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July 2007 Stats for The Big Picture.
Last week I posted video of the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. trying to present an argument we would accept in favor of the Saudi laws that forbid churches and synagogues. And let's bear in mind that "forbid" means that if Christians or Jews get together to worship, they will be physically harmed. From the video:
As King Abdullah has said, and I think on American television, he said that we're pretty much like the Vatican. And one cannot imagine Muslims building a mosque inside the Vatican. Or Jews building a synagogue inside the Vatican. When the practice of religion is concerned, the regulation is that people can practice their religion in their homes any way they like. Without any hindrance. And that is the regulation in the kingdom.
Got that? Non-Muslims can practice their religion "in their own homes any way they like." What an arrogant statement, in view of the fact that the way they like to practice their religion is not merely in their own homes, but in churches and synagogues, which Saudi law forbids to them under pain of physical violence.
Additionally, commenter A.M. Whittaker exposes the facetiousness of the comparison to the Vatican:
...while I am not a Roman Catholic nor have been to Vatican City - or Rome - I do know these facts:
The size of Vatican City is 108.7 acres (Acres not miles!)
It is surrounded by Rome
The population living within Vatican City is under 1000
All lay workers(about 3000) reside outside of Vatican City in Rome and its suburbs
The Saudi Ambassador pretends that the whole nation of Saudi Arabia is comparable to a city with a population of under 1000. The argument is so spurious as to appear duplicitous -- it depends on the Westerners in his audience not knowing the facts about the Vatican.
#1
#2When the practice of religion is concerned, the regulation is that people can practice their religion in their homes any way they like. Without any hindrance. And that is the regulation in the kingdom.
Baloney. I lived in Saudi 1989-1993 and my wife was active in a clandestine christian network. They would meet regularily at members houses for services. At one point the “religious police” busted one of these meetings and some were jailed and some were evicted from the Kingdom.
#3So what he’s saying is that allowing a church in Saudi would be less like Israel allowing mosques on its territory, and more like Israel allowing a mosque on the Temple Mount.
Which would be silly.
Oh, wait…
I’ve been away and still need to thoughtfully reply to Mr. Hussain’s comments concerning Islamic military history and sharia law - which will come tomorrow.
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As much as I am flattered that I was quoted, I think the point of my Vatican comment was not so much that Vatican City is so small (which is a valid point and germane to the comment), but despite the fact that within its gates it might be inappropriate and unseemly to worship in any fashion other than what is prescribed by the Roman Catholic Church (the Pope being the supreme head of the church), the largest mosque in Europe is outside the gates well within the Bishop of Rome’s diocese (A Diocese is the territory or churches subject to the jurisdiction of a bishop. ) i.e The King may be Catholic in his palace, but his support staff, countrymen, tenants, and visitors in his kingdom are free to worship/or not worship according to their respective consciences.
The Pope, would never interfere with the laws of Rome, Italy, civil/human rights to extend his influence by banning all other houses of worship or public displays of faith.
While Judaism is not a missionary faith, Christianity is. And Christianity, since the late 17th century, has learnt that membership and conversion by means of submission, spoils of war, coersion, torture, and fear do not breed a godly, joyful and self-disciplined religious body; instead, it breeds outwardly obediant, hypocritical, legalistic, and power-hungry members devoid of the true spiritual values and virtues. The letter of the Law is not always the spirit of the Law.
God has given us the gifts of choice and discernment.
He wants us to exercise them and come to him willingly.
That is why someone like Abdul Rahman is so powerful.
He has exposed Why Islam is so afraid of allowing houses of worship representing Christianity and other faiths in Islamic nations: Because Muslims might find havens of compassion and love.
Christians have readily acknowleged and apologized for the grave theological errors, perversions, and actions of the Inquisition as well as other such events that have endeavored to retain, convert, and subjugate members.
Islam, the ball’s in your court.