With the recent increase of women in full niqabs that I have been seeing, it is worth noting that Islam doesn’t require women to wear the niqab or burqa.  That practice is cultural in origin, not religious:

Nowhere in Islam’s transcendent text is there any compulsion for women to conceal their faces. Indeed, this pre-Islamic practice is non-Qur’anic and un-Muslim. It is an archaic aristocratic custom originating in ancient Persia that spread to Byzantium and was adopted by misogynistic Muslim society. For Muslims to claim that the niqab/burka is Islamic is not only deceitful but disingenuous. At best it is an outmoded cultural convention and a primitive tribal habit. Many ill-informed Muslims have, however, been conditioned to conflate culture with religion and befuddle liberal Britain that this is a principle of religious freedom and human rights when it is neither. In fact it is illegal for masked women to undertake the pilgrimage to Mecca or to perform their daily prayers. If women are prevented from hiding their identity at Islam’s holiest shrine, why do they need to do so in the UK?
For theological, political, security, social and health reasons, the UK must join France and Belgium in outlawing all public anonymity. Anything less would be tantamount to sexist discrimination against British men, who are not permitted to conceal their identity in public.

Imam Dr T. Hargey
Director, Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford

I have noticed a new and troubling trend in the past month or so.  My instinct tells me this is an attempt to taunt us or to acclimate us to Islamic culture while the Muslim Brotherhood pursues their stated agenda of “eliminating and destroying Western civilization” from within and making Islam “victorious over all other religions.”  The document I’m quoting was uncovered by the FBI in Annandale, VA in 2004, an area I’m quite familiar with.

I’ll note that the niqab is not a religious requirement for Muslims but conversely that it carries strong cultural meaning.  I wouldn’t have expected to be seeing more of this at a time when the atrocities of ISIS are so prominent in the news, but historically speaking Islam does not advance subtly.  I’ll also note that Islam is not just a religion but a comprehensive way of life, and that Sharia law  can only be established at the demise of the United States Constitution.

• 11/19/2014: Woman in black niqab walking by herself along North Fairfax Drive in Arlington, VA.
• Week of 11/10/2014-11/16/2014: Woman in black niqab walking by herself along North Beauregard Street in Alexandria, VA.
• Month of November 2014: Man and three women in Islamic attire, walking along North Fairfax Drive in Arlington, VA.  Cannot remember the details, but I believe the women were wearing chadors or niqabs.
• Prior to November 2014: Never once in six years saw any woman wearing a niqab in this area.

Christianity is offensive to people because the cross of Jesus is offensive.  It confronts the very core of our beings and requires a decision from us:  To accept that we are dead in sin and separated from God, or to stick to our own ways and rely on ourselves for hope.

In this day and age where most everybody in America is so easily offended, Christianity is being increasingly marginalized and pressed out of society.  I think that’s because America has been increasingly turning away from the cross, and is weary of being reminded of it.  Our compounded excuses can’t stand on their own and are burdensome to hold up.

But the death and resurrection of Jesus on our behalf is the only place where true hope is found, and America needs that badly.  It turns out that despite our sin, God loves us.  That is the message of the cross.  And there is no other way.  That is why it’s offensive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bba2Dqaw6SI

For additional resources and information, visit this link:  http://watchbillygraham.com.  Available with subtitles in English, Spanish, Arabic, Bahasa, Burmese, Chinese, Creole, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, or Thai.

Something has been bugging me for a while about the current fixation on bullying, but I wasn’t able to put a finger on it until I saw the announcement for the “Million Muslim March”—thereafter renamed the “Million American March.”  The organizer of the event was basically stating that Muslims have been victimized as a result of 9/11, and demanding that the Government protect their rights.

[As far as I can tell, America has bent over backwards, to not victimize Muslims.  I have no doubt there have been incidents here and there, but I’m not aware of those things happening in society at large.  The FBI data shows that even in the aftermath of 9/11, Jewish hate crimes at 55.7% far surpassed Muslim hate crimes at 27.2%, and crimes against Muslims dropped precipitously in subsequent years.  But this post is not about Muslims or Islam.]

The thing that gets me is the victimization mentality underlying this bullying theme.  I don’t question that there are genuine abuses, but I am asking what the proper response is.  The current attempt to loudly denounce it, and pass legislation aimed at preventing it, is in my view a victim response—an unhealthy and unhelpful response.  Legislation is sometimes appropriate, but so is manning up.

I—perhaps simplistically—look at this just like any other difficulty in life.  If there’s a problem, how do we work through it?  How do we get over?  How do we become stronger?  How do we ask for help?  I’m not saying this is easy, particularly for kids growing up, but I do think those are the questions that an emotionally healthy person will ask or at least be willing to consider.

For people who are able to make peace with the past, and squarely turn and head into the future, I think that’s the best solution.  Build a bridge, as they say, and I don’t mean that flippantly.  For people who have a hard time forgiving or letting go, ask for help, but put your emphasis on how to break free and move on.  Forgiveness is an essential and amazingly powerful tool in this life.  For people who are presently and continually facing abusive situations, ask for help, and change your physical surroundings if you must.  If you ask for help and people don’t take you seriously, ask again.  And sign up for karate lessons or whatever is appropriate for your situation.  (I’m speaking from experience.)

We are usually not responsible for what that others do to us in life, but we are responsible for the ways we respond.  The same is true with cancer, being laid off, getting divorced, etc.  Do those things make our lives more difficult?  Yes.  Do they also give us an opportunity to become stronger and to overcome the difficulties?  Yes.  But that won’t begin as long as we remain trapped in victim mentality.  I say “trapped” because it really is a trap that we fall into, and sometimes we need to ask people to help pull us out.

If I’m walking along and I see somebody who has fallen into a hole, I’ll be happy to help them get out and get cleaned up.  But if the person is more interested in complaining about whoever pushed them in than about getting out, they won’t find me very receptive.  Yes, they may want to press charges, or face their offender and tell them the behavior was inappropriate, but the first order of business should be getting out of the hole and the mentality.  That will allow them to see more clearly, and to go on with life or address the problem, however they may choose.

We are being told from all sides that Gay Rights is the next big Civil Rights issue, no different than the ending of racial segregation in society.  How could free people be willing to deny the right of others to marry or live their lives as they choose?  How could society discriminate against people because of the way they were born?

Let’s examine a little of that:

I have gone on the record in stating how precious and important truth is.  I have also gone on the record in my resolve to treat everyone with love and respect.  That applies whether I agree with them or not.

It is relevant to point out that homosexuals constitute a small fraction of the population—2-3% (Family Research Report) or 3-8% (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) of the US population in 2002 (Gallup).  But a position can be right or wrong regardless of how many people adhere to it, so numbers alone do not provide the answer.

The Civil Rights movement was based upon the inalienable rights to life and liberty, endowed in people—in the words of the Declaration of Independence—by their Creator.  In other words, slavery and forced segregation and wrongful discrimination were contrary to the United States Constitution, and contrary to morality.  I’ll point out that the Constitution did not establish those rights:  It simply recognized rights that had already been granted by God to all men.

Family is the foundational block upon which all of society is built.  We need only to look at what happens when families are broken or dysfunctional to evaluate that statement.  Unfaithfulness in marriage leads to separation and divorce.  Single parenting is the leading predictor of poverty.  Orphans or foster children struggle against much greater difficulty than their peers.

When things don’t work well, we often see years or decades of pain, bitterness, difficulty, and problems with trust.  But when things do work well, the family is where we learn to love, learn our values, learn to interact with others, learn about ourselves, develop character, and develop into mature adults.

In short, when families are healthy, society itself is healthy, and when families are unhealthy, society is unhealthy.

These are some of the reasons why a healthy society looks down upon incest, polygamy, bestiality, infidelity, adultery, pedophilia, premarital sex, and so on.  All of these are variants of lying, stealing, cheating, and other character flaws as applied within the family.  What then about homosexuality?

The premise of Gay Rights as a Civil Rights issue is that some fundamental right exists that is being violated.  And this premise is buttressed by the idea that people are born homosexual.  I ask without malice whether the Gay Rights movement would liken that to being born with a birth defect or being born with a superpower.  Is it a bad thing or a good thing?  If it’s a bad thing, let’s do what we can to help.  If it’s a good thing, we should accept it as such.

Really, what could be wrong about love between two people?  A whole lot of things, in cases like incest, pedophilia, and adultery, to name a few, so the appeal to love alone is not sufficient.  So then perhaps it is unfair because the heterosexual population is denying the homosexual population the rights that they themselves enjoy.  Notice however that the traditional family offers an abundance of benefits to itself and society, and no detriments.  Would somebody please show me how the same is true of homosexuality?

My right to marry and raise a loving family is granted by God, and merely recognized by society.  That’s what the Declaration of Independence tells me.  Homosexuality does not create the same male-female union, does not produce children, and is reproductively unsustainable.  Why then should I condone it?  Why should I celebrate that diversity any more than any other non-traditional family arrangement?

Societal acceptance of homosexuality is predicated on the notion that it is a good and wholesome thing.  I don’t believe that it is.  My hunch is that mere acceptance wouldn’t satisfy the LGBT movement, and outright societal approbation probably wouldn’t either.  I suspect what they really want is approval from God, but that is going to be a lot harder to get.

As I’ve said before, I have had homosexual colleagues, I’ve done business with homosexuals, and I bear them no ill will.  I also know that they tend to be extraordinarily artistic and creative, and that they have much to offer to society.  So while I accept homosexuals as people, and am resolved to treat them with the same love and respect as everyone else, I cannot condone homosexuality.  We all make choices.  We are not responsible for how we were born or what was done to us, but we are responsible for our own actions.  For those who struggle with homosexuality and also believe in God, there is grace available to help you.

At the root of every ill in society there is a lie.  Not only does this make lies deadly, but it makes the truth that much more important and precious.

One such lie led to the inception and continuation of slavery in society.  The lie was that some people are sub-human, and hence not deserving of the same rights and dignity as others.  The United States Declaration of Independence holds:

“that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

It is clear that slavery is a direct violation of the right to life and liberty, if in fact all men are created equal.

Charles Darwin didn’t believe that all men were created equal, and consequently sought to formulate a theory explaining why some races were less evolved than others.  Was it inflammatory of me to say that?  Then consider the full title of his famous work:

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life

In Darwin’s defense, he had the intellectual honesty to admit that his theory would fall apart if the fossil record did not substantiate it.  The fossil record does in fact contradict his theory, and the theory does fall apart.  That is my considered professional opinion, and I have signed my name to it.

Margaret Sanger is another person who didn’t believe that all men were created equal.  Her statements are nothing less than diabolical, and her legacy as the founder of Planned Parenthood is a large share of the 50+ million babies aborted in this country since Roe v. Wade.

When we consider that abortion disproportionately kills Black babies, we have to understand that this was the precise goal of her over-the-top racism.  Her quotes speak for themselves.  Planned Parenthood is built upon the lie that all men are not created equal, and it is past time for that lie to be put to death once and for all.

A related lie is that abortion is about a woman’s right to choose.  Thank God that rape is a factor in fewer than 1% of all abortions.  That means that in more than 99% of all cases, the abortion is elective:  The woman chose to have sex with a man, and now wishes to reverse the consequences of her choice.

I say this not to attack or vilify women who have had abortions, but to attack the lie that perpetuates the cycle.  Ladies, if the man has not already married you, and proven by his character that he is faithful and dependable, and if you are not ready to have a(nother) child, I urge you to not have sex.  Society thinks that abstinence is an untenable proposition, but I am living proof to the contrary.

Finally, lest anyone should think that I only oppose lies in those who disagree with me, I believe that lies are just as lethal when found in me.  That is why the truth is so precious to me, and so worth fighting for.