Robert Morey

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Robert Morey is a Christian apologist who has written a number of books and pamphlets. He strongly criticises Islam, Wicca, and non-Evangelical Christian beliefs. He is the founder, executive officer, and "primary" faculty member of the California Biblical University and Seminary.^[1] Morey received a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from the Westminster Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Studies from the Louisiana Baptist University in 2003.^[2] The Lousiana Baptist University and the California Biblical University are unaccredited institutions.

1 Biography
2 Controversy and criticism
3 Works
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Biography

The Orange County Weekly featured an article about Morey noting his PhD comes from the unaccredited Louisiana Baptist University in Islamic Studies even though the school does not have an islamic studies program.^[3] The article noted he told "a San Diego church he had advised the State Department to blow up the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina if they wanted to win the war on terror quickly."^[3] He has also been criticized for seeking to make money from racist cartoons.^[3]

In 2002, the conservative website WorldNetDaily published a fund-raising plea on behalf of Morey’s Research and Education Foundation. He was asking for $1.2 million to “launch a national crusade” against radical Islam. Tax records obtained by the Weekly show the fund-raiser failed to hit its target, raising just $92,707 for his Research and Education Foundation in 2002.^[3]

In 2005, Morey filed for and received nonprofit status for his Faith Defenders Ministry by turning it into an Irvine church.^[3] There, Morey offers membership in the Crusader’s Club, which lists four membership levels along with corresponding dues and benefits, ranging from Crusader ($300 per year earns you a CD of the month) to King Richard’s Court ($5,000 per year gets you the CD, a mug, a subscription to Morey’s Journal of Biblical Apologetics, Morey’s private e-mail address, a piece of battle armor and an invitation to the annual Crusader’s Club banquet).^[3]

[edit] Controversy and criticism

[edit] Dirty bombs in the United States

In March 2002, Morey was interviewed by Mark Ellis, assistant pastor at Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Laguna Beach. Based on that conversation, Ellis wrote "Islam Expert Warns of [Three] Nuclear Terror Devices Inside U.S.," an article for the Christian news service ASSIST.^[3] Morey explained in the interview "I have Middle Eastern friends throughout the U.S. who continually feed me information as to what the terrorists are up to". "I, in turn, feed that information to the FBI and Naval Intelligence. I’ve been right so many times the FBI showed up at my house, suspicious as to whether or not I was somehow involved—because I knew too much. I simply pointed out to them they don’t have their ear to the ground in the Middle Eastern community."^[3]

[edit] Over Anti-Islamic Writings

Robert Morey has written several books condemning Islam. One controversial book entitled "The Islamic Invasion", which is printed by Chick Publications, makes several controversial claims such as Allah not being the same God as that of the Christian Bible, that Muhammad was not God's prophet and that the Quran doesn't contain the words of God. ^[4]. As religious scholars agree that Islam is one of the Abrahamic religions, these claims are in opposition to accepted theological positions. Publication of the book by Chick Publications, which is owned by the evangelical tract maker Jack Chick, is consistent with the overall tenor of books published by Chick, as he and Alberto Rivera ignited the Vatican Islam Conspiracy.^[5]

A number of Muslim responses have appeared in articles and on websites, criticizing Morey's claims. His assertions have also been attacked by Christians as well, with an article by the Pakistan Christian Congress's news organ, the Pakistan Christian Post, stating that Morey has never preached to Muslims and also that Morey falsely claimed educational credentials he does not have.^[6]

Morey has also written predictions that World War III will be caused by Islam.^[7] Daniel Pipes said of Morey in a 1998 Middle East Quarterly book review^[8] that Robert Morey "sees Islam primarily as 'a form of cultural imperialism' that seeks to impose the ways of seventh-century Arabia on twentieth-century America." A detailed (18 page) criticism of Morey's methods has been written by Shabbir Ali, President of the Islamic Information and Da’wah Centre International,Toronto,Canada, who charges Morey with deception, contradictions, and poor scholarship. ^[9]

One of the better known and most controversial assertions Morey made about Islam is that Allah is actually the ancient moon god Hubal, a deity of Sumerian origin which was later adopted throughout the Middle East, including throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Morey presents two main arguments for this idea; linguistic and archeological. The linguistic argument is based on Morey's assertion that the same name was used for pre-Islamic gods and the God of Islam (Allah). Morey asserts that the word used was al-ilah, later shortned to allaah, citing Carleton S. Coon as his source. Coon, however, states otherwise - that Ilah, the general term for "god", became Al-Ilah, "The God", or Allaah, the "Supreme Being".^[9] Morey cites a 1950's era archeological excavation in Hazor, Israel, in what was ancient Galilee in which a decapitated male statue was unearthed which some archeologists thought might be Hubal. This assertion has been declared probably inaccurate by Islamic groups such as Islamic Awareness, who also question the connection Morey states exists between Hubal and Allah.^[10]

[edit] Academic/degree controversy

Morey has been accused of academic fraud over claims about his education.^[11] In 1997, the Faith Theological Seminary Gujranwala Pakistan Board of Directors "said that Robert Morey was not on the graduation list of the FTS in the year 1996 nor was the FTS aware of awarding a DD degree to Dr. Morey."^[11] The school stated "Therefore any degree awarded to any one that is not awarded in the month of March from Gujranwala Pakistan is forged, fake, illegal and fraud and Robert Morey stands guilty of all the charges that are mentioned above."^[11] It even went as far as to mail him a copy of a cancelled degree.^[11]

[edit] Claims against atheists

Jon Nelson also has criticized Morey for deceitful/incorrect quotes.^[12] Nelson explained in Morey's The New Atheism (1986) quoted Nicholas Capaldi's book The Art of Deception as an example of atheist deception, but the "problem is that Capaldi never says this (or anything like it) on this or on any other page. Morey has numerous other false quotes attributed to Capaldi, such as: 'Refuse to be convinced. Even if you feel that he has a good argument and that your case is weaker, refuse to be convinced of your opponent's case'. Nowhere does Capaldi advocate, as Morey accuses him of doing, that atheists should 'use any invalid or deceptive argument as long as it helps him (to) win his case.'^[12] Nelson described "However, Morey has an 'out'. There are no actual quotation marks on these alleged quotes." Furthermore, "most theists will not be dissuaded from their beliefs by any amount of contrary evidence. Although they will never admit it, it is obvious that comfort is more important to them than intellectual integrity."^[12]

[edit] Works

All works by Christian Scholars Press are self-published.

The Encyclopedia of Practical Christianity. Christian Scholars Press, 2004.
Islamic Invasion. Christian Scholars Press. ISBN 1-931230-07-2
Winning the War Against Radical Islam. Christian Scholars Press, 2002. ISBN 1-931230-08-0
An Open Letter to Muslims - Booklet