I wasn't aware that those who choose Islam needed praying for anymore than those who are born again Christians. Are you implying that love and understanding under the Islamic faith are perversions of the "real" meaning of love and understanding as seen by Christians?

I wasn't aware that those who choose Islam needed praying for anymore than those who are born again Christians.

In a real sense you are correct. Christians need prayer just as much as non-Christians. Though, the focus of the prayers for both are much different. My prayers for fellow Christians would focus on that person being strong in the faith, victory through Christ over sin and just over all spiritual growth. My prayers for non-believers are for their understanding of who God is and that they would come to experience His love for them in a very real way, and that through that experience they would enter into a real love relationship with their creator.

Are you implying that love and understanding under the Islamic faith are perversions of the "real" meaning of love and understanding as seen by Christians?

Christian believe that love originates from God. In fact God tells us through the scriptures that "God is love". There is a devine mistery wrapped up in the fact that God himself is actually love. I believe that one reason love even exists on this planet is because God gave love to us so that we may know him better.

I don't want to beat around the bush. The answer to your question is Yes. If in fact God is love, which I believe he is, then the further you move away from the true source of love the more distorted and perverted your understanding of love will be. I am not saying that Christians have a complete monopoly on love or that Christians are the only ones that can experience love, but I am saying that through a growing relationship with Christ, Christians can experience a purer less selfish, less worldly\humanized love.

It sounds as though you are praying that "non-believers" come to realize that your god is the real god and theirs is not. You also say that you would hope "that they would come to experience His love for them in a very real way". If I were to ask you if those who follow Islam are condemned I've no doubt you would say yes as they believe in Allah, not God. Are they to be loved and condmned at the same time?

"...I am saying that through a growing relationship with Christ, Christians can experience a purer less selfish, less worldly\humanized love." This is true, just as those of the Islamic faith can experience a purer less selfish, less worldly\humanized love through a growing relationship with Allah.

This is true, just as those of the Islamic faith can experience a purer less selfish, less worldly\humanized love through a growing relationship with Allah.

You can only grow in a relationship if there are two involved in the relationship.

Joshua, I just want to tell you that your question is such a great question. I just love it.

Are they to be loved and condemned at the same time?

Yes. Christ is a just God. Let me explain: God created man as an expression of love. In the book of Genesis after man was created, God would walk with man in the cool of the evening. God created man to have a relationship with man. When man rejected God through sin the relationship was broken by man, and as a just God there had to be a penalty for sin. That penalty is eternally separation from God. But God in his love created a way for man to reenter that relationship with Him. That way was through Him paying the debt for mans sin on the cross. Man is both condemned and loved.

What is so interesting to me and it just dawned on me as I was writing was this: God is so just that he created a penalty in spite of knowing the fact that he would have to suffer under that penalty because of his love. You see in God?s love he reached down to fallen man to give them a way out of their fallen state. He came to earth to die as the payment for mans sin debt, so that he could again have a relationship with man. When God confronts man with his fallen state mercy can be found.

Proverbs 28:13 "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy".

I have listen to many old Cat Stevens fans heartbroken about his conversion who think of him morphing into a whole different person. Like Ankin Skywalker morphing into Darth Vader. Cat did what he did. I don't care for his choice much but he had is reasons I guess and I respect that. I just wish he would have looked more into his own tradition to find the spirituality he was searching for. The Greek Orthodox faith is soooo rich and deep. I think Cat could have found what he did in Islam if he understood the faith/Church of his fathers people better. I encourage our 'born again' Christian who is throwing stones at Cat to look into Orthodoxy as it is a much fuller, authentic, and older(2000 years) expresion of Chrisianity than the modern American idea of evangelicalism.

I just read all that gibberish you wrote above as to Cat Stevens. What a load of bullshit - you don't respect Cat Stevens' faith - you lament that he converted to Islam. YOu even have the audacity to state that Stevens conversion is most likely a result of his completely perverted notions of love - as a result of his 60's experience - dude, you're a liar and a hypocrite - you spend so much time hating others - not praying for, not pitying - hating - yes, you are precisely the opposite of what you purport to blieve - you hate gays, you hate the Islamic religeon - i hate born again christians

I would be glad to discuss this more if you want. You seem pretty angry. Just out of curiosity, how did you stumble across my blog?

Here we are four years last, 2009 & I just watched a Christ Iaasac show featuring "Cat" -- I, am a newly born again Christian. I heard Cat speaking about how he gave up his guitar, stopped watching television, and followed his "religion" -- even gave his mom the duty of choosing a wife for him (actually he had a couple of candidates and introduced them to his mother so she could chose the "right one" -- because he loved and respected his mother...ya da ya da) -- MY GOD asks me to take up my cross & follow him, too but He doesn't take away my "choices" -- he allows me to stumble. I pray every single day that my loved ones and friends (non-believers) will see in me and through my actions what has changed for the better by having Jesus in my heart. I was paying full attention to what I was hearing Cat Stevens say in his interview (because I didn't know that he was a Muslim - until I heard the part about his mother chosing his wife & saw a photo of his wife wearing her scarf)and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE his music, no matter what He believes! I still see an "empty man", however.