Exposed!

TheRationaleTheyDontWantYouToKnow
Itisreallynothingnew.
TheworldisdividedanditisnotthewayGodintended,butitisthewayitis.
Somecallita
ClashOfCivilizations
"Twoirreconcilable"groups"arefightingitout
overwhoknowswhat.
Land?Power?Religion?Gettingbackattheotherside?Politics?
Somearemerelyononesidejustbecausetheydon'tliketheotherside.Nationsseem
totakesideswithoneortheother.
Thatwillprobablyalwaysbethecaseespeciallywhendealingwithhumans.Doesn't
theBiblewarnaboutbrotherbeingagainstbrotherintheenddays?
Ononehandare
Americans
(andthoseintheir"group")whothinktheirfreedomof
expressionissomehowsuperiortotyranny.
Ontheotherhandare
Islamists
(andthoseintheir"group")whothinktheir
submissiontothewillofGodissomehowsuperiortolettinghumansrunthingsontheir
own.
Thisideaisoversimplified,ofcourse,tomakeapoint.Thequestionis:
Isonegroup"right"andtheothergroup"wrong"?

Isonesiderepresentativeoftheonlywaythingsshouldbe?
Notnecessarily.Itdependsonperspective.
Thispostlooksattheideathatnoone"group"isallrightorallwrong
.Thereisbadin
thebestandgoodintheworst.
Examiningcanhelpshowforonethingthattherearenoteasyanswers.Itgoes
deeper.
Letusexamineeachsideandlookathowtheyarenotall"right"inthemselves:

Americansarenotallrightbecause:
FreedomofexpressionmightgoagainstwhatGodwants.

ManyAmericansbelievethingslikethistheworldiswaitingtobesavedfrom
Communism,Fascism,Dictatorships,etc.bythem.
1.People,liketheChinese,arenotwaitingtoberescuedfrom"Communism."
TheremightbeageneralmovetowarddemocracybysomeinChina,buttheaverage
ChinesepersonisnotsittingaroundwaitingtobesavedfromCommunism.Theyhave
otherthingstothinkabout.
Frankly,theyprobablydon'tthinkthatmuchofAmericanstobeginwith.

AmericansmightbeviewedasimperialisticorsnobbybypeopleliketheChineseorthe
Islamists.
2.Iraquisandothersdon'tallwantdemocracy.
SomeMuslimsthinktheirwayoflifeissuperiorbecauseitisbasedonwhatGodwants.
MuslimsarenotinterestedintheirownopinionasmuchastheyareinterestedinGod's
opinion.
Democracymeansyouhavetherighttoexpressanopinionthatmightbecontraryto
God'slaw.Theydonotwantthat.
Freedomofexpressioncouldcauseforonethingdissentanddivision
.Forexample,
someinSaudiArabiathinkfreedomcouldleadtobrotheragainstbrother,potentially
weakeningfamilies.

3.Somedon'twantAmericansinfluence,suchaslackofbasicmorals.
Americanacts,suchascrime,abortion,loweducationrates,dressandrevelry,are
appallingontheothersideoftheworld.
Whenwomenwalkaroundwithouttheirheadscoveredsomethinkitpromotes
promiscuity,whichcanleadtootherproblems.
4.SomeciteAmericanterrorism.
Forexample,thedroppingofnuclearbombsonJapanesecivilians,supportingIsraelis
thatdrovePalestiniansfromtheirhomesandmeddlingintheMiddleEastcouldallbe
calledterrorism.
OtherssayU.S.dronestrikesfallinthiscategory,astheyareindiscriminatelydone
withoutgoingthroughthecourtsystem.
EvenMr.Obamahimselfsaidatarecent
speaking
engagement,
"
Andlestwegetonourhighhorseandthinkthisisuniquetosomeotherplace,
rememberthatduringtheCrusadesandtheInquisition,peoplecommittedterribledeeds
inthenameofChrist.
Thepointis:Americansarenotalwaysright,either.

Islamistsarenotallrightbecause:
Americansarenotfightinga"religion",butratherpoliticalconflicts.
ManyMuslimsmistakenlybelievetheAmericansarefightingagainstIslam.
1.Itisnotawaragainstanyone
religion.
AmericaisnotfightingagainstIslam.IfthatwerethecaseMuslimswouldnotbe
allowedtofreelypracticetheirreligioninAmericaliketheyareableto.
The
Americans
aresenttofighttoprotectinnocentcivilianstheyviewasvictimsof
tyrannye.g.JewishchildrenorIraqivictimsofchemicalweaponsthatarenotableto
defendthemselveswithouthelp.
IfthereisnooneelsetoprotectthemtheAmericanssometimesstepin,astheworld's
largestmilitary.
Itisnotbasedontheirreligion.Forexample,theN.A.T.O.Yugoslavianbombing
campaigninthe1990'sprotectedMuslimsfromtheattackingChristianSerbs.

Sidenote:TheAmericansupportofIsraelhastodowiththefactIsraelistheonly
democracyintheMiddleEast.
ItismoreaboutsupportingdemocracyandU,N.
Resolutionsthanitisaboutbeingagainstanybody.
EvenU.S.presidentshaveproposedandsupportedtheideaofanindependent
PalestinianState.

2.ThingslikerandombeheadingsbytheIslamicStateviolateinternationallaw.
Internationallawisoftenagreedonbyanumberofnationstomaintainorderwitheach
other.Goingthroughacourtsystemorassemblyisstandardpracticeincontemporary
times,eventhoughtheoutcomeisnotalwaysconsidered"just."
Wouldyoureallywantlawlessness?
3.Theextremistversionof
Islam
doesnotrepresentallofIslam,andneitherdoesthe
"IslamicState."
ACaliphatemustbelegitimateandacknowledged,evenaccordingtoMuslims
themselves.
ThingslikeransomorrandombeheadingsofciviliansinthenameofGod
orMuhammadarenotrepresentativeofmainstream
Islam
.
SeveralArabnationshaveevendecidedtotakeontheIslamicState,includingJordan.
Thereare
others
,andtheydon'tthinkitfairlyrepresentsIslam.
SometimesGod'swordismisrepresented,oronephraseispickedoutofareligious
text,withoutlookingatthecontext.Forexamplejihadisintendedtoprimarilybean
inward,spiritualstrugglenotprimarilyaboutcombatorviolence.
Basedononesentence,whatdoesitstateintheQuran?
TheQuransaysin2:256,inpart,
"
Thereshallbenocompulsionin(theacceptance)of
religion
.
"

Compulsionmeanstoforcetodo
something
.
Inotherwords,nonMuslimsarenotforcedtoacceptIslam,accordingtotheQuran
Islam'sacceptedreligiousScripture.
ThecontextoftheversetellsapersonthedecisiontoacceptIslamismoreinward,as
opposedtobeingforcedfromtheoutside.
Furthermore,itisalsosaidaninherentpartof
Sharialaw
(Muslimlaw)isthatitcannot
beimposedonthosewhodon'twantit.
Orhowaboutthis?WhenIslamextremistssaytokillnonbelievers,whodetermineswho
abelieveris?
Unlessapersonopenlydeclarestheyarea
nonbeliever
itsoundsliketheextremistsare
playingGod.
Yes,thereareIslamicstandardsfornonbeliefbasedonbehavior,butonlyGodknows
whatisontheinside.Islamacceptssomepeoplewillfollowotherreligions,sowhatis
nonbelief?
IfapersonpracticesIslamjustbecausetheyareforcedto,doesthatmakethema
"believer"?
(Ifapersonisanonbeliever,wouldn'tyoutrytoeducatethembeforekillingthem?)

Thiscouldgoonandon,butthepointismainstream
Islam
isnotmeanttobeabout
thesethings.
Toevaluatethingsproperlyanoverviewshouldbedonebyerveryoneonhis/herown.
Anoverviewwouldincludesomediscernmentlikeinthispostandnotjustaccepting
howthingsareportrayed.
Themediaslantsthingsacertainwayandmostpeopletendtoacceptthat,insteadof
thinkingontheirown.

ItcouldalsobeaddedherethatthefreedomofexpressionallowedinAmericaallowed
thisposttobewritten.
OtherFoodforthought:
WouldaGodanyGodwantyoutogoaroundandterrorizeandeliminatewhathe
created?OnlyGodcanrightlyjudge.

Answers?
Couldthetwo"groups"bereconciled?Thispostdoesnotassertithasalltheanswers
tosomethingsocomplex.
Eachsidehasvalidpointsandeachsidemisrepresentsideas.
Itissafetosay,though,thatGodwouldnotwanthispeoplesodivided.

Justsayingtolivepeacefullymightnotbepractical,either.

Whatdoyouthink?

Hopefullythisposthelpedspuryoutothinkaboutthelarger
meaningoflifeandyourplaceinit.
Iurgeyoutolookbeyondwhatyouexperienceeachdayto
somethingmore.
Ifyouwant,pleasesubscribetotheblogformoreperspectives
onlookingatyourlife.