I once worked with a young, evangelical fellow, he was married with 2 small children. We got into a discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian situation and he told me that he had donated money to a Christian organization whose main purpose was to assist in the removal of all Muslims from the Holy Land. He believes that Israel must take over the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and destroy it so that another Christian church can be erected on this spot. (The Dome of the Rock is supposed to be the site where Muhammed rose up to heaven.)

Since the Dome of the Rock is one of the most sacred sites in all of Islam, this group of Christian fanatics believe that the only way a Christian church will be able to take over the site is following a major war which thoroughly annihilates the Muslim population of the region. According to Revelations, he told me, The Rapture cannot occur until another Christian church is built on this site which is sacred to all three of the major Holy Land religions (Christian, Muslim and Jewish).

This young man seemed quite sincere in his joy over the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. He felt sure that this was the beginning of the final push to demolish Islam and bring on the Rapture. None of my arguments to the contrary had any effect on his beliefs. Scary!

Mike