We are not happy either, Father
26.11.2009
Another response to Professor Terry Lovat's article, "God is a specialist" in July 2009.
In Professor Lovat's discussion of the question, "What can we learn in a multi-faith society?" he only expanded on what is to be gained from Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam; but he forgot to discuss similarly, what the followers of these religions may gain from Christianity in a multicultural society. Perhaps his intended audience was practicing Christians but even Christians are entitled to the balanced truth.
Below are some comments we make regarding a number of points brought up in the article.
We understand that Hinduism has many spiritual practices that can be pursued by Christians but similarily there are many others that are of no value to a Christian.
What can a Christian gain from the belief in reincarnation (the belief that the human soul never perishes or dies, it simply passes through a succession of life in never-ending cycles) or the concept of karma, the teaching that the deeds (good or bad) of one's past life affects this present life; and one's present deeds will have ramifications for future life.
Believers' lives are seen as endless cycles of suffering and rebirth. Karma and reincarnation do not resolve the problem of evil, but simply point towards the impossible goal of perfection and self-salvation.
However, in Christianity, atonement and forgiveness may be gained through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which we receive as result of His love and compassion. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).
Islam in Lovat's article
The article portrayed perhaps a diplomatically correct version of Islam but one that does not do its prophet Muhammad justice and does not convey the accurate intent of Islamic teaching. We have noted a number of points that concerned us as a previous citizen of an Islamic republic.
Is Islam a truly beautiful religion?
The verse below shows the commitment of the prophet to fight the non-believers, "You shall fight back against those who do not believe in GOD, nor in the Last Day, nor do they prohibit what GOD and His messenger have prohibited, nor do they abide by the religion of truth (which is Islam that abolishes all other religions) - among those who received the Scripture - until they pay the due tax, willingly or unwillingly (with humiliation and submission to the government of Islam)" [Qur'an 9:29].
What alarms us most about Islam is its disposition to violence and use of violence as a standard of God's will.
We understand that Muhammad lived 13 centuries ago but the problem is there was no correction of the violent thoughts anywhere in the Islamic texts and so Muslims today find it difficult to practice their religion and not be committed to dominating the world and using violence to achieve that.
Did Islam preserve much of the essential message of both Judaism and Christianity?
To Christians, Islam is a false religion. The message of Christianity is, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (Jn 3:16). Islam denies the divinity of Christ and His death on the Cross and teaches that Jesus is a mere prophet but not God.
Professor Lovat says, "For the Jew or Christian truly interested in knowing the origins of their own tradition, Islam is a 'must.'"
In this statement the incorrectness of reasoning is so obvious. The history of Islam began in Arabia only in the seventh century. The holy tradition of the Church is what the Lord has delivered to His disciples. Christians can look for their own tradition in the Holy Bible, in writings of Fathers of the Church, in rites of their worship and other sources.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Islam for Christians is the place it holds for Jesus. This is in fact the provocative statement of the article.
For Christians Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate and the saviour of the world. For Muslims He is only a prophet of God.
Islam denies the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, a cornerstone in Christian belief. Christians are not fascinated by the place Islam holds for Jesus, because to them Jesus is the Messiah whose coming was prophesied in the Old Testament i.e. by the prophets before Him and not after Him.
Women in Islam
Islam boasts... to bring equality to women.
"Husbands should take full care of their wives; with (the bounties) God has given to some more than others and with what they spend out of their own money. Righteous wives are devout and guard what God would have them guard in the husbands' absence. If you fear high-handedness from your wives, remind them (of the teaching of God), then ignore them when you go to bed, then hit them. If they obey you, you have no right to act agains
t them. God is most high and great" (Qur'an 4:34).
Islam discourages social interaction between unmarried or unrelated men and women when they are alone. In strict Islamic countries, such as Saudi Arabia, sex segregation has been or is strictly enforced.
Some women's rights
In Islam, women are entitled the right of inheritance, (Qur'an 4:7) but often a woman's share of inheritance is less than that of a man. In general circumstances, Islam allows females half the inheritance share available to males who have the same degree of relation to the deceased. A widow inherits one quarter of the property of her deceased husband, however, if he had children the inheritance reduces to one eighth.
What awaits men in the Islamic version of heaven is very much spelt out but for women not as much as a jar of honey is mentioned.
Conclusion
In conclusion we believe that Muslims must work hard to translate and explain their text in new ways, teaching their followers that the violent ways of Muhammad cannot be adopted now and that they should pursue the peace intended by God when He sent His only Son to us.
Article written by some members of the Coptic Orthodox community, formerly from Egypt, now in Australia.
