Islam, Christianity, & Jihad

As an aside for a couple three posts, I wanted to used the schooling I have received both at Dallas Baptist University and at Liberty University along with my own independent study to briefly address why I believe the issue of the Taliban seizing control of Afghanistan is a bad thing for the west, for the world, and specifically for Christian believers. I will be brief but know I’m backing the assertions made up with volumes of research that you can do on your own if you have questions. So without further adieu, I’m going to break down the players, the question of violence, and then the projected outcome based on the sides’ own historical actions.

The question we are trying to tackle is simply, “why is the Taliban’s seizing control of Afghanistan such a bad thing for the world?” We will turn our focus back to this question at the conclusion of each section. First, the question of Afghanistan being a bad thing for the west. To this point, I offer a quick reminder of what happened on September 11, 2001 from this photograph from Reuters:

This photograph, courtesy of Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/defining-images-from-the-9-11-attacks-idUSRTS2Q0UX), is a stark and chilling reminder of September 11, 2001, when a group of suicide bombers hijacked airliners and piloted them into numerous targets in the United States.

I can remember sitting in class at Dallas Baptist University when our professor stopped class and turned on the television. It was a surreal event and has since that day, claimed even more lives and resources as Presidents Biden, Trump, Obama, & Bush all have had their presidency at least in part defined by their response to the attack and correspondingly their responsibility to the outcome of that attack.

Now the roles and players in my mind, need to be defined because lives have been lost, waters muddied over time, and resources wasted at least in part by those simply not defining who is at war with the U.S.. Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the gulf in general are not at war with the U.S. Their are people and citizens of the culture and regions in part are, but as a whole, all of the population of these countries and or regions are not wholeheartedly against the west. This is important because we must attack those who we are at war with. As I see it and read it, we are not at war with a region of the earth. We are not even at war with a religion as a whole because many of those persons in that part of the world are not devout or as the news often would say “radicalized” Muslims.

It is this term radicalized that I have to note as being misused. Using a copy of the Qur-An my father brought back from Saudi Arabia by my father as a souvenir from his time in the middle east. As a transportation commander in the U.S. army during the Persian Gulf War in 1990-91, he got a parallel English and Arabic translation. In it, I read these words:

“Anyone who, after accepting Faith in Allah, utters Unbelief, except under compulsion, His heart remaining firm in Faith-but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on the is wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful chastisement.”
S. 16.106

This is to say, if you as a devout Muslim utter unbelief except in a circumstance as to deceive the person to which you’re speaking for the purpose of advancing the cause of Allah, you are doomed to everlasting punishment. Wow! I am thankful that Jesus Christ paid my dues on the cross at Calvary so that I am not held to the same strict adherence! And please understand, this is not my opinion but what the Koran actually says, direct from its scripture. Now that was one example of the craft of deceit or as Islam understands it Taqiya. This word as best as I understand it is تقیة‎ taqiyyah, literally “prudence, fear”.

We have seen that taqiyyah in Islam is a a fear of Allah and so to trust in the word of a Muslim if you are not a Muslim is shaky at best because they may be purposely trying to deceive you. Again, I’m not trying to stoke fears or misunderstanding, only to ask what is the purpose of Islam? If you look in the Christian Scriptures, we read in Matthew “But make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin (Matt. 5:37, NASB).” There is no need for deceit because with Jesus, yes is yes, no is no! To highlight this, Jesus knows we get ourselves in a mess of words and deeds quite often. Thus, the Islamic “virtue” of taqiyyah is nothing more than an excuse written straight from the hand of Muhammed, inspired by the pit of hell!

Before I leave this topic with such a stark and abusive speech, let me be very clear. I am not trying to abuse any person. The inhabitants of this world all live a short life and then are bound to an eternity of their choosing. What I am attempting to do is simply give the world an opportunity to see the choice we make on a daily basis for the gospel of Christ or the pit of hell. Those are the only two options. As Christ said “The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters (Matt. 12:30 NASB). For the Christian, it is a one time decision in trusting and placing their hope in Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 10:9-10). Then comes a lifetime of following Him into the fields white unto harvest! Thus when we surrender to Jesus Christ He indwells our hearts and gives us the seal of His Holy Spirit as a sign for all eternity.

So to answer the original question, “why is the Taliban’s seizing control of Afghanistan such a bad thing for the world?”, I suppose it depends on which side of the world you are on. And in this I don’t mean which side of the globe you’re on but rather which side of Christ you are on. For those who have trusted in Christ, the wars, the deceit, the murders, the bloodshed are seen as the birth pangs of a coming age in which “…the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:1). For those who have not and will not place their faith and hope in Christ; Muslim, Sikh, Agnostic, Atheist, Buddhist, or any other attempt to make God okay with you, will ultimately fail.

To wrap it up, I want to finally speak on the meaning of Jihad as spoken directly from the Islamic scripture. In the Koran, Surah 9:14 “Fight them (infidels, unbelievers) and Allah will punish them by your hands, and disgrace them help you (to victory) heal the breasts of believers.” This is but one of a number of passages from the Koran which “radicalized” Muslims take to mean to attack Christians, Jews, and other religions. So, it is my belief, that regardless of how many times I hear the nonsense from the media that Islam is a peaceful religion, I actually agree in principle. The term Islam does truly mean derived from the Arabic word “sal’m” which literally means peace. However, the peace that Islam is referring to specifically means peace through war. Once Islam has conquered every other belief system, then the Muslim world believes it will have “peace”.

Therefore, if you are a Muslim and you are reading this saying “that author just doesn’t know what they’re talking about” I offer this question, “by what means or what efficacy qualifies you to get into heaven?” For me, it is nothing that I have done. I can’t. Rather it is by the life, death, burial, an resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross on Calvary that I believe. It is nothing that I have done but rather what Jesus did for me. No amount of conquering is necessary because I believe that Jesus Christ already conquered death, hell, and the grave for me. I am going to do something that previously I haven’t done, but I am going to allow comments on this posting. If you need Jesus, please read the gospel of John in the New Testament as a start. Read the compassion, hope, and forgiveness offered by virtue of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. If you need to find a church, find the closest one that preaches Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Friend, don’t lose hope and don’t lose heart. If you’re reading this, Christ gave you another day to find Him. Don’t wait.

Grace and peace as you continue, blessings as you go,

paul mc.

GW, AK – Proverbs 6:6-11

  6Go to the ant, O sluggard,
            Observe her ways and be wise,

  7Which, having no chief,
            Officer or ruler,

  8Prepares her food in the summer
            And gathers her provision in the harvest.

  9How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
            When will you arise from your sleep?

  10“A little sleep, a little slumber,
            A little folding of the hands to rest”—

  11Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
            And your need like an armed man.

I have a number of fears but perhaps one of my greatest is that I be found when I come to the end of it all to have been a worthless or lazy person. I know at times I have been lazy. I know that quite honestly there are times to be lazy! But this portion of Proverbs speaks to the intimate tie between initiative and ability.

In verses 6-8 the passage reads “6 Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, 8 Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.” Now it pains me to not draw parallels between the United States form of government and the contemporary issues with both in Portland and Chicago among others. As I am not there but in Virginia I can only make observations on opinions so I’m hesitant to make any snap judgments.

However, from Scripture we read that you and I are to “…be wise” after observing the ant. We observe that the ant should be able to autonomously work in such a way as a “preparer” for the future (v. 8) and a gatherer in the harvest (v. 8b). The problem arises when the ones demonstrating wish to express their discontent with protests against the form of governance above them. Now I do not live in Seattle, Portland, or anywhere in the west so I have to be careful how I say this. But insofar as the freedoms we have been afforded by the blood sweat and tears of those who have gone before us, I must be very careful how much protest I do against the system of government placed over me! To bring it from the hypothetical to the real, an article from August the 30th reads “Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to send state troopers to help police protests after fatal shooting.” Why? Because the populace left ungoverned devolves into chaos over and over! I do not wish to start a debate. I do wish to hearken back to a former President George W. Bush who said in 2019 “America’s greatest challenge has long been to unite people of very different backgrounds into a single nation of justice and opportunity. The doctrine and habits of racial superiority, which once nearly split our country, still threaten our Union” https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/george-bush-releases-rare-public-statement-george-floyd/story?id=71034387).

Further in verse 8-9 “8Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest. 9How long will you lie down, O sluggard When will you arise from your sleep?” To place these 2 verses gives us the context we need, the citizens of the Kingdom and the citizens of the United States need to get busy about the purposes they are given by God. You and I need to prepare the food in the summer, in other words, work and save while we are able. Then in 8b work on gathering provision in the harvest when you can’t grow anymore but rather can reap. In my understanding, this speaks to those who maybe cannot work any longer but can speak into the lives of those who are wisdom and encouragement! Why in the world are you lying down in a comfortable retirement when the world is on fire? This is not to say that you must be working 100% of the time but if you are redeemed, you have been given a leader. Our job and joy is to follow!

A quick aside, my time for working unfortunately vocationally is over. This is not by choice but by injury. Having had 3 brain bleeds, my eyesight is all but gone and my day to day is fairly sedentary. I can walk to the grocery store with a cane. I must wear the black glasses because they filter the colors I can see so at least I have some vision. The visual field I have is very narrow such that I see nothing out of my right eye and see a sliver out of my left. I can blog because I see 20/20 corrected out of a sliver in my left. And the brain injuries which have left a number of cognitive deficiencies. I get it. But rather than be a depressing sepon, let my life be a fragrant aroma to Him as He lives through me!

Continuing, the question is asked “…When will you arise from your sleep?” I cannot think of a better question to ask myself each morning. When will you arise from your slumber and arise from your sleep! As the New Testament echoes “For this reason it says, ‘Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you (Ephesians 5:14, NASB).'” We must awaken from our sleep that is our תִּשְׁכָּ֑ב מִשְּׁנָתֶֽךָ (sheenah) or rest. And then, as we are admonished in Proverbs 6:10-11: “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”—Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.”

The outcome of being lazy is different than rest. We must rest. The Godhead in the 7th day of creation rested! That is the foundation of our week as we rest on the sabbath and then on the first day of the week (Sunday) we get busy about the Lord’s work in Him! What’s more, the writer warns that “poverty will come in like a vagabond”. Meaning that the you will see the poverty that comes to those who think earth is for resting and heaven is for working overtake you! Heaven is for us to join Him when we get invited. Earth is for us and we get called to be His workers! On earth we are called to join Him in His work. But when He recreates the earth what then?

As I am not a Biblical scholar nor do I wish to speculate. I can say we read in Revelation 21:14, “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” Referring to a time after all of time has been consummated and all is recreated for eternity. In this era, kings of the earth will bring their glory… I have no idea when this is or what circumstances surrounds this. But I do know “And your need like an armed man.” This means like one who is carrying weaponry and hunting for trouble for the sake of his life, your needs will become insatiable without Christ. Maybe that’s the whole point though. We have an un-scratch-able itch that can only be soothed by the healing balm of Gilead, Jesus the Christ. Blessings as you go!

Get wisdom…

Proverbs 4:7 “The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
            And with all your acquiring, get understanding.”

Wisdom is a funny word. To get it you must lose common sense. To obtain it you must often spurn the collective answer. In fact, to get wisdom often requires that you grasp onto something unseen and unforeseen by faith that that hold will strengthen not dissolve into nothingness. And lest this post is straying into the abstract, to drive it home, to get wisdom often means to lose things forever.

To get wisdom, David had to lose his son Absolom. To get wisdom David had to lose one of his best soldiers, Uriah, in a lust-filled deceit that let to the eventual rending of the kingdom of Israel. To get wisdom David’s son Solomon had to watch as his own lusts led to a divided desire like his father and a broken home of his own doing.

Yes, wisdom is a dangerous gift to pray for. When we pray for wisdom, God answers the prayer by putting us through trials so that we can learn wisdom. That is perhaps why wisdom is such a difficult item to acquire! In Proverbs the composer of Proverbs 4 shares with us “acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding.”

It is echoed in the New Testament as the Apostle Paul writes, “But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1 Cor. 8:1, NIV) See the similarity? It is the same teaching, separated by hundreds of years! God in His infinite wisdom has commanded us to get wisdom. But rather than sitting and watching a 5-minute howto video on Youtube, He wishes for you and I to plumb the infinite depths of His Word that testifies to the infinite depths of His Son!

But we have only seen the first half of the verse as it says in part 2, “… with all your acquiring get understanding.” I take this to read, “with all that time you spend marveling and worshiping the Father, understand that you have a responsibility lain out in Scripture to tell others of the Great One you have come to know.” And that is where I see the great commission ( go and tell others Who Jesus is) come to play.

As His Word commands us, you and I have the distinct and wonderful privilege of telling others your story of how Jesus found you! It is unique to you as only you can tell others about how Jesus changed you! This is wonderful news! So going forward into Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, remember why we rejoice! Not because your team scored a touchdown. Not because your paper got an A+ on it. Not even because the tumor came back benign. No, you and I rejoice because if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, then your name is written in the Lambs book of life. And that my friend is worth any amount of diamonds you could pile on any ring!

Blessings as you go!

An evidence based approach

Romans 8:38-39 NASB “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In reading “Suicide Prevention after Neurodisability: An Evidence-Informed Approach” this morning, it struck me that perhaps the question of what clinicians should be looking for needs to be revised. Here’s what I mean. The general initial treatment seems to be patient comes into the care of the hospital staff, is diagnosed with some form of cranial or cerebral concussion or contusion, and then passed along to the specialist.

This is generally a wonderful treatment prospect, but not plan. As one drills down to the working out of this process, part of the missing component to treatment is an assessment of the patient’s free time during recovery. As the author notes, the SI item or thoughts of death, was only a moderate predictor of actual suicide. What’s missing? As one who has been in this situation now three times with three separate bleeds, I can tell you that the prospect of death is not as fearful as the implications of dying. Suffering a brain bleed is excruciatingly painful. You want to die. But if you survive, you may wish to have died because of the confusion you are left with.

If the patient is allowed free time apart from medication, blunt or sharp objects, and ropes or implements leading to strangulation, perhaps we have stumbled upon something. As the patient is recovering from the injury, their mind will inevitably try to cope, reset, and revert back to a prior age in that person’s history. As each person holds personal memories, it cannot be predicted what those memories entail. Therefore, rather than leaving the patient alone in the confines of their past, perhaps structured free time is more important. This creates the possibility of a promising future. That is why Christ says in Romans 8:38/39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Believe me, you want to die. But if you don’t you find life incredibly difficult. What’s more, discovering and relearning the life you had can be even more difficult. Therefore, seeking someone to help you in your distress can be helpful. That is why is imperative you surround yourself with helpful persons. And this is not just the medical community. Surround yourself with friends, with family, and with others who have suffered in their lives as well so that you can see that you are not alone. And learn how to have fun again.

In the working out of this, a game such as a card game, dominoes, checkers, Yahtzee or the like will provide the patient with a structured fun endeavor. Further, as often the games require multiple persons, the encouraged social aspect of recovery can be introduced here as well. The title of this little post is evidence based approach. The reason for the title is because of the need for evidence that an approach is working. The need for further research is usually there. The need for patience is often there. The promise of recovery is always there. It just needs one who has been down that unpaved road to lead others to the other side.

Blessings as you go.

https://books.google.com/books?id=4R2DDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT7&ots=CuwLT2w02x&lr&pg=PT107#v=onepage&q=health%20of%20the%20nation%20acquired&f=false  

Suicide Prevention after Neurodisability: An Evidence-Informed Approach –
Grahame K. Simpson, Lisa A. Brenner

hemianopia [hem″e-ah-no´pe-ah]

“Defective vision or blindness in half of the visual field; usually applied to bilateral defects caused by a single lesion. adj., adj hemianop´ic, hemianop´tic.

Patient Care. Visual field deficit on one side often occurs as a result of stroke syndrome. Patients with this problem are unable to perceive objects to the side of the visual midline. The visual loss is contralateral, i.e., it is on the side opposite the brain lesion. To facilitate self care, commonly used articles such as the water pitcher, meal tray, and call bell are placed on the unaffected side. The patient should be approached from and communicated with while standing or sitting on the side in which vision is best. When in visual contact with the patient, caregivers should move slowly toward and past the visual boundary to stimulate scanning to the affected side. Auditory and visual stimulation on the affected side can help improve and maintain residual sight on that side.

Visual field defects associated with hemianopia. From Polaski and Tatro, 1996.

homonymous hemianopia hemianopia affecting the right halves or the left halves of the visual fields of both eyes. The patient must turn the head from side to side to compensate for the defect. Often it is due not to any pathology in the eye itself but to damage to the optic tract or occipital lobe.

Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

The right temporal and left temporal are the points that don’t show for me.

Can’t do anything about it, but at least that answers that question in my case. Hopefully yours will repair itself.

Blessings as you travel on.

From bafound.org

AVM/HHT Information