Another Law

As the celebration builds regarding the rich history of our nation and people of faith are celebrating its founding principles that originate with Scripture, there are those that have different ideas.  And, some of those ideas have consequences that the Founders would have not intended.  Our nation was founded on certain freedoms and the opposition to tyrannical leadership.  And, there is a discernible thread of Biblical truth that is woven through our history.  The Bible says in Psalm 33 (ESV):
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
    on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
    and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
    and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

And, historically, we as a nation have honored a God who is active in the affairs of men.  In his 1984 Proclamation of the National Day of Prayer, President Ronald Reagan stated:

In 1787, a then-elderly Benjamin Franklin said to George Washington as he presided over the Constitutional Convention, ``I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?''

With these words, Mr. Franklin called upon the Convention to open each day with prayer, and from the birth of our Republic, prayer has been vital to the whole fabric of American life.

The President went on to say: "From the poignancy of General Washington's legendary prayer in the snow at Valley Forge to the dangerous times in which we live today, our leaders and the people of this Nation have called upon Divine Providence and trusted in God's wisdom to guide us through the challenges we have faced as a people and a Nation."

These a powerful lessons about dependence on Almighty God - the One True God, the God of the Bible, who has sustained our nation.

But, as I mentioned, there are those who reject the concept of this God at the heart of our nation.  There are those that worship the gods of secularism and Marxism, who embrace godless socialism and Communism, and pay homage to the god of Islam, who is not the same as the God to which Reagan was referring, the God whom we as Christians worship and serve.

The threat of the imposition of Sharia law is something that has governmental leaders concerned.  The Christian Post quoted from Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who said, "Sharia law and the imposition of Sharia law is contrary to the U.S. Constitution. Our Constitution is the greatest in the world. It's the longest surviving Constitution on the planet, and we're 250 years into this grand experiment in self-governance..."  The article stated: "Noting that the Declaration of Independence affirms human dignity and value, and that U.S. law guarantees freedom of religion, Johnson said Sharia law conflicts with it."

And, Johnson is not alone - Rep. Chip Roy of Texas is referred to the article, which stated that Roy "launched the Sharia-Free America Caucus with another Texas congressman amid fears their state has been inundated with Muslim immigrants who have no intention of assimilating, but aim instead to establish self-governing enclaves under Sharia."

Kris Kubal, Chief Program Officer at Intercessors for America wrote a piece recently at The Christian Post, referencing, "the Adhan, the Muslim call to prayer, now blaring over loudspeakers in communities nationwide."  She continued:

...Now blaring over loudspeakers, it unapologetically and forcefully declares its presence in our American cities, such as in Dearborn, Mich., Paterson, N.J., Falls Church, Va., New York City, N.Y., and Minneapolis, Minn. The Adhan's call is becoming a fixture, a sonic marker of shifting cultural tides in America.

Kubal warns: "Under the guise of religious freedom, a political system rooted in Sharia is advancing into our neighborhoods."  And, just like Mr. Johnson said, Kris Kubal highlights "its fundamental incompatibility with our Constitution;" stating these three areas:

Recently, the Parliament in the nation of Uganda had been considering a bill that would establish Sharia courts in that nation - once gaining traction quickly, there are no indications that the Parliament passed the bill before it adjourned almost two weeks ago.  A Christian Post article stated:

“We are very concerned at the Qadhis Courts Bill, which will require Christians and other non-Muslims to appear before Sharia courts, and formally introduce religious law into our national law,” said Arthur Ayorekire, vice president of the Uganda Christian Lawyers’ Fraternity. “The bill is not necessary and will only lead to legal uncertainty, tensions between religious groups, and potentially will allow extremism to grab a hold in Uganda.”

ADF International pointed out that the bill raises concerns about religious conversion. Sharia law does not recognize conversion from Islam, and under the proposed courts, Muslim individuals seeking to convert to Christianity or other religions would likely be prevented from doing so.

Back in America, as we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation, we find there is a significant number of Americans who don't like this country and would like to try some other form of government; some would rather institute Islamic law than continue with the U.S. Constitution.

While we should always show Christian love toward those who embrace Islam and share the gospel with them. We also recognize that there are those who, under that banner, desire to dominate and institute a form of government that stands in sharp contrast to the freedom-based U.S. Constitution that guarantees freedom of religion and freedom of speech.  

So, Muslims in America are free to exercise their faith under our system of government and benefit from being citizens of the United States; but when you have those who want to fundamentally change of system of government and reduce our freedoms, that becomes a bridge too far.  

We should recognize that there is a spiritual tension that is present between followers of Christ and those who don't know Him.  That is readily apparent when you compare the teachings of Scripture with the teachings of the Koran.  We must pray for God's truth to be established in the hearts of His people and pray for those who don't know Him to embrace our Savior - not just a good teacher, but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.