The First Shot in the "New Crusades"?

Rush Limbaugh opened his show today with a statement I have never heard him make before. Since I don't listen to all of his programs all of the time, he could have made it before, I heard it today. I of course in my finite "wisdom" have said this before. You'd only have to interview my son, who is serving overseas to know this. IT'S A RELIGIOUS WAR. It's not a war on terrorism, it's not a war on Arabs, it's a RELIGIOUS WAR. Antagonists in a Religious war do not back down. They must be defeated, or they will come back over and over and over and over again attempting to enforce their religious point of view.

Fundamentalism governs all forms of religious expression. There is the core and originalist position in all religion. The Torah is God's law given directly by him to his People, Israel. Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, son of David, King forever, Messiah. There is only one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet. These are core belief in Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Those that do not subscribe to the core beliefs of each religion eventually fall away. To say for instance as theological "liberals" and the "neo orthodox" do in Christianity that MAYBE some of the core beliefs are not true may draw a large crowd, may draw the faithful away from the core doctrines and may get great play, but the denominations that subscribe to such modified views are not growing. People don't convert to the IDEA of Christ, they convert to following Christ. Likewise people follow Muhammad or the Law of God as given to and through Moses.

Let's look at the three religions and their "warlike natures". Christianity has been used as justification for "Holy War" but no requirement exists in the core beliefs of Christianity to go on Holy Wars. We are to obey our government and are told so and Paul goes so far as to tell us that Governments bear the sword (power of death for order) as ministers of God. That means they are put in place by him and if they are not religious in a way that satisfies us, so be it, God uses all men, good or evil for his purposes. We are to obey them insofar as it is possible while remaining moral. This does not give us the right to go about conquering and rebelling because of our religious beliefs. I'd be happy to discuss this in more detail with whomever.

Judaism has a "Promised Land", the portion of this earth, quite small as a matter of fact that God has declared to be his, and given to his people Israel to inhabit. They are given permission to be quite militant in their borders, but not outside them. Solomon's temple dedication presents a quite benign version of evangelism, with Israel setting an example, people seeing that example, and coming to God and worshipping as a result. This is not a violent world conquest religion.

Islam believes in Holy War. I know some of you say this is not so, but history shows the largest area and largest number of people subjected to military conquest in conjunction with evangelism at the point of the sword, were subjected to Islam. It's a fundamental belief of that religion. As long as that religion persists, it's most fervent adherents will believe that weaponized evangelism and preaching is the way to go. So if we are in a Religious War, and the opponent is Islam. How do we win as people not wanting to be Islamic? It is only by the DEFEAT of that religion because they will persist in trying to win through warfare. Not all of them of course, but enough of them. If our governments want to survive, they're going to have to go to war with a BELIEF.

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