Posted on 09/10/2002 7:35:16 AM PDT by xzins
The anniversary is provoking many articles, thoughts, events.
IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, what do you think is the best way to memorialize last year's atrocity?
| National Repentance Still Absent Following 9-11, Former Muslim Says Also Charges Media Major Contributor in Islam's Post 9-11 'Evangelistic' Tenor September 9, 2002 |
(AgapePress) - A former Muslim woman turned Christian evangelist says instead of turning people to Jesus, the events of 9-11 did just the opposite. Indeed, a new poll finds that most Americans have a more positive view of Muslim-Americans today than they did before the terrorist attacks.
Sixty percent of the respondents to the Knight-Ridder survey last month said they have favorable feelings toward Muslim-Americans. That is up from 45% in early 2001. The poll also found that although the majority of people blame foreign Muslims for the attacks last September, 81% said they object to U.S. law enforcement agencies singling out American Arabs and Muslims for questioning without probable cause. [See Related Article]
W.L. Cati is the founder of Zennah Ministries, a Florida-based Christian organization founded to minister to women who are influenced by Muslims. As a woman married to a Muslim for 15 years, Cati knows all too well about the true nature of Islam. She says the events of 9-11 should have turned people to the true God of the universe, Jesus Christ -- but instead, she says, America let Satan in.
"We did not move to the forefront as Christians like we should have," Cati says. "First of all, our country didn't repent like it should have, either, and we just opened the doors and [said] 'Let's all be friendly.' "
According to Cati, the American mainline media has played a very influential role. "Look at the media coverage that Islam got," she says. "[The terrorist attacks on 9-11] did more for their evangelism cause than anything else -- they were on every single talk-show there was."
At the same time, she says, the media ripped any Christian who dared to tell the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. "How many Christians were on there? None. Or the Christians that did stand up, like Franklin Graham and other ones, they got blasted."
Cati says it is incredible that in the past year, several Christian churches actually allowed Islamic religious men to speak from their pulpits. But she points out that no mosque ever allowed a Christian pastor to preach the gospel.
"Do you know there have been more converts to Islam since 9-11 here in America than ever before? [That's] because they have run with it," she says. "We opened our churches to come in and to preach Islam in our own churches. They've played on it as the underdog -- they've capitalized on it, saying 'We're all not like that.' "
That, she says, is "hogwash." The Zennah website states that the teachings of the Koran condone Muslims wives to be beaten, used, and even killed by their husbands if the husband believes it is necessary. Cati's ministry reaches out to women who have been unable or too afraid to break out of Islam.
Shallow Pleas
Dr. James Dobson echoes Cati's comment regarding the absence of national repentance following the September attacks. He says the quick drop in church attendance to pre-9-11 levels after an initial surge in the weeks following is because the response to an Almighty God was more rhetorical than real.
"While it became fashionable to utter the prayer 'God Bless America' and ask for divine assistance in that time of trouble, I heard very little during that time about our own sin and need for repentance," Dobson says in a statement released on Friday.
"Not only should we have asked God to bless us individually and corporately, but we should have beseeched Him reverently to forgive us for our depravity, for our greed, and for killing our babies."
Dobson says pleas to heaven without a spirit of remorse are shallow and self-serving. "No wonder our 'spiritual renewal' didn’t last," he says.
Followers of Christ, Dobson says, are challenged to live by example and to show a watching world the need for dependence entirely upon God. Alluding to the 9-11 attacks, he says "life can change in an instant -- and true peace of mind can only come from a relationship with Jesus Christ."
I'm just finishing up What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey, and I think his read of the state of the church in the West is right on. We are becoming more and more a lost people, and instead of acting to reverse that, I believe 9-11 only highlighted it.
Dobson's words about pleas without a spirit of remorse remind me of the Words of God regarding the smell of burnt offerings being a stench in His nostrils. God is not to be humoured or paid lip service...He is the God of the Universe and only the repentant and remorseful have any place before Him.
I do not believe this statistic for a moment.
I think you'd have trouble finding six percent of Americans with a favorable impression of Muslims.
These phony numbers are meant to shore up the Muslim sector of the one-world, we-all-pray-to-the-same-god, gnostic philosophy that certain people have spent so much time and effort putting in place.
On another thread, people are speculating that Clinton knew of 9-11 since he was in Australia at the time. People forget Chelsea was three blocks from the World Trade Center when the planes hit.
As Americans and Christians, we need look no further for responsibility than to the Muslim evil-doers whose god is false and damned.
Whatever geo-political reasons for the creation and abetting of bin Laden, the enemy is now poised to strike. And there is only one response -- destroy the enemy before he destroys you.
I believe the proper response to September 11 is vigilance, remembrance and resolve.
But above all, gratitude to God in whose hands we surely rest.
Since we have no moral pinnings as a nation, then we truly get blown by every wind of doctrine. What that means for America is that the media leads us about by the nose.
They used to call it brainwashing.
If they'd chosen to blast islam as the preferred course, everyone in America would be blasting them. If they choose to slowly lead Americans back to the couch and the football game where the media opiate takes over their brain, then that's what will happen to most of America.
They have no moral stand, no undergirding, no resolve.
My Sunday school class has more than doubled in the past year. This is directly affected by parents wanting their children to be taught about Christ as I teach the wee ones, 2-6 year olds. Not all the parents come to church but those numbers have increased also.
Granted there has been a falling off after the initial shock of last years attack but the increase has been steady and fairly regular in attendance.
God made heaven and He wants you in it!
Some of us still do.
We have the world the temporal powers want us to have.
But their triumph is empty and short-lived.
God bless every man and woman putting their lives of the line for all of us during these dangerous times.
All glory to God.
I thought this Meditation very appropriate for today (and tomorrow).
From The Word Among Us
| Tuesday, September 10, 2002 Meditation Luke 6:12-19 Power came forth from him and healed them all. (Luke 6:19)
Take this short poll: If you were sick and in need of healing, what would you do? Pray for a miracle and believe strongly it could happen? Pray for a miracle but be careful not to get your hopes up? Or not know whether you should even dare to pray for healing and just bear your suffering patiently?
If you chose the second or third option, you are probably in the majority. Somewhere along the line, our modern culture seems to have picked up the message that healings and miracles are not nearly as common as they were in Jesus’ time. Even in many Christian circles, it’s assumed that the best course is to suffer through the pain as a way of atoning for your sins.
Thankfully, the teachings of the Catholic Church and the Scriptures are both very positive in their assertion that healings and miracles should be very much a part of the Christian life. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left us the sacraments and he gave each of us his indwelling Holy Spirit. This is an awesome one-two combination that can give us great hope for healing and grace.
God wants us to know that he doesn’t delight in anyone’s sickness. He wants us to know that even in situations when physical healing doesn’t occur, it’s not because of his wrath or his inability to heal. We will never fully understand the mystery of suffering, at least not in this life. However, we can say that when we are not healed, God pours out a superabundance of grace that will not only sustain us in our illness, but can actually bring us to a deeper intimacy with Jesus.
Do you have a need for healing? Does someone close to you need a healing touch from the Lord? If so, take comfort from today’s gospel: “Power came forth from him and healed them all” (Luke 6:19). Jesus is full of power. He will never abandon you. In faith and trust, reach out to him and take hold of every grace and blessing he has in store for you.
“Jesus, I stand in need of your healing power. Please come and set me free. I trust in you and place my hope in your great promises. Come Jesus, and heal me.” |
Re: Anger in your previous sentence
I'm not trying to say that they are right, or that they are wrong, but I think that this is a symptom of the terrible trauma they endured.
You have a very wise and valid observation here.
In her book, On Death and Dying Elisabeth Kubler-Ross talks about the five phases of grief:
denial -- some people who lost loved ones on 9-11 are still expecting them to re-emerge somehow
bargaining -- some are saying, "God, I will be the best parent, wife, husband, son, daughter, friend, etc. if only You bring my loved one back to life.
Anger -- Some are mad at the terrorists, mad at themselves for not keeping their loved ones home 15 minutes longer, mad at family members and mad at God for allowing this to happen on American soil.
Depression -- this article talks about how this lady is dealing with some of the depression, but some people escape through drugs, alchohol, gambling, busy, busy, busy, do-gooding, work, etc.
The last phase mention by Kubler-Ross is acceptance -- Accepting that this indeed happened in your life whether you understand the "why" of it or not.
Another thought here -- sometimes anger and depression will tag team it and provide a horrid cycle of grief that seems impossible to deal with. But remember, with God, all things are possible.
A final phase that Beginning Experience (www.beginningexperience.org) adds is
Reaching Out -- this is something we all can do; sometimes the people who have gone through a loss just want someone to sit down with them and listen to them.
Some reading materials:
On Death and Dying Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
When Bad Things Happen to Good People Rabbi Kirschner
Without Thorns It's Not a Rose Father Jack Scott (my favorite)
For children Tear Soup I don't know who the author is, but a wonderful book about grief for any age.
You can click on my name to read my story, and I would be glad to talk with or email anyone who is hurting or working through grief.
Salvation
This ministry is open to all religions and is a peer ministry for those who have suffered a loss through death, divorce or separation.
Granting grace because He gives us grace. I'll be honest with you, dusty, I don't feel gracious toward terrorists. I'd accept anyone who would be saved, but I am truly bitter about them.
I just retired from the Army last January, and I just wish we had caught them BEFORE this happened. I am bitter about it. I am bitter toward them.
It's so hard to anticipate someone suddenly lashing out and killing innocent, unsuspecting civilians.
Just ignore it for one thread a day (maybe we all should do that) and maybe we'll all get to smile.
Despite our religious differences, we ALL ARE AMERICANS. Our families ALL contribute troops to our military. And alongside each other, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, and Mormons give their lives in the defense of our great nation.
THAT is absolutely deserving of respect!!
In the beauty of the lilies,
Christ was born across the sea.
With a Glory in His bosom,
That transfigures you and me.As He died to make men holy,
Let us live to make men free,
While God is marching on!
I pray that God will prosper the Word of God that you have come to know, with a grace that you are most unworthy, yet it is done by the Mercy of God. Peace be unto you.
I can understand not feeling gracious toward the terrorists. I wasn't exactly meaning that. Those who seek the truth will come to it I believe. These terrorists certainly think they have the truth in sight and like the rest of us when it comes time to meet our maker which they have done, we will all know without a shadow of doubt who followed the light.
I once told my mother when confronted with an intirely different evil that I wished Christ would hurry back and let me help Him stomp that snakes head into the dirt.
Protect that which is good and true.
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I will be going to Mass tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. I remember the service we had last year. Very solemn with a lot of intercessions spoken by the faithful.
The choir chose not to sing a Recessional and someone started singing "God Bless America." Only then, did it seem like any tears flowed. (I am in Oregon.)
And I think all of us need to get out there and evangelize!
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