Re-Post: "The Tolerance Card Played In Cartoon Row" from Rapture Alert

The Tolerance Card Played In Cartoon Row
by Michael G. Mickey
(2-9-06)

On several occasions I've brought up that I believe the powers of darkness, under the leadership of Satan, are using three socio-political mechanisms in an attempt to silence the Bible-believing Church and the message of hope it is commissioned to bring to a lost and dying world, but, as a refresher, here they are again:
Moral Relativism - Wikipedia defines moral relativism as "the position that moral or ethical propositions do not reflect absolute and universal moral truths but instead are relative to social, cultural, historical or personal references, and that there is no single standard by which to assess an ethical proposition's truth."
Political Correctness - Wikipedia defines political correctness as "a term used in various countries to describe real or perceived attempts to impose limits on the acceptable language, terms, and viewpoints in public discussion. While it usually refers to a linguistic phenomenon, it is sometimes extended to cover political ideology or public behavior."
Tolerance - The American Heritage® Dictionary defines tolerance as "the capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others."
The primary goal of my little ministry, RaptureAlert.com, is to sound the alert that Jesus Christ is coming soon. A secondary goal (one of many) is to show Christians (and even skeptics) how the news of our world today is demonstrative that the prophecies recorded in the Bible are accurate and the world is rapidly nearing the end of the Church Age, as well as the onset of the Tribulation Period itself.
When the recent row erupted between the West and Islam over the publication of some caricatures of Islam's Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper that has incensed the Muslim world to the point of violence, I immediately recognized it was of significance to those of us watching the news of our world today for evidence that Jesus Christ is coming soon. This morning, having looked at somewhere near 100 news stories, I'm realizing the cartoon row may, much like my website, have a primary purpose or goal, as well as a secondary purpose as well - one that should be of great concern to the Church!
As even the most basic student of Bible prophecy understands, the battle to end all battles in recorded human history is going to take place in the troubled Middle East, culminating in the visible, physical, bodily return of Jesus Christ at Armageddon. Bible prophecy, particularly Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39, shows us that tensions between the West and the Islamic world (along with Russia, the self-proclaimed "Defender of the Islamic world") are going to boil over in the prophetic future. As such, the fact Western freedoms have led to the publishing of some cartoons mockful of Islam's Prophet, causing the Islamic world to react angrily and violently is no surprise. What we're seeing, through rising tensions on both sides of the current cartoon row, is dramatic prophetic posturing to be sure, but that's not all that's going on. Today at least, my mind is clearly seeing a secondary purpose or goal of the recent blowup may be coming into focus, buried among which is the quieting or, ideally, silencing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let me explain.
There's no doubt that regular readers of this website have come to be suspicious, at the very least, of the liberal media (film/news/radio/television) when it comes to the role it is actively playing in shaping the way humanity views the spiritual, moral and ethical issues confronting mankind in these end times. As I've documented recently, human-implantable microchip and RFID technologies have gotten a major push since the beginning of 2006, preparing the world for introduction of the mark of the beast to come in the prophetic future. Not only that, Hollywood is dramatically stepping up its efforts to 'homosexualize' America, with its primary vehicle of propaganda presently being the gay cowboy love story "Brokeback Mountain", which Hollywood continues to pass out awards to, in spite of the fact the movie isn't doing nowhere near as good in theaters as Hollywood's many honors bestowed on it would seem to indicate. My point? Subtly, ever so subtly, mankind is being deceived into a new way of thinking - a secular way of thinking. How does the current cartoon row play into the big picture in this regard? The tolerance card is starting to be played!
As reported in the Jerusalem Post, an interfaith group comprised of Jewish, Muslim and Christian clerics, which is a topic for end times discussion within itself due to the role such ecumenical groups will play in bringing about a one-world religion in the prophetic future, is stating "Israeli media reprinting of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad oversteps the bounds of journalistic freedom." Why? Because it hurt people's feelings, of course. A rabbi quoted in the article states, "Freedom of speech does not include the right to hurt the feelings of another."
To be sure, I don't believe it's morally appropriate, in any manner, for anyone to mockingly attack the spiritual faith of another, but for religious leaders of any faith (Jewish, Muslim, Christian or any other) to suggest that freedom of speech does not include the right to say anything that hurts the feelings of another is opening pandora's box to be sure! Why? Because that's just what Satan wants us to do!
Under the banners of tolerance, political correctness, and moral relativism, darkness is striving - and apparently successfully when religious leaders begin echoing the truth-silencing rhetoric of God's enemies - to stop freedom of speech, the vehicle through which the born-again Christian utilizes the Word of God to convict the hearts of those living their lives in rebellion to the God of the Bible, among whom are the Muslims presently upset by the cartoons fueling all the recent conflict. Why? Because Muslims reject the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, as well as their Savior, to the peril of their eternal souls. I say that not to hurt the feelings of Muslims, but out of love, in the hope they will come to faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, thereby entering into the family of God, as well as into brotherhood with us.
The powers of darkness don't want the Church to convict anyone's heart through the gospel of Jesus Christ through freedom of speech so whatever can be done to "keep people's feelings from being hurt", whether the hurtful issue is religiously-demeaning cartoons or the word 'Christmas' appearing at a government-sponsored event, needs to be done! Believe it or not, one thing ties into another in these end times when deception is on the end times menu we're all being fed information from!
Along the same line of thought, the European Union is now calling for the media to self-regulate its content in light of the cartoon row, according to an EU Observer article. The Observer's article quotes European vice-commissioner Franco Frattini of Italy as saying the media should (emphasis added mine) "sign up to a voluntary code of conduct on reporting on Islam and other religions, in a bid to avoid future Danish cartoon-type disputes", adding that be believes "journalists and media chiefs should be aware of their responsibility when exercising their right of freedom of expression, and that they should voluntarily agree to self-regulation in cases where sensitive religious issues are involved." The underlying message, in my opinion, is clear: Let's avoid discussions of religious matters that will lead to hurt feelings.
The EU Commission, a branch of government in the kingdom the Antichrist is going to ultimately lead to global power, is planning to discuss details of a media code of conduct with press organizations and major media outlets in the coming months, which Frattini hopes will "give the Muslim world the message: we are aware of the consequences of exercising the right of free expression, we can and we are ready to self-regulate that right."
Did you catch that, Christians? The EU is aware of the consequences of exercising the right of free expression! If those words don't chill the heart of Christians, particularly those living inside the borders of the European Union, they certainly should because they provide us with a glimpse of what is to come in the future - a day when proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone it may offend (or somehow hurt the delicate feelings of) will place the carrier of that divinely-inspired message of hope in peril.
According to a WorldNetDaily article, the United Nations, a forerunner of sorts of the new world order to come, and the European Union, the birth pains of the Antichrist's new world order to come, have "reached agreement to issue a joint statement condemning cartoon "insults to Islam" that were first published in a Danish newspaper and have been widely reprinted recently, resulting in a rash of violence throughout the Muslim world."
Question: How many times have you seen a governmental power apologize because someone made a mockery of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? If it's ever happened, I'm not aware of it, which brings me to a thought I'll close this rant with.
While many fail to sense there is any evil plan underway threatening religious freedom and expression, particularly the practicing of the Christian faith, the foundations are being laid before our very eyes for just that to take place. Why do I say that? Because, when we reach a place in human history that we are no longer allowed to say things deemed hurtful to others, the decision as to what is hurtful to others and what isn't hurtful will be made by the same people and powers who have allowed the name of Christ and all things having to do with God to be trampled on in classrooms, courtrooms, newspapers and on television and radio all over the world without lifting so much as a finger in protest - the same enemies of God who are quick to apologize to anyone other than God or a Christian where similar issues are concerned!
NBC's recently-cancelled show "The Book of Daniel" caused quite a stir in the Christian community with its portrayal of Jesus Christ as the hippy-like sidekick of pill-popping priest Daniel Webster. Did the United Nations apologize to Christians? How about the European Union? What is hurtful, you see, depends on who is being hurt!
Satan, lest we should forget, is called "the god of this world", as seen in 2nd Corinthians 4:4, and "the prince of the power of the air" in Ephesians 2:2. God has a plan for everything, as detailed in the Bible, including judgment against Satan for his many crimes committed against the throne of the Almighty. Satan and powers supportive of him know this. Therefore, it is the goal of Satan and his minions to counter that plan at every turn.
While I know what the ultimate outcome of the battle between good and evil will be, as detailed in the Word of God, the more I study events taking place in the world around us, the more apparent it becomes to me we're in for a major fight from here on out, at least until the Lord calls us home to His side.
Armor up, Christians!