It amazes me how we Christians have been able to tolerate the very existence of IS. Instead we bury our heads in the sand and listen to President Obama tell us that IS is not representative of Muslims….that these poor misunderstood assholes are victims of poverty and other bullshit. No one is denying that they are distorting Islam more than most, but still they are using what is in the Koran to justify what they do. How do they justify beheading 21 Coptic Christians at one time? The answer sits in the Koran chapter and verses.
3:56 says: And as for those who disbelieved, I will punish them with a severe punishment in this world and the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers.”
3:85 And whoever desires other than Islam as religion – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
3:118 O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason.
5:73 They have certainly disbelieved who say, ” Allah is the third of three.” And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment.
These are just a few of many verses that allow the punishment and death of Christians. These and other verses give IS what they believe is the justification of killing Christians or anyone else who does not follow the teachings of the Koran as given by the warlord Mohammad.
It is important for Christians to realize that millions upon millions of Muslims believe these verses and much as Christians believe their own and they all must follow the teachings of their Holy Books. The difference is that while one preaches ongoing violence, the other teaches ongoing peace. Using the cinematic terms of STAR WARS… one teaches and uses the DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE and the other is tasked to use THE LIGHT SIDE OF THE FORCE. There is the problem, we are two religions that are like the forces of Chaos and Order. We both have our good side and our dark side but in Christianity when we commit violence we do so in contravention of our faith where as in Islam they are in compliance of their faith. It is that simple and not much leeway exists. Simply that is the crux of the matter. Can we ever come to a truce or a meeting of the minds…not likely until Islam alters its ways because while they say they are a religion of peace, their scriptures say otherwise where ours demands it of us. So can we ever be friends…well you figure that out. Look people can be friends but most religions can not be friends. In a battle of theology everyone loses. those that have abandoned religion are possibly the real winners and maybe that is the answer. Believe in ourselves and not that which is possible just fiction.
IS takes it’s religion seriously and whether it is to gain power and control or whether it is to promote the faith as the Koran says is something only their leaders know. What we need to understand is that they are justifying the killing using their holy book and as such we will and must always be at odds. The next World War when it happens will inevitably begin because of religion, there is no way around this unless Christianity ceases and we become children of the book of Allah. The choice is ours and they are trying to force our hand. The Islamic strategy is working when even the most peace loving Buddhists go on a killing rampage against Muslims. IS and their ilk are trying to force a war that they feel they can win for Allah and their holy book. The best we can do is hope that the millions of sane Muslims take charge of their religion and alter it to accept the other religions and then truly become a religion of peace.