Fear God, Not Muhammad
How perplexing are Israel and the Jews to the world! No one,
Jews especially, knows how to solve the problem of contention with, and
hatred of, the Jew. There are those, like Hitler and Muhammad, who think
extermination is the answer. They are wrong. God, the Savior of Israel,
has the true answer, and He has given it to us to give to you. While this
letter is addressed to the Jews and the nation of Israel, it is meant for
everyone to read and, whosoever will, to share with Jewish friends and
acquaintances, and with whoever professes a love for the God of Israel.
Paul Cohen
Marc's reponse: Dear Paul,
You write something distressing in your message below, namely
equating Hitler and Muhammed's respective positions on Jews. This
is factually wrong, as Muhammed never advocated physical extermination
of Jews—let alone adopting such a position practically--but
rather their conquest and political submission to Islam. Certainly,
this was terrible, but is not an exterminationist position.
Moreover,
Islam historically has seen periods of time in various regions
of relative tolerance for Judaism and other religions,
albeit within an authoritarian context that marginalizes Jews
and other non-Muslim faiths by demanding their political and
social submission.
Certainly, there are many, many instances of grotesque anti-Semitism
associated with Islam, and such tendencies are currently waxing
in very dangerous ways. This recent waxing began of course with
the persecution of Jewish communities throughout the Middle East
following Israel's creation in 1948, and the majority of Jewish
populations in the region have migrated to Israel under such threats.
However, equating Hitler and Muhammed is itself a grotesque distortion
which if publicized would only serve as ammunition for the already
dangerously high levels of anti-Semitism in the Islamic world today,
as well as serve as an excuse to continue stonewalling on recogntion
of Israel. Moreover, it severely compromise the practical positions
of Israeli and pro-Islaeli political leaders.
So do not unintentionally write things which may simply provide
fodder for such anti-Semitic positions and inflames the recent,
very dangerous growth of genuinely exterminationist positions towards
Jews among Islamic fanatics in the Middle East today.
Remember as well that the history of Christianity is also replete
with periods of ugly anti-Semitism which at times has been used
to "justify" the unjustifiable, from routine prejudice
though pogroms and even the Holocaust itself. Yet today in the
United States, Jews and the majority of Christians are closely
allied politically.
Muslim "moderates" (by which here I simply mean those
who argue for some sort of political accommodation with Israel
and co-existence with Jews in the Middle East) are working in a
context with some similarities to medieval and early-modern Christianity,
and all those committed to both fighting anti-Semitism and to a
safe and secure future for Israel need to avoid making statements
equating Hitler and Muhammed per se. To do so only inadvertently
helps the rabid anti-Semites who plague the Islamic world today.
All best,
Marc Garcelon
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
Belfer Hall
Yeshiva University
New York, NY 10033
Paul's reply:
Hi Marc,
Thank you for your letter. You made a legitimate
point, which has led me to make the following change in my introduction
letter:
How perplexing are Israel and the Jews to the world! No
one, Jews especially, knows how to solve the problem of contention
with,
and hatred of, the Jew. There are those,
like Hitler, who think extermination is the answer. There are
those, like Muhammad, who
think bullying into submission is the answer. They are
wrong. God, the Savior of Israel, has the true answer, and
He has given
it
to us to give to you. While this letter is addressed to the
Jews and the nation of Israel, it is meant for everyone to
read and,
whosoever will, to share with Jewish friends and acquaintances,
and with whoever professes a love for the God of Israel. [End]
There
are some things, however, to correct in your arguments. You
write:
"…Muhammed never advocated physical
extermination of Jews—let
alone adopting such a position practically--but rather
their conquest and political submission to Islam. Certainly,
this was terrible,
but is not an exterminationist position."
While Muhammad
never made it his life's work to exterminate the Jews,
as did Hitler, it is not true that Muhammad did
not exterminate
Jews (Medina, 627 AD). By his own personal example and
words, Muhammad justifies others who seek the extermination
of the
Jews to this
day. Here is a Hadith often quoted at present-day Islamic
meetings, invoking the words of Muhammad for the destruction
of the Jews:
"The Hour [Day of Resurrection] will not arrive until you
fight the Jews, until a Jew will hide behind a rock or
tree and the rock
and the tree will say: 'Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there
is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!'"
Therefore, while it
is not an appropriate comparison in some ways, in other ways
Muhammad is even worse than Hitler.
Hitler
never
claimed to be the direct messenger of God, superseding
the prophets of Israel and the Messiah Himself, Jesus
Christ, Who came in
the flesh as a Jew. Hitler's work and wrath were spent
in
a few short
years, but here is Muhammad, wreaking havoc well over
a thousand years later, stronger than ever in his clamor
for the subjugation
or death of the Jews.
Muhammad's word is presumed by over
a billion people today to be the Word of God. He has far more
influence for evil
than Hitler
ever had. And the Jews, the physical descendants of
the prophets and patriarchs of the faith of Abraham, by rejecting
Muhammad's
authority over them, are a counter witness to his claim
to be the
greatest prophet of God. For this alone, Muhammad would
have them removed from the face of the earth. But what
makes the
matter even
more urgent is that Israel occupies land that Muhammad,
through his Islamic followers, once ruled. There is
no
question about
it, and there never has been for the Muslims - Israel
must go. This
is the will of Muhammad, a corrupt man who has usurped
the throne of God.
Jesus Christ is so very different
from Muhammad. Jesus Christ laid down His life for the Jews and
the nation
of Israel.
He did not
use them for personal gain in physical things and
then slaughter them when they weren't compliant with
his megalomania
(I
speak of Muhammad). Jesus never persecuted anyone
or taught such
as a way for world conquest or for any other purpose.
He taught the
opposite. His Kingdom, He said, is not of this world. Those
who have claimed to represent Christ, like the Catholic Church,
demonstrate by their persecution
of
the Jews that
they are blatant
frauds, having nothing to do with Him. We tell
them so directly on our site.
The point here for you is that while
men have done great evil in the Name of Christ, this is not the
same as men
doing evil
in the
name of Muhammad. Those who do evil in the Name
of Christ dishonor Him, but those who do evil
in the
name of Muhammad
honor their
prophet. They carry on his work. (You should
read The
Answer to Islam and other writings in our Islam section.)
Jesus
Christ, expressing God's mind and will, said
that men shouldn't fear those who can kill
the
body, but should
fear
God alone (Matthew
10:28). As a Jew, Hitler gave you no choice but
to die. Muhammad, however, gives the Jew the
choice to acknowledge
and bow
down to him - a lying, thieving, fornicating,
blaspheming murderer
- or
to be killed. That may seem more humane to men
than
Hitler's dictum, but according to the Lord Jesus
Christ, one has
something to truly
fear by honoring Muhammad, because doing so means
dishonoring and denying God.
Other Jews, faced
with a similar decision to dishonor God, chose to die. Daniel
was thrown
into a den
of lions for
such a cause,
and God preserved him, though He did not preserve
those who had conspired against Daniel when
they were thrown
to the
lions. Then there were the three Jewish counselors,
Shadrach, Meshach,
and
Abednego, who would not bow down to the king
of Babylon's image. When the king threatened
to throw
them into
a fiery furnace,
they answered him:
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to return a word to you
on this matter. If it is so that our God Whom
we serve is able to deliver
us from the burning fiery furnace, then He
will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be
known to you, O king,
that we will not serve your gods nor worship
the golden image which you have set up" (Daniel 3:16-18 MKJV). God
did keep them, appearing as a man among them in the furnace and
preserving them from
any harm.
Are
these
things not recounted
to assure all Jews that they ought not to
fear man and concede to evil, but should honor God
in all
their ways
and put their
trust in Him?
That is not the course you
are advocating. You are proposing fear of man. No, you haven't
converted
to Islam, but
you are paying
homage to Muhammad in a more subtle way,
allowing some equivalence of his claim
to authority
with the
authors
of Scripture.
You are tacitly honoring Muhammad as an
equal to the servants of
God, speaking
as though he has some virtue and as if
it is a perfectly fine thing for any human being
to follow
his teachings
of "submission" to "Allah."
Nothing
could be further from the truth! Have you
not red the Koran? If you
have, are
you able
to perceive
what
it is
saying? "Allah" is
a devil, having nothing to do with the
God of Israel, except to serve as an adversary
for the rebuke and chastisement of unbelieving
Jews and Christians. Allah's greatest victims
are the Muslims themselves
(though they are not guiltless), who have
been taught a pack of lies that lead them
into death and destruction. So why in the
world, knowing these things, should I not
tell them the truth about
Muhammad and
the illegitimacy
of his
claim of having been
sent by God? You say:
"However, equating Hitler and Muhammed
is itself a grotesque distortion which
if publicized would only serve as ammunition for
the already
dangerously high levels of anti-Semitism
in the Islamic world today, as well as serve as an excuse to
continue stonewalling on recogntion
of Israel."
A “grotesque
distortion”? Hardly. I don't know
if the change I have made to the introductory letter will
allay your fears;
I doubt it, because your fear comes from
not trusting or believing God. If you did trust and believe
Him, you would not be afraid
of men. You would not be afraid of Muslims
or of the truth being spoken to them. The only reason the "rabid
anti-Semites who plague the Islamic world today" have
power is because people fear them and their two-faced co-religionists
who support them.
But if people believed and honored God,
they would not tolerate the lies and treachery of Muhammad
and his followers.
Not all Jews have behaved your way.
Another example of one who trusted God is King
David, a man after
His own
heart.
David said
of the warrior Goliath, who represented
those like Islam that tried to subjugate
Israel, "Who is this uncircumcised
Philistine that he should defy the armies
of the living God?" (1 Samuel
17:26 MKJV). Then David said to Goliath's
face these words that God honored in short
order: 1 Samuel 17:45-47 GW
(45) "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but
I come to you in the Name of the LORD of Armies, the God of the
army of Israel, Whom you have insulted.
(46) Today the LORD will hand you over
to me. I will strike you down and cut
off your
head.
And
this day
I will give
the dead
bodies of the Philistine army to the
birds and the wild animals. The whole
world will know that Israel has a God.
(47) Then everyone gathered here will
know that the LORD can save without sword
or
spear, because
the
LORD determines
every
battle's
outcome. He will hand all of you over
to us."
That brings us back to the
point of the article I sent you, The
Key for Israel and the Jew: The nation
of Israel and the Jews are not walking
in the faith
of David
or the patriarchs.
They have
not believed in their God, and there
is one major stumbling block preventing
their
return.
God
has given us to
present them with
The Key that is necessary for their reconciliation
and victory.
Your attempts to appease
and be diplomatic will go nowhere, and
truly, hasn't that
already been
well
demonstrated?
The enemy is too shrewd and perceptive
for this approach. As long as the enemy
sees
apology and
mealy-mouthed,
fearful acquiescence
or senses in the slightest any timidity,
he will move in to do his damage at his
pleasure. Do you seriously think that
those who are persuaded to any degree negatively
towards
Jews by our
words and expressions
will not
find, yea, actively search out, any
excuse to wreak their havoc on Jews
when opportunity arises? This is your
fear talking, not faith.
Things will
only change when the Jew stands up and says, "No,
you are wrong; I will not accept
this; I appeal to God for justice." Until
then, he will get nowhere with the
Muslims and with the world that sides
with the Muslims.
But how does the
Jew get to that place? It is when his conscience
no longer
convicts him before
God;
hence the
need for The
Key God has provided us with for
Israel and
the Jew.
Then can and will the
following Scriptures be fulfilled on the
positive side
for the believing Jew (and
the world will
be his):
1 John 3:19-23 MKJV
(19) And in this we shall know
that we are of the truth, and
shall assure
our
hearts
before Him,
(20) that if our heart accuses
us, God is greater than our
heart and
knows all
things.
(21) Beloved, if our heart
does not accuse us, we have
confidence
toward
God.
(22) And whatever we ask, we
receive from Him, because we
keep His commandments
and
do those
things that
are pleasing in His
sight.
(23) And this is His commandment,
that we should believe on the
Name of His
Son Jesus
Christ,
and love one another,
as
He gave
us commandment.
Hebrews 10:19-23
MKJV
(19) Therefore, brothers, having
boldness to enter into the
Holy of Holies by
the blood of Jesus,
(20) by a new and living
way which He has consecrated
for
us through
the veil,
that
is to say, His
flesh;
(21) and having a High Priest
over the house of God,
(22) let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and
our bodies having been washed
with pure water.
(23) Let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without
wavering
(for He is faithful
Who promised).
The answer
is not that the Jews need men to recognize
Israel;
but that
they themselves
need to recognize
the God of Israel.
Paul
Cohen
It was expected, as one would expect pus and putrefaction to emerge
from a boil that was lanced. Cleansing and healing will follow,
because God has ordained it for His people. Will you, Israel, identify
with the pus or the Doctor?
Other responses to "The Key" and our replies:
- Moshe: Paul, I am surprised
that you would send an email to me. You certainly know that
I think that the claims of Christianity are no more true then...
Read full response
and Paul's reply.
- Marc: You
write something distressing in your message below, namely
equating Hitler and Muhammed's respective positions on Jews.
This is...
Read full response and
Paul's reply.
- Uri: You
must be kidding. On thepathoftruth.com, a rather unusual
Christian web-site, you list two of my friends and co-religionists,
Rabbis Ken Spiro...
Read full response and
Paul's reply.
- David: While your letter was
addressed to the Jews and the nation of Israel, it is hoped
that you, Paul, the original author, will read and, if you
open your...
Read full response and Paul's
reply.
- Ira: Paul, Thank you for your
article. How are you feeling? Take care of...
Read full response and Paul's reply.
- Michelle: Remove me from this
email list immediately. You are not a Jew...
Read full response and Paul's
reply.
- Justin: I converted to Judaism!
... idolatry is forbidden in Judaism, even...
Read full response and Paul's
reply.
- Margaret: The
reason for His killing was that a few unpopular religious nuts
were jealous of the Christ's popularity with the jews. You
can find this...
Read full response and Paul's
reply.
- HH: STOP
bothering everybody You did'nt ask permission to send us
email...
David: If you hurry up, you can return your gift in time to get
a refund...
Read full responses and
Paul's reply.
- Charlotte: It
is true that Jesus died for all people, especially came for
the Jews. But the Bible does not tell us to convert them, but
to pray for them...
Read full response and Paul's
reply.
- Ariel: I
killed jc myself, with my own hands. He was a pig and you are
a pig...
Read full response and Paul and
Victor's replies.
What the God of Israel has done for me, and what
He will do for you.
A Letter of Promise, Hope, and Exhortation
to the Dispersed and Oppressed Uncircumcised-in-Heart Seed of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
We witness the ungodly and unjust hatred for
Jews everywhere and consider there is something important going
on. We are also in awe of the marvelous historical developments
and events, knowing very well, by God’s grace, that man cannot
do what has developed concerning the Jews at any time, perhaps
especially in this last century. Here is a letter of promise to
God's chosen in the flesh, based on His faithfulness and awesome
power:
“I, even I, am He Who comforts you: who are you, that you
are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who shall
be made as grass; and have forgotten the LORD your Maker, Who stretched
forth the Heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth…?” (Isaiah
51:12-13 HNV)
“Every way of a man is right in his own
eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts” (Proverbs 21:2 HNV).
Israel, come hear the Word of God, and let your
hearts be revealed; know the Truth and be reconciled to Your Father.
It is time. Of what value is it to continue in darkness, not knowing
Him and His heart towards you, Who has loved you from days of old
and draws you with lovingkindness?
Israel, your God knows and sees what you suffer. He is not remote,
unfamiliar, or unaffected by what is happening with you. There
is a reason for your predicament, however, a reason that holds
the key to the solution for all. There is an answer from God, which
you need to hear and know.
Jews, you have tried everything to be at peace, to
have dialogue with, and to appease, the world. You have tried everything,
and nothing has worked, because you lacked the simple solution.
Here is the key for Israel, the Jew, and the whole world. |
