Trina,
Its great that you feel free to express what's on your mind and its great that we live in a nation where there is that freedom!
Its great that different people can decide what they want to believe and believe that regardless as to whether it can be proved that what they believe is correct or not!
While I agree with much of what you said, it seems to me that you are missing out on the fact that those who adhere to the Muslim faith feel that it is their Allah given responsibility to take away all that freedom!
Another thing you may not understand is that not everyone who claims to be Christians are Christians!
I claim to be a Christians, but I would not want to be thought of as being in the same category with all those who claim to be Christians but aren't.
It is not for me to try to make known who are and who are not Christians, Our Creator who created all people is fully capable of doing that. It the strictest sense, a true Christian is one who follows Jesus Christ. I think the word "Christian" was first penned on His followers in a derogatory connotation because neither He nor His followers were liked.
Nevertheless, those of us who truly love Him accept that name gladly because we know that if we share in His suffering, we will also share in His glory!
I feel the same way you and others who have expressed themselves here do in that we who are Christians should all get along with one another and quit bickering and fighting among ourselves. If we are guilty of that, shame on us!
Another thing I would like to clarify while I'm here is that the Bible was not given for us to interpret any way we choose! That's just the way men have abused it! There is only ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God who is the creator of all!
The Bible is clear about that ONE God consisting of Father, Son, and Spirit.
There is much more that I could say but I want to move on to talk about the book that I mentioned in another post entitled Secrets of the Koran by Don Richardson.
I hope as many of you as can will try to get your hands on that book. I'm not pushing the book to get any kind of a profit or kick back. I don't even own the book, I borrowed a copy, read it and returned it.
The book lets you know what an absolutely evil person Mohammad was who is the one that originated the Muslim religion. Among many of his evil deeds, he exterminated many of the Jewish tribes because they would not accept him as a "Prophet". ---We think Hitler was bad!
Some of the things he did were so evil that it wouldn't even be appropriate to mention them here! For a hint, one of his wives was a seven year old girl!
Anyone who is a Muslim and doesn't adhere to all that is written in the Koran (often spelled Q'uran) are to be severely punished perhaps even killed. Beyond that, one of the things that the Koran demands is that all the "infidels" (that's us) should not be allowed to live!
Is it any wonder that the "non-radical" Muslims are so quiet?
I'm inclined to believe that just like many people who claim to be Christians are Biblically illiterate for all practical purposes. Many people who claim to be Muslims probably don't know what's written in the Koran either!
There was a documented story in the book about a Muslim doctor being hired in a hospital somewhere (I don't have the book with me so I'm relying on my memory) and he fired all the Christian nurses and replaced them with Muslim nurses. When he fired the Christian nurses, he told them that if they wanted their jobs back to come back as Muslims.
Can you imagine what would happen if Christians used a tactic like that to convert Muslims to Christianity?
Of course, every true Christian knows that a Christian by definition couldn't do that since we do love even our enemies as Jesus our leader told us to.
Please get the book if you can so you will be informed of what is going on around us. Not so we can be afraid of them! We know that, "Greater is He who is in us than He who is in this world!"
We have not been given a Spirit of fear, but of wisdom, power, and sound mindedness!
As we read the book, I think we will be more inclined to draw closer to God so He will also draw closer to us!
We might even learn how to pray more effectively!
Remember Don Richardson is a Christian author and he consulted numerous Muslim apologists to be sure that the book properly represented the Koran.
Anyone who chooses to ignore the facts presented there do it at their own peril. Its bound to change your view of the Muslim religion. We have consequences to pay for what we believe so its always better to know the truths than fables!
Trina, I believe that some day all the people will be Christians under one government with Jesus Christ as our King of Kings as revealed in the book of Revelation.
Then there will be peace! Not because of what we do as humankind, but in spite of all we could ever do!
He is our strength and salvation, He has already begun to do a great work and He is able to bring it to pass according to what God planned in the very beginning!
Love and blessings,
J.V.