Catholic Voice: Islam or Globalist?

I think the most interesting point I took from this discussion - is that there has been talk among Christian leaders to ally with Islam - in order to defeat secularism. Although this is a Catholic point of view - the Church of England has seemed to express the same. The Archbishop of Canterbury commended the Muslims for - bringing religion back into the public sphere. And of course his call for Shari'a - a religious law that actively suppresses all other beliefs. That aside - he seems to want to see - religion in the public sphere - at any cost. One has to admire the Pope for taking a firm stance for his beliefs - and to encourage Muslims to give - as they are receiving. There are no churches in Saudi Arabia - one of the main sponsors of mosques throughout the world - and in particular in the western world.

The author of this article - has wisely rejected the idea of an alliance with Islam - which he has so named the 'false religion' - one other Catholic friar who is also a scholar in the Arabic language - has said - that there is a movement within Islam - that hopes - through 'interfaith' dialogue with Christians - to eventually bring Christianity under Islam - such as the broader umbrella of Islam will include Christianity - and what they are relying on is that Christians will relinquish some of their Christian beliefs - in their efforts to get along with Islam. In this Christianity's strength is its kindness - will be used to subdue it.

The co-operation and dialogue between Muslims and Christians for which Nursi appeals has as its goal the dominance of Islam over Christianity—which he “hopes … will eventually be transformed into a form of Islam”. Nursi is quoted as saying, “The West is expectant with Islam.” He looks to a Christianity subordinated to Islam that will help conquer the world for Islam.

...In the case of some particularly ill-informed people— religious people among them —they go into denial mode and accuse critics [of Islam] of prejudice and worse." [+]

I think this is just on example - we are starting to hear more and more rhetoric about Jesus being a Muslim and so on.

It is a perennial truth of our faith that we, as Christians, have no real earthly enemies. That is not to say there are not people our there who wish us ill, for that is readily apparent. But this means that even those who are against us are to be pitied and prayed for as fellow sinners rather than as enemies to be vanquished. Our only true enemies, as St. Paul warns us in Ephesians 6:12, are "principalities..powers,...the rulers of the darkness of this world" and "spiritual wickedness in high places." Our fight is against the devil and his fallen angels.

It is certainly a part of Catholic Tradition (though not one talked about much now) to see the devil's attacks on the Church not only in terms of the individual temptations and trials he is capable of bringing to each Christian, but also in terms of false ideologies and institutions that are in his sway. These institutions form rivals to the Church and attempt to sway her from her path, either openly by attacking her or discreetly by subverting and confusing her.

A false religion or false ideology poses the same threat to the Church corporately that a temptation to sin poses for the Christian individually.

Just as we must always wage a constant a vigilant battle against vice, so must we corporately always be vigilant for the influences of anti-Christian movements and ideologies upon the Church and reject them as vehemently as we ought to reject sin in our own lives. We also must recognize that these false ideologies can come from many directions: from within the Church as well as without it, from the political left or the political right, from the leadership as well as the laity - in short, anywhere there are human beings involved, there is the potential for things to go awry. Thank God fro the grace of the Holy Spirit, given to the Church to lead it into all truth! (John 16:13)

Last year I expressed my frustration with those who asserted that we had to ally with some of these false ideologies in order to combat others (see here). I am referencing the belief of some conservative Catholics that the Church needs to ally with Islam in order to defeat secularism. The mentality is that since Islam is religious (and secularism areligious) and since Islam is moral (and secularism immoral) that Islam is a far better ally than secularism and hence we should work with Muslims against secularism.

I maintain my disdain for this viewpoint, as if a false religion were better than a false political philosophy! As if the fact that we both have "morals" is enough, when the morals of Islam are antithetical to Christianity. As if it doesn't matter that they deny the crucifixion, deny the Holy Trinity, call our Scriptures corruptions and many other such blasphemies. I maintain that the Church needs no alliance with Islam on any terms.

But today I want to address something that is more prevalent not among pop-conservative Catholics, but more in the fringe 9/11 conspiracy crowd that I have been running into more and more - namely, this idea that there really is no Islamic terror threat to America or to Christians; that these things are just "distractions" from the true enemy, who are the elite globalist bankers. Part and parcel of this view is the idea that the US government is responsible for 9/11, which I do not subscribe to and do not wish to discuss here.

But this idea that Islam poses no real threat and that the "real enemy" are the globalists is really just a rehash of the view I condemned above - that we have to "unite" with Islam against secularism. I agree that secularism is a huge problem. I agree that global elites want to destroy Christianity and the Church and enslave us all. I agree that the "War on Terror" is an ill-conceived and stupid notion. But if you are going to tell me that the Islamic threat is not real, that we can just ignore Islam and focus exclusively on the New World Order threat, then I'm going to have to take issue with you. Islam was around a long time before the global elite and their track record of threatening the Church and the west is long and undeniable.

I do not deny that secular humanism represents a threat to Islam's existence as well - the globalists are no friend to religion under any form. But Islam is in unique position because the globalists use it as a club with which to beat down what remains of the Christian west. Lax immigration policies that favor Muslims coming into the west, multiculturalism, religious discrimination against Christians while bending over backwards to accomodate Muslims - all of these things are being used to bludgeon the west into submission (Islam = "submission"). I wouldn't say the Muslims are working with the globalists, but I would say that they are fulfilling an important role in bringing about the globalist agenda. If the agenda is ever completed we can be sure that the global elite will turn on Islam as well; it reminds me of the story in Revelation of the Beast and the Whore, and how though they are allied for a time, the Beast later turns and destroys the Whore.

As Catholics, we don't have to waste time sorting out tactically who the "real" enemy is. I say along with St. John that anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is of the antichrist, be they globalist or Muslim. The Church stands alone - we don't need to ally with one false religion to combat another false ideology. The Church can stand utterly alone with every false and immoral institution and religion on earth surrounding her and she will still be triumphant. This doesn't mean we don't need to be humble; it doesn't mean we don't need to do penance for our sins and repent of our evil; but it does mean that we need to trust in God alone and not think that allyign with this or that false religion will help us. That is how ancient Israel got itself into trouble - allying with Egypt against Assyria, allying with Syria against Babylon, etc. But what dot eh Scriptures say?

"I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." -Psalm 121:1-2

Unam Sanctam Catholicam