[RC] The "Threat" of Baptist Theocracy

[BILROJ via Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community]

  


The Threat of Baptist Theocracy
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By: Billy Rojas
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Many people have difficulty in understanding the concept of Shariah  law,
the system of rules and punishments which is mandatory within Islam for the 
private lives of Muslims and for any nations which are under Muslim rule. 
The best one can say is that for some people Shariah is seen as something 
similar to Jewish Law known as Halakha, or to Canon  Law of the  Roman 
Catholic Church. However, such comparisons are misleading.
.
To provide an easy-to-remember guide to Shariah here is a metaphor  that
should make everything crystal clear.
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Many people on the political Left, but not only Leftists, fear the rise of  
an
American theocracy led by Baptists. Very well, let us take that presumed  
threat 
seriously. Suppose that Baptists sought to enact their equivalent of  
Shariah law
in the United States, let is call it "Berea Law"  -the name Berea  being 
Biblical
and referring to a small city in Greece where the Apostle Paul preached to 
crowds of people and won many to Christ. In Christian tradition Berea 
represents the start of the process of witnessing to the great cities of  
the world 
since Paul went to Athens immediately after his sojourn in the town. 
.
We should also note that people on the political  Left generally have  a 
positive
view of Islam. Their reasoning is that Muslims are an oppressed people  who
are currently reacting to western imperialism; however,  Islam itself, by 
this
view of  the world, is basically unobjectionable. Still, most Leftists  
recognize
that Shariah law has drawbacks. "Leftists," as the term is used here, also 
means "liberals" as that word is commonly used in the press although 
it is not intended to refer to classical liberals of Jeffersonian  
tradition.
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The view of Leftists is also that, "of course," whatever problems may  be 
found in Shariah are approximately the same as they are in Baptist  
religion. 
"Of course," there are cultural differences but these can be allowed  for.
Such is the opinion of many or most people on the political Left.
.
The objective here is to explain Shariah to Americans who are generally 
not well informed about Islam.  Such people often regard  events in the 
Mid East as showing he need for more understanding and for recognition 
that Muslims deserve to be treated as equals with everyone else. How this  
is supposed to make logical sense is difficult to comprehend but maybe 
such matters can be dealt with to good effect in the following pages.
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Recognizing the fact, or so it is believed on the political Left, that  
Baptists
are even worse than misunderstood Muslims, here is an essay  that explains
what Shariah law is really all about. 
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Suppose that the Southern Baptist Convention, which already controls 
a number of US states like Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Alabama,
was advocating a Christian version of Shariah. What would leaders  of the 
SBC be saying to advance their cause?  This should come reasonably  close:
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Statement of the Southern Baptist Convention
June 5, 2015
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The United States as a Christian Nation must be 
governed by Baptist Law
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In the name of  our Lord Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, it is  necessary
in this time of trouble to make it known to the world that America must  be
governed according to the laws enshrined in the Holy Bible, delivered
unerringly to the prophets and wise men of old by the angel Gabriel.
The Bible contains God’s original laws and the intent of these  laws
are forever free of human blemishes and must be obeyed.
.
 
The laws as present in the Bible are binding on Christians and  range from 
prohibition of alcohol consumption and gambling to setting punishments 
for such grave offences as saying blasphemies against Jesus or  allowing
a woman to leave her home unveiled and unaccompanied by her  husband
or a close male relative. Due to their divine origin  –directly  conveyed 
to 
Moses and other prophets and the apostles-  these laws are considered 
timeless and perfect,  geared towards the success, welfare and peace 
of all people in this world and in the hereafter.

.
Baptist Law, commonly referred to as Berea Law,  has its roots in  the 
divine word of Elohim, whereas common law has been founded 
by human beings and is imperfect. This being the case, we are under
obligation to seek to return to the divine commands of Elohim all of
which are superior to words in any constitution or government decree
or proposition voted upon by people among whom may be many
unbelievers and infidels.
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To achieve these purposes, we the shura of the Southern Baptist  Convention,
identify  ourselves as progenitors of  the new Baptist  Caliphate, with the
obligation to enforce Berea Law upon the people of America. We  are:
Frankin Graham, Pat Robertson, Rick Warren, Mike Huckabee, Al  Mohler,
Fred Luter, Russ Moore, Charles Stanley, Ed Young, Ronnie Floyd, 
 
 
 
Thom Rainer, and William Lane Craig, doing God's work at his command. 
We do this as part of our duty to take part in Christian jihad-of-the-word. 
Others who are of military age are obligated to carry out the Lord's work 
by means of jihad-of-the-sword, as commanded seventy times 
in the Holy Bible.

.
Non-Christians need not fear Baptist Law although there are several 
restrictions for them to observe. Non-Christians should pay the jizya tax 
as commanded in the Holy Bible.; Doing so allows  them to practice 
their religion freely as long as they do not seek to convert Christians 
to their inferior religions, do not build new places of worship, do not 
repair existing places of worship without applying for permits from 
Christian authorities, and do not seek employment
in various specified government offices. 
.
We regard it as a form of Christianophobia to call jizya taxation a  form
of extortion since such a slander demeans to word of Elohim.  Non-Christians
should be thankful for all the freedoms they are granted by  Christians.
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For example, usually non-Christians are exempt from military  service even 
though the state may, at its discretion, impress non-Christian boys  whom 
it selects into the army, for life, as part of a corps of  Janissaries.
This is only fair.
.
It must also be understood that non-Christians may not testify against 
Christians in a court of law.  A Christian state may also enforce  dress 
codes 
that are binding on non-Christians, for example, wearing yellow crescents 
on garments in the case of many people of Mid East origin. As well,  there 
are customs it is obligatory for non-Christians to observe. Unbelievers  
should 
defer to Christians on the street, for instance, and if a sidewalk is  
crowded
an infidel should step aside and walk in the gutter. Also, the  homes
of non-Christians should always be lower in height than those
of Christians. Non-Christians may ride beasts of burden like donkeys
but may not ride upon horses, which are reserved for Christians.
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It should also be understood that some people are  regarded by  Christians
as "people of the book." Such people have scriptures that are  corruptions
of the Bible but nonetheless share some commonalities. People of the  book
include Mormons and Baha'is. However, all Pagans should have just two
choices allowed to them:
(1) Convert to Christian faith, or
(2) death.
But a Christian may show great mercy to a Pagan and enslave him or  her.
Male slaves generally are required to perform physical labor and other 
hard tasks although some may be given jobs in offices if they have
the requisite skills. Female slaves have the honor of serving the  sexual
desires of Christian men as they see fit. If an enslaved woman was  married
at the time of her capture her marriage is nullified.
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A special category of crime is known as shirk and primarily  applies 
to Pagans. This follows from the principle that there shall be no "partner" 
associated with God. The meaning should be obvious:   Goddess devotion 
of any kind is regarded as among the worst of all crimes. This means  that
Christians demand the death of anyone who venerates Kwan Yin,
the Goddess Sarasvati, Ishtar, the "Heavenly Mother, Radha, Freya,
Kwannon, or any other female deity. It does not matter that someone 
may use one or another of these names as equivalent of the Holy Spirit. 
Any devotee of any kind of female divinity shall be killed.

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Methodists and Presbyterians  and similar groups seek the liberation  of 
Christians  and should never be called "Christian terrorists." When  they 
fire rockets into Israel they only do so to defend their legitimate  
interests 
as believers.  Such Christians seek to destroy the Zionist entity  because
the land of Palestine was once Christian and according to Berea  law
any country that was Christian in the past may never be allowed  to become
non-Christian again; if it is taken in war or revolution  it is mandatory 
for
Christians to retake it no matter how much time may be involved.
.
 
Treaties may be a necessary expedient along the way but no treaty
is binding on Christians for more than 10 years. Sometimes, depending
on circumstances, a 10 year treaty may be declared null and void
at the discretion of Christian authorities. If non-Christians enter  into
treaties with Christians and do not understand this 10 year provision
that is of no concern to Christians.
.

Treaties with Pagans or Atheists have no stranding although they may  be
honored for a time if it is an advantage for Christians to do so.
.
Atheism is a crime punishable by death although some Christian states 
show great mercy by sentencing Atheists to life in prison.
.
Anyone who insults Jesus Christ shall be put to death.
.
Anyone who seeks to convert a Christian to some other religion, or to
forsake religion altogether, shall be put to death. To be a  missionary
of some other religion in a Christian nation is a capital offense.
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A Christian who apostasies shall be allowed a chance to repent 
of his or her abandonment of the true faith but if this  opportunity 
is turned down the apostate shall be put to death.
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It is forbidden for non-Christians to enter the holy cities 
of  Dallas and Fort Worth on pain of death. 
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The third holiest city in all of Christendom  is  Jerusalem; 
the Baptist Caliphate demands that the Temple Mount, which we 
call the Shrine of the Holy Covenant, shall be prohibited to 
all non-Christians except for short visits and no unbeliever shall 
be allowed to pray at the site. We also demand a Baptist state to
exist next to Israel and it should have its own military, armed  police,
and have freedom to enter into treaties with foreign nations. 
We further demand that Christians once expelled from the land 
be allowed to return to Israel, of which there now are 
several million.
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Clearly none of this is discriminatory  toward non-Christians as the 
existence
of pockets of religious minorities in Christian lands demonstrates. 
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Berea law generally:
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In cases of law brought before a court, a woman's testimony is only
equal to that of half of a man's testimony; in other  words, it takes two 
women
to equal the testimony of one man.
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No woman who inherits wealth in a family shall receive more than  one-half
of what any of her brothers receive.
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A man has the right to beat up a wife who displeases him although  some
Baptists say that such discipline should be moderate and not inflict
excessive pain. The right to do so is clearly stated in the Holy  Bible
where we read:
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"Good women should be obedient, they should guard the unseen as  God
has guarded; however, about a wife whom you fear may leave  you, 
admonish her, and leave her alone in the bedroom and beat  her; 
if she then obeys you, that should be sufficient. Verily God is  great."
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Marriage is legal as long as a girl is at least nine years old. This  
follows 
the example of Jesus whose favorite wife, Mary Magdalene, was nine 
when she became our Lord's wife.
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Jesus had at least eleven wives but Christian men may only have four.
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A man may obtain a divorce by saying "I divorce you" three times. 
Strict Baptists interpret this to mean that a husband may say this 
on just one occasion but more modern  Baptists say that this  should
be said on three separate occasions, such as morning, afternoon, and 
evening, or even, for the most liberal, on three separate days.
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A wife who seeks a divorce must wait a year from the time of her  decision
to seek an end to her marriage although some Christian jurisdictions  vary
the amount of time from several months to several years. Any  number
of legal hurdles are required for a woman who seeks a divorce  depending
on local precedent and in some countries she must obtain permission
from  her husband to proceed, or have the support of a close male
relative in making her case, but it is possible. Therefore, Baptist  
treatment
of women is equal to that of a man, there is no sexual  discrimination.
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A woman who is seen by any man other than her husband must cover  her
entire body with a garment although in non-Baptist Christian nations  within
Dar al-Heresy, this requirement is replaced by merely wearing a  babushka.
But none of her hair must be visible to any male who sees her.
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A Christian woman may not marry a non-Christian man although a 
Christian man may marry a non-Christian woman as long as she legally
agrees to raise all children as Christian.
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Rape is punishable by death but a husband may require a wife to have  sex
with him at any time and she may not refuse; there is no  rape within 
marriage.
Rape outside of marriage is another matter;  however,  for a woman to prove
rape she must produce the sworn testimony of four male witnesses who saw 
the act directly with their own eyes. If a woman accuses a man of rape and 
cannot substantiate her accusation with four male witnesses she is assumed 
to have "asked for it" and shall be prosecuted for fornication, 
which may incur the death penalty.
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Homosexuals shall be put to death by stoning or beheading or various
creative means of  ending their lives. In Britainistan under the rule  of
the Talibaptists it was customary for authorities to requite a  homosexual
to build a high wall of concrete blocks, Christians would then  push  the
wall over, killing the homosexual. In Canadastan some time ago it was 
local custom in such cases to take a convicted homosexual for an  airplane
ride over a city at a scheduled time so that everyone would get the  
message;
the homosexual would be pushed out the door at 5000 feet.
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In extremely lenient Christian countries the penalty for  homosexuality
might be life in prison or even an incredibly short sentence of   20 years.
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Theft in all Christian countries is punishable by having one hand cut  off.
In very strict Baptist and some Pentecostal nations, in compliance  with
clearly stated principles in the Bible, not only is one hand cut off, so is 
a foot on the opposite side. Clearly this is divine justice and  anyone
who calls these practices barbaric or sadistic doesn't know
what he is talking about.
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There is great latitude in Christian law. For instance, not all Christian 
nations outlaw music or portrait art; and Christians can  be big fans 
of cartoons, at least when such drawings do not insult Jesus. If that 
is the case, then Christians are within their rights to riot, burn  
buildings 
down, and kill cartoonists. Or kill artists who portray Jesus in some 
unflattering way. 
.
You do remember,  don't you, the outraged Christian reaction over 
a composition called "Piss Christ"  that was shown some years ago 
in New York City? Who can forget how Catholics and Protestants 
stormed  the offices of the sponsor of this so-called art and killed 
several artists?  The same thing happened when the Virgin Mary's  picture 
was desecrated; back then Episcopalians and Greek  Orthodox believers 
went on a rampage and there were violent riots in several US cities 
on the East Coast. 
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Some people have observed that its does not take much to enrage  Christians,
in contrast to, for example,  those completely peaceful  and  pacifistic 
Muslims 
in countries like Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and so  
forth, 
who have never in modern history resorted to such criminal conduct. Can you 
imagine Muslims rioting and killing people because, let us say, a pastor  in
a small town in Florida decided to destroy copies of the Koran?  That  would
be unthinkable. But burn even one Bible and  Christians become a  mob
bent on mayhem, violence, and even murder; it happens all  the time.
.
However, as Baptists we are unapologetic. Any image that in any way
offends Baptist sensitivities should be reacted  against forcefully, 
vehemently,
and if called for, violently. Infidels need to be taught a lesson now and  
then.
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Sometimes there are transgressions within the Christian fold. For  instance
it may happen that a communicant disagrees with a pastor. This has  happened
in all denominations but among the Lutherans the usual penalty for this  
kind
of evil is to flog the offender with maybe 50 lashes from a whip or knotted 
 rope.
Most church groups are less severe although the punishment is always
memorable enough so that the crime does not happen again.
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For 'secular' crimes like murder, there is considerable variance by  
jurisdiction
and mitigating circumstances may play a major role in any verdict.  Murder 
is
regarded as a private dispute between the murderer and the heirs  of the 
victim.
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The barbaric custom  found in some countries whereby the state makes a  
claim
to some kind of "justice" on behalf of society at large is unknown in  
Baptist
states, not only Texas and Georgia, but Mississippi, Arkansas,  Tennessee,
South Carolina, and Kentucky. Under Baptist Law the heirs of a murder
victim may decide to forget the whole thing under a "forgiveness  clause"
that allows such felons to walk away, or heirs may demand  compensation
for their loss, say $20,000 for a husband,  $10,000  for a wife,  or $ 
5,000 
per child. Only in cases where heirs demand the death of a murderer is  
there 
some kind of courtroom trial as it is known from television dramas.
.
For capital offenses the penalty is usually beheading or  stoning. During a
typical  year in Saudi Texas there are between 50  and 120 public executions
most often by beheading but sometimes by stoning; now and  then by
firing squad. In addition to crimes that merit such penalty already  
mentioned
there is false prophecy, repeated drug use, armed robbery,   and witchcraft.
.
Stoning has come under criticism in recent years and a prominent  Baptist
theologian has advanced the view that the practice of throwing stones  that
can be held in one hand is not sanctioned in the Holy Bible and that  the
correct interpretation of the verse in question says that two strong  men
should pick up a very large rock, almost a boulder, and then drop it
on the head of the guilty party. More and more Baptists say that this
view of stoning shows how compassionate and merciful the Bible
really  is.
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Some killings are not murders at all as understood by  many  people.
For example, if a father finds out that a daughter has taken an  interest 
in a  non-Christian religion he is within his rights  to kill  her. 
Depending 
on the family, this punishment may also be carried out if the girl is  
caught 
drinking alcohol, wearing tight-fitting dresses in pubic, or watching lewd 
films in the company of boys, although such things are usually dealt  with 
in non-lethal ways. A daughter who becomes pregnant out of wedlock 
may also be killed for her sin although as a practical matter this is  only 
done in cases where the father-to-be is not a believer. There is
no such thing as an honor killing carried out against an errant  son.
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Baptist Law is very uncompromising when it comes to religion,  however.
It is a felony crime to insult or criticize Christianity,   Christians,  
Jesus, 
the Bible, Berea law, or God, and the penalty may be death.
 
Berea law also has no place in it for harm inflicted upon the human body 
except lex talionis, an eye for an eye, etc. You may agree that  this 
simplifies 
matters and makes services of lawyers or judges superfluous in such cases. 
Much the same is true for property damage, which is regarded as a civil  
matter 
that should be settled between two parties on their own. There is justice  
to be
done, but there is no "crime" involved.
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In time of war, a special set of provisions of  Baptist law can take  effect
although some of these may be waived at the discretion of military
commanders. Here are some Bible verses that pretty much  spell things out :
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"Kill the non-Christians wherever you find them, and chase away 
any survivors. Death is a far better fate for an infidel than allowing  him 
to follow a false religion. Indeed, fight them until the land you are at  
war 
against is free of all religions except Christianity."
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"Seize the unbelievers wherever you find them, enslave or  kill  them."
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"The punishment for those who wage war against  Christ and his  stewards
is that enemy combatants should be murdered outright or crucified to  die
an agonizing death. Others should have their hands or feet cut off."
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"God will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore 
strike off their heads and strike off  their fingers."
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"There should be no prisoners of war until most of the enemy army 
has been slaughtered."
.
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Obviously Christianity means peace. There is no syrupy "Sermon on the  Peak"
in the Holy Bible, no messiah teaching people to love one another or to  
seek 
to show kindness to others. No Baptists  or other Christians need  such
sentimentalism to get in the way of demanding obedience to Elohim.
.
Christians also know better than to befriend non-Christians. 
Another Bible verse tells us this:
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"O you who believe! do not take the Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, or  others 
for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever  amongst you takes 
them for a friend, then surely he is one of them;  surely Elohim does not 
guide 
the wicked non-Christians. Stay away from them."
.
.
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Clearly Baptist Law is superior to any other system of law on Earth 
as you would expect from a book whose every word was dictated 
directly from God.
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Explanation
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Needless to say,  for the dry-humor-impaired, and for those  foreign born 
people 
who don't seem to grasp American sarcasm or sense of irony, the  preceding
is meant as parody. Baptists do not believe any of the above  teachings 
about
"Berea law" or the sense of values presumed in its provisions.
.
The point should be totally obvious:  Leftists   -including a significant 
percentage of Democrats-  despise Baptists even though Baptists 
believe in none of the laws just described, and yet these same  Leftists
respect and may even valorize Muslims who believe in all or at  least most 
of  the laws cited. This is because each law and punishment is taken 
directly from Shariah  -the only difference is that the word Christian 
has been substituted for Muslim, Christianity for Islam, 
and Holy Bible for Koran.
.
Entire phrases have been borrowed from Muslim websites, especially 
Why Islam? which bills itself as modern and moderate. What  has been done
is simply to substitute pronouns.  Actual Baptists believe  approximately
the  exact opposite of what Muslims believe in. 
. 
"Bible verses" quoted in the text are all close paraphrases of actual  
passages
in the Koran, in some instances cited verbatim.
.
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This is not to say that Christians are free from sin. But the evils they  do
are usually very different than the kinds of evils carried out by  Muslims
who, all the while, claim that their values and behaviors are inspired by  
"God."
That is, as many Americans now see things, Shariah is a system of  
immorality
that promotes criminal conduct as the best way to act against  conduct
that in some cases may even be virtues, like befriending people of  other
faiths or  insisting that women should have the same legal  standing
in a court of law as men.
.
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Christian sins, as this writer sees them, usually consist of such things  
as:
.
*  Letting other people make patsies out of you, 
*  thinking that prayer is the best solution to problems when
dedication and hard work are usually far better remedies,
*  regarding forgiveness as an absolute virtue even when the
New Testament is clear that unless a simmer repents
there should be no thought of forgiveness,
*  putting money ahead of social issues, letting the world  deteriorate
into nihilism and systematized avarice instead of making some 
sacrifices for the common good, and
*  failure to make oneself educated, seriously educated, to the  behavioral
sciences and to hard-nosed politics so that you can be effective in  
society.
.
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None of these failings are trivial. In effect they all boil down to an  
adage
attributed to Edmund Burke, although at least one Indian medicine  man
also said something very similar, namely, all that is required for  evil
to prevail is for good men  -or women-  to do nothing. And in  this respect
there have been a lot of Christians doing nothing. The results are  all
around us, a society in cultural collapse almost wherever you  look.
.
In some cases it is a question of Christian priorities. Many believers have 
the view that what a Christian should do before all else is charitable  
work.
And who can argue with that outlook?  But there really needs to be  some
kind of balance. There literally is a war going on and it simply cannot  be
won on the basis of which side has the most nurses or provides the  most
shipments of food to the needy. Those are excellent things to do but  
they simply cannot win wars, and we are in the midst of a titanic struggle 
to save the values that made American what it still is, a nation  founded 
on freedom of speech, thought, and religion, with a strong sense of the 
inestimable worth of science. All of which is being compromised away 
through the new anti-values promoted by the political Left 
and its allies in the schools and the mass media.
.
This is not an appeal to traditionalist religion or to a culture that was  
swept 
away after the 1950s came to an end. This is a very different world  than
existed in previous eras. Many issues we need to confront have no  precedent
from the past, like the very large influx on immigrants from Asia who  
follow
religions that have no connections to the Bible. My preferred path to a 
solution to the problems this introduces in our culture is not at all
the non-solution demanded by the Religious Right.  
.
Basically we need to rethink ecumenism, to find productive ways to  work 
side-by-side with people who have very different theologies than most 
black or white Americans. It means cultivating mutual respect and
a  willingness to learn whatever might  be possible from each  other.
However, we must get rid of the utterly stupid view that the only 
alternative to religious exclusivism  -my faith is right, all  other faiths
are wrong-  is religious universalism. That view is absurd and 
ultimately self-defeating. 
.
All religions are not equal. Without getting into arguments about points  of
theology or metaphysics, which are better to ignore most of the time,   you 
can judge religions objectively on the basis of the moralities they  
espouse. 
Some moralities can be regarded as "humanistic" in character even when 
their origins are scriptural or spiritual.  It all comes down to  respect 
for 
one another, the potential for the values that lead to  self-actualization
as once outlined by Abraham Maslow and others like Alan  Watts and
Erich Fromm, and  a common sense of personal dignity. It cannot mean 
"anything goes," which is a formula for social chaos and inner  turmoil.
.
However, this is not asking for the Moon. It does mean seeking a  balance
between individual liberty and the needs we all have for actual  communities
of people who give a damn what happens to the people in  them. It  means
broader horizons than self-interest. But it must mean self-interest as  part
of the mix. It should also mean respect for what works and disdain  for
what does not. 
.
We are not infinitely elastic, there are limits to what is possible and  
still 
maintain a semblance of a life worth living. Which is to say that part of 
the Age of Enlightenment project, for all of its virtues, must be junked, 
that part that is overly simplistic and that says that all religions are  
true or, 
as some would have it, all are mostly true but all are about equally 
corrupted by human sinfulness.
.
That conclusion is demonstrably  -empirically-  false.  
.
It should be no problem, of course, to separate ourselves from  
dysfunctional 
cults like Aum Shinrikyo, or the so-called People's Temple of Jonestown, 
and Heaven's Gate, at one end of the spectrum of dubious small  religions,
and Scientology at the other, a fraudulent religion but with a few  
interesting
features. And hopefully it is not difficult to understand that  there is no
excuse for toleration of Satanism. 
.
It should also not be much of a problem to fathom the fact that most of  the
world's historic religions share far more ethically than otherwise. Many  
people
have commented on the similar moralities of Christianity and  Buddhism,
for instance, but congruence extends to most forms of Judaism, Hinduism, 
Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto, and to what survives of Zoroastrianism.
.
Other faiths fit this paradigm more loosely, Jainism which is hyper  
pacifistic,
and the Sikhs, who are more militant than others usually feel  comfortable
about. Yet, here is a family of faiths that, for all of their  differences,
share most of the same basic morality. All are people who may  argue, 
show strong preferences in social customs, and the like, but who 
nonetheless can get along and respect each other.
.
Islam decidedly does NOT fit this model, it is wholly outside, it  is
arrogant, extremely biased, often cruel and inhumane, and utterly
narrow-minded. And it is time we said so.
.
To be sure, Muslims in America and Canada sometimes appear to be 
acculturated, not much different than the Protestant majority. But with 
an exception for some Sufis, this impression not only is misleading, 
it can be dangerous. Again and again throughout history Islam
has shown the world how perverted it is as a religion. The pattern
is invariant: When Muslims are a small minority they give  the outward
impression of acculturating  to a dominant non-Muslim culture.
.
In a few cases, as in Lithuania, where a tiny Muslim community was cut off 
from contact with the wider Muslim world for centuries, Islam shrank to 
a skeleton of  what it was when it first arrived in the country with  
contingents 
of  Tatar troops. Eventually Lithuanian  'Muslims' celebrated  Christmas 
and 
otherwise became good Lithuanians.  But this did not last and today's  new
generation of Lithuanian Muslims, again in contact with worldwide  Islam,
are far more militant, aggressive, and intolerant.
.
So it has gone everywhere. At least when a Muslim minority is small they  
may
seem well behaved, or many of them will. But at some point, usually when  
they
reach about 20%, one in five, a corner is turned and Muslim demands  
escalate
dramatically. And the more that non-Muslims appease Muslims the more  they
expect and exert pressures for provisions of Shariah to be made into  
official law. 
.
So it went in what was a small Muslim minority in Malaysia, which is now 
the majority religion in the country and which aids and abets anti-Buddhist 
terror in Thailand. The same was true for once predominantly Christian 
Ethiopia which still has a Christian majority of about 60% but one that is 
steadily shrinking. Indonesia which had less than a 5% Muslim minority 
in about 1300 AD is now 80% Muslim.
.
Not to see Islam for what it is you need to be wilfully ignorant  
-and  multitudes are exactly that. The rest of us, everyone who is 
reasonably well-informed, needs to act to stop this same kind of process 
from happening in the United States.
.
This has been the main purpose of the paper, to wake people up to
the reality of Islam.  This must mean most of all, waking up Democrats  to
the course their leadership is taking them on. Which should become 
possible once they cease their messiah fixation on someone who
sympathizes with Muslims like no other president in history, whose
family connections in Africa are primarily to Muslims, and who was
educated as a child in a Muslim country. Electing this  irresponsible
charlatan was a mistake of democracy of gargantuan  proportions
that will take decades to fully repair even if we get lucky and elect
to the nation's highest office someone who actually understands 
culture  and religion and the lessons of the social sciences.
.
We need a program of teaching of Comparative Religion in the nation's
schools at every level  -but not taught either by Left-wing  
multi-culturalists
nor by former Protestant ministers whose understanding of  religion
is utterly closed-minded and who often have the ludicrous view  that
the Republican Party as we find it is somehow sufficient to the task
of fixing the mess. It is not, it is a mess itself.
.
The point of view expressed here is that of a political Independent
who identifies with the philosophy of Radical Centrism, this and  not
something else. But with that form of Radical Centrism that is  separate
from the more-or-less Leftist New America Foundation. This is a 
philosophy intended for Independents, and created by Independents
for  the purposes of Independents. RC stands for seeking the truth
before all else with no obligation to anyone's organizational  interests. 
If this means fighting for what is a right this is precisely what we are 
prepared to do. Including fighting against Muslims.
.
.
.
.
----------------------------------------------------
.
.
Supporters of Shariah  law
.
Note:  The following list reflects information  available to the writer 
as of  June 2015. In most cases the supporters of Shariah listed  here
are Democrats. However, this is anything but an endorsement of
the Republican Party  -for which I have contempt. Neither major
political party, it seems to me, serves the best interests of  American
citizens. The political system we currently live under needs to  be
drastically reformed.
.
If anyone who reads this would like to suggest other names to add to  the
list of Supporters of Shariah, he or she should feel free to do  so;
it would be greatly appreciated. There probably are Republicans 
in Congress who are pro-Shariah and they should also be included.
.
.
.
 
.
 
Members of Congress
.
André D. Carson (D) Indiana
Keith Ellison (D) Minnesota
Steny Hoyer (D)   Maryland
Hakeem Jeffries (D) New York
Sheila  Jackson Lee (D) Texas  
Nancy Pelosi (D)  California
 
Laura Richardson (D) California

Loretta  Sanchez (D) California
Pete Stark (D) California
 
Bennie Thompson (D) Mississippi
Maxine Waters (D) California
.
.
Senator Ed Markey (D) Massachusetts
.
.
Judges
 
Richard A. Nielsen, Circuit Court Judge, Tampa,  Florida
 
Information about other specific judges is not known at this time,  however,
there have been 15 reported trial court cases, and 12 known appellate 
court cases involving use of Shariah in America in the past five  years.
 
 
.
Retired Public Officials
.
John Dingell, Jr.  (D) Michigan
Brad Ellsworth (D) Indiana
Mark Siljander (D) Michigan

 
Senator Evan Bayh (D) Indiana 
Bart Peterson, former mayor of Indianapolis 
. 
----------------------------- 
. 
 
Current and former Obama  appointees

.
.
Arif Alikhan – Assistant Secretary for Policy  Development, 
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
.
Mohammed Elibiary –  Homeland Security Adviser
.
Rashad Hussain – Special Envoy to  the Organization 
of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
.
Salam al-Marayati  – Obama Adviser and founder of  the
Muslim Public Affairs Council, current executive director.
    *   Accused Israelis of responsibility for the 9/11 attacks  
    *   Hamas and Hezbollah sympathizer
.
Imam Mohamed Magid – 'Sharia Czar,' Islamic Society of  North America;
favors criminalization of criticism of Islam.
. 
 
Dalia Mogahed; Advisory Council on Faith-Based and  Neighborhood 
Partnerships. She is an analyst and director, Gallup Center for Muslim  
Studies.
.
Eboo Patel – Advisory Council on  Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.
Associate of  Chesa Boudin (adopted son of former Weather  Underground 
terrorist Bill Ayers), Ismail Khalidi (son of Columbia  University 
professor 
Rashid Khalidi), Bernardine Dohrn, and a convicted killer of a police  
officer 
and former Black Panther Party member, Mumia  Abu-Jamal.
.
Patel contributes to  the Washington Post, National  Public Radio, CNN,
Huffington Post, USA Today.
.
.
.
Information this section: Leon  Puissegur,  
DC Clothesline, May 1, 2014 


--------------------- 
. 
 
Academics
.
.
Jonathan AC Brown, Associate  Professor of Islamic Studies 
and Muslim–Christian Understanding,  Georgetown University.
.
Juan Cole, University of  Michigan
.
John  Louis Esposito, Georgetown  University, director,
Prince  Alwaleed Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding.

.
Noah Feldman, Harvard Law School.
.
Robert  Hunt, Southern Methodist  University 
.
Harold  Hongjiu Koh, Yale Law  School
.
Deepa Kumar, Rutgers  University
.
 
 
Arun Kundnani, New York University; John Jay  College.







.
Nathan Lean, Research Director, Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Center 
for Muslim Christian  Understanding, Georgetown University.
.
Paul H. Robinson,  University of Pennsylvania Law  School
.
.
.
 
Journalists and Publications
.
Roger Cohen, New York Times
 Andrea Elliott, New York  Times 
Huffington  Post
E.J. Montini, Arizona Republic
The Nation
Sarah Posner, Religion Dispatches
Omar Sacirbey,  Washington Post
.
.
.

 
Prominent Muslims and Groups
.
 
Abed Awad, writer   
 

Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali, president, Islamic Society of North  America
Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam
Ibrahim Hooper, Director,  Council on American-Islamic Relations  (CAIR).
..Islamic Circle of North America 
Sheila Musaji, The American Muslim   (TAM)
..Muslim American Society (MAS)
Faiza Patel,Center for American Progress & Brennan Center for  Justice,
..New York University School of Law
Asifa Quraishi, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Yasmine Taeb, managing director, Islamophobia  project, 
..Center for  American Progress (CAP)
.
.
.
Others
.
Abba Cohen, Agudath Israel,
Rabbi David Saperstein, Director. Religious  Action Center
Lew Rockwell, libertarian writer, political  activist

Grover Norquist, advisor to George W.  Bush.
 
.
American Civil Liberties Union 
.
The ACLU is on record as defending rights of  Muslims to practice Shariah 
law
in the United States. Obviously  their leadership approves this view. Here 
is
a complete list of the ACLU Foundation Board of  Directors; there is also
a much longer "National" Board of Directors  list at the ACLU website. 
.
Claudia Angelos
Luz Buitrago
Ron Chen
Rehan Hasan
Susan Herman  (President)
Aundré  Herron
Aly  Kassam-Remtulla
M. Calien Lewis
Roslyn Litman (General  Counsel)
Robert Remar (Vice President, Secretary,  Treasurer)
Gary Williams (Vice  President)
.
.
 
SPLC  Southern Poverty Law  Center
.
The SPLC is on record as defending the "rights" of Muslims in America
to practice Shariah law and also on record as characterizing anyone
who criticizes Shariah as motivated by hate or as belonging to a "hate  
group."
Here is the SPLC Board of Directors:
.
 
Elden  Rosenthal 
Marsha  Levick 
Alan B.  Howard 
 
Henry  Solano 

 
Bryan  Fair 
 
James  Rucker 


 
James  McElroy 
 
William  Little 

 
Lida  Orzeck 

 
Ellen  Sudow 
 
Julian  Bond
 
Emeritus 
 
Joseph J. Levin,  Jr.


 
Patricia  Clark

 
Jocelyn  Benson
 
Bennett  Grau









.
..
.
 
--------------------------------------------------------
 
 
  

The meaning of Shariah law in  America
.
What everything reported here means should not be difficult to  understand.
.
  
It means that Nancy Pelosi does not see anything wrong with Muslim  law
which requires the testimony of two women to equal that of one  man.

.
  
It means that Keith Ellison does not see anything wrong with  preachments
in the Koran that tell Muslims engaged in jihad that enemy combatants
should be killed en masse on the battlefield and some of the  prisoners
nailed to crosses and crucified.

.
  
It means that Maxine Waters has no problem with that passage
in the Koran that says a man may beat up his wife if  he so  chooses.
Furthermore, she sees nothing wrong if a husband forces sex on 
a wife  who, regardless of any other consideration such as her health
or effects of being physically abused, does not want sexual  relations.

.
  
It means that Eboo Patel is satisfied with that provision of Shariah law 
that stipulates that in any Muslim court of  law non-Christians may  not
testify against Muslims regardless of  the merits of a case. That is,  Patel
takes the view that it is all right for the law of a country to take  an
unequal view of justice such that presumptions of  innocence are
made on behalf of Muslims and presumptions of guilt are
made about Christians, Jews, and others.

.
  
It means that Sarah Posner sees nothing wrong in the fact that the 
Koran demands the death of Goddess devotees of various religions 
of the world. It may be the case that in India, where Hanafi jurisprudence 
is normative, Hindus and Buddhists are regarded as dhimmis who  need 
not fear persecution if they pay special taxes for the privilege of  
worshipping 
as they see fit, but Hanafi rulings are not authoritative in the vast  
majority 
of Muslim countries. Everywhere else Buddhists and Hindus and  others,
such as Taoists, Mormons, and Native American traditionalists,  should
Muslims rise to power or if Muslim terrorists want to make a point,
are subject to Muslim ire and may be killed. And Sarah Posner
does not see where this is a problem.


 
It means that Juan Cole has no objection to that provision of Shariah law  
on the issue of rape which requires a rape victim to produce four  male
witnesses to verify her account of the incident, who see the rape  take
place and yet who may not even try to stop it. Shariah law on rape
also says that a woman who accuses a man of rape but who cannot
find four male witnesses shall herself be judged guilty of lewd  conduct
and possibly face incarceration or other extreme  punishment.


 
 
  
It means that the ACLU sees nothing wrong with Muslim restrictions 

on free speech and freedom of religion. Shariah law does say, after  all,
that it is a capital offense to criticize or demean Muhammad,  Muslims,
the Koran, Shariah law itself, or Allah  -the Arabic term for  "God."
Given the fact that the ACLU has defended Muslim rights to practice
some form of  Shariah in the United States this says that the  American
Civil Liberties Union is now defending the supposed "rights" of  Muslims
to censor speech they do not like and, in the bargain, to agitate for death 
in cases of offense to their religious sensitivities. It means that the  
ACLU 
has now gone on record as favorably disposed to blasphemy laws that
may punish someone "guilty" of the "crime" of expressing an honest
opinion about a religion  -by execution.


..
 
.
  
 
It means that George W. Bush has no problem with the fact that, while  the
US Constitution guarantees freedom of religion in America, no such freedom 
exists in any Muslim nation under Shariah  law. Hence, if a Christian  in a
country like Pakistan witnesses for Christ this may be regarded as a felony 
crime that deserves the death penalty, and likewise in Iran, Saudi Arabia, 
Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt or at least parts of Egypt, Sudan, 
and so forth. It also means that Mr Bush sees nothing wrong when
a  Muslim decides to convert to Christian faith and is killed
for the "crime" of apostasy.



.
 
.
  
It means that Barack Hussein Obama, who appointed a rogue's  gallery

 
of Muslims and Muslim sympathizers to serve his administration, most 
or all of whom favor Shariah law, sees nothing wrong when that law
imposes a tax on Christians and other non-Muslims simply to be  allowed
to practice their religion and hold worship  services.




.
It does not bother Barack Hussein that alone of all the religions in 
the world, Islam allows slavery  -which is sanctioned in the Koran 
and regarded as the eternal word of Allah binding on Muslims forever.
While it is true that in the colonial era slavery was outlawed in  every
country under European rule, this custom never completely died out 
in a few Muslim lands in North Africa and has been re-instituted 
wherever strict Shariah has been implemented in Muslim zealot
states as was true in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and now in the
territories held by the Islamic State. In any case, has anyone heard
Mr. Obama criticize slavery in Muslim countries?
.
Barack Hussein also seems unconcerned at the punishment for theft
in Muslim countries under Shariah law, he has certainly never spoken  out
about such practices. Which is to say that Obama sees nothing wrong
when, as penalty for stealing, the offender has his (or her) hand cut  off
and, when Shariah is strictly enforced, the foot on the opposite side
is also cut off. And, by the way, imams in the West, when discussing
such matters, often simply say  "cut" -which leaves the impression  on
the uninformed that all that happens is that a knife wound is  inflicted,
presumably something that will heal in time. No, that is not what is
meant, it means amputation  -for theft. This is OK with Hussein?
.
.
.
 
----------------------------------------------------
.
 
Of course, it may not be the case that various people listed here 
as supporters of  Shariah law actually favor the barbaric values  and
practices demanded by this system of "justice." Let us hope so.
However, if this is the case,  what justifies the gross  ignorance
of people like Nancy Pelosi and George W. Bush?
.
If they are ignorant of the nature of Shariah why would they consider
lending support to it?  Because Muslims have insisted that this is  a
religious freedom issue? So what if that is their claim?  Politicians
are expected to know substance not only whatever vote calculus
might help them in elections. For this reason hardly any politicians
support Santiera inasmuch as its followers practice animal sacrifice 
as part their religion; Muslims, in effect, practice human  sacrifice 
and that is unobjectionable?
.
Are most politicians religious illiterates?  That seems to be the  case.
The remedy is to vote them out of office and not elect new leaders
unless they can demonstrate that they know what they are talking  about
when the issue is Islam   -or any other religion that may become  important
in the news and in politics in the future. We cannot afford to elect  
political
leaders who make huge mistakes because they are ignorant of the  basics
of religion  -and it is NOT sufficient that they may know facts about 
their religion but not know much of anything about the world's  religions.
.
Americans as a people cannot afford to allow political leaders to  make
decisions that necessarily involve religion when those leaders are  
essentially 
ignorant about religion. And it can be completely dysfunctional and have 
tragic results when they treat Islam as if it was compatible with American 
values and our system of government  -it is no such thing.
.
Islam is anti-American in every way imaginable; it has no  place
in the United States and should be regarded as subversive.
 
 

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