Although I am not Catholic Christian I ask for prayers for the Indonesian Christians in Ambon the Moluku Islands, most of whom are Catholics.

As part of a Christian mission we were forced almost two years ago by Muslim terrorists to leave the people we were helping behind. As one of several missions we participated with the local Catholic communities to establish churches schools and clinics.

In the two years of violence our congregation have all been murdered by Muslim Jihad extremists. All the work in development is destroyed and we have to start all over to install hope and faith into these people. These Christians have been forgotten by western governments to preoccupied with pleasing Muslim nations.

I am not angry inside only the feeling of betrayal that these forgotten communities died rather than having forced conversion on them by the barrel of a gun or blade.

If some of you can imagine up to 2000 militia trained by Al Qaeda, ignored by the Indonesian army, sent to terrorise simple village people.

Understand that Ambon was largely Christian forgotten by most Muslim Indonesians during Suharto reign. Those that have come through the daily aggression all bare the humiliation of amputated limbs, preventing any of them to work honestly. The destruction is heart breakining.

If any of you could pause and send prayers I truly believe they will be answered.

May Christ's blessings be on you all.

Joshua.

-- joshua (joshua_alemein@hotmail.com), October 15, 2002

Answers

Hi Joshua,

I consider it so humble of you, not being a catholic, asking in here for our prayers. You can count on them. And not just because that comunity was formed mainly by catholics, but because we are convinced that we are all brothers and since one day we, christians, will all be in only One Church's bosom, the suffering of one is the suffering of all.

Dear Lord!, you promised that if two of us agreed on asking something it will be done for us by your Father, now we ask that your Holy Spirit rain down on the Moloku Islands so your brothers there can get to know you, give them strength and protect them from the work of our Enemy. Amen!

P.S. I think it would be better if we do our job and let the Holy Spirit "install" faith and hope into those brothers ; )

-- Cristian (gabaonscy@hotmail.com), October 15, 2002.

Joshua,

Don't despair but through work, faith and prayer, the Holy Spirit will erect what was destroyed. You can find reasons for the loss suffered in the communities you serve through out the Christian Scriptures. Accepting Christ would never be an easy existence as so many in the world today and past have experienced. Its what makes the Christian faith stand out from the other main stream religions like Islam.

It is easy from a safe comfortable country to forget that else where in this world Christians from all walks of life are persecuted for believing in Jesus Christ and sadly mostly in Islamic countries. I only hope my words of encouragement will help you stand tall. You may know that Jesus suffered as did all his prophets before him and his apostles after. This has been the case for two thousand years of those who have followed him.

It's equally admirable that you do mission work for Christ, you are able to see at first hand the strength and conviction of the Christian faith in the hearts of simple people that you serve Christ for. Being a Christian is being a part of the only secure faith there is, let nothing distract that from you. Christ has not and will not forsake those that seek and serve him.

My prayers are with you.

-- aka max (temzil@yahoo.com), October 16, 2002.

Hi Joshua,

Australians are still reeling from the Bali bomb last week. I can see from the map that Ambon is a hop from Bali. My prayers for you and ask if you could say some for the missing family members and those in Australia who are grieving.

Good on you Christian, if you don't mind I will take your message to our local church. Max, your kind words are what is needed with me and friends still feeling shock.

-- Claire (Claire@proudaussiecatholic.com), October 18, 2002.

Cristian, my spell checker incorrectly changed your name, apologies for that. All the best though.

-- Claire (Claire@proudaussiecatholic.com), October 18, 2002.

Allah Said (Translation From Qura'an): [30] The Jews call 'Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Al- Masih the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth! [31] They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Al-Masih, the son of Maryam; yet they were commanded to worship but One God: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him). [32] Fain would they extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths, but Allah will not allow but that His Light should be perfected, even though the Unbelievers may detest (it). [33] It is He Who hath sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it). [34] O ye who believe! There are indeed many among the priests and anchorites, who in falsehood devour the substance of men and hinder (them) from the Way of Allah. And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the Way of Allah: announce unto them a most grievous penalty.

-- Muslim (Muenazi@hotmail.com), December 21, 2002.

Now, Muslim, please explain it in ordinary everyday English, because it makes no sense to me at all.
Thanks. JFG

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), December 21, 2002.

I think what it means, John, is because you are Catholic, they want to kill you.

I hope I'm wrong and that Muslim here can explain why. I doubt it though. =)

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), December 22, 2002.

I don't mean this to be funny, because this certainly is a very tragic thing. One wag though, meaning to be funny, said that the Muslims and Jews should get together, and try to make some sort of peace. He said "it's the Christian thing to do"got a big laugh, but how true!. We Christians should pray our daily Rosary, and include these unfortunate people, in it. It worked at the battle of Lepanto,and in Austria in 1955. So who know?

-- ed Richards (loztra@yahoo.com), December 22, 2002.

Hello, precious Joshua:

It is so beyond us, here in America, to comprehend the suffering of our brothers and sisters around the world and their tremendous suffering. In some ways I feel I am unworthy to call myself their sister. Lord, forgive us for our complacency and lukewarmess. Lord, forgive me for my unthankful heart. Oh God of Great Mercy, Great Tenderness, Great Compassion, Be their comfort and strength, Be their Deliverer, oh precious Jesus. Surround them with myriads of angels to protect and guide them. Lord, we know someday you will come in judgment, but the judgment is your's. Now, we pray for the conversion of Islam to the sacred heart of Jesus. Lord, may they come to know your tender mercies, and love, and forgiveness. May your servants reflect your light and glory by the power of Your Holy Spirit no matter what dangers they face. The voices of the martyrs cry out to you, Oh Lord.

Amen,

Gail

-- Gail (rothfarms@socket.net), December 22, 2002.

i label myself as muslim #2 because that is all many see muslims as... a group of people, numbers, that act, think and do things together. alas, that is far from the truth, sadly none of you will get to know me, hear my humor, see my drawings, watch how i treat my patients, listen to my view on the world based on my beuatiful religion, islam. The verse from the qur'an written above is clearly stated, translated in to Old English, like the Bible. The verse is stating, There is no God but god, he has no begotten son, daughter, mother, brother-in-law, etc. It implies that the true message of the bible and torah is that there is one god, and that message has been forgotten, with implication of jesus, a prophet, as god. This verse has given you the reason for the existence of Islam, why the message of islam was brought down after the bible and torah... because their true messages have been corrupted and forgotten.

-- Muslim #2 (muslimfarker@yahoo.com), August 23, 2003.

Please understand: the Word is made flesh; Jesus is the Eternal Son, not just a prophet. His Father is that Person Whom you call Allah; and together the Two generate One other Person; the Holy Spirit. But there is only One God, who interiorly is three Persons. Each Person is God and the Trinity is all Three, One only God. This is not our idea. It is revealed in the life & words of Jesus Christ. No one can dispute his revelation.

_________

-- eugene c. chavez (loschavez@pacbell.net), August 23, 2003.

Muslim 2, We would love to know your humor and stories of your patients. You sound like a loving human being. Please stay on board.

God Bless you,

Gail

P.S. We love Jesus because he has redeemed us from the curse of sin! We love Jesus because He is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. We love Jesus because He took our place on the cross, taking upon himself the debt of our transgressions. He is our Redeemer, purchasing our freedom from sin by the blood He shed . . . the perfect pure blood of a spotless lamb. Like Abraham offered up his son Isaac in accordance with God's command, so our God offered His only son for us.

-- Gail (rothfarms@socket.net), August 24, 2003.

The real problem for muslims in general is NOT their theology. It's in their philosophy. They object to the Incarnation and Trinity out of an a priori philosophical incomprehension as to how exactly God could become Man. For them it is impossible - a feat not even God could do or even desire.

It helps to remember the Arians - the 4th and 5th century heretics that nearly took over the Church (the DID take over the Bzyantine empire) the century before Mohammed was born. They taught that Jesus was a creature, not the creator. And they built this doctrine on fairly sophisticated neo-platonic philosophy that was long in vogue both in the academies and in the music of those days.

They lost both in their attempt to seize control of the Church and the empire, but they didn't just die out. They found and embraced Islam - which also holds Jesus in high regard as a creature, and conceives God as totally "other" who loves us but whose nature cannot be incarnate. (It goes without saying that they rejected Eucharist as well)...

Now Mohammed knew of Jews and Nestorians and Pagans... and Arians. Both pagans and jews utterly rejected the Christian revelation of Trinity and Incarnation on the grounds that - for them - it was inconceivable that God could become man to save man and return the human race to blessedness. Thus St Paul tells us that the Greeks thought the Gospel was madness and the Jews were scandalized by it.

The Nestorians broke away over a Christological problem - how could Jesus of Nazareth be both man and God (2 natures, 1 person)? In other words, if your theology doesn't take into account the philosophical "how to" it closes the door on possibilities before they are allowed to dawn on the consciousness.

For example, Moses approached the burning bush - which was not consumed by the flame. God spoke to him through the theophany of the bush, and he did not reject it as a hallucination. Why not? Because his philosophy accepted as possible the fact that God can "speak" or communicate through creatures! Had Moses' philosophy held that God could not, or would not reveal himself to mortals, he never would have continued the discussion.

More than rejecting the Gospel for theology then, they reject it as impossible from their reason - they either didn't have the words to capture the concepts, or their culture wasn't ready to even suspect the concepts of person and nature, being and begotten.

Jesus makes this clear in John's Gospel when speaking with Nicodemus - a master of the law, who could not grasp being "reborn of water and the spirit." So long as God acts like men would, the Jews or Muslims accept Him. But the moment His ways are beyond our ways... what happens? Prophets are killed by "the people".

Nicodemus was a master of the Law - but even he did not suspect or know all the implications of the Law. The Sadducees - (those who only believed in the first five books, the Torah, as divinely inspired) didn't think angels or spirits existed. So using their own books, he revealed what they overlooked: "God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live for him." Thus teaching these "masters" that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still alive - before God, thus are still in existence, spiritually.

If the Jews then (in the party of the Sadduccess) could overlook their own revelation, and then throw up philosophical blinkers to not only the existence of spirit but also of God's Son, how much more should we expect non-revealed traditions of men (Islam) to have philosophical blinkers keeping their theology from suspecting God's will?

And if any Muslim challenge my take on Islam, I ask them: what proof did Mohammed the Prophet give us to prove that God truly revealed Himself to him? He spoke of an angel. How do we know that was an angel of God? What miracle or prophetic event did he preside over that we should take his word for it? Historically all we know about him is that he led an army and conquered a small city in Arabia, then settled in as its ruler and began to preach.

If he is truly God's prophet, what criteria of credibility do we have to go on to believe in him rather than in say, Joseph Smith, who also claimed to see an angel who preached a new gospel and told him that he, Joe Smith was the new prophet of the ages?

Christian missionaries are attacked and killed around the world for sharing the Gospel message non-violently with Muslim neighbors. Yet, if you are willing to KILL certainly you should find it easy to explain why we and not you are wrong about God and man and salvation! Islam has spread by the sword and is maintained by the sword. If this statement is wrong, show me with history or arguments why this is so. And I know you believe in arguments - or at least that argumentation is taught at the scholarly city of Qom...

Moses and the other Prophets did miracles - completely surprising things that "were not Man's ways, but God's ways", teaching people to expect a Messiah who would come to save the world - and that Messiah wouldn't be a general or ruler commanding an army (after all, that's EASY - and plenty of rulers have existed)... The Messiah would lead people in truth. We know Mohammed tried to preach in Medina and was ousted. We also know that instead of relying on the power of his "word" to convince them, he gathered an army and slaughtered his foes... so... if that's how it happened, why should his "koran" or words have any particular claim of being better or truer than the Christian Gospel which never did need an army or military victory to succeed in winning converts?

It is worth asking some really informed Mullah about what God is and can do. The Muslims were the ones who by hook and crook "saved" Aristotelian (and Neo-platonic) books... their later philosophers all became either deists or atheists and Deism is not far from Islam - God is the wholly "other". Creator, but never "Father". For them it is a scandal for God to be "father".

They would never have God "walking in the garden" as He is said to have in Genesis. For them there can be no incarnation - because there is no Trinity, no hypostasis, no need for sacrifice to liberate man from Adam's sin.

-- Joe (joestong@yahoo.com), August 25, 2003.