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| Pamela Geller |
It's hardly a secret that Islam is anything but a religion of peace. The followers of that religion have shed millions of gallons of innocent blood across the world since Islam's inception in the 7th century.
Oh sure. There are those who'll inevitably point to the Crusades and the Inquisitions to draw a moral parallel between Christianity and Islam. However, that's a fallacious argument because the Crusades and Inquisitions were committed by the Roman Catholic Church in opposition to what Jesus Christ taught. The multiplied murders, beheadings, suicide bombings and terrorist attacks committed by Muslims have been done in obedience to what Muhammad taught.
For example, while Christianity warns against creating images of Christ because they can lead to idolatry, it doesn't order its adherents to kill those who defy that edict. Rather, Islam mandates the death penalty for anyone who creates any type of image of Muhammad. After the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published cartoons of Islam's prophet, two Muslims, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi entered the Hebdo offices in Paris on January 7, 2015 and shot 11 staff members to death while wounding 11 others.
Recently, writer, political activist and commentator Pamela Geller was threatened by Muslims after she organized a contest to draw pictures of Muhammad at an event that took place last month (May) at a civic center in Garland, Texas.
Two Muslims, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi traveled to Garland from Phoenix, Arizona with the intention of killing Geller and everyone who attended the event before they were killed outside the center by police sharpshooters. And according to reports, Geller's home address was recently tweeted by an Islamist named Abu Hussain al-Britani who obtained the address in order to make it easier for jihadists to find and kill Geller.
In addition to being condemned by Islamists, Geller has also been blasted by some in the west for her decision to draw pictures of Islam's prophet. Billionaire business tycoon Donald Trump offered perhaps the most scathing criticism of Geller: "What are they doing drawing Muhammad? Isn’t there something else they can draw? They can’t do something else? They have to be in the middle of Texas and on Muhammad? I don’t know, maybe she likes risk. What the hell is she doing?"
Josh Marshall, who's the publisher and the editor of the uber-left Talkingpointsmemo.com, labeled American Freedom Defense Initiative, an organization run by Geller and Robert Spencer, "a hate group", as did the utterly contemptible Southern Poverty Law Center. And Rukmini Callimachi, a New York Times foreign correspondent chimed in with this: "Free speech aside, why would anyone do something as provocative as hosting a Muhammad drawing contest?"
Should Geller be lauded or condemned for what she did? As an American, she has every right to publish the cartoons because the First Amendment guarantees her the right of freedom of speech.
However, what should Christians do? Should they publish and promote such drawings? They shouldn't, and that has nothing to do with cowardice or the fear of violence from Muslims. Christians are called to be peacemakers rather than troublemakers. They're commanded by scripture to respect other people whether those folks are friends or enemies.
Here's what the apostle Paul wrote in his first of two letters to the early church in Thessalonica: "Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)
Certainly, Pamela Geller isn't a Christian, although there are many professing Christians who place the U.S. Constitution ahead of the Bible when it comes to dealing with authority and other people. I can't criticize Geller because she has the right to publish provocative material under the First Amendment. Unfortunately, when you provoke other people, you invite trouble.
And so, it's never cowardice to avoid trouble by refusing to be provocative. That's the Christian way. The U.S. Constitution may guarantee you the right to provoke others, but the Constitution was written by men rather than by God. According to the Bible, that was inspired by God, provocation is always a wrong and never a right.
Recently, writer, political activist and commentator Pamela Geller was threatened by Muslims after she organized a contest to draw pictures of Muhammad at an event that took place last month (May) at a civic center in Garland, Texas.
Two Muslims, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi traveled to Garland from Phoenix, Arizona with the intention of killing Geller and everyone who attended the event before they were killed outside the center by police sharpshooters. And according to reports, Geller's home address was recently tweeted by an Islamist named Abu Hussain al-Britani who obtained the address in order to make it easier for jihadists to find and kill Geller.
In addition to being condemned by Islamists, Geller has also been blasted by some in the west for her decision to draw pictures of Islam's prophet. Billionaire business tycoon Donald Trump offered perhaps the most scathing criticism of Geller: "What are they doing drawing Muhammad? Isn’t there something else they can draw? They can’t do something else? They have to be in the middle of Texas and on Muhammad? I don’t know, maybe she likes risk. What the hell is she doing?"
Josh Marshall, who's the publisher and the editor of the uber-left Talkingpointsmemo.com, labeled American Freedom Defense Initiative, an organization run by Geller and Robert Spencer, "a hate group", as did the utterly contemptible Southern Poverty Law Center. And Rukmini Callimachi, a New York Times foreign correspondent chimed in with this: "Free speech aside, why would anyone do something as provocative as hosting a Muhammad drawing contest?"
Should Geller be lauded or condemned for what she did? As an American, she has every right to publish the cartoons because the First Amendment guarantees her the right of freedom of speech.
However, what should Christians do? Should they publish and promote such drawings? They shouldn't, and that has nothing to do with cowardice or the fear of violence from Muslims. Christians are called to be peacemakers rather than troublemakers. They're commanded by scripture to respect other people whether those folks are friends or enemies.
Here's what the apostle Paul wrote in his first of two letters to the early church in Thessalonica: "Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)
Certainly, Pamela Geller isn't a Christian, although there are many professing Christians who place the U.S. Constitution ahead of the Bible when it comes to dealing with authority and other people. I can't criticize Geller because she has the right to publish provocative material under the First Amendment. Unfortunately, when you provoke other people, you invite trouble.
And so, it's never cowardice to avoid trouble by refusing to be provocative. That's the Christian way. The U.S. Constitution may guarantee you the right to provoke others, but the Constitution was written by men rather than by God. According to the Bible, that was inspired by God, provocation is always a wrong and never a right.
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