Islam, Elsa and I

Traditional Biblical Faith and Non-Traditional Thinking

John R. Houk

© September 7, 2015

I had cross posted an email from Elsa Schieder by some thoughts her email inspired. The title of that post is “My Thoughts on Same-Sex Marriage & Nobel for Pastor Mulinde”. The subject title of Elsa’s email was “Honor Umar Mulinde - we stand with this man”. If you don’t know, are uniformed or are multiculturally brainwashed here are some quotes on Islam from experts and Muslims alike – HERE and HERE.

The reason I added some personal thoughts on same-sex marriage is because after promoting Pastor Umar Mulinde for a nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize for being a Christian Pastor persecuted for his faith with a Muslim acid bath Elsa addressed some flak on her position on same-sex marriage. Evidently she lost a huge amount of subscribers who looked forward to her Counterjihad newsletters.

Here is an excerpt of the email addressing the cancelling subscribers:

And now I will come back to the response to my piece saying that I don't see how permitting gay marriage threatens marriage. A few people wrote comments like, brilliant! They were in the minority. I also had a couple of thoughtful responses against gay marriage. Again, these were in the minority. I've never had so many people cancel - including people who have been getting the updates for 3 years, since I started the initial interview series. Several cancelled with comments like: "God says homosexuality is a sin. Just what don't you understand?" 

I could have answered that we don't all believe in the same god. Quite a few of us don't believe in any cosmic force. 

But that would have been a response to the words, not to the emotion. 

What I saw most was that my not being against gay marriage touched what I might call a hot button, often a hot anger button. Game over. Get out now. No more updates ever. (Found in post “My Thoughts on Same-Sex Marriage & Nobel for Pastor Mulinde”)

I have to admit I did not read Elsa’s supportive email for same-sex marriage. Nonetheless, if I had read it I would have gone through that inner search that weighs what I am acutely aware about Islam as anti-Western and anti-Christian (and numerous anti-this or that which should alarm the full scale of the political spectrum) in its revered writings measured against the Biblical principles that homosexuality is a sinful abomination. Here are a couple of blog posts that will give some insight into my stand on the Bible pertaining to homosexuality:

o   Homosexual Sin and the Christian Approach

o   Introductory portion to “This is Why we Call the Gay Lobby Fascist!”

I responded to Elsa with surprise that subscribers left a Counterjihad subscription because of a stand that Conservative Americans (including myself) would disagree. I still believe in her role as a Counterjihad writer regardless of disagreeing with her stand on same-sex marriage. Here is an excerpt from what I wrote about same-sex marriage:

In the matter of same-sex marriage: For me there is no way around the fact that marriage is a religious oath of fidelity. As far as the Bible informs then, same-sex marriage should not be performed or accepted by Christians. However, a civil union as in a defined and binding contract is Constitutional according to even [Constitutional] Original Intent and a matter of choosing Life in Christ or death in the Last Judgment with Satan and his deceived minions. Christians should never give up on showing a person lost in sin the Light of Christ and the path to eternal redemption. (I added “Constitutional” for clarity - John R. Houk; My Thoughts on Same-Sex Marriage & Nobel for Pastor Mulinde)

I am fairly certain that some fellow believers will find the “civil union” concept as something still unacceptable. Nevertheless we do live in a nation of laws. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are central to American culture. It is our Constitution that allows some sort of agreeing harmony among Leftists, Conservatives, religious adherents, Secular Humanists and atheists pertaining to the respect for law and order. Constitutional interpretation is becoming a wider gap in the American political spectrum. I have come to the conclusion that Multiculturalism and politically correct Left Wing thinking has eroded the American harmony into more and more conflict.

Elsa’s email response to my thoughts on same-sex marriage relate to the point that not all people have my perspective on the supremacy of a monotheist God from the Judeo-Christian Holy Bible. She wrote as follows:

Hello John, 

 Thank you for writing. I don't see anyone as insignificant. 

  I have also noted your many efforts on google plus. Not insignificant. 

  Much more, I know we are not insignificant as ourselves, who we are. 

  Yes, we disagree on gay marriage - however, like you I want to do this respectfully. 

  On my side, as you must know, my spirituality, and also my beliefs about the more-than-5-sense-world, are different from yours. So what for you is sin and death, for me is fine - freedom unless you are hurting someone (hitting, insulting, etc.). 

  The most amazing thing for me: this experience with traditional Christians is something new for me - except for some encounters with Jehovah's Witnesses as a mid-teen. Yours is an alien inner landscape for me. 

  My sense is we come to counter-jihad from different angles - for me Islam is against freedom, the right to flourish. 

  And now I want to tell you about a strength of the traditional Christians I have noticed (and you most likely know). 

 I've had to hold out against political correctness on my own - through thinking. Most people around me have gone the brain-wrecked route of political correctness. 

  Traditional Christians have more tools - starting with being encouraged to stand strongly for the truths they believe in, not caving in if someone else is offended. 

  And yet, like the non-religious politically correct people, so many of them have caved in as well. 

  Anyway, I find it vital that we can stand for our beliefs - and also learn - and discuss. 

  From my "experience" (meaning, one can't verify as one can verify the experience of a sunset) of the "cosmic" (or however one might designate it), I don't see that my view on gay marriage will ever coincide with yours.  By the way, re-marriage - I think you read my viewpoint: the different religions should have the option to marry (or not marry) in accordance with their beliefs, except when this violates the law (like marrying a child). I know, for instance, that the different branches of the Lutheran church have very different understandings of the biblical texts – re: women, gays, etc. (I am not going to mix into this argument - not mine.) 

 A big thing, for me: respecting each other, even when there is disagreement. 

 Again, thank you for writing, 

 All the best, 

 ElsaOn 2015-09-01, at 2:18 PM

                                         

When I asked for permission to use Elsa’s permission to post her email, she gave permission and responded thus including a quote from my intro to her promotion of Pastor Umar Mulinde for the Nobel Peace Prize (“My Thoughts on Same-Sex Marriage & Nobel for Pastor Mulinde”):

I agree: 

 “(E)ven in disagreement there is still ground for agreement. Christians (of all Denominations), atheists, Secularists and other religions not Islamic should unite and agree that Islam is a threat to all of our lines of thought and beliefs.” 

 All the best to all of us on the side of life, love, freedom, 

 Elsa

There is a time when political and social disagreements need to be set aside in Western Culture. The theopolitical tenets of the revered writings of Islam inspiring Sunni and Shia aspirations for a global Caliphate at the expense of the Liberties and Freedoms that have come to pass in West should/MUST unite a common goal to stop the un-Western concepts of Islam from finding any kind of ascendance. Since I am an American this unity must especially coalesce insuring the efficacy of the United State Constitution.

JRH 9/7/15

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