Archives for November 2009

Muhammad (PBUH) is, without a doubt, the most controversial figure in world history. No other personality throughout time has conjured up such overpowering emotion from the masses. On the Muslim side he is absolutely the most venerated and beloved man ever, a mercy sent to the entire world from God and the final prophet to all of mankind. The western view, however, has been anything but philanthropic. Rather, there has been a continuous “smear campaign” raged against this man from the very onset of the revelations and throughout the Middle Ages, perhaps most notably in the times of the Crusades. Accusations abound, some saying he copied the Bible, some saying he had hallucinations in the throws of an epileptic fit, and still others claiming that he was receiving false revelations from Satan himself.

So who was this man who today has more than 1.6 billion followers? Who was this man that Michael Hart named as the “most influential person in history” in his 1978 book, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History? What is it about him that continues to inspire so many people today in the west and afar, causing Islam to be the fastest growing religion in the world? Why is Muhammad the most common name in the world today?

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The comprehension of Karma as revealed to the masses by Jesus is an improvement of the old interpretation and understanding of the principle of a previous dispensation of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," as given to the Israelites by Moses. To illustrate this, the law does not cause blindness as a punishment to an individual if he had blinded someone in the past. It does, however, make him aware, in some manner, of the wrongness of his actions even if it does take blinding him if other means fail to make him realize his error.

Should the individual realize his mistake, sincerely repents and compensate, then the lesson would have been learnt; he would be putting new forces into motion which offset the original negative impulse. Karma is not punitive. Negative karma is neutralized to some degree by implementing positive causes--these are the laws of grace and mercy at work. In contrast, even if it happens that balancing of karma should occur, and that the individual does not learn, repent and compensate for his wrong deeds, he might repeat it again or the "punishment" might just occur again and again, lifetime after lifetime, depending on the proportion and momentum of the original force, until all of its misqualified energy is spent. Also, undigested and unassimilated experiences are undergone repeatedly until the inherent principle which the experience is intended to teach is absorbed.

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Theology contains man’s ideas about God. It is born on a natural, human level. Religion is man’s expression to God, based on his theology. Religion is also born on a natural, human level. There are so many theologies and religions today they are hard to count.

The GOSPEL is far different from either theology or religion. It is a revelation from God (1) about HIM, and (2) about US. It tells us all God has done for us, in the finished work of the cross and then it tells us who we are in him, because of what he’s done. Nothing else offers what the gospel does: God coming to us with his revelation.

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If the proverbial "visitor from Mars" came to earth looking for God, who might have a persoanl interest in him, he would have an extremely wide range of choice, taking account of all the various religions there are in the world. He would, however, surely be struck by the particular claims of Christianity, for it goes far beyond any other world religion in its view of the deeply personal nature of God's involvement with the people he has created.

No other religion comes anywhere near the conception of a God so intimately involved with his people. Nor one prepared to offer himself to them at such individual levels and with such intensely personal relationships. Consider a few Myths abound with gods taking human form. But with Yahweh it was so different. God actually became one of us in every respect except sin (2 Corinthians 5. 21) and to do it, he left behind all the power and glory associated with God (Philippians 2. 6 - 8).

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One of the greatest misunderstandings of Islam in the west today is the perception of whom or what is Allah. Many people think that Allah is the “Muslim God”, as if He were a separate entity from the “Christian God”. In fact, Allah is the standard word for God amongst all Arabic speakers; Muslims, Christians and Jews. If you pick up an Arabic version of the Bible you will find the name Allah used for God. Surprised?

Islam teaches that there is only one God, the same God that has revealed himself since the beginning of time to various prophets such as Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them all. Islam teaches that the cycle of humanity is something like this: God reveals himself to a prophet who then goes forth and preaches to his people, most of the people reject that prophet while a small number, usually the poor and downtrodden, will faithfully follow that prophet throughout his life. When the prophet dies there will be a group of people that continues to follow him, but slowly, over a period of generations, the information that the prophet taught will be lost or changed by mankind. Eventually, God sends another prophet to confirm the message that was brought before him and to bring people back to the straight path. Muslims believe that Muhammad (PBUH) was the final prophet to be sent forth by God to mankind, the seal of prophethood.

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Russia’s position on the eastern flank of Europe has often been compared to that of Spain on the western side. Both are seen as bulwarks of Christendom facing the hostile world of Islam, of civilization facing ‘barbary’. Russia exhausted herself in a heroic struggle of several centuries, but this sacrifice was not to be in vain, for Europe was saved and could go on to develop its brilliant civilization well protected by the Russians.

The price of this voluntary sacrifice was heavy, since in order to survive and finally to overcome the ‘Asia barbarians’, Muscovy was obliged to adopt their ways, such as tyranny, despotism, serfdom and lack of liberty. Such is the picture that is painted in nearly all Russian and Soviet historical works. Far-fetched as it is, there are deep reasons for defending this absurd concept.

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“Radical Terrorism” (a.k.a. Islamic Terrorism) is breaking out all over the globe. Iran’s surge into fundamentalism’s nuclear club is one intolerable thought Osama’s dirty-little suit case bombs coming across the USA-Mexican border is another! Man, and all this while Bolton ascends to the UN, CAFTA is passed by the Congress, and the Unions self-destruct . not bad for a week’s worth of work. Once again, theology  specifically, Christian eschatology plays a huge part in all this business. That’s what this article is all about sure, I get real preachy at the end: But there’s no one, nowhere else, to turn! Wonder no morethere’s a reason why the film Megiddo, with all its carnage, was allowed to play in American theaters after 9/11 better read the “rest of the story” while we still have time.

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The human nature means the soul and the body. A man without a spiritual life is no longer a man. Equally, whoever proclaims that spiritual training can delete the materialistic demands of that body is a devil in the clothes of a saint. Can he give up sleeping? Is he ready to destroy his body and to be a soul flying in the world of ideals? The holy Quran says.O you mankind, a proof has already come to you from your Lord ; and We have sent down to you an evident light. So, as for the ones who believed in Allah and firmly adhered to Him, then He will soon cause them to enter into a mercy from Him, and Grace, and will guide them to Him on a straight path"

This Grace and mercy from Allah Al-Mighty is true for the believers in life and in the day after. The heaven is the endless grace and mercy. It is not only a spiritual heaven but the materialistic pleasures are innumerable there. Equally, in our life Islam does not forbid materialistic pleasures, but Islam is a unit of enjoying our lives and, more important, obeying our God and creator. Thus, without Islam there can never be a balance and harmony between the soul and the body. Who do not believe in that can do a comparison between Islam and other doctrines and the result is undoubtable.

Everything in this universe is in motion. Movement produces change, or transformation. This is an eternal constant, a Law of the Cosmos, and it is immutable. The process of transformation occurs in stages, phases, and cycles. Every unit of life unfolds its consciousness in accord with the Law of Activity and Rest. The cycle of activity begins with birth, youth, maturity; it declines with old age and ends with so-called death, which is the period of Rest. The cycle continues repeatedly until the goal for that life-unit is achieved. Reincarnation is an expression of the Law of Activity and Rest as applied to human evolution. It is what Jewish mystics call "Gilgul," and was a doctrine taught by the Greek Philosophers, Plato, Pythagoras and Plotinus. Most of the holy scriptures of the world contain references to the law, though some are veiled.

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Some news stories are so funny there’s little to do except present them for any of our readers who haven’t chanced upon them. Here’s one that demonstrates female Islamic dress can get even more frightening than it already is. It seems that guards at a crossing at the Rafah terminal in southern Gaza noticed that a Moslem woman appeared, despite her veiled face and loose robe, “strangely fat.” They mustered the courage to approach the oddly shaped lass, despite the possibility that she might be outfitted with an unusually robust suicide belt.

Propriety being observed to a fault, lest some inadvertence lead to stoning or another alarming throwback, a female guard was entrusted to examine the woman – and discovered, to her dismay, that her examinee was actually wearing a belt made up of three live crocodiles, each about 20 inches long.

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