THE “ALL RELIGIONS ARE THE SAME” ARGUMENT

Some religions or ideologies have to be resisted. Hitler had to be resisted. His policies would result in the ethnic cleansing of many people groups. Atheistic Communists, like Stalin and Mao, had also to be resisted. In a few short decades, its policies had led to the extermination of 100,000,000. To not resist these groups is complicity with their murders.

Also, there is one religion, in particular, that must be resisted, one that has been termed the “ultimate killing machine” – Islam. However, whenever a Western voice has suggested a limitation on Muslim immigration, “progressives” offer the “all religions are the same” argument. Just yesterday, an atheist wrote me:

·       There's been a number of Christian terrorists over the years who have justified their terror with reference to their beliefs. Should ALL Christians be discriminated against in the same way you're advocating for Muslims?

He argues that since all religions are the same, if we discriminate against Muslims, we must also discriminate against Christians who are equally as violent.

However, as there are important distinctions between the innocent and the guilty, there are also important distinctions to be made between religions. First of all, are Christians as terroristic as Muslims? One way to measure this is through surveys rating Muslim approval of one of the most violent Islamic groups – ISIS:

• Al Jazeera poll, 81% of respondents approved of ISIS  "In a recent survey conducted by AlJazeera.net, the website for the Al Jazeera Arabic television channel, respondents overwhelmingly support(aljazeera.net/votes/pages?voteid=5270") the Islamic State terrorist group, with 81% voting “YES” on whether they approved of ISIS’s conquests in the region. The poll, which asked in Arabic, “Do you support the organizing victories of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)?” has generated over 38,000 responses thus far, with only 19% of respondents voting “NO” to supporting ISIS." (muslimstatistics.wordpress.com/2015/10/15/poll-81-of-muslims-around-the-world-support-islamic-state-al-jazeera-arabic-poll/ )

• Pew poll: 63 mil to 287 mil ISIS supporters in just 11 countries.  A new poll(pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/17/in-nations-with-significant-muslim-populations-much-disdain-for-isis/ft_15-11-17_isis_views/") by the Pew Research Center reveals significant levels of support for ISIS within the Muslim world.  In 11 representative nation-states, up to 14 percent of the population has a favorable opinion of ISIS, and upwards of 62 percent “don’t know” whether or not they have a favorable opinion of the Islamist group." (muslimstatistics.wordpress.com/2015/11/19/pew-poll-63-mil-to-287-million-isis-supporters-in-just-11-countries/)

• Saudi Arabia, 92% of Saudis say ISIS conforms to Islamic Law, "Informal poll of Saudis in August 2014 shows 92% agree that Islamic State (ISIS) “conforms to the values of Islam and Islamic law.” (muslimstatistics.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/92-of-saudis-believes-that-isis-conforms-to-the-values-of-islam-and-islamic-law-survey/)

• America, 38% of American Muslims says ISIS beliefs are correct, "The Polling Company CSP Poll (2015): 38% of Muslim-Americans say Islamic State (ISIS) beliefs are Islamic or correct.  (43% disagree)." (centerforsecuritypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/150612-CSP-Polling-Company-Nationwide-Online-Survey-of-Muslims-Topline-Poll-Data.pdf)

• Britain, about 1/2 of Muslims support ISIS, ICM (Mirror) Poll 2015: 1.5 Million British Muslims support the Islamic State, about half the total population." (mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/muslim-leader-isis-supporting-brits-disenfranchised-6018357)

How do these attitudes affect the actual incidence of Islamic terrorism?

·       One study found, “450 of 452 suicide terror attacks in 2015 were perpetrated by Muslim extremists.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/450-of-452-suicide-attacks-in-2015-were-by-muslim-extremists-study-shows/

·       In 2015 four Islamic extremist groups were responsible for 74% of all deaths from terrorism: ISIS, Boko Haram, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2016. (Wikipedia) (However, there are many other Islamic terroristic groups and Muslim individuals not accounted for in this stat.)

Is there any comparison between the attitudes and actions of Muslims with Christians? Where are Christians calling for the bloodshed of non-Christians? Where are Christian commentaries or pastors calling for terror against their adversaries? It is virtually non-existent. Can we cite just one Christian terroristic group? Is there one verse in the New Testament calling for the death of non-Christians? Of course, not! Meanwhile, the Qur’an advocates many ways to achieve world conquest including terror:

• “Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah’s religion (Islam) reigns supreme, (Surah 8:37)

• “When the Sacred Months are over, kill those who ascribe partners [like Jesus] to God wheresoever ye find them; seize them, encompass them, and ambush them; then if they repent and observe prayer and pay the alms, let them go their way’.” 4:5)

• “…kill the disbelievers wherever we find them” (Koran 2:191) and “murder them and treat them harshly” (9:123), and “Strike off the heads of the disbelievers” (8:12, cp. 8:60).

Are these verses taken literally by Islamic scholars? Ibn Khaldun, the 15th century Tunisian historian, states:

• In the Muslim community, the holy war is a religious duty, because of the universalism of the Muslim mission and the obligation to convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force... The other religious groups did not have a universal mission, and the holy war was not a religious duty for them, save only for purposes of defense... Islam is under obligation to gain power over other nations.

The Khan Noble Koran, approved by Saudi Arabia for distribution in the West, writes:

·       Then Allah revealed the order to discard the obligations and commanded Muslims to fight against all the Mushrikun [Polytheist and Trinitarians] as well as against the people of the Scriptures if they do not embrace Islam, till they pay the Jizya (tax) with willing submission and feel themselves subdued. At first the fighting was forbidden, then it was permitted and after that it was made obligatory against them that start the fighting against you and against all those who worship others along with Allah (Trinitarians). (From the index on “Jihad.”)

Are all religions the same? If so, we should find sameness when we compare Christian-origin-nations with Islamic. However, where we find the freedoms of religion and of speech in the former group, we find repression, death threats, and diminished freedom in the later. In Muslim nations, all non-Muslims are consigned to a menial and highly vulnerable status under Sharia.

To say that all religions are the same is like saying that all ideologies and philosophies are the same. However, we note that there are vast differences among them. Why then the constant whine that all religions are the same, when we can see that they are clearly not? Perhaps this whine is the reflection of the multi-cultural, secular ideology – a means to sell an otherwise unsaleable product?

Christians have been subjected to genocide across the Islamic world. Nevertheless, we are taught to not retaliate but to love. How are we are to resist the powerful temptation to seek revenge? By knowing that revenge belongs to God, and that we will be spending an eternity with Him in heaven!

Wisdom is a matter of making critical distinctions. Justice depends upon making distinctions between innocent parties and the guilty. However, secular multiculturalism refuses to make such critical distinctions. Eventually, this will result in the destruction of both justice and our civilization.