On the Abrahamic Faiths Part III: Islam

Islam

Origin: Muhammad#Satan put the MAD in Muhammad

Islam (A.D. 629-The World Caliphate)

 

PREFACE:

Islam began like most offshoots do: a man receives a revelation of the “true version” of an established faith with suspicious amounts of his own cultural elements/tenants and philosophy, threatens the authority of the majority and/or ruling class, and is forced into exile where he recruits a following of other discontents resulting in a cult following.  Unlike most offshoot religions, Islam calls for the total subjugation of humanity.  The true Word of Allah is not simply to be shared, but to rule the earth.   There is not a heavenly kingdom and an earthly kingdom, as is the case with other faiths.  Islam calls for a global theocracy and God will not return until the earth submits to the will of Allah.

That being said, Muslims generally follow the Christian method of world domination: via peaceful evangelism and “life preaching” (Showing God/Allah in your life by the pure and just life example you live.) I'd say that 80% of the Islamic world follow a peaceful faith.  Muhammad, and the Surah attributed to him, promotes both peace and armed conquest of the enemies of Allah, apparently which ever method “the faithful” find most effective.

You’ve probably heard Islam demonized by “Right-wing/Tea Party” types, and also been re-assured by American media sources, and President Obama, that Islam is not a harsh but rather, a gentle and just faith.  As a right-wing/evangelical Christian, I have known: kind and wonderful Muslims that would never persecute another of “God’s creations”, let alone those that they consider to be: “People of the book.” An interesting story of one such acquaintance was a young Muslim girl that I met in my Intro to Judaism course.  She was outgoing, friendly, and very intelligent.  While working on a project for class, we even went to the same Synagogue.  Such relationships are common in a global and largely pluralist society, but to help the reader to truly understand Islam and not any individual or sect, one must remove the thin veneer of civilization.

To truly understand Islam, you need to understand Old Testament scripture.  Islam, as a religion, is one of the most recent of all world religions, but culturally it is ancient.  Islam claims direct heritage and its legitimacy from Ishmael, the disenfranchised bastard son of Abraham.  They believe that the covenant with God rightfully passed back to them when the descendants of Isaac lost it, through disobedience, and this is VERY important.  Islam is so fascinating to me because it is a living time capsule from a bygone age. Islam is a political system, a philosophy, and a religion all rolled into one.

Islamic law, called "Sharia law" (Not followed by all Muslims, let alone Muslim nations) binds its adherents to an Old Testament lifestyle. The Ishmaelites of the Old Testament and the modern Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Peninsula could hardly be distinguished from one another today.  Judaism, however, has changed drastically from the Judaism described in the Bible. A rabbi from that era would have little in common with his modern equivalent.    Imagine if Joshua, the famous conqueror of Biblical Canaan, created his own religion. Now imagine that religion and his mission from God remained unfulfilled and unchanged.  What would that faith look like?  I think, it would look A LOT like Islam. 

 If you're unfamiliar with the story of Joshua, it's basically this: God calls Joshua to become Moses' successor.  God orders Joshua to retake the land that was promised to, and at one time possessed by Abraham.  Retake is perhaps an over simplification, God wanted complete annihilation of the enemies of Israel. Men, women, children, and animals were to be destroyed until only God's people remained. The terms we would use today would be: "Total war" and "Genocide."  Such horror is unfamiliar to most in the western world, and the horror of ancient hand to hand total war is something unfathomable to modern society, but it was fairly common practice in the ancient world. *They just called it WAR...

             Finally to gain some perspective on the topic, imagine Joshua's "Faithful" being transported into the future, and living in the modern world.  Now imagine that they are living in Canaan, sharing resources and working along side the Canaanites. Sure there would be many, we'll call them: "Joshuaites", that would be peaceful and more than willing to share the bounty and the comforts of Canaanite life.  In fact if you read Joshua, you'll find that is exactly what many, possibly half of the Israelites did, but... that was not God's will.  If such a scenario existed today, which group would you considered the true "Joshuites"?  Those that modernized or those that continued the mission and spirit of Joshua?

Now, without further ado:

MUHAMMAD’S CONVERSION

As the story goes, Muhammad was sleeping in cave when the Angel Gabriel appeared before him.  The Angel first appeared as a loud disembodied voice, commanding Muhammad to “Recite!,” Muhammad was allegedly so afraid that he nearly threw himself off the mountain.  Gabriel then claimed himself to be “an Angel of God”, and ordered him to submit and tell “the truth” about the Gospel that had been corrupted by the Christians.  Muhammad agreed, and though he couldn’t read or write he relied on visions, usually accompanied by fits of seizure and fever.  While in this state he would recite God’s “true word”, and it was written by a scribe *possibly his wife, uncle, or other confidant.

  

o      Note: In Scripture, all Angelic messengers’ appearance is at first frightening, however when they speak, they say first: “Fear not” and their melodic voice fills those who hear with comfort.  God speaks to his people as his children. We serve God as our father, just as an earthly son would serve his earthly father, with mutual love and respect.  Submission is for slaves, who are ruled over by fear, and fear is not of God.  Had Muhammad been a Christian he would’ve had his guard up already, being in the wilderness and all. He also would have immediately recognized Satan’s shenanigans!

MECCA

                Mecca was/is an important trade city on the southwest end of the Arabian Peninsula.  It was ruled over by several powerful tribes and maintained a precarious position between two of history’s most famous rivals, the Greco-Roman Empire and the Persian Empire.  Muhammad’s tribe and followers that lived in Mecca grew beyond the comfort level of the ruling tribal elders and He was exiled, but was able to raise enough support to destroy the rival powers.  After winning a number of battles, thanks to his capable general Abu Bakr, he marched into Mecca virtually unopposed.  He destroyed the idols, each of which represented the patron deity of each ruling tribe, and forced the city to convert to his faith. 

 *However, he kept the patron deities of his own tribe: The crescent moon and star are evidence of his pagan tribe’s roots.

CONQUEST

                The Arabian Peninsula was divided primarily between two major tribes: one allied with the Sassanid Persian Empire, the other with Byzantium.  When Muhammad died he left a power vacuum for his unified Muslim state.  Most of the people choose to follow the man with the army at his back, Bakr.  A stout minority believed that Muhammad’s successor should remain in the Prophet’s bloodline.  The two sides could not reach an agreement and broke off into separate branches of the same faith.  Muhammad’s bloodline called themselves Shi’a.  The followers of Abu Bakr were called Sunni. 

*Though I’ve studied the Koran and Islam from a western perspective, I do not possess the knowledge necessary to go in depth into this faith and its divisions.  My knowledge is in Christian/Western History, thus I’ll focus on what I know.

                Bakr embarked on a massive campaign of conquest.  All of the Arabian Peninsula had fallen under his control, and after a period of brief civil war, he set his sights on Byzantium.  Byzantium was eventually pushed further west.  The Armies of Islam conquered the Sassanid Empire, pushing further and further east.  Byzantine territories continued to fall to this new and powerful threat to Christendom.  Egypt, North Africa, and Spain fell into Muslim hands, but the seemingly unstoppable horde of invaders were crushed in one decisive blow by forces under the command of the Frankish (Merovingian) King, Charles the Hammer (or he at least was given credit for the victory). The Byzantine Empire was able to resist enough to buy the invading armies off for a time but would later suffer a disastrous defeat and be forced to call on the Pope for aid in what would, to the Emperor’s chagrin, result in the First Crusade. 

                Another famous Muslim conqueror was Timerlane, a Muslim convert thought to be a descendant of Genghis Khan.  He mercilessly conquered much of the East, including the majority of central Asia. The West was dominated by the Ottoman Empire, which destroyed the Orthodox Christian Roman Empire, renamed and occupied its land.  The Ottomans enjoyed a massive, though hardly unified, dominion for some 400 years and remained a major world power until their defeated in the First World War.

MODERN ISLAM

                Islam today is fascinating and diverse.  All major branches of Islam share the same core belief: Christians and Jews were corrupted and deceived by false doctrine, Muhammad was the last of the Prophets that God commissioned to restore the True faith.  Differences exist primarily in the practice of the Law, which was composed some 400 years after Muhammad the supposed author’s death, and the method of evangelism.  The Koran doesn’t read at all like Jewish or Christian scripture, but rather like an addendum and sort of commentary to it.  It more closely resembles Judaism than Christianity, as it focuses almost exclusively on submission to the law, as well as the writings of Muhammad. 

                In Islam, God is virtually unreachable and a personal relationship with the divine is not possible in this life.  The afterlife is attainable for all those that lead a righteous life, believe in one God (no trinity) and his Prophet Muhammad.  Sinners may yet be saved by sacrificing themselves- those that die fighting for Allah are promised eternal life, regardless of past sins.  The Hadith and other sacred writings define Muslim society.  It is impossible to separate government from Islam; Allah calls for a theocratic government, represented by a righteous Caliph.  (*similar to Judges in the Old Testament) Islam is a rigid faith. Though some interpretation is permitted, extreme punishments are doled out to anyone that breaks the law, as it is seen not simply as a civil infraction, but a crime against God.  While non-Muslims may fall prey to persecution and/or slavery, most Muslim countries are dependent on western economies, their strict moral code and enforcement allow them to claim some of the safest cities (for men) in the world. 

Western dominated Muslim nations have a comparatively pure society.  Expectations are strict but straightforward. The people are not easily “corrupted,” though easily bribed. (Bribery is not considered corruption in most of the world… go figure…)  Speaking of straightforward, homosexuality is universally condemned (accept for Man-love Thursdays in Afghanistan), as is anything that might promote sin.  Violators may be beaten or killed on the spot.  Punishments vary according to the culture. Islam is so diverse it cannot be adequately described in this post.    Those that practice Islam may be of any race and conviction. A Muslim woman may be beaten for walking ahead of her husband in Pakistan, or she may be curator of the Museum in Cairo.  If a Muslim woman lives in a liberal Islamic nation or a non-Islamic nation, she may choose to be fully covered or only cover her head.  A Muslim man may dress as he pleases but will typically choose to dress conservatively

      As mentioned in the preface, Islam is a living window in time.  Much of the world that is dominated by Islam remains undeveloped and largely illiterate tribal societies.  Islamic nations may have semi-secular governments and elected officials but they are still largely dependent on powerful tribal warlords, elders or both for security and judicial maters.  Islamic states have very low crime rates amongst Muslim citizens, as punishment is swift and harsh.  Typically, Non-Muslim citizens are not privy to the protection of Islamic law and must pay a tax in order to enjoy similar rights to "the Faithful".  Despite the ever-increasing religious violence, Islam remains the second largest religion and is the second fastest growing religion in the world.  However, due to the goal of a world Caliphate, diversity of Muslim cultures, and the debate over the true successor of Muhammad, Islam will never be a unified or peaceful religion.

On The Abrahamic Faiths: Part II, Christianity II of II

 

Orthodox Christianity

Origin: Constantinople

#Emperor trumps Pope#Pope trumps Emperor#I think we should see other people

 

II EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY (A.D. 1053 to Present)

                The Eastern Orthodox Church is listed as having its beginning in A.D. 1053, in truth; it began with Christ’s ministry, but at the time was considered the Catholic Church.  As the Church in Rome became allied with western powers, the Eastern Roman Empire remained, and the church, in accordance with Constantine’s design, defaulted to the authority of the Emperor and God rather than to the Pope.  The Eastern Roman Empire is referred to by modern historians as Byzantium.  Byzantium, at its peak, controlled most of the civilized world, and thus it had many denominations of “Orthodox” Christians: Ethiopian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Russ Orthodox, and etc.  With the exception of the Russ, which were converted later, these Christian communities were the same ones being ministered to by Christ, His disciples, and the apostles.

                The date A.D. 1053 is the date given for what has been daubed the “Great Schism”, which marked the informal separation between the Eastern and Western Christian movements.  The separation was largely due to the pettiness and pride of a few influential Bishops on both sides.  Unfortunately the two sides effectively excommunicated one another. The formal divorce, if you will, didn’t occur until nearly 60 years prior to the Protestant Reformation. 

*Excommunication is an extreme form of penance, forbidding the excomunicae from partaking in the Eucharist, not banishment from church or Heaven, though if penance was not done in life it would still need to be completed in death/purgatory.  Excommunication is used typically on all non-Catholics/Orthodox members; Protestants (remain excommunicated today) and are “officially” forbidden to take part in the Eucharist, but Orthodox Christians may celebrate the Eucharist and Mass with Catholics within their own churches, it’s not a reunification but it’s certainly an exciting step in the right direction. 

                Orthodox Christians are very similar to their Catholic brothers.  They share the same basic hierarchical structure and dogmatic beliefs with few exceptions:

1.       Icons are believed to not only aid as a focal point for veneration but as a direct link to the saint or event that they represent.  They are not Idols, as they remain powerless in and of themselves, and are used only as tools for prayer to God, with whom they may intercede on your behalf.  The understanding of Icons is similar to the Roman Catholic veneration of saints, but has proved a major point of contention in the past, as it had been mistaken for idolatry.

2.       Papal authority, simply put, the EOC believes that God is head of the Church(Now that there is no Roman Emperor); arch Bishops, righteous as they may be, remain flawed stewards.

3.       Eternal Church is the simplest way I can think to explain the Orthodox view of the afterlife.  While they believe in Heaven and Hell, they believe that when a Christian dies they may still attend church. Though unseen by mortal eyes, they may still worship and benefit from prayer, as well as pray for others, just as the Saints in the Roman Catholic Church do.

Though there are canonized saints, the EOC teach that all of the faithful are “saints” and should be asked to intercede in prayer, just as one would ask the living.  (Contrary to my Protestant upbringing, my interpretation of scripture puts me more in line with this understanding of the afterlife.)

The EOC did not play a large part in post renaissance Christian history as nearly all of its adherents were destroyed by Islamic forces in the 15^th Century.  The Russian remnant was nearly obliterated by Joseph Stalin’s Atheist regime in the mid-20^th century but has since experienced resurgence as a symbol of Russian Nationalism.  The Greek Orthodox Church has also seen resurgence since they shook the bonds of their Turkish overlords just prior to WWI. *Interesting historical note: Though battered and destitute, the Greeks joined the Allies against the Central Powers to completely defeat the (Turkish) Ottoman Empire in WWI.  Orthodox Christianity, though larger than it was 50 years ago, is easily the smallest branch of Christianity. 

 

 

 

Protestantism

Origin: The Bible#Luther#Tyndale, “Grace Alone”

III PROTESTANTISM

                Protestantism is the general term given to all Non-Catholic, Non-Orthodox Christians.  If you aren’t Catholic or Orthodox, but consider yourself Christian you are a Protestant.  Protestantism began in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his grievances on the church doors (the social media outlet of the day) as previously mentioned,  Luther’s theology is best summed up by the phrase: “God is all you need” or “Grace alone”.  Scripture and a personal relationship with God allow us to enter into Heaven. No church or human representative of God can neither save nor damn you.   

Protestant denominations are like ice cream: they come in many different flavors but are made the same way, from the same core ingredients.   That being said.....

 

Protestants really branched off, shortly after Luther settled down in relative peace.  I cannot adequately explain the Protestant Reformation in this blog, as the subject has filled volumes. I’ll mention a few names and highlights as best I can, but this is an oversimplified narrative at best (The same could be said for this entire blog!).  

                Luther never sought to start a new movement and had no desire lead, let alone attempt to structure, the movement that he inadvertently began.  Luther had hoped to reform the Catholic Church, not start his own church.  The quickly after Luther and others like him, began to translate and circulate Bibles in common speech, new churches sprouted like wild flowers.  These movements were all fairly similar, relying on God and reason to interpret scripture.  The Catholic Church strongly opposed such actions, and for good reason!  People are flawed, with a selfish nature, thus the power of God's word is dangerous in the wrong hands.  The idea was: If people are able to interpret scripture, there will surely be those that interpret scripture for their own gain. *a power the Catholics had until that time, monopolized...

Though conflict erupted over the sudden upset to papal authority, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands after much tragedy, eventually managed to achieve some semblance of peace between Catholic and Protestant adherents.  Many powers took advantage of the opportunity presented by religious passions, and a massive war ensued, lasting for some 30 years.  France, under the infamous Cardinal Richelieu, endeavored to balance powers, and actually supported both sides of the conflict, to his own people’s peril.  France, Ireland, and Scotland remained Catholic. (England was Catholic up until the Catholic Church’s policy on divorce became an inconvenience to King Henry VIII.)

King Henry VIII of England used the conflict to divorce his Catholic wife, in favor of his ill-fated young protestant mistress.  John Wycliffe and John Calvin became household names in England, though while Wycliffe’s name remains untarnished, Calvin’s puritan movement, supported by the Crown, began to mercilessly purge all Catholic Churches of treasure and “pomp and circumstance.”  They also began to purge England and Ireland of Catholics and Irish-(a war that continues to a minor extent today).  Many pacifist Protestants, exiled puritans, and Irish sought safe harborage in other nations and colonies. 

               

The relative independence experienced by colonists allowed Christians of various "flavors" to flourish.  In the English colonies, unity was essential for survival.  Religious tolerance existed because the early colonists were too busy fighting starvation and the elements to fight each other.  Though there was a certain amount of tension between the various Protestant groups and Catholics, rarely, if ever, resulted in bloodshed.  Protestant groups that shared a mutual understandings of scripture, conducted regular devotionals and Bible studies.  Though all held the same core beliefs, some focused more on one aspect of Christ and his teachings than another. 

Denominations eventually developed into organized faith branches:  Those that were drawn more to doctrine and tradition than on matters of the Spirit would attend an Episcopalian church.  Those focused on the methods of the Spirit would attend a Methodist church, so on and so forth. Protestantism’s greatest strength is its absence of uniformity, in practice but not in core doctrine.  A true protestant believes that anyone who accepts Christ as savior, repents of sin (Sin, being clearly defined in scripture), and agrees to try to live as Christ lived is a Christian brother and a fellow soldier in the war against evil. 

 I say true Protestants because hard line Puritan-Calvinist/Anabaptists, often defined sin according to their own twisted/flawed, extra-biblical interpretations.  Some of those “sins” remain in most Church doctrine found in the United States because the United States of America was the first Protestant state built on protestant principles.  Protestant principles are all basically the same and have not changed since the founding of this nation:  God’s grace and hard work, which are synonymous with liberty, and capitalism, *if that doesn't describe American culture, then not only were our founder's deists, but they were also monkeys' uncles!      

One of the biggest difference between the high church Christians and the Non-Anglican/Presbyterian, Protestant Church is that Church attendance and clerical leadership is recommended, but not required for salvation. Jesus told us to go out unto all the world, not go unto the temple once a week.  Church is to be used to provide education and support, the mission is given to ALL and is outside of the church walls.   Again Protestantism varies wildly, so this is a historically based generalization.   

(*Many modern Catholic, Anglican/Presbyterian Churches also share this view, it varies according to the pastor.   I’ve heard of modern Lutheran ministers for instance, that were quicker to denounce a Baptist as a heretic, than a Renascence Bishop would denounce a Cathar!)

 Exactly what constitutes as sin is often a point of contention in Protestantism, as it was in the early church. *Read the New Testament!  The advantage of High Churches, is that the Archbishop or Pope is permitted to interpret what scripture says, resulting in a uniform understanding of expectations and a clear moral code.  Protestantism’s lack of centralized power allows for a certain amount of individual interpretation, which has been problematic, to say the least.  I will list a few of the most common sins, with a brief explanation: * the following moral standard is also held by those that are considered false witnesses by the Church, such as Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, & etc.

 

●     Lie: Honesty is the best policy

●     Murder: To end the life of anyone made in the image of God, (Mankind).  If it has a heartbeat, it is alive and should remain so.

 (Self-defense does not = murder, it is a prevention of it.)

●     Blaspheme: To do or say anything contrary to Christ, especially espousing it as truth.

●     Curse: To call forth evil wrath (Satan) onto someone, finding pleasure in the thought of that person’s damnation.

●     False witness: To claim to be teaching Christ’s message and philosophy but actually teaching Man’s/Satan’s or otherwise lead the faithful into sin.  (Some cultures, mainly the U.S., put the use of tobacco and alcohol in this category, though drunkenness is universally condemned.)

●     Pride: To live according to your own will and self-righteousness, never humbling yourself to God.

●     Idolatry: Putting anything as priority above God or even at his level. (Man, animal, object, or activity.)

●     Lust (covetous behavior): We all have desires, but those desires become sin when they lead us to hurt others, or when coming to the place in our hearts where we would, out of our own selfishness, be willing that others should suffer.

●     Adultery: Christian marriage is a covenant designed to mirror the relationship between Christ and the Church, thus it is an eternal institution between two people and God.  Covenants are not contracts.  Though the Israelites violated God’s covenant, it never ended and they remain God’s people.  Though we sin, God takes us back. *Read Hosea

*For more information on the reformation, and understanding the fears, and actions of those living through it, I recommend Dan Carlin’s podcast on the events that transpired in Post-Catholic Munster (Germany): http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-48-prophets-of-doom/