Jan 8,
2003
Theodore
Cardinal McCarrick
Archbishop
of Washington
P.O.
Box 29260
Washington,
D.C.
U.S.A.
20017
Tel:
301-853-4500
Dear
Theodore Cardinal McCarrick
RE:
“Meet The Press” Interview
I
appreciated your NBC’s “Meet The Press” interview on December 22nd.
I did, however, find your remark suggesting that Christians and Muslims are
“people believing in one God” quite astonishing!
Presumably
you accept the Bible as God’s Word and presumably in your position you would
desire to uphold and defend foundational Biblical truths. I would think that it
would be quite evident that Christians and Muslims DO NOT worship the same God.
Christians
understand the Bible to be the written revelation of God’s heart and mind and
the source of all truth regarding issues of faith. “All Scripture is inspired
by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training
in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16). Islam, to the contrary, teaches
that the Bible is corrupted and that the teachings and revelations of Muhammad
contained in the Qur’an are the authoritative and final source regarding
religious issues.
Bible
believing Christians understand that the way to the heavenly Father, God, is
not through Muhammad, nor Buddha, nor the millions of Hindu gods, nor anyone
else except Jesus. God’s Word says, “For there is one God, and one mediator
also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5).
There
are many false gods of this world but there is only one true God who chose to
reveal Himself through His Word, the Bible, and through His Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ. God, Himself recognizes that many will choose other false gods. The God
of the Bible is tolerant of all people but He is not tolerant of other
religions. “You shall have no other gods before Me… for I, the Lord your God,
am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:3-5).
Christianity’s
foundation is the sinless life of the Son of God, the Third Person of the
Trinity, His virgin birth, His substitutionary death, and His resurrection unto
life eternal. He loved us so much that He gave His life for each one who
believes in Him. Islam teaches that God did not have a Son and to have one
would be blasphemous. Islam’s founding is by a mere human being, Muhammad, who
taught conversion through coercion, conquest, and violence, if necessary.
Unlike Jesus Christ, when Muhammad died, he stayed dead, permanently and
forever. For Christ, there is an empty tomb. For Muhammad, there is a tomb of
bones and dust, just as for every other dead man.
Muslims
believe that they have a road to God without Christ but Jesus makes it quite
clear, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father,
but through Me” (John 14:6). God does not provide an optional or
alternate route of our own choosing.
Part
of God’s eternal plan is that Christ will return. “But when the Son of Man
comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His
glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him” (Matthew
25:31-32). Islam acknowledges no such God ordained plan!
God
admonishes us not to profane His name. “You shall not take the name of the Lord
your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name
in vain” (Exodus 20:7). People do not swear and curse in the name of
Muhammad, nor Buddha, nor any of the millions of Hindu gods but people all over
the world inherently know and understand that there is power, real life
changing power, only in the name of Jesus.
As
Christians, our God given responsibility is to love our Muslim neighbour, not
because we worship the same God but because we are commanded to genuinely love
him and to care about his eternal destiny. There are millions of Muslims who
are good people, but they are not unlike you and I, sinners in need of the
Saviour.
In
Canada and the United States, since our foundings, we have enjoyed enormous
freedom, health, wealth, growth, abundance, prosperity, and a myriad of other
blessings largely (or more likely solely) because our society has reflected the
teachings and truths of God’s Word, the Bible, the greatest Book ever written
and of the greatest Person who ever lived. (Sure, today, we have a lot that is
wrong with our societies, and we can be sure that that will not be overlooked.)
Apart
from the very clear Biblical imperatives, there are many other fundamental
social, political, cultural, and theological differences between Christianity
and Islam. They should neither be ignored, nor minimized, nor glossed over:
·
Islam
has among its teachings an enormous intolerance of those who follow other
faiths. Muslims who convert to Christianity are often killed as a result of
their conversion. Islam denounces Christ as the Son of God. Christianity, on
the other hand, speaks of the love that God has for each and every soul.
·
Christianity
encourages genuine love and tolerance of all fellow human beings. People of
every faith have been afforded asylum and freedom in Christian nations all over
the world and yet Islam is intolerant of any who do not profess similar Islamic
beliefs. Christians are imprisoned, beaten, tortured, and murdered in Muslim
nations under the sanctioning of Muslim clerics.
·
The
Qur’an was not written until nearly 600 years after the New Testament. Muslims
believe that the Bible is in error and needs to have truth added. The Bible,
however, cautions against any alterations or additions to God’s Word. “I
testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone
adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall
take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are
written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19).
·
Muhammad
originally believed in multiple deities, namely al-Lat, al-Uzza, and al-Monat
but then he came to believe that his teachings had been corrupted by Satan. No
such inconsistencies or incongruities exist with respect to Christianity.
·
Even
Muhammad was unsure whether his own experiences and revelations, ultimately
resulting in the Qur’an, were from an angel or from the devil until his first
wife, Khadija convinced him that they were not from the devil. Christianity has
no such doubt about its origins or its Founder.
·
In
every “Christian” nation in the world, Muslims are free to worship Allah, to
build houses of worship, and to openly share their beliefs. Christians, however,
share none of the same rights, privileges, or freedoms in most Islamic
countries where there is little or no tolerance of other faiths. There are more
than 1000 Muslim mosques in the United States but in Saudi Arabia and
Afghanistan, for example, there is NOT ONE Christian church. The first and last
Christian church in Afghanistan was built in 1970 and destroyed by Muslims less
than three years later.
·
Every
“Christian” country in the world is democratically governed where personal
freedoms are paramount. This is not so with Islam. There are 18 states in the
world that could be defined as Muslim and yet only one, Turkey, is a democracy.
·
In
Birmingham, England, Muslims have demanded Islamic teaching, Muslim staffing,
teaching in the mother tongue, and holidays for main Muslim celebrations within
their school system. Christians can make no such demands in any Muslim nation.
·
In
the Philippines, a principally Catholic nation, Muslims have resorted to armed
insurrection in order to achieve their “rights.” Those same tactics applied by
Christians anywhere in the Muslim world would be rightfully condemned.
·
Every
“Christian” nation has come to acknowledge slavery as repugnant and detestable.
In Sudan, even today, black Africans are being bought and sold in slave markets
in the name of Islam.
·
One
of the most holy days for the Christian faith is Christmas and yet, in some
mosques in North America, a Muslim who wishes “Merry Christmas” to a Christian
is said to “expose himself to the wrath and anger of Allah.” (Khalid Bin
Al-Walid mosque internet message)
·
Some
Islamic sects believe that worldwide Islam is justifiable and attainable
through struggles, battles, and wars (jihad). Christ wants to win the world to
Himself through His love.
·
Christianity
views marriage as a partnership of equals with different and unique roles.
Islam views marriage as a master-servant relationship with the husband
possessing abusive power over his wife. In Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran,
husbands have the right to whip their wives, enforced by government. Islam
treats women as second class citizens. Islam considers men superior and permits
Muslim husbands to practice polygamy with up to four wives. If the Muslim
husband has four wives and decides he would like another, he can simply discard
one of his wives, who has no legal, child, or property rights. Muhammad taught
that a woman’s intelligence was inferior and that her testimony is worth only
half of that of a man because a woman’s brain is deficient.
·
As
a 54 year old, Muhammad married one of his many wives, Aisha, who was six years
old, although he did not consummate the marriage until she was nine years of
age. Suffice it to say that any Christian perspective would reflect very harsh
criticism of such behaviour and conduct.
·
Muhammad’s
teachings included polygamy wherein a Muslim husband could have four wives. It
is inexplicable why Muhammad was permitted to have nine wives and one
concubine.
Can
you tell me in what manner, shape, fashion, or form Christians and Muslims
believe in the same God? Only if one denounces the Bible as God’s Word can one
even remotely say that Christians and Muslims believe and worship the same God.
I
would encourage you in your position and authority within the “church” to speak
boldly of the truth of Scripture (and Scripture should be our only real
authority) with every opportunity and in every forum. I believe that, as
Christians, we have a responsibility to share the truth of God’s Word so that
others know with all assurance that Jesus Christ has provided the Only Way. How
can others come to genuinely know Him unless they can clearly see that there is
a very real difference in our faiths?
These
remarks are respectfully submitted. I would very much enjoy hearing from you
and to know those areas with which you do not agree. Thank you.
Yours
truly
Randall
F. More, P. Eng.
c.c. Mr. Tim Russert
Meet The Press
WRC (NBC affiliate)
4001 Nebraska Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C.
U.S.A.
20016
Tel: 202-885-4000
