Acts 17 Apologetics Members Acquitted

September 26, 2010 at 7:22 PM

Last year, we wrote a few blogs on Acts 17 Apologetics, a group that routinely argues against Islam and atheism. At the time, they had been arrested by police officers in the city of Dearborn, MI for “inciting” a crowd during the Annual Muslim Festival.

Since that event, words have been rashly and harshly spoken by people on both sides of the aisle. Admittedly, we ourselves waded into the argument and came out first on the side of Acts 17, then on the side of the city of Dearborn after receiving a letter from the Mayor.

It is honestly difficult to know what has occurred, but the one fact has come to the fore that the members who were originally arrested were found acquitted of the charges they faced. So, according to the court, Acts 17 members did absolutely nothing wrong.

I DID say when I first wrote about this that the courts would decide and they have decided. So now it is official. Acts 17 members broke no laws at all.

Unfortunately, the same mayor who wrote us an impassioned letter indicating that they did everything possible to work with Acts 17 and not deny their rights of freedom of speech, etc., now seems to be experiencing a case of sour grapes.

Upon learning of the jury’s verdict, Mayor Jack O’Reilly, Jr indicated that while he supports the jury’s verdict, he continues to believe that Acts 17 are simply anti-Muslim bigots. He also stated that he believed Acts 17 members did what they did to gain monetary donations.

Then he went on to say something really stupid. “‘It’s really about a hatred of Muslims,’ O’Reilly said. ‘That is what the whole heart of this is. … Their idea is that there is no place for Muslims in America. They fail to understand the Constitution‘.” [1]

When people make comments as the mayor has, he really winds up showing his ignorance. I know of NO ONE who says Muslims are not welcome in America. What people are against are Muslims who believe that once they arrive here, they do not need to follow American laws or recognize American values.

I do not believe Acts 17 hates Muslims. In fact, some of the members of Acts 17 are ex-Muslims. They see the fallacies, the hatred, and the denigration of people and especially women within Islam and want to change that by preaching the good news to Muslims. If they convert to Christianity, they will embrace a religion of true peace, not one built on hatred.

Moreover, Acts 17 is a group that preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. They area on a mission to fulfill their part in the Great Commission, which means taking His Word and His gospel to all people, Muslims included.

It boggles my mind frankly when political leaders (or anyone for that matter) does not see the inherent evil within Islam. Just because Muslims in Dearborn, MI have not reacted violently as their counterparts in other parts of the world, does not mean they will remain peaceful and placid.

Islam is not a religion of peace. It is a religious, military, and political system that is born of hatred and enforced through violence. When Mayor O’Reilly refers to Acts 17 members as bigots and claims they are only doing this for the money, not only is he acting ignorant and unwise, but he is also opening himself up and the city of Dearborn to a potential defamation lawsuit IF Acts 17 was the type of group that did such things. It appears that their emphasis is on preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That Islam is intolerant of other religious viewpoints is clear. That people continue to believe that only a handful of individuals are the radicals within Islam and everyone else is “peaceful” is also clear. The trouble is that the system has done its job and declared that the Acts 17 members were not guilty of the charges against them. In spite of that, Mayor O’Reilly is convinced that they are to some degree, guilty of something.

Though O’Reilly says he respects the decision handed down by the court, his words actually prove that those words are merely lip service. He obviously cannot “respect” the decision, if he still believes that bigots are the cause of the problem.

Whether or not what Acts 17 members did was illegal or not (and the court has ruled it to have been legal), the other question is whether or not they were and are motivated by hatred. I simply do not see that, whether I agree with their methods or not. They do what they do because they love the people they are attempting to witness to, in this case, Muslims.

The hatred actually stems from Islam. There are really only two branches within Islam; radical and moderate. All one has to do is open his or her eyes to the atrocities that continue to occur in nations where Islam is practiced and Sharia law is the law of the land. These nations have millions of Muslims living there. They follow the strict code of Sharia law, based on the Qur’an. How does Mayor O’Reilly and other politicians come to the conclusion that those individuals are not filled with hatred, but only the ones who are attempting to evangelize them are?

It really makes no sense, but that is the problem with being a politician in today’s world. You have to please everyone, or at least only offend the group that exercises the least amount of power.

It’s too bad that individuals such as Mayor O’Reilly have a say in anything. While he is busy placating and siding with Islam, hardcore Muslims are laughing at him behind his back. They see him as a tool for Allah, someone who helps spread their lies about Islam being a religion of peace, so they don’t have to do it themselves. Whether O’Reilly thinks he is or not, he is actually siding with the system that wants to destroy this country – Islam.

I can only wonder what he will be saying when more Muslims attempt to become elected to political posts in the city of Dearborn, MI and then begin pushing Sharia law. Funny how Islam can brutalize women and children, encourage slavery (yes, slavery, in 2010), use a system of law that is punitive, encourage the beheading and death of anyone who stands in Islam’s way, yet Christians from Acts 17 are seen as bigoted and money-grabbing.

I am afraid for this country. I am afraid that before we know it, more and more radical Muslims who are merely pretending to get along with Americans and have caused us to believe that they are assimilating into American culture, will one day realize that they have enough power through numbers to overcome much that is currently stopping them.

People like Mayor O’Reilly are doing radical Muslims a huge favor. It’s a shame and the only excuse for it is arrogance birthed by ignorance. Of course, it could be that as a politician, O’Reilly knows he needs votes to remain in office. It obviously would not do to offend a large contingent of people within his community (Muslims), so it is easier to blame FOUR Christians, as rogue and bigoted.

By the way, here is another take on the same situation written by members of Acts 17:

http://www.answeringmuslims.com/2010/09/does-dearborn-mayor-john-c-oreilly.html

[1] http://www.freep.com/article/20100925/NEWS02/9250493/4-missionaries-acquitted-of-inciting-crowd