A challenge to Pastor Jeffress of Dallas

http://mikeghouseforamerica.blogspot.com/2010/09/challenge-to-pastor-jeffress-of-dallas.html

This is my commentary on Steve Blow's article in response to Pastor Robert Jeffress' mis-understanding of Islam in Dallas Morning News, today, September 6, 2010.

Finding the truth is one’s own responsibility as it releases one’s hatred and fear and brings salvation. In our solitude and one the day of reckoning, neither our Pastors, Imams, Rabbi, Pundits, Shamans or clergy will be with us, we have to bear the anguish of hate or fear alone within our hearts.

Like a few Americans, Dr. Jeffress has fallen to what is dished out to him without independent verification and bases his ranting on a false premise. There are two translations of Quraan that are false, wrong and hateful towards Jews and Christians; one was deliberately mistranslated for political reasons by the Monastery of Abbey in 1142 and the other one was mistranslated by a Muslim in 1922 for the same reasons in the opposite direction. However, the Arabic version of Quraan is intact and we have 18 translations that are nearly pluralistic.

At the Parliament of worlds Religions in Melbourne, during my presentation, a Christian Bishop from Jerusalem read the Arabic version of Quraan loud out and did the right translation to the shock of roomful of individuals who were mis-fed with wrong translations thus far.

For the sake of peace, I would ask the Pastor to hold a conference in his own church on his turf, and I will moderate the discussion “finding the truth about Islam, Quraan and Muhammad” and bring Scholars of Islam including Dr. Hunt, Dr. Esposito, Jewish and Muslim Scholars. Let’s put this thing to an end and have his congregation live in peace and let Muslims live in peace; together as Americans we need the truth and need to live without hate and malice.

I have a big Unity day event on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at the Unity Church on Forest Lane, any Sunday after that with at least 90 days notice to prepare will do. We owe the American public peace and the truth.

Added in response to comments:

WHAT REPRESENTS A RELIGION?

The female genital Mutilation, child brides, violation of women’s rights, cruel stoning to death for adultery, Burqa, clapping on the deaths of 9/11 etc do not represent any religion, let alone the values of Islam.

What the Serbian Christians did to Bosnian Muslims, what Hitler did to Jews, what the Missionaries did to the Native Americans does not represent Christianity either. Neither clapping nor the standing ovation Pastor Jefress got for injecting hate in the hearts of congregation represents Christianity either. Does it?

Religion was designed to help men from being destructive, most people get that, a few don't. Religion is about removing hate, teaching forgiveness and creating a kingdom of heaven on the earth for the benefit of whole humanity.

If you have choice to listen to Paster Jeffress about Islam, Pastor Phelps about Judaism Vs. going directly to Quraan or Torah, what would be more authentic? Remember, like our constitution is wrongly interpreted to suit the political needs of the politicians, the scriptures are also mistranslated.

No scripture teaches hate. Period

REAL QUESTION

Would you rather believe what Pastor Jeffress says about Islam, or what Quraan says about Islam? Would you believe what Jews or Muslims say about Jesus or what Bible says about Jesus?

There are at least 18 decent translations of Quraan against the two bigoted ones Pastor Jeffress may have read and bases his judgment upon. One of them was paid to mistranslate by the monastery of Abbey in 1142 to suit the needs of the European kings to halt the invading Kings, and the other one was by a Muslim in 1922 that did the hateful mistranslations to possibly egg on Muslims after they lost the Ottoman Empire. Both are political and hate filled translations and most of the European and American Non-Muslim scholars of Islam have their foundation in these wrong translations.

For the sake of a peaceful world, we need to separate the falsity from the truth even if does not suit our political agenda for this moment.

Mike Ghouse
http://www.unitydayusa.com/

Videos of pastor Jeffress:

1. http://www.youtube.com/firstbaptistdallas#p/u/1/wfb9p3qSRqA
2. http://www.youtube.com/firstbaptistdallas#p/u/0/R4dHHbO7Slw

BOTTOM LINE

I watched the 2nd video of Dr. Jeffress, and at the very end he states his bottom line - Muslims to convert to his version of Christianity.

Dale Carnegie once said, if you want honey, don't kick the beehive. If the pastor is bent on continuing with his luxurious life style, call it a business and invite Muslims with love and not kick them and ask them to join him - Heloooo Pastor!

A few Muslims mirror him; they tell the christians that they are wrong to believe Jesus as a son of the God, and then invite them to consider Islam... Heloooo missionizers!

We must be aware of the bottom line of Individuals. Neither speak for whole Christianity or whole Islam.

Mike Ghouse
http://www.unitydayusa.com/

Dallas pastor's broad-brush criticism of Islam goes way too far
11:26 AM CDT on Sunday, September 5, 2010
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/localnews/columnists/sblow/stories/090510dnmetblow.19e1646.html
It's hard to know where to start in expressing dismay with the Rev. Robert Jeffress – for being uninformed, un-Christian or un-American.

The pastor of Dallas' First Baptist Church managed to squeeze all three into a recent rant against Islam.

The video clip is available on the church website as if it's something to be proud of.
Also Online
Video: Watch as Dr. Robert Jeffress condemns Islam.

On Aug. 22, First Baptist's Sunday evening service featured the annual "Ask The Pastor" event. One of the written questions that Jeffress took that night asked about comparisons between Muslim jihad and the Christian Crusades.

Jeffress acknowledged terrible misdeeds by Christians, although he said many have been "overblown."
He went on to say that Christian atrocities were always contrary to the teaching of the New Testament. "But Muslims, when they commit violence, they are acting in accordance with what the Quran teaches," he said.

He was just getting started.
He went on to talk about Islam's oppression of women and how it is "a violent religion."
"And here is the deep, dark, dirty secret of Islam: It is a religion that promotes pedophilia – sex with children. This so-called prophet Muhammad raped a 9-year-old girl – had sex with her," he said.

"Around the world today, you have Muslim men having sex with 4-year-old girls, taking them as their brides, because they believe the prophet Muhammad did."

Finally, his finger jabbing the air, he proclaimed: "I believe, as Christians and conservatives, it's time to take off the gloves and stand up and tell the truth about this evil, evil religion."
Where to begin with such broad-brushed nonsense?

Let's start with uninformed – particularly the outrageous accusation that Islam promotes pedophilia and Muslim men around the world engage in it.

What do experts say?
"No, I haven't seen that or heard of it," said Dr. Ryan Hall, a Florida psychiatrist and national authority on pedophilia. "If this were widespread, it definitely would have come to the attention of the medical and legal communities."

Dr. Robert A. Hunt is a professor of theology at Southern Methodist University and a scholar on Islam. Is he aware of any evidence to support Jeffress' statements on pedophilia? "None whatsoever," he said.

While Muhammad did marry a 9-year-old as one of his wives, Hunt said it is unfair to apply modern Western standards across cultures and centuries.

Islamic tradition holds that the girl was chosen by God. She became an important religious figure in Islam as a trusted source of sayings from Muhammad.

I asked Jeffress for the evidence to back up his accusation of condoned, widespread pedophilia and he could only say that he had "read references" to it in a few places.

Well, besides being uninformed, his harsh, condemning comments also seemed un-Christian. And Hunt agreed.

"I can think of three relevant commandments that were violated, starting with, 'Thou shall not bear false witness,' " he said.

"Then I would add, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' And 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' I don't see how anybody could regard those as statements of love for a Muslim neighbor," Hunt said of Jeffress' comments.

And that brings us to the un-American nature of the comments.

In time of war, one of the first duties of those safely back home is to not do or say anything that puts our warriors in greater danger.

We have men and women fighting and dying in Afghanistan right now, and one of their greatest challenges is proving to the people there that they are friends of Islam – that they oppose only violent, radical jihadists who corrupt the religion.

Hunt explained it this way: "There is a very, very small minority of Muslims – radical Islamists or jihadists, they're called – and they draw their power from the assumption that Islam is at war with the West and that the West is at war with Islam.

"Anything that appears to make that more credible to Muslims will increase support for the jihadists."

Do you think it helps for a prominent pastor back home to disrespect Muhammad as "this so-called prophet," to refer to him and his followers as pedophiles and to proclaim all of Islam an "evil, evil religion"?

And how far do you suppose that video clip has already spread across the Muslim world?
Jeffress told me he can't worry about his words being used to bolster the terrorist cause. "The truth can always be perverted, but that shouldn't keep you from speaking the truth," he said.
Hunt had a very different perspective. "Lying is never helpful, and he was lying," he said.
About what?

"Everything," he said.
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My comments that I am posting on Dallas News

QURAANIs any one sincere about understanding Quraan or any religious book? Do we have to hate some one and Islam is convenient?

Would you accept the definition of Christianity or Judaism by a buddhist monk or a Muslim clergy?

The Europen kings in 12th century were threatened by the invading kings, and they figured that by maligning and painting the religion of invaders as evil - they can incite enough hatred in their subjects to fight for them.

There are 20 translations of Quraan in the market or more... two are deliberately mistranslated; one by Christians and the other by Muslims - both right wingers and selling hate was their business and have duped so many of us..

All it takes one is to read at least 5 translations hoping the ugly two are part of the five. I am planning on a conference for Sunday, December 12 to understand the truth, myths nad facts of Quraan... bring in pastor Jeffress... it will be open to the public.

Mike Ghouse
http://www.unitydayusa.com/