Why I am against the proposed "Ground Zero Mosque"

Over the past couple of months, our nation has been divided over the issue of a mosque-slash-community center being built two blocks from Ground Zero in Manhattan. According to CNN.com and estimated 68% of Americans are against it and find it offensive, leaving 32% in favor of such. I count myself as part of the 68% for reasons that might surprise many.

For the record, I do believe that everyone, Muslims included, have the constitutional right to worship and pray however they please. After all, God Himself gave us free will. He wants us to worship Him out of our own free will. Forcing our beliefs on others is not the way to go. Look at the Crusades if you want an example of how successful it would be if we tried to press the issue.

As previously mentioned, I cannot bring myself to support the proposed "Ground Zero" mosque.
For one, there is the obvious reason: it's too close to Ground Zero, too close to where an estimated 2, 752 people were murdered by al-Qaeda terrorists all "in the name of Islam." Sure, the proposed site is two blocks away, but in Manhattan, a city block can consist of one building so you might as well say it's two doors down! In fact, I'd be surprised if the building where they are intending to house the mosque didn't sustain significant damage when the towers fell.

Let's also not forget to mention the people who were either injured or suffered the loss of a family member or friend at Ground Zero. There is a small faction of this group who find themselves in support of this project, stating that it will bring a peaceful healing to the emotional scars and wounds still plaguing our nation after nine years. There is also a large portion of family members and survivors who find this to be an insult, like putting salt on an open wound. This group came to show their opposition at an event held outside the mosque in June. Thousands of survivors, fire fighters, public service officers, and family members who suffered loss and injury on that dark day came to show their disgust and opposition to the project. They carried signs bearing the pictures of their sons, their parents, and siblings with quotes such as "You can build a mosque at Ground Zero when we can build a synagogue at Mecca." Why such an event was never reported by major news agencies and media outlets is beyond me, but it doesn't change the fact that it happened. It doesn't change the fact the fact that our country still hurts.

Finally, and perhaps, most importantly, I question the wisdom behind such a project. As previously mentioned there were close to 3,000 people killed in the World Trade Center attacks. Then there are the thousands of soldiers who've died at the hands of Islam extremists overseas. Add those two together and you have many thousands of families who are hurting and suffering as a result. I find it hard to believe there isn't at least one sadistic psychopath amongst those families and friends who would love nothing more than to avenge their loved ones' death(s). Building a mosque so close to where their suffering all began could only fuel an outraged attack on anyone in that mosque. Who's to say someone won't bomb the place, or fly a plane into that building? I would like to ask the imam who is in charge if he has even questioned this possibility. Even if his intentions are good, does he not care for the safety of the people he serves? Not only that, but if someone does attack the mosque, what kind of feud will that ignite in the way of the terrorists overseas? Will that not give them even MORE reason to hate Americans? Could it not spur yet another al-Qaeda attack on American soil?

With that said, I'll add that Donald Trump has offered to buy the two buildings in hopes to prevent such from happening. Mucho kudos to you, Mr. Trump! On the flipside, liberal film-maker Michael Moore is on a mission to collect a dollar from every American who is in favor of this potential disaster, claiming that he will "outtrump the Trump." Really, Mr. Moore? As previously mentioned 68% of Americans are against this. Even if you succeeded in collecting a dollar from every one of the remaining 32%, Donald Trump would still send you home packing with your tail between your legs faster than any of the first-round losers on The Apprentice! 

Now, don't get me wrong. This is nothing against Muslims. I can honestly say that I've never personally met a Muslim I didn't like. If anything, I'm looking out for their safety as well as anyone else's in this. I just don't see where any good can come from building a mosque near Ground Zero.

"Lord" isn't just another nickname for Jesus

Matthew 10:39 says "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

We've heard it time and time again that if someone wants to become a Christian and not go to hell, all they have to do is acknowledge that they are a sinner, believe that Jesus is the Son of God, confess & repent of their sins, recite the sinners prayer and get baptized. Of course, all of that is key to being a Christian, but it is really only a portion of it.

First of all, how many of us were truly changed when we made that initial decision? Or better yet, how often do we hear someone say "I got baptized when I was eleven," or  "Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!" but their lives tell us otherwise? Sure, they may have honestly intended to be a Christian (or intended to NOT go to hell) when they made that decision. The only sad part is they said the sinners prayer and got baptized before they ever weighed the cost and before they were willing to give Him total lordship. And so often, when the stakes are too high, or the road too narrow, they stray and take the easier worldly path to Hell while still thinking they are saved.


I will admit that I still question the "rightness" of me calling Him "Lord" from time to time. That's because there are times when I know that I haven't really forfeited a part of my life to His righteous jurisdiction. And if I've never surrendered, how can I call Him my "Lord"? The truth is, we'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who can honestly say that they've completely surrendered are without sin. But that in no way justifies sin in our lives.

So what does it mean to be a Christian?

I'd begin by saying that you must be willing to admit you're a sinner in need of a savior, confess and repent of your sin, and then be willing to take up your cross and give Him Lordship.

But what does it mean to give Him Lordship? To be honest, I'm still learning...
Webster's dictionary defines the term Lord as "one having power and authority over others." Living in America, freedom is all we've ever really known. Therefore, the concept of having to submit or surrender to a Lord is quite foreign to us simply because we've never had to exclusively and actively submit our lives to the authority of such or anything like it. Which would explain why so often we LABEL Jesus as our Lord, but never actively give Him that placement or jurisdiction in our lives.

One of the most deceitful concepts blinding us today is that you can say a simple prayer, get baptized, and then you're saved, never having to ever face the reality of eternity in a place called hell. It's so easy to comfort ourselves with the notion that that's all we have to do and we can live our lives however we want to. THAT'S A LIE! Hell is a real place and satan would love to have you believe that you are saved when you aren't.

Don't get me wrong; Yes, Jesus died on the cross so we wouldn't have to pay for our sins. Sure, that part is easy to comprehend. We love the notion of free salvation given to us through His sacrifice. It's why we celebrate His life, death, and resurrection annually. But there is so much more to being a follower of Christ than having your name printed on the roster of a local church each Sunday, or saying a prayer here and there whenever you feel like it. It's a relationship where God, through His word, calls us to LOSE our life in order to gain it! That means, our whole life, our wants, our needs, our desires, our secrets, our sins, our money, our possessions, our EVERYTHING over to the authority of His will so that we may find our new life and salvation through a relationship with His son, Jesus. That's why real Christians are so easy to pick out among the fake ones. They're the ones who've lost it all, given Him Lordship, and have since been transformed to reflect Jesus in everything they do. And it's not just a one-time sacrifice, but a daily one. A follower of Christ has to DIE DAILY. That means taking all your worries, all your wants, and all your possessions and saying "Okay God. It's yours!" every day. Sure, the cost is high, but the reward is even higher!

So why am I writing this blog? It's because I have a growing concern for those around me; the ones who are so convinced that they are saved when, in fact, they aren't. I also have a concern for those who are discouraged in their walk with Christ and need to be reminded that whatever it is, they just need to just give it over to God. And I have a concern for our future generations and pray that they will be taught the true meaning of being a follower of Christ--that they will make their decisions based on truth rather than deceit. Finally, I'm writing this in hopes that anyone who reads it will ask themselves the following:

Am I willing to lose my life in order to gain it? Or is "Lord" just a nickname I've given Jesus?

I pray this helps someone out there as much as God has used it to help me personally.