We are all blind, looking at the elephant

Blind Monks and the Elephant
Image from Wikimedia Commons

A very good friend is Baha’i, and told me this week about the wonderful Ridvan celebration Baha’i from around the world take part in, honoring the commencement of Baha’u'llah‘s prophethood.  Concurrent with this, I was confronted with a very strong opinion regarding the incorrectness of observing anything other than the One True Path.  I’m Christian, and enjoy the celebrations of my friends, neighbors, and those I admire, regardless of their spiritual traditions – how is my belief of the One True Path not diluted or polluted by supporting the differing beliefs of others?

There is an ancient Indian poem about the six blind men and the elephant.  Each came to the elephant and experienced a different part of the animal’s great body, compared the experience with what they already knew, and came away with part of the truth.  Each was right, each was different, and each was incomplete.  How does this parable apply to living peaceably in a world of such diverging views?

I believe, as many faithful of many faiths do, in a Creator Who is truly Infinite.  I, as many of my earth-bound friends are also, am a very finite being.  How can I comprehend entirely the majesty of an infinite Being?  Many of the world’s major scriptures include phrases which describe the principle of Divine knowledge being given to seekers in the language and to the understanding of the seeker.  Just as books are written about the same subjects in many languages so we can all share in knowledge, spiritual knowledge is given with many symbols so each person is able to understand Truth in the manner best suited to him or her.  Different paths of learning don’t negate Truth, but rather help us explore, see, and appreciate many different facets, and serve to expand our limited, finite knowledge.  The Muslim philisopher Dr. Tariq Ramadan speaks about this perceived dichotomy of faith beautifully in his book The Quest for Meaning, and I find his perspective on the subject particularly illuminating.

Each of us is made uniquely, each of us has a particular perspective to share, each of us can contribute, and each of us can learn.  The Indian parable teaches that all the blind men were wrong in their observations, but that isn’t quite the reality.  Each was right, and rather than arguing with each other, each could have learned so much from his neighbor through listening.  By exploring, learning, and appreciating other perspectives, our own beliefs are expanded and strengthened.  When we join in the celebrations of faith of our neighbors, rather than diluting or polluting our own beliefs we are deepened and enriched.  The Infinite is beyond my ability to see, but I catch glimpses through the joy of my friends.

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

Search me, O God, and know my heart:  try me and know my thoughts:  and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

–Psalms 139:23-24

The horrible events disrupting the Boston Marathon continue to ripple through the country, and knowing the perpetrators considered themselves Muslim has caused many concerns regarding faith and religion to return to the surface.  This subject is raw and uncomfortable, and my heart joins with my 300 million fellow Americans in praying for the welfare of those involved and their rapid healing.

However, I also wanted to learn something from those who share my right to religious freedom, and hear what they have to say for themselves.  Were these wicked men claiming a faith that wasn’t theirs, or were they simply misguided?

First, I spoke with a friend of mine who is the Imam for the largest private Christian university in the US.  “Islam does not need to defend itself,”  he said.  “It saddens me when I am immediately approached and told I must defend my faith.  What happened is absolutely horrible, and I and my congregation join with millions of Muslims across the country in praying for the healing of all involved.  There is no way to defend what those two men did.  Even if they were Muslim in the beginning, the very instant they determined to hurt an innocent being they ceased to be Muslim in their hearts.  At Final Judgment, they may very well seek to defend their actions, but even God will not recognize their claim to Islam.  Their actions prove they are not Muslim, so we have no need to defend our faith – it was not shared in any way that counts by the perpetrators.”

Second, I visited with a friend who retired from the Kuwaiti air force and lives in the US.  “It breaks my heart that people were hurt so badly, and it grieves me that the perpetrators claim my faith.  God declares in the Qur’an that to harm even a single person – to hurt an innocent, a noncombatant, a bystander – is to hurt all of mankind.  To kill an innocent is to kill all of mankind.  (Qur’an 5:32)  I am grateful for the first responders and emergency personnel, for God declares in the same breath that to save even one soul is the same as saving all mankind.  Why do these people who do such terrible things not even read the Holy Book they are claiming to follow?  They were not Muslim by any measure, regardless of what they called themselves.”

Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri of Minhaj USA speaks very strongly against violence perpetrated for the sake of faith.  Immediately after 9/11 he wrote an extensive fatwah condemning all terrorism and faith-based violence.  I heard him speak last Spring, introduced by his friend and long-time admirer Allen Scott Bachman, Chair of the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable.  During his remarks, a passionate Dr. ul-Qadri iterated, “We are all of us created by God – how can we, acting in disregard to the laws of society, take the life of a fellow being and expect God not to be angered?”

And my friend Dean Obeidallah, comedian, documentarian, and writer for CNN, recently wrote his reaction to the religion-focused backlash of the tragic events.  Dean is a Muslim, and he hates terrorism – in all its forms and iterations.  He points out that US Muslims and Muslim organizations continually denounce terrorism, and although less than 3% of Americans are Muslim (The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life estimated only 0.8% in 2010) 7 out of 10 recent Al Qaeda plots in the US were foiled by tips from the American Muslim community.

My conclusion?  Evil people are evil.  The religion an evil person may claim to follow is evidence of his delusion, not an indictment of the religion.  Gandhi said, “If a few drops of water in the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”  And it is much less of a burden on each of us to allow a Higher Power to do the judging, rather than assuming that one and a half billion people share the evil delusions of a few.

The only good Muslim, in my experience, is almost all of them.

Whether ye hide what is in your hearts or reveal it, Allah knows it all

–Qur’an 3:29

Easter

Pieta by Michelangelo
Image by Wikimedia Commons

Christmas is awesome, but I really love Easter.  There’s a lot fewer people telling you of all the bargains and sales you simply cannot miss, and there’s no rush at the mall.  More than that, though, I love the promise of new life that walks hand in hand with the new life we see in Spring.  And, of course, I love explaining to my youngest what the Easter Bunny has to do with it all.

The site Christianity Today has an excellent article on Easter, and Religion Facts has some very good bits, too.  I find beauty and godliness in all faiths, but I have a deep resonance with Easter – Christians around the world remember the suffering, death, and resurrection of the one Being in all the universe who could redeem another, and hope returns.  Jesus is the example of perfect obedience for many faiths, and offers salvation to those who honor, reverence, and apply His sacrifice to their lives; in the eyes of many Christians, a redemption the world itself recognizes in the new life of Spring.

From The Passion of the Christ, Youtube

Amulet and Talisman

My friend Malik’s post a few days ago regarding the amulet and talisman in the Muslim world made me curious, and I found some images of amulets from different faith traditions.  Rather than a thing which is magic in itself, most faith paths use amulets as physical reminders of hopes and desires which they pray God will hear.

Byzantine Menorah Token
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Roman Amulet with Mithras and Abraxas
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Christian Cross with St. Christopher
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Muslim Amulet from Egypt
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Byzantine Amulet with Jewish, Christian, and Pagan Imagery
Image from Wikimedia Commons

And learn how to make your own, here and here.

The object in and of itself doesn’t hold the power, rather the power is in the faith of the person making and using the object.  Belief provides the substance.

The Tradition of Amulets and Talisman in the Muslim World

Reblogged from Simerg Photos:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

INTRODUCTION

(introduction adapted from The Metropolitan Museum of Art)

An amulet is any object that is imbued with protective powers, and all cultures and faiths have manifestations of such objects. In the world of Islam, they bear Qur'anic inscriptions, and religious narratives. Many Muslims believe that an object that is inscribed with the word of God will protect the person who reads, touches, or sees it and that the word of God has the power to ward off evil.

Read more… 1,362 more words

Amulets are a tool for for reflection and a symbol of protection, commonly used in one form or another among most cultures.  Christian, Jewish, Wicca, and contemporary Pagan, most religious paths make room, in one form or another, for this well-intentioned tool.

When the Fruit Tree is Silent

Reblogged from Morning Meditations:

• 
• 

One who humiliates another person in public ... even though he may be a scholar and may have done many good deeds, nevertheless loses his portion in the eternal world.

-Ethics of the Fathers 3:15

Imagine a situation: you have a fine home, a well-paying job, a comfortable car, and a substantial retirement annuity. If you do a single thoughtless act, you will lose everything you have worked to achieve: home, job, car, and savings.

Read more… 1,629 more words

The Abrahamic Faiths agree--ridiculing others is bad policy. This Morning Meditation discusses the issue from Jewish and Christian viewpoints;  more on the Muslim view is here (Qur'an 49:11).

Loving God through Glass: Mediaeval Enamelware

Reblogged from mediaevalmusings:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

As we saw in yesterday's post, the Middle Ages was a time of great artistic virtuosity...and variety. Working in metal, stone, wood, and ivory, mediaeval craftsmen created objects to refine private life and to decorate the altars. Of all mediaeval crafts, however, nothing is quite so quintessential to the period as enamelling, which required expertise not only in fine metals, but also in the magical substance of glass.

Read more… 628 more words

The magical, mystical translucency of glass eases the observer seemlessly into a state of spiritual contemplation. Its beauty transcends boundaries of time and vocabulary, and provides ready witness to the faith and craft of its builders.  (Some beautiful Fatimid glass from a Byzantine Shipwreck here)

A Closer Look #5 Teaching as a Sacramental Act

Reblogged from The Life Mosaic:

• 

Today I have a review of Teaching as a Sacramental Act by Mary Elizabeth Mullino Moore, a professor-turned-dean and ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church. I found a lot of inspiration on Moore's book and hope you'll give it a closer look. You can also read, rate, and comment on my review at Amazon.

We collect wisdom and this is a wisdom book.

Read more… 481 more words

Imams have told me that teaching is the most honorable occupation, as have Rabbis, Christian ministers and clergy of many faiths. There is a specific solidity to the thought teaching is not just honorable, but a sacramental act; this is an excellent Christian perspective.

Interfaith Reflection - Mother Teresa

Reblogged from interfaith:

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.  Not all of us can do great things but we can do small things with great love.  Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

- Mother Teresa

Mohamed said, "Even a smile is charity."

Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an by Dr. Khaleel Mohammed + www Links to Translations

Reblogged from SIMERG - Insights from Around the World:

Multiple English translations of the Qur’an, Islam’s scripture, line shelves at book stores....Because of the growing Muslim communities in English-speaking countries, as well as greater academic interest in Islam, there has been a blossoming in recent years of English translations....Since fewer than 20 percent of Muslims speak Arabic, this means that most Muslims study the text only in translation. So how accurate are the Qur’an’s renderings into English?

Read more… 16 more words

Even if we are ignorant of the original language of the Qur'an, we can gain appreciation and understanding of this sacred work by reading and comparing various remarkable translations, asking for the illumination and guidance of the Divine.