"You preach against what Republicans stand for. What do YOU stand for?"

[godhatesrepublicans]

"You preach against what Republicans stand for. What do YOU stand for?'

There was in interesting question posted recently on the discussion boards of democraticunderground.com that got me to thinking. In a lengthy post, the main point was this; “There seems to be an uptick on DU, both here and elsewhere, of posts in which Christians try to distance themselves from people like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Why are you doing this? I get it, you're not Jerry Falwell. So what? You're both Christians but you have different opinions. Why is this news?”

That’s a fair question, and I can see why a lot of people would ask it. It cuts to the core of the question of religion, faith and belief by asking “What’s the point you’re trying to make?”

I hope this will clarify the issue, boiling it down to the essentials. Consider this my first attempt at “Christianity for Beginners.”

In the interest of saving bandwidth, part one of my lengthy reply can be found at http://www.godhatesrepublicans.org/main/whatsnew.html under the heading "OK, so you preach against what Republicans stand for. What do YOU stand for?" Part One.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Thanks for the link

I'm at work, and can only catch a few minutes online, so I'm responding now so I can find this thread when I get home so I can read your complete post.

I do think that not only Christians but all believers need to let people know where they stand. They do this not only with words but with actions. As a Muslim, I try my best to show tolerance and forgiveness when people accuse me of being a terrorist or many of the other distortions that have made about Islam.

[godhatesrepublicans]

3. I'd be interested in getting your feedback especially...

since I've felt that both Christianity and Islam are getting a terrible reputation from the loudest voices on the fringe. As a Christian, I've decided to spend a lot of my spare time finding ways to explain to people, "The Klu Klux Klan and the Republican Party claim to be Christian, but they don't speak for most of us."

From what I can tell, there seems to be a growing movement in the Muslim community to do a similar thing, and I'm glad. I think one of the truest statements of belief about Humanity that all religions could benefit from is this quote from my favorite American President.

"Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."
-John F. Kennedy

[mdmc]

2. I stand for what the Green party stands for, and I am committed

to bringing the Democrats on board!

No preemptive wars of choice
No drug war
No death penalty
No free trade (SUPPORT FAIR TRADE)

Yes to universal health care
YES to free education for all
Yes to legal immigration / immigration law reform

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Did a quick scan of the article

as the phones have calmed down here at work. You make some very clear and valid points. I liked the sports analogy, and totally agree with your take on "lazy" Christians who stress the Crucifixion and totally forget the Teachings, which is the most important part. I really liked your bacteria analogy; as a Sufi initiate,I take a mystical view of God anyway, and God is everything-and all has consciousness.

Sufis are the mystical sect of Islam, and as such have our own encounters with "lazy" Muslims-they usually get their narrow ways over interpreting the Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) the way they want. The Hadiths were not direct transmission from God, as is the Qur'an; they were collections by people who watched the Prophet and wrote down not only what he said but how he acted. What I find telling is the the Prophet once told one of his followers to stop it; the Prophet realized that his own very human likes and dislikes could be misinterpreted to mean that something was "bad". The Prophet said to follow the Qur'an; the teachings of that are part of the Teachings which can be found in the Old and New Testaments and the holy books of other faiths as well.

Anyway, there is a big argument over the use of musical instruments and of dancing-and all because Mohammed (pbuh) once asked some people partying down the street to stop-because one of his Companions was ill. Many Muslims have taken that Hadith as a signal that no musical instruments other than drums and no dancing is allowed. Sufis, espcially the Chisti order, use both dance and all kinds of musical instruments to get closer to God.

bin Laden and his ilk follow the teachings of the Wahhabis. This sect of Islam is one that is intolerant, even misinterpreting what it says in the Qur'an so as to hate Christians and Jews. The founder of this sect became angry when his Sufi shaykh did not elevate him to a position of power, and went out into the desert. He founded his own sect based upon the prejudices and hatred that was there before the time of the Prophet. My husband has seen a letter to this fellow from his brother, who condemned his actions. The Prophet once said that the greatest threat to Islam would come from within-and I think we see this today in what the Wahhabists are doing. Sufis are regularly prosecuted; in Saudi Arabia, they are outlawed, and recently in Iran a Sufi center was demolished, its peaceful followers arrested, beaten, and tortured.

It is indeed sad, because Sufis see all paths leading to God; they worry most about their fellow human beings. I will leave you with a Sufi story that illustrates this:

In Islam, it is required that everyone who is financially able take the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) at least once in their life. The ritual of the Hajj is quite complicated, and it is very difficult to do it all right. But a Sufi shaykh once had a dream where God said that one man, Abdullah bin Ahdam, had made the perfect pilgrimage that year, so everyone who had been on Hajj was blessed. When the shaykh awoke, he went to the town where this Abdullah lived. The fellow was a merchant, and he welcomed the shaykh with traditional hospitality. As they sipped tea, the shaykh asked the merchant about his pilgrimage. "Oh, I didn't go on Hajj this year," Abdullah said. "I found that my neighbor had fallen on hard times and he and his family was starving. I took my Hajj money and gave it all to them."

[Proud_Democratt]

5. Fairness!!! Right now, in our country, many things are not

balanced.

[nemo137]

6. A fair go, a recognition that all human beings arrive here equal under the

law, with a right to live free from persecution or oppression. For our government and our people to take the responsibility to our offspring and brothers seriously, for the right to worship or not, as I choose, free from interference.