Author Dinesh D’souza is off on many points, but this one is dead on: the very things that Muslims hate about the west are the very same things that evangelical Christians rally against. I don’t recommend D’souza’s book “The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11,” but in it he states rather poignantly that Muslims are not really against “the West” as much as they are against “the liberal West.”
Now I understand that even if every single American were rock solid, bible believing, conscientious, consistent follower of good conservative values, Muslims would still want to blow us all to hell (Allah be praised). This is first because we are not Muslims, and anyone born and raised in Islamic culture has their own “Poor Richard’s Almanac“ where they chant the Arabic equivalent of “For Allah I will do my best; Kill the Jew and hate the West.” Johnnie Cochran couldn’t do any better. And both are equally good at burying the facts. So let’s get some out there.
On values, it appears the Muslims are right. The (liberal) west is an “anything goes” world, and aside from just living decently, conservatives have done little to persuade liberals that they should shun their decadent ways. Well, maybe lib’s just don’t get it; To understand “decadent” means you have to have “values,” and “anything goes” isn’t really a “value,” per se. Just like Osama Bin Laden, I am against having rampant sex shoved in our faces on TV, the internet, and print. Just like OBL, I’m against homosexuality, not only because of it’s clear prohibition in the bible, but because any sane person can see the “natural” order of things doesn’t lend itself very well to homosexuals; even Darwin would agree. There’s also abortion and adultery, OBL and I are probably of one accord there too.
That’s part of the problem of freedom: people indeed choose things that are self-injurious while thumbing their nose at those who might try to “save” them. Wow, that word sure has a particularly religious flavor to it, doesn’t it? Some people don’t want to be “saved,” and Christians (and God) seem to respect their decisions, and let them eat the consequences. If you’re a sleaze, you get a disease.
Well, one thing Islam appears to create is “order.” In some cases it does a very good job. An acquaintance who lived in Saudi Arabia for four years told me you could leave a brand new car with the keys in the ignition, a hot CD player and a stack of CD’s in the passenger seat parked in front of your hotel and be virtually guaranteed that it would all be there in the morning. Something about losing your digits is a very persuasive deterrent to stealing.
There is a huge fact missing. The world is broken. Christians call it “fallen.” No amount of rules will fix it. In fact “the rules” generally point out that it can’t ever be totally fixed. Any rational person can give a nod to this one. I’m assuming there are a few thinking Muslims who will consider that to be accurate.
That doesn’t mean we throw in the towel and dive headlong into our most hedonistic tendencies. Not only is that generally self-injurious, but there is value (there’s that word again) in redeeming the good out of the world. There is no fatwah (religious mandate) that will perfect anything. That is good news: Muslims will eventually find that the many rules in the Koran do not deliver, and the deeper you go into Islam, the more you find that it is futile. Martyrdom (the only guaranteed way to Islamic paradise) seems an appealing choice.
God – the Father of Jesus – loves his followers enough to give them a choice to love Him or not. He doesn’t want robots who obey His commands. He hopes that Christians will listen to His promptings in a personal relationship with Him, and choose a better way. And he understands that people aren’t perfect. Allah doesn’t give anyone a choice. God says, “Whoever believes … will be saved.” Allah says, those who do not submit will be slaughtered [the Hadith: Tabari VI:143, Ishaq 222]. Jesus says, “I will forgive you all your sins.” Allah says I will crush you.
The only Islamic appeal (a more orderly society) is really an empty one, because you can’t mandate a perfect society. You can’t dictate a human heart to submit. Only a heart that willingly submits to Jesus’ offer can be made good by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The bible says, “it was for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1). Do you want new life in Jesus Christ? It’s free.
