That’s the crux of an article by Shirin Taylor. She writes, “The rest of the world sees us as intolerant, belligerent, prideful, nationalistic, and extremist. As the daughter of Christian and Muslim parents, I feel like a kid stuck in a bad marriage, trying to salvage my parent’s reputation and begging them to get along.” See the whole article at…
http://www.zwemercenter.com/muslims-and-christians-have-an-image-problem/
What’s your take on Shirin’s sentiments? Just click “comment” after the web version of this item. Thanks in advance for sharing your input.
It is interesting to note the comparison of the PR problems Islam and Christianity faces.
She’s right. Christianity’s PR problems come from a “church” that pickets, the Dark Ages, the division of eastern and western churches, and a host of other maladies.
She’s wrong. Islam’s PR problem is MUCH too pervasive. Every week, Islamic radical groups kill in a number of countries, ex. Nigeria, Sudan, Libya, etc. They record the videos and share them with a number of media sources.
When I spoke to the leader of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently, I mentioned that I had a number o Muslim friends and not ONE has beheaded me.
However, the PR problem facing Islam is, if you can allow for degrees of sin, worse. Christians are not beheading folks and posting the videos online.
I am encouraged by the work done by the Joplin churches. We can not tell people about Jesus if we don’t get an audience.
Some people don’t get that.
The division is based on more than Christian end-time and Israeli views. Jesus and his disciples were hated for neither of those reasons. And he foretold that the world would hate us. The gospel of Christ is by nature as exclusive as it is inclusive. “No man comes to the Father except by me.”
Further, Allah isn’t “the Father.” Allah, the moon god, has no son. Jehovah, creator God’s son is the focus of Christian faith.
Allah rules with fear; Jehovah rules with love. Islam demands (according to the Koran) the death of those who refuse to convert. The Christian God offered the life of his own son on our behalf.
Three days ago my wife and I attended an Indian Muslim wedding of a friend’s son. I interpret our role as to love and be an example to Muslims. Some will ignore the teachings of the Koran and befriend us. However, those who hold fast to its teaching won’t. They are plotting in mosques in our own country. We must walk circumspectly, live in love, pray for Muslim nations and recognize that the world WILL hate us.
Jesus commands us to love our enemies. We can and should respectfully disagree with Muslims while acknowledging that both religions believe there is a God. Both religions also believe there is a day of judgment.