a generation of vipers

Submitted by rw (Australia), Sep 20, 2006 at 05:15

The position of people who believe the Bible, in so far that there can be one position of Christians, with regard to Islam is not very easy to define. In this world there are ten thousand things that one can be against - so that it is much better to be for something. For this reason there is a tendency, a justifiable one, not to speak against things perceived as evil, eg Islam, but to concentrate on preaching the evangel, the Good News.

Hence, perhaps, the silence remarked by Leo K. (The spectacle of, for example, ill-guided fanatics casting stones at abortion clinic workers simply is not representative of Jesus Christ; to spend one's time vilifying Islam is not the most edifying option). On the other hand, as one reads the accounts of Jesus' life, one finds examples of Jesus acting in a very strong way towards hypocrisy, particularly of the religious type. He referred to the bigoted religious leaders of his day as snakes, vipers, hypocrites, whited sepulcres etc. - these are the only people Jesus attacked. The parallels with Islam are apparent to all who consider the records with any care. Jesus is called in the Bible 'the Prince of Peace', and so he is to his friends, but he himself said this - 'don't think that I am come to bring peace,but a sword'. He said that his ideas would set brother against brother and father against son. Adamant opposition to Islam would seem a reasonable response, much as in the last century atheistic communism provoked resolute and finally triumphant resistance.

Personally, I am grateful for the measured scholarly approach of, in particular, Dr Pipes, who seems to me a fine professional - while not necessarily agreeing with his hope that 'moderate' Islam prevail in the islamic world. I think that, like communism, Islam is a system which will be self-destroying.

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