| Editor: David E Marlett Th.D. | |
| September 14, 2001 | Vol II, #30 |
1. Our only safety is in the Lord. If God withdraws His hand of protection, no human precaution can save us from impending disaster.
2. We must pray that God will be merciful, and we must ourselves repent and rid ourselves of conduct and beliefs which are offensive to God.
3. We are still paying the price for Jimmy Carter's destruction of human intelligence capabilities at the Central Intelligence Agency in the 1970's and bad decisions by Bill Clinton in the 1990's. It takes decades to build the kinds of relationships which enable us to penetrate the immediate circles of those committed to our destruction. Even if we were doing everything possible today, it could well be many years before we are able in advance to know as well as needed the particular intentions of terrorists determined to destroy us.
4. Several Presidential administration, after having promised to take decisive action against terrorists, failed to comprehensively and thoroughly do so. Think how many thousands of lives would have been saved if Osama bin Laden and his ilk had been taken out during the Clinton Administration.
5. The events of September 11 were not, as high officials have suggested, an attack on freedom and democracy, rather, they were a manifestation of Islamic fanaticism. Unconstitutional interventionism on the part of the government of the United States, over many decades, has made America a target of hostility in many places all over the world. U.S. participation in U.N. interventions in the Balkans and our effort to play "power broker" in the Middle East have exacted a price.
6. The Executive Order prohibiting assassination should be revoked by President Bush. It is never moral to make innocent non-combatants a primary target. It would have been much more just, for example, for the U.S. military, to have assassinated Suddam Hussein and his immediate cohorts than to have placed at risk the Iraqi civilian population, U.S. military personnel, or even politically disengaged Iraqi soldiers.
7. Even if it is conclusively determined that Osama bin Laden is primarily responsible for the murderous attacks which our nation suffered, we must remember that, to some degree at least, he is merely the glove on the hand of regimes which regard us as their enemy. Action must be taken against every one of those regimes which have facilitated assaults on America.
8. In addition to being unconstitutional, foreign aid is ineffective and counterproductive. How chilling it was to read of Egyptians, for example, dancing in the streets, rejoicing in America's calamity, at a time when U.S. taxpayers annually provide their government with some $2 billion of foreign aid.
9. President Bush, in his brief Oval Office remarks on September 11, unfortunately failed to mobilize the nation behind the need for extraordinary additional expenditures on our own national security. In the same vein, we should stop misdirecting our scarce defense dollars on the placement of 72,000 U.S. troops in Western Europe and on the countless resources we have unwisely assigned to Kofi Annan and his New World Order armies of intervention.
10. Life will never be the same again in America. It is amazing that, thus far, we have been free of nuclear explosions on our territory, the poisoning of our water supply, or the spreading of disease in the context of chemical and biological warfare. If you prepared for a Y2K emergency, the preparations then taken may serve you well on future occasions.
11. It is essential that, as we deal with the fact that we are at war with an invisible foe, we not surrender the Constitutional boundaries, principles, and liberties with which we have been blessed.
12. We must repudiate the Bush Administration's notion that we need permission from the U.N. or consultations with NATO to defend the United States of America.
Howard Phillips
Chairman
The Conservative Caucus
The apparent ease with which the terrorists committed their monstrous crimes has left many people wondering if our nation is at risk of losing some level of freedom for the sake of increased security.
President Bush and Congress face a major challenge in finding the middle ground between restoring security and infringing on freedoms. Several times in the last few days - as he did at a recent Cabinet meeting - the president acknowledged that he is taking appropriate precautions to protect citizens.
"But we will not allow this enemy to win the war by changing our way of life, or restricting our freedoms," Bush said at the meeting.
Richard Ferrier, of the Declaration Foundation, said he found encouragement from the president's address to the nation.
"He distinguished the physical destruction of buildings and of bodies from the spiritual destruction of, as it were, the soul of the nation," Ferrier said. "When he reaffirmed that we intend to be ourselves, we intend to be a free people, we intend to live out our traditions of liberty and that that we are, in spirit, indomitable, I thought that was a wonderful thing. I think it was, maybe, the best thing I've heard the man say since he took office."
Jeff Moag, who reports for the National Security News, said Americans will insist that Congress strike a balance between personal freedom and national security.
"At this time of crisis, and this time of reaction, I know there's a very strong feeling amongst many of us here in America to crack down and not to let this happen again," Moag said. "But I don't think that the American people are going to lose sight of the fact that these freedoms are what make our country unique and make our country great."
The fine line will soon be considered within the framework of a complete reassessment of our of our national security policy.
[ Family News in Focus ]
1 Tim. 4:1
- The Truth -
By Dr. Tommy Wensil
The false gospel of Mohammed may be one of the most ignored devices of the devil that has flourished in this century. Many pastors and laymen are not informed about Islam and most Christians know very little about this cult. In fact many professing believers assume that Christians and Moslems are worshiping the same God and going to the same Heaven. A closer look at this fast growing cult may reveal that it may be the most dangerous religion in America. This is a violent religion whose very founder and leaders sanction violence, aggression, and terrorism around the world. Entire countries are ruled by those who hold Islamic teachings and practices, and in the United States we depend upon Islamic nations for a majority of our petroleum needs. Each one of us as Christians should understand that Islam is a political, social and a growing religious force that we must be informed about and come to reckon with.
- The Terms-
With an estimated one billion Muslims world wide Christians cannot afford to ignore this rapidly growing cult in our country. It is important for us to recognize that Muslims (or Moslems) have their own vocabulary which describes their beliefs. The term Islam is an Arabic term for "submission" and some scholars tell us its original meaning signified "defiance of death (for the sake of God and his prophet) or 'readiness for defiance of death.'" (Kingdom of the Cults, pg. 610). Islam is the religion that is derived from the teachings and revelations of Muhammad. A Muslim, or Moslem is a person who adheres to the religion of Islam. The Muslim submits to the will of Allah as revealed by Mohammed. The name Allah is the Islamic name for God. One should also note that Muslims feel strongly that the Christian term for "God" which is normally the Hebrew word Elohim in the King James Bible, does not convey their intended meaning of the word Allah. (Since there is no standardized method of transliterating Arabic script into Roman script the Islamic terms are often spelled differently- e.g. Muhammad, Mohammed, Moslem, Muslim, Quran, Koran).
Muhammad was an Arab born in the city of Mecca in A.D. 570 and died A.D. 632. Muhammad claimed he was the prophet to restore the true religion and the praise of Allah throughout the world. The name Muhammad means "the one who is praised." The Koran, or Quran means "the recitation"and refers to the collection of revelations supposedly given by Allah through an archangel to Muhammad. Muslims believe and accept the Koran are their preserved scriptures. The Koran has chapter divisions which are called Sura. There are 114 Suras or chapters in the Koran. Muslims also claim to believe the Pentateuch, the Psalms of David, and the Injil, or the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, it should be noted that Muslims believe that wherever those accepted portions of the Bible contradict the teachings of Muhammad then the Bible is incorrect. Muslims believe that the revelation given to Muhammad supercedes anything in the Bible and that ultimately the Scriptures are nothing more than a perversion of their scriptures- the Koran. One of the chief features of Islam which identifies it as a cult is extrabiblical revelation. Those who espouse Islam must believe the supposed revelations of Muhammad over the authoritative revelation of Scripture. Thus the Bible is never considered as the final authority.
The Muslims also accept the Hadith which is Arabic for the "collected traditions." These are a collection of the supposed words of Muhammad that reveal the traditions and guidelines for the political and social structure of Islam. The term Ayatollah refers to a spiritual leader or master in Shi'ite Islam.
There are two major schools of Islam in the world today. The school with the largest number of members is the Sunnite School. These Muslims practice a moderate form of Islamic literary interpretation. It is estimated that 90% of the Muslims in the Middle east are Sunnis. The second major school is the Shi'ite school. The Shi'ite's hold to a more literal interpretation and application of the Koran and are much more militant than the Sunnis. Iran is a Shi'ite Muslim republic and it is estimated that 95% of Iran's Muslims are Shi'ites. Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq and Yemen have large numbers of Shi'ite Muslims.
It is interesting to note that one of the early Shi'ite leaders disappeared when he was but a child in A.D. 878, and these Muslims believe that he will miraculously return to his people much like the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will be the great Imam- or the great head, who will usher in a golden age before the end of the world. They also believe that this great coming leader has the right to declare - jihad or holy war. Shi'ites are especially numerous and strong in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The Shi'ites are noted for their radical and violent behavior, and according to Islamic belief are dedicated to the cause of Jihad, or holy war. This expectation of a great head who would come is a definite parallel to the New Testament teaching of the coming of Antichrist.
- The Teaching-
The Muslims have a great confession called the Shahada- "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah." Entire countries in the middle east are ruled by Islamic leaders and those who adhere to the Muslim faith are making inroads into America daily. The Muslims perverted views of God are much like the liberal views of God which have been pawned off on this generation. The Muslims rejects the idea of the Trinity and unlike Christianity cannot have what we consider a personal relationship with God. To the Muslim, Jesus Christ is merely one of the many prophets and not the Son of God, or part of the Holy Trinity.
In the Koran Jesus did not atone for anyone's sins, yet He was considered to be sinless (Sura 3:46). In fact, according to Muslim tradition Jesus did not die on the Cross. Essentially the religion of Islam is a works religion. They do teach that all have sinned but if they hope to escape the wrath of Allah they must fulfill the works of the Five Pillars of Faith (Sura 10:109).
(1) The recitation of the great confession known as the Shahada.
(2) The five prescribed daily prayers in Arabic. These prayers must be made in prostration toward the holy city of Mecca.
(3) They must practice almsgiving which is not equivalent to the Biblical tithe for the Muslim is only required to give one-fortieth of his income as charitable contributions.
(4) They must practice fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. In this fast they are to fast from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset in atonement for their sins during the previous year.
(5) They are also required to make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy city during their lifetime.
In days past Jihad, or Holy War was a condition of faith. Early Muslims believed it was their duty to murder anyone who would not embrace the one true faith. Everyone who is not a Muslim is considered to be an "infidel." America is deemed to be the "great Satan." Some moderate Muslims are very tolerant of other groups today, however many Muslims still practice violence, and terrorism in the name of Allah. If they do declare Jihad, the Muslims will call for the deaths of all those who are infidels- all those who are not Muslims must die. Christians today are obligated to seek to win those of this cult to the Christ, and also to be aware of the dangerous potential of those who are radical Muslims.
As the United States and world leaders consider their response to this week's terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the fate of several Christian aid workers imprisoned in Afghanistan hangs in the balance.
Eight foreign workers - including two Americans, four Germans and two Australians - have been detained in Kabul, the Afghan capital, since their arrest in early August on charges of spreading Christianity. Government officials from the three countries and several of the aid workers' family members had been working for the detainees' release, but their efforts abruptly ended after this week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
"Because of the deterioration of the situation in Kabul, U.S., German and Australian consular officers and the four relatives of the American detainees were evacuated from Kabul (Thursday), along with other expatriate employees of U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations," said Frederick Jones, a State Department spokesperson, on Thursday.
The detainees had been on trial before the Afghan Supreme Court for allegedly spreading Christianity. A guilty verdict could carry a penalty of death, according to officials with the ruling Taliban government. Whether the trial will continue is not known.
Before leaving the country, a German diplomat made a last-ditch effort to persuade the Taliban to release the workers as a "sign of goodwill," but the Taliban refused.
"To the best of our understanding, the detainees remain safe and well," Jones said on Thursday.
U.S. officials will continue their efforts from the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, he added.
The main concern at this point is what the Taliban - a Muslim militia group which rules two-thirds of Afghanistan but which is not recognized as the legitimate government of Afghanistan - will do with the detainees now that Afghanistan is being mentioned as a possible target for U.S. retaliation.
"The whole present situation heightens concerns for their safety," said a source, requesting anonymity, who knows one of the German and one of the Australian detainees.
The source suggested that the Taliban's two most likely options are: 1) release the detainees as a goodwill measure; or 2) keep them to use as "human shields" against any U.S. military strike.
"Our prayer has been that the trial would go quickly, and that as an act of goodwill they would be released," the source said. "If anything else happens, it's not going to be good."
For the foreseeable future, however, the only means U.S. and other government officials have of monitoring the detainees is via the Taliban Foreign Ministry - a fact that will likely leave more questions than answers about their health and safety.
Indeed, the lack of contact is already having an impact.
"We have no news of the detainees since U.S., German and Australian consular officers and the four relatives of the American detainees were evacuated from Kabul (on Thursday)", Jones said on Friday. "We continue our efforts to obtain a rapid resolution of this case and assure the welfare and safety of our two citizens being held in Kabul."
TAKE ACTION
Please pray:
"I think it's fair to say that in all things, the president's religious faith sustains him, particularly at a time like now." -- White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, responding to a question at a press briefing on Wednesday (Sept. 12).
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