Why Moderate Muslims Might Not Matter

It is a thin but common argument to contend that radical Islam does not represent the kind Muslim next door. Granted. Most Muslims wish the world peace, but many also want us in pieces. As Rick Santorum wisely observes, "All Muslim are not jihadists, but all jihadists are Muslims."  This unassailable fact causes great angst for our leaders and media who wish massacres were 'only' work-place violence.
What a few network anchor people need is a field trip to Saudia Arabia, Tehran, Yemen or Somalia.  The females would be especially impressed by progressive Islam when they tried to rent a car at the Riyadh Hertz counter. 

Of course mainstream Muslims are not blowing themselves and others up. So? Let's do some new math. 1.6 billion Muslims, 'only' five to ten percent are radical, while maybe another thirty percent are 'fundamental,'  read that: sympathetic with Sharia law and not too upset by what it will mean to us all. 

Do we really need to be reminded that of the 35 million Germans in 1935, most were 'moderate?'
As were most Chinese in Mao's day, Stalin's Soviets or North Koreans today for that matter. 
That did not prevent horrors and slaughter that are being previewed now.

Radicals often rule, for better or worse. For example, American revolutionaries were radical in 1776, and that turned out well, not so much in Iran today.

I have been to Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, etc., and most of the folks are bright, modern and moderate.
They are not the issue, they are irrelevant to the discussion because they do not have the will or the means to stand up to ISIS, Hamas, Al-Queada, Boko Haram........

Do not believe for a minute that this is merely a clash of cultures or a disagreement about a religious nuance. This is a war of civilizations that has been simmering and boiling over since well before the days of Thomas Jefferson, who read the Koran to understand his enemy. 

Let us not miss the story of Constantinople, (now Istanbul) it was a  Christian city that was subjected to relentless Islam attack. 
It is now 99 percent Muslim. 

And here is a little gem that reflects the symbolism and strategy we are facing. What was the date that Islamic armies were turned back in Vienna, ending their plans to invade all of Europe?  
September 11, 1683. How is 9/11 for holding a grudge? #itisonagain
Patient and relentless, Islam is invading Europe once again with a much friendlier approach. 

Get a grip on this take from Bridgette Gabriel and tighten your seat belts, Jesus predicted a day when there would be 'distress with perplexity.' Distress is bad enough, perplexity means no human way out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry3NzkAOo3s

Jumpstart

Days of Grace

Martin Luther King Jr. was not the first to move masses with the soaring rhetoric of his dream. Jesus Christ spoke incessantly about a coming kingdom. Despite the drawbacks of time and place, the words of Jesus have resonated through the ages. More books have been written about this man, who never wrote one himself, than any other person in history. 

God has always had a dream for mankind, a vision that came crashing down when Adam and Eve fell. Yet, that dream is not dead. It lives in three distinct dispensations. 

Short-Term

God would have all men saved, and wants none to perish. The immediate dream for each person is salvation. If you are not certain of your eternal destiny, today is the day that changes by accepting forgiveness through from Jesus.. 

Mid-Term

Once you are born again, God begins a relentless improvement program on you. For the rest of your time on earth, He is constantly repositioning you between what you are and the best you can be.  This is not prosperity psychobabble, because becoming the best you can be might mean suffering, refinement, and real pain. Nonetheless, God has a picture of what you can be in His wallet, and He is gently determined to move you in that direction, even if you go kicking and screaming. Relax and read Romans 8. 

Long-Term

Consider your first moment in heaven! We all look forward to vacations, trips, and getaways. We pore over websites and magazines, imagining what the experiences will be like. We even sacrifice to make them possible. For some exotic vacations, we count the days and call them, the trip of a lifetime.  Put that in light of eternity…in paradise! It makes Tahiti a ghetto. 

For the child of God, saying, “The best is yet to come,” is the understatement of all time. 

Nuggets of Gold

Paradise

A religious or metaphysical term for a place in which existence is positive, harmonious, and eternal; an ideal or idyllic place or state.

Echoes of Truth

"Sin and death and suffering and war and poverty are not natural—they are the devastating results of our rebellion against God. We long for a return to Paradise—a perfect world, without the corruption of sin, where God walks with us and talks with us in the cool of the day." 

-Randy Alcorn  

This One Thing 

In 2015, you have 12 months to make a mark that will last. What will your legacy be when it comes to contributing to the kingdom this year? Think about it now, then live it out. Just as wise financial planners strategize their stocks, believers can plan their spiritual investments.