(Written ten years ago, its message is more prescient today - but hold your hat, it is a politically INcorrect ride - but TRUE)
by Archpriest Symeon, February 6th 2002
by Archpriest Symeon, February 6th 2002
What is all this sudden interest in what the Koran says? Is that the fruit, the reward for the 3000 lives lost? A sudden interest in all things Islamic? Whether the Koran says this or not, who cares?
As to what Mohammedans believe - who they are spiritually - etc. Is it really any mystery?
If it is not glaringly obvious by now, after a thousand years of jihad and dhimmitude aimed and practiced against Christians, (and Buddhists and Hindus and Taoists and Janists, and ALL non-Mohammedans) that the "sprit" of Mohammedism is the spirit of The Liar, the spirit death, to the Christian the spirit of Anti-christ, then something is terribly wrong with our powers of spiritual discernment! That the ramblings of a false-prophet, a murdering-mad-man would be of interest to us seems very strange to me. Why pray tell, do not the Marxist/Muslims among us who seem to be so interested in the ramblings of a murdering-mad-man not find the manifesto of Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynsk absolutely fascinating. After all his Manifesto against technology has far more merit and basis in truth than does the historical fabrication of the Koran. I'll tell you why they are not interested, because they are the ones who are trying to wear down those of true faith in Christ via every avenue; the same ones bringing our country to her knees.
I'm not ignorant of the Koran. In fact I'm probably more knowledgeable than 99% of the American population. I studied the Koran back in my comparative religion studies over four decades ago. Having never touched the rag since, I could still name several things that jump out of the pages of the Koran besides the mandates to slaughter the non-believers. There is a false Icon of the Blessed Virgin, and a false Icon of Christ - after all - the Koran has a reference to Jesus' resurrection. (Distorted and untrue, like the Image of Mary, and the Image of Abraham, and the Image of Christ. It even has Jesus speaking to Allah denying he is the Son of God.) So what! It is the ramblings of a false-prophet-mad-murderer whose personal body count exceeds seven hundred according to "Islamic Scholars" of the 19th century, who used much earlier Islamic scholars as reference. The "spirit" of it is exceedingly obvious to all but the most obtuse. Sadly that number of "the obtuse" has grown exponentially in the last three decades. What's causing that?
The fact that Mohammed spoke of Jesus as the one Allah told him he would raise up - yet Jesus and his teachings are totally ignored by Mohammedans and he is treated as a mere minor prophet. Oh they will say, "He is a major prophet" but that's as far as it goes - his teachings and person are ignored; moreover the "spirit" of Mohammedism is and has been an attack on Christianity AND Judaism from day one! Their anti-christ influence has been too great to ignore. What else is there to know?
The question arises, can the one, committed to the spirit of anti-christ be healed? Saul of Tarsus testifies to that, and so does the Lord. It took a blinding flash, a theophany, on the road to Damascus and subsequent physical blindness to exorcise Saul of his anti-christian and murderous spirit. It is not to say that the anti-christian Mohammedan cannot be "turned around" but it cannot happen by means of a rational knowledge of his book-idol.
I have never heard of a "committed moslem" - one truly committed to the "spirit of his religion" - the anti-christ - being converted. I have heard of many nominal moslems being converted and have converted a few. It wasn't accomplished by a rational tour through the pages of the Koran. It was accomplished by the Gospel of Jesus Christ witnessed in the persons of Christian witnesses.
A prominent moslem was converted and is a memeber of our orthodox brotherhood, he lives now under a death sentense and his own mother beat him upon hearing it and shuttled him out of Saudi Arabia on the next plane to save his life. That conversion happened because of the witness of a dear Christian, sharing his own love and the Gospel. I spent many hours helping and refused to speak with him in any way in the economy of his "faith" or his book idol, only in the economy of Christ, his sacrifice and resurrection. We baptized him and afterward I asked him. "You were such a dedicated Moslem, what was the breakthrough that allowed you to find faith in Jesus Christ." He said, "When I prayed Allah was fearsome and far off, and in sincere prayer I discovered that Jesus invited me like a father, to come close and sit in his lap." This was experience, not rationalism. Later he approached me with "revelations about Christ out of the Koran" and I said, "So what! The demons believe and cringe in fear." He got tears in his eyes and tossed the false prophet's book in the trash, where it belonged.
An aside: Presently we, the U.S. face Mohammedan terror with our hands tied behind us. Coming to understand our own "cultural" spirit is far more important at this point in time than coming to grasp a better knowledge of the spirit of anti-christ present in Islam. We Americans - many prominent clergy, philosophers, educators and government officials have referred to our cultural heritage as "Judeo-Christian." It was . . . IS IT? It is OUR 'spirit' 'culture' and 'beliefs' which need examination and study, so as perhaps we may discover why we are slipping into a period of neo-paganism which will surely lead to a new feudalism and ages so dark, even the angels won't abide.
We cannot witness to Islam by means of competing books. That would be the position of the sola-scripturist who see the Bible like the Mohammedan sees his Koran, as an Idol. Only LIVING faith witnesses Faith. "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'"
Please don't think that anything that I've said speaks of a lack of care for moslem people. There have been few days in the last fifteen years that I haven't prayed for moslems as whole. I pray for them when I pray for idolaters and pagans. Moslems have become idolators, willing to kill for their idol; the idol they have made of the rantings of a false prophet. Having witnessed the slow motion conversion of the only "dedicated Moslem" I've witnessed, seeing the pain of his "coming to Christ" and how terrible was the death of his idol, I hold deep grief in my heart for all deluded by idols.
Prayer for Pagans and Idolaters: O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, everlasting God, hear our prayers for the pagans. Take away the iniquity from their hearts, that they may give up their idols and idolotrus delusions, that they may be converted to the living and true God, and His only Son, Jesus Christ our God and Lord, with Whom He lives and reigns, together with the Holy Spirit. O Almighty, everlasting God, Who unceasingly seeks not the death of sinners, but their life: mercifully receive our prayer, and deliver them from the worship of idols, and gather them into Your Holy Church, to the praise and glory of Your name. (+) Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You int he unity of the Holy Spirit, God through all the ages of ages - Amen
Archpriest Symeon
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