Terror From the Pulpits

.. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve.Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them. (The Holy Quran , 8.12)

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* * " .. because they opened not to him, therefore he smote it; and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up." (The Holy Bible, 2Kings 15:16)

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* * ..and destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." (The Holy Bible, 1Samuel 15:3)

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*"And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain: (The Holy Bible, Deuteronomy 2:33)

*And such is the punishment of your Lord when He punishes the towns while they are unjust; surely His punishment is painful, severe. (The Holy Quran 11.102:)

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*If I were to choose among these sacred texts, and write them in a small note and hand them to the airline stewardess as a tip for bringing my beer, what do you think would happen? If I were to mail these scared text to my local judges ~ those in congress ~ or perhaps within a Hallmark card to either President George Bush, or Osama Bin Laden, what do you think would happen? What if I were to paste a few particular holy ones on the local Mosque or on the Chapel steps?

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* *The day on which they shall be driven away to the fire of hell with violence. (The holy Quran, 52.13)

*"The Lord is a man of war the LORD is his name ." (The Holy Bible, Exodus 15:3)

*" .. and there shall be nations whom We will afford provisions, then a painful punishment from Us shall afflict them." (The Holy Quran, 11.48:)

*"He that sacrificed unto any God, save unto the LORD only he shall be utterly destroyed"(The Holy Bible, Exodus 22:20)

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"And (as for) the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their hands as a punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from Allah; and Allah is Mighty, Wise" (The Holy Quran, 5.38:)

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* * "And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters shall you eat"

(The Holy Bible, Leviticus 26:29)

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*"If you do not fight, He will punish you sternly, and replace you by other men." (The Holy Quran, (9.37)

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I ask you why should anything happen when I can quietly sit in a church pew, or humbly with bowed head on my knees in a Mosque and contemplate that stewardess, contemplate those judges, contemplate congress, contemplate Bin Laden or the President.

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"They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. " (The Holy Bible, Deuteronomy 32:24 - 25)

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"The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement, (The Holy Quran )

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I can be there in my house of worship, where financial favor is given in the United States, worshiping The Holy Bible or The Holy Quran, simultaneously weighing the eternal salvation of my soul against the murderous acts condoned, advocated and demanded of me by my God.

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"Fight against such as those to whom the Scriptures were given [Jews and Christians]...until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (The Holy Quran 9:27)

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*"Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers? " (The Holy Bible, Isaiah 33:18)

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