Robert Parham has posted a most excellent and timely editorial on a popular fearmongering You Tube video entitled “Muslim Demographics” which has made its way through the Baptist Blogosphere, featured most prominently on the blog of Wade Burleson.
Here are a couple of snippets:
“Muslim Demographics” is a fear-mongering, fact-distorting video on YouTube posted by an anonymous source. The video has gone viral with almost 5 million views thanks to conservative Christians who are posting it on their blogs and e-mailing links to their church friends.
And:
Behind the video are flawed assumptions.
One assumption is that immigrants are unchanged by the culture of their new nation—that each succeeding generation retains the same customs and language of the original immigrant family. That assumption is intellectually defective.
Another assumption is that the way for numerical Christian growth is biological reproduction. Where is the biblical mandate for Christians to evangelize a culture by having lots of babies? The Acts story references growth based on multi-ethnic conversion. Christianity spreads through conversion, but not procreation.
Wrong facts and flawed assumptions may explain why the video producer remains anonymous.
What explains why conservative Christians have posted this video on their blogs and e-mailed links to their friends?
Whatever happened to following the biblical admonition against rumor-spreading and for the call to truth-telling?
Please read the entire editorial here.
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Conservative Christians have forsaken most of the tenets of true Christianity in favor of political power.
I agree with both Parham and gamountainman!
I am not an “all roads lead up the same mountain” religious pluralist. I believe strongly in interfaith dialogue, but assume that will involve disagreements–e.g., between Christians and Muslims. Substantive disagreements that we will never be able to paper over.
But bearing false witness against neighbor or enemy is a violation of OUR religion. We need open, honest, dialogue between Christians and Muslims. And, in such a context, an airing of personal fears may be appropriate.
FearMONGERING others for political and religious gain is NOT.
This is no different than what Christians USED to do vis-a-vis Jews. And it’s just as inexcusable.
See also Tiny Frog, Muslim Demographics, 2009-05-03 for a debunk of this faked video.
The figure that 40% of the Russian Army is Islamic is believable. The Soviet Union included what are now large republics that are predominantly Islamic, and while they were all under the same flag, many people from those areas of the Soviet Union moved into areas that fall within the boundaries of Russia itself.
The size of the Arabic, Indonesian and Pakistani communities in Houston definitely puts a lot of Muslims here. There are two very large mosques within a couple of miles of my house in the suburbs, along with several Buddhist temples and one very ornate Hindi temple. Both mosques draw very large crowds, judging by the number of cars in the parking lot. But I’ve discovered among the younger people that there are many people who come from an Islamic background, but do not practice the Islamic faith. We’ve done a couple of Alpha classes in the past few years, and many of the people who have come to those have been from nationalities that are predominantly Islamic, but who are not practicing that faith.
Muslim immigration to Europe and North America is providing Christians with evangelistic opportunities to reach people that have been behind a curtain of legal protection in countries run by Islamic governments that forbid missionary activity. With Muslims now moving into Europe and the US, they are living in countries that are completely open to missionary activity. That should be heralded with enthusiasm, not fear.
I’m all in favor of missions–but from a position of respect and mutual dialogue. Too much of what passes as “Christian mission to Muslims” is filled with ignorant twisting of Islam–as is often the case with Christian witness to Jews, too. Why is it that Christians never think they should have anything to LEARN in such encounter?
Yes, Jesus is the “way, the truth, and the life,” but that does not mean that persons of other faith know nothing of God. (See Paul at Mars Hill in Acts.)
Also, in our nation Muslims are free to proselytize Christians, too. Too many Christians demand that Islamic-majority countries allow Christian missions to Muslims (and rightly so), but react with fear and paranoia if Muslims (or Buddhists, etc.) attempt to win Christian converts here.
Our traditional Baptist defense of liberty of conscience needs to be strong at this point.
I saw this video as well but must admit I did not react the same way. There are legitimate issues related to population growth and influence of Islam in Europe particularly.
One area related to missions is the uniqueness of Christ for salvation, not only ontological but epistemological concerns. We should dialogue and be respectful, but always be ready to explain the hope that we have within us.