Friday, June 29, 2007

ISLAM vs. THE WORLD

"We have to bring the troops home now! This war has gone on too long," some people are saying. We may bring them home, at least most of them, but that won't be the end of the war.

The current war the United States is waging against "terrorism" is actually a war with Islam. No one likes to say this fact, but it is true. Since Mohammed wrote down his new faith in the Koran during the 7th century A.D., Islam's primary purpose has been to dominate the world. The basic meaning of "Islam" is submission, forced submission, and getting the world to submit to Islam is the sole underlying purpose of the Koran.

"Spread the word by the sword" has been, and still is, a basic tenant of the Moslem faith. The problem over the centuries has been that they lacked the right combination of tools to get the job done. To bring about world domination, Islamists know they need money, technology and manpower. Until the 20th century, they had only one of the three factors, manpower. But with the world's current dependence on both technology and oil, now they have the other two. Thus, the mullahs and ayatollahs believe now is the time.

Mohammed instructed his followers to win the world for their god. As soon as he had made enough converts, he raised an army to wage war against Christians and Jews, and his followers have been raising such armies ever since. This is jihad, to struggle against the infidel to achieve world domination. But always they were hampered by lack of funds, as well as their people in the right places. The 20th century has brought another important element which has helped the three factors to fall into place, and that is Moslem immigration into developed nations.

Today the developed nations, mostly western Europe, Russia, and even China, are in a death spiral. Following the advice of alarmists, these nations have adopted policies to limit population growth, at that same time as they have become dependant on the state providing universal health care and hefty pensions. Limiting population has resulted in the "silent killer" of not having enough native sons and daughters born to fund all the pensions and health care of its aging population.

An aging nation needs young workers to fund the aged, and the only two groups currently providing more than their share of babies are Hispanics and Moslems. Hispanics generally can't cross the oceans, so for the past decade or two Moslem immigrants have been pouring into Britain, Germany and Russia.

The dirty little secret on the Continent today is that the populations of Belgium, Spain, Italy, and France are now from 25% to 40% Moslem, giving rise by some to the term "Eurabia." Those immigrants are mostly young, single Moslem men, looking for purpose in life, because married Moslem men are staying home with their wives and growing families.

Islam allows a worthy man to marry up to four wives, and so all the available women are being married to only one fourth to one third of the Moslem men with the money to support them. That leaves around two thirds to three fourths of the young Moslem men unable to marry (unless they marry non-Moslem wives). Some men can marry, but most can't. The Koran forbids fornication. Imagine their frustration!

But the Koran's author knew something like this might happen, so he put in a clause promising those unmarried fellows a paradise that includes 70 virgins each if they become martyrs in the jihad.

We live at a time of unprecedented technology, especially in communication. Cell phones are everywhere. The internet connects everyone. "How to…" websites provide information on bomb-making, material availability, targets and the latest technology of enemy soldiers. Oil production provides the funds for materials, travel and salaries, as well as the occasional bribes and pay-offs needed to get things done.

Today, then, all the factors are in place for the ultimate goal: 1) PEOPLE - thousands upon thousands of frustrated men, located in the right places, with the promise of a sexual paradise in martyrdom, 2) TECHNOLOGY - internet, cell phones and instant information of every kind, and 3) MONEY - the Middle East oil patch funds it all. Thus, Islam's rulers knows that the time is right if they are ever going to bring the world under the rule of Allah.

Which brings us to one more factor: 4) TIME. The oil money won't last forever. The current anti-American fervor will run its course. Therefore, the fanatics of Islam know they must do it now, in the next twenty to thirty years, before the oil money runs out and the religious fervor runs its course. Oil won't keep coming out of Arab earth forever. With technology making the world smaller, Islam's adherents will change, becoming more tolerant, and their desires will cease to burn so brightly. Thus, now is the time to bring about the dreams and goals of Mohammed!

And now is the time for a rookie prognosticator to make a prediction. I believe the war against terror will get worse before it gets better, and will probably last 20 years or more. This war will be the single worst drain on our economy, and unless Americans and Europeans and Russians and the enlightened of this world come to their senses, this war will be lost. We have entirely too many people in perpetual denial. Islamists will not be won over by being nice to them. Friendship and gentleness have never been assets in dealing with Moslems, and they will always be used against us.

ISLAM vs. THE WORLD may be the basis for biblical Armageddon, for it shows the uniting of a great power that is completely opposed to Jesus Christ against those nations whose cultures rest on Judeo-Christian principles. And it is those nations who are the last great hope for a world free of Islamic domination.

Question is, will people in those nations wake up and smell the (arabic) coffee?

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

NEED A LIFE ADJUSTMENT?

I picked up my old chainsaw yesterday to do some overdue tree trimming. After many, many pulls, I did get the old motor running, though it smoked and coughed. But then it's done that lately because it's old, so I didn't expect much better from it.

As I let it "warm up," I noticed the adjustment screw was covered with sawdust, so I reached in with my finger and cleaned it off, and in doing so, turned the screw just a little. The motor ran a little better! So I picked up a screw driver and a brush, did some more cleaning and adjusting. Before long, that old saw was humming like it was new - wow! Here I was ready to junk it, and all it needed was adjustment. After using it for years, that set screw must slowly have tightened down, not letting enough gas get to the spark plug. But when adjusted correctly, that motor ran like it was new again.

Oh, that it would be so easy to be adjusted in life! Sometimes our lives get to coughing and sputtering, and we begin to think that's just the way we are, that we can't expect much better. But perhaps we are that way because very slowly, over the years, we've picked up a bad habit here, or a nasty attitude there and a wrong thought there. And we've had them so long we think it's part of who we are, that we can't change. But when God's Word shows us the truth of what we've become, and shows us what Jesus did for us, we can get cleaned up and changed for the better.

Of course, we can't do this changing by ourselves. And we can never become so good that we don't need some kind of changing. Our sinful nature will always keep our motors sputtering. Certain sins will always foul up our spark plugs. Bad fuel will always make us run poorly. But in Jesus Christ, we can receive the eternal adjustment of forgiveness, daily, not just ever year or so. And God's loving adjustments help us avoid becoming set wrong in our ways.

The particles of sawdust, like an infinite amount of "little" sins, may even cover the obvious. But when the goodness of God in Jesus Christ enters our lives, especially when God sends a Christian friend who cares enough to be truthful to us, we are given the chance for a new start. Our old sinful self already has a cleansing from the cross of Christ that makes all things new.

I guess I won't toss the old saw. After all, God didn't toss me out, either.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

MORE ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER

If a little is good, a lot must be better, right? Not always! With some pleasures, some foods, or even time with some people, we should stop at just a little. Any more, and there's only trouble a-waiting.

Cashews, for instance. This morning as I write you, my stomach regrets that its owner hadn't the sense to stop with just a little. The intended goodness of a small handful last night turned into a lot more, and now I wish I'd left that can of Planters on the shelf. But they seemed so good at the time!

Life is like that. We know better, but we do it anyway. We know we should stop certain things, but we don't. St. Paul knew about this when he wrote in Romans 7:19, "The good that I would, that I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." (KJV) Or to put it in terms of how I feel this morning: "The good little handful, that I ate not; The four handfuls that I knew were evil, those I ate!"

Paul wrote further in Romans 7:24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" He must have gotten into the same can of nuts!

So much of life has to do with knowing our limits. Too much work can be as bad for you as too much leisure. A little salt can be good (in fact, we need it), but too much can be poison. Moderation is needed in all things; we need to find balance.

About the only thing we can't get enough of is God's grace. We can never get too much of that wonderful stuff! His love is new every morning because we need it every morning - and every noon and every night. A little handful is not enough, for we daily sin much and indeed deserve only punishment. We need His mercy by the bucketful. There's never a moment when we don't need Jesus. We need His forgiveness every moment.

So thanks be to God, we have it! With God's love for us in Jesus, a little is good, and a lot is far better. And ten times that amount is never more too much. The same is true of faith. A faith the size of a mustard seed is enough, but faith the size of a watermelon is even better.

I'm starting to feel better now - walking around helps, and so does Alka Seltzer. I hope I remember this lesson. But I probably won't. After all, I hadn't bought a can of cashews for at least six months because of the last time....

Thank you, Jesus, for forgiving us poor, miserable sinners,