Page 354 - Christians Must Heed Jesus

Christians Must Heed
Jesus

gerous one that might lead to nobody ever speaking of peace, nobody
loving anyone else and, in particular, to a Muslim awaiting the com-

ing of Hazrat Mahdi not speaking of peace and love. This way of
thinking is a sickly attitude that makes the world's greatest need, that
of an alliance between believers, impossible.
Certain evangelicals who make this claim target an entire nation
or community from the countries around Israel, allege that such a
community is referred to in the Bible, regard those people as the an-
tichrist and have no hesitation in doing so.
But this is a form of behavior and a perspective that is incompati-
ble with the essence of the holy book in which the Christians in question
believe. It is a terrible violation of good conscience to harbor suspicions
about a nation while ignoring all the devout, virtuous, innocent and
well-intentioned people in it, then to regard them in advance as people
who might follow the antichrist and to therefore oppose that society or
incite hatred against it. There are good and bad people in all nations.
The supporters of the antichrist and the supporters of God are al-
ways distinguished from one another by their support of good or evil.
Therefore, saying that a whole nation, no matter what its faith, is bad
through and through, disregarding all the good and innocent people in

it, has no place in God's religion. Such a description of the antichrist is
a most ruthless one, devoid of compassion and love. Such descriptions
encourage terror, oppression, corruption and hatred. Such descriptions
encourage people to feel a groundless hatred for a society, and even to
attack it or wage war on it. The people in question who do this are most
likely unaware that they are, in fact, serving the antichrist.
Under normal conditions, someone who knows the essence of and
lives by religion should not advocate such a view. They should live by
and tell others of brotherhood, moral virtue and the beauty of treating
people with affection and compassion. If someone possesses the kind of
mind that can claim that a whole society is made up of the followers of
satan, then that person is totally ignorant of the essence of the faith. All

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