Breaking Ground

With all said and done regarding my first 'blog argument' I think that maybe, just maybe, my point was seen. The below is a continuation from my last Blog entitled "Why you Hatin" that should be read first to fully grasp this blog post:

Steve Says: September 5th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Interesting comment. I guess we will have to agree to disagree.One question?When was Jesus tolerant of sin? You said “As Christians, we should try to practice what Jesus preached, live like him with his tolerance, his understanding, his forgiveness”.As I recall from what my Bible says, Jesus called sinners “a brood of vipers”. He never was “tolerant” or endorsed sin. He would have seen Islam as a false religion and I assure you, He would not have endorsed it.But again, we agree to disagree on this topic.Good Luck and God Bless!!

Anonymous (me) Says: September 6th, 2007 at 8:30 am
Steve,
Thank you for you comments. I would like to re-iterate that I DO believe that the extreme Islamic groups all over the world are horrendous, they act of the side of evil and break God’s Covenant - in His name (a double whammy).
I also believe that Islam (as a whole) can not and should not be bucketed into one overall judgment, as many Muslims themselves vehemently renounce what these extremist do and feel even more anger than we do about it- because these extreme, ill-willed people are misrepresenting their faith and creating so much hatred towards those within Islam that follow (what they feel) is the true path.
I personally know Muslims that feel hatred every day from people (and I am sorry to say this) like you, who have already judged them without even knowing them. They feel separate and outcaste from society, when they are trying to live good lives, trying to forgive the people that are giving them a bad name, praying to God five times a day (see below on that) The people of true Islam are struggling.
I do not think that Jesus would want good people, to feel outcaste. Do you know that Muslims believe in Jesus, believe he was born of the Virgin Mary and believe he is the Messiah? They believe that He will walk at the end of the world and only those that know Him, will be saved?
Muslims pray 5 times a day- do you know why?
Their prayers are broken up five times throughout the day, to try to prevent one from any wrong doing. The idea is- if they have to pray to God every few hours, they are less likely to commit a sin, God is always at the top of their minds. Isn’t that in some way, beautiful?
I am a defender of Islam, but only to the extent that we shouldn’t judge good people on the acts of those that are clearly doing wrong. It is always the bad that ruin it for the overall good.
Jesus was compassionate, forgiving, and non-judgmental and as you say, he was not tolerant of sin. Judgment and hatred towards fellow-man kind, defamation of one’s character- these are sins that we should all do our best to stay away from.
God Bless you too

Why You Hatin'?

I recently found myself in a blog argument, my first blog argument in history...it was interesting. Being that I am a lover of words and express myself best on paper- it was great.

It allowed me to process what these people were saying...and give me a chance to (calmly, which is an exception for me when I am angry) provide my argments where needed. It was diplomatic.

Setting the stage:

Here we go, the basis of this 'argument' was of course- religion! Stemming from a topic on a blog regarding the opposition of some public schools teaching Arabic history and language. I read some posts from fundamental Christians which felt it was the Board of Education's way of teaching our youth to become extreme jihadist...and that by teaching Arabic history and language, we are perpetuating terrorism within our own nation. Needless to say, their point was so narrow and absurd, it hurt my head.

In the name of the fifth ammendment, I just had to post my thoughts and I was called many names and was met with every Surah in the Qua'ran that quoted anything relating to waging war ..but one great thing that came from this, is that I have found a positive, functional way to paraphrase my defense of Islam as a whole and my personal Christianity (which in this particular blog discussion was being bashed)

This was my last entry on that blog (Beth and Steve were the ones hatin' on me)

Here we go:

"I am a Christian, does it matter what denomination? It seems that both Beth and Steve are focused on separating people, where my focus is to bring a better understanding on what religion(s) actually represent to the faithful people that follow them (or as you interpret this Beth, my ‘adamant defense of Islam’).

I think only through understanding and acceptance, comes tolerance. I never claimed to be both Christian and Muslim, or that I want to be a bishop! I am saying (without any offense or ill-will) that your views are narrow and uneducated.

My point in bringing up the Crusades at all, is to demonstrate that at one very long, point in time, en mass, Christians aggressively killed, viciously and without remorse in the name of Christendom…doesn’t that sound familiar to the Islam extremist of today? They were fighting in honor of their faith and supporting their actions with passages from the Holy Bible, just as these Islamic extremists are doing now. That was the point. Look at Christianity and minus 600 years and you are amidst Christian extremism, killing, hating, and fighting all non-Christians.

Here are a few things to think about…I hope that you both take the below information and do some objective research and analyze all sides:

 Islam is not a homogenous religion. It is divided into many subgroups, including Sunni, Shi’ite, and Sufi. A very small, radical, hate-filled, extremist, Fundamentalist, terrorist wing does exist. So too does a much larger peaceful, moderate wing. Unfortunately, the former seem to capture all the media’s attention, while the latter is rarely heard from.

 It obvious that no one individual speaks for all Muslims. Islam has no single central authority, comparable to the pope and Vatican for the Roman Catholic Church, or to various General Assemblies and the Lambeth Conferences for the Anglican Communion. Rather, it is divided into many traditions and schools.

 This phenomenon is true of most religions. Consider the over 1,000 Christian groups in North America. They include some hate-filled groups as well:
- The Christian Identity movement.- Various white supremacist organizations which usually consider they to be Christians.- The terrorists who blew up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

 The spread of terrorism within Islam appears to be due to the presence and interaction of a number of factors:
- A general renaissance of the religion of Islam throughout North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
- The after-effects of previous colonial oppression of Muslim countries
- Authoritarian dictatorships in the Middle East, many of which are artificially propped up with American foreign policy, with their depressing record of corruption, civil rights violations, and low standard of living. This results in a loss of hope among their public.
- The lack of separation between religion and the state in Muslim countries.
- Two main conflicts: One of overwhelming importance in Palestine between Jews and Muslims; one in Kashmir between Hindus and Muslims.

I could go on and on paraphrasing many brilliant pieces I have read, but enough for now...I am closing my side of this conversation with this:

As Christians, we should try to practice what Jesus preached, live like him with his tolerance, his understanding, his forgiveness…your world views and generalizations towards others simply strikes me as opposite of what Christ taught.

Would Christ the teacher himself deny education? Would Jesus stereo-type all people into one bucket? I wouldn’t want war or hate taught in any school- but that’s not “The Religion of Islam” as a whole and that is my point here. It is only with tolerance and education that future generations and this generation, will ever begin to make peace, it is only through education and acceptance that radical Islam will ever cease.

God Bless this country, this world, because it is the extremists of all religions, hand-in-hand with some of your narrow thoughts displayed here, that will continue to break down man kind.
Hate (so easily) breeds hate and it’s hard to resist that easy path of hating back…"

Faith, Hope and Love...should all come with Lasik

(1st Corinthians 13:13)

How can it be, that these great and beautiful gifts from God, can make us blind. They can blind us to the point of working for darkness, working against the greater good of man-kind, for ourselves.

More later, just a thought for now.

"You love Jesus, I Like him"

(...in light of all this talk about Religion...)

I know that love can exist between a Muslim and a Christian. Is it sustainable is the question? Is a marriage between any two opposing religions sustainable in the long haul? I suppose the answer to that question lies within the two people in the relationship, their personal level of faith and commitment to their faith, how they want to raise their kids, their lifestyle...

My thought on religion so often is that instead of unifying people, it is devisive. But then again, as somone just reminded me, Jesus was devisive. I myself am not super religious, but was raised in a Christian family, schooled my entire life in private Christian schools, went to church, was part of my youth ministry program, it has been engrained in me, 'I love Jesus' and, I do. Like many, (including in most recent news Mother Theresa), I have gone through periods where I question my faith, entertain other theologies but yet, I find that Jesus...yup he was onto something.

I still find that the educated, open-minded part of me knows and accepts that the Holy Bible (and Catholic Church) may be questionable in content (many books within the Bible were written decades after Jesus lived, and the book was basically 'assembled' at the Nicean Council). Christians through time have killed, been killed, waged in war...they are just like all religions so perversly intertwined with power and politics. The cerebral part of me screams, "Christianity is only your roots- that's why you believe it!" "This is your tradition, of course it is going to feel like the right path!"

But one thing I do know, is that I just love Jesus.

There is is also a greater part of me, that goes beyond checking a box that reads: I am a _____ religion. That part of says, there is a God and all this division is merely the work of man. God provided diffrent tools, for diffrent people to find him. He has instilled not only common law (the Ten Commandents) but outlined a way of good living for each religion to follow, yet even still with all these directions to follow, some do not follow any path to God.

So if I feel that way, does it really matter what religion my children are raised or only that they are close to God and lead moral good lives? Muslims believe in Jesus- as The Messiah too!! Born of the Virgin Mary and the whole shibang. There are of course some parts they just don't buy (The Trinity, God's Son situation and they believe that he never died on the cross but that God raised him to heaven and allowed a common soul to die in his place) So is it more important to me to raise my children with the faith that I was raised with, or just make sure they are raised with a faith in God? (and thankfully, a faith in Jesus too)

more later

Christianity- minus 600 years

This morning I had a discussion with someone whom I consider to be extremely knowledgeable, cultured and tolerant. In discussing the extremist viewpoints on all religions ( but specifically radical Islam) and expressing my concerns, he made a statement “but look at Christianity, minus 600 years”.

I am not capable of reading all of the history I would like to in the time I would like to post this article, but I know there is a wealth of it out there.

I will start with this, a pious fraud is nothing more than fraud, and it is based on false premises and lies and given respect only by those who believe the lie. Therefore it is their own ‘truth’ and they would never be able to view it as a lie. Religious wars throughout time, the Crusades, Milhemet Mitzvah, The Thirty Years War, French Wars of Religions, or modern day (radical) Jihad, all have adopted versions of pious fraud for their own basis to kill, conquer and relinquish back what they see as theirs…they wholly believe they are fighting for truth and this is not only radical Islam, this has been done for centuries within religious context.

Being that the roots of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all fall under the hand of the same God, how could all claim that ‘their’ war is different, their war is good or have a call to arms in the name of God? It’s baffling. I am not getting it, missing the point.

If a pious lobotomy could be possible, perhaps they could see themselves in a mirror and look at it from a different perspective, ‘see’ what is being done and what is being lived, passed on to the next generation. The greatest of all religious offense is that their actions are causing re-actions, and all in the name of God. When you take those actions and re-actions out of the context that people believe they are acting in and look purely at the act itself- how is it not clear that so much of this is wrong. Killing is wrong, taking property of others is wrong, disrespecting any human life is wrong. Acting on behalf of God and in the name of God while disrespecting the life, people and the world that God created, is that not only acting on behalf of God, but as God? How can any one person deem righteousness over another? Make or take value to a human life?

CNN God’s Warriors

Last night and tonight, I watched the first and second segments of Christian Amanpour’s documentary entitled 'God’s Warrior’s'. Watching this, I found myself engulfed in disbelief, awe and amazement at what faith can accomplish. When faith is used to try and transform the masses, it destroys civilizations, neighborhoods, homes, cities, kills children and demolishes peace- to say the very least.

Contrarily, faith can also establish peace, renew hope that has been lost, build the impossible…yet what I feel we must realize, is that these types of transformations can only happen successfully on a personal level. We can share our personal faith en mass, but to try and transform the mass with faith, is a loosing battle.

I am focusing my thoughts on the Abrahamic religions, featured on this CNN special, all of which are built upon one another, Judaism being the first, followed by Christianity and Islam. Without Judaism and the Torah, none of the others exist. If taken from an agnostic standpoint, it is the greatest trilogy of all time.

The Fundamentals:

Judaism, beginning with the covenant between God and Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people (as well as the patriarch of Christianity and Islam), prophesied the coming of a Messiah.

Christianity thereafter was born with the faith in Jesus and in the belief that he is the Messiah. (Jews are still awaiting a Messiah to come and do not recognize Jesus). Christianity is a faith centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe Jesus to be the Messiah and the Son of God

….within this very point is where Islam was born. Although Islam supports that Jesus as the Messiah, born of the Virgin Mary, it also denounces the Trilogy (as it is contradictory to the One-ness of God) and further supports that believing in Jesus as God or any God-like counterpart, is where Christians were led astray. Muhammad is believed by Muslims not to be a founder of a new religion, but rather the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.

Rooted not only in one God but also in the same patriarch, this by far is the greatest dysfunctional family of all time, and yes, I believe we are family. Each synagogue, church or mosque is rooted in the same stone, and built all in the name of the same God, a shared Father.

Since all three of these faiths have roots in The Torah, in the prophet Moses and his purpose, I would like to call to mind The Ten Commandments (read these slowly)

1) I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me
2) Thou shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth
3) Thou shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name
4) Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy
5) Honor your father and your mother
6) You shall not murder.
7) You shall not commit adultery
8) Neither shall you steal
9) Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor
10) Neither shall you covet your neighbor’s goods

Focusing on these Ten Commandments, they seem so simple to follow. Yet the practicality of following them is almost analogous to John Locke’s view to the (perfect) State of Nature. If every person consulted these ten statements before making each decision in their day…what a world it would be. However reality (as we have come to know) is that there is no perfect state to nature. Adam and Eve bit that apple a long-ass time ago.

Human nature by definition is a vice. We desire, we seek power (not only from greed, but for protection or persuasion). In fact, protection of our human, or faith-filled existence in and of itself breeds a basis to break these commandments. War and politics of any sort, breaks these commandments, yet without them there is no guideline…Think about that impossible irony.

The reason I focus on these Ten Commandments, these rules of our (collective) faith, is because I am beside myself with how all “warriors of faith” as featured in this CNN special, not only break these commandments, but do so in the name of God- so blindly breaking yet another commandment in the process (see commandment 3 people!!)…. Double whammy.

The story of the “Fallen Angel” (a.k.a. the guy with horns), reads that he is real and seeks to tempt the other side at all times. Although unequal in Greatness, it should be noted that the story reads he/she/it is just as ever-present as God, working against goodness, always there to show you the flip side of the coin. Knowing this, these ‘soldiers of God’ should ask themselves, which side of that coin they are actually on, cause doing what they do in the name of God somehow, seems counter-intuitive.