For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Stephanie Miller
Excellent answer Jean Goredema!!!
John Toth
I think Jeans answer is well thought out and supported her position well with chapter and verse. However, I'm still left with the question if there was a supremely qualified individual running for president and claimed to be a Muslim would I (or should I as a Christian) vote for him. I agree that God places those in power who he wishes, and that I am to support them. However, if I am pushed to make a decision what would I do? I usually have clear direction from the Holy Spirit but was not clear here, and really had to think about it when Dr. Carson made his comment recently. At this point, I'm feeling convicted that I should not vote for a Muslim as that religion does not accept Jesus as God and Savior.
Lynda Hickman
Several years ago while enduring a very long wait for a flight in NY, I had an opportunity to talk at length with a young woman who was waiting for the same flight.
As we talked it was obvious that she was educated & well spoken.
At first I hesitated to ask of her faith because while she was wearing jeans & a T-shirt, she was also wearing a hijab.
But after a while we began to talk about our faith, her's as a Muslim, mine as a Christian.
She was very open & quite friendly as I asked about the Koran.
We even talked about 9/11 & she related to me how difficult it had been for her to travel back & forth to London in the months following the attack, even though she was an American citizen, born in America.
After answering some of my Q's, she asked me if I had any Muslim friends. I took out my bible as I tried to explain what the Scriptures said in regard to a friendship between a Christian believer & one who is not. I showed her the verses in 2 Cor 6:11-18
I thought for a moment that she might get angry & walk away, but she didn't. She agreed that for her, in spite of the wide circle of acquaintances in her profession (anthropology) & her husband's (also Muslim) in art restoration, there were few Muslims. So their "friendships" were very limited.
Then I asked her if the Koran said that Muslims were to kill infidels. She replied that the word "infidel" is a misnomer, it is actually "idolaters."
Then I had to ask, "who are the idolaters?"
And she answered very quietly & hesitantly, "those who do not bow to Allah."
And she continued saying that Christians, because they believe in God the Father, God the Son & God the Holy Spirit are viewed as polytheists. And they are considered to be idolaters.
She only smiled a rather hesitant smile when I asked if Muslims & non Muslims could actually live in peace with one another!
How could America long exist if there were Muslims at the helm?
Emo Tenorio
Thank you sister Lynda for your one on one insight into the discussion and I submit was only possible in a free Western society where such discussions are somewhat permitted; without the sharp penalties for blasphemy under sharia law.
Consider the words of Fr. Daniel Byantoro, a Muslim convert to Christianity, discussing the ramifications of Islam’s slow entry into what was once a non-Muslim nation but today is the largest Muslim nation:
For thousands of years my country (Indonesia) was a Hindu Buddhist kingdom.
The last Hindu king was kind enough to give a tax exempt property for the first Muslim missionary to live and to preach his religion.
Slowly the followers of the new religion were growing, and after they became so strong the kingdom was attacked, those who refused to become Muslims had to flee for their life... Slowly from the Hindu Buddhist Kingdom, Indonesia became the largest Islamic country in the world.
If there is any lesson to be learnt by Americans at all, the history of my country is worth pondering upon.
We are not hate mongering, bigoted people; rather, we are freedom loving, democracy loving and human loving people.
We just don’t want this freedom and democracy to be taken away from us by our ignorance and misguided “political correctness”, and the pretension of tolerance.
Consider;
Islam's unwavering "Rule of Numbers": wherever Muslim's grow in number, the same "anti-infidal" violence endemic to Muslim majority nations grows with them.