I found the following article at The Buddhist Channel Website. Last year, South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak, (a devout Presbyterian) who drew up controversy with his wide-spread discrimination against Buddhists, including removing the locations of famous Buddhist temples from maps, and declaring South Korea a"Christian nation." Thus caused widespread protest and peaceful demonstraitons, with resulted in a half-hearted government apology. However, in the wake of econmic crisis, he seems to be making a genuine attempt at reconciliation. He appeared at a Buddhist conference yesterday with his wife, and stated:
"I thank the Buddhist community for taking the lead
in overcoming the economic crisis and bringing the public
together. The government will also honor Buddha’s
teachings and will put forth every ounce of its energies to
revive the economy and unite the people.”
He also thanked the Buddhist community for embracing different values in a multi-religious country, and attributed the Buddhist spirit has helped the country avoid religious conflicts.
It's good to see a Christian take on the values set before him by Jesus and actually embrace and accept the Buddhist community. While there may be political motive behind this, I like to think the best of people, and hope that his efforts are in genuine spirit.
Link: http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=45,7926,0,0,1,0
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Pope meets with Muslims, speaks to Cameroon.
The Pope met with Muslims today, expressing his admiration of the peaceful co-existence between the local Christians, Catholics, and Muslims, calling it a "beacon of hope to other African nations."
According to VOA News, he met with 22 leaders from Cameroon's Muslim minority at Yaounde's Apostolic Nunciature, telling them that religion is the basis of all human culture. He said religion rejects all forms of violence and totalitarianism not only on principles of faith, but because it is the right thing to do. (A wonderful statement which I think any person of any religion, faith, or spirituality, should be mindful of in their day to day actions.)
This Pope, I will admit, is not among my favorites. He had a very rocky start with some stated comments which drew wide-spread criticism in the Muslim world, especially with his comments regarding Turkey's attempts to join the EU . But these comments are indeed uplifting. I don't know if he has truly changed his opinion, or just got a better PR person, but I do enjoy seeing peaceful and positive meetings between religious leaders.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102106856&ft=1&f=1016
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102038455
http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue5203.html
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-19-voa42.cfm
According to VOA News, he met with 22 leaders from Cameroon's Muslim minority at Yaounde's Apostolic Nunciature, telling them that religion is the basis of all human culture. He said religion rejects all forms of violence and totalitarianism not only on principles of faith, but because it is the right thing to do. (A wonderful statement which I think any person of any religion, faith, or spirituality, should be mindful of in their day to day actions.)
This Pope, I will admit, is not among my favorites. He had a very rocky start with some stated comments which drew wide-spread criticism in the Muslim world, especially with his comments regarding Turkey's attempts to join the EU . But these comments are indeed uplifting. I don't know if he has truly changed his opinion, or just got a better PR person, but I do enjoy seeing peaceful and positive meetings between religious leaders.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102106856&ft=1&f=1016
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102038455
http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue5203.html
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-19-voa42.cfm
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Pope vs. HIV/AIDS
The Pope has made minor headlines by solidifying the Catholic Church's stand on condom distribution and the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa, which has the fastest growing Roman-Catholic population. Preceding a seven-day trip which will take him to Cameroon and Angola, he states:
"You can't resolve it [the African HIV/AIDS crisis] with the
distribution of condoms...On the contrary, it increases the problem."
This comment, along with the well-known stance of the Catholic church on the topics of condoms, has long drawn criticism, even from some bishops and nuns serving in Africa. A representative of the Australian Ferderation of AIDS Organizations, Don Baxter, stated in response:
"Unfortunately, it gives I think the imprimatur for young African
men not to use condoms in their negotiations with African women."
He goes on to cite a case from Uganda where abstinence-only education failed, and relates the Pope's views to the Bush Administration's failure of the enforced abstinence-only education programs.
One civil servant says: “What the pope says is an ideal for the Catholic Church. But he needs to look at the realities on the ground. One should be aware of these realities. In the case of Cameroon and Africa as a whole, condoms are very necessary … You need condoms to prevent AIDS.” (lezgetreal.com)
AIDS Cameroon: it is estimated that over 650,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Cameroon and there are nearly 60,000 deaths a year caused by the disease in that country.
Opinion:
I find myself agreeing with the unnamed civil servant. I believe that, with sincere respect to the Pope and his church, he does not realize the severity of the situation, as well as the nature of humans. Ideally, abstinence and marriage fidelity are best. But this situation is less then ideal, and must be dealt with on the terms of human nature as it is, not as we would like it to be. It has been proven time and again that not only do abstinence-only education programs and abstinence encouragement fail to work, the students of this mentality are just as likely to have sex, and are less likely to use some form of protection during sex. They have less knowledge of the variety of birth control and protection offered, where to get it, and how to use it. The Catholic church certainly doesn't have to condone condom use in Africa, but they do not have to condemn it either.
Coincidentally, there was a comprehensive sex education bill introduced into Congress this week by Senator Frank Lautenberg and Representative Barbara Lee.
( http://feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=11584 )
Online articles featuring this topic an be found:
http://feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=11585
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2008/s2520100.htm
http://lezgetreal.com/?p=5710
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101986491&ft=1&f=1016
http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/topics/hivaids/bishopssupportcondoms.asp
"You can't resolve it [the African HIV/AIDS crisis] with the
distribution of condoms...On the contrary, it increases the problem."
This comment, along with the well-known stance of the Catholic church on the topics of condoms, has long drawn criticism, even from some bishops and nuns serving in Africa. A representative of the Australian Ferderation of AIDS Organizations, Don Baxter, stated in response:
"Unfortunately, it gives I think the imprimatur for young African
men not to use condoms in their negotiations with African women."
He goes on to cite a case from Uganda where abstinence-only education failed, and relates the Pope's views to the Bush Administration's failure of the enforced abstinence-only education programs.
One civil servant says: “What the pope says is an ideal for the Catholic Church. But he needs to look at the realities on the ground. One should be aware of these realities. In the case of Cameroon and Africa as a whole, condoms are very necessary … You need condoms to prevent AIDS.” (lezgetreal.com)
AIDS Cameroon: it is estimated that over 650,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Cameroon and there are nearly 60,000 deaths a year caused by the disease in that country.
Opinion:
I find myself agreeing with the unnamed civil servant. I believe that, with sincere respect to the Pope and his church, he does not realize the severity of the situation, as well as the nature of humans. Ideally, abstinence and marriage fidelity are best. But this situation is less then ideal, and must be dealt with on the terms of human nature as it is, not as we would like it to be. It has been proven time and again that not only do abstinence-only education programs and abstinence encouragement fail to work, the students of this mentality are just as likely to have sex, and are less likely to use some form of protection during sex. They have less knowledge of the variety of birth control and protection offered, where to get it, and how to use it. The Catholic church certainly doesn't have to condone condom use in Africa, but they do not have to condemn it either.
Coincidentally, there was a comprehensive sex education bill introduced into Congress this week by Senator Frank Lautenberg and Representative Barbara Lee.
( http://feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=11584 )
Online articles featuring this topic an be found:
http://feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=11585
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2008/s2520100.htm
http://lezgetreal.com/?p=5710
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101986491&ft=1&f=1016
http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/topics/hivaids/bishopssupportcondoms.asp
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Religious Rumors
As I am far too exhausted from classes today to post anything deep and meaningful, at the very least I can aim for interesting and entertaining. In this age of information technology, internet rumors have been an amusing phenomenon. Everyone has come across them, and sometimes you don't even know that what you're reading is an actual rumor.
Internet rumors involving religion are by no means exempt. Thanks to snope.com, I dug up some popular internet rumors regarding religion. Most are amusing, but they also reflect human gullibility, as well as our depressing ignorance of religions outside our own. Ironically, those are the same reasons why I laugh at them. (The beautiful irony of humor, I suppose)
"Scientists drilling in Siberia punch discover Hell."
This amusing little myth was run in a few Christian magazines, and ironically debunked in other Christian magazines. Another variation of it ran in the Weekly World News (you know, that black and white magazine depicting batboy?)
http://www.snopes.com/religion/wellhell.asp
"A bindi is an indication of a woman's marital status"
This one surprised me, because I have always heard that. Though I probably heard it from people who read it on the internet. I did a little research and found that bindis are purely decorative, a religious allude to the third eye or 6th chakra. However, there is an Indian tradition to paint a vermilion dot on the forehead of a married woman. The similar location of the two is probably what contributed to Western confusion. (Yay for leaning moments)
http://www.snopes.com/religion/reddot.asp
"Jesus will be depicted as gay in an upcoming film"
I have been hit with this one numerous times through email, usually claiming the title of the film to be "Corpus Christi" or "The Sex Life of Jesus". The rumor acutally has amusing origins, dating back to 1984, where, within a year, thousands of Christians signed a petition against the film (which never existed).
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/gayjesus.asp
"Orthodox Jews have sex through a hole in a sheet"
No....just no.... Who though that one up, seriously? Acutally (according to snoops), not making love to you wife may be grounds for divorce.
"In the Qur'an, verse 9:11 foretold 9/11 and the following events"
I was hit with this one too, once from a friend and once from my father. The rumor claims that verse 9:11 of the holy Qur'an states: "For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced: for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah and there was peace."
instantly smelled an internet rumor and rummaged through my Qur'an. The verse actually states something akin to: "But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren in religion. We detail Our revelations for a people who have knowledge."
Big difference.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/quran911.asp
"Airlines will not pair Christian pilots in fear that both will disappear during the rapture, leaving the plane unmanned."
I haven't heard of this one, but as the website quickly points out: Why airline pilots and not air traffic controllers?
http://www.snopes.com/religion/pilot.asp
Well, there you go. Hope you got a giggle out of it.
Internet rumors involving religion are by no means exempt. Thanks to snope.com, I dug up some popular internet rumors regarding religion. Most are amusing, but they also reflect human gullibility, as well as our depressing ignorance of religions outside our own. Ironically, those are the same reasons why I laugh at them. (The beautiful irony of humor, I suppose)
"Scientists drilling in Siberia punch discover Hell."
This amusing little myth was run in a few Christian magazines, and ironically debunked in other Christian magazines. Another variation of it ran in the Weekly World News (you know, that black and white magazine depicting batboy?)
http://www.snopes.com/religion/wellhell.asp
"A bindi is an indication of a woman's marital status"
This one surprised me, because I have always heard that. Though I probably heard it from people who read it on the internet. I did a little research and found that bindis are purely decorative, a religious allude to the third eye or 6th chakra. However, there is an Indian tradition to paint a vermilion dot on the forehead of a married woman. The similar location of the two is probably what contributed to Western confusion. (Yay for leaning moments)
http://www.snopes.com/religion/reddot.asp
"Jesus will be depicted as gay in an upcoming film"
I have been hit with this one numerous times through email, usually claiming the title of the film to be "Corpus Christi" or "The Sex Life of Jesus". The rumor acutally has amusing origins, dating back to 1984, where, within a year, thousands of Christians signed a petition against the film (which never existed).
http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/gayjesus.asp
"Orthodox Jews have sex through a hole in a sheet"
No....just no.... Who though that one up, seriously? Acutally (according to snoops), not making love to you wife may be grounds for divorce.
"In the Qur'an, verse 9:11 foretold 9/11 and the following events"
I was hit with this one too, once from a friend and once from my father. The rumor claims that verse 9:11 of the holy Qur'an states: "For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced: for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah and there was peace."
instantly smelled an internet rumor and rummaged through my Qur'an. The verse actually states something akin to: "But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then are they your brethren in religion. We detail Our revelations for a people who have knowledge."
Big difference.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/quran911.asp
"Airlines will not pair Christian pilots in fear that both will disappear during the rapture, leaving the plane unmanned."
I haven't heard of this one, but as the website quickly points out: Why airline pilots and not air traffic controllers?
http://www.snopes.com/religion/pilot.asp
Well, there you go. Hope you got a giggle out of it.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Purim
My first holiday in this experiment was Purim. (I found it kinda cute that my first holiday was a Jewish one, and Judaism is the oldest of the three).
Purim was definitely in interesting way to start this experiment, and a joyous one as well. It is the celebration of Queen Ester saving the Jews, and one of the few celebrations which boisterousness is expected and even required.
I went with my room mate Isaac, who is Jewish, and Sam, who decided to join me in the interfaith experiment. As we rushed out the door, I realized that I hadn't put any consideration into clothing, and had no idea whether or not there would be any form of dress code.
"Isaac, is what I am wearing alright?" I asked, pointing to my usual t-shirt and jeans ensemble.
Isaac laughed. "Alia, it's Purim. You could wear a freaking toga."
I laughed, thinking he was joking, and we drove to the synagogue, called Beth Sholom, which I found out later is the largest Jewish community in the state.
He wasn't joking.
Inside the synagogue, I was surrounded by people in medieval dress, astronaut costumes, western style cowboy hats and denim, firemen, and even Jack Sparrow. The rabbi was dressed as a hippie, sporting a purple Led Zeppelin shirt, long hair, and a tie-dye bandanna. I felt very under dressed.
We listened to the rabbi read the Megilla (Book of Ester), cheered at every mention of Ester and Mordecai, and booed and hiss at Haman's name, rattling our ra'ashans (noisemakers). We ate a variety of hamantaschens, chocolate chip being my favorite. We even broke out into a rendition of "I am woman, hear me roar," and the rabbi repeatedly called Ester a "foxy lady."
It was, I have to admit, a very surreal experience, one I wasn't expecting. But I did thoroughly enjoy myself, and joined in with the festivities, laughing at the jokes and hissing at Haman's name.
The topic of religion is often a heavy and serious one, and I was glad to have to opportunity to participating in a light-hearted religious occasion.
There was one slightly serious moment which caught my interest. The rabbi pointed out that in the story, where the Jews rise up and kill those who had planned to attack them, never actually happened. It was added as inspiration for the Jews to stand up and fight against the Greeks who were discriminating against them at the time.
Purim was definitely in interesting way to start this experiment, and a joyous one as well. It is the celebration of Queen Ester saving the Jews, and one of the few celebrations which boisterousness is expected and even required.
I went with my room mate Isaac, who is Jewish, and Sam, who decided to join me in the interfaith experiment. As we rushed out the door, I realized that I hadn't put any consideration into clothing, and had no idea whether or not there would be any form of dress code.
"Isaac, is what I am wearing alright?" I asked, pointing to my usual t-shirt and jeans ensemble.
Isaac laughed. "Alia, it's Purim. You could wear a freaking toga."
I laughed, thinking he was joking, and we drove to the synagogue, called Beth Sholom, which I found out later is the largest Jewish community in the state.
He wasn't joking.
Inside the synagogue, I was surrounded by people in medieval dress, astronaut costumes, western style cowboy hats and denim, firemen, and even Jack Sparrow. The rabbi was dressed as a hippie, sporting a purple Led Zeppelin shirt, long hair, and a tie-dye bandanna. I felt very under dressed.
We listened to the rabbi read the Megilla (Book of Ester), cheered at every mention of Ester and Mordecai, and booed and hiss at Haman's name, rattling our ra'ashans (noisemakers). We ate a variety of hamantaschens, chocolate chip being my favorite. We even broke out into a rendition of "I am woman, hear me roar," and the rabbi repeatedly called Ester a "foxy lady."
It was, I have to admit, a very surreal experience, one I wasn't expecting. But I did thoroughly enjoy myself, and joined in with the festivities, laughing at the jokes and hissing at Haman's name.
The topic of religion is often a heavy and serious one, and I was glad to have to opportunity to participating in a light-hearted religious occasion.
There was one slightly serious moment which caught my interest. The rabbi pointed out that in the story, where the Jews rise up and kill those who had planned to attack them, never actually happened. It was added as inspiration for the Jews to stand up and fight against the Greeks who were discriminating against them at the time.
Decisions, Decisions
The first step in this insane little interfaith experiment of mine (my friend's word choice) is to choose which sects of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to follow. I can't follow all the different sects, for such obvious reasons:
- I am in Alaska, which, while it has an abundance of Christian sects, lacks such an abundance of the other two.
- I am a full-time college student.
- I would probably go a little crazy.
So I will pick one of each, and go from there. The Judaism selection was easy; my room mate is Jewish and was happy to lay out the difference between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. I decided to go with Reform for one simple reason: It's easier.
I know that sounds rather lazy, but I need all the slack I can get since I am going to be taking part in three religions, I need all the breaks I can get. Reform Jew it is!
The Islam selection is still up in the air. There are an estimated 2000 to 3000 Muslims in my city, yet as far as I have been able to find, only one Muslim center, which is currently saving fund to build our city's first mosque. I haven't explored this yet, but I am assuming that they are predominately Sunni, as this is the dominating Islamic sect. More on that later.
The Christian selection was by far the hardest. There are so many, and some sects refuse to knowledge other sects as being "truly Christian." Additionally, I was raised in a borderline evangelical church, which left me with a slightly jaded opinion of the Christian community. On top of all this, there is the famous Catholic/Protestant schism. How on earth do I decide? First I skimmed out all sects that aren't "Christian"(according to a majority). This eliminated Jehovah Witnesses and a few others. The Mormons have additional texts, so they were out as an option, as I'm looking for one that relies on just the Bible (sorry guys, maybe next time). I cut out overtly evangelical sects for my own benefit. I do not want bad memories to interfere with an experiment designed to promote peace and understanding. I also find most evangelicals to be too fundamentalist, and I am looking for moderates. 25% of American's Christians are considered evangelical, so this really cut down my list. (Though what exactly "evangelical" means is another post on its own.)
I eventually settled on Episcopalian, for several reasons. Mostly it is because the Episcopalian church, from what little I've seen, seems to take aspects from both Catholic traditions and Protestant mindset. Many Episcopalians churches tend to be more tolerant then others, and there is even a huge controversy on the topic of gay clergy, which has received strong support and opposition within the Episcopalian community, and will make an interesting subject to blog about.
So here I am: Reform Judaism, assumedly Sunni Islam, and Episcopalian Christian.
Did I mention I will be studying Buddhism too?
This really isn't a part of the experiment, I am a Buddhist (Soto Zen, specifically). But in a study of religions and beliefs, I will be documenting my own observations, reactions, and opinions, and it is impossible to weed out the Buddhist aspects. (Technically, it is debatable on whether Buddhism is a religion, as it lacks a theistic diety.)
So while this blog will be mostly about the three Abrahamic religions, there will be a little Buddhism thrown in to.
- I am in Alaska, which, while it has an abundance of Christian sects, lacks such an abundance of the other two.
- I am a full-time college student.
- I would probably go a little crazy.
So I will pick one of each, and go from there. The Judaism selection was easy; my room mate is Jewish and was happy to lay out the difference between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. I decided to go with Reform for one simple reason: It's easier.
I know that sounds rather lazy, but I need all the slack I can get since I am going to be taking part in three religions, I need all the breaks I can get. Reform Jew it is!
The Islam selection is still up in the air. There are an estimated 2000 to 3000 Muslims in my city, yet as far as I have been able to find, only one Muslim center, which is currently saving fund to build our city's first mosque. I haven't explored this yet, but I am assuming that they are predominately Sunni, as this is the dominating Islamic sect. More on that later.
The Christian selection was by far the hardest. There are so many, and some sects refuse to knowledge other sects as being "truly Christian." Additionally, I was raised in a borderline evangelical church, which left me with a slightly jaded opinion of the Christian community. On top of all this, there is the famous Catholic/Protestant schism. How on earth do I decide? First I skimmed out all sects that aren't "Christian"(according to a majority). This eliminated Jehovah Witnesses and a few others. The Mormons have additional texts, so they were out as an option, as I'm looking for one that relies on just the Bible (sorry guys, maybe next time). I cut out overtly evangelical sects for my own benefit. I do not want bad memories to interfere with an experiment designed to promote peace and understanding. I also find most evangelicals to be too fundamentalist, and I am looking for moderates. 25% of American's Christians are considered evangelical, so this really cut down my list. (Though what exactly "evangelical" means is another post on its own.)
I eventually settled on Episcopalian, for several reasons. Mostly it is because the Episcopalian church, from what little I've seen, seems to take aspects from both Catholic traditions and Protestant mindset. Many Episcopalians churches tend to be more tolerant then others, and there is even a huge controversy on the topic of gay clergy, which has received strong support and opposition within the Episcopalian community, and will make an interesting subject to blog about.
So here I am: Reform Judaism, assumedly Sunni Islam, and Episcopalian Christian.
Did I mention I will be studying Buddhism too?
This really isn't a part of the experiment, I am a Buddhist (Soto Zen, specifically). But in a study of religions and beliefs, I will be documenting my own observations, reactions, and opinions, and it is impossible to weed out the Buddhist aspects. (Technically, it is debatable on whether Buddhism is a religion, as it lacks a theistic diety.)
So while this blog will be mostly about the three Abrahamic religions, there will be a little Buddhism thrown in to.
In the beginning... (start here)
Here it is:
For the next year, ending on Easter, 2010, I will be studying and practicing Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, in addition to my usual Buddhist practice.
I feel like I have a dozen different reasons to do this interfaith experiment, yet every time somebody asks me why I am doing this, I'm never quite sure what to say.
Why would I, a Zen Buddhist (and not a very good one at that), decide to simultaneously practice Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? Is it even possible to be a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew, all at once?
I'm not a theologian, so I don't know if its possible, but I am going to try. At the very least I will study and participate as much as I can; whether or not that actually makes me a valid Muslim/Christian/Jew is up for debate. You decide. I'm not doing this for the title.
I'm doing this to understand.
"There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." A Persian poet by the name of Rumi said that, and it brings forth a simple truth: Yes, there are hundreds of ways to worship, to believe, to express our faith, to "kiss the ground."
So why is everybody so convinced that there is only one way, and that their way is the best?
The three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) have shaped the world in powerful ways, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse. Yet people tend to only know a general amount of information about one, while remaining willfully ignorant about the others. Some people ignore them all together, then wonder about their actions. (The Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad is a good example of such confusion).
These three religions are also deeply embedded in politics which have greatly effected our world. Wars and crusades and laws and riots and revolutions have often revolved around a religious ideal, and some still do.
I'm doing this to seek a higher understanding of the power of religion, of why people worship, of the changes, of the differences and similarities between the three, as well as their internal struggles. I'm doing this to challenge myself, to question my beliefs as well as others, to understand differing points of view.
I hope to do this as peacefully as possible, with an open mind and an open heart. I do this in the name of knowledge, and I do not wish to bring shame or embarrassment to any of the traditions.
Please feel free to leave a comment, or email me with your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions. My email is
For the next year, ending on Easter, 2010, I will be studying and practicing Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, in addition to my usual Buddhist practice.
I feel like I have a dozen different reasons to do this interfaith experiment, yet every time somebody asks me why I am doing this, I'm never quite sure what to say.
Why would I, a Zen Buddhist (and not a very good one at that), decide to simultaneously practice Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? Is it even possible to be a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew, all at once?
I'm not a theologian, so I don't know if its possible, but I am going to try. At the very least I will study and participate as much as I can; whether or not that actually makes me a valid Muslim/Christian/Jew is up for debate. You decide. I'm not doing this for the title.
I'm doing this to understand.
"There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." A Persian poet by the name of Rumi said that, and it brings forth a simple truth: Yes, there are hundreds of ways to worship, to believe, to express our faith, to "kiss the ground."
So why is everybody so convinced that there is only one way, and that their way is the best?
The three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) have shaped the world in powerful ways, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for the worse. Yet people tend to only know a general amount of information about one, while remaining willfully ignorant about the others. Some people ignore them all together, then wonder about their actions. (The Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad is a good example of such confusion).
These three religions are also deeply embedded in politics which have greatly effected our world. Wars and crusades and laws and riots and revolutions have often revolved around a religious ideal, and some still do.
I'm doing this to seek a higher understanding of the power of religion, of why people worship, of the changes, of the differences and similarities between the three, as well as their internal struggles. I'm doing this to challenge myself, to question my beliefs as well as others, to understand differing points of view.
I hope to do this as peacefully as possible, with an open mind and an open heart. I do this in the name of knowledge, and I do not wish to bring shame or embarrassment to any of the traditions.
Please feel free to leave a comment, or email me with your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions. My email is
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