The Bethlen Home Messenger, 2002 (1-4. szám)

2002-09-01 / 3. szám

Lord Jesus, the Captain of our soul, who didst know the pain of battle with the old evil foe in order to secure our redemption, grant us a grateful heart for the freedoms we enjoy through Thy grace and mercy.

Help us to treasure our spiritual freedom from sin, death and the devil, and open Thou our lips continually to praise Thee for our liberty in Thee.

Teach us to be thankful for our liberties in this blessed land, which were won and preserved for us by the sacrifices of our countrymen in times past. Help us to honor their memory by a conscientious and loyal citizenship and a readiness to defend the rights of free men everywhere.

Grant Thy comfort to families who on this day remember with sorrow the death of one who gave his life for our country. Sustain those veterans who are confined to hospitals throughout our land, and here at The Bethlen Home, who bear the scars of war so that we might enjoy the wholesomeness and peace and freedom.

Preserve us from forgetfulness of the heroes of the past, lest we become a coward in the face of the future. Grant the gift of peace to our land and to the world, so that Thy Gospel may have free course and more men everywhere may march under Thy lordship beneath the banner of Thy Cross... AMEN.

REMEMBER SEPTEMBER 11, 2002 THE RISE OF ISLAM THE MOSLEM WORLD

The Moslem world is a vast empire embracing some one billion people or roughly one-sixth of the world's population. From its beginning Arabia it has spread to Africa, India, China, the Malay Archipelago, the Philippines, Europe and even to North and South America. It has literally swallowed up Persia, Syria, and most of Western Asia, The land area we refer to as the "Middle East” is almost solidly Mohammedan.

For thirteen centuries Islam has been on the march until today it spans the two largest continents of the globe and makes itself at home with the desert Arab, the Algerian mountaineers or the apartment house dweller of Cairo or Baghdad. Much of this territorial conquest has been at the point of a sword, which would seem to be a fulfilling of Mohammed's prediction before his death that "wars for the spread of Islam would never cease until the anti-Christ appeared."

It is almost impossible to sketch a word picture of the "typical Moslem". Islam has followers in practically every part of the world today, which precludes a general description, but the majority of Moslems are either Asiatic or African. The Arabic influence is decidedly apparent, especially in architecture. The most distinctive evidence of Islam in any city is the mosque with its tall, pointed minaret towers. Five times a day the call to worship sounds forth from the throat of the muezzin: "God is Great...come to

prayer...God is great."

The mosque is similar to the Christian church. Its doors are always open and it is seldom empty. It serves as a place of rest, of prayer and of worship. Sometimes it is used as a school or medical dispensary or shelter in times of emergency. Because the Islamic religion forbids the use of pictures or images of living creatures these mosques and other buildings are embellished with geometrical or floral designs, which lends a unique touch to Islamic architecture.

MOHAMMED

Mohammed was born about 570 A.D. at Mecca. His father died a few months prior to his birth and his mother died when he was only six years old, leaving him an orphan. The most noteworthy thing which might be said about his parents is that they claimed lineal descent from Ishmael, the son of Abraham by the slave girl Hagar (Genesis 16:15). But this is not so singular since the entire population of Mecca claimed the same thing. He was then cared for by his aged grandfather Abd al Motkalib, and after his death in 578 by his uncle Abu Talib.

As a youth he earned a meager living by watching sheep and goats, occasionally acting as a camel driver for caravans. He is said to have been of medium size, slender with broad shoulders and physically strong. He had black hair and eyes, an oval shaped face, strong white teeth, a long nose, a patriarchal beard, and a dignified commanding demeanor. He dressed in plain white cotton clothes, though on festive occasions he would dress in more colorful linen.

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by Rev. Dr. Joseph Posta FOR VETERAN’S DAY