Exloring Life Eternal

http://www.christianpost.com/article/americas/113//tensions.linger.despite.capture.of.jersey.murder.suspects/1.htm

Above is an article which gives some basic background to the following letter from a NY journalist and the editorial to which he responds.

Ahmed Mohamed a.k.a.: Paul Ameen sent out the following info. To contact Paul mailto:paulameen69@yahoo.com
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Where is the editorial from the other side on this? The NJ Record is consistently slanted, so I am not surprised at this piece, but would be surprised if there was an editorial voicing the other side. Is freedom of _expression going to be trampled on again because of an American culture that increasingly cowtails to Islam? There should be no apologies and all are within their first amendment rights to say what they did--including the Muslims.

I believe the Muslims are pushing the sides of the envelope here to see how far they can get away with silencing a group. If they are successful, it will serve as a vehicle in which they will safely persecute other groups. It is not good. The verdict on this case is still not out. And the way things are running in NJ, even if it is out, we may not get all of the facts. All are waiting for the final autopsy report, on March 14, which some who saw the bodies say was bungled from the beginning, and therefore will not say anything of importance. I believe the Muslims will try to trample the Copts further after this report comes out.

For all those involved in the dhimmi movement, this could stand as a litmus test for the future. I sure hope that the Copts have the where-with-all to stand strong and fight back. If they buckle here, the persecution of other dhimmi groups may be at stake. They should not buckle and have every right to express their concerns about a jihadist-style killing, within the context of the persecution they are so familiar with.

Copts and Muslims
Friday, March 11, 2005
EDITORIAL BY THE RECORD


YOU can't blame New Jersey Muslims for feeling mad. After a Coptic Christian family in Jersey City was slain in January, the most oft-aired theory was that Muslim extremists were to blame.

Now, two non-Muslims are in custody for the killings, and police say robbery, not religious hatred, was the motive.

Nonetheless, some Coptic leaders who helped spread the rumors that Islamic terrorists were involved refuse to fully back away from that notion.

So here's a message to them: Get over it. It's time to admit you were wrong about this being a religious hate crime, and to apologize for the harm and pain your irresponsible comments have caused.

It's also past time for civic leaders to get involved.

A lawyer for the American Muslim Union in Totowa has written to state Attorney General Peter Harvey, asking him to investigate whether Coptic leaders' inflammatory comments violated any laws, such as the prohibition against inciting violence.

The lawyer, Sohail Mohammed of Clifton, also asked Mr. Harvey to help try to ease the tensions that have arisen between Jersey City's Coptic and Muslim communities since the murders.

Mr. Mohammed is right that some Coptic leaders spewed comments that were hateful and outrageous, and some repeated their unfounded suspicions in national media and on the Internet. Still, the speakers were very possibly within their First Amendment rights.

We agree with Mr. Mohammed that the state's Muslims and Copts could at this point use a conciliator. But the state attorney general seems an inappropriate choice for that role. Instead, either an elected official in Jersey City or a local congressman should offer to organize talks between leaders of the two communities.

March 12, 2005

Dear Editor (of the previously entered editorial ... whoever that may be),

Based on your March 11, 2005 article you do not believe that intentional murder and slaughter of a person is based in something other than hate. This is very odd.

If an anti-abortion advocate were to kill an abortion doctor, it would be labeled a hate crime by most thinking people, whether he took all the doctor’s money first or was merely “following the dictates of his conscience.” If communists were to abduct and torture an police officer for “political reasons,” they would pay the penalty. When a homosexual who knows he is HIV-positive intentionally has intercourse with many people concealing his condition in order to “share the pain,” has done evil. Surely we all have enough sense to agree that simply because college men have sexual desires and may be drunk does not excuse fraternity members if they gang-rape a college freshman. And yes, if three beggars were to overpower and kill Donald Trump in order to take his money, I have no doubt they would receive a pretty stiff judgment. Probably death, poor as they may be. Severe discipline would follow in each of these cases if sufficient evidence were found. Recently when frustrated, underpaid nurses’ aides in Arkansas beat to death an elderly demented resident, they were found guilty as charged, though they stole no money and were somewhat provoked.

Death is not a good thing. To murder simply in order to rob from the other person is certainly no better than to kill for religious reasons. To love possessions more than people is the greatest danger we face today in America, whether you happen to be Muslim, Coptic, or any other religion. Pretending human life is not valuable is a dangerous thing, whether the family concerned is Coptic or Muslim, poor or rich. To love money most is to hate humanity.

Many years ago, a righteous man honored by Copts and Muslims lost all his children and most of his property very quickly. Job’s friends did well when they kept silent. They sinned when they accused him of some great evil as he aired his complaint & struggled with why such suffering had befallen him. For the record, I implore you to consider those who grieve in the future and do not use your eloquent editorials to punish those who weep, but rather look for ways to weep with those who weep. I am convinced you would be enraged if your family was slaughtered & money stolen by those who oppose your faith. When the Garas family was attacked, the perpetrators devalued the lives of all: Muslim and Copt, rich and poor, immigrant and indigenous. Even more, the God who made us was also insulted. You must not extend that blasphemy by minimizing or dismissing the wrongfulness of the crime and ignoring the sting of death. The profit motive is not a valid excuse for murder.

Sobered and saddened,
Mert Hershberger
mertaka@everybody.org

I submit these links on reaching Jehovah Witnesses to others you may one day or already have run into Jehovah Witnesses or those affected by their teachings as well and may need a handy reference as I sometimes do.

Read or ignore as you please.

Mert Hershberger
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By Former Jehovah Witnesses
A resource page on dealing with the healing of the soul. It seems particularly pertinent to the situation of a person who is in a "psych" hospital:
http://freeminds.org/psych/
(Much of this would, I believe, be good reading for anyone who is coming out of a form of legalism: Islamic or otherwise! From my personal & ministry experience, much illness is clearly a matter of losing sight of God's grace. There is an online store.)
Maintained by Randy Watters, former JW.
email: Randy@freeminds.org

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By a fellow who was a longtime leader among JWs, lots of background research:
www.towerwatch.com
Also has an online bookstore.
Maintained by Cal Lehman, former JW.
for email: cal@towerwatch.com

This is for folks who need support (a community-forum):
http://www.towerwatch.com/v-web/portal/73/index.php


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"Following are links to web sites developed and/or maintained or recommended by members of Evangelical Ministries to New Religions. While we believe them to be beneficial and excellent sources for information, the fact that they are listed here is not meant to construe, infer nor affirm that either EMNR or its member organizations agree with and/or endorse all information, views and/or positions contained therein." The links:
http://www.emnr.org/links.html
I would guess that these different links have a number of useful pages.

By evangelicals:
Simply articles on JW & Watchtower teachings:
http://www.reachouttrust.org/submenu/submenujw.htm
Jehovah's Witness: +44 (0)870 770 3260 (in the UK)
To contact:
http://www.reachouttrust.org/indexlinks/contact/contactform.htm

By a fundamental evangelical:
A simple intro bible study with LOTS of references, specifically addressing the issue of the deity of Christ & the Holy Spirit: http://www.biblebelievers.com/jmelton/jw.html
one quote on the site:
So one can clearly see that God's word and God's creation both testify to the fact that He is a Trinity. However, some people aren't getting the message. The book, "Let God Be True", (Watchtower Bible & Tract Soc., 1952) says the following on page 92: "The trinity doctrine was not conceived by Jesus or the early Christians."
Then on page 93, this book says: "...the plain truth is that this is another of Satan's attempts to keep the God-fearing person from learning the truth of Jehovah and His Son Jesus Christ."
On page 102 of the 1946 edition of "Let God Be True," the JW's make a very blasphemous statement concerning the Holy Trinity: "...Sincere persons who want to know the true God and serve Him find it a bit difficult to love and worship a complicated, freakish looking, three-headed God."
Such a remark is entirely uncalled for and is a blank misrepresentation of what Christians really believe about the Trinity. ... The JW's believe that Jehovah is God the Father, and that Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are not God. They're wrong. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are both Deity.
(A more polemical site as a whole, but the biblical references would be perhaps good starting points.)

Another website:

On the periodical, Watchtower:
http://www.spiritwatch.org/jwwtbib.htm
On the official version:
http://www.spiritwatch.org/jwnwt.htm

JW versus early Christianity:
http://www.dtl.org/cults/article/justin-martyr.htm

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UPCOMING EVENT:
Witnesses Now for Jesus Convention
October 14-16, 2005
Blue Mountain Christian Retreat
RD 2- Box 118A
New Ringgold, Pennsylvania
(570) 386-2154
Sponsored Personal Freedom Outreach

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Message which prompted the above reply (edited):
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We met a man from Pakistan interested in Christianity. His wife is in a psychiatric hospital right now. We had a long talk with him and he says he believes but when it comes to accepting Christ as the Son of God then he can't go there. We are wondering if you know of Bible Correspondence course that we might be able to order here in the USA in the Urdu language. A church is getting him a Bible in Urdu. He told us that he has a Bible and when we looked it was Jehovah Witness!

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SOURCES OF BIBLE STUDIES:
People of God Series by David Shenk (four Bible studies in the series, cost $2 per book) Eastern Mennonite Missions, 53 West Brandt Blvd., PO Box 458, Salunga, PA 17538-0458 USA Tel: 717 898-2251, Fax: 717 898-8092

Kitab Oriental & Asian Books www.kitab.org.uk
http://www.kitab.org.uk/foreign_catalogue.html#URDU
Bible Studies for New Believers, Stacey, Vivienne, book, 2.00

Multi Media Language Co., based in Ephrata, PA has tons of materials in most every language. Go to Reference & Evangelistic Books on Islam. website is www.multilanguage.com
http://www.multilanguage.com/urd/Default.htm

URD-L38 Person of Christ in the Gospel & the Koran - Abd Al-Fadi pp ..$1.95
Examines Christ, His miracles, Sonship & deity from a Koranic viewpoint and then His deity & the Trinity from the Bible
Available in English ENG-L607...$2.75

URD-L10 Prophet or More Than a Prophet 31pp ..$.95
Proof is given from prophecies relating to Christ, His miracles, birth, death, resurrection and ascension that Jesus Christ was certainly more than a prophet.
URD-L33 Unique Person 16pp .$1.00

URD-L27 What Do You Think of Christ? - Abd -Ul-Masih 20pp ..$.95
The author tactfully invites the inquirer to think about various aspects of Christ's life: miraculous birth, His teachings, power, sufferings, victory over death & ultimate return to earth.

URD-L23 Why I Became a Christian - Sultan Muhammed Christian Kahn Bilingual 38pp ..$1.50
A Muslim intellectual who enjoyed arguing with Christians was challenged to investigate what Islam & Christianity said about being a sinner & needing salvation. He found that salvation is only in Christ.
Available in English ENG-L814...$ .30

PRAY that God would establish His people & build His kingdom in Aceh!
PRAY for the Lord Jesus to rule & have His order over all.

Mixed Message with a need for direction.

Banda Aceh, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia said Friday that it will ask international aid groups not involved in reconstruction to leave the tsunami-devastated province later this month but emphasized that foreign help was crucial to the province's future.

Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab, touring a camp of tsunami survivors, said the government has no plans to put restrictions on the hundreds of non-governmental groups, or NGOs, nor has it drawn up a list of which groups will go. But he said it will implement a procedure ahead of a March 26 deadline to ensure the groups match the province's needs.

“There are no restrictions for any foreign NGOs except for those that are not qualified for reconstruction,” he said. “Those that will leave are those here only for relief operations. ... They can go elsewhere where their contribution is needed.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050311.wtsun0311/BNStory/International/
(from March 11, 2005)

PRAISE THE LORD!!
There is much conflict ..., and there’s still a battle for the souls in the region. However there never has been such openness as there is today. Prayer opens doors and hearts, the Holy Spirit is working and Christ is building His church. Let’s be encouraged and “let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.” Gal 6:9 (The Message)- a message for myself.

Pray for:
- A co-worker coming to take over the health project.
- Opening of doors for further projects in the region.
- Health issues.
- Need for resolution with local sponsors.

FROM: The Hokkien Harvest, Southern Baptist Missionaries, TAIWAN

“Several years ago one of our co-workers, Tho Chhiu-Mui (pronounced "Toe Chew-Mwee") had a vision: She wanted to take the good news of Jesus Christ back to her own people. Chhiu-Mui grew up on Chiau-Su, one of the islands in the Pescadore Island grouping located between Taiwan and Mainland China. This was an island with no Christian witness. I remember her sharing that one of her elderly relatives had drowned in the Taiwan Straits, so she returned to visit her family. Traditionally under such circumstances when a person drowns, people are afraid that "hungry ghosts" will come to haunt the family. Out of fear, friends and relatives keep their distance and stay away from the family. Chhiu-Mui saw how lonely her uncle felt, and wanted her family to be freed from bondage to experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Chhiu-Mui began to mobilize Taiwan Christians and missionaries all across Taiwan to go into the Pescadore Islands. Was it easy? Absolutely NOT! But Chhiu-Mui did not give up. She and other believers prayed, planned and went into action. These teams have been so creative using all kinds of ideas to reach the people. We have seen lives transformed with more than 70 baptized believers now on Chiau-Su Island. NOW . . . these believers have taken the gospel to a second island, Kiat-Poe, as well as a 3rd, Oan-Poe. AND beyond that, the Home Mission Board of the Chinese Baptist Convention in Taiwan has now commissioned and sent out Pastor and Mrs. Lee Ki-Goan to head up the work there. We're so gratified that these Taiwan Christians never gave up! Much like the lady who appeared before the judge – we need to do EVERYTHNG we can to take the gospel to the nations. Please join us in praying for the ministry in the Taiwan Pescadore Islands.”

Received via: calmack@bellsouth.net .