Isaiah 58:1-12

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. 3 ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. 4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord? 6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 11 And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

As we set our faces to worship corporately in two different places beginning next week, I want to remind us as a church that we have been saved for the sake of God-exalting good works. We have been saved not merely to avoid evil, but to do good. Therefore the people of Christ should not be known primarily for what we don’t do, but what we do do.

You recall how Paul said it in Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” And you recall how he said it in Titus 2:14, “[Christ] gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” And you remember the words of Jesus, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We are saved for the sake of God-exalting good works. This is the aim of our justification—not the ground, but the aim and the fruit.

If God gives us growth at the Roseville site and at the downtown site, may it be a growth in God-exalting good deeds in the name of Jesus. “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). Today’s message is a simple call to be doers of justice, lovers of mercy, and people who walk humbly with our God in Jesus’ name (Micah 6:8).

Pointing Ahead to the Redeemer as Sin-Bearer and Way-Shower

The text is Isaiah 58:1-12. It’s all about social justice and practical mercy. Before I apply it to our church and our situation let’s make sure two things are clear. One is that Isaiah, writing just before 700 bc, knows that the Redeemer has not yet come when he is writing, but that he will come, and that when he comes he will bear our sins of injustice. The other is that when he comes he will bring the very justice God demands. We see this in Isaiah 53:5-6, “He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” So this Redeemer is our sin-bearer.

But he is also our way-shower. He brought the very justice he demands. He lived perfectly not only to become our righteousness and our spotless sin-bearing lamb, but also to show us how to live. So when he arrives in his home town and speaks at the synagogue according to Luke 4:18-19, he takes up the scroll of Isaiah and reads from Isaiah 61, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” In other words, all the justice and righteousness and mercy that Isaiah demanded of God’s people, Christ is now bringing into the world in his own person. A new decisive time and power for justice and mercy has arrived.

Therefore when we read Isaiah’s prophetic indictment of God’s people 2,700 years ago and his call for justice, we hear not just as Jews would have heard it then, but as Christians hear it now on this side of Jesus Christ the promised Messiah. He came to bring it with his power, and he came to buy with his blood. And therefore, when we hear Isaiah call us to do justice and to love mercy and keep this in mind: Christ has come and shown this justice with his life so we could see it, and bought this justice by his death so that we can do it.

The Main Point of Isaiah 58

The point of Isaiah 58 is this: Piety that does not produce a passion for God-exalting social justice and practical mercy is worthless. Or to put it positively: God promises that we will break forth like the dawn if our piety produces a passion for social justice and practical mercy.

The first five verses are Isaiah’s indictment of piety without fruit. Devotions without deeds. “Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God.” In other words, they are pious, religious, “Bible reading,” praying folk – they even enjoy being this way. They delight in their religious practices. But they don’t enjoy God and his ways; they enjoy self-justifying religion, while forsaking the judgments of God. O let us take heed to this frightening specter of private piety without public fruit. God is not pleased with this piety.

So they ask in verse 3: “Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” And God answers that their fasting and their self-afflictions are a religious cover for finding pleasure in unjust gain. “Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.” O how relevant Monday is to Sunday! You fast. You make yourself look low and pious and prayerful. But God says, “I see your business practices. I see your attitudes on Monday. I see your merciless, harsh, oppressing ways of dealing with people at your work.

Verse 4: “Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?” The authenticity our worship on Sunday is shaped by our justice on Monday.

Will the Piety of Sunday Produce a Passion for Justice on Monday?

There is a well-known sermon that many of you have heard about the pain of Good Friday turning into the joy of Easter, called “Sunday’s comin’!” The refrain occurs over and over, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin’!” Well, we need another sermon to become well-known, namely, “It’s Sunday, but Monday’s comin’!” We’re here with our voices lifted and our heads bowed and our prayers rising! What does God think of it? You’ll find out tomorrow: “It’s Sunday, but Monday’s comin’!” Will the piety of Sunday produce a passion for justice on Monday? That’s the question of Isaiah 58.

Then in verses 6-7 and 9b-10a Isaiah tells us what the social justice and practical mercy look like that please God. “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” Then look in the middle of verse 9: “If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted.”

Five Kinds of Human Need for Passionate Concern

In addition to the all-important need for faith and forgiveness and personal holiness, there are five kinds of human need that Isaiah – and Jesus – are passionately concerned about. 1) The need for freedom from bondage and oppression. Four times in verse 6 and once in verse 9 he hits on this. Verse 6: “Loose the bonds of wickedness, undo the straps of the yoke, let the oppressed go free, break every yoke.” Verse 9b: “Take away the yoke from your midst.” 2) The need for food. Verse 7a: “Is it not to share your bread with the hungry?” 3) The need for housing. Verse 7b: “[Is it not] to bring the homeless poor into your house?” 4) The need for clothing. Verse 7c: “[Is not this the fast I choose:] When you see the naked, to cover him?” 5) The need for respect. Verse 9b: “Take away . . . the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness.” In other words, stop accusing unjustly and belittling and exploiting.

Isaiah preaches justice to the people of God, and Jesus displays justice to the people of God and suffers to cleanse and empower the people of God, so our piety will produce a passion for social justice and practical mercy. If it doesn’t, our piety is empty. And if it does – if our faith and love and devotion to Christ do produce a passion freeing the oppressed, and feeding the hungry, and housing the homeless, and clothing the naked, and putting away belittling talk and demeaning gestures – then, O Bethlehem, you will break forth like the dawn.

All the rest of this text is promise for what good things happen in our lives when we give ourselves away to others in the cause of justice and mercy. And we know from the fulfillment of this prophecy in Jesus that this does not mean we earn God’s blessings. God himself, through Christ, purchases them for us at the cross and empowers us to fulfill the conditions for them. Verse 8: If you give yourself away to bring justice and mercy in the world, instead of just living for your own comforts,

“Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’.” [He continues in the middle of verse 10:] “then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. 11 And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.”

Descriptions and Dreams of Who We Want to Be

Is this not a beautiful description of what we would like to experience as a people in Roseville and downtown Minneapolis:

• light in darkness,
• healing for wounds,
• righteousness in front and the glory of God behind,
• a God who hears when we cry to him,
• guidance from the Lord,
• satisfaction for our souls in scorched places,
• our very bones made strong for battle,
• being so watered by the Lord that we become a spring of water for others to drink and find refreshment,
• being used by God to rebuild what has been destroyed and make a place of life and hope.

To me it is amazing that all this and more is promised to people whose piety produces a passion for God-exalting justice and practical mercy. So, Bethlehem (Roseville attenders and downtown attenders) dream a dream for you and your family and your friends for how you can

• free the oppressed
• feed the hungry
• house the homeless
• clothe the naked,
• and put an end to belittling gestures and words.

This is the will of God, this is the work of Christ, and this is the way to break forth like the dawn. Amen.”

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

— Mark 10:18

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.

— Psalm 73:1

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

— Psalm 84:11

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

— 2 Corinthians 9:8

There are countless verses about God’s goodness, and I just wanted to share a few. Im always telling everyone about the goodness of God. He is good, He provides our every need, even when we’re grumbling, even while we doubt, even while we are blinded by our sin, even when we are faithless and downcast, God is good! He has proven it over and over again. 

But this really hit me

— “The root of all sin is the suspicion that God is not good.” — Oswald Chambers

Genesis 3:4-5, “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The devil is like that sneaky little mosquito, but even worse! His goal is to rob the people from their relationship with Jesus by making them doubt His very character. Here’s the devil’s counsel to his co-workers, “If you want to mislead the people from their Creator, it’s quite simple – just make use of their trials and tribulations to let them doubt His love and goodness.” The serpent had been successful in tempting Eve by having her doubt the goodness and faithfulness of God. He implied that God is selfish and doesn’t want to share His knowledge of good and evil with them. He deceived her into believing that God withheld from her the best. Regretfully, Eve believed the lie of the devil and did that which God had forbidden her.

Ever since then the devil has been busy in getting people to doubt the goodness and faithfulness of God. When things don’t happen according to our expectations or when situations seem to be unfair, we are always tempted to ask, “Why did God do this to me?” Satan whispers and lies in our mind: “If God really loves you then why did he put you in such a difficult situation? If God really cares for you then why is He not answering your prayers? If God is in control of your life then why all things are not going well with you?” By having us believe these lies, he turns us to get bitter against God and do things that which He has forbidden.

Family, may the lie of Satan be destroyed by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17). For it is written, “God is good and His love endures forever” (Ps 118:1). When tempted Eve failed to acknowledge that God gave her the best. She couldn’t believe that He works all things for good. She couldn’t trust God’s love for her. Oswald Chambers once said, “The root of sin is the suspicion that God is not good.”

How painful it would be for God to see His children doubting His goodness in their lives! In most cases, the root cause for worry, disappointment, loneliness and depression is our failure to acknowledge who God is. The state of our mind and heart speaks more of what we believe about God than our statements. And the bible tells us . . .

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.

— 2 Tim 1:7

So whenever you are tempted to doubt God’s love and goodness in your life gear yourself up to cling to the following Scriptures:

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

— Romans 8:32

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

— Matthew 7:9-11

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

— Romans 8:28

One of my favorite books of the Bible is the small book of Ephesians. In it Paul addresses a group of believers who are rich beyond measure in Jesus, yet there is a contrast in this story as they are living as beggars only because they’re ignorant of their wealth in Christ. Paul begins by describing in chapters 1-3 the contents of the Christian’s heavenly ”bank account”: adoption, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, wisdom, inheritance, The Seal of the Holy Spirit, life, grace, citizenship — in short, every spiritual blessing. In chapters 4-6 the Christian learns a spiritual walk rooted in his spiritual wealth. “For we are HIS workmanship, created in Christ Jesus [1—3] for good works . . . that we should walk in them [4—6]” (2:10).

In the next few weeks, I will be posting a series of Bible Studies on the Book of Ephesians entitled “Living Abundantly” focussing in on Ephesians Chapter 6. My hope is that I will eventually have a verse by verse commentary on Ephesians, God willing, but for now we will be talking about Conflicts that we may face Spiritually, Our Strength for the Conflict, Our Foes and Their Methods, The Armor of God, The description of the Armor, and Resources for Victory. I hope to challenge not only myself, but you who may be reading this. I have felt a deep need to know Him more as of late, and we can do that by searching through the Scriptures and through prayer and worship. I hope that as you study along with me, that you will go through this prayerfully and worship Him in spirit and truth. As with all studies, please cover yourselves in prayer, the enemy loves to keep you from knowing truth. Why? Because the Truth will make you free. As in all cases in studies that I lead, if you feel if something is not right or your not sure about something I’ve said, please feel free to come to me and let me know. We need to search the Scriptures together and be Boreans about it.

You will be able to find this study under the Bible Study Link at the top. May God richly Bless you with all the spiritual blessings that are found in Christ Jesus.

Do the heaven and earth then contain Thee, since Thou fillest them? or dost Thou fill them and yet overflow, since they do not contain Thee? And whither, when the heaven and the earth are filled, pourest Thou forth the remainder of Thyself? or hast Thou no need that aught contain Thee, who containest all things, since what Thou fillest Thou fillest by containing it? for the vessels which Thou fillest uphold Thee not, since, though they were broken, Thou wert not poured out. And when Thou art poured out on us, Thou art not cast down, but Thou upliftest us; Thou art not dissipated, but Thou gatherest us. But Thou who fillest all things, fillest Thou them with Thy whole self? or, since all things cannot contain Thee wholly, do they contain part of Thee? and all at once the same part? or each its own part, the greater more, the smaller less? And is, then one part of Thee greater, another less? or, art Thou wholly every where, while nothing contains Thee wholly?

What art Thou then, my God? what, but the Lord God? For who is Lord but the Lord? or who is God save our God? Most highest, most good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most just; most hidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most strong, stable, yet incomprehensible; unchangeable, yet all-changing; never new, never old; all-renewing, and bringing age upon the proud, and they know it not; ever working, ever at rest; still gathering, yet nothing lacking; supporting, filling, and overspreading; creating, nourishing, and maturing; seeking, yet having all things. Thou lovest, without passion; art jealous, without anxiety; repentest, yet grievest not; art angry, yet serene; changest Thy works, Thy purpose unchanged; receivest again what Thou findest, yet didst never lose; never in need, yet rejoicing in gains; never covetous, yet exacting usury. Thou receivest over and above, that Thou mayest owe; and who hath aught that is not Thine? Thou payest debts, owing nothing; remittest debts, losing nothing. And what had I now said, my God, my life, my holy joy? or what saith any man when he speaks of Thee? Yet woe to him that speaketh not, since mute are even the most eloquent.

From the Daily Mail, 4th July 2008 here

“Two schoolboys were given detention after refusing to kneel down and ‘pray to Allah’ during a religious education lesson.

Parents were outraged that the two boys from year seven (11 to 12-year-olds) were punished for not wanting to take part in the practical demonstration of how Allah is worshipped.

They said forcing their children to take part in the exercise at Alsager High School, near Stoke-on-Trent – which included wearing Muslim headgear – was a breach of their human rights.

One parent, Sharon Luinen, said: “This isn’t right, it’s taking things too far.

“I understand that they have to learn about other religions. I can live with that but it is taking it a step too far to be punished because they wouldn’t join in Muslim prayer.

“Making them pray to Allah, who isn’t who they worship, is wrong and what got me is that they were told they were being disrespectful.

“I don’t want this to look as if I have a problem with the school because I am generally very happy with it.”

Another parent Karen Williams said: “I am absolutely furious my daughter was made to take part in it and I don’t find it acceptable.

“I haven’t got a problem with them teaching my child other religions and a small amount of information doesn’t do any harm.

“But not only did they have to pray, the teacher had gone into the class and made them watch a short film and then said ‘we are now going out to pray to Allah’.

“Not only was it forced upon them, my daughter was told off for not doing it right.

“They’d never done it before and they were supposed to do it in another language.”

“My daughter and a lot of other mothers are furious about their children being made to kneel on the floor and pray to Islam. If they didn’t do it they were given detention.

“I am not racist, I’ve been friendly with an Indian for 30 years. I’ve also been to a Muslim wedding where it was explained to me that alcohol would not be served and I respected that.

“But if Muslims were asked to go to church on Sunday and take Holy Communion there would be war.”

Parents said that their children were made to bend down on their knees on prayer mats which the RE teacher had got out of her cupboard and they were also told to wear Islamic headgear during the lesson on Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy headmaster Keith Plant said: “It’s difficult to know at the moment whether this was part of the curriculum or not. I am not an RE teacher, I am an English teacher.

“At the moment it is our enterprise week and many of our members of staff are away.

“The particular member of staff you need to speak to isn’t around. I think that it is a shame that so many parents have got in touch with the Press before coming to me.

“I have spoken to the teacher and she has articulately given me her version of events, but that is all I can give you at the moment.”

A statement from Cheshire County Council on behalf of the school read: “The headteacher David Black contacted this authority immediately complaints were received.

“Enquiries are being made into the circumstances as a matter of urgency and all parents will be informed accordingly.

“Educating children in the beliefs of different faith is part of the diversity curriculum on the basis that knowledge is essential to understanding.

“We accept that such teaching is to be conducted with some sense of sensitivity.”

Sharia-following Islamic nations demanding anti-’defamation’ law

By Bob Unruh, July 10th 2008, from World Net Daily here

“Dozens of nations dominated by Islam are pressing the United Nations to adopt an anti-”defamation” plan that would make Christians criminals under international law, according to a United States organization that has launched a campaign to defend freedom of religion worldwide.

“Around the world, Christians are being increasingly targeted, and even persecuted, for their religious beliefs. Now, one of the largest organizations in the United Nations is pushing to make a bad situation even worse by promoting anti-Christian bigotry,” the American Center for Law & Justice said yesterday in announcing its petition drive.

The discrimination is “wrapped in the guise of a U.N. resolution called ‘Combating Defamation of Religions,’” the announcement said. “We must put an immediate end to this most recent, dangerous attack on faith that attempts to criminalize Christianity.”The “anti-defamation” plan has been submitted to the U.N. repeatedly since about 1999, starting out as a plan to ban “defamation” of Islam and later changed to refer to “religions,” officials said. It is being pushed by the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference nations, which has adopted the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, “which states that all rights are subject to sharia law, and makes sharia law the only source of reference for human rights.”

The ACLJ petition, which is to be delivered to the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, already had collected more than 23,000 names in just a brief online existence.

The ACLJ’s European division, the European Center for Law & Justice, also has launched its work on the issue. It submitted arguments last month to the U.N. in opposition to the proposal to institute sharia-based standards around the globe.

“The position of the ECLJ in regards to the issue of ‘defamation of religion’ resolutions, as they have been introduced at the U.N. Human Rights Council and General Assembly, is that they are in direct violation of international law concerning the rights to freedom of religion and expression,” the organization’s brief said.

“The ‘defamation of religion’ resolutions establish as the primary focus and concern the protection of ideas and religions generally, rather than protecting the rights of individuals to practice their religion, which is the chief purpose of international religious freedom law.”

“Furthermore, ‘defamation of religion’ replaces the existing objective criterion of limitations on speech where there is an intent to incite hatred or violence against religious believers with a subjective criterion that considers whether the religion or its believers feel offended by the speech,” the group continued.

Interestingly, in nations following Islam, the present practice is to use such laws to protect Islam and to attack religious minorities with penalties up to and including execution, the brief noted.

“What should be most disconcerting to the international community is that laws based on the concept of ‘defamation of religion’ actually help to create a climate of violence,” the argument explained.

For example, just two months ago an Afghanistan court following Islam sentenced to death a 23-year-old apprentice journalist who had downloaded an article from an Iranian website and brought it to his class, the ECLJ said. Other instances include:

• Award-winning author Mark Steyn has been summoned to appear before two Canadian Human Rights Commissions of vague allegations of “subject[ing] Canadian Muslims to hatred and contempt” for comments in his book, “America Alone,” the group said.
• In Pakistan, 15 people were accused of blasphemy against Islam during the first four months of 2008, the organization said.
• Another Pakistani man sentenced to life in prison for desecrating the Quran was jailed for six years before being acquitted of the charge.
• In Saudi Arabia a teacher was sentenced to three years in prison plus 300 lashes “for expressing his views in a classroom.”
• In the United Kingdom, police announced plans to arrest a blogger for “anti-Muslim” statements.
• In the United States, a plaintiff sued his Internet service provider for refusing “to prevent participants in an online chat room from posting or submitting harassing comments that blasphemed and defamed plaintiff’s Islamic religion.”

The ECLJ said, “The implementation of domestic laws to combat defamation of religion in many OIC countries reveals a selective and arbitrary enforcement toward religious minorities, who are often Christians. Those violations are frequently punishable by the death penalty.”

The newest “anti-defamation” plan was submitted in March. It specifically cites a declaration “adopted by the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers” at a meeting in Islamabad “which condemned the growing trend of Islamophobia and systematic discrimination against adherents of Islam.”

It also cites the dictates from the OIC meeting in Dakar, “in which the Organization expressed concern at the systematically negative stereotyping of Muslims and Islam and other divine religions.”

It goes on to cite a wide range of other practices that “target” Islam, but does not mention any other religions, and urges all nations to provide “adequate protection against acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from the defamation of any religion.”

According to published reports, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights’ 53 members voted to adopt the resolution earlier this year, with opposition from the United States and the European Union.

At the time, Cuba’s delegate, Rodolfo Reyes Rodriguez, said: “Islam has been the subject of very deep campaign of defamation.”

“They’re attempting to pass a sinister resolution that is nothing more than blatant religious bigotry,” the ACLJ said in its promotion of its petition. “This is very important to understand. This radical proposal would outlaw Christianity … it would make the proclamation of your faith an international crime.”

“In his recent dissent on the Supreme Court’s ruling on Guantanamo Bay, Justice Scalia said, ‘America is at war with radical Islamists.’ Never has this rung more true than today. Never have Christians been more targeted for their religious beliefs. And never have we faced a more dangerous threat than the one posed by the OIC,” the ACLJ said.

On the Grizzly Groundswell blog, the author described the situation as, “The United Nations: 160 cannibals and 17 civilized people taking a majority vote on what to have for dinner.”

The U.S. State Department also has found the proposal unpalatable.

“This resolution is incomplete inasmuch as it fails to address the situation of all religions,” said the statement from Leonard Leo. “We believe that such inclusive language would have furthered the objective of promoting religious freedom. We also believe that any resolution on this topic must include mention of the need to change educational systems that promote hatred of other religions, as well as the problem of state-sponsored media that negatively targets any one religion.”