I am getting tired of all the Muslim bashing.
Islam is a religion. It is thousands of years old. It is just as old, and established as Christianity and Judaism. You know Abraham in the Bible? Yeah, he's the source of Islam too. At the heart of the faith, as with Judaism and Christianity and almost every other world religion, is the teaching to love others as you love yourself, and to love the Lord completely. That is what the vast majority of Muslims believe, and what the vast majority of them practice.
Now, are there some that don't practice that and go to extremes? Yes, and the extremes have been horrible -- and they are justified in some interpretations of the Koran. Of course, there are some interpretations of the Bible that blame the Jews for the death of Christ, and think homosexuals should be stoned to death. Really, just ask Mel Gibson.
I know, I know, the extremists are easier to handle. It's easy to hate someone that you believe hates you and wants to destroy you and all you hold dear. It's harder to simply accept someone of a different faith, and acknowledge that while other members of their faith have done horrible things, they are part of an extremely small faction -- and are in fact condemned by other members of the faith. If you don't have to think about all that it makes it easier to burn holy books, and condemn houses of worship, and even say flood victims shouldn't be helped because of their religion. While that might be fun, it also costs us our humanity, one slur at a time.
Also, I'm pretty sure Jesus prefers if we are nice to everyone, doesn't he? And I think Jehovah, and Yahweh, Krishna, and Buddha were pretty clear on that point as well. So, let's just stop the name calling and religion baiting now, okay?
Okay?
Good.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
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13 comments:
I so agree with you. Thank you for saying it far more elegantly than I was capable of when I tried and then deleted a similar idea.
Jesus hung out with prostitutes and sinners. Other than the story where he fed a bajillion people with two fish (or something like that, my Sunday school memories have faded dramatically), I remember no fishmongering from the Bible. Or fearmongering. Whatever.
Thank you - I have been meaning to write something like this, as that "pastor" in Florida has been royally pissing me off. My dad is retired minister and so many "Christians" seem so angry, I have to wonder if they've ever read the New Testament or anything Jesus is purported to have said.
I just finished watching a documentary on the honour killings of young girls by their families in Canada and the U.S. A young man enrolled in a Muslim school in the U.S. commented that this is just another thing he has to fight, this misconception that all Muslims are like these families. It's a travesty when people hate just because they do not understand another religion. It's love for everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs or upbringings. Thanks for writing this Libby.
I *totally* agree. It's absolutely absurd.
Ellie
"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." - Gandhi
What are you saying? Love thy neighbor?? Libby, your liberal agenda is horrifying.
So you have showed us what Jesus would do, but in this situation, What Would Tiger Woods' Penis Do in this situation?
All kidding aside, good post.
Great post. And I love the Ghandi quote that Aunt Juicebox posted.
*fist bumps*
Spot on, Libby. Unfortunately, logic and reason have no effect on those whose minds are already made up.
Who are these people, these fear mongers? Have they never had a muslim friend or neighbor? I guess not. Their whole way of thinking is just bizarre to me. And the media folks who are perpetuating this ignorance should be ashamed. Grr.
Small numbers that misrepresent the community exist for...it seems like pretty much everything. I would say for any minority group, but even majorities get misrepresented all the time, often by extremists. It's a darn shame that people look at that small portion and judge whole groups of people based on that.
Like basically everyone else who commented: Agreed.
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