This ain't right!

A lot of the problems in the Middle-East and even elsewhere in the world are not so much religious as they are, to a great extent, of a cultural and even tribal nature. They are just portrayed as being a religious problem. (Most often as us vs. them, Shia vs. Sunni, Islam vs. Christianity, etc.)

However, this does not excuse what is happening in a lot the Mosques in the Mid-East, and I would like to give an example that should put it in a new light.

Imagine you go into Church or Synagogue on a Sunday morning and then the Minister, Priest, Chaplin, Pastor or Rabbi or whatever starts his sermon and preaches...... not the message of Love or Forgiveness or Repentance or Tolerance etc., but rather preaches violence against some other group of Christians, or Nationalities, or ethnic group, or better yet, "go out and get those dirty, God forsaken Muslims or Jews!"

Something like this would be in the papers and on the news by the time you got home from Church.

To imagine this happening is totally beyond belief in our society yet this is exactly what is happening in portions of the Middle -East at this moment.

As an example the new Palestinian Prime Minister had to deliver a stern warning yesterday to hundreds of Islamic Preachers that "he won't tolerate calls for violence from the pulpit, or support plans to collect weapons !!!

Something like this would cause people to shake their heads in disbelief her in the Western world and shows that a lot of the trouble in other parts of the world are caused by Religious Leaders using faith to foster political or cultural agenda's.

We had the same problem with Christianity five hundred years ago, so lets hope that Islam will grow out of this as well.

Allan W Janssen is the author of The Plain Truth About God-101 (what the church doesn't want you to know!) www.God-101.com