Well, Hertz has gone and blown it, firing *twenty-six* Muslim employees for not clocking out during their daily breaks for prayer. Even firing a single employee would have been pretty gauche of them as a business, but when you get anywhere past, say, three or four, then words like "discrimination" and "Religious Tolerance" start to get thrown around.
Not to mention "Lawsuit".
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Muslim Youth Win AK-47s, Hand Grenades in Qu'Ran Recital
So, I am having some difficulty believing this is true. It seems too perfect an example of the kind of stereotypes that our Western culture has adopted about Islam, the epitome of yellow journalism.
And yet, there is more.
The New York Times? Really? Wow.
Honestly, this really makes me a little unsure of how I should feel. The label of the extremist, AK-47-touting, turban-wearing Muslim is an image that is all too subtly present in our pop culture, (and probably just as present in our social subconscious). I would be more comfortable with the assurance that the above article is a fabrication, something that WE have invented to justify our own misconceptions, rather than proof of its accuracy. The fact that the contest was orchestrated by the Shabab - a group that has been linked with Al-Quaeda, is even more uncomfortable news.
So what are we to do with this information? Well,
In the same way that within Christianity, you have the Westboro Baptist Church and the Salvation Army, it is important to remember that militant religious groups are in no way representative of the religion as a whole. Extremists will exist in all fields, and where there is extremism and the possibility of disagreement, so also is there the possibility for violence.
For now, I'm hoping that none of those AKs will be put to use.
And yet, there is more.
The New York Times? Really? Wow.
Honestly, this really makes me a little unsure of how I should feel. The label of the extremist, AK-47-touting, turban-wearing Muslim is an image that is all too subtly present in our pop culture, (and probably just as present in our social subconscious). I would be more comfortable with the assurance that the above article is a fabrication, something that WE have invented to justify our own misconceptions, rather than proof of its accuracy. The fact that the contest was orchestrated by the Shabab - a group that has been linked with Al-Quaeda, is even more uncomfortable news.
So what are we to do with this information? Well,
In the same way that within Christianity, you have the Westboro Baptist Church and the Salvation Army, it is important to remember that militant religious groups are in no way representative of the religion as a whole. Extremists will exist in all fields, and where there is extremism and the possibility of disagreement, so also is there the possibility for violence.
For now, I'm hoping that none of those AKs will be put to use.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
SCANDAL.
There are NO HATS in the Bible. Seriously. Not one hat, nor even a single mention of hats.
Don't believe me? Go to biblegateway.com and check it out.
No.
Hats.
At all.
What can the Christian community really make of this? If God never intended us to cover our heads, (as evidenced by the profound lack of hats or headgear in the bible), then is it not a a terrible act to wear anything upon your noggin?
The Face of Sin
In fact, it is probably just as bad to be anything but bald, as hair would cover your head in much the same way as a hat. In FACT, Leviticus 13:40 states, "A man who has lost his hair and is bald is clean."
Q.E.D.
I'll go get my razor.
Don't believe me? Go to biblegateway.com and check it out.
No.
Hats.
At all.
What can the Christian community really make of this? If God never intended us to cover our heads, (as evidenced by the profound lack of hats or headgear in the bible), then is it not a a terrible act to wear anything upon your noggin?
The Face of Sin
In fact, it is probably just as bad to be anything but bald, as hair would cover your head in much the same way as a hat. In FACT, Leviticus 13:40 states, "A man who has lost his hair and is bald is clean."
Q.E.D.
I'll go get my razor.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Today Cathedrals, Tomorrow Street Corners
So, coming out of class a few days ago, I saw this.
If you can't read that, it says 'Discover forgiveness for all your sin, and eternal life in the living Jesus, not church".
I sat and watched people walk by this man for several minutes. Every few seconds, he would shout something like "we are not robots - open your eyes," and, "It's not about church, it's about God." To is right, a woman was handing out pamphlets and CDs. Most people either ignored them both, or politely turned her down. One young student shouted "Yeah!" as he walked past.
I grabbed a CD and a pamphlet, and returned to watching. Gradually, the flow of students trickled down as the next wave of classes started, and that left him standing alone.
I approached him.
His name was Micheal.
We chatted for some time about his message and the idea of God as a whole. His basic message seemed to be that proof of God was all around us, in the beauty and complexity of creation. "Chaos begets chaos" was his argument. "There is no way this Earth could come from something like that."
He mentioned the human eye, I mentioned the Giraffe's Cochleal nerve. He pointed out my analytic way of approaching the world, I addressed his incomplete proof of God's existence.
"It's not about churches or organization," he told me. "It's a personal journey. Each person has to find god for himself."
I didn't bother pointing out that he was here *telling* people to "find God for themselves". Ultimately, Michael was an open-minded and moderate Christian, for someone preaching on a college campus. He said that he respected my views, though he also insisted that I would only truly experience God if I abandoned them, and gave in to faith.
I've always thought that it's important to listen to people who believe something strongly enough to forcibly press their ideas on other people. Hopefully, it is these people who have the best-formed arguments for their own opinions, which lets you examine a viewpoint at its utmost.
The CD turned out to be music that Michael wrote and produced, and surprisingly enough, falls somewhere in the "House" genre of techno. Some of it wasn't half bad. Had I not known the context of its distribution, I might not have even guessed it had any Christian associations.
Just goes to show that prophets come in all shapes and sizes.
If you can't read that, it says 'Discover forgiveness for all your sin, and eternal life in the living Jesus, not church".
I sat and watched people walk by this man for several minutes. Every few seconds, he would shout something like "we are not robots - open your eyes," and, "It's not about church, it's about God." To is right, a woman was handing out pamphlets and CDs. Most people either ignored them both, or politely turned her down. One young student shouted "Yeah!" as he walked past.
I grabbed a CD and a pamphlet, and returned to watching. Gradually, the flow of students trickled down as the next wave of classes started, and that left him standing alone.
I approached him.
His name was Micheal.
We chatted for some time about his message and the idea of God as a whole. His basic message seemed to be that proof of God was all around us, in the beauty and complexity of creation. "Chaos begets chaos" was his argument. "There is no way this Earth could come from something like that."
He mentioned the human eye, I mentioned the Giraffe's Cochleal nerve. He pointed out my analytic way of approaching the world, I addressed his incomplete proof of God's existence.
"It's not about churches or organization," he told me. "It's a personal journey. Each person has to find god for himself."
I didn't bother pointing out that he was here *telling* people to "find God for themselves". Ultimately, Michael was an open-minded and moderate Christian, for someone preaching on a college campus. He said that he respected my views, though he also insisted that I would only truly experience God if I abandoned them, and gave in to faith.
I've always thought that it's important to listen to people who believe something strongly enough to forcibly press their ideas on other people. Hopefully, it is these people who have the best-formed arguments for their own opinions, which lets you examine a viewpoint at its utmost.
The CD turned out to be music that Michael wrote and produced, and surprisingly enough, falls somewhere in the "House" genre of techno. Some of it wasn't half bad. Had I not known the context of its distribution, I might not have even guessed it had any Christian associations.
Just goes to show that prophets come in all shapes and sizes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)