To Mosque Today

Or Not To Mosque

After the last two weeks of writing about dinosaurs, Cro-Magnons, Neanderthals and cave paintings and how they related, or not, to the Bible my plans for today is to try presenting a few more facts and maybe some fiction about the religion of Islam (Muslims). Let's start off with some information as to the number of Muslims there are in the world as compared to the United States.

The Religion of Islam (Muslims): Estimates of the total number of Muslims range from 0.7 to 1.8 billion (yes billion) world wide and from 1.1 to 7 million in the United States. We accept the best estimate as about 1.57 billion, as concluded by the Pew Forums. About 23 percent of all people on earth follow Islam and the religion is currantly in a period of rapid growth.

Christainity is currently the largest reigion in the world. It is followed by about 33 percent of all people -- a percentage that has remained stable for decades. If current trends continue, Islam will become the most popular religion sometime in the mid-twenty first century (by 2050 and some predict that it will happen by 2030). Note: Taken from "Religious Tolerance.org". Probably, none of us (readers or writers) will live to see that day but shouldn't we all strive to make a contributation, so as to leave this world a better place to be?

There is much contention, not only in New York City but throughout the United States and even in many parts of the world, about whether or not to build that Mosque so close to where "The Twin Towers" (a site that, to some, is Holy) stood before September 11, 2001 when a group of Muslems, later identified as "Al-Qaeda", hijacked two airplanes and flew them into the towers, completely destroying them along with over two thousand lives.
It has been reported by some in the news media that Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City may have crossed the line from merely supporting the building of a Mosque near this twin tower site to actively promoting that building which is or very close to violating the "Seperation of Church and State" clause in the First Amendment to the US Constitution especially as it has been interpreted by our highest courts. Note: Our Constitution doesn' forbid near as much as the court decisions imply. It merely states that: "Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there-of, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".

Also it has been stated on TV that one of the purposes for building the Mosque at that site was to make a point. In 691 AD the Mosque "Dome of the Rock" was built by "Caliph Abd el-Malik" on the Israelite "Holy Site" where two Israelite Temples had previously stood. Was that to make a point? Over 13 hundred years later that site is still a point of contention between Arabs and Jews.

One last thing which may or may not have anything to do with the rest of this posting but there has been questions arising from statements made by certain people as to why we are hated by al-Qaeda. It has been said that Osama bin Laden was created by our CIA. With that in mind, do you remember this? " According to ABC News Correspondent "John K. Codey", the Carter Administration allowed Shikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, later one of the conspirators in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, to come to the United States to recruit Arab-Americans to fight in Afghanistan against the Soviets (Wikipedia) or this about CBS News anchor Dan Rather: "During the invasion of Afghanistan, Rather was seen on camera wearing a traditional "Mujahadeen" headdress and garment while reporting from near the front lines. These reports helped Rather gain prominence with the evening news audience (and the nickname "Gunga Dan". (Wikipedia) Note: We were a part of that audience and remember his trekking through those Afgan mountains with a team of (what was known then as "Freedom Fighters") multi-national men known as "mules" importing arms, including shoulder fired missles, (some from the United States) to the front lines to be used against Russians. What happened to those so-called "freedom fighters" when the Soviets decided they couldn't win and went home? Did they just find another war to fight against another enemy?

Think about it and also think about what you can do to help make this world better. I don't believe it is to become a follower of Islam. Stay tuned, Thanks - William

The Gap

or no gap

What about the gap theory which suggests that the world in which dinosaurs, Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons lived, either seperately or in overlapping time periods, occured between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Stated simply,the gap theory claims that Genesis 1:1 only tells us that "In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth" with no references made as to when that took place. Genesis 1:2 states (King James Bible) that "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters".
Gap theoriest claim that the same "Masoretic Hebrew" word translated as "was" in Genesis 1:2 (and the earth WAS) was translated as "became" in Genesis 19:26 (But his wife looked back from behind him, and she BECAME a pillar of salt". If that be true then Genesis 1:2 could have been translated as "And the world became without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep". Continueing on with that theory would seem to indicate that God didn't create the earth without form and void but that something happened to bring that about.

Herbert W. Armstrong was born 31 July 1892 and died 16 January 1986 at the age of 93 years and almost 6 months of age. He founded the "Worldwide Church of God - Seventh Day Adventist" and his ministry lasted 52 years. He wrote "Mystery of the Ages" which was copyrighted in 1985 and 2007. Part of two paragraph are copied and credited here: "The original Hebrew for "without form, and void" is tohu and bohu - meaning "waste, desolation, deteriorated". The word "was" is also translated "became".Thus possibly after millions of years, all had come to be oceanic surface - and light had been by Angelic lawlessness turned into darkness".
From another paragraph - "Notice carefully what is revealed in II Peter 2:4-5:"For if God spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement; and spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly".
(Note) "And spared not the old world" - Is this in reference to the world of dinosaurs, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons and cave painters?

Anti-gap theroiest say that nothing inportant happened between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 or "God would have told us so. God would not have left us to speculate in ignorance about such important events". (copyright 2002-2010 by "got questions Ministries") But they have not, at this time, adequately explained when dinosaurs lived and where do you find information, in the Bible, about "The Great Egyptian Pyramids". Wikipedia Encyclopedia states that the Pyramid of Cheops (Egyptian Pharaoh) was built between 2630 and 2611 BCE (Before the Common Era) so that would place the time somewhat before the flood (Noah).
The gap theory is that Genesis 1:2 refers to the fall of satan as described in Isaiah and Revelation and the war that ensued. That brings to mind a short poem from the Safari book, therefore it finds a place here.

That was the Day

Lightning flashing, it dances and hums / thunder rolling like demons playing drums /black clouds boiling, heavy with rain / winds blowing gales like a hurricane / tidal waves crashing all along the shore / water getting deeper, still it's raining more / spirits doing battle to see who's supreme / caught in the middle were all earthly things.

Yes that was the day everything was destroyed / that was the day the earth became void / that was the day God created Hell / for that was the day Lucifer fell.

These last few postings were not put together in an attempt to convince anyone to embrace either viewpoint but only as a feeble attempt to present both sides of this on going argument. There is much, much more to be said on both side and more may be written later but until then, thanks and stay tuned, - William

? - Prehistoric Man

and cave paintings

Cro - Magnon, (From Wikipedia Encyclopedia) "The Cro - Magnons were the first early modern humans of the "European Upper Paleolithic" in Europe. The earliest known remains of Cro - Magnon - like humans are "Radiometrically" dated to 35,000 years before the present.
The name "Cro - Magnon" derives from the "Abri de Cro - Magnon" (French Rock Shelter of Cro - Magnon) near the commune of "Les Eyzies - de - Taysc - Sireuil" in Southwest France, where the first specimen were found.
Being the oldest known modern human in Europe, the Cro - Magnon were, from the outset, linked to the well - known "Lascaux Cave Paintings" and the "Aurignacian Culture" that flourished in Southern France and Germany".

Neanderthal, (From Wikipedia Encyclopedia) "The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the "Homo Genus" that is known for "Pleistocene" specimens found in Europe and parts of Western Asia.
Neanderthals are either classified as a subspecies (or race) of humans (Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis) or a seperate species (Homo Neanderthalensis).
The first "Proto - Neanderthal" traits appeared in Europe as early as 600,000 - 350,000 years ago. By 130,000 years ago complete Neanderthal characteristics had appeared but had disappeared by 30,000 years ago, with no further individuals having enough "Neanderthal Morphological" traits to be considered as part of "Homo - Neanderthalensis".

Cave Paintings, (From Wikipedia Encyclopedia) "Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls and ceilings, and the term is used especially for those dating to prehistoric times. The earliest known European cave paintings date to "Aurignacian", some 32,000 years ago. The purpose of the "Paleolithic" cave painting is not known. The evidence suggest that they were not merely decorations of living areas, since the caves in which they have been found do not have signs of ongoing habitation.
Nearly 350 caves have now been discovered in France and Spain that contain art from "Prehistoric" times. The age of the paintings in many sites has been a contentious issue, since methods of "Radiocarbon" dating can be easily misled by contaminated samples of older or newer material. Recent advances make it possible to date the paintings by sampling the pigment (of the paint) itself.
The oldest known cave is that of "Chauvet", the paintings of which may be 32,000 years old, according to "Radiocarbon" dating. Some researchers believe the drawings are too advanced for this era and question their age."

What does the Bible say about cavemen, prehistoric men or Neanderthals? (From gotquestions.org) "The Bible does not use the term "caveman" or "Neanderthal", and according to the Bible there is no such thing as "prehistoric" man. The term "prehistoric" means "belonging to the era before recorded history". It presupposes that the bibical account is merely a fabrication, because the book of Genesis records events which precede the creation of man (namely, the first five days of creation - man was created on the sixth day). The Bible is clear that Adam and Eve were perfect humans from the time of their creation and did not evolve from lower life forms.
With that said, the Bible does describe a period of traumatic upheavel upon the earth - the flood (Genesis 6 - 9), during which time civilization was utterly destroyed except for eight people. Humanity was forced to start over. It is in this historical contex that some scholors believe men lived in caves and made use of stone tools. These men were not primitive , they were simply destitute. And they certainly were not half ape. The fossil evidence is quite clear: cavemen were human - men who lived in caves."

In an effort to present both sides of this complex issue, it will be continued on into, at least, the next posting. If you have followed it this far then stay tuned, until then, thanks - William

Dinosaurs in the Bible

Myth or Misconception

What does the Bible say about dinosaurs? Are there dinosaurs in the Bible? (Taken from "Got Questions Ministries - Copyright 2002 and 2010.)

"The topic of dinosaurs in the Bible is part of a larger debate within the Christian community over the age of the earth, the proper interpretation of Genesis and how to interpret the physical evidence we find all around us. Those who believe in the older age for the earth tend to agree that the Bible does not mention dinosaurs, because according to their paradigm (example or model), dinosaurs died out millions of years before the first man ever walked the earth. The men who wrote the Bible could not have seen living dinosaurs.
Those who believe in a younger age for the earth tend to agree that the Bible does mention dinosaurs, though it never actually uses the word "dinosaur". Instead it uses the Hebrew word tanniyn, which is translated a few different ways in our English Bibles. Sometimes it's "sea-monster", and sometimes it's "serpent". It is most commonly translated "dragon". The tanniyns appear to have been some sort of giant reptile. These creatures are mentioned nearly thirty times in the Old Testament and were found both on land and in the water.
So, are there dinosaurs in the Bible? The matter is far from settled. It depends on how you interpret the available evidence and how you view the world around you. If dinosaurs and man co-existed, what happened to the dinosaurs? While the Bible does not discuss the issue, dinosaurs likely died out sometime after the flood due to a combination of dramatic environmental shifts and the fact that they were hunted to extinction by man".

(note) I have read about, and even seen on television, safaris where there was organized hunts for elephants, hippopotamus and lions in Africa and even the buffalo in America but I don't believe I have ever heard of a dinosaur hunt. From all information found it would appear that, before the flood in Noah's time, both man and animals lived longer and in the case of animals probably also grew larger. Could that not mean that what would have been a monster before the flood would be somewhat less intimidating afterwards? On that note, then what about the "Komodo Dragon" which is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian Islands. A member of the "Monitor Lizard" family, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 6.6 to 9.8 feet long and weighing around 150 pounds. Their pictures look much like a small dinosaur or rather the pictures we see that are to represent dinosaurs. Also there has recently been found a spectacular new species of "Monitor Lizard" living in previously unexplored forest in the Philippine Islands. They measure about 6.5 feet long and are covered in bright yellow spots and eats fruits, unlike the Komodo Dragon which eats meat. I believe that either of those lizards would seen fearsome to me if I met them while armed only with a club.

(Back to my last posting) There are some who claim that the "Man" tracks found along side the "dinosaur " tracks in the Paluxy River Bed near Glen Rose, Texas were not really made by man but are partial dinosaur tracks. (It must have been deformed in some way). The next question should be; how high were those overhanging shale formations? Could a dinosaur have walked under them?

There are several more questions concerning the age of this planet upon which we are privileged to live and are responsible for the upkeep of but they are for another time. Until then, stay tuned - William

Dinosaurs - Part One

Facts or Fiction

Recently it was reported on, at least, one of the Memphis television stations that a fragment of a bone, said to be, from a dinosaur was found in someone's back yard. That bone can now be viewed at the "Pink Palace Museum" in Memphis, Tennessee.

The term "Dinosaur" was coined in 1842 by the English Paleontologist (Earth Scientist) Richard Owens, and was derived from the Greek words "deinos" which means terrible, powerful or wonderous and "sauros" meaning lizard.

From "Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia" found on the inter-net; "Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles. They were the dominate "Terrestal (worldly) "Vertebrates" (having a spinal column) for over 160 million years, from the late "Triassic Period" (about 250 million years ago) until the end of the "Cretaceous Period" (about 65 million years ago) when the "Cretaceous - Tetriary Extinction Event" caused the extinction of most dinosaur species, except for some birds". (note - The Wikipedia Encyclopedia, like so many things which are free, is not always exactly accurate. More on that later).

There are many theories on why the dinosaur became extinct, one being the "Asteroid Collision with Earth Theory" which was to have taken place 65.5 million years ago. Another theory is that the "Deccan Traps Flood Basalts" caused the extinction beginning about 68 million years ago and lasting for the next 2 million plus years. "The failure to adapt to changing conditions" is just one many other theories as to why we no longer have the dinosaur or related pre-historic reptiles.

Most of the time-lines written about in this article such as "65 million years ago" were arrived at by using "Carbon 14 Dating" which, according to many in the scientific community, is only accurate for up to 50,000 to 100,000 years maximum. The rest may only be guess work and an effort to create facts out of fiction. More on that later.

One of the more controversial points in the, so called, pre-historic history is; "Did man and dinosaur co-exist? In the "Hope of Israel Ministries (The Paluxy River Bed)" you can find this passage: "Believe it or not, dinosaur footprints and the footprints of man, are found in the same strata, in the very same formation, in some cases only 18 inches apart, at a geological dig in Glen Rose, Texas, called the Paluxy River Bed. The ancient footprints of "man" at the site are found to be evenly spaced, and go under overhanging shale formations, continueing under the formation, and have been excavated".

In the near future my limited expertise may be tested by an attempt to bring into focus other theories which could be easier to believe than some of those above. Until then, stay tuned. - William

No Man is an Island

entire of itself

John Donne, a Jacobean poet and preacher was born in London England in 1572 and died in 1631. In 1624 he wrote "Devotion upon Emergent Occasions" in which you can find, in Chapter 17 "Meditation", the following passage. It was originally written as prose but later changed into poetry.

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, Because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. ---"

For many years the question has been; "What does it mean"? To me, it means that no man stands alone and that for every action there is a reaction. If you drop a pebble into a still pool of water it causes ripples to spread outward in every direction, the larger the pebble (stone) the farther the ripples spread. Every small action by man affects someone else and the greater the action the more people are affected. Thus the statement, "It doesn't affect me so I don't care" is illusionary.
That, in part, was the reason my blood pressure spiked by several points when I read the unsigned negative (attack) political ad, in the July 15, 2010 edition of one of our local newspapers, against the sheriff of McNairy County. I immediately reached for my keyboard and fired off the following e-mail to the offending editor:

7/15/10 8:50 PM,

To the Editor:
You may not consider this to be news but I will qualify it by saying that, unless there are drastic changes, I won't be buying any more of your papers. In today's, July 15, issue you have an unsigned political attack ad titled "Why McNairy County Needs a new Sheriff!" it simply states that it was paid for by concerned McNairy County Citizens. I am a concerned McNairy County Citizen and I assure you that I had nothing to do with it. I am not so much concerned with the veracity of said ad as I am the legality. When was the law changed so as to allow the publishing of unsigned political materials? When did it become either legally or morally right to disallow a person the right to face his accuser which is given to us all in the Sixth Amendment to our United States Constitution?
Early voting starts tomorrow so now what can be done to set the record straight? Again I am not contesting the truthfulness of the ad, only the legal and moral issues. If it can be done to him it can be done to you. Is that what we want in McNairy County and America? --- signed with full name, address and telephone number.

After 11 days I finally received a return e-mail. It is; July 26 Mr. (deleted)
The ad was brought in by a group of people and was paid for by (deleted). I spoke with the sheriff's wife the same day the ad ran and informed her and the sheriff who had paid for the ad. Tom

Of course that wasn't exactly what I thought should have been done so I dispatched another e-mal which read; "Tom: Does that make it right or legal? signed (deleted).

By now, probably, everyone in McNairy County already knows that their mission was accomplished and we will have a new sheriff in a few weeks. What will be his fate? That's what worries me. Who's next in line? Until next time, stay tuned - William Lee

Safari I

Expeditation to nowhere

In 1983 a small booklet of poetry was self-published and copyrighted under the title "Safari - Expedition to Nowhere". That booklet was updated and re-released in 2006 with the same title. With permission from all parties involved, I intend to occasionally include one or more of those poems in my blog postings. Tonight's offering is, maybe, a different slant on an old song which wasn't so old when this was first written. The title is, ("We all call her) San Antonio Rose".

I met her in Uvalde at a place called Juan Sebastian's / a little watering hole on the Southwest Texas plain / I was playing seven-up with a one eyed Mescalero / she was leaning on the table watching the game / and I said "hey there Juan, aren't you going to introduce her" / he said "son she's not the kind of girl that you could ever know / but I'll tell you this much if it really makes a difference / around here we all call her San Antonio Rose".

Her father was a gambler who drifted down from San Antone / and her mother was the local beauty queen / the day that she was born is the birthday of Sebastian's / pretty enough to be the answer to any man's dream.

Well tonight I'm going back to that place they call Sebastian's / walk right in and talk to Juan about things he wants to know / tell him what it's like to be married to an angel / and living in big Dallas with San Antonio Rose / and I'll say "hey there Juan aren't you going to introduce her" / and he'll say " son she's not the kind of girl that you could ever know / but I'll tell you this much if it really makes a difference / around here we all call her San Antonio Rose.

Her father was a gambler who drifted down from San Antone ---.

That will be all for tonight but if I have time I'll post more later. If anyone likes these writings they can e-mail me or post comment at bottom of page. Thanks, stay tuned - William

Historical Timeline II

beginning in AD 1099

For the next 200 years, the country was dominated by crusaders, who following an appeal by Pope Urban II, came from Europe to recover the Holy Land from the infidels (Islamics). [I'm inserting here a short story that should be familar to most os us; King Richard - the Lionheart was born Richard Plantagenet on September 8, AD 1157 in Oxfordshire England and died from a battle wound in AD 1199. He was raised in Southern France but, partly by default, he was crowned King of England in AD 1189. His first act after being crowned was to free his mother from prison and his second act was to raise money for the "Third Crusade" (Knights Templar). Mostly because of the crusades he only spent 4 to 6 months in England during his 10 years as King. Remember the legendary Robin Hood and his Merry Men, Little John, Will Scarlet, Much the Miller's Son, Alan a Dale, Friar Tuck and of course Maid Marion and their fight against the evil Prince John who just happened to be the younger brother of King Richard and had been left in charge while the king was off on the crusade. That was a part of those crusades]. The knights of the first crusade captured Jerusalem, massacring most of the non-Christians (including Jews). During the next several decades the crusaders extended their power over the rest of the country. This probably included King Richard - the Lionheart.

From AD 1291 to AD 1516 the Land was ruled by the Mamluk Sultanate (an Islamic regime located in Egypt) from the mid 1200s to early 1500s, under which it became a backwater provence ruled from Damascus. By the end of the middle ages, most of Jerusalem was abandoned and the small Jewish community was poverty stricken.

AD 1517 to AD 1917 - Following the Ottoman conquest in AD 1517 the Land was divided into four districts and attached administratively to Damascus and ruled from Istanbul. (The Ottoman Empire ruled Turkey and surrounding countries for about 400 years and their religion was predominately Islam).

In AD 1917 400 years of Ottoman rule was ended by British conquest. British Foreign Minister Balfour pledged support for establishment of a "Jewish National Home" in Palestine (back in the Land of Canaan).

AD 1918 to AD 1945 - The Land was ruled by the British.

In AD 1925 Hebrew University of Jerusalem opened on Mt. Scopus, AD 1929 Hebron Jews massacred by Arab militants, AD 1931 Jewish Underground Organization founded, AD 1936 - 39 anti Jewish riots instigated by Arab militants, AD 1939 to 1945 World War II, Holocaust in Europe.

AD 1948 saw the end of British Mandate (14 May), State of Israel proclaimed (14 May), Israel invaded by five Arab states (15 May), War of independence (May 1948 to July 1949), Israel Defence Forces (IDF) established.

Again, let it be known that this article was taken largely from the "Historical Timeline of Israel as written by Contender Ministries with other research thrown in so I can not be 100% sure of its accuacy. If you have another version I would love to hear it. As for after AD 1948, much has happened but, as they say, it's all history now and can very easily be found. Thanks, Stay tuned, William

Historical Timeline of Israel

beginning with Mohammed

Mohammed was born about AD 570 and died in AD 632. At the time of his death all of Arabia had become Islamic. The incredible speed with which the new religion could have conquered a vast empire, within a century, has always baffeled Western Man. It began 2 years after the death of Mohammed, in AD 634, with the Byzantine Empire: AD 637, Babylonia: AD 642, Egypt: AD 643, Libya: AD650, Persia and by AD 711 the Mohammedans had crushed the Visgoth Kingdom in Spain. In AD 750 they controlled everything from Southern Spain to Persia, including what was called Palestine (Israel).

By the end of the fourth century, following Emperor Constantine's adoption of Christianity (313) and the founding of the Byzantine Empire, the Land of Israel had become a predominantly Christian country. Churches were built on Christian Holy sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Galilee and Monasteries were established in many parts of the country. The Jews were deprived of their former relative autonomy, as well as their right to hold public positions and could only enter Jerusalem one day a year. (There are some who say that when Constantine was converted to Christianity, during the war to re-unite the three parts of the Roman empire into one, he took over the church and, in order to get the pagens to convert he brought, not only, their priest into the church but much of their pagen worship. According to some historians, about 300 years later when Mohammed burst upon the scene, both the Christian and Jewish religions had become very corrupted. That may have been where he learned his form of the Laws of God).
The Persion invasion of AD 614 was welcomed and even aided by the Jews, who were inspired by Messianic hopes of deliverance. (Jews still looking) In graditude for their help, they were granted the administration of Jerusalem, an interlude which only lasted about 3 years before the Byzantine Army regained controll of the city and again expelled its Jewish population.
The Arab conquest of the land came 4 years after the death of Mohammed and lasted more than 4 centuries with Caliphs ruling first from Damascus, then from Baghdad and Egypt. The Jewish Community was granted permission to live under "protection", the customary status of non-Muslems under Islamic rule. Increasing social and economic discrimination forced many Jews to leave the country. By the end of the 11th century, the Jewish Community in the land had diminished considerably and has lost most of its organizational and religious cohesiveness.

On the site of the first (Solomon) and second (Ezra and Nehemiah)Jewish Temples the Mosque "Dome of the Rock" was built in AD 691 by Caliph Abd el-Malik and still stands there today. Does that mosque, standing on the site of the former Jewish Holy Place, give the followers of Mohammed the right to claim "The Land of Canaan" as their own? Stay tuned, more later. - William

Much of the above was taken from the "Historical Timeline of Israel" by Contender Ministries.

Mohammed Revisited

Mohammedanism (Islam)

In an earlier posting dated May 15, 2010 and titled "What is this World Coming To", I quoted from the book "Outline of History" found in the series "Pocket Library of the World's Essential Knowledge", one paragraph which states that; "In Medina a vision came from God to Mohammed, at a convenient hour, informing him that if his countrymen will not be persuaded by fair words then the sword must be the instrument of their salvation. Then came the era of bloody evangelism -- Soon after Mohammed's death the Moslems began their holy war against the pagens and more particularly against the infidels, meaning the Hebrews and Christians". Convert by the sword or die by the sword. Does that sound familiar? Isn't history repeating itself today? I first used this passage in a letter to the Daily Corinthian in Corinth, Mississippi on December 20, 2007.

In my last posting I wrote about the prophecy (if I may call it that) of George Santayana when he said "Those who can not remember the past are destined to repeat it" and a speech made by General of the Army George C. Marshall where he said; "If we elect again to depend on whims and error of potential enemies, we will be carrying the treasure and freedom of this great nation in a fragile bag". I have repeated these parts of an earlier letter and posting for only one reason, that is, that bag is more fragile today than it was, even at the last posting and is becoming more fragile every day. Anyone interested in learning more about Mohammed and Mohammedanism (Islam) can go on the internet and probably find out more than you want to know.
Mohammed was born about AD 570 and died in AD 632. At the time of his death all of Arabia had been converted to Islam and the incredible speed with which the new religion conquered the vast empires within a century has always baffled western man (but remember they used the sword to convert or kill their enemies). In AD 634 (two years after Mohammed's death) they conquered the Byzantine Empire, in AD 637 it was Babylonia, AD 645 Egypt, AD 643 Libya and Persia in Ad 65o. That sweep would have probably included Israel which was listed as Palestine on the AD 750 map. By AD 750 about everything from southern Spain up to and including Persia was controlled by Islam. I would speculate that now we know why the Israelites are having so many difficulties holding on to the land that for thousands of years belonged to them.
But before we blame all the bloodshed on Mohammed, the Lord knows he deserves much of it, it wasn't until after his death that things got really bloody and as for the writing of the Koran (Qur'an) according to history it wasn't written until after his death. He was probably responsible for many of the verses, writings or stories told there-in.

This isn't exactly what I had planned to write about today but I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to wait 'til after the election (next Thursday) to say anything else about the unsigned political attack ad. After 11 days I did get a so-called answer from the editor of the paper. I will include all of it soon. Meanwhile ponder on what I have written here and check it out on the internet at: "True History of Islam Mohammed and the Koran". Thanks, stay tuned. - William