A soft spot for Islam?

You may notice if you've read through these posts that Islam takes up a lot of space.  I spend a lot of time defending it in the light of the stereotypes and lack of understanding or willingness to accept any old thing said about it and the unwillingness to investigate any deeper than finding those things that reinforce what we already believe.

But I am not soft on Islam, in general.  In fact, one of my greatest peeves about its missionary work is the ignorance Muslims (intentionally and knowingly or not) spreads about Christianity as viewed through a missionary Muslim's perspective.  The information they often spread is just as bad as the information Christians often spread about Islam. 

Here are some books of this variety.  One is a "Saudi" version of the Qur'an that is given away in mass.  I picked up my copy while contemplating conversion and spending a weekend at a mosque in Falls Church, Virginia.  These are what are given out to those interested because they are readily available and they are free.  This is one particular translation into English from a very particular point of view.

Two of them are reviews about such information as put out in books by Christians who have converted to Islam.  These are books that spread a particular kind of information.  It is "rooted" in other things published but it often borders on the fringe, at best, and conspirational at worst.  Granted, I too am coming from a particular point of view so take these reviews as well formed opinion but opinions nonetheless.

However, I would certainly not base one's eternal salvation upon what these authors say.   But I do recommend reading them, though, if only to understand. 

The Qur'an - translation by by Abdur-Rahmaan Abdul-Khaliq, translated with commentary by Mahmoud Murad.

The Cross & The Crescent - Jerald Dirks

A Muslim Study of the Origins of the Christian Church - Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood

They are authors, all entitled to their views.

I am simply defending education.

If you want opinions on some good, balanced works, drop me a line. 

Colonialist Christianity...

I belong to this amazing website that sends daily literary emails that tackle a range of subjects, almost always something interesting.

Today's seemed relevant to this blog:

"In today's excerpt - efforts by Christian missionaries in the 1800s to convert the largely rural Chinese to their faith stumbled badly, amid cultural dissonance, social and political maneuvering, and libelous claims and counterclaims. But British economic and military superiority soon made it advantageous to for Chinese to convert:"

Read more here. 

I highly recommend signing up.  It's free of cost and free of spam.

You may not read every email but you'll be glad you have the option to read them when they come.

The Zen Trinity...

Lately I've been on a Zen kick.  The Zen/Dao thing has been a constant in my life.  In many ways I am a Daoist Christian.  My Bible is marked at certain passages (especially in Ecclesiastes) with a 'DDJ' indicating parallels with the Dao De Jing.  It was in the context of the Dao that my spiritual awakening first began. 

Anyhow, there are a series of 'comic' books of Chinese philosophy by illustrator Tsai Chih Chung and translated by Brian Bruya that are brilliant in their simplicity.  They are, ironically enough, very Zen.  One of them, Zen Speaks, was, aside from the Dao De Jing, my first book on Zen/Daoism.  It's a first edition and, though a bit beat up, I still leaf through it on a regular basis. 

I find that Zen provides some penetrating insight into Christian theology without having to compromise.  In fact, in meditating upon this in church today I realized that it is possible to parallel the Trinity in Zen thought.  Granted, there is the "personal" or "relationship" element in Christian theology that is lacking in Zen.  In Zen there is no "person" with Whom to have a relationship as in Christian theology.

However, there is a parallel that can be made.  Instead of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in Zen there is the One, the Sage (or, perhaps, Mind) and the idea of 'emptiness' that is the essence of Zen practice.  In this emptiness is everything, the "insight" that comes in a flash causing us to act according to our original nature.  One who has reached this level of understanding is a Sage, persons who, over time, have become mythologized.  In the One is the origin of everything, from which everything flows.

This parallel is obviously sorely lacking in the person of Jesus but as Christians are to be Christ-like and Christ is a 'Sage' in the sense of acting according to his true nature, so too is the person who practices Zen attempting to be Sage-like in his actions, operating not according to self but acccording to 'emptiness' and thus his original nature.  The parallel is that a Christian in surrendering his everything allows the Holy Spirit to act through him, much like emptiness in Zen allows the person to operate in the manner of ziran (tzu jan), self-so or operating according to the way it is.

Again, this is not an exact parallel.  In Zen there is no purpose, no goal to achieve, no concern with accomplishing God's will or such "personal" notions.  These things, if operating in this emptiness, will occur naturally and thus according to the way they are supposed to be.  No higher purpose just the way it is.

I would, however, make the case that when we operate according to God's will we are acting in the way it is supposed to be.  This is the way it is.  All that means is that it is not forced, it is not polluted by the imposition of our will or selfish motive on our part.  It may not have the glory of attributing something to a personal God who we believe cares rather than the more impersonal approach in Zen.

Having walked these two paths in some parallel over the past fifteen years has enabled me in many ways to be open to Christian doctrine, especially when it comes to things (e.g. the Trinity) that don't at first make sense.  But by being open, empty if you will, I have come to a deeper understanding of the Trinity that is theologically correct. 

Zen is a mindset and one that might benefit many a Christian who tries to "force" his or herself to accept propositions that simply do not fit thus leading to a spiritual walk that is less than peaceful.  I wouldn't tag myself a Zen or Daoist Christian as a badge, no matter how much this may (or may not) be true, but I find nothing wrong with investigating other truth claims.

"But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good..." (1 Thessalonians 5:21, NASB) 

In context this probably applies to truth claims of Christian doctrine but expanding this beyond this particular context it easily extends toward any truth claim.

Burn The Qur'an Day...

...represents fear on every level.

In summation, the terrorists are winning.