Islam and Christianity - Tolerance?
*** I know it's two weeks late, but I promise I will get the other half of GBC posting up, including photos, very soon...***
That being said...
My understanding of tolerance is from an absolute, not relativistic, point of view, i.e., "I may not believe what you do, but I will fight for your right to believe it, while not concurrently elevating a relative truth to the same level of what I believe to be an absolute."
In examining any religion, philosophy, or point of view, it has been stressed to me that we first "go to the source" before forming an opinion. That is to say, don't always judge a faith by its followers, you may be following the freaks. We need not form opinions of Islam via the radicals of 9/11, nor Christianity via David Koresh. Fair enough?
I am not claiming to be an expert on Islam, but I am concerned that while I have never referred to Christianity as a "religion of peace" there are many who frequently refer to the Muslim faith as such. If there is anyone out there who can help me to understand this better, please comment. I'd especially like to hear from those faithful to the Qu'ran.
As Dennis Prager often says, "Clarity is more important than agreement." While he and I may disagree on the claims of Jesus' divinity, I think he is wise to live life from the standpoint that while we may not agree, I would rather be clear on that on which we disagree.
Please, read this article over, and comment as you feel led. This is an important dialogue that needs to be approached from a non-adversarial standpoint. Tell me what I'm missing here - I'm not purporting to be an expert. Forward this link to your Muslim friends and ask them to widen my scope.
J. Grant Swank article (Hat tip: Stacy Harp.)
(Apparently, Swank has written extensively on Islam, but I would like to hear from those who know the Qu'ran in Arabic and have been trained from an Islamic point of view.)
Thanks...
That being said...
My understanding of tolerance is from an absolute, not relativistic, point of view, i.e., "I may not believe what you do, but I will fight for your right to believe it, while not concurrently elevating a relative truth to the same level of what I believe to be an absolute."
In examining any religion, philosophy, or point of view, it has been stressed to me that we first "go to the source" before forming an opinion. That is to say, don't always judge a faith by its followers, you may be following the freaks. We need not form opinions of Islam via the radicals of 9/11, nor Christianity via David Koresh. Fair enough?
I am not claiming to be an expert on Islam, but I am concerned that while I have never referred to Christianity as a "religion of peace" there are many who frequently refer to the Muslim faith as such. If there is anyone out there who can help me to understand this better, please comment. I'd especially like to hear from those faithful to the Qu'ran.
As Dennis Prager often says, "Clarity is more important than agreement." While he and I may disagree on the claims of Jesus' divinity, I think he is wise to live life from the standpoint that while we may not agree, I would rather be clear on that on which we disagree.
Please, read this article over, and comment as you feel led. This is an important dialogue that needs to be approached from a non-adversarial standpoint. Tell me what I'm missing here - I'm not purporting to be an expert. Forward this link to your Muslim friends and ask them to widen my scope.
J. Grant Swank article (Hat tip: Stacy Harp.)
(Apparently, Swank has written extensively on Islam, but I would like to hear from those who know the Qu'ran in Arabic and have been trained from an Islamic point of view.)
Thanks...
posted by Aarron & Cristine Pina at 8:00 AM
1 Comments:
More food for thought for you..
As a former world history teacher, I had to tackle the Muslim issue. As most Americans, I knew very little about Muslims and the Islamic religion. In my research for the class, I discovered a few things in regards to Christianity and Islam.
Christians and Muslim both believe that their "holy book" is perfect w/out flaw. There's just one problem, one book is and the other isn't. The Bible has been tested time and time again and it has proven itself. It does not contradict itself. E.g: In Genesis, God says He created the earth in six days. Every other time creation is talked about in the Bible, it states that God created world in six days. The Koran, on the other hand, it littered with contradictions. In your blog, you made an accurate statement that you must go the source before forming an opinion. How very true that is. I've attached a link that I used to show to my students that the Koran is not inspired and it's followers are following a lie.
http://www.carm.org/islam/Koran_contradictions.htm
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