Bible Quotation for today/When You Ask God, You must believe and not
doubt
James 01/01-08/Consider it pure joy, my brothers and
sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so
that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks
wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt,
because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the
wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a
person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on September 26 and 27/14
Salam calls for shielding Lebanon from turmoil
Hussein Dakroub| The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam Friday praised the U.S.-led international
coalition to fight terrorism, but urged friendly and brotherly states to
insulate Lebanon from regional conflicts, implicitly rejecting any role for his
country in the coalition.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, Salam reaffirmed the government’s resolve
to free at least 21 Lebanese soldiers and policemen still held hostage by ISIS
and Nusra Front militants and protect the country in the face of growing
security threats.
Before delivering his speech, Salam met in New York with U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry with whom he discussed developments in the Middle East and the
situation in Lebanon, the National News Agency reported. The meeting was also
attended by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.
Kerry underscored to Salam “the United States’ firm commitment to Lebanon’s
security and stability at a time when Lebanon is facing many challenges,”
according to a senior State Department official.
“The two leaders also discussed their continued partnership, and Secretary Kerry
reiterated U.S. support for Prime Minister Salam’s government and for the
Lebanese people. The secretary also emphasized the importance that Lebanon have
a new President in office very soon,” the senior official added. Kerry commended
Salam for Lebanon’s own efforts to combat ISIS within its borders and noted U.S.
expedited military assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces to help cope with the
ISIS threat.
Kerry praised Lebanon’s support for efforts to counter ISIS, including its
participation at the Jeddah meeting earlier this month and its signing of the
Jeddah communique that endorsed the creation of the U.S.-led coalition to fight
terrorism.
Kerry also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to assisting with the humanitarian
crisis in Syria, which has had drastic implications for Lebanon. To date, the
United States has provided $500 million to Lebanon alone to help deal with the
burden of refugees and the strains on host communities. Salam’s meeting with
Kerry came ahead of the International Support Group for Lebanon, which was
co-chaired late Friday by Salam and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The Lebanese prime minister also met shortly after midnight with Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani. On the sidelines of the General Assembly meetings,
Bassil had talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallam, in the first
high-level meeting between officials of the two countries in a long time since
bilateral ties were strained over the war in Syria.
Referring to the anti-terror coalition, Salam said in his speech: “The attempts
currently being made to mobilize international efforts to confront terrorist
groups reflect the international community’s awareness of the gravity of what
our region has been witnessing for years and the need to quickly put out the
raging fire and prevent its spread.”
“While underlining the significance of regional and international cooperation to
fight terrorism and welcoming the resolutions issued by the Security Council in
this respect, the latest resolutions, 2170 and 2178, Lebanon calls on its
brothers and friends in the world to safeguard it, insulate it from regional
conflicts and provide it with and the elements of strength,” the premier added.
Salam’s speech came three days after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah
warned Lebanon against joining the anti-terror coalition, arguing that America
was not qualified to lead such a coalition because it is “the mother of
terrorism.”
Referring to a wave of car bombings and suicide attacks that targeted the
Lebanese Army and areas in Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley where
Hezbollah enjoys big support early this year and last year, Salam said: “
Lebanon was subjected to a savage terrorist assault by criminal and dark groups
that carried out attacks on several Lebanese areas that resulted in the death of
civilians and military, in addition to enormous material losses.”
Referring to ISIS and Nusra Front militants who briefly took over the
northeastern town of Arsal last week and battled the Lebanese Army for five
days, Salam said: “The terrorists last month were able to kidnap a number of the
Army and security forces members and held them captive in order to exert
pressure on the Lebanese state and blackmail it.”
“With the aim of escalating the pressure, these gangs have brutally killed three
of the innocent captives,” he said. The prime minister added that the beheading
of two soldiers by ISIS and the killing of a third by Nusra Front had obstructed
the indirect negotiations to secure the release of the hostages.
“I would like to confirm here that our option is not to back off from our firm
stance to free the soldiers, preserve the state’s prestige and protect its
security and the sovereignty of its territory,” Salam said. He added that the
Lebanese people, in their battle against terrorism, stood united with the armed
forces, which are “the main cornerstone to protect national sovereignty and
guarantee security and civil peace. “Our government is seeking to muster the
necessary support for these forces in order to enable them to carry out their
mission in the fullest manner,” Salam said. ISIS and Nusra militants kidnapped
dozens of servicemen during their brief takeover of Arsal. They have released
seven hostages but are still holding at least 21 soldiers and policemen. They
have demanded the release of Islamist detainees in Roumieh Prison for the
hostages. Salam urged the international community to help Lebanon cope with
“nearly 1.5 Syrian refugees,” more than one-third of the country’s population
before the crisis in the neighboring country. “This huge number of refugees
constitutes a big pressure on the Lebanese infrastructure, which is already
suffering from structural problems, putting strain on schools, the health sector
and the labor market as well on the national economy,” he said.
Geagea: Army Could Coordinate with International Coalition
to Free Captive Soldiers
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea noted on Friday that the state is
faced with two options regarding the release of the soldiers and policemen held
captive by Islamist militants from Syria. He said via Twitter: “The army should
attempt to free them by force, which requires complete coordination with the
international coalition against the Islamic State group.” “All the government's
current actions in the case of the captives will not yield any result,” he
added. The second option, he tweeted, requires the government “to take a
decision as soon as possible calling for Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters from
Syria immediately.”The soldiers and policemen were abducted in August at the end
of clashes with the Islamists in the northeastern border town of Arsal.
Three of them have since been executed, while efforts are underway to release
the rest. The families of the captives have been staging protests throughout
Lebanon to pressure the state to exert more efforts to free them. The Islamists
have meanwhile reportedly been demanding the release of fellow Islamists in
Roumieh prison in exchange for the Lebanese hostages. They have also been
critical of Hizbullah's fighting in Syria alongside the country's ruling regime.
Gemayel Rejects 'Necessary Legislation' Amid Vacuum, Calls
on Candidates to Clear the Stage
Naharnet/Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel on Friday rejected outright the
approval of draft-laws under the slogan of “necessary legislation” at a time
when Baabda Palace is vacant, saying the candidates running for the polls should
step aside to facilitate the election of a president.“The most important
legislation is the election of a president as soon as possible,” Gemayel said
during a press conference he held at the Kataeb Party headquarters in Beirut's
Saifi district. “Any discussion on legislation would legitimize the vacuum” at
Baabda Palace, he said in reference to the agreement among certain parliamentary
blocs, including Kataeb's ally the Lebanese Forces, on holding a parliamentary
session to approve the controversial public sector wage scale. The Kataeb MPs
are among several blocs boycotting legislative sessions under the excuse that
the parliament cannot convene in the absence of a head of state. The blocs that
“are able to guarantee a quorum for a certain draft-law are capable of doing the
same for the election of a president,” Gemayel said.
He stressed that his party's MPs, who are part of the March 14 camp, won't
attend any session other than the election of a president. “The only exception
is (a session on) the consolidation of power,” he said in reference to a
possible extension of parliament's mandate, which expires in November. Gemayel
called on the presidential candidates who failed to be elected after May 25 to
clear the stage for other figures. “Certain people who are holding onto their
candidacies are harming the country,” he said, without naming them. Lebanon has
been without a president since May 25 when Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended
over the failure of the rival MPs to agree on a compromise candidate. “What are
we still waiting for to put our interests aside and focus on the election of a
president as soon as possible?” Gemayel asked. LF chief Samir Geagea is the
March 14 alliance's main candidate while Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel
Aoun is unofficially backed by the March 8 alliance. Aoun has not announced his
candidacy, claiming he would do so only if there was consensus on him.
Machnouk: Refugee camps will be created The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The Interior Ministry will set up camps to
host scores of Syrian refugees despite a lack of consensus among Lebanon’s
political factions, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk insisted Friday. Machnouk,
who represents the Future Movement in the 24-member Cabinet, said political
conflicts and bitter memories of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon had so
far prevented the establishment of camps for the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, but
that this had to change. “The Interior Ministry is going to build camps even if
they were not approved by all,” Machnouk said while signing a memorandum of
understanding with Marylise Lebranchu, the French minister for public services
and decentralization. More than 1.2 million refugees have fled to Lebanon from
Syria since the start of the crisis there in March 2011, according to the UNHCR.
But unlike fellow refugee host countries Jordan and Turkey, Lebanon has not set
up camps, partly due to objections from MP Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic
Movement, which has warned that temporary camps could turn into permanent
settlements similar to the Palestinian refugee camps. The presence of Syrian
refugees, who now account for 25 percent of the Lebanon’s population, has thrown
into sharp relief the country’s aging and feeble infrastructure. The European
Commission Friday announced an additional donation of 212 million euros ($269
million) to support education and child protection programs in Syria and
neighboring countries affected by the Syrian crisis. According to an EU
official, Lebanon is slated to receive 44 million euros from this fund. The
money would all go toward “Lebanese public structures,” according to the
official, while public schools or national child welfare programs would also be
eligible to receive additional funding.
Jumblatt calls for swap deal with ISIS and Nusra Front
Sep. 27, 2014/Hussein Dakroub| The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt called Friday on
the government to stop dithering on the hostage crisis and endorse a swap deal
with ISIS and Nusra Front militants holding at least 21 Lebanese soldiers and
policemen captive.
The call was made by Health Minister Wael Abu Faour after meeting with a
delegation from the families of the captured soldiers in Rashaya at Jumblatt’s
request. “On behalf of MP Walid Jumblatt, we urge the government to make up its
mind as a political authority and adopt the principle of a swap in order to
protect civil peace and the lives of the [captured] soldiers,” Abu Faour, from
Jumblatt’s bloc, told a news conference. Jumblatt’s call came two days
after Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk signaled that the government was not
opposed to a prisoner exchange with ISIS and the Nusra Front in what appeared to
be a departure from the government’s firm stance to reject any swap deal with
the militants. Noting that the government did not have a unified vision on the
hostage crisis, Abu Faour said the PSP proposed a swap deal in order to avert
the worst, in a clear reference to threats by ISIS and Nusra Front to kill more
of their captives unless their demands were met.“But certainly the government
cannot negotiate under a knife’s edge,” he added.
ISIS and Nusra militants kidnapped dozens of servicemen during their brief
takeover of the northeastern town of Arsal last month. The captors, who have
released seven hostages, are still holding at least 21 soldiers and policemen.
To date, they have beheaded two soldiers and shot another dead. The militants
have threatened to kill more soldiers if their demands, which reportedly include
the release of Islamist inmates held in Roumieh Prison,were not met.
Abu Faour also urged the judiciary to speed up trials of Islamists held for
alleged involvement in the 2007 battle between the Lebanese Army and Fatah
al-Islam in the northern Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.
The families of the hostages have stepped up their protests in the past few
days, blocking the Dahr al-Baidar highway that links Beirut with the Bekaa
Valley, the Zahle-Tarshish highway in east Lebanon and the Qalamoun road in the
north with burning tires to press for government action to secure the release of
their loved ones. The Dahr al-Baidar road remained closed for the third
consecutive day.
The Nusra Front sent messages recorded by the captive soldiers to their families
Friday, with the hostages calling on the government to work to free them.
“I call on the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese state to work with conscience and
empathize with our parents and mothers, and consider us their sons,” kidnapped
Lance Cpl. Sleiman Dirani said in the recording sent to his family. “I call on
them to see how our mothers and fathers are sleeping in the streets with no one
feeling for them or showing any interest in the matter.” Others called on their
families to keep protesting until the government secures their release.
Meanwhile, Arsal’s residents withdrew from a protest in the town Friday after
some Syrian refugees began shouting slogans supporting ISIS and Nusra in a
demonstration intended to condemn the Lebanese Army’s crackdown in the area.
Some 200 Syrian refugees gathered for the protest, with a few holding Islamist
flags.
“Come in Abu Malek, we are going to Beirut,” shouted some of the protesters,
referring to the Qalamoun emir of the Nusra Front. Cries of “The people want the
Islamic State” were also heard. Local leaders called on Arsal’s residents to
demonstrate in solidarity with Syrian refugees after they were allegedly
subjected to harsh measures by the Army this week, but after the pro-jihadist
sentiments started to crop up they urged Lebanese to instead stay away. The Army
has been conducting a wide crackdown on Islamist militants in Arsal, detaining
hundreds of men.
The detainees, some of whom were Lebanese, according to security sources, are
suspected of having collaborated with jihadists during the five-day battle in
Arsal with the Army last month. The Army Friday said in a statement that it
arrested 18 individuals of various Arab nationalities in the Al-Balha
neighborhood of Dikwaneh for lacking legal papers. It also said the military
arrested a Syrian suspected of being involved in subversive acts and for
possessing forged currency. The military detained 10 Syrians as well for
involvement in a fist fight in Faqra. The Army announced Thursday that it had
arrested 22 individuals for allegedly belonging to terrorist groups that fought
the Army, but did not disclose the location of arrests. Lebanese troops briefly
clashed with militants scattered in the rugged terrain on the outermost edge of
Arsal Thursday morning, while soldiers raided suspected militant hideouts in a
Syrian refugee camp in the Wadi Hmeid area of the town. Protesters, waving the
flags of ISIS and Nusra , also marched in the northern city of Tripoli after
Friday prayers, shouting extremist slogans and condemning the Army raids. The
security situation in Arsal was discussed by 21 Lebanese and Syrian scholars who
issued recommendations after their meeting in the town prohibiting the killing
of captives.
“We agreed during the meeting that the killing of captives or captured soldiers
runs contrary to Islamic Shariah,” Baalbek’s Mufti Sheikh Ayman Rifai told The
Daily Star. He added that the preachers would contact the militants to ask them
not to kill any of the captured soldiers. For his part, Lebanese Forces leader
Samir Geagea called on the government to use military force to free the
hostages. Geagea said in a Twitter statement that there were two ways that would
lead to the release of the captives, one being Hezbollah’s immediate withdrawal
from Syria and the second a military operation to free them by force. –
Additional reporting by Rakan al-Fakih
West fears militants are set to unleash chaos in Lebanon
Antoine Ghattas Saab| The Daily Star
Security reports from Western sources received by a senior Lebanese security
official paint a gloomy picture of Lebanon’s immediate future. According to the
documents, Lebanon could soon see a resurgence in suicide bombings and
assassinations targeting politicians, security officials and religious figures,
in an attempt to spark sectarian strife and undermine stability in the country.
Lebanon experienced a wave of suicide attacks last year and at the beginning of
this year, mostly targeting areas across the country associated with Hezbollah.
The reports suggest that the terrorist groups expected to carry out these acts
are based in the Bekaa Valley, where there are reportedly huge numbers of
militants from ISIS, the Nusra Front and Syrian rebel group Ahrar al-Sham.
They are believed to be living in areas stretching from the northeastern
Lebanese border town of Arsal to the Syrian towns of Zabadani and Aasal al-Ward
in Rural Damascus. The number of gunmen across the groups is estimated to be
around 7,000, but they lack ammunition and are currently using poor-quality
communication devices. The West is very concerned about these groups, and
believes they are currently waiting for a pre-arranged zero hour to start
carrying out attacks in Lebanon.
But an even bigger source of worry for Western countries these days is trained
jihadists, including militants from ISIS, leaving Syria and returning home to
the United States or Europe to carry out attacks there. Anyone who listened to
the latest speech by U.S. President Barack Obama will have realized that
Washington and its Western allies are determined to pursue such people wherever
they go. According to one of the security reports, a committee of U.S.
intelligence officers recently arrived in Beirut to follow up on activities of
some fundamentalist groups that have been classified as “very dangerous.”
At the request of the U.S. State Department, the committee is conducting a
detailed study of the level of participation in the Syrian war by fighters from
America, Britain and France.
Members of this committee have reportedly held a series of secret meetings with
the heads of Lebanon’s various security bodies. During the talks, security
reports showed that the U.S. officials expressed their fear that foreign
fighters taking part in Syria’s war would return to their countries of origin
(via Lebanon) and carry out terrorist attacks there, similar to the acts
committed by Arab fighters after they battled the Soviet occupation of
Afghanistan alongside local jihadists in the 1980s. The U.S. also has strong
information on some American nationals who were part of extremist groups in
Syria but have now settled temporarily in parts of Lebanon – particularly in the
north and in Arsal – and enjoy the protection of influential groups. European
delegations often meet officers from Syria’s Foreign Intelligence and exchange
information over foreign jihadists, other sources said. The delegations include
members from the French, German and Danish intelligence. British intelligence
forces have also reportedly tasked a group with following up on information
related to fundamentalists who could come back to Britain.
Asala Nasri and the Banana Republic
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat
Friday, 26 Sep, 2014
Because the Syrian government is angry with Syrian singer and celebrity Asala
Nasri, Lebanese authorities have detained her, revoked her passport and
prevented her from traveling. These actions, taken on behalf of the government
of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and to the benefit of Iran, have become
commonplace recently in Lebanon. An Iranian–Ahwazi opposition figure was
previously kidnapped in Lebanon with his whereabouts still unknown, and Syrian
opposition figures have also disappeared in Lebanon, while others have been
handed over to Syrian authorities. These are not the only victims of the foreign
exploitation of Lebanon’s weaknesses; residents of Lebanese towns along the
borders with Syria have also suffered due to the Syrian army’s violations and
attacks. When the Syrian regime’s capabilities were restricted, it tasked
Hezbollah with attacking these towns on its behalf, just as it is doing in Arsal,
and tightening the grip on Syrian refugees, who are now being killed in cold
blood on the streets of Beirut.
“Lebanese authorities” and “Lebanese army” are empty expressions which can mean
whatever various sub-groups within these two institutions want them to, or
simply to act as a facade for some groups that run their own affairs or serve
foreign agendas, especially those of the Iranian and Syrian regimes. Involving
the Lebanese army in skirmishes orchestrated by Hezbollah and the Syrian regime
in Arsal and turning it into a scapegoat proves there are attempts to turn
Lebanon into a slaughterhouse for brutal forces who don’t respect international
agreements and conventions.
The world has run out of patience with terrorist groups such as the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Al-Nusra Front and Ahrar Al-Sham, which have
all exploited the chaos in Syria. However, these are not the only groups which
have kidnapped and slaughtered people and committed crimes against civilians.
Historically speaking, Hezbollah established the school of violence in the
region; its horrifying record against Arabs and foreigners dates back to the
1980s. A prominent example is Hezbollah’s abduction and murder of CIA officer
William Francis Buckley in 1984 while he was en route to the American embassy in
Beirut. This was followed by dozens of other crimes, such as the kidnapping of
priests Lawrence Jenco, Nicolas Kaulitzer and Terry Waite, British citizen
Geoffrey Nash, and British businessman Alec Collett. Hezbollah also targeted
France with explosions and kidnapped French diplomat Marcel Carton and his
bodyguard in Beirut, demanding a ransom. It also demanded a halt to the armament
of Iraq and to dealings with the People’s Mujahedin of Iran. Isn’t this exactly
what ISIS is doing and exactly why the world has decided to pursue it?
Hezbollah’s violations have not stopped; it continues to kidnap opposition
figures, kill intellectual politicians and intimidate media institutions. The
difference between the Sunni ISIS and the Shi’ite ISIS—that is, Hezbollah—is
that the former widely diffuses videos of its crimes. Syria wants Lebanon to
remain a banana republic, without sovereignty of any kind, a hostage to its
militias. It wants the presidential vacuum in Beirut to continue, and to keep
using Lebanon’s army and its security institutions for its own ends. And as we
have seen in the case of Asala, it is a mark of Syria’s deficiencies that it has
to resort to using affiliated Lebanese institutions to detain artists and pursue
media figures.
Syria is forsaken
The Daily Star/The current aerial campaign against jihadist positions across
Syria – apparently the climax of a very confused U.S. foreign policy on the
region over the last few years – is being both welcomed and criticized by a
motley group of countries.
The Syrian regime has welcomed the airstrikes, and insists that yes, of course
it was informed beforehand, something the U.S. has denied. But on the other
hand, Damascus’ last remaining allies seem unimpressed with the U.S. show of
strength. Russia – seemingly having forgotten its recent foray into Ukraine –
has condemned intruding upon another country’s sovereignty, as has Iran. But do
these countries really have Syria’s – or rather the Syrian peoples’ – best
interests at heart? It appears not. Moscow seems more concerned with losing
influence in the region, and Iran with the thought of losing an important ally.
That Damascus is welcoming the airstrikes either points to a secret deal having
been reached with the U.S. and partners, or else it is aware the campaign may
help it survive longer than it might have otherwise. But the only thing that is
clear is that neither those carrying out the attacks or those condemning them
are primarily concerned with the rights and freedoms of the Syrian people. While
the campaign may temporarily halt the advances of ISIS, without parallel work to
address the roots of ISIS itself the military work is meaningless and will do
little other than cause further destruction to an already decimated Syria, and
exacerbate the proliferation of arms on the ground. And without a concerted
effort to remove Assad from power at the same time, the ongoing bloodshed and
terror across the country will continue unabated.
Lebanon’s kidnappings are a tragedy for us all Friday, 26 September 2014 /Nayla Tueni /Al Arabiya
In the past two days, several people were kidnapped based on their official
identification cards. Meanwhile, Lebanese military personnel are still being
held hostage by Islamist militants, and some of them have been killed in the
most hideous and brutal manner. It is as if we’ve learnt nothing from the past,
from the civil war or from others’ wars on Lebanese territory, as Ghassan Tueni
liked to call them. Perhaps it’s beneficial to participate in the protest which
families of those kidnapped during the civil war hold every Thursday in front of
the Grand Serail. It’s important to look into the eyes of mothers who’ve carried
photos of their husbands and sons for like 30 years demanding to know what the
fates of their beloved are. They are no longer waiting for those who were
kidnapped to return, and are rather demanding to attain the investigations’ case
files to uncover the truth.
This recent phase has marked the return of abductions between Sunnis and Shiites
– i.e. between brothers - and we are once again exposing civil peace to danger.
It seems there are no wise men in this country, or they have lost their role and
influence and accepted leaving the arena to bandits and militiamen.
“Kidnapping military personnel remains the most evil act because it weakens
morale and threatens security institutions”
As for the recent wave of tit-for-tat abductions, kidnapping the military
personnel remains the most evil act because it weakens morale and threatens
security institutions which are incapable of engaging in any humiliating
negotiations because they could lead to further abductions by foreign groups or
even domestic groups who can pressure the state. The army institution also
cannot abandon its sons because they are the guarantee of its survival and
continuity.
If the negotiation process to release the kidnapped soldiers is ongoing via
secret channels, other precautionary measure to protect us all against being
abducted must be taken by the country’s different parties and sects. It’s their
responsibility to put an end to these violations before they worsen and get out
of control. At that point, remorse will do us no good as we will have all been
kidnapped.
Obama’s U.N. “Let There Be Peace On Earth” Speech/If
there truly is to be peace on earth, let it begin with Islam. by LT. COLONEL JAMES G. ZUMWALT, USMC (RET)
September 25, 2014 /Family Security
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2014/09/26/lt-colonel-james-g-zumwalt-usmcobamas-u-n-let-there-be-peace-on-earth-speechif-there-truly-is-to-be-peace-on-earth-let-it-begin-with-islam/
In his U.N. speech, as has been his wont since becoming President, Obama failed
to definitively link Middle East violence to its root cause. He came ever so
close to doing so, but then recalibrated his position. Throughout his speech,
one could hear the refrain from the song "Let there be peace on earth..."
As the President himself reportedly wrote the speech, it deserves analyzing to
better understand the mindset in "Obama's World."
He began with, "We come together at a crossroads between war and peace; between
disorder and integration; between fear and hope"-nice words until the last one.
When he uttered the word "hope" six years ago, it excited listeners, motivating
former "Hardball" cable TV political talk show host Chris Matthews to proclaim,
"I felt this thrill going up my leg." Today when we hear Obama utter the word,
we tend to cringe and wait for the shoe to drop.
He said, "Together, we have learned how to cure disease, and harness the power
of the wind and sun."
ons for the betterment of man made by Muslims-a group representing almost twenty
percent of the global population. Iran has exhibited some creative skills by
inventing a "finger-amputating" device last year for punishing thieves. But as
far as contributions to society, Israeli recipients of the Nobel Prize outnumber
Muslims a hundred to one.
Obama continued, "The brutality of terrorists in Syria and Iraq forces us to
look into the heart of darkness...And we have not confronted forcefully enough
the intolerance, sectarianism, and hopelessness that feeds violent extremism in
too many parts of the globe."
Right. But here he fails to mention the link to terrorism or violent extremism
from which their brutality flows. It all flows from a single source-a holy book
from which all Muslims take their teachings-the Koran. One needs to read it to
believe it.
Obama, who has already incorrectly categorized Muslims as either "moderates" or
"extremists," now clouds the issue by introducing the words "violent extremism."
To clarify Obama's error, in 2007 then Turkish Prime Minister (now President)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "These descriptions are very ugly, it is offensive
and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam
is Islam and that's it."
That should not be taken by Westerners as good news since all Muslims take their
teachings from the same source-the Koran.
But, by using the words "violent extremism" is Obama now suggesting his
extremists be further categorized into those who are violent and those who are
not?
Obama then said, "...today I'd like to focus on two defining questions at the
root of many of our challenges- whether the nations here today will be able to
renew the purpose of the UN's founding; and whether we will come together to
reject the cancer of violent extremism."
Again, he refuses to be specific about the derivation of the violent extremism.
Forms of extremism exist in every country of the world, therefore, to which is
he referring?
Obama came close to identifying the root cause of extremism with his statement,
"But as we look to the future, one issue risks a cycle of conflict that could
derail such progress: and that is the cancer of violent extremism that has
ravaged so many parts of the Muslim world...But in this century, we have faced a
more lethal and ideological brand of terrorists who have perverted one of the
world's great religions."
This is it, listeners thought, Obama is going to tie these terrorist roots to
Islam's teachings.
It was not to be. While declaring the U.S. is at war with al-Qaeda and its ilk,
Obama declared we "never will be at war with Islam. Islam teaches peace... So we
reject any suggestion of a clash of civilizations."
Wrong. Such a declaration is outrageous as Islam promotes perpetual war against
all non-Muslims as mandated in the Koran.
Obama described ISIS and similar groups as "religiously motivated fanatics" but
again failed to tie that fanaticism to a source-also referencing the spread of
"sectarian conflicts...increasingly hard to contain," without naming from where
the sectarian divide emanates.
Obama then requested "the world - especially Muslim communities - to explicitly,
forcefully, and consistently reject the ideology of al Qaeda and ISIL." While he
still refrained from identifying Islam as the link, why would he emphasize
"Muslim communities" if it did not exist? And, if it exists, how can he then
claim Islam is peaceful?
Obama stated, "It is time for a new compact among the civilized peoples of this
world to eradicate war at its most fundamental source: the corruption of young
minds by violent ideology...That means cutting off the funding that fuels this
hate..."
His words flow but his actions do not. He violates this compact by funding the
Palestinian Authority which teaches such violence to its children.
Never missing an opportunity to denigrate Christianity since he believes we are
not a Christian nation, Obama added, "There is nothing new about wars within
religions. Christianity endured centuries of vicious sectarian conflict. Today,
it is violence within Muslim communities that has become the source of so much
human misery."
Here, the President suggests these two religions have alternated in fomenting
hostilities among followers-as if both are equally guilty. He rewrites history
with such a claim as internal Christian conflicts have been relatively
short-lived when compared to 1400 years of continuous Muslim sectarian violence.
Obama ended his speech by reaching out to the youth of the Muslim world,
stating, "You come from a great tradition that stands for education, not
ignorance; innovation, not destruction; the dignity of life, not murder. Those
who call you away from this path are betraying this tradition, not defending
it...positive change need not come at the expense of tradition and faith...nor
will we shrink from the promise of this institution (the U.N.) and its Universal
Declaration of Human Rights..."
Wrong, wrong, wrong! Education is not treasured by the Muslim world (an annual
Chinese government report listing of the top 500 universities in the world fails
to include a single Arab university), thus inhibiting innovation and the better
life it could bring.
The "change" Obama promotes does need to come "at the expense of tradition and
faith" which breeds intolerance for non-believers and rejects the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights as contrary to sharia-thus negating human rights for
non-Muslims!
Obama may be singing the "Let There Be Peace on Earth" refrain, but no Muslim
nation-based on a religion demanding an infidel-free world-is joining in the
chorus.
If there truly is to be peace on earth, let it begin with Islam.
***Lt. Colonel James G. Zumwalt, USMC (Ret.), is a retired Marine infantry
officer who served in the Vietnam war, the U.S. invasion of Panama and the first
Gulf war. He is the author of "Bare Feet, Iron Will--Stories from the Other Side
of Vietnam's Battlefields," "Living the Juche Lie: North Korea's Kim Dynasty"
and "Doomsday: Iran--The Clock is Ticking." He frequently writes on foreign
policy and defense issues.
Will Islam Address Its Internal Crisis?
by DR. LAINA FARHAT-HOLZMAN
September 25, 2014
Family Security
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/will-islam-address-its-internal-crisis?f=commentary
Muslims have lived so long with governments they cannot trust that the rumor
mill serves as their source of information. Conspiracy theories are the favorite
explanations for all the horrors in the world. If you cannot blame Allah, you
must find someone you can blame.
The latest conspiracy theory comes out of the Netherlands, where a Muslim woman,
Yasmina Haifi, who works in the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, has
given us the following: "The Islamic State isn't Islamic at all. Actually, it's
a Jewish plot." [http://www.investigativeproject.org/4535/isis-a-jewish-plot-propaganda-and-islamic-jihad].
She tweets that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is an agent of Mossad and that
the conspiracy was created to make Islam look bad. If I were Dutch, I would ask:
Who hired this dim bulb?
Mossad does not have to make Islam look bad. The religion is in crisis, and the
reasons for looking bad include decapitating captives and enslaving captive
women and children. The "Islamic State (IS)" is just one more faction attracting
bored and unemployable young men looking for adventure and being reassured that
the violence they are expected to carry out is sanctified by the very origins of
their religion.
The other two Westerm world religions have changed over time, evolving from
primitive tribalism to religions that promote ethical behavior and rule of civil
law (Judaism and Christianity). These religions have experienced reformations
and transformations from their darker periods. Islam has not so benefited. It
began the process of evolving during the first centuries of its existence with
the emergence of many "schools" representing different interpretations of the
religion. It started acquiring a legal structure and a way of incorporating
methods and ideas from non-Muslims: Jews, Nestorian Christians, Persian
Zoroastrians, and even Central Asian Buddhists. These contributors produced the
brief "golden age" so boasted about by Muslims today.
Islam's linear evolution was shut down in the 13th century by Mongol invasions
from the East and from savage Muslim invasions of Spain by Africa fanatics.
Baghdad was burnt down and Spain's Islalmic golden age went dark. These events
sent Islam into a five-century sleep in which their once dominant civilization
became backwaters ripe for European colonization.
An unacknowleged benefit of European colonization of Muslim lands was an
awakening. Some wanted to join the process of modernization that would once more
free Muslim talent. Unfortunately, they chose instead the fascist model and now
the tribal model. Resentment, revenge, savage violence, and that most hot-button
issue of all, the emancipation of women, have created an Islamic monster that
cannot ultimately survive.
The Dutch Muslim woman quoted above cannot bear to think her religion can be as
terrible as ISIS practices it, yet ISIS is accurately reproducing the deeds of
the Prophet Mohammad and his followers, santified, they say, by Allah. The Koran
tells us that the Prophet urged followers to "smite the necks of unbelievers"
and "cut off their fingertips" (supposedly to prevent their enemies from holding
weapons, but unneccessary if they have already had their necks smitten).
The Prophet demonstrated and sanctified the methods of warfare that we are
seeing today: deception (guerilla war) and giving the defeated the options of
converting, paying a tax, or death. For those refusing his options, he
sanctified killing all males and seizing all women and children as booty, using
them as "the captors liked." He also expelled all non-Muslim tribes from Arabia,
exactly what ISIS is doing now.
Boka Haram and ISIS are not only following those methods, but are demanding that
all Muslims follow or face the consequences. Their momentary successes are
giving not only the world, but the Muslim world, a chance to see what 7th
century Islam looked like. Without a renaissance, this is all they will have.
The rest of the world will not wait. This is the start of a global war against
what Islam has become. Good Muslims everywhere had better fight ISIS, Boka Haram,
the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas. If they want their religion to survive, they
will have to create a modern Islam that can do more than just destroy. It is
crisis time.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Dr. Laina Farhat-Holzman is a
historian, lecturer, and author of How Do You Know That? You may contact her at
Lfarhat102@aol.com or www.globalthink.net.
What Rowhani really wants at the U.N.
Friday, 26 September 2014
Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2014/09/26/majid-rafizadehwhat-rowhani-really-wants-at-the-u-n/
Iranian President Hassan Rowhani made his second appearance at the U.N. General
Assembly in New York. During his first visit, he appealed to Western diplomacy,
brought a smile, and made history by talking with U.S. President Barack Obama on
the phone.
This time, it is unrealistic to expect another historic encounter, such as a
handshake between the two. Although the White House said it is open to meeting
with Rowhani, he is under much more domestic pressure from hardliners and
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei this year than last.
Khamenei, who has the final say on foreign policy, has hardened his position on
Iran’s nuclear enrichment. Hardliners have criticized Rowhani’s policies, and
pushed for no concessions regarding Tehran’s nuclear program. However, sideline
diplomacy and talks between Iranian and American officials will continue to be a
positive development.
“The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is providing Tehran with a new,
robust tool to advance its foreign policy objectives”
Majid Rafizadeh
The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is providing Tehran with a new,
robust tool to advance its foreign policy objectives. For example, Rowhani met
with British Prime Minister David Cameron regarding Iran’s cooperation in
battling ISIS. Such high-level bilateral talks are the first since the 1979
Islamic revolution, and mark another historic diplomatic initiative between
London and Tehran.
Rowhani was in a stronger position during his first appearance at the U.N.
General Assembly. Having replaced his controversial predecessor Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, who used to capture the spotlight with his incendiary language and
rancor, Rowhani utilized a more diplomatic tone, and enjoyed domestic and
foreign support to resolve tensions.
Domestic crackdown
This year, however, his U.N. appearance coincides with significant challenges to
his domestic and international credibility, legitimacy and popularity.
Domestically, Rowhani has not fulfilled his promises of more freedom of speech,
press and assembly. Higher rates of human rights abuses have attracted the
world’s attention. He has also shown less inclination to challenge the power of
the hardliners and Iran’s judiciary.
Last year, Rowhani’s U.N. speech coincided with the release of several
high-profile activists, lawyers and politicians from prison. This year, he
appears at the General Assembly while opposition leaders - including Mehdi
Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard - are under house
arrest.
Several Iranian-American and Iranian journalists - including Marzieh Rasouli and
Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post Tehran correspondent - are still in prison.
Last week, six Iranians were sentenced to up to six months in prison and 91
lashes for making a video dancing to the Pharrell Williams song “Happy.”
More recently, 50 women - including a 25-year-old British-Iranian citizen - were
arrested for trying to watch the national volleyball team play against Italy in
a qualifying match in Iran’s Azadi Stadium. Last week, 11 Iranians were arrested
on charges of sending text messages that insulted the former supreme leader and
founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini.
There has been a renewed media crackdown under Rowhani. The number of bloggers
being arrested has risen, as have the numbers of executions and human rights
violations. Rowhani has remained silent over the escalating domestic crackdown,
hardliners’ power and the judiciary. This has significantly impacted his image
at home and abroad, raising questions about his ability to bring about change.
Foreign policy
However, he appears to be making progress on foreign policy, so this was his
focus at the General Assembly. He sought to remove political and economic
sanctions against Iran by maintaining that it has the right to enrich uranium.
As the Nov. 24 deadline for a final nuclear deal approaches, Rowhani and Obama
appear eager to break the impasse.
One of the strategies that Rowhani’s administration has recently employed is
utilizing its battle against ISIS to get nuclear concessions. Tehran knows that
there are commonalities with Washington when it comes to fighting the group.
This issue has raised considerable concern among U.S. lawmakers who say the
White House is softening its position toward Iran in return for its assistance
against ISIS. As a result, Rowhani’s speech highlighted the rise and threat of
the group.
Iran follows its agenda while the Arabs are distracted
Friday, 26 September 2014
Khalaf Ahmad al-Habtoor
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2014/09/26/khalaf-ahmad-al-habtooriran-follows-its-agenda-while-the-arabs-are-distracted/
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/middle-east/2014/09/26/Iran-follows-its-agenda-while-the-Arabs-are-distracted.html
To say our region is in imminent peril is an understatement. Threats are
emerging from all directions in many different guises. Most derive from warped
ideologies that mask a will to gain power and seek territorial domination.
Today, the U.S., together with its Western and predominantly Sunni Arab allies,
has finally woken-up to the danger posed by the misnamed “Islamic State” or the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a danger I’ve been warning about for
over a year, and has deployed its military resources to eradicate this lethally
toxic group in northern Iraq and around the Syrian city of Raqqa where those
killers are headquartered.
This intervention is long overdue. Unfortunately, it took the beading of Western
hostages to grab the attention of the international community, which failed to
be galvanized by the mass slaughter of Iraqi men, women and children. But while
all eyes were on Israel’s devastation of Gaza and the horrors perpetrated by
ISIS, Tehran, arguably a far greater menace to the security of the Middle East
and the Gulf, seems to be quietly achieving its hegemonic goals, unimpeded and
unnoticed.
“Now I would really like GCC leaderships to pay attention. The Iranian plot
doesn’t end with Yemen”
If I had to prioritize the respective threat levels of ISIS and Iran on a scale
of one-to-ten, the former would be way down the scale because an estimated
35,000 fighters cannot hope to beat back the combined might of a
50-member-strong international coalition. Granted, purifying the earth from this
disease isn’t going to happen overnight and, sadly, many more innocents are
destined to lose their lives in the process. Overall this evil parody of a
Caliphate will be nothing more than a footnote in tomorrow’s history books.
Halting the ambitions of Iran’s ayatollahs is a far greater challenge which is
not being addressed. On the contrary, Iran has been afforded an aura of
respectability by U.S. efforts at détente once differences over the Iranian
nuclear program have been bridged. The fact that Iran is one of the biggest
sponsors of terror hasn’t figured in the U.S. equation.
Ambitions
What are those ambitions? There is no need to speculate, the answer is known
beyond a shadow of a doubt. Iran, I feel, is out to export its brand of Shiite
ideology to as many regional states as possible, either directly or indirectly
with the use of proxies, with the goal of replacing Sunni governments with
Shiite regimes. I’ve been aware of this for decades and I’ve appealed over and
over again to GCC member states and our Arab allies to clearly acknowledge this
problem and do all in their power to ensure our grandchildren don’t end up
speaking Farsi.
The message is clear. I can only hope they will hear the words coming right out
of the horse’s mouth, spoken by Alireza Zakani, an Iranian lawmaker and
confident of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In short, he exposed the
mullahs’ box of tricks during a recent parliamentary speech. Iran is currently
going through a stage during its “Great Jihad” that requires a particular
strategy and a cautious approach, he said, according to my understanding, while
boasting that three Arab capitals are now in Iran’s hands and affiliated to the
Iranian Islamic Revolution, adding that the Yemeni capital Sanaa is well on its
way to becoming the fourth with at least fourteen out of twenty Yemeni Provinces
coming under Houthi control. He didn’t name those Arab capitals but I assume
he’s referring to Damascus (Shiite Allawite regime), Beirut (under the sway of
the Shiite militant organization Hezbollah) and Baghdad, whose constitution
ensures the prime minister must be drawn from the Shiite community. And, yes,
Yemen – a country considered the birthplace of the Arab nation – has fallen into
the hands of Shiite Houthis, former separatists turned terrorists no longer
content with striving for part of the cake, they now seek to consume all of it.
The situation in Yemen
Due to the hesitance of our governments to stand alongside the Yemeni government
against these terrorist Iranian puppets, we’ve enabled their aspirations.
Yemen’s President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi has been coerced by their violent
seizure of much of the capital into signing a deal with the Shiite rebels
resulting in Houthis being appointed as political advisors as well as other
concessions. Hadi has described the deal as “historic.” I call it a disastrous
error of judgment reluctantly agreed to by a man with his back up against the
wall. A stroke of his pen has made him complicit in this crime. He has sold his
country to Iran for the price of quiet but instead of honoring their pledge to
withdraw from Sanaa, the Houthis are demanding even greater concessions.
It doesn’t surprise me that Houthis are celebrating their victory with firework
displays and revenge attacks on their enemies. But what’s truly shocking is that
the U.N. has blessed this agreement. Even more mind-blowing is that some Arab
leaders have congratulated the Yemeni government on this step towards
“reconciliation.” What are they thinking? Houthis due to their proximity, sheer
numbers (approximately eight million) and their reputation for barbarity are
more hazardous to the security of Gulf States than even Hezbollah. This entire
scenario feels like a nightmare in which I’m running for my life chased by a
hideous monster, while everyone around me is smiling and chatting even as the
creature breathes fire scorching their hair.
No wonder Alireza Zakani is self-satisfied! Before the Islamic Revolution there
were two main components to the U.S. axis in the region – Saudi Islam and
Turkish secularism – he notes. Now, he says the political balance has altered to
benefit Iran. Today, he apparently said, we are at the peak of our strength and
able to impose our will and strategic interests throughout the region, before
claiming that Iran was responsible for keeping the Assad regime in power and
saving Baghdad from ISIS. In truth, Iran is destabilizing and divisive and
through Hezbollah has paralyzed Lebanon. It still escapes my comprehension why
the Western nations, including the U.S., have sought to brand only the group’s
military wing “terrorist” when the political and military wings have a single
leader.
Pay attention
And now I would really like GCC leaderships to pay attention. The Iranian plot
doesn’t end with Yemen. Zakani, according to my understanding, said that the
Yemeni revolution will not be confined to Yemen alone, adding that it will reach
the territory of Saudi Arabia, given the long Yemeni-Saudi border. Two million
organized armed men are in Yemen - and it won’t be long before its Saudi
Arabia’s turn, he said, according to my understanding. And yet, I read that
Riyadh and Tehran are experiencing a thaw in relations! We are indeed very
vulnerable. GCC States from Saudi Arabia to Oman are surrounded on all sides by
hostile Shiites under Tehran’s sway, whether Iranian, Iraqi or Houthis, but
instead of acting to shore up our defense, we are patting Houthi terrorists on
the back, turning a blind eye to Hezbollah’s crimes and hugging Iranian
officials.
I can only cling to the hope that now some of our countries have been galvanized
to act against ISIS, our armies and air forces will extend their operations to
take back Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen before the Sunni Arab World is reduced
to shadow in a darkening Persian night. We must hold our GCC flag high and show
the plotters around us that we see through their game, which is one they will
not be allowed to win.
Erdoğan Fails to Conquer New York City
By: Daniel Pipes/National Review Online
September 23, 2014
http://www.meforum.org/4830/erdogan-fails-conquer-new-york-city
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, appeared at an hour-long
on-the-record event at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York yesterday
afternoon. The complete – if not entirely coherent – transcript of the
English-language simultaneous translation can be found at "A Conversation With
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan." I attended the meeting along with many other members (so
many attended that an overflow room was needed) and I offer some responses and
reflections about him:
The Council hosts its fair share of heads of state and government, all of whom
arrive surrounded by bodyguards and aides, but Erdoğan had a far more massive
entourage than any I'd ever seen; by my estimate, they numbered 35, nearly all
of them young men in dark suits. Odder yet, they took up the first three rows,
where they sat spellbound to their leader's every word, as though they had never
heard a word of it before. Even before he spoke, then, the profusion of
fluttering staffers conveyed an aura of grandiosity – as was no doubt their
intended purpose.
Also, the Council rarely permits teleprompters but Erdoğan relied on one,
although it's unclear why it was necessary, given that he spoke in Turkish and
gave his standard attack-dog speech berating many of Turkey's neighbors and
going after such current favorite targets as Fethullah Gülen, the Moody's and
Fitch credit-rating agencies, and the New York Times.
Experiencing Erdoğan in person confirmed my sense of him as an ambitious and
aggressive populist whose electoral successes have gone to his head and spell
trouble both for his country and the world.
A protracted "I'm not an antisemite" defense was the only content specifically
designed for a New York audience: "I am very sad to see that my country, myself,
and my colleagues, sometimes, are labeled as being antisemitic." As he spoke
about being labeled an antisemite, I admit to taking advantage of sitting
directly in front of Erdoğan, just behind his three rows of dark-suited young
men, vigorously nodding my head in assent, thinking all the while that I was
glad to be in New York and not Istanbul.
Perhaps most amusing was the argument that all was well when the Ottoman Empire
ruled and things fell apart after its demise in 1923. "The Ottoman State had a
very successful administration system, and for centuries, these areas of crisis
today had maintained their existence without problems. The Palestinian issue,
the problems in Iraq and Syria, Crimea, Balkans, are all issues that came about
after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire."
The question period, as usual, held special interest because it is the only part
of the meeting that is unscripted. The moderator, Fareed Zakaria, pressed
Erdoğan on the quid pro quo for the release by ISIS of the 49 Mosul hostages;
Erdoğan all but explicitly admitted that his government had exchanged prisoners
for the hostages. Peter Galbraith asked about the possibility of Turkish
recognition of an independent Iraqi Kurdistan, to which Erdoğan replied no, that
he opposes any division of Iraq. On behalf of the International Press Institute
and the Committee to Protect Journalists, Harold Evans of Reuters requested a
meeting with Erdoğan to discuss the treatment of journalists in Turkey, to which
Erdoğan gave his immediate assent. Margaret Warner of PBS asked about Turkish
efforts to stop the flow of foreign jihadis going into Syria and Iraq, to which
Erdoğan piously replied that the government is doing all it can, even professing
to be insulted when Warner pressed him about Turkey's porous border with Syria.
I then asked my own question: "Your government as prime minister pursued a
policy of 'zero problems with neighbors'. Now that that has failed, do you have
a new policy towards the region?" My intent was to provoke the speaker by
asserting the failure of this policy. Erdoğan replied that the "zero problems
policy is still ongoing" and then insisted that the failures were those of the
neighbors, rather than of Turkey, mentioning Iraq, Syria, and Egypt in this
context. Especially noteworthy was the withering disdain he expressed for
President Sisi of Egypt, to whom he referred as "a soldier in [Morsi's] cabinet
[who] organized a coup."
Summing up, experiencing Erdoğan in person confirmed my sense of him as an
ambitious and aggressive populist whose electoral successes have gone to his
head and spell trouble both for his country and the world. (September 23, 2014)
Mr. Pipes (DanielPipes.org) is president of the Middle East Forum.
Question: "Is the Bible truly God's Word?"
GotQuestions.org
Answer: Our answer to this question will not only determine how we view the
Bible and its importance to our lives, but also it will ultimately have an
eternal impact on us. If the Bible is truly God’s Word, then we should cherish
it, study it, obey it, and fully trust it. If the Bible is the Word of God, then
to dismiss it is to dismiss God Himself.
The fact that God gave us the Bible is an evidence and illustration of His love
for us. The term “revelation” simply means that God communicated to mankind what
He is like and how we can have a right relationship with Him. These are things
that we could not have known had God not divinely revealed them to us in the
Bible. Although God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible was given progressively
over approximately 1500 years, it has always contained everything man needs to
know about God in order to have a right relationship with Him. If the Bible is
truly the Word of God, then it is the final authority for all matters of faith,
religious practice, and morals.
The question we must ask ourselves is how can we know that the Bible is the Word
of God and not just a good book? What is unique about the Bible that sets it
apart from all other religious books ever written? Is there any evidence that
the Bible is truly God’s Word? These types of questions must be seriously
examined if we are to determine the validity of the Bible’s claim to be the very
Word of God, divinely inspired, and totally sufficient for all matters of faith
and practice. There can be no doubt that the Bible does claim to be the very
Word of God. This is clearly seen in Paul’s commendation to Timothy: “… from
infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is
useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that
the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy
3:15-17).
There are both internal and external evidences that the Bible is truly God’s
Word. The internal evidences are those things within the Bible that testify of
its divine origin. One of the first internal evidences that the Bible is truly
God’s Word is seen in its unity. Even though it is really sixty-six individual
books, written on three continents, in three different languages, over a period
of approximately 1500 years, by more than 40 authors who came from many walks of
life, the Bible remains one unified book from beginning to end without
contradiction. This unity is unique from all other books and is evidence of the
divine origin of the words which God moved men to record.
Another of the internal evidences that indicates the Bible is truly God’s Word
is the prophecies contained within its pages. The Bible contains hundreds of
detailed prophecies relating to the future of individual nations including
Israel, certain cities, and mankind. Other prophecies concern the coming of One
who would be the Messiah, the Savior of all who would believe in Him. Unlike the
prophecies found in other religious books or those by men such as Nostradamus,
biblical prophecies are extremely detailed. There are over three hundred
prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Not only was it
foretold where He would be born and His lineage, but also how He would die and
that He would rise again. There simply is no logical way to explain the
fulfilled prophecies in the Bible other than by divine origin. There is no other
religious book with the extent or type of predictive prophecy that the Bible
contains.
A third internal evidence of the divine origin of the Bible is its unique
authority and power. While this evidence is more subjective than the first two,
it is no less a powerful testimony of the divine origin of the Bible. The
Bible’s authority is unlike any other book ever written. This authority and
power are best seen in the way countless lives have been transformed by the
supernatural power of God’s Word. Drug addicts have been cured by it,
homosexuals set free by it, derelicts and deadbeats transformed by it, hardened
criminals reformed by it, sinners rebuked by it, and hate turned to love by it.
The Bible does possess a dynamic and transforming power that is only possible
because it is truly God’s Word.
There are also external evidences that indicate the Bible is truly the Word of
God. One is the historicity of the Bible. Because the Bible details historical
events, its truthfulness and accuracy are subject to verification like any other
historical document. Through both archaeological evidences and other writings,
the historical accounts of the Bible have been proven time and time again to be
accurate and true. In fact, all the archaeological and manuscript evidence
supporting the Bible makes it the best-documented book from the ancient world.
The fact that the Bible accurately and truthfully records historically
verifiable events is a great indication of its truthfulness when dealing with
religious subjects and doctrines and helps substantiate its claim to be the very
Word of God.
Another external evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is the integrity of
its human authors. As mentioned earlier, God used men from many walks of life to
record His words. In studying the lives of these men, we find them to be honest
and sincere. The fact that they were willing to die often excruciating deaths
for what they believed testifies that these ordinary yet honest men truly
believed God had spoken to them. The men who wrote the New Testament and many
hundreds of other believers (1 Corinthians 15:6) knew the truth of their message
because they had seen and spent time with Jesus Christ after He had risen from
the dead. Seeing the risen Christ had a tremendous impact on them. They went
from hiding in fear to being willing to die for the message God had revealed to
them. Their lives and deaths testify to the fact that the Bible truly is God’s
Word.
A final external evidence that the Bible is truly God’s Word is the
indestructibility of the Bible. Because of its importance and its claim to be
the very Word of God, the Bible has suffered more vicious attacks and attempts
to destroy it than any other book in history. From early Roman Emperors like
Diocletian, through communist dictators and on to modern-day atheists and
agnostics, the Bible has withstood and outlasted all of its attackers and is
still today the most widely published book in the world.
Throughout time, skeptics have regarded the Bible as mythological, but
archeology has confirmed it as historical. Opponents have attacked its teaching
as primitive and outdated, but its moral and legal concepts and teachings have
had a positive influence on societies and cultures throughout the world. It
continues to be attacked by pseudo-science, psychology, and political movements,
yet it remains just as true and relevant today as it was when it was first
written. It is a book that has transformed countless lives and cultures
throughout the last 2000 years. No matter how its opponents try to attack,
destroy, or discredit it, the Bible remains; its veracity and impact on lives is
unmistakable. The accuracy which has been preserved despite every attempt to
corrupt, attack, or destroy it is clear testimony to the fact that the Bible is
truly God’s Word and is supernaturally protected by Him. It should not surprise
us that, no matter how the Bible is attacked, it always comes out unchanged and
unscathed. After all, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will never pass away” (Mark 13:31). After looking at the evidence, one can say
without a doubt that, yes, the Bible is truly God’s Word.
Recommended Resources: Making Sense of Bible Difficulties: Clear and Concise
Answers from Genesis to Revelation by Geisler & Howe and Logos Bible Software.
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