Islam

Today in class we started on the Islamic religion. I think about how we all view Islam and how our view has changed so drastically since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I think it's a shame that a lot of Amerians look down on Islam and view Middle Eastern people as terrorists. Just because of a few bad people that claimed to defend or represent a certain religion, lots of people had to get hurt and lots of people had to get the finger pointed at them. Is it the people that is at fault or is it the Islamic religion's teaching that is to blame? I want to be able to discern this as we start on the Islamic religion, especially the aspects of Jihad since this is apparently what the terrorists say a lot in the media, or at least that's what the media says a lot. Anyways, I really hope to have a better understanding of the Islamic religion, as well as it's culture. This will enable me to avoid being a close-minded person living in the box called Arkansas and embrace everyone in the world's diversity in order to be truly American.

What Heaven is like...

I was reading an article in a Reader's Digest magazine (my mom's if you're wondering...) and it was about different people with different religions expressing their belief on what Heaven was. Barbara Walters was the interviewer of the different people. There were different types of responses like an Evangelist said that anyone non-Christian or didn't accept Christ into their hearts would undoubtedly go to Hell. Another person, this time a Muslim, said that Barbara Walters would go to Hell just because she's not Muslim! There is a lighter side to this however because a vast majority of Americans believe you will go to Heaven or something similar in design even if you are different religion, as long as you are a good person. Personally, this is my belief even though I am a Christian. I believe in the nature of selflessness, kindness, and love towards others and things like that cannot go unrewarded. I find it very hard, if not impossible, to believe that one's kind acts and generosity in their life would lead them into something like Hell or anything close. People claiming to have strong faith or obedience in their religion that state otherwise are close minded in my opinion. But everyone cannot agree and that's just the nature of things for now.

The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe

Although I haven't read the book, The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, I have read news stories and synopses of it and I have grown interested in it. The live action movie that is coming out soon is a hot news story and I have become motivated to go and see it despite my lack of reading the book. All over the news, the buzz about this movie about being an awesome allegorical view of Jesus's sacrifice has caught the attention of various churches. The story is about four children who are in WWII England who stumble upon a wardrobe and get transported to a magical realm in which they must liberate from the evil White Witch. They find the lion Aslan, who resides as king of the forest and in order to save the realm Aslan must sacrifice himself. It's surprising to me to see that churches have rallied together and supported this movie because Christian churches are typically against movies that have religious aspects, especially anything to do with Christianity (i.e. Passion of the Christ). Many people, like the atheist Michael Newdow might see this movie as an capitalization of Christianity in order to convert people or impose Christian views onto non-Christians. I don't think he or others like him would be correct because movies like this teach us fundamental values like selflessness and courage, not close-minded sermons or condemnations. The good triumphing over evil theme has almost always won over audiences of different views, religions and such. I may be wrong, and that Micheal Newdow guy might like this movie, but I know there will be people out there that would disagree about the Christian messages in this movie. Overall, this movie is going to be a good movie because of it's powerful delivery of such a wholesome and universal message to the world.

Michael Newdow is at it again...

Michael Newdow, the infamous atheist who always tries to legally ban various Christian mottos on Government things is at again. This time Michael is targeting the "In God We Trust" motto on currency. As a Christian, I know that others in my religion would look at this issue and say, "Oh, well he need God and I think what he's doing is wrong because God is the truth and whatnot", but personally I think that those people are a little close-minded. For instance, what if a new government came in to take over and all of their currency read: "In Satan We Trust"? I'm sure a lot of Christians, if not all of them would contest to that strongly and try to remove it. This is how Michael Newdow feels, and I believe in religious freedom, which is something that our country is founded upon. If we are going to truly be America, then we need to start practicing freedom and not impose or force one sided religious views onto others by putting it everywhere for them to see and subliminally convert. Our national objects represent the nation, and our nation is not all Christian, so I think Christian mottos should stay out of those objects.

My personal religious life

During this past summer I got a job. Since I was out of school, I might as well do something that occupied my time and paid me also. When I got home, I didn't really have too much to do so I picked up the Bible and started reading. I really got into Christianity during this past summer, and I can say I became closer and closer to God. When I came to school, it seemed like I cannot find the time anymore to study/read the Bible and I also don't pray as much anymore due to the fact that my mind is so preoccupied with school. With the addition of the arising questions about Christianity, I feel like I am slipping away from God again like I was before this past Summer. I wonder if God looks down and feels sympathetic in a way, knowing that I do not hate him or go against him, it's just that I don't feel like I have enough time to devote myself to him right now. However, there's this other aspect that I get sometimes from religions class that he might be the type of god that would send you straight to Hell if you just stray an inch from the path of his way. So I am sort of conflicted, or maybe that I must realize that being a true Christian is staying on the path and devoting yourself to God as much as possible with no excuses because after all, God made me, so I should be responsible for giving something back. But what if I am giving back to him without even knowing it? Ultimately I think that being a true Christian is really, loving other people, being selfless and knowing that God is there on your side all the time.

Internet predators...

I was watching TV the other day and saw something very shocking. It was Dateline NBC or NBC, I can't remember which, and they were featuring a story about the perverted justice team. What this group does is get on chatrooms and pose as preteen boys looking for friendship. They then see if they can catch anyone who tries to coerce them into having a sexual relationship and then they set up a meeting place somewhere where they can catch these pedophiles. NBC then had an anchorman wait for the pedophile guy to come into the meeting place (set up to be the young boy's home) and then confront them when they walk into the kitchen. NBC and that group caught 19 pedophiles, all of them were above the age of 30 or so. Now, to the point, the most shocking thing I saw was that one of them was a rabbi! Can you believe this? A man of God walking into a home of a young boy having the intention of have a sexual encounter! I just thought this was absolutely unbelievable and grotesque. The rabbi was joined by the other men who were also "role-models" of society. I think that our world is just going down the drain, as I have already stated in my previous blog. Just looking at the type of people that would actually do this sort of disgusting act and then sit in front of the camera non-chalantly and admit to their wrongdoing. I mean, a rabbi out of all people wanting a sexual relation with a little preteen boy is just appalling. NBC then proceeded to report that there are a growing number of pedophiles and that they are everywhere, and you may not even know it. They could be you teacher, your coach or even your next door neighbor! If this is the kind of role models, leaders, etc. our society has then I don't even know what to do or think anymore.

Judaism condones sex with children??

Browsing through some Judaism news, I stumbled upon something interesting. It was more of a blog or a message board post but it still had something to do with Judaism and is seen by a wide range of viewers so I guess you can categorize it as news in a sense. The entry was by this guy called kickdrum who supposedly thought that Judaism condoned adult/child sex and backed it up with some of the exerpts of Talmud law. I don't think that his argument is really legitimate because anybody can take a piece of scripture or text in the Bible or some other holy book(s) and make them their own. Like I could say that the Bible says for men not to have long hair, but that was only in that one certain context in that one situation. I mean, Jesus had long hair, and men back in those days did have a way of cutting their hair if they had knives or a razor. So scripture and text can be taken any way you want it, it just really depends on the person and how genuine it sounds in accordance to the common ways that we all live. In this instance, I don't think that kickdrum really knew what he was talking about because adult/child sex is just so wrong in a number of ways, I don't think I should even have to explain it. Apparently, kickdrum is anti-Jewish in some way or has some thinking disorder and wants to condemn Jews with ridiculous claims that their scriptures said adult/child sex was okay. That's just my opinion.

Why does God let us suffer...

There was a sort of "heated" class discussion in World Religions today. It started off being about the Jews and the Holocaust and then turned into why they were made to suffer and God didn't intervene, even though he could've. So I present the question: If God is so benelovent and good, then why does he let so much suffering in the world happen and not intervene to stop it? Granted, we all have free will and are capable of great evil but there are things like hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami that leave us wondering what we did to deserve something like that. Yes, we are evil and deserve to be taught a lesson, but to what extent does the "teaching" have to reach? I totally agree with Deitrick's analogy of the father teaching the son that the stove is hot. Does the father let the son touch the stove for a split second, just enough to learn that the stove is hot? Or does the father grab his son's hand and shove it onto the heat coils until his son can smell the burning flesh, and go " there son, that oughta' teach you not to put your hand on the stove" whilst leaving his son with severe 3rd degree burns. This analogy, personally, is a good way of seeing this issue in a more personal light. We definitely wouldn't put our sons through that kind of torture just to tell him that the stove is hot would we? I mean, we aren't even perfectly good like God and yet we still wouldn't do such a thing. The same concept can be applied to intervening of the evil that happens in this world. A normal, good person would 98% most likely intervene a crime against a child. But then God, a perfect, holy, and all powerful being will not intervene when 6 million people are killed in the Holocaust? This all powerful God will not intervene when hundreds of thousands are killed in the great Tsunami in Asia? Of course I do believe in God and worship him, but I think no matter what religion you are, things like this are to be looked at subjectively in order to attain a higher understanding of the truth, not what's just told to us.