I always like to post different perspectives on issues, especially when they are voices which are seldom promoted by the mainstream media.

I found this interview with Hamza Yusuf interesting:

Hamza Yusuf Hanson was born in Washington State and raised in northern California. After exploring religion at an early age, he entered Islam at 18 and set out to study in England, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, and finally West Africa. He became fluent in the Arabic language and then began his studies of the traditional Islamic sciences under the tutelage of some of the greatest Muslim scholars of our age.

After a sojourn of ten years abroad, Hamza Yusuf returned to the U.S. and took degrees in Nursing and Religious Studies. In 1996, he co-founded the Zaytuna Institute in order to teach the traditional sciences of Islam to people in the West. He serves as the director of the Institute and has translated several texts from Arabic for the Institute's curriculum.

He is recognized today as one of the most influential voices for Islam in the West and has advised several world leaders including the President of the United States and the head of the Arab League. Hamza Yusuf resides in northern California with his wife and children.

The entire interview is interesting, however if you haven't got time to watch it all I would suggest you at least watch the last video in which there is a discussion regarding Islam and other religions.

Imagine a world in which the Children of Abraham were reunited.  It would have to be a much nicer and safer place than what it is at the moment.  All of the world’s problems would not be solved, but we would be well on the way.

 

Regrettably we have a long way to go before this will happen.  It could happen; there is no doubt about it.  Unfortunately we have too many misguided people in the world at the moment who seem to believe fighting is the complete answer to peace. Others seem to believe another solution is to alienate people and restrict their freedoms. To me there seems to be a lot of counter productive solutions to peace.

 

Here is an example and this is from people who claim that their religion is one of love and they make claims such as these in regards to what a real Christian is:

"They truly follow the tenets of Jesus. Things like "love your neighbor", "pray for them that despise you and say all manner of evil against you", "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", "if someone slaps you on the left cheek, turn your right cheek to him, also" and "if someone takes your cloak, give to him your tunic, also". Those are Jesus' words, and that is a religion full of love for your fellow man."

Currently here at Vox (thanks to paikea for highlighting this and posting a very interesting article titled: Muslim True/False) there is a petition being promoted to put forward a proposed US Constitutional Amendment.  This amendment would include that: 

 

“The preaching of Islam in Mosques, Schools, and other venues is prohibited. The subject of Islam may be taught in a post high school academic environment provided that instruction include discussion of Islam’s history of violence, conquest, and its ongoing war on democratic and other non-Islamic values.”

 

Yes it does seem rather harsh.

 

The proposal also states:

“Whereas; the United States of America was founded on the ideals of individual rights, including the individual right to practice one’s religion of choice, or no religion, and that there would be no compulsion of religion, nor state sanctioned religion, nor a ‘religious test’ for participation in the body politic;

Whereas; Islam includes a complete political and social structure, encompassed by its religious law, Sharia, that supercedes any civil law and that Islam mandates that no secular or democratic institutions are to be superior to Islamic law;”

From what I can gather about the United States the first paragraph is correct, unless you listen to some of the people from America’s Religious Right and then it seems they would dearly love to change this paragraph.  We have all heard about the pillars of the 10 Commandments being set up in public areas on American soil and the big kerfufel that it has caused.  If there is no state sanctioned religion, then there should not be the establishment of such a practice.   But listen further to a statement from someone who stated they would sign this petition, but had doubts of its effectiveness due to the wording of the petition:

“I think a better possibility to enact an Amendment to the Constitution declaring America a nation with a Judeo-Christian heritage without establishing any particular Jewish sect (Orthodox, Conservative or ) or Christian Denomination (Variations of Protestantism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox etc.) as a State religion.  This would simultaneously deal with Secular Humanism war on Christianity and radical Islam.”

Now I could be totally wrong, but this statement doesn’t exactly match up with the statement:

“Whereas; the United States of America was founded on the ideals of individual rights, including the individual right to practice one’s religion of choice, or no religion, and that there would be no compulsion of religion, nor state sanctioned religion, nor a ‘religious test’ for participation in the body politic”

Although the comment doesn’t say there should be an official state religion, it does indicate there is intent to restrict freedom of religion and non-religion.   Let’s face it if it was possible, the Religious Right would declare the US a Christian nation in an instant if it had the power. 

This brings me to the next paragraph I included above,

Whereas; Islam includes a complete political and social structure, encompassed by its religious law, Sharia, that supercedes any civil law and that Islam mandates that no secular or democratic institutions are to be superior to Islamic law;”

This may or may not be the case in regards to Islam, however when it come to the Religious Right in the US, what sort of laws would we expect to see in the US.  The answer is simple we would see strict laws based on their version of Christianity.  To illustrate my point I only need to draw your attention to an article such as this, “God’s Choice for President”.  So who would the Religious Right’s God choose to be the next US President, well naturally McCain and why would God do such a thing, only two factors come to mind apparently, the issue of abortion and gay rights – yes that is it, I kid you not!  It seems God is not concerned about social justice issues, healthcare, poverty, the environment, racial harmony, equal rights and the endless list of things I thought were major concerns to a “Christian” God.

The Religious Right also seems to need to make up its mind.  I have noticed that when it suits, Christianity is described as a religion of peace and then they will do a back flip and bash the more socially conscious Christians over the head with their Bibles and say, "Christianity is not a religion of peace, because Jesus didn’t come to bring peace," and they will then go on and quote the following Bible passage:

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:34-39)

It is an interesting passage.  I actually like this passage, for me it means Jesus came here to shake the people up and get them thinking and get them out of their selfish and corrupt ways.  The church at the time needed a good kick in the pants. The people needed to start doing good work to help others and to become more loving and compassionate.  That at least is partly the meaning of the passage if it is read in conjunction with the other messages Jesus conveyed throughout the NT.  To me the sword is not to be taken literally.  However, I have heard Christians use that “sword” to defend the right to carry a gun, go to war, use violence, justify capital punishment, and a host of other violent acts. 

It is interesting how Islam is always portrayed as being spread by the sword, and yet here we have a quote in the Christian Bible and it is Jesus who is carrying a sword.  So it actually makes sense that when this passage is taken literally it has been used to spread the religion of Christianity throughout the world.  At present Islam is conveniently portrayed by Christians as being spread by the sword, and by making that claim they are inferring that Christianity has always been spread peacefully - I guess by some gentle process of osmosis.  But this is not true, the correct history of the world indicates otherwise.   Christianity has been spread throughout the world by the sword, by the gun, by oppressive tactics and  by an endless array of violent actions. In short, Christianity was spread by empire building throughout the world. 

I can now refer back to this quote mentioned earlier,

“I think a better possibility to enact an Amendment to the Constitution declaring America a nation with a Judeo-Christian heritage ............. ..... ....... ......"

There is an obvious flaw in this statement, an obvious omission.   Who were the people here before  the Judeo-Christian heritage was forced upon them?  Of course it was the Native Americans, who had their own heritage and their own beliefs systems. Were the Native Americans treated well by their Judeo-Christian conquerors?  No, in the main history also proves this to be incorrect.  

I am sure that if the Jews, the Moors, the “witches” and the “sodomites” could have put together a petition outlawing Christianity during the Spanish Inquisition they would have (So there is no bias here are two references one a Jewish perspective another a Catholic perspective).  I have heard modern day Orthodox Jews speaking of Christianity with utter disdain, and if you watch the video, “The Hidden Story of Jesus” which I have included below, you will actually witness how much disdain they have for Christianity and the wrongs they feel Christianity has done to them.

More from the proposal, “Whereas; Islam preaches that it and it alone is the true religion”

Of course no other religion has EVER proclaimed such an audacious statement has it.  I have been told many times that Christianity is the one true religion, and not only the Religious Right makes that claim.  In fact the scripture I quoted above from Matthew essentially says that Jesus is the ONLY way, and if you deviate away from Jesus then your life will be lost.  They are powerful words, powerful enough to make parents scared that their children's lives will be lost if they deviate away from the path, and that kind of "terror" can make people do terrible things to other people if they believe another is leading their child astray. It explains why so many Christian parents are devastated to find out their child is gay, for they believe their child is forever forsaken.

I would say that the majority of people belonging to all religions will make similar claims in regards to their religion being the one true way.  It stands to reason; otherwise they wouldn’t practice the religion.  But it shouldn't mean we shouldn't be able to get along.

Now for me the past is the past.  Terrible things have been done throughout history in the name of religion and also in the name of various political ideologies.  I have only brought up the past because some seem to like to bring up the past as a weapon against various religions, and my point is to say that no religion has an innocent past.  What matters to me is the present and the future, so I would love to move on.

This is my opinion for what it is worth.  I believe the Muslims who are being violent and intolerant in the name of Islam are misguided, as were the Christians/Jews/Hindus and other belief systems of the past who were violent and as are the Christians/Jews/Hindus and other belief systems who are violent or intolerant in the present.

This now brings me to the title of this post and that is, "Reuniting the Children of Abraham". This documentary is an interesting look at how it is possible to cross the barriers which impede peace on a personal level.  Petitions aimed at oppressing a whole people are not the answer to achieve peace in a country; projects such as these which aim to break down personal barriers to peace are the answer.  It is difficult to wage war against a friend or some one you know and respect.

“Abraham, of the Old Testament, was the founding patriarch of a new, monotheistic faith, which included Jews and later Christians and Muslims.  One of his two sons is historically tied to the founding of Judaism, the other to the founding of Islam.

The Children of Abraham Project, which is an effort by individuals and interfaith organizations in the Detroit Metro area, to educate Jews, Christians and Muslims as to their common ancestry, and encourages them to work together for tolerance, peace and civic betterment.  The process involves watching a play in which teenage actors, some who helped write the play, act out scenes from the Biblical story.  This is interspersed with contemporary accounts of religious and ethnic prejudice based on personal recollections.  The play has allowed audiences to speak freely about their fears and prejudices and to walk in another's shoes. 

The Project is a powerful experience that gives hope to the idea of these three religions being able to find their common heritage as a reason for mutual religious respect and spiritual healing in the future.”

 

.

.

.

Another interesting documentary is The Hidden Story of Jesus.  What really struck me about this documentary was by taking Jesus as an example; it was possible to see how much most of the religions have in common.  I believe looking for what we have in common, instead of looking at our differences; will in fact help us to become more closely connected as a society, and more accepting of our differences.

This is not a documentary for Christians to be afraid of, as I do not believe it would diminish your faith in anyway. 

For me personally it actually enhanced my faith in humanity.

 

 

 

 

Until late last night I hadn’t posted anything here for 7 days that has to be some sort of a record for me.  There was a good reason for my absence I was in the process of converting from a liberal to a conservative.  I will take you through this conversion and the rational behind my conversion.

 

For a long time now I have been accused of being a liberal but I was in a state of denial.  I mistakenly interpreted all of the hateful names being thrown at me by my fellow conservatives as insults, when in fact what they were trying to do was actually save me from myself.  I came across this quote by Winston Churchill:

 

“Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains.”

 

Although this quote does refer to a man, I figured that it probably applies to women in this day and age as well.  Given I am now 41 years of age I decided that I should see if in fact I was a liberal or a conservative.  I searched the internet and came across two reliable tests and I did them.  The results showed that I was in fact on the whole a liberal.  Oh dear that means that according to Churchill I have no brains.  However there was still some hope for me, as according to one test I wasn’t 100% a liberal, just 80% a liberal.  The break down being as such:

 

Overall: 20% Conservative, 80% Liberal

Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

 

 

The second test also indicated that I was a liberal.  The shameful interpretation of my results can be seen at the end of this post.  I feel so embarrassed at having to display my results and inclination so publicly, but as part of my therapy I needed to admit my wrong way of thinking and show it to the world so as to maybe save some other misguided people.

 

Well the results were in; I was in fact a liberal.  So my conservative buddies as they had been trying to inform me for ages were in fact as always Right!  I know I should have listened to them, but it is not easy facing up to the truth.

 

So where to from here? Some how I had to leap over the huge liberal - conservative divide and land safely on the conservative side.  I had been told there is no in between, just an endless cavern of nothingness between the two sides. Well 41 years of liberal indoctrination was not going to be easy to reverse, so there was only one choice I needed intense rehabilitation and that is why I have been off the air for a week – I have been in liberal rehab.

 

Now that it was known that I was definitely a liberal, I was now a huge security risk to many nations. As Ronald Reagan said regarding those protesting against the Vietnam War, "Some American will die tonight because of the activity in our streets."  So now because I was against the Iraq War, I was a threat to the soldiers in Iraq, so I caught the next available “Extraordinary Rendition” flight out of the country to a mystery destination.  Once I arrived I was lead into “Room 101” where my rehabilitation would begin.

Because tests showed that I did have 20% conservative thoughts it was hoped that my rehabilitation would not be too prolonged and my liberal indoctrination would be reversed.

 

Before therapy I did ask one question, “Would becoming a conservative mean I would have to stop recognising ANZAC Day which is a day that I as an Australian see as one of the most patriotic days for an Australian, a day where Australians commemorate fallen soldiers and victims of war, a day of great respect and never a day for glorifying war?”.  Luckily I was able to be a conservative and still commemorate this day.

 

The first thing that needed to be done would be to have my personality deconstructed and reformed just had been done to Jose Padilla.  The chosen form of mind deconstruction would be intense isolation and a form of therapy called “Waterboarding”, which is a very safe technique that has no resemblance to any form of torture despite what some critics say. 

 

My mind had now been deconstructed; it was now time to reform my mind into one of a conservative. 

 

I was instructed that the US is losing in Iraq because liberals and their associates such as Looney Lefties, Pinko Commies, and stupid Socialists have not decided they want or need to win and they are yellow bellied cowards.

 

I had memorised my mantra, “Defeat liberals use logic and reason.”

 

I had read the article, “Why liberals make atrocious parents” and from that article I learnt the following: I learnt that liberals today have no self-control, no purity, no sense of moderation, and they lack restraint.

 

I learnt that it is a parent's job to teach a child how to think, the framework of what to believe, and to equip them for the future. I was amazed as I don’t think I knew this before, but I have little memory of what I thought before my mind was deconstructed, but given I was a liberal there is no way I could have known this.

 

I learnt how to be a good conservative parent by teaching children discipline so that their behaviour does not bring harm to themselves, and in public they do not harass or bring harm to others. I also learnt something that grieved me deeply; I should say "NO" when a child reaches for a hot pot on a stove.  I now know why my son has scars on part of his body from burns, it was because I was a stupid liberal and I didn’t know that I needed to say NO when he pulled the pot from the stove. I have been such a bad mother, but now that I am a conservative that will all change.

 

Next process on reconstruction of my brain was to read some of Anne Coulter’s books on liberals.

 

“How to talk to a liberal (If you must).”  This book was great it taught me that liberals firmly believe that there is one set of rules for them, and another, completely different set of rules for everyone else.  No way do I want to talk to a liberal now.

 

“Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right”.  A fantastic book that shows that liberals have been wrong about everything in the last half century.  Now I know why the conservatives are right wingers, it is because they are always right.  Why didn’t I make the connection before? Damn I really was a liberal stuck on stupid.

 

The next step was to buy a gun.  Not an easy task in Australia I must admit, but I needed one so it seemed, as according to conservatives: We let our guns do the talking!  You can’t reason with evil and now that I am a conservative I needed a gun to do my talking.  I was then told that Liberals use their mouth.  Conservatives use their brain right I now use my brain to think and then I talk with my gun – got it!  This conservative stuff was easy to learn.  There is only good and evil and right and wrong, so there are no grey areas to worry about, which is great as it now means I have to use less brain power.

 

Also it seems now that I am a conservative, I can use quite considerably less brain power because we should follow our current leaders without question, because to question our leaders would be unpatriotic and it means we hate our country.  It is okay to dissent, but it is not okay to hate our country which is what liberals do, they hate their country when they dissent.  Whereas when conservatives dissent we don’t hate our country.  I was a bit confused by this, because what did we have to dissent about if we were okay with what our leaders did?  I was told, “Nothing, but just in case the other side gets in at a future election then that gives us the opportunity to dissent and not seem like hypocrites, but we won’t be hateful when we do dissent, because Hate is not a family value”.  I was then told, “There is an exception to this rule though and that is when we are interacting with liberals and their kind and they are really annoying us out in the world and if we have a conversation with one, even if that one hasn’t done anything to us, it is okay to throw in a few verbal insults and some nasty name calling because they deserve it!”

 

Now it was time to talk about the Iraq War.  We were there to install democracy and destroy Islamofascist terrorists. I asked how long this would take and was told that there was no definite time frame, but the whole process could take decades and many innocent people would be killed along the way.  I must admit the thought of it taking decades was rather horrifying and time consuming.  I queried, “But won’t there be more terrorists to take their place every time we kill them?” 

 

I was told, “Yes but we will keep killing until they are all gone and the world is safe again.”

 

Given I was now an enthusiastic convert and I guess a bit over zealous as a new convert quite often is, I suggested an alternative to it taking decades.  “Why don’t we just short cut the whole process and bomb them all back to the Stone Age and get it over and done with so that we can move on?  Sure there would be many innocent people killed, but by sounds of it we are going to kill many innocent people along the way anyway, so let’s just do it!”  My idea didn’t go down to well, I forgot that we were there to install democracy and also that much bombing may cause way too much damage to the oil fields in the area and destroy a vital natural resource.

 

The final bit of advice I was given before re-entering society as a conservative was:

 

“We must always Honor our troops …….. Honor their sacrifice! We enjoy our liberty as a result of the men and women who valued liberty and opportunity and were willing to offer themselves to protect these ideals. . .”

 

This last piece of advice sparked a memory from my former liberal mind and I replied, “Just like I did every ANZAC Day when I was a liberal?”  To which my therapist said, “Yes that’s right just like you did when you were a Damn LeftIE

 

 

 

*** Just in case this post is lost on anyone and I have offended someone, which isn’t difficult for me to do at times. 

Everything I have said has been seen either in print, on the net or on people’s blogs. 

There is certainly some satire and sarcasm in this piece in regards to certain points especially in regards to what I see as human rights abuses and I make no apologies for that.

I will also add that some liberals and their kind can be just as hateful as some conservatives; yes there are plenty of bumper stickers out there beating down the conservatives.

 

The main point is stop making sweeping generalisations based on what political persuasion you believe some one to be, base your opinions on their actions and words.  I am talking about  everyone across the spectrum, this is not a target against conservatives.  It points out some of the absurd assumptions made by people about the 'other' side. Also I am NOT having a go at anyone person. The point about conservatives needing less brain power - was a demonstration of an example of a generalised assumption from the liberal side, not my belief.  Just the same as that ridiculous article about liberals and their parenting skills.

When it comes to freedom of speech both sides can be just as guilty in trying to shut the other side up. 

Both sides get it correct sometimes despite what you may think.  Also there are grey areas. 

Plus as far as propaganda is concerned, every political group is guilty of producing it.  Sifting through the lies is a nightmare at times. 

It would be nice if our leaders would tell us the truth and people would stop spreading lies to further their cause.

I will also say one more thing; you can’t accuse some one of hate and in the same paragraph call them at least four insulting names when they haven’t even made one comment to you and they haven't even said anything hateful.

 

    

 

 

 

Interpretation of second test.

Liberal

Based on your answers to the questionnaire, you most closely resemble survey respondents within the Liberal typology group. This does not mean that you necessarily fit every group characteristic or agree with the group on all issues.

Liberals represent 17 percent of the American public, and 19 percent of registered voters.

Basic Description
This group has nearly doubled in proportion since 1999, Liberals now comprise the largest share of Democrats and is the single largest of the nine Typology groups. They are the most opposed to an assertive foreign policy, the most secular, and take the most liberal views on social issues such as homosexuality, abortion, and censorship. They differ from other Democratic groups in that they are strongly pro-environment and pro-immigration, issues which are more controversial among Conservative and Disadvantaged Democrats.

Defining Values
Strongest preference for diplomacy over use of military force. Pro-choice, supportive of gay marriage and strongly favor environmental protection. Low participation in religious activities. Most sympathetic of any group to immigrants as well as labor unions, and most opposed to the anti-terrorism Patriot Act.

Who They Are
Most (62%) identify themselves as liberal. Predominantly white (83%), most highly educated group (49% have a college degree or more), and youngest group after Bystanders. Least religious group in typology: 43% report they seldom or never attend religious services; nearly a quarter (22%) are seculars. More than one-third never married (36%). Largest group residing in urban areas (42%) and in the western half the country (34%). Wealthiest Democratic group (41% earn at least $75,000).

Lifestyle Notes
Largest group to have been born (or whose parents were born) outside of the U.S. or Canada (20%). Least likely to report having a gun at home (23%) or attending bible study or prayer group meetings (13%).

2004 Election
Bush 2%, Kerry 81%

Party ID
59% Democrat; 40% Independent/No Preference, 1% Republican (92% Dem/Lean Dem)

Media Use
Liberals are second only to Enterprisers in following news about government and public affairs most of the time (60%). Liberals’ use of the internet to get news is the highest among all groups (37%).

I came across this yesterday regarding living in a democracy and I thought it was worth posting and elaborating on.

 

To be a member of a democratic society imposes severe obligations on you:

You have to be interested in the issues.

You must inform yourself and not wait for someone to inform you.

You must take part in the governing.  You mustn’t just leave it up to the government to tell you what to do, without thoughtful consideration on what you are being told.

 

------------------

 

The following comes from the usinfo.state.gov website and I think it is worth reading as it gives a good explanation of what a democratic country requires of its citizens.

 

Unlike a dictatorship, a democratic government exists to serve the people, but citizens in democracies must also agree to abide by the rules and obligations by which they are governed. Democracies grant many freedoms to their citizens including the freedom to dissent and criticize the governme