Anti-Muslim speaker at Lutheran church, NE CO...

[Viva_La_Revolution]

I just got off the phone with my mom, who lives in a small Colorado farm town. 2000-2500 people, 12 churchs. My grandmother just attended a meeting where they had a man who grew up in Iraq and later became "born again" spewing all kinds of crap about how all Muslims are now out to get America. Mom said she was crying, because she was so scared! She started to calm down a little after Mom gave her some facts - for instance, the Muslim extremists are less than 1% of the Muslim population. But how many people went home that day freaked out on these lies!!

[ComerPerro]

1. meanwhile, Christians murder doctors

because they perform a safe and legal medical procedure.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. She should call up her preacher and complain.

She should simply state that she goes to church to worship God, not to engage in bashing someone else's faith.

[donheld]

3. It's really sad

I think the religious right using scare tactics on vulnerable people is just appalling. I'm far more terrified of our own christian extremists than i am any Muslim

[Tuddie]

4. I'd like to know more ...

Can you say if the Lutheran Church in CO was part of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)? No need to give names of church or town. If it's ELCA, the bishop needs to know. No pastor should subject his or her people to such lies, hatred and fear.

[newyawker99]

6. Hi Tuddie!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Tuddie]

12. Thanks - glad to be here! n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

8. no Tuddie, not ELCA

[Tuddie]

11. Thanks for clarifying

I didn't think it was ELCA. Take good care of your Mom - she has nothing to fear from our Muslim sisters and brothers. Meanwhile, check out www.theocracywatch.org and www.yuicareport.org. We do need to learn all we can about the "Dominionists" so find out all you can about them, who is in their leadership and who they support. You may be surprised. While they say they are, they are not Christian.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. I know

that this stuff is being spewed around. I found anti-Muslim literature in the laundromat I used. They "quoted" the Qu'ran-some passages that I knew didn't say what they said. I think the person your mother saw is the same one quoted in the article.

Most Muslims I know are genuinely afraid to speak out. My husband's life was threatened around the time of 911, and my boss reduced me to tears with what he said about Muslims and Islam. No, I didn't tell him my faith, because I am sure that I would have been fired.

What is ironic is that both my husband and I have been complimented for being such "good Christians" because of our actions. We do, indeed, try to follow the teachings, which include the teachings of Jesus. Maybe some day I will get the courage up to tell my boss and others of my faith so that their misconceptions can be mended.

[toddaa]

16. It's your call

But Muslims need to continually be more 'visible' in America. I understand that financial reasons may be keeping you from revealing your religion, but Islam has too rich and deep a tradition to be trashed by extremists in both camps. Please don't let others fear control you.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

18. Not only economic reasons

but also fear for our lives. As I said, there are people out there with guns, armed and ready, who have stated publicly that they would kill any Muslim they saw. I've seen enough beatings and burn-outs over environmental matters around here to think that shooting is very very possible. And what good will it do if one is dead? These creatures will just say, "Good, another one of them >>>>> is gone."

[JVS]

7. Lutherans generally don't like to hear peep from "born-agains"

What was this guy doing there?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. I should clarify....

When I talked to Mom again, she didn't know if he was a Muslim first, or born Christian, but definitely born in Iraq.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. I bet it was either Missouri or Wisconsin Synod

They're an odd combination of fundamentalist theology and high-church liturgy.

[JVS]

15. I think that fundamentalist is a misnomer for the Missouri Synod.

Perhaps they've become more moderate over the years (their current President is from the moderate wing), but from what I've gathered from LCMS writings and sermons they are not fundamentalists. They are pretty conservative theologically (probably about the same place on the spectrum as the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches), but to put them in the same category as Robertson or Fallwell would be incorrect. Sermons that I've heard by their pastors are not unlike those delivered in ELCA churches, but perhaps with more of an emphasis on critical self-examination.

[tanyev]

17. Yup.

Not fundie in the rapture-waitin', bible-thumpin' way I so love to hate, but the Missouri Synod is definitely very conservative. And thank goodness the moderate candidate was elected President again. There certainly is a vocal group of ultra-conservatives, and I won't make any promises for what they might say, but generally they are much more obsessed with "fixing" the Missouri Synod than "fixing" society and getting involved with politics.

[Hatalles]

13. Many of these supposed "Muslim-to-Christian" converts are fakes...

Singing to the choir and only churning forth their own hate-filled propoganda.

[CatBoreal]

14. We get the same thing...

as Pagans. It's not pretty.

I'm sorry your Gran had to go through that. Too bad you couldn't introduce her to a real Muslim. I've had some of my best spiritual conversations with them.

Cam