Bridge of Grace

Omar Abdel-Rahman, known as The Blind Sheikh, dedicated much of his life to teaching violent Jihad against he world.  He supported Jihad against the government of Egypt in the 1970's, served with Osama bin Laden & Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, and eventually came to the U.S. in the early 1990's to encourage Muslims in the country to wage Jihad on America, a nation that he hated with a passion.  Despite repeated attempts to have him deported, Sheikh Rahman kept managing to find loopholes.  Over time, Rahman would become the mentor for several terrorists who carried out the 1993 WTC Bombing.  It was shortly after this that Sheikh Rahman was arrested and sent to Federal Prison, where he died in 2017.  However, Rahman was more than just a terrorist, he was also a very well educated Islamic scholar, and for a time served as a Professor of Qur'anic interpretation at the most prestigious Islamic University in the world: Al Azhar University of Cairo, Egypt.  This Un...

Many famous activists like Howard Zinn have been long-time supporters of nonviolence.  They believe that using violence against violence only creates and endless cycle of war and death.  He condemned the 9/11 attack, but in turn also condemned the U.S. bombing and incursion into Afghanistan as a response.  He condemns Palestinian terrorist attacks, but also condemns Israel's military response.  However, is condemning violence enough?  Shouldn't we also speak out against teachings and ideas that encourage violence?  Any right-thinking non-violent activist would say "Yes, absolutely!"  So then, why don't these activists speak out against the Islamist teachings that are inspiring Jihadists all over the world to carry out acts of violence?   Sadly, many of these same non-violent activists live in self-delusion.  They go along with the propaganda that the actions of these Jihadists have nothing to do with the teachings of Islam.  Th...

For over a millennia, the Coptic Christian Community of Egypt has been forced to live as a permanent under-caste in Egyptian society.  There was at no point during the past 1,000 years that the Coptic Christian Community enjoyed a period in which they were afforded full equality in the Islamic controlled nation.  Over the millennia, the Coptic Christians endured constant persecution coupled with a string of mass slaughters that occurred throughout the centuries.  Under the laws of Islamic conquest, all Jews and Christians living within the conquered nations were forced to live as dhimmis (under-castes), which essentially means you accept your conquest and inferior status, and any attempt to change this is considering an armed revolt and would justify your death. Though the Coptic Christians enjoyed a brief break from persecution during the time that the British Empire controlled the region, they never enjoyed full equality, and ever since the British withdraw, the Copti...

For the Coptic Christians of Egypt, the Arab Spring rapidly deteriorated into an ISIS Winter.  Due to the ongoing violence perpetrated against the Coptic Christians by the Muslim Brotherhood & their Salafist allies, over 100,000 Coptic Christians fled the country.  In some areas of the country, such as the Sinai region, the situation has deteriorated so badly that a massive ethnic cleansing campaign is underway.   After the Arab Spring, ISIS inspired gunmen have targeted the Cop tic Christians for attack throughout the Sinai.  These terrorists have targeted Coptic Christians in their homes, in the streets, even in restaurants.  Hundreds of families fled their homes to seek refuge in local churches or in other areas of the country.  Since 2011, thousands of Coptic Christians have fled from the Sinai due to the threat of ISIS.  Prior to the Arab Spring, there were over 5,000 Coptic Christians living in the Sinai.  Now...

When two American Missionaries by the name of Martin & Gracia Burnham were kidnapped by the Philippine Islamist Terrorist Group, Abu Sayyaf, they were held hostage for over a year.  During that time, that had to chance to speak to the terrorists, to hear their stories, and understand their desires.  The Abu Sayyaf essentially want to do to the Southern Philippine Islands what the Taliban did to Afghanistan, but it will not stop there.  In their conversation with Abu Sayyaf leader Ustedz Khayr, he explained to the Burhams that once they had the southern islands of the Philippines, they would push on to the central islands, then the northern ones.  After all of the Philippines was under Islamic Sharia, they would push on to Thailand and keep going until the world was under Sharia.  Thus, there would be no end to this conflict regardless of any treaty that the Philippine government offered.  This testimony should serve as a lesson to world leaders who...

For years, we have witnessed Jihadists committing acts of terrorism and mass murder all over the world, and all have cited their Islamic teachings as their source of motivation.  Many people, who don't want to confront the reality of Islamic Jihad often try numerous tactics to try to shield the fact that it is the scriptures of the Qur'an & Islamic Hadith (oral traditions of Muhammad through which the Qur'an is interpreted) are the primary motivators of the ongoing Jihadist attacks on our world.  One popular tactic is to try and claim that the within the Old Testament of the Bible, there are numerous acts of violence that are being committed.  Acts such as God flooding the world, God raining fire on Sodom & Gomorrah, and God unleashing the 10 Plagues of Egypt.  However, the most popular issue that is pointed to is the Old Testament Wars that were fought between the Israelis and their numerous enemies such as the Philistines, Canaanites, Amakelites, & Ammo...

Over the past few years, I have observed the radical group "Antifa" engaging in actions of violence and intimidation against any and all whom they disagree with.  Claiming to be an "anti-fascist" organization, Antifa in truth embodies everything that is wrong in the Leftist movement at this present time.  They claim to be fighting fascism, yet they are using fascist tactics to make their point.  They've shouted down peaceful speakers at Universities, violently attacked demonstrators who do not agree with their views, and have even orchestrated riots that have caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage.  The sad reality is that Antifa is becoming the very thing that they seek to fight, and if you do that, then there is no point in fighting, because you have already lost.  I think it's time that Antifa starts heeding the words of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr because I believe in my heart that if Dr. King was still here with us today, he...

“Nathan” is an ex-Muslim, converted in 2000.  Initially had tried to convert two Christian men to Islam, believed in Muhammad and offered them money and home if they would accept Islam.  He went to their home (where they worshiped) and disagreed with God sending a Son for their salvation.  Told Christians this was a lie.  Christians told him to read the Bible for himself.  Learned that it was Isaac and not Ishmael who was offered as the sacrifice by Abraham.  As he continued to read the Bible, he felt something happening within him.  He continued to study the Bible, hoping to prove Islam right, but after reading Genesis, he felt at peace.  “Nathan began to think that this was all wrong.  “How can I accept Christianity and reject Islam?”  He had to conclude the Qur’an was wrong.   As he read the Bible his brother asked him what he was doing.  When  “Natha...

As a long believer in the fight for equality, I like many became wooed by the ideology of socialism.  Like many, I resented that a small percentage of the populace in my country have billions of dollars in their name, while so many others have so little.  So why not consider socialism?  After all, it promotes collective & cooperative ownership of all income and resources.  It promotes the idea that everybody in the society will get a an equal share.  Doesn't that sound nice?  A society of full equality?  A society where there is no greed, no poverty, and no monetary conflict?  However, over the years I had to ask the important question: "Does this idea work in practice?" Well, in Stalinist Russia, Stalin decided to make everybody equal by simply making everybody poor (except for the Party Elites).  All the "excessive resources" that the Kulaks (privileged class) had went to the state, and if they resisted, they were called "enemies" a...

In this day and age, people rail against hate speech, they demand that it be criminalized and banned in our country.  However, we have a serious problem, who defines what hate speech is?  If I criticize some of the teachings & practices of the Catholic Church, is that hate speech?  If I list reasons why I do not believe that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, is that hate speech?  If I criticize certain aspects of Sharia Law as promoting the dehumanization of women, is that hate speech?  If I speak my opposition to the practice of polygamy, is that hate speech?   Instead of protecting people from hate speech, political correctness is silencing honest discussion and dialogue.  Instead of peacefully exchanging ideas and engaging in dialogue, many are being so severely manipulated by political correctness that they simply resort to shouting down anyone whom they disagree with, banning peaceful speakers from sharing their views, and smearing p...

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, claims to be an educational group working for the separation of state and church. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to non-theism.  However, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, in their desire to protect the Constitution, are actually attacking it.   Article 6 of our Constitution specifies that "No Religious Test shall ever be required as a qualification to any Office or Public Trust under the United States," and it is not.  People of a diverse number of faiths serve in Public Faith in our nation.   Our Founding Fathers did not want a specific faith endorsed, nor did they want to see it suppressed.  Public expression of Faith is not illegal, and prayer is public institutions is permitted, but never forced.  Contrary to popular view, the phrase of "Separation of Church ...