Secularist E-mail:
E-mail sent to me:
Western secularists who think of biblical Christianity as "an obstacle to
progress" had better think again . What is happening in Europe is a shadow
of things to come on this side of the Atlantic as well . While there is growing
persecution of evangelical churches in countries such as France , massive Muslim
immigration is fast transforming France , Holland , Italy and other European
countries into Islamic states in the very heart of Europe .
My Reply:
Western secularists who think of biblical Christianity as "an obstacle to
progress" had better think again .
I'm not sure who you mean by secularists. I think a secularist is anyone that believes in the separation of Church and State, so to me, you are a secularist.
By secularist you likely mean Secular Humanists. I know that Secular Humanists in North America generally, have for a long time, been more aware of the threat of Islam to our countries than most Christians. They generally agree it is essential that people must have the freedom to privately practice their religion or not to practice any religion provided there is strict separation of Church (Mosque, Temple, Synagogue, etc.) and State.
I have found some Christian groups are very ignorant of Islam.
Four points of ignorance:
I have had several discussions with Christians that "are considered in the know" :
(1) saying that as long as you have a religion you will live a good moral life -- that religion in general is good and atheism in general is evil.
The thinking is that a person that does not believe in a supernatural realm is naturally immoral -- one person responded to me once by saying that because of my unbelief I must be murdering, raping and stealing at every opportunity. I didn't yesterday:-)
Humanists are not absolutists, nor relativists in moral things. They take a position between the two -- a provisional morality just as knowledge is provisional in science. In science the more evidence that supports a theory the more true it is -- when the evidence is high the theory is a fact -- all knowledge is provisional -- Even the theory of the roundness of the Earth has a lot of evidence to support it --it is considered a fact -- however in science it is still provisional -- allowing for any new evidence to overthrow it. Similarly the overwhelming evidence of Darwinian Evolution that permeates all of science, including Biology, Astronomy, Geology, makes the Darwinian Evolution theory, a fact.
Religion does not have a monopoly on morals.
Statistics in the US show, for example, that unbelievers have a divorce rate less than all Christian, Jewish and Mormon group (a survey done by a religious organization -- the surveyors were distressed by this).
Statistics have shown that Muslims and Christians can just as easily do evil acts. NeuroScience has shown that 7% of people of all religions have the kind of religious experience, including Evangelical Christians, that makes them are willing to kill in the Name of their God.
Check the book:
What Science has to say about morality --
good and evil. The best book on Ethics and morality
I have read.
"The Science of Good and Evil, Why People
Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share and Follow the Golden Rule"
by Michael Shermer.
ISBN 0-8050-7520-8
(2) saying that Jesus is part of both Christianly and Islam.
They are surprised and even upset (suggesting it doesn't matter) when I mention that there is really a large difference -- Christians believe that Jesus is God, Muslims do NOT believe Jesus is God, only a prophet.
This really is, I think, quite a difference!!
(3) saying that separation of Mosque and State for the Muslims is no different than the separation of Church and State.
They cannot accept the fact that in Islam this is impossible -- the State and Mosque are one. Mandated public prayer 5 times a day for everyone, is one of a number of factors that reinforces Islam in everyday life of a Muslim. In the past Christianity has had Church and State bound as one with disastrous results. Christians in the western countries generally regard the separation as important for the good of the countries as well as the good of Christians themselves. Christians in the Western Countries are at heart secularists. Because of this they often mistakenly think Muslim religionists are the same.
(4) saying that the aim of Islam is tolerance and submission.
True, in a way. As in most religions the tolerance extends to members of the group itself and of anyone that is a potential convert. Mulsims stress tolerance as long as they are in the minority.
The over-riding aim of Islam is to convert every one in the world to Islam -- a totalitarian system -- all totalitarian systems, religious and secular, become death regimes -- death as a way of control.
Submission as in slavery. To a Secular Humanist this kind of submission means a complete loss of liberty.