There are two religions on the balance scales of history, Islam and Christianity from their beginnings to the Twenty-First Century to be weighed on their merits. Christ strode the byways of Israel over 2006 years ago and there were but three episodes of violence in His entire life, the routing of the moneychangers at the door of the Grand Temple of Israel, defiling the Holy place, in Christ’s eyes. He overturned their tables of commerce, in His righteous wrath. The second time violence occurs is when St. Peter drew his sword and cut the ear off one of the Sanhedrin’s Guards who came to arrest Jesus. The third and last violence was perpetrated upon the sacred body of the Lord Christ, whipped nearly to death, flesh torn from his body, beaten by Rome’s minions with their calloused hands, His skull pierced by a crown of thorns hammered into His scalp, caused to carry the awful weight of His own cross and finally his cruel crucifixion and death, with the final indignity of a spear in His side. He stolidly stood all of this punishment as a sacrifice of God’s beloved son, so that we may find the gates of Heaven open upon our death. This was the sacrifice of the “Lamb of Peace.”
During his lifetime, he trod the dusty paths of Israel, preaching a gospel of Peace and Understanding. He took up the rights of the poor, the uncleansed, the crippled and bent, the lost people of earth and told us to do unto them, as we would want them to do unto us. His benevolence and forgiveness, love of the forlorn were his life. He was born to suffer for all mankind. He healed the sick and crippled, held close the sinners and changed their lives, raised those whose death came too soon and he made peace with those who were reviled.
Today, there are a Billion Christians of several denominations. They still try to follow the compassion and love of their fellow man on earth. Often failing, but trying mightily to do the right thing, they carry their own cross for Christ and are determined to emulate Him. The late Pope Paul told us that nothing on earth had changed, neither the anarchy of the sixties, the wars for liberty and justice which spilled innocents’ blood, modern life allowing abortion as law, when it is really infanticide. The Pope said that no matter the time or century, Evil and Good never change, a sin will always be a sin, whether or not we like it or not. Changing social mores, have no power to change right and wrong. They are eternal.
Nearly five hundred years after the death and Resurrection of the Lord Christ, the religion of Islam was created and guided by not the Bible but the Koran (Quran) written and abridged over the years by Prophet Mohammed. He was born in Mecca, now the holiest city in the Middle East, to the Muslims of Islam. But his life in Mecca was not peaceful or placid. His father died before his birth and his mother suffered from a loss of sanity for one reason or another. As Mohammed grew to manhood, he took to going into the caves of the desert for contemplation. It would seem that he was stricken with epilepsy. It was during these attacks that he began to see himself as a prophet and he began the writing of the Koran. As he developed his new religion, he spoke to others in Mecca regarding his insight and the belief that God spoke to him during his epilepsy attacks. Rather than building a following, his neighbors and the citizens of Mecca ridiculed him, knowing his background and the insanity of his mother, as well as his status as a loner. Berated constantly, Mohammed undoubtedly grew to hate the people of Mecca and finally moved to Medina.
In his new city, he soon found an older woman, who was quite well to do as the owner of a camel caravan business. They married and Mohammed became a caravan driver. During his travels he came across a tribe of Bedouins, roving nomads shunned for the fact that they were war-like and took what they required. Mohammed spoke to them of his religious creation of Islam. As a man of some letters and a man of commerce, the Bedouins were flattered by his presence and decided that they would take up with his new religion. Heretofore, only family members had become followers of Mohammed. With a ready-made group of warriors, Mohammed had a chance to gain vengeance on his neighbors in Mecca. The Bedouins were willing to become his army and willingly attacked and slaughtered Mecca, killing men, women and children. Prior to the attack, they asked Mohammed if the Koran allowed them to rape the women before they murdered them. Mohammed placed a new testimony in his book, stating that warriors of Islam were innocent of evil, as long as the people they raped and murdered were not Muslims. The Koran does not say that it’s people should preach their gospel and endeavor to bring others to their religion. What it stated was that people refused to embrace Islam, his people must force them to become Muslims or kill them. This is a religion that is abhorrent in regard to other religions, with open willingness to harm or murder others for their faith.
We only have to look at the video attached below to see what they believe is normal behavior amongst their own people, including children. These are the same people who rioted around the world because someone attached a drawing of Mohammed in a cartoon. Jesus is often reviled in movies, plays and conversations, as a joke. Christians do not rush into the streets to threaten the evildoers, since Christ told us to turn the other cheek. That is not Islam’s way.
Image of Islam: (click to view the video "SOOON")