“Atheists don’t fly planes into buildings” –
it was a point delivered with all the certainty of a man who feels he has
just delivered a killer blow to his opponent who was in this case,
yours truly.
His ‘point’ repeated thousands of times on atheist and secularist
websites and social media (from whence he had gathered this bon mot)
was greeted with rapturous applause by those who shared his faith.
The response?
‘Neither do Presbyterians…nor Baptists…nor Catholics…nor Anglicans…
not even Charismatics…and in fact neither do the majority of Muslims”.
But for the simplistic worldview of the Atheist Fundamentalist this point is missed.
In their world they put together two and two and make 25.”
David Robertson
(a summer evening’s view of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada / Julie Cook / 2017)
The flea is on fire…
or so it seems in his latest installment of the book review
The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray.
(and may I note that in my past writings regarding Mr. Murray, I think I have inadvertently referred to him as
as “David” rather than Douglas—too many Davids on the brain I fear…
so I have gone back and corrected those previous errors)
I have yet to order my copy…and maybe it has something to do with
my latest book purge taking place at home, but I have every intention of
ordering a copy…as I feel as if the good pastor
has pulled out such tantalizing nuggets, whetting my appetite,
that I can barely wait to begin reading.
For the Wee Flea, with obviously the help of Mr. Murray,
has sounded the alarm as he is acting as that lone voice in the desert.
This part 3 review deals more in the way of the views of the Muslim world and Islam
as through the eyes of Europe—but like I said the other day, why stop at just
Europe…because this book speaks as much to those of us here in the US
as it does to our friends across the pond.
In this latest review, I have actually pulled more of the fiery flea’s words
than I have Mr. Murray’s as Pastor Robertson is spot on in his observations.
“It seems to me that there are those who are so obsessed with hating the Christian background of their own culture that they are willing to ignore or distort the
teachings of Islam –
solely as a means to attack their real hatred.
Or perhaps even worse –
there are those who have such a hatred for the Jews that they are willing to
excuse and even endorse the ideology that wants to wipe them out.
What does Murray argue about Islam?
Firstly he points out that the liberal elites are so determined to show that their
belief that Islam is compatible with Western civilization that they will do
their utmost to promote what amounts to a re-writing of history and a distortion
as serious as those who want to portray all Islam as barbaric.
And they combine this understanding of Muslims as the new oppressed people
(and themselves of course as the Social Justice Warriors/Saviours of the Oppressed)
with their hatred of their own Christian traditions,
by building up the former and demeaning the latter.”
David Robertson
We might consider the fact that here in the US, we are currently reeling, caught in
in the very throws of much of the same mentality,
as we are now witnessing those here in this country who are desperately
trying to rewrite our history as they try, albeit in vain,
to whitewash our past into something that never even existed…
as if erasing the bad will now make everything perfectly good and somewhat of a nonexistent utopia
Add to that our own influx of immigrants, those who are here illegally, as well as
the hundreds if not thousands of foreign nationals who, since before 9/11,
have come into this country from the Middle East, as officials now admit,
that there are countless individuals here who have simply fallen off the radar
and basically have “disappeared into the crowd” as our various agencies
have failed to keep track and account of such individuals.
So no longer are we the proverbial melting pot, but rather we are
a dangerous and angry boiling pot…waiting simply to boil over.
“In fact such is the fear of Islam, or of being accused of being Islamaphobic
that our liberal elites are even prepared to change our whole culture for the sake of accommodating their fears.
“In September 2015 officials in Bavaria began to warn local parents to ensure their daughters did not wear any revealing clothing in public. ‘Revealing tops and blouses, shirts and shorts or mini skirts could lead to misunderstandings’, one letter to locals warned. In some Bavarian towns, including Mering, police warned parents not to allow their children to go outside alone. Local women were advised not to walk to the railway station unaccompanied.”
Mr Murray Page 196
Pastor Robertson continues…
“Even worse than that officials and politicians are sometimes too scared to face
up to the implications of what is going on.
The Rotherham case is the worst example we have of this.
Over 1500 girls were abused because they were white girls and their abusers
considered themselves to be immune of prosecution because of the authorities fear
of being accused of being Islamaphobic and racist.”
David Robertson
And just in case you don’t grasp the serious concerns over the progressive
secular liberal leanings within this current culture of ours, the good pastor,
reminds one and all about the dangers in the rise of such a demigod mentality.
“Secular Liberalism cannot help itself.
It so believes itself to be ‘god’ that anyone who goes against its doctrines
will be banned –
in this respect questioning Islam is on a par with questioning
Same Sex Marriage which itself is seen as being on a par with racism,
genocide etc.
The white Middle-Class guilt complex leads us down some very strange paths!
One of which is that there will shortly come a time when my even writing an
article like this could be considered a ‘hate crime’.
David Robertson
Robertson continues “Murray pointed out in an article in The Spectator that the “popular al-Jazeera star and leading cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi when he said:”
‘Throughout history, Allah has imposed upon the [Jews] people who would punish them for their corruption. The last punishment was carried out by Hitler. By means of all the things he did to them – even though they exaggerated this issue – he managed to put them in their place. This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hands of the believers.’
Douglass Murray
They fail to grasp one of the most essential differences between Christianity and Islam is that Islam is a political system as well as a faith.
Lastly from a Christian perspective I return to the question of what the Lord of history is doing in permitting this ‘death of Europe’.
It could be that it is a judgment – after all Turkey was once the stronghold of Christianity, then North Africa –
and look where the church is now in those countries.
Southern Africa, China and South America will probably be the growth areas for the church in the 21st Century.
“But Europe can still be resurrected….”
David Robertson
Pastor Robertson does leave us with a slight ray of hope.
He muses that perhaps there is still hope for Europe,
as that same hope applies to us here in the US.
He ends his review with the notion that perhaps the influx of Muslims
is but an opportunity to the Faithful to press on in their witness of
the salvation from Jesus Christ…in turn leaving the family of Christian
believers to be the final hope found in the lost sea of mass immigration.
The Strange Death of Europe – 3 – Islam
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Isaiah 43:2-3
[…] via the Flea is on fire — cookiecrumbstoliveby […]
It might beninstructive to look back into the history books a bit regarding Christian terroristic and violence when they’ve had the ability to get away with it. I think either you may not be being completely honest with what you know, or just have no idea what you’re talking about. Either way… Christians have been every bit and sometimes more violent, destructive and murderous in the name of the biblical God as some extremist Muslims are today for Allah. -kia
Yes and as we see these wrongs don’t make a thing right….
No… They were not right then, and they aren’t right now. I agree
and as in wrong, I mean terrorism and the blind eye turned to ducks being ducks.
I agree with you on both counts. Would you agree with me that Christians thru history, while not flying planes into buildings, have comkkittednterroristic and murderous, even genocidal acts in the name of the God of the bible?
KIA, I don’t think any truly educated individual would disagree that there have been egregious acts committed by most of the world’s religions throughout the history of mankind… as man continually has put himself and his ego before anything else.
The Spanish Inquisition and the Salem Witch trials come to mind as two such incidents demonstrating ignorance and ego trumped compassion as well as the true teachings of Christ.
And I cannot speak for the good pastor but I somehow know what he would say….
Yet the past and those various acts of violence, atrocities and out right evil committed by those foolishly brandishing misguided claims does not “atone” or give right to or for any current act of violence or jihad in the name of past grievances.
What was then a crusade, that rather than defend the righteous spilled blood of the innocents, does not give license to anyone today who now thinks that their current day act is somehow justified by or is justifying the past.
So as I say, two wrongs don’t make anything right—this tit for tat mentality of a Christian crusade in the Middle ages does not then make a modern day jihad right.
And as the good pastor did note at the end of his review…which I noted, that perhaps we the Faithful have a greater opportunity to share the good News of Jesus Christ and Salvation
@KIA
The track record for atheism in the 20th Century is such that atheists have no basis for pointing the finger at anyone. So what if they don’t fly planes into buildings. They still start wars, and that is still obvious today.
Instead of getting into idiotic finger-pointing exercises, consider James.
When we don’t love each each, we treat each other like objects, things to be used up and thrown away.
Do atheist have a reason for loving their neighbors as they love themselves? What is it?
You may want to ask an atheist about atheism. I’m not one, just not a Christian anymore. As I repeatedly tell you but you ignore.
No, you are just an apostate. That is not any better.
You say you are not an atheist, but what are you. All I see is someone who is against Christianity.
One of the most destructive things anyone can do is tear down what people believe without having anything better with which to replace it.
What I am is me. You need to be honest and realize that not everyone who is not Christian is atheist. It’s rude and downright mean and dishonest to treat and call even ‘apostates’ or deconverted Christians as Atheist when they have repeatedly attempted to correct your apparently intentional mislabling. Just stop it please
time to say good night Kia…as I have to agree with Tom—if one claims not to be “Christian any more” is that agnostic or atheist? or is that having simply converted to Jew, Buddhist, Islamic, Shinto, etc….
to be “nothing” is void and most folks usually trying avoiding void…
and I think the definition of apostate pretty much is a shoe that is quite fitting
@KIA
Grace and truth. Full of grace and truth. That is what I want to be me. Still working on it.
That is a problem we all have. It is up to each of us to define who we are. Our Lord has given each of us that privilege.
When a Christian is born again, he receives a new heart and the Holy Spirit. What happens when an apostate is born? According to scripture, he discovers he never was a Christian.
You are by definition an apostate. You have defined yourself that way. You associate with atheists and echo their words. In fact, here you defended atheism with your first comment by suggesting that Christians have been just as violent.
The only reality we have is what we perceive. Since this is a free country, if we don’t like how we are perceived, no one is stop us from behaving differently. We just have to work to change who we are. That can be quite difficult, of course.
https://recoveringknowitall.wordpress.com/2017/08/13/who-and-what-am-i/
Do you read what you write? That does not tell anyone anything more than everyone already knew.
Tom, you have proven to me know that you have neither grace nor truth. Just arrogance, rudeness and incivility. Have a wonderful day
@KIA
I am a sinner, someone just working on being perfect. So I never quite do the right thing. I wish it were otherwise, but that is why people should take their problems to God, not me.
What is a sinner? A sinner is someone who has deceived themselves or been deceived. Since Satan is real, I supposed it is a bit of both. What is the deception? A sinner does not believe God. An unrepentant sinner is someone who does not confess their sins — their desire to be their own god — to God.
When Adam and Eve disbelieved God, they shared a fantasy. They wanted to be their own gods. To varying degrees, this is a fantasy we all still share. When we are born again, we accept the that God is real, that our fantasy is evil. When we are born again, we turn from the fantasy towards God. We believe Him, and we believe in Him.
Because I am a sinner, I am arrogant, rude, and uncivil. That said, let’s consider what you are demanding. You insist that we must believe something that is not true, to share your fantasy. If that is not arrogant, rude, and uncivil, what is?
Amen Tom!!
Thank you for this post. I have written that shouting hatred toward haters doesn’t show love, but in honest debate, we can express our views and witness to the Truth. We must express ourselves or others, some mentioned by David Robertson, will remove our voice. (I also love the photo of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. When I was working for an engineering company, I trained the people at Algoma Steel (furnace operations and combustion safety). The steel mill is the stacks in the foreground of the photo. It brings back fond memories, ehh.
We visited the Soo in July–and were amazed by the locks, the paper mill and the steel mill—a neat little city!
I was at the Holiday Inn near the locks. I only had a room with a view one week there, but it was marvelous to watch the ships in the locks and the sunset.
We only spent about a day and a half but enjoyed walking along the water way and spent the majority of the time on the Agawa train ride up the valley to the canyon.
I remember reading the horrific Rotherham scandal a few years back and thinking this was a sign, a turning point Western Civilization has deliberately made that does not bode well for it’s survival. And here we are, a few years later and it’s STILL not talked about as it should and I would bet my last dollar some of the same despicable acts are still happening.
I think I’m going to have to to pick up a copy of Mr. Murray’s book. Thanks for sharing tidbits of his and Pastor Robertson’s writings.
Thank you Tricia for your wise observation.
It’s funny how we don’t hear, in the news or from our leaders, more of what actually takes place. Nothing like smothering the factual while peddling the false.
Yup, if nothing else our politicians and media both excel at “smothering the factual while peddling the false.”
I’m reading another book on the French Resistance called The Nightingale. It’s a good read, but yet also a reminder of how easily man can be swayed to commit the most horrific acts against another and how the denial and complacency of others allows that type of evil to grow and thrive. It’s a lesson I think mankind is doomed to repeat throughout its existence.
You’re right Tricia…our continuum of brokeness.
I started a book a bit earlier this summer but have put it down for a while–Double Cross, a true story about the D day spies. It’s about the “spies” who helped the outcome of WWII, specifically the planning the invasion of Normandy. They were a motley crew of often dubious individuals, male as well as female—who worked as double agents under the umbrella of MI6.
Whereas these broken souls risked their very lives to aid in the positive outcome of the war, they had no qualms doing things that leaves one wondering about things like self esteem and moralistic principles. And maybe that’s part and parcel with the double agent business…anything nothing less than selling ones soul to the devil for sex, money, limelight… and if the good guys win in the end, more the better…another example of our continuum…sigh
A big sigh fro me as well. Sounds like an interesting book, I’ll have to add it to my ever growing list. 😉
It has thus far been interesting but a bit slow as it gives a complete picture of the “motley crew” and their odd backgrounds.
I found the when I had actually read a story, on the BBC I think, about one of these double agents–a cheeky Italian chicken farmer turned spy. His story was wild and my interest was piqued. I do love the individual stories of how ordinary people all played a vital part in the positive outcome.
And there are now so many books in this life of mine with so little time…. 🙂
I think the quote about allowing hatred of the Jews to convince some to overlook the ideologies of those who would wipe them out. What’s new, though, right? The Jews have been the most hated group of people in the world since God chose and called them. That in an of itself should tell us something. Why does every one hate them so? We know why, don’t we?
Next topic. I am glad you acknowledged the wrong things that have been done by those claiming to have done them for God; only a fool would deny it. The challenge I submit to any naysayer is to prove where God commands us to act in such ways. Short answer..nowhere.
Amen Wally!
And yes, we know why…but isn’t it grand knowing that God has the last word!!!
It sure is nice to know He does Julie. Even though some folks think THEY have the last word over God
The flea is being crispy crittered right in front of us and the ones with the torches are the liberal media and the reckless liberals who seem to have lost their grip on sanity, kindness, compassion, national pride, kindness and on and on the litany of egregiousness goes. 😦 😦 😦
just consider the comments here as a small example of those having lost their minds
😂😂😂🐔🌵❌⭕️