to believe in cutting off the hands of thieves. They do not practise Islamic divorce where the declaration of the husband "I divorce you" is said to constitute a bona-fide divorce. They do not practise genocide, nor wish to be associated with violent acts done in the name of Allah such as those seen in the Middle East and Central Africa.
In many ways they may be be called "nominal" Muslims--in the same way that several decades ago, most New Zealanders considered themselves to be Christians. They were Christians in name only, but who rarely practised their faith in the day to day. Many professing Muslims are like this, we believe--when one considers what the Koran, the hadith, and Sharia Law actually teach.
Radical (or "extremist") Islam believe that such a tepid form of Islam is unfaithful. It seeks to ensure that all the Islamic laws, rules, regulations, and procedures are to be followed and obeyed. If Christians or Unbelievers of any sort do not submit to Islam's rule they either become second-class citizens and pay a fine, or they risk arrest for blasphemy. Radical Islam, from the Christian perspective, must be resisted strongly.
So, tactically, Christians ought to respect "ordinary" or "nominal" Islam. In particular, they must encourage nominal Islam to reject the teachings, claims, and practices of radical Islam. Further, Christians should approve and encourage nominal Islam in its rejection of secular humanism, atheism, and its adoption of ethical deformities like trans-genderism and homosexuality. In these matters faithful Christians and nominal Islamic believers have a lot in common.
1 comment:
"... faithful Christians and nominal Islamic believers ..."
That's comparing apples and oranges. You need to compare faithful Christians who know their theology and doctrines with Muslims who are similarly well schooled. There is a gulf between them and the writings they rely on. This is inevitably reflected in their behaviour and that is to be expected.
3:16
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