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Darkness to Light - Vol. XIV, No. 4b
Darkness to Light
Volume XIV, Number 4b
2016
Presented by
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Director: Gary F. Zeolla
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The LORD Has It Under Control: What the Bible Teaches About the Sovereignty of God - This book is for the person struggling in life and for the person struggling with how God sovereignly works in people’s lives. It goes through the Bible more or less in order. Along the way, I relate examples of how I believe the sovereignty of God has been operating in my life, in hopes that my experiences will help the reader to apply the principles to your life. It also addresses the question of the relationship of God’s sovereignty to the human will or volition.
Ideologies Behind Mass Killings
Part Two
This article is continued from Ideologies Behind Mass Killings: Part One.
Before presenting Part Two of this article, I want to correct a minor mistake in Part One. In it I cited the number of 1.1 billion for the number of Muslims in the world. The number is actually 1.6 billion (Pew Research). Thus with 7-10% ascribing to the violent portions of the Quran (Fox News, 6/19/16), there are 111-160 million violent Muslims worldwide.
Abbreviated references for sources are in parentheses. The full references are in the list of Sources at the end of this article.
Sharia Law
The savage responsible for the Orlando killings possibly looked upon homosexuals as not being worthy of life. This is possible given that an Imam in the Orlando area had been preaching that according to Sharia (Islamic) law it is legal to kill homosexuals (Fox News, 6/13/16). And a speaker at a Muslim community center the week before the attack declared, “The compassionate thing to do is to kill homosexuals, as that is the only way they can be forgiven” (audio recording played on Rose, 6/13/16).
Such an idea is not radical as Islamic countries that follow Sharia law do in fact execute homosexuals, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Dubai (Hannity, 6/13/16). In fact, 37 Muslim dominated countries ban homosexuality, with ten of them having the death penalty for it (Fox News. Justice with Judge Perrine, 6/18/16). Even scarier is according to a recent survey over 50% of American Muslims prefer Sharia law to the US Constitution (Limbaugh, 6/17/16). That is something that not only homosexuals but all freedom loving Americans should be concerned about.
This point was emphasized by a caller on the Dennis Prager show (6/21/16). She is a teacher of ESL (English as a Second Language). One of her classes is composed of children of Muslim Somalia immigrants to the US. In a discussion on the Orlando killings, her students said that homosexuals should be stoned to death. She asked them what they would do if they had a child who was gay. They responded that they would send him to a country where it was legal to kill homosexuals. They further said that Hitler was an agent of Allah to exterminate the Jews.
Hitler, Darwinism, and the Jews
However, as mentioned in Part One, Hitler was actually inspired by Charles Darwin. In fact, it was the reading of his Origin of Species that led not just Hitler but most of his top officials to turn from Christianity to atheism. In Hitler’s mind, for “survival of the fittest” to work, some races must be more fit than others, with the German race being the most fit of all, and Jews being the most inferior. As a result of this evolutionary belief, Hitler truly thought he would be considered a hero by later generations for eliminating the Jewish scourge from the earth.
In fact, after D-Day, when it became apparent Germany was losing the war, Hitler’s generals were pleading for more troops on the front lines. But Hitler considered his extermination program more important and diverted troops to transporting Jews from Austria to the German gas chambers. This hastened Germany’s defeat and the end of the war (Bergman).
Meanwhile, Josef Mengele, “the infamous Nazi doctor who performed medical experiments at the Auschwitz death camps” (History), had a M.D, and PhD in evolutionary biology. It was his belief in the inferiority of Jews that enabled him to conduct his horrendous experiments on live Jews with no regard for them. But he did have to move his experiments further away from the concentration camps, as the screams of his victims became so loud that they were causing a disturbance among the prisoners. But their screams didn't seem to disturb Mengele (Bergman).
This same callous attitude is seen among violent Muslims and other terrorists and mass killers. They believe non-Muslims or those of races different from their own are inferior. This mentality enables them to conduct their horrendous attacks with no regard for their victims. But the Christian ideology is far different from this mindset.
The Christian Ideology
1In [the] beginning God made the heaven and the earth…
14And God said, “Let there become lights in the firmament of the heaven for light of the earth, to divide between the day and between the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years….
20And God said, “Let the waters bring forth reptiles [or, quadrupeds], living souls [fig., having life], and birds [or, winged creatures] flying above the earth throughout the firmament of heaven,” and it became so. 21And God made the great sea creatures and every soul [or, breath] of living creatures of reptiles [or, quadrupeds], which the waters brought forth according to their kinds, and every bird according to [its] kind, and God saw that [it was] good. 22And God blessed them saying, “Be increasing and be being multiplied and fill the waters in the seas, and [let] the birds be being multiplied upon the earth. 23And there became evening and there became morning, [the] fifth day….
26And God said, “Let Us make humanity according to Our image and according to [Our] likeness, and let them be ruling [over] the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven and the livestock and all the earth and all the reptiles, the ones walking upon the earth.” 27And God made humanity, according to [the] image of God, He made him, male and female He made them. [cp. Matt 19:4] 28And God blessed them, saying, “Be increasing, and be being multiplied, and fill the earth and exercise lordship over [or, subdue] it, and rule [over] the fish of the seas and the birds of heaven and all the livestock and all of the earth and all the reptiles walking upon the earth….
31And God saw all, as many [things] as He made. And Look! [It was] very good. And there became evening and there became morning, [the] sixth day” (Genesis 1:1,14,20-22,26-28,31; ALT).
The Christian ideology is there is one true God who created the universe, including the earth and all that is in it, and it was very good. This includes the animals and human beings. But there is a clear distinction between human beings and animals. The animals are created by God, but only human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Thus there is an intrinsic difference between human beings and animals, with human beings having intrinsic worth far above and beyond that of animals.
In fact, all creation was made for human beings. This is seen in that the sun and moon were made to “be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years.” Only human beings mark such, and thus the sun and moon were made for human beings, not vice-a-versa. As such, human beings are not an accident nor a scourge on the earth, but we are the very reason why the earth exists. However, the good creation is now fallen, thus suffering and death exist (Genesis 3). But this fallen-ness does not eliminate the goodness of nature or the image of God in people (Psalm 8:4-6; 19:1-6).
This ideology is re-enforced by Jesus when He says:
25“Because of this, I say to you*, stop being anxious [about] your* life, what you* shall eat and what you* shall drink, nor [about] your* body, what you* shall wear. Life is more [than] the nourishment, and the body [more than] the clothing, is it not? 26Look attentively at the birds of the air, for they do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and your* heavenly Father nourishes them. You* are of much more worth than they, are you* not? 27But which of you*, by being anxious, is able to add on his height one cubit? [or, add onto his lifespan a single hour?]
28“And why are you* anxious about clothing? Be attentively observing the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not labor nor do they spin [to make clothing]. 29But I say to you*, not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. 30Now if God clothes in such a manner the grass of the field, being [here] today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, [He will] much more [clothe] you*, [O you*] of little faith, will He not? (Matthew 6:25-27).
29Two sparrows are sold for an assarion [i.e., a small, Roman copper coin worth about 1/64 of an ounce or 0.22 grams of silver], are they not? And one of them does not fall on the ground without the [will] of your* Father. 30But even the hairs of your* head have all been numbered. 31Therefore, do not be frightened; you* are of greater worth than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-30).
Thus Jesus very clearly upholds the ideology that human beings are of much greater worth than animals and nature in general. James then upholds this ideology when he writes:
7For every species, both of wild animals and of birds, both of reptiles and sea creatures, is tamed and has been tamed by the human species. 8But no one among people is able to tame the tongue; [it is] an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we praise the God and Father, and with it we curse the people having been created according to the likeness of God.
10Out of the same mouth comes forth praise and cursing. My brothers [and sisters], these [things] ought not to be happening in this way (James 3:7-10).
Human beings can tame animals due to having been given lordship over them, but it is wrong to curse other human beings due to them being created in the image of God. Given this, how much more wrong it is to inflict violence on other people.
Moreover, Paul declared:
24“The God, the One having made the world [or, universe; Gr., kosmos] and all the [things] in it, this One being Lord of heaven and of earth does not dwell in temples made with human hands, 25nor is He served by [the] hands of people, [as if] needing something, [since] He is giving to all life and breath with respect to [or, in] all [things]. 26And He made from one blood every nation of human beings to be living on all the face of the earth, having designated times having been appointed [for them] and the boundaries of their habitation, 27[in order for them] to be seeking the Lord, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find [Him], and yet He is not far from each one of us. 28‘For in Him we live and move and are [fig., exist],’ as also some of your* poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring’ [i.e., quoting Epimendes (ca. 600 B.C.) and Aratus of Cilia (ca. 270 B.C.), respectively] (Acts 17:24-28).
The one true God created and sustains all things, including humans. Moreover, human beings are all descended from “one blood” indicating one ancestor. Thus all human beings are of equal worth, with the same ability to relate to God.
This ideology is seen throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. In fact, that is a central point I make in my forthcoming three volume set: Why Are These Books in the Bible and Not Others? One answer to this vital question is that for a book to be considered for inclusion in the Bible it had to present the ideology of one true God creating a good universe, with human beings being the pinnacle of that creation, having been created in the image of God. It is for these reasons that Christians must be opposed to all forms of senseless violence and to respect and protect all human life, from conception to natural death, regardless of race or lifestyle.
The solution to this wave of mass killings is the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of the correct ideology about the nature of God and of human beings. This includes the sanctity of all human life. That is why Jesus died for all peoples:
11“You are worthy, our Lord and God, the Holy [One], to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because You created all [things], and because of Your will they were [fig., existed] and were created!” (Revelation 4:11).
“You [Jesus] are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and You redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of every tribe and tongue [fig., language group] and people and nation, 10and made them kings and priests to our God, and they will reign as kings on the earth!” (Revelation 5:9b-10).
Are Christians Responsible?
Is it hypocritical for me to decry the massacre of dozens of homosexuals while declaring that homosexuality is a sin elsewhere in my writings? I ask this as many have tried to pin this Orlando massacre on the “anti-homosexual rhetoric” of Christians (Google News; Perkins). But that idea is absurd. The savage who committed this atrocity was a Muslim, who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS), and who most likely was inspired by Sharia law.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) attempted to hide this fact. When it released the transcripts of the Orlando savage’s 911 calls, it redacted the savage’s allegiances to “an extremist group” and any mention of “religion” (Prager and Rose, 6/20/16). This was done with the approval of the White House (Fox New, 6/23/16). But public outcry forced the DOJ to acquiesce, and they released the un-redacted transcript. And sure enough, the savage did pledge allegiance to Islamic State and its leader and referred to himself as a Muslim (Fox News, “The O’Reilly Factor,” 6/20/16). But even then, the DOJ used the word “God” in the transcript, whereas the savage most assuredly said “Allah” (Hannity, 6/21/16).
It is even more absurd to claim, as the New York Times did in reference to Romans 1:18-32, that it is, “a Bible verse from Romans that calls for the execution of gays.” That is the NYT proving once again how unreliable its reporting is, since. “As anyone who has ever read the New Testament knows, Saint Paul never permits that Christians should commit any violence whatsoever against homosexuals” (Breitbart).
For that matter, the NT does not advocate violence against anyone for any reason. The liberal media knows this. That is why they is not afraid to make absurd claims about Christians, as they know Christians will not retaliate violently. But they refrain from speaking out against Islam, as they’re afraid of violent retaliation. But such absurd claims show how desperate liberals are to pin this attack on Christians rather than its true source, violent Islam.
Islamic vs. Christian Violence
Another way to look at it, when a Muslim commits an act of violence in the name of his religion, he is doing so in accordance with the example and teaching of the founder of his religion, Mohammed, at least in his later years. But if a Christian commits an act of violence in the name of his religion, he is doing so in contradiction to the example and teaching of the Founder of his religion, Jesus, and in contradiction to the entirety of the New Testament. Now it is true there are violent passages in the Old Testament. But Christians believe the non-violent NT supersedes the OT. But there is no such theological override of the violent passages in the Quran in Islam. In fact, that is the discussion that is needed in Islam but which Muslims are afraid to have.
Moreover, after the death of Mohammed, Muslims continued to use violence and terror to spread the new religion of Islam. “From the time of Mohammed, the means of Muslim expansion was always the sword” (Real). Thus a violent Muslim today is following in the footsteps of the earliest propagators of his religion.
However, the growth of the early Christian Church was far different, “The rapid success of Christianity under the most unfavorable circumstances is surprising and its own best vindication. It was achieved in the face of an indifferent or hostile world, and by purely spiritual and moral means, without shedding a drop of blood except that of its own innocent martyrs” (Schaff). Thus a violent Christian is acting in contraction to the earliest propagators of his religion.
In addition, there are thousands of mosques worldwide today that promote violence against non-Muslims, but there are few if any churches that promote violence against non-Christians.
All of this is to say, there is a world of difference between violent Muslims and violent Christians. The former are acting in accordance with the tenets, early history, and current widespread teachings of their religion, while the latter are acting in contradiction to the same. There is thus no equivalency between the two, and it is disingenuous to insinuate that there is.
The Correct Christian Attitude
Elsewhere in my writings, I declare that adultery is a sin, that pre-marital sex is a sin, that lying is a sin, and that many other such behaviors are sins (see Matt 15:19; Rev 21:8). But most of all I declare that worshipping any god other than the one true God of the Bible is a sin, as is not loving your neighbor as yourself (Deut 6:4,5; Mark 12:29,30). But by such declarations, I am in no way advocating violence against those who sin is such ways. In that case, I would be advocating violence against just about every person living in the USA! But then, I also declare that senseless violence is a sin.
The correct Christian attitude towards those who engage in homosexual sex and those who engage in any of these other sins should be the same as Jesus’ attitude toward the woman caught in adultery:
3But the scribes and the Pharisees bring to Him a woman having been caught in adultery. And having set her in the middle [of them], 4they say to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act—committing adultery! 5Now in the Law, Moses commanded us that such be stoned. [cp. Lev 20:10; Deut 22:22-24] Therefore, You, what do You say?” 6But this they said, testing Him, so that they should be having [something] to accuse Him. But Jesus, having stooped down, began writing into the ground with His finger, not taking notice.
7But when they continued asking Him, having straightened Himself back up, He said to them, “The sinless [man] of you*, let him first cast the stone at her.” 8And again having stooped down, He was writing into the ground. 9But they having heard, and by the conscience being convicted, began going out one by one, having begun from the older [men]. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman being in the midst.
10Now Jesus having straightened Himself back up and having seen no one but the woman, said to her, “Where are those accusers of yours? Did no one condemn you?” 11And she said, “No one, Lord.” So Jesus said, “Neither do I judge you. Be going, and no longer be sinning” (John 8:3+-11).
Jesus, in a very ingenious manner, comes to the adulteress’ defense and keeps her from being executed. He even declares that He does not condemn her. But then in no uncertain terms He declares her behavior to be a sin and that she must stop engaging in it.
Thus Christians should decry violence against homosexuals and any else and do what we can to prevent it. In fact, it breaks my heart that out of the hundreds of people in that nightclub, not one of them was armed and trained and able to shoot back and stop the killings, as has happened many times. But I’m not surprised there wasn’t, as I’m guessing it was a building full of liberals who don’t believe in arming and defending themselves. But I’ve heard many conservatives say that if they had been there, they would have used their concealed weapons and shot back and protected the homosexuals who were there. And that would have been the appropriate and Biblical thing to do (see Gen 9:5f; Exod 22:2; Neh 4:16-21; Est 8:11f; 9:1-5; Ps 82:4; Prov 24:11; Luke 22:36).
But at the same time, Christians must not refrain from declaring the teaching of the Bible that homosexual sex is a sin, as is the above mentioned acts, and that those who engage in such behaviors must repent and turn to Jesus and His death on the cross for forgiveness of not only those sins but of all others. And again, the greatest sin is not worshipping the one true God of the Bible and not loving Him with your whole heart, soul, and understanding (see Matthew 22:37). Then all repentant sinners need to cry out to Jesus Christ for the strength to refrain from sin:
9You* know that unrighteous [persons] will not inherit [the] kingdom of God, do you* not? Stop being led astray [fig., being deceived]; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor passive partners in male-male sex, nor active partners in male-male sex, 10nor covetous [persons], nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor slanderers [or, abusive persons], nor swindlers will inherit [the] kingdom of God.
11And these some [of] you* were! [or, And such were some of you*!] But you* yourselves were washed [fig., purified], but you* were sanctified, but you* were justified [or, declared righteous] in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [or, by] the Spirit of our God! (1Corinthians 6:9-11).
Sources:
All Scripture quotations from the Analytical-Literal Translation of the Bible. Copyright 1999-2016 by Gary F. Zeolla (www.zeolla.org).
12 Times Mass Shootings Were Stopped by Good Guys With Guns.
Bergman, Dr. Jerry, author of Hitler and the Nazi Darwinian Worldview, guest on the TV show Origins, 6/13/16. Seen on WPCB, a Christian TV network in the Pittsburgh, PA area.
Biblical View of Self-Defense.
Breitbart: Gaffe of the Century! NYT Says St. Paul Ordered Christians to ‘Execute’ Homosexuals.
Fox News. From news reports on the given date, with the exact show indicated if I remembered it.
Google News. Various articles listed on my Google News page which I read, but for which I failed to note the exact articles.
Hannity. The Sean Hannity Radio Show. Heard nationwide on various stations, but in the Pittsburgh, PA area on News Talk 1320 AM, weekdays, from 3-6:00 pm. Available anywhere on the iHeart app. Replays available on Sean’s two iHeart stations.
History. This Day in History. February 7, 1979. The “Angel of Death” dies.
John Ankerberg TV show. Various series on Islam. Seen on various Christian TV networks, with audio replays available via his smart phone app and website.
Perkins, Tony. Washington Watch. 6/23/16. Heard on Bott Radio, weekdays, 5-6 pm. Available anywhere on the iHeart app or the Bott’s own app.
Pew Research Center. World’s Muslim population more widespread than you might think.
Prager. The Dennis Prager Radio Show. Heard nationwide on various stations, but in the Pittsburgh, PA area on 1250 AM The Answer, weekdays, from noon – 3:00 pm. Available anywhere on the iHeart app or the station’s own app.
Rose Unplugged. A conservative political commentator in the Pittsburgh, PA area. Heard on 1250 AM The Answer, weekdays, from 8-10:00 am. Available anywhere on the iHeart app. Replays available on her website and via the Sound Cloud app.
Schaff, Philip (2014-01-12). History of The Christian Church (The Complete Eight Volumes In One) (Kindle Locations 3046-3048). Kindle Edition.
The LORD Has It Under
Control
What the Bible Teaches About the Sovereignty of God
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