June 6/7: World's of Islam (My Comparison with Christianity)
We live in a very cynical world right now. According to Dictionary.com the definition of cynical is "believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity." or
"concerned only with one's own interests and typically disregarding accepted or appropriate standards in order to achieve them." Yep, I think that sums it up.
Everyday we are bombarded with news about our President, who is the living example of being motivated by self-interest. Whether we are talking about him proposing rescinding protections for Transgender youth in High School from bullying or redefining how overtime is calculated for non-exempt employees throughout the country, Donald Trump is concerned about retaining power and that will only come by appeasing his supporters. Another powerful weapon he skillfully uses is fear. He is the King of Us vs. Them; whether we are talking about the minority vs. white communities or Christian vs. Muslim communities. This is dangerous. It is also sad because there are so many similarities between the tenets of Christianity and Islam. In this blog, I want to reflect on the reading in Chapter 9: The World's of Islam. In particular, I was comforted, as a Christian, to read about the Pillars of Islam. I believe that if more people knew what they mean and the similarities to Christianity they would not be so cynical and easily manipulated into believing that "they" are very different and dangerous.
According to the text, the five pillars or central beliefs of Islam are the foundation for which each Muslim should fulfill in their lives. The first pillar is actually called Shahadah. Simply, it is a profession that there is no God but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God. This is recited by Muslims and is intended to bare witness that they have committed their lives to Islam. I grew up in a Protestant religion and this is very similar to the process of becoming a Christian. When you become a Christian typically you pray with your Pastor and they ask you to recite certain things. You are asked to ask for forgiveness and tell God that you love him and that you accept fully Jesus Christ to come into your life. While this is a private act most often, one could make the case that believers want to see an “act” that supports your beliefs. In this case there is a real social aspect and expectation to profess your belief in God.
The second pillar is prayer (Salah). In addition to prayer this includes "...cleansing, bowing, kneeling, and prostration..." This belief is also one of the most obvious ways of showing your commitment and belief in God. Performed five times per day, Muslims turn toward the City of Mecca, and pray at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and in the evening. This is another similarity to Christianity. Everyone can pray by themselves privately, however most believe that there is more benefit or perhaps even more meaningful if and when you pray with others.
Almsgiving (Zakat), is the third pillar. Social justice and responsibility is considered part of one's service to God and by committing to the act of zakat a Muslim is doing what is required. Zakat requires that Muslims take into account what they own and the worth and be prepared to give a portion to the community and in particular to the most needy members. It is equal to 2.5% of an individual's total net worth. The obvious comparison here in Christianity is tithing. Tithing is required and Christians are asked to give 10% to the community usually it’s the church itself.
The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting (Sawm) during the holy month of Ramadan. Besides abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations from first light to sundown this is a time of celebration and an individual’s opportunity to become even closer to God through self-sacrifice and personal meditation and prayer. Ordained in the Qur'an, the fast is an act of deep personal worship used to seek a deeper experience of God. Ramadan, the month that the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad, begins with the sighting of the new moon. Because of this fact, the timing changes every year. Muslims break their fast at sunset often with great feasts celebrating with family and friends. While I have never experienced a direct correlation within my religion, I know that we are encouraged to seek a deep personal relationship with and become closer to God.
Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca and is the fifth pillar of Islam. Personally, this is the single most fascinating pillar. Growing up in church and attending revivals, vacation bible school and visiting other church families I always enjoyed the feeling of being one with other like-minded believers. You feed off of the energy and commitment that others share with you. You just cannot help but have a spiritual awakening and feel that much closer to the God you worship. I can only imagine what this journey must feel like to Muslims. It is hard to comprehend how this event is often the culmination of a lifelong and deeply personal journey for those members of Islam who are physically and financially able to make the journey to Mecca. According to CNN, 1.8 million Muslims from all over the world traveled to the holy city. The pilgrimage follows the order of ritual that the Prophet Muhammad performed during his last pilgrimage. I can’t really think of something similar in Christianity. Christians will often travel to Bethlehem in Israel, however, this isn’t something is every Christian grows up knowing that they must try to make that trip during a lifetime.
I think the bottom line for me is that we are so much more alike in our spiritual beliefs than we are different. We, Americans, deserve a President that understand that fact and help us to understand that and embrace our brothers and sisters who worship differently than we do.
"concerned only with one's own interests and typically disregarding accepted or appropriate standards in order to achieve them." Yep, I think that sums it up.
Everyday we are bombarded with news about our President, who is the living example of being motivated by self-interest. Whether we are talking about him proposing rescinding protections for Transgender youth in High School from bullying or redefining how overtime is calculated for non-exempt employees throughout the country, Donald Trump is concerned about retaining power and that will only come by appeasing his supporters. Another powerful weapon he skillfully uses is fear. He is the King of Us vs. Them; whether we are talking about the minority vs. white communities or Christian vs. Muslim communities. This is dangerous. It is also sad because there are so many similarities between the tenets of Christianity and Islam. In this blog, I want to reflect on the reading in Chapter 9: The World's of Islam. In particular, I was comforted, as a Christian, to read about the Pillars of Islam. I believe that if more people knew what they mean and the similarities to Christianity they would not be so cynical and easily manipulated into believing that "they" are very different and dangerous.
According to the text, the five pillars or central beliefs of Islam are the foundation for which each Muslim should fulfill in their lives. The first pillar is actually called Shahadah. Simply, it is a profession that there is no God but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God. This is recited by Muslims and is intended to bare witness that they have committed their lives to Islam. I grew up in a Protestant religion and this is very similar to the process of becoming a Christian. When you become a Christian typically you pray with your Pastor and they ask you to recite certain things. You are asked to ask for forgiveness and tell God that you love him and that you accept fully Jesus Christ to come into your life. While this is a private act most often, one could make the case that believers want to see an “act” that supports your beliefs. In this case there is a real social aspect and expectation to profess your belief in God.
The second pillar is prayer (Salah). In addition to prayer this includes "...cleansing, bowing, kneeling, and prostration..." This belief is also one of the most obvious ways of showing your commitment and belief in God. Performed five times per day, Muslims turn toward the City of Mecca, and pray at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and in the evening. This is another similarity to Christianity. Everyone can pray by themselves privately, however most believe that there is more benefit or perhaps even more meaningful if and when you pray with others.
Almsgiving (Zakat), is the third pillar. Social justice and responsibility is considered part of one's service to God and by committing to the act of zakat a Muslim is doing what is required. Zakat requires that Muslims take into account what they own and the worth and be prepared to give a portion to the community and in particular to the most needy members. It is equal to 2.5% of an individual's total net worth. The obvious comparison here in Christianity is tithing. Tithing is required and Christians are asked to give 10% to the community usually it’s the church itself.
The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting (Sawm) during the holy month of Ramadan. Besides abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations from first light to sundown this is a time of celebration and an individual’s opportunity to become even closer to God through self-sacrifice and personal meditation and prayer. Ordained in the Qur'an, the fast is an act of deep personal worship used to seek a deeper experience of God. Ramadan, the month that the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad, begins with the sighting of the new moon. Because of this fact, the timing changes every year. Muslims break their fast at sunset often with great feasts celebrating with family and friends. While I have never experienced a direct correlation within my religion, I know that we are encouraged to seek a deep personal relationship with and become closer to God.
Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca and is the fifth pillar of Islam. Personally, this is the single most fascinating pillar. Growing up in church and attending revivals, vacation bible school and visiting other church families I always enjoyed the feeling of being one with other like-minded believers. You feed off of the energy and commitment that others share with you. You just cannot help but have a spiritual awakening and feel that much closer to the God you worship. I can only imagine what this journey must feel like to Muslims. It is hard to comprehend how this event is often the culmination of a lifelong and deeply personal journey for those members of Islam who are physically and financially able to make the journey to Mecca. According to CNN, 1.8 million Muslims from all over the world traveled to the holy city. The pilgrimage follows the order of ritual that the Prophet Muhammad performed during his last pilgrimage. I can’t really think of something similar in Christianity. Christians will often travel to Bethlehem in Israel, however, this isn’t something is every Christian grows up knowing that they must try to make that trip during a lifetime.
I think the bottom line for me is that we are so much more alike in our spiritual beliefs than we are different. We, Americans, deserve a President that understand that fact and help us to understand that and embrace our brothers and sisters who worship differently than we do.
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