Intercontinental Church of God
27 August 2010
Greetings from Tyler,
There’s no denying the fact that the tensions between western
culture and Islam are on the rise.
The debate over the 9-11 victory mosque,
already approved by New York City officials, has only gotten
hotter over the past week and promises not to go away anytime
soon. As you may have seen,
rival protests have been held at the site
of the proposed mosque with the two sides being kept some
distance apart lest emotions boil over into a brawl.
How is it that a “religion” which recognizes no separation
between church and state, demanding that any Muslim state
actually enforce the dictates of Islam, can put forward
representatives to lecture us about American values? Despite the
fact that the liberal left reviles any talk of
America’s Judeo-Christian heritage,
wants it banned from the schoolhouse, the courthouse and the
public square, nevertheless believes the “state” should
recognize Muslim “rights” in our society. Would it be wrong to
point out that
there are no rights or freedoms in nations
that are under Muslim rule?
The fact is that
the religion of Islam calls explicitly for
the subjugation of all nations, and urges its followers to put
to death those who resist. Several
photos from past Islamic demonstrations in
London are being forwarded around again amid the current debate.
Numerous of them say, “Behead those who insult Islam”. Another
says, “Freedom, go to hell”. Another, “Exterminate those who
slander Islam”, and Europe is the cancer, Islam is the answer”;
“Europe you will pay, your 911 is on the way.”
We’ve entered a battle between Islam and western culture, and it
appears that the media, academia and quite possibly the current
administrative branch of our government are ambivalent at best,
and at worst promoting the cause of our enemies. Some of the
buzz this week has centered around news that the imam
spearheading the ground zero mosque project is traveling abroad
at the expense of the U.S. State Department doing, well, nobody
seems quite sure what. He’s been widely quoted as saying
the West has more innocent blood on its
hands that al Qaeda.
Germany has big trouble with its Islamic
communities, and the fires of cultural and religious
hatred are gaining strength.
Sharia courts
and councils are operating in the Islamic communities of Europe
and of England, and that’s a stated goal for the
United States as well.
Our president described the Muslim call to
prayer as one of the most beautiful sounds on earth.
Those “prayers” incidentally, call for our death and
destruction. Debate over all these issues is gaining tremendous
attention here in the U.S. of late, but the problems are much
more severe across Europe, and that is the stuff of end time
Bible prophecy.
The other news that is terribly troubling for all of us here in
the United States is the
tremendous doom and gloom over our
economic outlook. This week one economist declared
we’re actually in a
technical depression, while
administration officials keep telling us
that everything is ok. Still, numerous economists are
warning of the strong possibility of a
full blown crash, and a severely depleted
if not ruined dollar. We sure hope they’re wrong.
I’m traveling with my Mom for a visit to the Sacramento
congregation at Mr. John Mitchell’s behest. We’re hoping for a
good turnout, and that this Sabbath will be a boost for
attendance at the upcoming Feast of Tabernacles. The update is
written early this week, and will include recent telecast
responses next time. Until then, thanks to all of you who make
it all possible. We appreciate your efforts in the local groups
and in support of the overall work.
Have a great Sabbath,

Mark Armstrong
Intercontinental Church of God