I've been reading the meaning of the Koran (that's what Muslims call translations of the Koran, and it's an important point in their beliefs--one has not actually read the Koran if one has read a translation from the Arabic), and I am currently in the second "Sura" (or chapter) called "Baqara" or "The Heifer" (referring to the golden calf that the Israelis constructed in the Sinai while Moses was receiving the Testimony from God).
And I have to say . . . for those of you who are under the illusion that Muslims worship a different God than their Christian and Jewish brethren, I haven't seen one element of the Koran that doesn't echo a profound truth (and/or verse) from either the Old or New Testaments.
The first Sura discusses God's divinity (by the way, "Allah" is Arabic for "God") and as a segueway into the second Sura begins the narrative of the first man and woman on Earth--a narrative that bears remarkable resemblance to Genesis 2-3. Adam, Eve, man's sin, man's callous disregard for his neighbors and the creation God made--all of these are covered quite adeptly (and accurately) in the translation I read.
Then comes the discussion of the heifer (or, to those of you schooled in the book of Exodus, the golden calf;)) which (again) is very adept and very accurate, right down to the description of the Testimony and commandments God gave the people of Israel--which included, among other things, a standing order (through many commandments) to treat the poor and the powerless with respect (charity is something mentioned over and over again in the translation I'm reading, but of course, anyone schooled in the Torah knows that God's version of "charity" in the Old Testament was very radical, evocative of present-day Communism) (if you don't believe me, look up "jubilee" in any version of the Bible on biblegateway.org).
The Koran is mentioned in the translation of Sura 2 that I've read, but it is mentioned as a book from God that "confirms" what has already been revealed via the Old and New Testaments, not as a book that "supercedes" the Old and New Testaments--and I have yet to see any major discrepancies between what I'm reading and the Bible (so far).
I think a lot of the Muslim faith. After all, they have a very keen sense of what it is to obey God (which, sadly, many Christians in America do not), and the disciplines of Islam are, in my opinion, second-to-none, both in the degree of self-control they entail and in their balance (unlike many other religions of the world, Islam only entails 5 disciplines, as opposed to 105 or 1005). And, contrary to what you may believe after watching the news over the past 6 years, they do believe in a God who is merciful (in fact, the translation of the Koran I'm reading describes God repeatedly as "Most Merciful").
It is sad that the Middle East's exposure to Christianity has largely come through violence. I think Muslims and Christians have a lot of common ground, and it would have been very fruitful for both groups to have spent the past 1300 years or so in dialogue and peace rather than as enemies.
And I have to say . . . for those of you who are under the illusion that Muslims worship a different God than their Christian and Jewish brethren, I haven't seen one element of the Koran that doesn't echo a profound truth (and/or verse) from either the Old or New Testaments.
The first Sura discusses God's divinity (by the way, "Allah" is Arabic for "God") and as a segueway into the second Sura begins the narrative of the first man and woman on Earth--a narrative that bears remarkable resemblance to Genesis 2-3. Adam, Eve, man's sin, man's callous disregard for his neighbors and the creation God made--all of these are covered quite adeptly (and accurately) in the translation I read.
Then comes the discussion of the heifer (or, to those of you schooled in the book of Exodus, the golden calf;)) which (again) is very adept and very accurate, right down to the description of the Testimony and commandments God gave the people of Israel--which included, among other things, a standing order (through many commandments) to treat the poor and the powerless with respect (charity is something mentioned over and over again in the translation I'm reading, but of course, anyone schooled in the Torah knows that God's version of "charity" in the Old Testament was very radical, evocative of present-day Communism) (if you don't believe me, look up "jubilee" in any version of the Bible on biblegateway.org).
The Koran is mentioned in the translation of Sura 2 that I've read, but it is mentioned as a book from God that "confirms" what has already been revealed via the Old and New Testaments, not as a book that "supercedes" the Old and New Testaments--and I have yet to see any major discrepancies between what I'm reading and the Bible (so far).
I think a lot of the Muslim faith. After all, they have a very keen sense of what it is to obey God (which, sadly, many Christians in America do not), and the disciplines of Islam are, in my opinion, second-to-none, both in the degree of self-control they entail and in their balance (unlike many other religions of the world, Islam only entails 5 disciplines, as opposed to 105 or 1005). And, contrary to what you may believe after watching the news over the past 6 years, they do believe in a God who is merciful (in fact, the translation of the Koran I'm reading describes God repeatedly as "Most Merciful").
It is sad that the Middle East's exposure to Christianity has largely come through violence. I think Muslims and Christians have a lot of common ground, and it would have been very fruitful for both groups to have spent the past 1300 years or so in dialogue and peace rather than as enemies.
posted by Brian Bly at 11:47 AM
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