Posted on 06/14/2016 5:05:31 PM PDT by Fali_G
An elderly Christian man living in Raqqa, Syria, faced forced conversion to Islam as he can no longer afford to pay the minority or jizya tax, a penalty enforced by the Islamic State to minorities living under its jurisdiction.
In a video posted by the terror group’s Amaq news platform, a man identifying himself as Mostafa Abu Alzer recites the “Shahada,” the declaration required to enter the Islamic faith, while also stating that his conversion is of his own free will.
(Excerpt) Read more at foreigndesknews.com ...
Chaff being separated from the wheat.
But this has nothing to do with the religion that shall not be named.
Religion of peace.
No such thing as islamic terrorism.
O B A M A
I’m not certain if you are implying his decision to surrender to Islam is betrayal of Christ.
If so, it’s Much easier to judge and righteously condemn him from the safety of our own shores.
Face to face confrontation with a man who Will coarsely cut your head off would likely bring about submission in many Christians soldiers in order to live another day by dead of night escape.
US Military Survival manual: Survive Evade Resist Escape.
RE: “a man identifying himself as Mostafa Abu Alzer recites the “Shahada,”
Chaff being separated from the wheat.”
It’s a sin, but if he was a believer it is not the unforgivable sin, he can’t shed his salvation.
The superior thing would be, yes, to sacrifice for the sake of his Savior. I have a hunch that this is not going to get him left alone, though. The issue will be forced in the future.
Since he lives in the “capital” of ISIS, giving him an option to pay a tax or convert seems kind of lenient compared with their usual MO.
This is just the beginning. People are oblivious to the plight of Christians. They don’t care because they don’t get it. These are sad times around the world especially in the USA where God has provided us with so much. I believe God’s protection is being lifted from our country because of our perversion as a nation as well as our weak or absent stand with Israel.
Chaff being sifted, perhaps, but is this pitiful old man really chaff? When we are faced with life and death choices, before God, will we do any better?
This poor elderly men does not do this of his own free will. Fear for his life and abject poverty drove him to it. But God who forgave the Apostle Peter for this sin, can still strengthen and forgive him too, so pray for this poor man, and pray for strength and courage when we are tested, which we will be.
“a man identifying himself as Mostafa Abu Alzer recites the “Shahada,”
Chaff being separated from the wheat.”
I commend you that you know for sure that you would stay true to Christ under the threat of torture and/or death.
I am ashamed that I cannot say the same for myself even though I love the Lord. i would like to believe that I would stay true till the end, but I have never been faced with such a dilemma.
If that is true - I've never seen a lower FR post.
Imagine being a 70 year old Christian, sitting in Syria with no money to pay the tax.
Some FReeper in the US, sitting in front of his $1,000 computer decides the Syrian Christian is betraying Christ. With no information about the Christian or his circumstances he decides to play God and declares it is a betrayal.
Peter denied Christ and was forgiven. I doubt this poor old man really believes in Islam. They probably threatened or killed his family as well.
I think you can shed your salvation. After all, Annanias and Sapphira were believers and, in fact, far more committed than most believers these days. They believed enough to give half of their wealth to the church. Granted they lied about that amount, but that was enough to bring swift judgment and destruction.
Don’t be too quick to buy into this “once saved/always saved” theology, lest God give you up to your sins. Keep His commandments always as best you can, and when you fail, confess and undo, insofar as you are able, your sin.
Undoing your sin may cost you dearly, but if you do not you are not truly repentant, and yes, your salvation is indeed at stake. Do not think that because you are “saved” you can be a stumbling block for others, cause them to lose their faith, that then God will forgive and save you. He did not save Annanias and Sapphira who had become stumbling blocks. Do not think you are so cheaply bought that you can treat this gift of salvation lightly and keep it.
But if you are a repentant sinner, your salvation is not lost, and neither is this poor man’s if he kneels himself before our just but merciful God and asks forgiveness and the strength to undo this sin, though it may cost him his life.
Maybe Obama will not let her immigrate to the US, since she is no longer Christian.
Oh, I thought it over well and deeply, for decades.
Once saved always saved is as biblical as you can get.
If you shed it, it wasn’t salvation.
Nobody is told where the souls of Ananias (sp!) and Sapphira went — only their bodies.
By the way, repentance is arranged by God. He stoops to our need. We do not gin up His.
And frankly, this is where Methodists and others got off on a wrong foot.
How do you think the “Method” got into the name?
The only method that counts is the method that a renewing God imparts unto us. As viewed on earth it definitely is unflattering to us. Mistakes. Sins. Blasphemies. False starts. Opportunities squandered. Lessons finally learned, but accompanied by a mess. As viewed from heaven it is most commendatory towards God. Longsuffering. Persistence. Perfect wisdom. Perfect planning. Refinement towards a perfectly scheduled end. And very notably, the command not to worry! A violation of this paradigm would also provide the basis for worrying — a contradiction in terms.
And of course, understanding this is not “quick.” The folly of the Garden was that mankind became the tail that wagged the dog; we purportedly knew good and evil, which are things that only God can rule and discern, and impart the true ability to do the same to us.
We did not choose Him, the bible says. He chose us.
The Shahada, if spoken truthfully, would be as follows:
There is no Allah but Satan, and Muhammad was his murdering pedophile.
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