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**Fiesialenp** · 07-18-2011, 07:21 AM

brother.
Are you sure?
The analysis of the reasons that I have read for the decline of Protestant Churches in the US and Canada states that the major reason for their decline is the identification of these churches with fundamentalism in peoples' minds.

I would suspect what youve read are articles and studies done and written by materialist lefties. I converted to Islam from protestant christianity, the maternal side of my family is made up of these people, My step father is a pastor, and I live in a city where the two biggest Evangelical organizations in the US are headquartered, Focus on the Family and New Life Mega Church (most famous for the Pastor Ted Haggard scandle). From my experiences, Evangelicals face much of the same attacks Muslims face from the media. When a Muslim says he is 100% in favor of Sharia law, hes branded an extremist and possible terrorist. When an Evangelical says hes against homosexuality or agrees with the more "Islamic" views of the bible, hes branded an extremeist. So when you read an article citing evangelical extremism as a problem, I would take it with a grain of salt, just as you would an article written about Muslims. The reason being is that as an unbiased outside observer, living in the evangelical epicenter of the US (if not the world) - I dont see ANY extremism in the vast majority of evangelicals. Now I know that the last sentence is going to get a response. But the reason I say this is because I like to approach the subject with some intellectule honesty, and I see many evangelicals who have taken extreme positions against Islam and Muslims, but I see Muslims take extreme positions in opposition of christian s and jews too, but I wouldnt call them extremists, so I dont call the evangelicals who rail against us extremists.

Now to my second point. The nature of Evangelical Christianity is one of self teaching, self interpretation. In their opposition to the corruptness of the Catholic church, they have sytematicly dismatled the evangelical scholarly class. The highest ranking evangelical scholar would be best compared to someone like Hamza Yusuf - Hamza Yusuf is a very knowledgable and intelegent speaker, but he is not at the level of someone like Mufti Taqi Uthamani. In addition, they have no codified Aqeedah - these two factors have lead to evangelcalism becoming a religion made up entirely of laymen.
Wheich then leads to their beleifs being based on popular oppinion rather than Scholarly Oppinion. A good example of this Popular opinion becoming aqeedah is the concept of the rapture - a concept completely foreign to Martin Luther, father of Protestantism. A concept that came into existaqnce 1,800 or so years after Jesus

left this world, and 1,300 years after the Bible had been completed. Today, if you ask an evangelical about the rapture, they will consider it a bedrock belief of christianity.

The basic structure of their religion will lead to their demise - as cited in the article you posted - christians do not find any conflict with believing in reincarnation and the Bible at the same time, I know many christians who have no problem with beliveing Jesus

died on the cross for their sins and that6 Muhamed

is the final messenger of God the father. Their religion is becoming like the tip of a miswak - it started out as a solid root at the council of Nicea - the Powerful forces of constatine crushed all opposition to the nicean creed, but now each fiber is spliting off from the root with their own set of beliefs - These seperate branches can manifest itself in the form of Westboro Babtist church who protest at soldier funerals and call the greeving family members murders and gay lovers. or into perenialist, universalist, new ager christains - because they have no standard beleif structure.

07-18-2011, 07:21 AM	#27
Fiesialenp Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 644 Senior Member	brother. Are you sure? The analysis of the reasons that I have read for the decline of Protestant Churches in the US and Canada states that the major reason for their decline is the identification of these churches with fundamentalism in peoples' minds. I would suspect what youve read are articles and studies done and written by materialist lefties. I converted to Islam from protestant christianity, the maternal side of my family is made up of these people, My step father is a pastor, and I live in a city where the two biggest Evangelical organizations in the US are headquartered, Focus on the Family and New Life Mega Church (most famous for the Pastor Ted Haggard scandle). From my experiences, Evangelicals face much of the same attacks Muslims face from the media. When a Muslim says he is 100% in favor of Sharia law, hes branded an extremist and possible terrorist. When an Evangelical says hes against homosexuality or agrees with the more "Islamic" views of the bible, hes branded an extremeist. So when you read an article citing evangelical extremism as a problem, I would take it with a grain of salt, just as you would an article written about Muslims. The reason being is that as an unbiased outside observer, living in the evangelical epicenter of the US (if not the world) - I dont see ANY extremism in the vast majority of evangelicals. Now I know that the last sentence is going to get a response. But the reason I say this is because I like to approach the subject with some intellectule honesty, and I see many evangelicals who have taken extreme positions against Islam and Muslims, but I see Muslims take extreme positions in opposition of christian s and jews too, but I wouldnt call them extremists, so I dont call the evangelicals who rail against us extremists. Now to my second point. The nature of Evangelical Christianity is one of self teaching, self interpretation. In their opposition to the corruptness of the Catholic church, they have sytematicly dismatled the evangelical scholarly class. The highest ranking evangelical scholar would be best compared to someone like Hamza Yusuf - Hamza Yusuf is a very knowledgable and intelegent speaker, but he is not at the level of someone like Mufti Taqi Uthamani. In addition, they have no codified Aqeedah - these two factors have lead to evangelcalism becoming a religion made up entirely of laymen. Wheich then leads to their beleifs being based on popular oppinion rather than Scholarly Oppinion. A good example of this Popular opinion becoming aqeedah is the concept of the rapture - a concept completely foreign to Martin Luther, father of Protestantism. A concept that came into existaqnce 1,800 or so years after Jesus left this world, and 1,300 years after the Bible had been completed. Today, if you ask an evangelical about the rapture, they will consider it a bedrock belief of christianity. The basic structure of their religion will lead to their demise - as cited in the article you posted - christians do not find any conflict with believing in reincarnation and the Bible at the same time, I know many christians who have no problem with beliveing Jesus died on the cross for their sins and that6 Muhamed is the final messenger of God the father. Their religion is becoming like the tip of a miswak - it started out as a solid root at the council of Nicea - the Powerful forces of constatine crushed all opposition to the nicean creed, but now each fiber is spliting off from the root with their own set of beliefs - These seperate branches can manifest itself in the form of Westboro Babtist church who protest at soldier funerals and call the greeving family members murders and gay lovers. or into perenialist, universalist, new ager christains - because they have no standard beleif structure.
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