The courageous thing to do is to keep entering the arena, and work to get better at getting the message through to people. Persist until you succeed. And then to keep succeeding.
We have many tools available to help you get better at getting through to people, if that's the path you've chosen:
4. A link to send to your not-yet-informed friends: Inquiry Into Islam.
5. Something to focus on in your conversations: Get them to take the pledge.
6. Something to help you in your ongoing discussions: Answers to Objections.
Use these tools and resources to do the one thing that needs to be done: Educating our fellow non-Muslims about Islam. Once we've done that, the rest will be relatively easy. Concessions will be undone. The attempted encroachments of orthodox Islam will be blocked. Islam's reach will shrink. The tide will turn, and the Islamization of the free world will begin to reverse course.
Most of the material linked to above is in our book: Getting Through.
All real Christian should not and need not live in fear of jihad-minded Muslims and their Islamic schemes with their agenda. Christians Likewise, Christians should not hate or dislike Muslims but pity them as people who are brainwashed, deluded and entrapped in a false religion. The Bible instructs Christians in First Corinthians 16:13,14. "Be on your guard ; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong Do everything in love." [N.I.V.] In addition, there is a Christian internet site which replies to the many claims made by the imams and mullahs as well as the other apologists for Islam. It's answering-islam.org
ReplyDeleteA courageous response not to Islam but to Muslims for the genuine Christian is not a hostile or arrogant response but replies based in and from the Bible out of concern and maybe even love for those under the influence and deception and power of Islam. For as Isaiah 8:20 teaches false doctrine ]Darkness] are religious dogmas that are in contradiction to the Bible, Second Timothy 3:16. As the following ,somewhat, exposes.
ReplyDeleteIslam’s denies of the Bible’s doctrines of and about the actual nature of Jesus is blasphemous. For Islam denies that Jesus is the Son of God. That is the Son of God the Father. Likewise, Islam denies the Jesus is God the Son. What blasphemy! For the Bible does, indeed, teach that Jesus is the Son of God, Matthew 3:16,17. First John 2:22 23. As well as hat Jesus is God the Son, Hebrews 1:8. First John 5:20. As a former Muslim who is now a Christian had explained “In the Son, the real issue of belief is certainty entering the Kingdom of heaven in the life and the full Deity of God lives in Him. He therefore is able to transfer people to the heavenly kingdom and unite them with God.” [1] The last three words, “them with God” meaning God the Father. The Bible confirms this about the Deity of the Son. The Bible teaches “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Colossians 2:9. [N.I.V.] Therefore, in the Light of the Bible, Islam is a false religion, Isaiah 8:20. John 14:6.
[1] ISLAM AND THE SON OF GOD by Daniel Shayesteh page 222
The is also the Christian internet site www.answering-islam.org
Thanks for this article it is very helpful, citizen warrior.
ReplyDeleteI was quite disappointed this last week as two people I've been emailing to alert about Islam have both rejected me as a friend. One has become remote deliberately and the other is an in-law and responded in ignorant way. A priest refused to even look at Mark Durie's work saying it was because he was Anglican. I hit a block with most people because they talk about refugees although this has now got slightly better due to media coverage of lefty teachers in our schools pushing an agenda which should not happen in education.
Citizen Warrior, I haven't had much success convincing others by email. They say that such websites as prager-U and the Clarion Project "The numbers" are 'alarmist'....they even refuse to hear about the woman arrested this week for not wearing a hijab in Saudi Arabia....they say this 'just is about women's rights and sadly women's rights don't get a look in anywhere in society' they always have an excuse for Islam. What REALLY astonished me was that a youtube thing on child soldiers posted on a prominent journalist's twitter account, when I sent it to the person I wanted to alert about these issues, that person said: "Itws probably not happening, its probably just the media." And: "Well what can we do about it?"
Has Citizen Warrior got articles about how to deal with denial. Pure denial from people who say, much like they used to say about the Holocaust by the Nazis, that it did not happen. As a student I once had a woman interfere with an article I was reading about the death camps and the ovens...I was on the tram and she a complete stranger pretended to fall on me as the tram stopped and then tried to tell me its nonsense 'how could they burn a body in 8 hours?' 'you ask yourself'...etc. I was only an 18 yr old student then at Melb Uni and innocently sitting there reading an article on the Holocaust!
So DENIAL and GUILT is a big thing with people. How to break through that....people almost have to go through a negative emotions of recognising this is happening before they finally ACCEPT the truth about Islam. Even when one tells them yes its not all muslims but the radicals will do a lot of damage and show them the Brigitte Gabriel video responding brilliantly to a muslim saying 'muslims are for peace' and Brigitte telling her that 'the moderates are irrelevant' just look at history....still people do not listen and do not want to listen. They want to have their cups of tea at Saint Vincent De Paul and puff their 'nice metres' up by telling themselves how peaceful and nice and how open and good Muslims are....they insist on telling me stupid stories about muslims opening up a cafe for Christmas day for lonely people and that Christians can come too........people are not waking up still, Citizen!! The West has not woken up. They are so very, very fooled. How to suggest the possibility of taquia to get it through people's heads that although they have their nice social worlds of Christian goodwill etc....still there is evil and badness trying to lie its way and use them.
Even about the Christian genocide they say "china is just as bad its not just Islam" they are always prepared to give a great big welcome to Islam and Muslims. Why oh why.
I'm now trying the approach of sending Mark Durie's book The third Choice to selected people who I think are a bit academic or like to read books....I'm hoping this approach will work better. I will let you know!
But meanwhile a war is going on inside our institutions and our democracy. History will repeat itself unless those in power stop making concessions to Muslims. Christians will be persecuted in the West. And meanwhile Catholic authorities and 99% of priests etc constantly make further concessions favouring Islam. The Catholic magazine Majellan now under a layman editor is advocating that multi-faith is the new way, it is no longer talking to people about Christianity. To say one is a Christian these days in public, is like saying one is burning crosses on their front lawn! So...much as the lovely multi-faith, peace loving approach is soothing...have you ever given a thought to what you might do if faced with the three choices of Islam? Or indeed if Christian girls are killed (no wait first Islam requires its soldiers to rape virgins before they are permitted to be murdered.) what ever happened to being BOLD for Christ.
ReplyDeleteYes, denial is an important barrier. And yes, we have a few articles on dealing with it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.citizenwarrior.com/2011/05/key-to-your-listeners-inability-to.html
http://www.citizenwarrior.com/2015/07/five-stages-of-resistance-to-truth.html
http://www.citizenwarrior.com/2011/01/will-to-believe-versus-wish-to-find-out.html
http://www.citizenwarrior.com/2011/01/wanting-excuse-not-to-become-alarmed.html
http://www.citizenwarrior.com/2011/03/achilles-heel-of-west.html
It is a difficult situation, a challenge to be sure. We have ideas for different ways to approach it, which you can read about here:
http://www.citizenwarrior.com/2010/10/how-to-approach-conversation-about.html
The approach makes all the difference. The most important factor, I think, is seeing this as a long term project and not putting too much into any single conversation. Let it slowly sink in over time. Give small pieces of fact, and give the person time to reject them. And maintain rapport all the time. This is crucial:
http://www.citizenwarrior.com/2012/11/rapport-comes-before-influence.html
Thank you for doing the one thing that needs to be done. Don't give up. Get better at it instead.
Thanks so much
ReplyDeleteI may have been putting too much into each conversation I'll have to chill out and have a cuppa! Wondering if I do small bits of info at a time, and am at the stage of the person being angry or saying 'stop fearmongering and do something to help' what do I do next? Give it a break and then restart? Or let it go? What to do if the person responds by becoming an extra-keen social justice warrior (ie rings me to say hi but then says 'I'm busy with st Vincent de paul activities.')
And 2) if someone goes all quiet...should I keep commenting to them every now and then?
And 3) has anyone else had any social justice types who seem to go into ultra-keen mode when it's mentioned (st Vincent de Paul should be helping our own not putting Muslims into old people's homes in Eltham.) I mentioned this to people at my parish and then they began masses for the svdp society and collections of money etc!! One cannot criticise the precious society can one! One positive is the school said they'd only collect Christmas presents with a Christmas theme for svdp and we know who won't want those!
I would think a social justice warrior, once they really understood the injustice of Islamic doctrine, would become interested. I think they might get interested by watching the Honor Diaries.
ReplyDelete