Anti-hate Ads Appearing In NYC Subway

The United Methodist Women, Sojourners, and Rabbis for Human Rights, have joined forces to fund subway ads that counter the recent anti-Islam ones in New York City subways. Some ads appear next to the anti-Islam ones.

One pro-tolerance poster reads, "Hate speech is not civilized. Support peace in word and deed". (The anti-Islam poster had used the phrase "civilized man").

“We think that respectful dialogue is absolutely important and that the work for peace is very difficult,” said UMW CEO Harriet Olson in an interview with Transportation Nation. “Incendiary speech [as in the anti-Islam posters] is not the way to get there.”

We cannot achieve true Shalom with hearts full of hatred.

• United Methodist Women Unveils Ad Countering Hate Speech in New York City Subway (UMW)
• Read the full article at "Transportation Nation"

Nationalized Christianity -- corrupted faith

In a recent commentary on the book "The Christians as Romans Saw Them", Professor David Gushee (Mercer University) says, "Christianity was persecuted not because most Roman leaders couldn't handle religious diversity, but because they could not accept a kind of diversity that taught people to detach from primary loyalty to the Empire, its sponsoring deities and its way of life. ... Christians will always feel both internal and external pressures to resort to nationalized religion, and this corrupted form of the faith is the version most prevalent in the United States."

Another tidbit: Romans viewed Christianity as an apostasy of Judaism.

After reading the commentary, I wonder if we Christians are not getting really good at persecuting others. We have denominations or even parts of denominations that want to legislate their personal views on society as a whole. We make assumptions that we "know all" about God's Word. Of course we also insist that the particular copy of a particular Bible translation we use is the only accurate one and that we thoroughly understand exactly what every passage meant both to the people of the day as well as to us today. Then we seek to implement our own personal beliefs through local state and national legislation.

It's much too easy for such actions to amount to persecution. And it's the result of people trying to nationalize their religion. The commentary (and the book it pertains to) give much food for thought.

• Read more of the commentary, Opinion: The Christians as the Romans Saw Them

God = Allah?

An article titled "YourSay: Each one expresses 'God' in their own way" has an interesting perspective on the term "Allah" as used by Arabic-speaking Christians. The commenters are responding to an original letter suggesting that use of "Allah" by Catholics was offensive and that Methodists and others do not use the word.

Responders point out that differences in the word used for "God" varies worldwide due to native language, not religion or denomination. They also point to early use of "Allah" by people in the ancient world before the coming of Islam. The insistence that Christians not use the term "Allah" is an example of religious persecution of Christians in the modern world.

These are reasoned responses that lead me to wonder about some of the varied Christian viewpoints on Allah. Some hold that God and Allah refer to the same deity. Others insist that God and Allah cannot be the same. These people assert that the Koran and the Bible show two widely different deities.

Is it just possible that we fallible human beings have come to learn of and about God in different ways, through different means, and under different circumstances? If so, would it be so remarkable that each group of peoples would then have different views about God, Heaven, and so on? Since we are fallible, it's highly probably that no one group has the "complete" picture of God.

Perhaps if the proponents of God, Allah, and Yahweh were to approach each others' beliefs with that in mind, we could all work toward a common goal of doing God/Allah/Yahweh's work while we are here on earth.

God - Allah - Yahweh ... the three are one?

• The original letter -- Christians should not use "Allah"
• About Malasiakini online

Religious Beliefs interactive

"USA Today" has a neat interactive summary of some Pew Forum research data about religious beliefs in the United States as well as a "Topography of Faith" section. Both use Flash.

You can select one variable and then sort the bar chart of results based on that variable. It's a great way to squeeze out visual patterns from the data.

The Trinity

Christians of all sorts believe in the Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (aka Holy Ghost). But the word "Trinity" is not specifically mentioned in scripture and the concept was not used until years after Jesus' Ascension. This has led to all sorts of "takes" on the concept.

Nazarites point to a pagan origin and say that the Torah does not mention the Trinity. Skeptics claim that the term was invented. Some claim that the concept was needed in the early church but that it is now an anachronism that is no longer needed.

Some even point to the term "Spirit" being feminine gender ("her") in Aramaic, the language that Jesus used. In Greek, the word in neuter gender ("it"). Only in Latin is the term masculine gender ("he").

I look at the concept of the Trinity as a way we try to understand God. We fallible mortals can never understand God perfectly, but the concept of the Trinity helps us get closer to an understanding.

What's your take? Is the word "persons" in "God in three persons" a mental stumbling block? Would a word such as "aspects" convey the concept better?

Related links

• United Methodist Articles of Religion - Article 1, the Trinity from the 2004 "Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church"
• Meaning of the Trinity, St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church (PDF)
• Holy Trinity is a mystery (Catholic); second, personal page
• Catholics, Methodist agree on Trinity
• Evidence of the Trinity in the Old Testament (Catholic)
• Trinity concept no longer needed
• Is the Holy Spirit feminine?
• Ode 36 of Solomon uses feminine gender for "Spirit"
• There is no Trinity (Nazarite)
• Holy Trinity invented (a skeptic)

Passover and the Passion

Christianity and Judaism are forever linked this time of year. A Boston Globe article, "Passover and the Passion", reminds us that Holy Week is structured around Jesus' observance of the Jewish Passover.

The author points out that as new converts came from the Gentiles, those people didn't fully grasp that Jesus was a Jew. "The Jews" became a scapegoat. He suggests a reading of the Gospels that takes into account such culturally relevant factors.

Lent and Passover

Before Lent heads into the final week, you may want to read "Muskrat love." No, it's not the song. It's a Catholic Online article about Michiganders who abstain from meat on Fridays yet have a tradition of eating muskrat on Fridays (and why).

You may want to bone up on Holy Week and Passover...

• Holy Week
• Holy Week (Wikipedia)
• Palm Sunday
• Maundy Thursday
• Good Friday
• Holy Saturday
• Pesach (Passover) Basics
• Preparing for Passover (PBS)
• Passover through archeology and rare documents (Flash)

Christians divorce Jesus from Judaism

In her article in "The Christian Century" magazine, Amy-Jill Levine criticises Christians for misusing Jesus -- incorrect portrayals of Jesus in regards to Jews and Christians, social issues, and more.

Jesus, she reminds us was:

• Not against the Torah (Law)
• Not against the Temple, but rather its leadership
• Not the only one concerned with social issues

"This divorcing of Jesus from Judaism does a disservice to each textually, theologically, historically and ethically."

To disregard history, she says, is to be unfaithful to both Judaism and Christianity.

Jews in Iran

Jews have been in Iran since the diaspora and many have no intention of leaving. In fact, Iran has the largest number of Jews in the Middle East outside of Israel. Jews even have one representative in the Iranian Parliament.

Read the full BBC article about Jews in Iran. You may find interesting information that contradicts the opinions of many Westerners.

Related links

• Iran in maps (land, cities, ethnic groups, population, etc.)
• Percentage of women in Universities heralds social change
• Uncovering Iran - BBC Radio series
• Iran - Wikipedia profile

Mohammed: "Respect each other's ways of worship"

Imam Muhammad Shakoor, leader of a Dallas Muslim congregation, says that the current Israel and Hezbollah conflict reflects neither the true nature of Islam nor the prophet Mohammed.

• Read the article about Mohammed

Tis the season: Matzah ... Holy week

The Religion & Ethics part of the PBS web site has a story on Passover Matzah. A video is also available online.

The site also has an extract of In the company of Christ: A pilgrimage through Holy Week.