liberalize Islam?

Submitted by Drew (Canada), Dec 6, 2006 at 08:34

The idea of "liberalizing" Islam comes as more and more Christians are "de-liberalizing" their own faith, seeing some of the destruction that's done to society over the centuries (Prov. 6:8 "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to all people"). Faith is nothing without a solid foundation to stand on; that unshakable basis which, no matter how one feels about it, remains the linchpin for one's manner of living. "Liberalizing" Islam may have the desired effect of making it a bit more "comfortable" and reducing terrorist activities, but it may also bring some unwanted side-effects, like allowing sin -- as recognized by all of the "seed of Abraham" faiths -- to get a greater hold.

"Liberalizing", after all, is really just a fancy way of saying "let's change the rules and move the goalposts until I can do what I want and not feel guilty". So what's the solution? Maybe it lies in taking a hard look at the faith itself and seeing if it's real deal. How do you determine that? Do we have another "fiery-altar smackdown" like Elijah and the prophets of Ba'al? Perhaps a more peaceable version of that would be to ponder the following: what faith improves lives on a daily basis? Has anyone been healed in the name of Mohammed? Has Allah lifted someone out of the "miry clay" and set their feet on a rock from which they can move forward in their lives? Are people motivated by "Mohammedan love" to wade into zones of disaster, poverty and other indescribable human misery to help others -- without first ascertaining whether those afflicted people are of the same faith? Did Mohammed allow himself to be publicly humiliated, reviled and finally executed as a blood sacrifice for the sins of the entire world -- and has that knowledge miraculously turned people's lives around?

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