FARRAKHAN VS. ELIJAH/THE REAL NATION OF ISLAM/RICHMOND, VA. 4.19.08

Louis Farrkahan’s Christian church/Muslim Temple in Richmond, Va. 

 

 

RICHMOND, VA. As seen in the picture above, there is much confusion to be cleared up in the city of Richmond, Virginia as to the life giving teachings of The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad.

If one looks closely at the local meeting place for followers of Louis Farrakhan in the city, it doesn’t take long to see the utterly and completely contradictory nature of what it portrays.

Just above the pillars are the words “Muhammad’s Mosque No. 24,” but at the top of the building there is a Christian cross. The apparent irony might be easily explained by the fact that the building is a former Christian church, but one might ask whether or not it really is a “former” church as opposed to “still” a church. The case could be very easily made that the sign of the cross atop the so-called “Mosque” is in fact truly representative of those who attend it. When one examines the new philosophy being taught by the organization’s leader Louis Farrakhan as “Nation of Islam” doctrine, one might easily walk away believing there really is no appreciable difference from that of the church.

Louis Farrakhan has been described in Atlanta, Georgia by the Reverend Joseph Lowery former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Council as a “frustrated Baptist preacher.” What is truly ironic is the lack of umbrage taken to the remarks by either Farrakhan himself or his confused and misguided followers. This could and therefore would never have happened with The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, who is the man Louis Farrakhan falsely claims to represent. What Messenger Muhammad taught and represented by his example among us would simply not have allowed this.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches that the religion of Christianity  is a slavery religion. He teaches that the church is “the slave house.” He further teaches that Christianity is the white man’s religion and a European concocted religion made to enslave “Black mankind.” This is curiously not taught by Louis Farrakhan, even though he claims to represent Messenger Elijah Muhammad.

The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said the Christian preachers were his worst enemies and identified them as the false prophets mentioned in the book of revelations that would be thrown together with the beast (white man) into a lake of fire. He referred to the church as well as the white man’s names and religion as chains that bind us in slavery and identified them as the marks of the beast spoken of in revelations. Again these are things curiously missing from the theology taught by Louis Farrakhan in the name of the man he claims to represent while these are absolute cannons of what that man taught. Louis Farrakhan’s close ties to many Christian Pastors and his apparent obsession  with winning acceptance among them has long been noticed by angry and disgusted followers of Mr. Muhammad who wish that Mr. Farrakhan would cease to  claim representation of The Messenger (Elijah Muhammad).

It was in this backdrop that Minister Eric Muhammad of Atlanta’s “Elijah” “Muhammad’s Temple of Islam # 15” came to the city of Richmond to deliver a speech entitled “Farrakhan Vs. Elijah/The Real Nation of Islam.

Challenging Louis Farrakhan’s many distortions of what The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad actually preached and practiced, Minister Eric Muhammad sought to clear up some of the confusion Mr. Farrakhan has been horribly successful in creating with respect to true Nation of Islam teaching and practice.

Taking a cold, hard appraisal of conditions in Richmond’s Muslim community, one can easily see how Minister Eric’s job would be a steep, up-hill climb. Richmond has several “Temples of Islam” which claim Elijah Muhammad, but are not in unity with one another. The level of division is so great that in spite of the fact that Minister Eric personally phoned two of the Ministers of the city Ministers Kamau Islam and Benjamin  Shabazz) of the Mosby St. and Crawford St. Temples respectively, to include them in the evenings events, neither Minister nor any members of their Temples attended the gathering. This is in spite of the many occasions where Minister Eric would drive several hundred miles from Atlanta to Richmond to attend and support gatherings held by the above two Temples. A look at a magazine the Temples publishes called “The Original Nation Magazine” will reveal the underlining division responsible for the clear and obvious snub. The publications has a list of Temples it encourages people to attend from which Muhammad’s Temple # 15 in Atlanta is curiously and inexplicably absent. All of this stems from developments which took place immediately following Messenger Muhammad’s departure and his son Wallace D. Muhammad’s assumption of leadership of his father’s movement.

Wallace D. Muhammad singularly destroyed his father’s good work. His disastrous assumption of leadership of his father’s movement split said movement into numerous rival sects all vying for the main place in the spotlight of Nation of Islam  membership. The largest portion of Mr. Muhammad’s followers are still with the son today. The second largest faction would be that lead by Louis Farrakhan who split from the son of Mr. Muhammad when the going got too rough for him in the son’s newly changed movement. There are yet still several other factions quite small in comparison. Several of these can be found in the city of Richmond. It is no wonder indeed that Minister Eric was invited to come to the city to attempt to clear up the confusion and set matters relative to true Nation of Islam teaching and practice straight. It’s an uphill road, but someone must climb it.

To be continued…