Pat Robertson Says the Christian Thing to do is, “Destroy Your Friend’s Buddha Statue”

Everyone knows the Taliban are just the Afghan version of the Pat Robertson’s of the world, right? Pat Robertson was asked on air by a concerned Christian named “Jenny” about a moral quandary she had relating to her roommate’s “Buddha statue.”

Jenny: My friend who is a Christian has a Buddha statue next to her Christian ones. Is this ok?

Pat Robertson, who always speaks Biblically gave a pretty unequivocal answer, “Destroy it.”

Pat Robertson: No its not. Take it away and break it. Break it! Destroy it.

So the message is Christian statues are OK but not Buddhist ones, oh and don’t respect the property of other peoples!

Pat Robertson: Destroy Your Friends Buddha Statue

(WhatIfTheyWereMuslim.com)

Here at WITWM, we frown upon all acts of religious desecration. When the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan in March of 2001 it was not only unIslamic but immoral on many levels. Now Pat Robertson is calling for similar measures, can one imagine if a Muslim Imam had said something similar? As of now there is barely a peep about this. (h/t Critical Dragon)

World Net Daily worries that if you eat “halal” food you’re eating food sacrificed to idols

WND, the wacky right wing Evangelical website is forwarding the myth that halal food is sacrificed to idols. They also peddle the conspiracy that Americans are going to be forced to eat halal food. The piece from God Discussion is an excellent rebuttal.

World Net Daily worries that if you eat “halal” food you’re eating food sacrificed to idols

(God Discussion)

Pastor Mark Biltz over at World Net Daily worries that you might inadvertently eat “halal” food in the good old US of A–a country of many cultures—food he says is sacrificed to idols, and “catch” Islam like a virus.    Ignorance of Islam is at its highest in this comment by Pastor Biltz:

At issue, says Mark Biltz of El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash., is eating food that’s “halal,” in other words “lawful” or “permitted” for the Muslim diet.

Muslims join many Jews and some Christians in avoiding the consumption of certain animals such as pigs and birds of prey, but those of the Islamic faith also have their meat blessed in the name of their god, Allah.

“From the Christian standpoint, Allah would be an idol,” Biltz told WND.”

From a faith standpoint, “Allah” IS God, NOT an idol.  Allah.org states:

Allah is the personal name of the One true God. Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has no plural or gender. This shows its uniqueness when compared with the word god which can be made plural, gods, or feminine, goddess. It is interesting to notice that Allah is the personal name of God in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and a sister language of Arabic.

The One true God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with God. To a Muslim, Allah is the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him. The Prophet Muhammad was asked by his contemporaries about Allah; the answer came directly from God Himself in the form of a short chapter of the Quran, which is considered the essence of the unity or the motto of monotheism. This is chapter 112 which reads:

“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Say (O Muhammad) He is God the One God, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone.”

The Quran also condemns the worship of idols, same as the Christian God:

The Quran reminds us of the falsity of all alleged gods. To the worshippers of man-made objects, it asks:

“Do you worship what you have carved yourself?” (37:95)

“Or have you taken unto you others beside Him to be your protectors, even such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves?” (13:16)

Moreover, the term “Allah” is used by Arabic speakers of all Abrahamic faiths (let us not forget that Islam is a branch from the same tree as Christianity and Judaism).  That means that Mizrahi Jews, Eastern Catholics,  Ba’hai’s, and Eastern Orthodox Christians, as Arabic speakers, use the word “Allah.”

As for WND’s and Pastor Biltz’ worry that you and I are eating “halal” food unawares, every day we eat Jewish kosher food and it hasn’t hurt anyone. World Net Daily can’t even get the halal process right.  The halal process goes like this:

Halal Meat – The Process

The slaughtering rules (dhabh in Arabic) for Halal, which are based on Islamic teachings, ethics and jurisprudence need to strictly follow the guidelines below:

• The premises, equipment and machinery must be classed according to Islamic Shariah (Law) before any production takes place • A trained Muslim man should slaughter the animal in a licensed slaughter house with the implementation of all the hygiene and animal welfare regulations • The slaughterman must be a mature and pious Muslim of sound mind who fully understands the fundamentals and conditions relating to Halal slaughter and must be licensed by the Meat Hygiene Service • The animal/bird must be fed and grown on natural vegetarian diet • The animal/bird must be alive, healthy and free from any disease or injury at the time of slaughter. This should be certified and checked by a veterinary surgeon • The animal’s skin or fur and bird feathers must be clean prior to slaughter and free from faeces, dirt or other unhygienic substances • The animal/bird should be fed and should not be hungry or thirsty before slaughter • The animal should not be slaughtered in front of other animals and no blood seen so that no stress or discomfort has been caused to the animal • The animal should be handled gently and individually • The knife should be very sharp and clean and should not be sharpened in front of any animal before slaughter • The Muslim slaughterman says the following before slaughtering: in the name of Allah, Allah is greatest (Bismillah, Allah Akbar) • The cut to be done in the right anatomical position in the throat by cutting the two carotids, the two jugulars, the windpipe and the gullet, but without cutting the spinal cord • All blood should be allowed to be drained from the carcass • A specific time should be allowed till the animal ceases any movement • De-feathering, de-skinning and evisceration can be done afterwards • Any unlawful meat like pork should not contaminate Halal meat. Separate knives, equipment and utensils should be used for Halal meat