Who's ? Right: Top 25 Women of the Tanakh (Old Testament)

The majority of women in the Hebrew/Christian Bible were briefly mentioned, as are the stories that are attached to them. While there are many different ancient scioness' that appear throughout the holy book, the following 25 women were chosen by the Who's ? Right Blog to represent the top 25 biblical women of the Torah and Tanakh (also known as the Old Testament).

#25 - Keturah ... was the second wife of the patriarch, Abraham (after the death of Sarah). Her story is very vague and she is only mentioned a couple of times in the Bible. But, it does list the children she bore to Abraham and this will explain the honorable mention she receives in the holy book. Her brief story can be found in Bereishit (Genesis) 25:1-2 and Divrei HaYamim I (I Chronicles) 1:32

#24 - Jochebed... was the mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. She is noted for selflessly saving Moses' life [as a newborn] by sending him down the River Nile in a basket to escape the death Pharaoh was inflicting upon the male children of that time. Her story is found in Shemot (Exodus) 6:20 and Bamidbar (Numbers) 26:59.

#23 - Hannah ... was the mother of the prophet Samuel and the favorite wife of Elkanah. In her own right, she was a prophetess herself who lived in Jerusalem and spoke to God silently in her head, allowing no words to be heard by mankind. Many thought she was insane, but she devoutly prayed in such a way so that the Most High God would bless her barren womb with children. The story of Hannah is part of the readings for Rosh Hashanah. Her story is found in Shmuel I (I Samuel) 1-22; 2-1; 2-21.

#22 - Zipporah ... was the wife of Moses and one of the seven daughters of Jethro (a Kenite shepherd who was a priest of Midian). She is acknowledged for pleading with God not to kill Moses for not circumcising his children. Zipporah kept God's covenant with Jacob and circumcised Moses' children herself. This story can be found in Shemot (Exodus) 4:24-25.

#21 - Zilpah (Jacob's concubine) ... was a servant of Leah (Jacob's first wife) and a concubine of Jacob, who bore him two sons [Gad and Asher] when Leah thought she had stopped producing sons for her husband. Zilpah's sons were a part of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Her story is found in Bereishit (Genesis) 29-35.

#20 - Bilhah (Jacob's concubine)... was a servant of Rachel (Jacob's second wife) and another concubine of Jacob, who bore him two sons [Dan and Naphtali] when Rachel remained barren and unable to produce children. Like Zilpah, Bilhah's sons were a part of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Her story is found in Bereishit (Genesis) 29-35.

#19 - Sheerah ... was a descendant of Ephraim and great-great granddaughter of Jacob. Her brief mention in the Bible has not gone unnoticed by this blog. She was a woman of great clout, having established and built the ancient cities of Upper Beth-Horon, Lower Beth-Horon and Uzzen-Sheerah. She is even included in the genealogies, which is a rare occurrence for a woman [in the holy Bible]. Her story can be found in Divrei HaYamim I (I Chronicles) 7:22-24.

#18 - Jael ... was the wife of Heber the Kenite and the biblical heroine who killed Sisera to deliver Israel from the troops of King Jabin. She was noted for running a spike through Sisera's temple while he lay sleeping in her home. In biblical terms, she was considered the most blessed of the tent-dwelling women. Her story is mentioned in Shoftim (Judges) 4:17-22; Shoftim (Judges) 5:6; 24.

#17 - Athaliah ... was the Queen of Judah during the reign of King Jehoram, and later became sole ruler of Judah for five years. She was considered a wicked ruler of the land, even using the Temple's sacred objects for the worship of the Baals. Her son was killed during her rein and she became obsessed with killing the royal household. Her story is located in Malachim II (II Kings) 8:26; 11:1-20 and Divrei HaYamim II (II Chronicles) 22-23.

#16 - Naomi ... was the wife of Elimelek and mother of Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. Naomi's is a sad story with a happy ending. Having lost both her husband and sons in death, she felt useless and alone until her daughter-in-law, Ruth, refused to leave her. She was accepted into the home of Ruth's second husband, Boaz. This beautiful story of love can be found in Book of Ruth (Ruth). 

#15 - Dinah ... was the only daughter of Jacob; her mother was Leah. This story entails the rape of the young woman, the deal her father made with her offender (Shechem), who proclaimed his love for Dinah, the enraging of her 12 brothers (aka 12 Tribes of Israel) and the eventual murder of the man and all his male brethren in the nearby city. This tale of love and deceit can be found in Bereishit (Genesis) 34.

#14 - Leah ... was the first wife of Jacob and the eldest daughter of Laban. She was given to Jacob as a wife by the results of trickery on Laban's part to ensure his eldest daughter wed first. Even though Jacob and Laban had agreed that he could marry Rachel (Laban's youngest daughter), Laban made sure both daughters married the scion of Abraham and Isaac.... hence the trickery. Her story can be found in Bereishit (Genesis) 29:14-35; 30:9-21.

#13 - Jezebel ... was the wife of King Ahab and the Queen of ancient Israel. She and her husband were wicked monarchs that enraged the displeasure of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by serving the evil entities, the Baals. Jezebel was also known for persecuting and killing the prophets of the land during her rampaging reign. Her story is found in Malachim I (I Kings) 16-21; Malachim II (II Kings) 9.

#12 - Rahab ... was known only as the prostitute that helped hide the spies of Joshua prior to destruction of Jericho. God found favor with her and spared the lives of her and her entire family. While her assistance to the Israelites is only briefly mentioned in the Tanakh, she did get an honorable mention by Job and Isaiah, as well as being referred to in the Psalms. Her story is located in Yehoshua (Joshua) 2.

#11 - Delilah ... was a Philistine known only as the "woman in the valley of Sorek" In many narratives she is cast as the villain who brought about the downfall and death of Samson, who was a renowned warrior for God. Her story is featured in Shoftim (Judges) 16. 

#10 - Miriam ... was the daughter of Amram and Jochebed and sister to Moses and Aaron. Miriam, at the request of her mother, put Moses in a papyrus basket to escape the massacre Pharaoh was inflicting upon male children under two years old. She convinced the daughter of Pharaoh to allow Jocobed (Moses' real mother) to nurse the baby when she was unable to. Much later, she is reunited with her brother, Moses, and becomes a part of the mass exodus that left Eygpt. At one point she becomes irritated that God bestowed his blessing upon Moses and, as a result, was called out by the great Creator himself . Her punishment was to endure leprosy for seven days. Like Moses, she did not get to enter the promise land. Her story is located in Shemot (Exodus) 15 and referred to in Bamidbar (Numbers) 12; 20; 26,  D'varim (Deuteronomy) 24:9 and Divrei HaYamim I (I Chronicles) 4:17; 6:3. Miriam is also directly mentioned by the prophet Micah in 6:4.

#9 - Esther (also known as Hadassah) ... was known as the Queen of the Persian Empire; she was the orphaned daughter of a Benjaminite named Abihail and spent a big portion of her time in Persian exile. King Ahasuerus took her as his concubine, set her up in a harem, and in return Esther revealed the plot of Haman, the grand vizier, in his plan to exterminate the Jews through the information supplied to her by her guardian and cousin, Mordecai. Her story is canonized in the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, known as the Book of Esther in the Old Testament. 

#8 - Rebekah ... was the wife of Isaac and the mother of Esau and Jacob. She dutifully left her homeland and family to become the bride Abraham had requested for his son, Isaac. It took many years and endless prayers before Rebekah conceived twin sons. She is best known for tricking Isaac into giving the birthright blessing to Jacob, the younger son, instead of rightfully bestowing the blessing upon the older son, Esau. This caused quite a rift between the brothers. Her story is found throughout Bereishit (Genesis) 24-35. 

#7 - Rachel ... was the second wife of Jacob, sister to Leah, daughter of Laban and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Even though Rachel was the first to meet Jacob and fall in love with him, her sister (Leah) was given to be his wife instead. A week later, Rachel also became a wife of Jacob. Jealously sprang up between the sisters as a result. While Leah was bearing children to Jacob, Rachel was not. Rachel sent her handmaid (Bilhah) to be a surrogate and she bore more children to Jacob. Not to be outdone, Leah sent her servant (Zilpah), and she, too, conceived from her mistress' husband. But, Rachel would remain Jacob's favorite wife during the course of her lifetime. Sadly enough, she died not long after giving birth to her youngest son, Benjamin. She is mentioned by the prophets Samuel and Jeremiah. Her story can be read in Bereishit (Genesis) 29-35.

#6 - Ruth ... was a Moabitess who married into the Hebrew family of Elimelech and Naomi shortly after leaving their home in Bethlehem and relocating in Moab during a harsh famine. Ruth was married either to Mahlon or Kilion; it does not specify in the holy book which brother she married. After the deaths of Naomi's husband and sons [one of which Ruth was married to], Ruth accompanied Naomi back to Bethlehem and there married Boaz (an ancestral grandfather of King David). The story of this Moabitess is dedicated in the entire Book of Ruth in the Tanakh (Old Testament).

#5 - Bathsheba ... was the wife of Urriah, then after becoming his widow, married King David of the United Kingdom of Israel. She is most noteworthy for her role as an adulterous woman who turned the king's head with her beauty, which led to an extramarital affair. Solomon would later become a product of their union. She is briefly mentioned in the Psalms (51:1). Her tale of love and woe can be found in Shmuel II (II Samuel) 11-12 and Malachim I (I Kings) 1-2.

#4 - Hagar ... was an Egyptian handmaiden of Sarah, a surrogate wife for Abraham and the mother of Ishmael. When Sarah was unable to conceive children with Abraham, she enlisted her handmaid to fulfill her duty to her husband. Once Hagar became pregnant she began to despise her mistress and friction grew between them. Many years later, Sarah conceived Isaac, which made Hagar realise that her son would surely be left out. The friction intensified and eventually led to Hagar and Ishmael's eviction from Abraham's household. However, God did bless her son, Ishmael, and made a mighty nation from him. Hagar's story can be found in Bereishit (Genesis) 16; 21:8-21.

#3 - Deborah ... was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, counselor, warrior, and the wife of Lapidoth. She was the only female judge mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Deborah led a successful counterattack against the forces of Jabin, king of Canaan, and his military commander Sisera. After being oppressed by Jabin in Hazor, for twenty years, Deborah prevailed upon Barak who was the head captain of the army at that time, to face the Assyrian General Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, in battle. The victory to which the Bible refers is the victory of an Israelite force of ten thousand over Sisera's force of nine hundred iron chariots. Her fantastic story is related in Shoftim (Judges) 4-5.

#2 - Sarah ... was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac. She is best described as the mother of many nations. Her story is familiar to many. Sarah played an unusual role in claiming to be Abraham's sister [considering in reality she actually was] so the king's men did not kill her husband. She fretted over her barrenness, which resulted in an an intense and bitter relationship with her handmaiden, Hagar. The Egyptian servant had produced a child for Abraham when Sarah could not. Her name was originally Sarai, which God later changed to Sarah as part of a covenant with the Hebrew God after Hagar bore Abraham a son. She later evicted Hagar and her son, Ishmael, from the household after she was finally blessed in old age with a son, Isaac. Sarah lived to be 127 years old and was mentioned by the prophet Isaiah. Her story can be read in Bereishit (Genesis) 11-23.

#1 - Eve ... was the wife of Adam and the mother of Cain, Abel and Seth. According to the "creation theory", she was the first woman to be formed from the dust of the earth by the great Creator. Considered the 'mother of mankind', her name is one of the most recognised around the world. She is most noted for being deceived by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, in which Adam and Eve were both evicted from God's paradise. She bore Adam many sons and daughters, but only the three [sons] above are named in the holy book. Eve spent her life toiling the land, enduring the pain of childbirth and most likely became extremely subservient to her husband as a result of being kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Her story is brief, but powerful and can be found in Bereishit (Genesis) 1-4.

Prophecy of the Seven Thunders

 Article posted by Kirsten Cowart via http://www.ewao.com/

"Native Americans still hold the oldest existing ongoing knowledge. Knowledge passed on for thousands of years. Truth. A message from the heart. The prophecies of the seven thunders are about these times. The first three have already occurred; the fourth is nearly fulfilled. This is just a summary of the prophecies."

Prophecies are sometimes literal and other times symbolic. They don't always take place in a literal third dimension way. Sometimes they are referring to higher events that take place in other ways, or happen on higher dimensional levels. Read these prophecies and see what you think is happening or will happen based on that that has been shared.

1. The people of the world will experience mass starvation, sickness and homelessness.

If you look at our world today you see this happening all over the world. What I have found, traveling to other counties, is that this sort of thing is less hidden in other countries outside of the US. Those who suffer are out on the street and you see it in both the old and the young. In Western culture, and inside most cities of the United States these issues are hidden from view. Out of sight, out of mind.

2. The sky will become sick with holes like sores. From these holes bacteria will come into the waters.This will affect our physical and dimensional realities.

What do you think this one means? The first thing that comes to my mind is the holes in the ozone layer as a literal translation. As more of a spiritual or higher translation I see this being about our link with divinity. We have forgotten our higher connections and wisdom. In our disconnected ignorance we are poisoning the earth and causing illness for plants, animals and people alike. 

3. New species and mutations will occur. Mutations in humans will start to happen.

Though this could mean many different things on many levels I can't help but think about GMO's. Not only are we modifying our food and breeding animals to fit our consumption wants, we are also causing damage to ourselves. Another level to look at this one is on our minds. Our minds are mutating as society falls further and further into the illusion of consumerism. Good thing more people are waking up each day.

4. Two comets - the twins in the heavens, one guards the north pole, one the south. They will cause the poles to shift and our realities will shift too. New information will be unearthed, lost cities will be found. The Devil winds will blow and the Earth will rid her toxins. Four great women will perish which will signal the beginning of seven circles which are the answers to the seven thunders.

This part contains a lot of interesting and intense ideas. Are they physical or symbolic? We know the realities are shifting, more and more people are shifting from a 4th dimensional mind into a 5th dimensional mind. Lost cities in history are being found. The poles are predicted to make a big shift, however the magnetics of the earth have been shifting more each year for a while now regardless of a big shift. 

The winds and the women could be metaphorical or literal. There could be 4 women on earth or this could have some symbolic reference to the 4 elements and mother earth. What do you think? 

5. The atmosphere can no longer repair itself. Time and reality as we perceive it will shift. Good and evil will emerge. Man will experiment with the Earth and cause a volcanic eruption in Mexico and a chain reaction of earthquakes will go up the Cascade Mountain Range.

Haarp has long been suspected of being able to control the weather. What other experiments has the government been conducting that may have lead up to the recent increase in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions? For the Mexico volcanic eruption, all I can say is that I hope it is metaphorical and is referring to a moment of thought rather than actual destruction. 

6. The people from the stars will return to help us. The Earth has picked up the consciousness of the people and it is on self destruct.

It sounds like aliens or higher dimensional beings will lend their assistance to the human race. I am so grateful for this. 

7. The Purifier comes-The twelfth planet will pass the Earth, causing three and a half days of darkness in the eclipse. The pyramids clock, keeper of the Earth, runs on sun light. After the darkness we will emerge into the fifth world.

Whether or not there is going to be a literal 3.5 days of darkness is yet to be known. Perhaps it will be 3 days of spiritual darkness followed by a shift in consciousness. Either way it sounds like the whole earth will shift into the 5th dimension.

What do you think about these prophecies? Do you think they will comes to pass? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Thank you for reading.

Source: Native American Lore

Religion of Shinto

Shinto is an indigenous religion of Japan that is defined as a type of theology that focuses on ritual practices that establishes a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto was first used in the 6th century A.D., although the roots of this religion can be traced back to 6th century B.C. 

The religion of Shinto has no founder, no sacred books and no formalized doctrine. Shinto practices are not exactly considered a 'unified religion', but more of native and mythological beliefs. While this theology as first instituted around the 6th century B.C., Shinto practices were first recorded in the 8th century A.D. and are known as the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. 

Practitioners express their diverse beliefs through a standard language and practice, adopting a similar style in dress and ritual, dating from around the time of the Nara and Heian periods.

Various practices of Shinto is as follows:

• Omari - Anyone may visit a shrine. Typically there are a few basic steps to visiting a shrine. 

• Harae - The rite of ritual purification [usually done daily at a shrine] is a ceremony of offerings and prayers of several forms

• Misogi - The practice of purification by ritual use of water while reciting prayers is typically done daily by regular practitioners, and when possible by lay practitioners.

• Imi - Another form of ritual cleanliness is avoidance, which means that a taboo is placed upon certain persons or acts.

• Ema - Are small wooden plaques that wishes or desires are written upon and left at a place in the shrine grounds so that one may get a wish or desire fulfilled. 

• Ofuda - Are talismans—made of paper, wood, or metal—that are issued at shrines. They are inscribed with the names of kamis and are used for protection in the home

• Omamori - Are personal-protection amulets sold by the shrines. They are frequently used to ward off bad luck and to gain better health.

• Omikuji - Are paper lots upon which personal fortunes are written.

• Daruma - Is a round, paper doll of the Indian monk, Bodhidharma. The recipient makes a wish and paints one eye; when the goal is accomplished, the recipient paints the other eye. 

• Dorei - Are earthenware bells that are used to pray for good fortune. 

For more information on Shinto practices and rituals, please visit: Shinto Practices

Kagura traditional dance,
Katori Jingu, Katori City

Kagura is the ancient Shinto ritual dance of shamanic origin. The word "kagura" is thought to be a contracted form of kami no kura or "seat of the kami" or the "site where the kami is received." In Japanese collections, Ame-no-uzeme’s dance is described as asobi, which in old Japanese language means a "ceremony that is designed to appease the spirits of the departed", and which was conducted at funeral ceremonies. 

There is no sacred text in Shinto, as the Bible in Christianity, the Tanakh in Judaism or the Qur'an in Islam. Instead there are book collections of folklore and history which provide a background to various Shinto beliefs. All written compilations are based on ancient oral traditions:

• The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) The foundation to written Shinto history.

• The Shoku Nihongi and its Nihon Shoki (Continuing Chronicles of Japan)

• The Rikkokushi (Six National Histories) which includes the Shoku Nihongi and Nihon Shoki

• The Jinnō Shōtōki (a study of Shinto and Japanese politics and history) written in the 14th century

It is interesting to note the syncretism with Buddhism.  When Buddhism was introduced in the 6th century and adopted by the Court soon after, it was necessary to explain the apparent differences between native Japanese beliefs and the teachings of Buddha. 

One Buddhist explanation saw the kami as supernatural beings still caught in the cycle of birth and rebirth (also known as reincarnation). The kami are born, live, die, and are reborn like all other beings in the karmic cycle. However, the kami played a special role in protecting the fundamental teachings of Buddha and allowing Buddhism to flourish.

This explanation was later challenged by Kūkai (774–835), who saw the kami as different embodiments of the Buddhas themselves (honji suijaku theory). For example, he linked Amaterasu (the sun goddess and ancestor of the Imperial family) with Dainichi Nyorai, a central manifestation of the Buddhists, whose name means literally "Great Sun Buddha". In his view, the kami were just Buddhas by another name.

Fushimi Inari—Main Gate,
one of the oldest shrines in Japan

Present-day Shinto is a term that applies to the religiosity of public shrines which are devoted to the worship of the kami (or multiple gods), suited to various purposes such as war memorials and harvest festivals, and applies as well to various sectarian organizations. 

Shinto is the largest religion in Japan, practiced by nearly 80% of the population, yet only a small percentage of these followers identify themselves as "Shintoists" in surveys. This is due to the fact that "Shinto" has different meanings in Japan: most of the Japanese attend Shinto shrines and beseech kami without belonging to an institutional "Shinto" religion, and since there are no formal rituals to become a member of folk "Shinto", "Shinto membership" is often estimated counting those who join organised Shinto sects. The estimated number of people practicing Shinto worldwide is 2.7 million.

Shinto has 100,000 shrines and 78,890 priests in the country. 

According to Inoue (2003):

"In modern scholarship, the term is often used with reference to kami worship and related theologies, rituals and practices. In these contexts, "Shinto" takes on the meaning of "Japan’s traditional religion", as opposed to foreign religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism."

There’s No Such Thing as ‘Radical Islam’

The following article was written by Dean Obeidallah, a journalist and contributor to the The Daily Beast.

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There’s No Such Thing as ‘Radical Islam.’ There Are Only Terrorists Who Are Muslim 

Dean Obeidallah

02.06.15  5:45 AM  ET

ISIS is about as Islamic as the KKK is Christian. They just use religion. Their real agenda is political. Get with it.

How many Muslims does ISIS have to slaughter before people will stop calling the group “Islamic” anything? Seriously, can someone please tell me the number of innocent Muslim men, women, and children who have to die at the hands of ISIS before people will realize that ISIS is truly unIslamic and arguably anti-Islamic?

On Tuesday, we saw more of ISIS’s barbaric brutality on display with the release of the video depicting its killing of Jordanian Muslim fighter pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh. He was flying sorties as part of the U.S.-organized coalition to destroy ISIS.

The way he was killed sets a new low in depravity. ISIS militants first chained Kasasbeh in a cage and then poured flammable fluids into his cell. With Kasasbeh watching, an ISIS militant lit the fluid on fire. Then while Kasasbeh was burning to death, they dropped debris on him, like brick masonry. Finally they drove a bulldozer over him several times.

What makes the killing of this man so noteworthy is not just the viciousness of his execution, but that it actually received national U.S. media coverage. We rarely see our media cover the Muslims killed by ISIS or al Qaeda. I often wonder, is it because some in the media feel that Muslims lives don’t matter? Or is it because they sense that collectively, most (though not all) Americans could care less about it when non-Americans are killed, so that translates into low ratings for these types of stories?

To be honest, how many have heard about the details of ISIS slaughtering of Muslims? In 2014 in Iraq alone, can you guess how many Muslims civilians—not fighters, civilians—ISIS killed? At least 4,325. ISIS is murdering an average 12 Muslim civilian men, women, and children every single day.

And these killings are not “collateral damage” deaths. Per a United Nations report released last September, ISIS targeted Muslims, both Sunnis and Shias, who refused to submit to it. We are talking a Sunni leader from the Salah ad Din province of Iraq beheaded (PDF) in August for refusing to swear allegiance to ISIS. Do you recall U.S. media wall-to-wall coverage of that beheading, like when Westerners were beheaded?

Three Sunni nurses were executed in Mosul for refusing to treat ISIS fighters. A Sunni imam in eastern Baquba was killed for simply denouncing ISIS.

And in neighboring Syria, per the London-based Syrian Human Rights Committee, in December 2014 alone, ISIS killed at least 49 civilians, executing almost all in front of their families.

Look, there’s no such thing as “radical Islam.” There is only one Islam. But there are radical Muslims. And there are Muslims who engage in terrorist acts. They are called terrorists.

Why do these facts matter? Because I think it makes it clear to any reasonable person that ISIS is not about the tenets of Islam. Their religion is power.

Those aren’t just my words. In September, more than 120 Islamic scholars and clerics wrote a letter to ISIS in both English and Arabic denouncing ISIS and its invoking of Islam to justify its horrific actions. They even explained in great detail how ISIS is violating the Quran and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, concluding that ISIS is truly unIslamic.

Yet these words don’t move many on the right in America, who continue to argue in essence: If a Muslim yells “Allahu Akbar” after committing any action, that absolutely means that their conduct is based on the faith. That is beyond simplistic—it’s idiotic.

And nearly as ludicrous is the claim by people like Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who stated on Fox News on Sunday that we need to call it “radical Islam” because we “have to define our enemy.”

Look, there’s no such thing as “radical Islam.” There is only one Islam. But there are radical Muslims. And there are Muslims who engage in terrorist acts. They are called terrorists. That is the proper way to describe them.

That is exactly what White House Press secretary Josh Earnest stated a few weeks ago when refusing to use the term “radical Islam” to describe al Qaeda or ISIS. As Earnest noted, it’s about “accuracy,” noting correctly that “these terrorists are individuals who would like to cloak themselves in the veil of a particular religion.”

Just read the ISIS magazine and you will see how they desperately seek to frame its battle with the United States as an “American crusade against Islam.” (PDF) That is why when Sen. Lindsey Graham recently called the fight with al Qaeda a “religious war,” I can only imagine these terrorists were high-fiving each other because he was parroting their words.

Using the word Islam in any way to describe ISIS or al Qaeda, or framing our fight as a religious war, is exactly what they want. It helps them recruit and raise funds. Let’s call ISIS—as well as al Qaeda—what they are. They are terrorists with a political agenda who are using the Islamic faith, not acting in accordance with it. That is our enemy. Now let’s defeat them.