So this applies to all of us. We must all stand before Christ to be judged, but none of us will go to The Father unless Christ judges us to be worthy.
For those of us who have accepted Christ in our hearts, we will already have the promise of salvation when we stand before Him.
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Christianity Is Losing Ground
Christianity continues to lose ground while Islam is growing. This seems to be particularly true in Europe, but is also true to a lesser extent in the United States. But why is this so? Some have said that in our present fast-paced society the people seek pleasure and comfort and just don't have the time or inclination to attend churches or for prayer and meditation.
The number of people who are Christians may actually be more than is supposed because many people , though they rarely attend church services, still claim to be Christians.
But what about Islam? Some say that Islam grows because once you become a Muslim it is very difficult to leave that religion. Apostacy is a very serious sin in the eyes of Islam, often punishable by death. Mohammed was very wise in setting up this practice as a means to prevent his followers from defecting.
Therefore Islam will always keep what followers they have, and any new followers will add to their numbers. On the other hand, while Christianity frowns on apostacy, it does not punish those who quit the church. So they can't count on their followers to stay. They are now apparently losing more than they are gaining.
What, I wondered, can Christianity do to retain it's present followers and attract new followers? I thought of emulating Islam, but that simply would not work with Christians. There is no such thing as Shariah law in Christiandom. Even if Christians were to try it, the powers that be in government would not permit it. While they look the other way concerning Shariah law, as required by political correctness, they would not do so with Christians.
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Good Christians, Bad Christians
For Christians to attract new followers they have much to overcome. Hatred of Christians is rampant among many Americans., mainly among Atheists, Agnostics, and the Gay community. Although the average American does not hate Christians, many have been thoroughly indoctrinated by Gays,Atheists, and many Liberals to believe that Christianity is simply a less than benevolent, compassionate religion
But I believe that there is hope for Christians. I would suggest that if Christians would go back to the teachings of Christ it would help tremendously. Christ gave us a tool if only we use it: Love.
One of the Ten Commandments tells us to love our neighbor. It's obvious that this doesn't necessarily mean the person living next door, but whoever you are in contact with, gay or straight.
We should try to the best of our ability to show love, humility, and charity to all. Having said that, Christians must also use common sense. It would be folly to be gracious to those who make it clear that they are out to destroy you.
One reason that Atheists and Gays have been so successful in indoctrinating many Americans against Christianity is that many Christians have helped them by simply not following the teachings of Christ.
For example, rather than refusing service to gays, Christians should welcome them. Didn't Christ mingle with sinners? His reasoning was that they needed him more than those already following him.
In both the old and new testaments we are told .to enjoy our work and to work diligently at whatever our profession. Accordingly, whatever our profession, we must do our best.
So if we are in a job serving the public we should do it diligently and cheerfully, not like the county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to gays. Let God do the judging in such cases. She came across as hateful to many people, even other Christians. All she accomplished was only to help those who stir up hatred against Christians.
Both the old and new testaments also tell us to obey the laws of the country we are in.
I firmly believe that if Christians put on a cheerful face and show love to all, we can reverse this growing trend toward bigotry against Christians. But we'll have our work cut out for us, as many who call themselves Christians don't behave like Christians.
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Good Muslims, Bad Muslims
There are some Americans who believe that all Muslims are terrorists. And then there are some Americans who believe that all Muslims are Moderates. Their reasoning that all Muslims are moderate is because they do not consider the terrorists as Muslims. But most Amereicans are conditioned to think of Muslims in two classes: Moderates and Terrorists. However, I see a third class: Bullies. It could be said that the Bullies are non-violent allies of the Terrorists. Both are militants having the same goal in seeking dominance over all non-Muslims.
Where the terrorists employ violence to attain their goal, the bullies use intimidation. They intimidate us by using political correctness. Once they discovered that they were considered a protected group by the PC crowd, they used their status as a club to bully us. The fundamentalist militants interpret the Koran as ordering Muslims to assert dominance over non-Muslims where ever and whenever possible, and that every victory over non-Muslims, no matter how small, advances the cause of Islam, which is to eventually set up a worldwide caliphate.
To the militants, every court ruling in their favor constitutes a victory. One such notable victory was a court ruling in favor of Muslim truck drivers who refused to deliver beer as ordered by the company they worked for and were paid for. The drivers were obviously fundamentalist militants.
Victories need not be the result of court orders. A woman bullied a café to remove a sign that offended her. It displayed a picture of bacon in advertising their breakfast meal. The café owner, probably thinking the woman represented all Muslims, removed the sign. Another non-Muslim submitting to Islam and giving them a victory.
Some Muslim victories are not merely small steps to affirm the superiority of Muslims over non-Muslims. Bigger victories are those such as schools yielding to militant demands to accommodate Muslims with religious trappings, cancel Christmas holidays because it offends them, and even to hide crosses. Schools and work places submit to the demands of the militant Bullies giving them a growing number of victories, thanks to political correctness.
A major victory of Militants over non Muslims warrants the building of a victory mosque at or near the site of the victory.
Islamic Bullies make outrageous demands by claiming to be offended by people walking dogs near Muslim's houses. They demand that employers grant them prayer time during working hours. Cab drivers have refused to take on passengers if they carry alcoholic beverages, or if a passenger is with a service dog.
The fundamentalist Bullies are, for the most part, newly arrived immigrants, and began to assert themselves, ironically, since the Islamic militant's attack on the World Trade Center.
The Moderates, on the other hand, feared a backlash after the attack. It's probably safe to assume that the bullying of non-Muslims was the last thing that the Moderates wanted.
There are a good many books and articles around that explain what Islam is all about. One of the best articles is called "Understanding Islam" put out by the Saudi Arabian Embassy in the U.S. It is a great guide to understanding Islam. A careful reading will tell us what to expect of a true Moderate Muslim.
The Moderate Muslim differs greatly from the Islamic Terrorist and the Islamic Bully. The Moderate will not claim to be offended by the traditions of the country in which they reside. The American Moderates know, for example, that the American diet has always included pork, and while they shun pork themselves, they will make no demands that Americans do not display pork in markets or not consume pork in their presence. They realize that Christians were told by Jesus that it is not what is taken in one's stomach but what is in one's heart. Moderate Muslims respect this.
Moderates have been instructed to be kind to animals, and would never be offended
by dogs. There is the story of the Arab who was exceedingly thirsty. He found a well, and after quenching his thirst he noticed a dog hassling and thirsting for water. The Arab went into the well, filled his shoe with water, and gave it to the dog. He was blessed and his sins were forgiven for this kind deed.
This does not square with the demand of Militants who say that they are offended by dogs. The newly arrived Muslims surely knew before they set foot in America that Americans love dogs and consider them loyal, loving animals that have been of great benefit to mankind.
The Moderates, while not consuming alcoholic beverages themselves, realize that they are in a country where the consumption of alcohol is common. And again, the new arrivals knew this before coming to America. However, the militant Bullies refuse to adjust to our culture. They instead demand that we adjust to their culture, and in many ways they have been successful…thus winning victories for Islam over non Muslims.
The Moderates would not allow themselves to be offended by the prevalent religion of Christianity in the US, for Muslims must be tolerant of non-Muslims if they are just.
"Understanding Islam" tells us that the mark of a good man is how he treats his wife; he must be kind to her. Therefore a Moderate will treat his wife well.
In summary, a truly Moderate Muslim will assimilate into American culture, becoming good Americans themselves. They will be tolerant of other religions. They will make no outrageous demands, but will demand justice if a situation requires it. They will unobtrusively practice their religion as other Americans unobtrusively practice theirs.
Muslims have had a presence in America for centuries. Muslims, along with Jews and other groups, have lived peaceably with each other during the early years, only seeking justice when mistreated. There was never any trouble until the influx of the newcomers, who for reasons unknoon turned out to be Militant Bullies. Their arrival disrupted the harmony and peace between the various groups.
About that time the Marxist-inspired political correctness movement emerged to further disrupt harmony between the groups. The Bullies immediately discovered how they could use political correctness as a means to attain their goals. And thus far they have been highly successful.
We must recognize the Bullies as being separate and apart from the Moderate Muslims. We must convince the politically correct crowd that the Bullies are not deserving of being classed as a protected group…that classification belongs to the Moderates.
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About the Author
Donald H Sullivan is a native of St. Augustine, Florida. He started his writing career shortly after retirement from the U.S. Army. He welcomes comments about this book or about any other books he has written.
His twenty year army career included service with The Corps of Engineers, Air Defense Artillery, Military Intelligence, and Psychological Operations.
He began his writing career in the army when one of his assignments included writing tech manuals. Pretty dry stuff, but it whetted his appetite for writing.
He can be reached by e-mail at:
[email protected] His official website: dhsully.wix.com/part1
Other books by Donald H Sullivan:
Three Amazing Tales
Our Canine Companions: Featuring Whiskers
Tales of Wonder
Project Genesis
Tales of Suspense and Mystery
Terrific Tales of Sci-fi and Space Opera
Whiskers
Chillers
Taino
The Magical Earth
The Psionic Man
Turnbull’s Slaves
The Werewolf of Misty Valley Plus Frankenstein and the Zombies
Turnbull’s Slaves Plus Taino
Frankenstein and the Zombies
Marxism and Political Correctness
Vietnam: Reflections of an Interrogator
All the above books can be ordered either from Amazon or from Riverok Books. The links to both Amazon and Riverok can be found on my Website at dhsully.wix.com/part1 or by emailing me at
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