An Unholy Alliance: Islam & The Vatican

By Geri Ungurean

When the Bible is no longer viewed as the inspired Word of the Living God, people begin to slide down a very slippery slope. Truth becomes relative instead of absolute. Satan’s favorite question, “Did God really say….?” becomes Man’s as well.

This world yearns for peace. So many think that if countries and religions and ethnic groups of the world would just get along, then we’d all be so happy and there would be no more war.

Jesus did not come that we would have peace between one another. He said:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:34-37).

Being a Jewish Christian, I have seen this first hand. Many in my family turned against me after I came to faith that Jesus is the Messiah. But I had peace with God.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

A Letter to the Pope from Islamic Leaders

In 2007, a letter was sent to Pope Benedict XVI, from 138 of the leading Muslim clerics in the world. I have chosen to post parts of this letter in this article. The Pope had spoken at the University of Regensburg on September 12, 2006. The letter was in response to the Pope’s speech. In his speech he disparaged Islam. I will say first, that the intent of the letter was to deceive.

The title of the letter is, “A Common Word Between Us and You.”

Your Holiness,

With regard to your lecture at the University of Regensburg in Germany on September 12th 2006, we thought it appropriate, in the spirit of open exchange, to address your use of a debate between the Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and a “learned Persian” as the starting point for a discourse on the relationship between reason and faith. While we applaud your efforts to oppose the dominance of positivism and materialism in human life, we must point out some errors in the way you mentioned Islam as a counterpoint to the proper use of reason, as well as some mistakes in the assertions you put forward in support of your argument.”

As I read the first paragraph, I could not help but wonder if the “retirement” or stepping down of Pope Benedict XVI, which had not happened in the Vatican for hundreds of years, was due to his words against Islam from his speech. The Vatican has had ties with Islam for years.

The open letter goes on to say:

There is no Compulsion in Religion. There is no compulsion in religion was not a command to Muslims to remain steadfast in the face of the desire of their oppressors to force them to renounce their faith, but was a reminder to Muslims themselves, once they had attained power, that they could not force another’s heart to believe.

This is what the Quran says about forcing Islam on others:

Quran (3:56) − “As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help.”

Quran (4:89) − “They but wish that ye should reject Faith, as they do, and thus be on the same footing (as they): But take not friends from their ranks until they flee in the way of Allah (From what is forbidden). But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks.”

Read more at Rapture Ready:

http://www.raptureready.com/soap2/ungurean23.html