American Baptist Group Hopes To Convert Iraqi Muslims
Lisa Ashkenaz Croke | 06.01.2004 06:31 | Anti-militarism | World
While coalition forces need to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis, an American Southern Baptist group plans to win Iraqi souls.
To that effect, the Baptists' International Mission Board (IMB) is mobilizing missionaries to convert Muslims from a "false" religion based on the teachings of a "demon-obsessed pedophile," as a former IMB leader once called the Prophet Mohammad.
Jon Hanna, an evangelical minister and missionary from Ohio, told the Telegraph UK last week that Islam's denial of Jesus as divine qualifies the religion as "false." Citing the New Testament, Hanna said, "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist."
Despite the fact that this defines almost 70 percent of the world's population, access to Iraq's 23 million plus unsaved souls is literally an answer to IMB's prayers, presenting a unique but possibly brief opportunity.
"A U.S. passport is all you need to get in, until the new Iraqi government takes over," said Hanna. "What we thought was a two-year window, originally, has narrowed down to a six month window."
Under the pretense of providing humanitarian aid, the Baptists come to Iraq with food, medical services and Bibles; IMB holds that the first two items are "a conduit" for the latter. As one missionary who met with Iraqi children said in an IMB news bulletin, "...I could tell some of them have not eaten well. But their biggest need is to know the love of Christ."
Jon Hanna, an evangelical minister and missionary from Ohio, told the Telegraph UK last week that Islam's denial of Jesus as divine qualifies the religion as "false." Citing the New Testament, Hanna said, "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist."
Despite the fact that this defines almost 70 percent of the world's population, access to Iraq's 23 million plus unsaved souls is literally an answer to IMB's prayers, presenting a unique but possibly brief opportunity.
"A U.S. passport is all you need to get in, until the new Iraqi government takes over," said Hanna. "What we thought was a two-year window, originally, has narrowed down to a six month window."
Under the pretense of providing humanitarian aid, the Baptists come to Iraq with food, medical services and Bibles; IMB holds that the first two items are "a conduit" for the latter. As one missionary who met with Iraqi children said in an IMB news bulletin, "...I could tell some of them have not eaten well. But their biggest need is to know the love of Christ."
Lisa Ashkenaz Croke
Homepage:
http://www.NewsFromTheFront.org
Comments
Hide the following 17 comments
Typical Christians.
06.01.2004 10:53
Redkop.
keep your ideas to yourself
06.01.2004 11:39
;-)
If only Christians would keep ideas to themselves.
06.01.2004 14:13
Redkop
missing my point
06.01.2004 16:50
;-)
Not missing the point
06.01.2004 18:15
redkop.
pots and kettles
07.01.2004 13:09
;-)
Religious conversion is not persuasion
07.01.2004 13:46
Religious conversion is not the same thing as political & moral debate or persuasion. It entails generating a sufficient emotional response in the prospective convert, such that they can make the so-called "leap of faith" required for conversion. No one sits, listens to a calm, reasoned exposition of the Trinity, transubstantiation versus consubstantiation, weighs the evidence and says "Hm, these Christians definitely have the most logical explanation for cosmology, ethics and morality. I think I'll sign up as a supporter, or at least stop supporting their opponents, tacitly or otherwise."
Rather, they hear or read a stirring sermon, or experience "miraculous healing", or witness an impressive piece of religious art or music, or are taught it at their mother's knee, etc. Their emotional response is "God must be calling me."
I don't imagine the Baptists who are barging into Baghdad uninvited, knowing nothing whatever about the people they are selling to, will be setting out a case for persuasion. Instead, they will be making appeals to the emotions of the people desperate and broken enough to listen: people whose lives seem to have no meaning after being attacked first by Saddam, then the Americans: family dead, home ruined, livelihood destroyed.
"We have the answer to your problems! We can give your life meaning again!" is what they will be saying. Listen to this former Muslim who gave his life over to Jesus! He's happy now! Don't you want to be happy too?"
So y'all can take your self-righteous posturing somewhere else, thanks.
blackberry
Baptist Christians' works of love and charity
07.01.2004 14:01
"Islam founded by demon-possessed pedophile terrorist", says former head of Southern Baptist Convention Jerry Vines:
My favourite Baptist church:
:-)
Ian
DOWN WITH ALL RELIGIONS
07.01.2004 14:34
Jerry Vines sounds like a prick and he probably isn't aware how historically accurate his comment about 'demon-possessed pedophile terrorists' actually is.
Suggesting Mohammed was demon-possessed is clearly unfair, but Mohammed definitely was a paedophile (unless screwing a nine year old girl, who he married when she was SIX, isn't kiddy sex) and as for terrorist - hmmm, subjective term. Cold blooded, bloodthirsty killer might have been more appropriate description.
atheist
and there it is
07.01.2004 15:30
tolerant
Erm...
07.01.2004 16:02
Are you saying I don't have a right to criticise a specific religion because you consider it politically incorrect?
Is it less acceptable to mention Islam because criticism of Christianity is so much more commonplace? Please explain.
atheist
pt 2
07.01.2004 16:16
atheist
what I'm saying
07.01.2004 16:38
tolerant
Hypocracy enters into the equasion as well.
07.01.2004 16:42
Redkop.
Enough of the insults to other religions!
07.01.2004 19:55
Stop the insults now and do not demonise one or another or you make matters worse. Keep this up and expect the human race to perish. Christians are not capitalists and Muslims are not terrorists. Remember what ever religion or system it is the man that always corrupts the system. As for other religions like Budhists, Siqhs, Native Indians( or Mohicans if you prefer) and Hindus it also applies to them as well.
Please everyone I plee with you stop attacking each other and punish the ignorant humans like Bush and monster Blair. They deserve the punishment for using religion for evil purposes.
Let us unite and bring the madness on this war torn earth to an end.
I hope sanity has struck home people!
Apollo ( Sun God Speaks out!)
Erm...aren't Christianity and Islam very similar?
08.01.2004 17:34
And I always find vehement atheists funny with their belly-of-fire, leap-of-faith decision to fervently believe in nothing, with as much proof of nothing being there as there is proof of something being there.
Is it worth noting that angry, stressed people are more likely to suffer heart disease etc. and die early whereas people with an active spiritual life (of whatever religion - it doesn't seem to matter) are likely to live longer and be happier?
Afinkawan
leap of what now?
08.01.2004 23:07
"And I always find vehement atheists funny with their belly-of-fire, leap-of-faith decision to fervently believe in nothing, with as much proof of nothing being there as there is proof of something being there."
As an atheist I have never made a 'decision to fervently believed in nothing'.
Believing in a ridiculous omnipotent witchy-poo sky-daddy is an active choice. Not believing in one isn't. There was no 'leap of faith' involved when I stopped believing in the tooth fairy, Santa and the bogey-man. I grew out of it.
I don't believe there are WMD in Iraq either - shouldn't the emphasis be on those who actively claim there are to prove it? After all, they're making the positive assertion, not me.
atheist