October 09, 2007

Can A Christian Pray To Allah?

By Chuck Baldwin

George W. Bush was twice elected President of the United States with great assistance from evangelical Christians, who, almost universally, believed he was a born-again believer. Many still hold onto that belief. In fact, evangelical Christians compose the bulk of the ever-shrinking base of support Bush has left. This is due almost exclusively to this belief that Bush is a born-again Christian.

As a minister of the Gospel for more than three decades, I have witnessed professing Christians do and say just about anything one would associate with unbelief. In fact, nowadays the line dividing believers and unbelievers seems practically nonexistent.

I've known unbelievers who are far kinder and more compassionate than many professing believers. In fact, professing Christians are sometimes even meaner and more cantankerous than unbelievers. (Don't get me wrong: I've known many unbelievers who were as mean as rattlesnakes, too.)

Another paradox to me is how so many professing believers (including pastors) seem to lack the spiritual discernment to understand even the simplest principles. This is especially true regarding the principles of freedom and national independence. One would assume that knowledge of the Scriptures, along with the aid of the Holy Spirit, would cause believers to be on the front lines in the defense of these principles. However, many times, unbelievers are the ones fighting for liberty, while believers sit piously and passively on the sidelines. What a shame!

However, that believers can continue to propound the "Christianity" of George W. Bush takes the cake. One has to hand it to Karl Rove: he thoroughly and masterfully fooled the Religious Right. And he did it with only a little assistance from Bush.

A few public catch phrases; some prayer breakfasts; a few references to Jesus; some personal meetings; and a few phone calls or personal meetings with big-name evangelicals was all it took to beguile the vast majority of professing believers. Because of this, George W. Bush is now and forever known as "our beloved Christian President."

Then again, how would our Christian brethren react if someone came into their church and said that "all religions pray to the same God"? I dare say such a statement would be met with the most vehement rejection. Yet, that is exactly what President Bush has said repeatedly. The latest example was just last Friday, October 5, 2007.

In an interview with Al Arabiya reporter Elie Nakouzi, Bush said, "I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God."[WorldNetDaily: Bush: All religions pray to 'same God', October 7, 2007 ]

Bush has made this same statement throughout his Presidency. The statement obviously reflects a deep-seated belief.

Of course, George W. Bush is the first President in U.S. history to celebrate Ramadan in the White House. He is also the first President to worship and pray in a Shinto temple.

Last Friday, World Net Daily quoted Bush as saying, "We are having an Iftaar dinner tonight--I say, 'we'--it's my wife and I." Bush also said, "This is the seventh one in the seven years I've been the president. It gives me a chance to say 'Ramadan Mubarak.'" Bush is also quoted as saying, "I want American citizens to see me hosting an Iftaar dinner."

The Iftaar dinner refers to the evening meal for breaking the daily fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. "Mubarak" means "blessed." So, when Bush says "Ramadan Mubarak" he is saying that Ramadan is blessed (by God), or "blessed Ramadan."

I would very much like to see President Bush ask one of his Muslim or Shintoist friends to pray in Jesus' name, or ask them to take Christian communion, or publicly worship the Lord Jesus Christ. You know as well as I do that no Muslim would deny Allah by worshipping Jesus Christ. Yet, our supposed "Christian" President has no qualms about denying Christ in order to worship Allah or pray to Shinto gods.

Anyone with even a casual knowledge of Islam knows that when Muhammad founded the Muslim religion there were about 300 pagan gods being worshipped in the region. He selected the moon god, Allah, and proclaimed it to be the one true God. This is, of course, the origin of the crescent moon symbol of Islam.

Therefore, when President Bush says Muslims and Christians worship the same god, he is saying the Lord Jesus Christ is not superior to the pagan moon god, Allah. Or to turn it around, Bush is saying the pagan moon god, Allah, is equal to the Lord Jesus Christ. And it would appear that Bush would have the same belief regarding the Shinto gods, or any other pagan god, for that matter.

So, here is the sixty-four million dollar question: can a Christian pray to Allah or to any other false god? Can a Christian worship any other god? Can a Christian recognize a pagan god to be equal to the Lord Jesus Christ?

Every true Christian knows that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father. Jesus is not "a" way of salvation. He is the only way of salvation, and His is the only name whereby we are saved. No man comes unto the Father except through Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). This is Christianity 101. We have pre-kindergarten children in our Sunday School that apparently understand more about Bible truth than our supposed "Christian" President.

However, the Scriptures are even more explicit. For example, 1 John 2:22,23 states unequivocally, "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father."

Could the Apostle John be any plainer? Any person denying the Son denies the Father, and any person who has not the Son has not the Father. Plus, anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah, Savior) is an antichrist.

The Apostle Paul stated in Philippians 2:10,11 "That at the name of Jesus [not Allah] every knee should bow [including the knee of Muhammad], of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess [including the tongues of Muslims, Shintoists, Buddhists, and atheists] that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

I ask again, can a true Christian pray to Allah or worship Allah (or any other false god)? Would any real Christian not cringe at the thought that he or she might actually equate the Lord Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Savior of the world, with a false, pagan god or dare to reduce the sinless, resurrected Christ to the ranks of pagan idols? Perish the thought!

So, what does this tell us of George W. Bush? How can he deny his Lord for the sake of political correctness? Furthermore, what does this tell us about the hundreds and thousands of Christians and pastors across America who continue to defend and laud this apostate?

It is one thing for evangelicals to support President Bush for political reasons. But for evangelicals to support President Bush for his "Christianity" is the height of absurdity. The man has proven he has absolutely no understanding of genuine Christianity, and for evangelicals to continue to support him on that basis only serves to display their own ignorance or compromise or both.