Radical Islam, Militant Secularism and the Myth of Coexistence (book review)

The book, No We Can't: Radical Islam, Militant Secularism and the Myth of Coexistence by Robert Stearns was one of the choices I could get for free in exchange of a book review. I've already The Fight of Our Lives, and had a feeling that this followed the same train of thought. I could tell from the title that I would not agree with the premise of the book, but I felt that it was important for me to see things from a different perspective. Presented here are the facts from the book.

There are three major players that have emerged in world history. "These are: a radicalized Islamic religious system; an aggressive, humanistic secularism and a foundational biblical faith in the God of Israel." He describes these paradigms as houses of thoughts.

In the House of Radical Islam, people follow an ideology that combines "radicalized religious obedience to the god Allah with sociopolitical force, using many different tactics (including violence) to assert Muslim supremacy in the world."

The House of Militant Secularism is one of the most influential forces in the world. It was rooted in early Greek philosophy, and is deeply entrenched in the prevailing cultures across the developed world. The militancy "lies in its appeal to the independent, prideful human spirit and the power of human accomplishments. Its prevailing belief is that it is unlikely there is a god, and if there is, this 'god' can be defined by us, because human beings determine their own destinies." "With its irreligious, amoral veneer, militant secular humanism may have won the most 'converts' of all."

The House of the Judeo-Christian Worldview adheres to the basic moral code derived from the Ten Commandments, the Old and New Testaments, and Jesus’ teachings and has grown to become the world's single largest religion. "In recent times, cultural expressions labeled "Christian" but lacking real devotion and biblical truth have diluted the strength of the faith in this house.

He acknowledges that there are differences in the beliefs in each of these three world views, but there are dominant beliefs that place them in one house or another. This quote may help you understand the houses. "I would like nothing better than to wake up one day and discover that I have been wrong all along: that the radical Islamists no longer want to kill me; that the militant secularists are no longer intent on turning my Christmas tree into a 'holiday shrub'."

• These houses of Radical Islam, Militant Secularism and the Judeo-Christian worldview are engaged in a colossal battle, one that will not allow them to coexist with one another. There is a war going on and it is a new type of conflict based on ideological warfare.
• "Part of what it means to have an effective worldview is to take the time to actually view the world and what is happening in it." By bolstering our understanding and alertness, we can make a real and enduring difference by shining our light into the darkness as sons and daughters of the Light.
• This book is written to provide believers of the Judeo-Christian worldview with a road map that will help them navigate their life purpose, which is "to fully utilize their lives God has given us to glorify Him and inspire as many others as possible to embrace His Lordship."
• Many different cultures believe that the end of the world is near. Whatever happens "the cataclysmic events of today are more than enough to drastically upset the balance of life on the planet."
• "We must be both the students and makers of history."

• The three houses cannot coexist. The world populations will become increasingly polarized as catastrophic events continue to unfold, including wars and natural disasters. "The composition of the world will become more and more polarized to a point of utter incompatibility.” "The house of Radical Islam seeks to populate the culture through immigration and birthrate so that a majority is created and eventually Sharia law governs the culture. The house of Militant Secularism uses the educational systems and media to influence the thinking of the upcoming generation so it becomes the majority and thereby controls the mind-sets of the legislators. Christians must use the democratic platform for freedom of expression to speak the truth in love - at every opportunity living out their faith, being salt and light in the culture and manifesting godly character in government, media, the arts, religious settings, education, business and finance."

It really bothers me that he puts all Muslims in the Radical Islam house. Even though later in the book he does acknowledge that there are "variations of particulars of Islamic beliefs and in the level of fervency with which those beliefs are espoused." I think this is saying that all Muslims are not terrorists, but still he has them all live in the same "Radical Islam" house.

One of the reviewers called this book "balanced." I personally don't think that anyone who portrays all people who follow Islam to be living in the Radical House to be a balanced book. Very few Muslims are Radicals. According to the book, there are 2.1 billion Christians, 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. If only half of the 1.5 billion Muslims were radical, I think we wouldn't need books like this to tell us so. It would be a fact that we would all know.

Here are facts I do know:

We may live in different houses, but we live in the same neighborhood. We are neighbors, and we need to find ways we can get along instead of conducting an ideological war. How can you convince someone to be open-minded when you aren't?

All three religions share the same history. As descendants of Abraham, not only are we all neighbors, we are also family.

Christians, Jews and Muslims all believe in the Old Testament and the same God. All of us believe in the Ten Commandments.

We all believe in the same big picture - it is the details that are different. Should we really be warring because someone has a different opinion than ours? Yes, I understand that this statement makes me a member of the Militant Secularism household, but I believe that we can all coexist. It is only because Radical Christians like him that thinks he can make us choose sides. Not all Muslims are radicals, and not all Christians are moral.

I don't think that Good and Evil are the only forces in the world. There are shades of gray. When we treat someone badly, we can expect that they will retaliate, not because they are evil, but because they have the right to defend themselves. When they defend themselves, we can call them Radical. By creating sides, and asking people to pick them, we are starting a fight. I choose not to choose sides. Let's stop picking on people.

There is one thing that he said that I do agree with. "While it is true that people all over the world embrace a broad spectrum of values, it does not follow that all perspectives are morally sound, critically objective or absolutely true. Validating other's opinions, when they are inherently toxic, is a very dangerous thing to do." I believe that his views are toxic and are more likely to lead to the war and end of the world that he discussed.

The book is well written and does a good job of explaining this world view. This is not a world view I share with the author, and I categorically disagree with almost everything that is in the book. It upsets me that people really think like this, yet I know they do, because there are many similar titles that are available on the lists of books I can get for free.

I hesitate to even bring attention to the book, because the added publicity will bring him additional readers, and make them feel more justified in their position. I am publishing it because I think it is important for reasonable minded people to know that these books are out there, and they are a growing number of people who are following this belief system.