This website is devoted primarily to issues regarding Christian Apologetics, Bible exposition, spiritual warfare, paganism studies, and Christian Living. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you!! The more I study about the universe, the more amazed I am at God’s greatness in holding all things together by the Word of His power. May He bless you!
Regarding the supposed “conquest of Fez” and the murder of “50,000 Christians” in the Muslim conquest of North Africa in the 8th century. Firstly, 50,000 people in the 8th century would have made Fez one of the largest cities in the world at this time, but in fact, the city of Fez was not built until 789 by the Islamic Idrisid dynasty, and it was not built on any pre-existing settlement. Fez is actually pretty far inland in Morocco, and the Romans never strongly controlled this region. The nomadic Berbers – of which some were Christian but most were not – were the primary inhabitants of the area. In fact, after the city of Fez was built, it included significant Christian and Jewish minorities. This story about supposed slaughter of 50,000 and dipping hats in blood doesn’t come from any medieval chroniclers or Islamic sources — in fact, it does not surface at all, until the 20th century in polemical Christian literature, particularly in anti-Masonic/Shriner and anti-Islamic books like those associated with Jack Chick, who was known to fabricate other conspiracy theories and stories, and similar authors.
In other words, this story is akin to the blood libel stories about Jews, by anti-Jewish Christians and Muslims – it’s simply another false story about ritual murder that takes on a life of its own by people accepting it and repeating it as historical fact.
The fez itself is just a neat-looking hat that became especially popular in the late Ottoman Empire. The Shriners adopted it, and other Arabic, Islamic, and pagan symbols just because they thought it looked exotic (i.e., thought it looked cool) The Shriners especially are not really a religious organization, but a charitable fraternity, despite your citing of various other non-scholarly books that claim otherwise.
Thanks for this good historical information! I did some more research after I saw your comment and it seems the history of the fez and Islam may be historically inaccurate. Thanks for reading and sharing that with me.
What isn’t historically inaccurate is the reality of ritual murder and occultism that is at the heart of much of the pagan religions, as well as the inherently violent nature of Islam (both of which are exalted in numerous ways in the Lodge and especially in the Shriners).
So, I won’t take the whole article down but will edit it accordingly with this new data.
Any illicit substances that one used for altering the physical, mental, and spiritual state no matter how they were created would fall under the broad category of pharmakeia. The condemned ones would certainly include any that were used for recreational purposes.
I certainly enjoyed your discourse regarding the “stretching of the heavens”, a topic that has long intrigued me. Thank you
Thank you!! The more I study about the universe, the more amazed I am at God’s greatness in holding all things together by the Word of His power. May He bless you!
Regarding the supposed “conquest of Fez” and the murder of “50,000 Christians” in the Muslim conquest of North Africa in the 8th century. Firstly, 50,000 people in the 8th century would have made Fez one of the largest cities in the world at this time, but in fact, the city of Fez was not built until 789 by the Islamic Idrisid dynasty, and it was not built on any pre-existing settlement. Fez is actually pretty far inland in Morocco, and the Romans never strongly controlled this region. The nomadic Berbers – of which some were Christian but most were not – were the primary inhabitants of the area. In fact, after the city of Fez was built, it included significant Christian and Jewish minorities. This story about supposed slaughter of 50,000 and dipping hats in blood doesn’t come from any medieval chroniclers or Islamic sources — in fact, it does not surface at all, until the 20th century in polemical Christian literature, particularly in anti-Masonic/Shriner and anti-Islamic books like those associated with Jack Chick, who was known to fabricate other conspiracy theories and stories, and similar authors.
In other words, this story is akin to the blood libel stories about Jews, by anti-Jewish Christians and Muslims – it’s simply another false story about ritual murder that takes on a life of its own by people accepting it and repeating it as historical fact.
The fez itself is just a neat-looking hat that became especially popular in the late Ottoman Empire. The Shriners adopted it, and other Arabic, Islamic, and pagan symbols just because they thought it looked exotic (i.e., thought it looked cool) The Shriners especially are not really a religious organization, but a charitable fraternity, despite your citing of various other non-scholarly books that claim otherwise.
If I were you, I would want to take this down.
Thanks for this good historical information! I did some more research after I saw your comment and it seems the history of the fez and Islam may be historically inaccurate. Thanks for reading and sharing that with me.
What isn’t historically inaccurate is the reality of ritual murder and occultism that is at the heart of much of the pagan religions, as well as the inherently violent nature of Islam (both of which are exalted in numerous ways in the Lodge and especially in the Shriners).
So, I won’t take the whole article down but will edit it accordingly with this new data.
Again thanks for reading and reaching out!
Have a blessed day!
This is a great article
Thank you and God bless!!
The Bible meant natural medicine not toxic man made chemicals
Any illicit substances that one used for altering the physical, mental, and spiritual state no matter how they were created would fall under the broad category of pharmakeia. The condemned ones would certainly include any that were used for recreational purposes.