Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Sodom and Gomorrah Re-visited

Of late there are reports of several Western nations recognising same-sex marriages. There was the case of a Danish cabinet minister marrying his boyfriend. Then Canada legalised same-sex marriages. Spain followed suit shortly thereafter. On July, 5th, 2005 it was reported that the United Church of Christ's rule-making body voted overwhelmingly to approve a resolution endorsing same-sex marriages.The President of the United Church of Christ, Rev. John H. Thomas,lent his support to the resolution. If this trend continues it may well be that within a short time all Western nations will recognise same-sex marriages.

Updated May 15, 2008
Calif. Supreme Court rejects gay marriage ban
MSNBC staff and news service reports

SAN FRANCISCO - In a monumental victory for the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage Thursday in a ruling that would allow same-sex couples in the nation's biggest state to tie the knot.
Domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage, the justices ruled 4-3 in an opinion written by Chief Justice Ron George.
Outside the courthouse, gay marriage supporters cried and cheered as news spread of the decision.
Our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," the court wrote.
"Today the California Supreme Court took a giant leap to ensure that everybody — not just in the state of California, but throughout the country — will have equal treatment under the law," said City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who argued the case for San Francisco.
California already offers same-sex couples who register as domestic partners the same legal rights and responsibilities as married spouses, including the right to divorce and to sue for child support.
But, "Our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," Chief Justice Ron George wrote for the court's majority.

Prior to all these there were numerous reports of gays and lesbians marching down the main avenues of the capital cities of many Western nations in broad daylight demanding their "right" to practice homosexuality. Not only do they in large numbers participate in this depravity but construe it their right to do so.

What is happening in Western Christian Society? Have they lost all sense of reason? Have they forgotten the story of Sodom and Gomorrah described in what they consider as scripture (the Bible) where the people were punished by God for such depravity? Do they forget that in Leviticus 18:22 of the Bible it states:-

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind, it is abomination."

What has brought about all this?

We find today in Western society a state of 1awlessness. By this it is not meant that Western society does not have laws promulgated by their Parliaments, Congress and other legislative authorities but rather it is a society devoid of God's guidance and commandments (syariah). It is not that what they consider to be scripture (the Bible) does not contain laws that govern conduct but that Western state has chosen to ignore these and choose to be ruled solely by the dictates of their own minds, reason and sense of logic.

In doing so, although they call themselves Christians, they ignore what they themselves believe to be the very teachings of him whom they claim to follow, Jesus (pbuh). In the scripture that they ascribe to Jesus (pbuh), i.e. the Bible, he is reported in Mathew 5:17 to 19 to have said:-

“17. Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.

19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. "

In other words what Jesus (pbuh) is reported to have said is that his mission is not to repeal or do away with the law (i.e. the Law then in place as was believed to have been revealed to Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the other prophets)(pbut). Rather, he goes on to say that the Law will not be changed until heaven and earth pass away and that anyone who breaches and teaches men to breach the law shall be viewed as the lowest and as despicable in the sight of God whilst those who teach men to observe the Law shall be viewed as "great" by God.

Christians today however do not consider themselves bound to follow any of these laws, notwithstanding that the Bible tells them Jesus (pbuh) reportedly said that the Law will remain till heaven and earth pass away.

Why do they do this?

The answer lies in their following the teachings of Paul found in the New Testament of the Bible notwithstanding that it contradicts what they believe to be the teachings of Jesus(pbuh) in the Bible. Paul teaches them that the Law is no longer applicable to them and hence they are free to ignore the Law. Going by what Jesus (pbuh) is reported to have said in Mathew 5: 19 of the Bible, Paul is a man viewed as the lowest and despised by God and leads men to be similarly despised by God.

In Romans 3:28 of the Bible Paul states:

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."

In this passage Paul states that it is enough to have faith and that observance of the Law is unnecessary. 3

He also calls the Law a curse.

In Galatians 3:13 of the Bible he states:

“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law ..."

In Romans 4: 15 of the Bible Paul states:

“the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression."

In Romans 5: 13 of the Bible he states:

“(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law."

By teaching man that the Law is unnecessary and that men are freed from the Law by Jesus(pbuh), Paul in fact fulfils the description by Jesus {pbuh)in Mathew 5.19 of the Bible of the man despised by God. He also contradicts what Jesus (pbuh) is reported to have said that the Law will remain till heaven and earth pass away. Regrettably, the Christians have chosen to follow Paul rather than Jesus (pbuh), even though they claim to be followers of Jesus (pbuh).

In Hebrews 5: 16 of the Bible Paul states:

“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection ...”

Nothing can be clearer than this verse that Paul teaches principles different from that Jesus(pbuh)taught. He even has the temerity to state that what Jesus~ (pbuh) taught is not perfect but that it is his own teachings that are perfect.

The Law that was given to Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the other prophets is believed by the Christians to be in the Old Testament of the Bible. They believe the teachings of Jesus (pbuh) to be in the New Testament of the Bible. The Christians however fail to recognise the Last Testament of God, the Holy Qur'an, which corrects the earlier Testaments that have been altered and corrupted by men in various places.

What does this Last Testament (Holy Qur'an) tell us about the Christians and their failure to observe the laws" of God?

In Surah AI Ma'idah verse 44 (5:44) of the Holy Qur'an God tells us:-

"It was We who revealed
The Law (to Moses): therein
Was guidance and light . . ."

Two verses later we are told:-

“. . . We sent Jesus the son
Of Mary, confirming
The Law that had come
Before him: We sent him
The Gospel: therein
Was guidance and light,
And confirmation of the Law
That had come before him ...”

Several verses later in verse 68 we are told:

“Say: '0 People of the Book!
Ye have no ground
To stand upon unless
Ye stand fast by the Law ...”

The Holy Qur'an in these verses confirms what Jesus (pbuh) is reported to have said that he (Jesus) confirms the Law that was sent to Moses (pbuh) and that Man shall fail if they disregard the Law of God. Take away the false teachings ascribed to Paul and we find that all God's prophets state the same thing, that is that Man is required to observe the laws and commandments of God.

By disregarding the laws of God the Western Christian society has in effect become a Godless society. They claim that they have faith, but by ignoring the Law of God their faith, is at best, an empty shell.

They have to be made aware that they cannot continue to rely on laws derived solely from their own minds and sense of reason. Man's logic has its limitations and when relied upon solely will surely lead Man astray.

We have two exceptional examples set out in the Holy Qur'an showing the limitations of logic as compared to the knowledge of God.

When Iblis (Satan) was commanded by God to bow to Adam(pbuh) and when he was thereafter asked whv he disobeyed, “he retorted, as reported in Surah AI A'raf verse 12 (7:12) of the Holy Qur'an:-

“...l am better
Than he: Thou didst create
Me from fire, and him from clay"

Ibilis here used his logic and sense of reason to argue against and disobey the commandment of God. We all know what happened to Iblis thereafter.

As opposed to this we have the example of Prophet Abraham (pbuh). He was commanded to sacrifice his only son --- something which defies logic. His readiness to comply with the commandment, even against his own sense of reason, saw him ultimately raised to the rank of "Friend of God".

It is not surprising therefore that Western nations, in ignoring the laws of God and by following the false teachings ascribed to Paul, has gone far astray. They have ventured so far astray as to now consider homosexuality a human right and have gone on to legalise such unions. In considering human rights they are oblivious to or choose to ignore the rights of God. Unless they repent and mend their ways and learn to pay heed to the laws of God and submit their minds and sense of reason to God, it is only a matter of time before the world shall witness the catastrophe associated with Sodom and Gomorrah befall them.

Footnote: All references to the Bible and Holy Quran are to the King James Version of the Bible and Abdullah Yusuf Ali's" The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an

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