Muslims and Christians and Jews! Oy Vey!

The following came from a recent post to my class. I like to connect with them this way at least once during the week and since I have them do reflective writing each week, I allow myself the opportunity to do the same with them from time to time.

I have decided to include “Fagbug: The Documentary” as your first extra credit opportunity for the semester. This documentary is being sponsored by ETSU’s own HEROES organization in hopes of raising awareness about hate crimes and homophobia. It also serves to give a voice to those who might otherwise be silent and to start conversations. For our class purposes, it will give you some introduction to one of our upcoming class topics, serving the LGBT population in regards to health. The film is approximately 80 minutes long and will be shown in the Culp Center Auditorium at 7 pm on September 26^th. The process is simple; you come to the event, you sign in with me, and you watch the film. That’s it!

There is so much we could have further discussed yesterday in class. For example, we did not discuss the differences in clothing that we sometimes see in regards to folks from the Middle East. Case in point, the burqua and hijab. These coverings invoke responses from both sides of the debate over the role of women according to Middle Eastern culture. These are powerful emblems. For the religiously pious, they are a symbol of submission. For those women who are emancipated, they are often viewed as symbols of repression. For many Muslim women in the West, these clothing items are often a proud assertion of their identity. And then there's something I read this week in the blogosphere: http://eibmorb.tumblr.com/post/31796393285/miatranslations-theres-some-fuss-going-around - where the subject matter turns to cultural appropriation. And again here:
http://androphilia.tumblr.com/post/31731977564/the-dichotomy-of-cultural-appropriation-womanist
 Interesting commentary going on there. 

There is sometime a return to more traditional clothing choices for men in order to honor their traditions. In the case of Hasidic Jews, as they “return in repentance” to their faith, they will alter their choice of clothing. Another example can be found in one of your readings for the week. Often devout Muslim men will avoid the wearing of Western neckties, symbolically seen as a Christian emblem and as a mark denoting obeisance Western hegemony. A former Muslim student of this very class also admitted that another issue for Muslim men is the fabric of the ties themselves. Most ties are made using silk, and this is viewed by many Muslim men as a feminine fabric.

I’m on a roll here. Guess I just feel like writing out some thoughts out to you as the class. We often refer to our tradition as the “Judeo-Christian” tradition. Why not the Judeao-Christian-Islamic tradition? All three of these world faiths are rooted in the Abrahamic faith tradition and we share so many of the same books, history, and spiritual leaders. These three belief systems come from the same house so to speak. All claim to be the rightful “children of Abraham.”  Is there religious snobbery or prejudice to be found here? There are so many similarities and differences. For example, the Christian dichotomy between god and Caesar, church and state, is an alien thought to both Judaic and Islamic traditions.  In the area of theology, Judaism and Islam are both rigorously and uncompromisingly monotheistic. They both reject Christian theology that conflicts with this belief. Judaism rejects polytheism but otherwise makes no exclusive claims on revealed truth.  In other words, monotheists of all faiths would have a share in the world to come. Technically Judaism is for Jews only. No exclusive claims for everyone to follow, that is, there is no compulsion for you to convert to Judaism, unless you are Hebrew. However, this does contrast greatly with Christianity and Islamic belief systems.  These two world faith’s both believe that there is one final revelation of God’s truth and that salvation is ONLY achieved by belief /practice of this final revelation. However, each believes that their particular version of that revelation is for all of humanity.  Both Islam and Christianity believe in hell for those who do not share their beliefs. Christianity has capitalized on this hellfire message more so than Islam. Muslims as a whole do not emphasize this as part of their message.  Additionally, both groups believe that they have a duty to bring God’s final revelation to humanity. Sounds as though there is a lot of common ground here between these two faiths.

Christianity views Judaism as being an authentic revelation “for its time” but that revelation is now outdated and is now superseded by the perfect revelation of Christianity, in the person of Jesus Christ. Islam sees both Judaism and Christianity as having been authentic revelations for their time, but also views both of these belief systems to be out dated and superseded by the perfect revelation of Islam. Jews and Christians are accused of having failed in their custodianship of revelation and for having allowed their revelations to corrupted and distorted. Islam from a Christian perspective is dangerous. Whereas Judaism preceded Christianity, Islam was subsequent to the Christian message and is viewed as false. Islam also views some post Islamic religions (namely Bahai and Sikh – which came from Islamic thought) as false. Sound like a lot of in-house fighting to me, much like children who cannot get along.  We will learn more about some of these belief systems later in the semester.  I went home pondering these things last night. I’m probably influenced by what I am reading in my spare time. Currently I am reading, “The Great Transformation: The Beginning of our Religious Traditions” by the religious historian, Karen Armstrong. Great and easy reading for those of you who might have further interest in the area of religious history and development. You’ve got more than enough to read for this class and I am sure for others, so maybe search something like this out in your much needed down time…whenever that may be.

Study hard this week and be good to yourselves.

Namaste’

Roger