Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Saudi Texts Still in Need of Reform

From an 8th grade Saudi text used in Wahabi schools around the globe. (Reportedly, Barack Obama attended such schools a couple of years, when he was younger.)

"As cited in Ibn Abbas: The apes are Jews, the people of the Sabbath; while the swine are the Christians, the infidels of the communion of Jesus."

The web address to the whole Washington Post article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/19/AR2006051901769.html

I don't know how to make a link -sorry. So just cut and paste the above into your web browser and you'll see what I'm talking about.

I don't mind their texts that say your religion is the one true religion. Because I believe my religion is the one true religion. And we can still discuss these things and be friendly. Tolerance is NOT agreement --it is getting along with one another in spite of our disagreements.

What is more serious to me are the passages of text books that say Muslims cannot be friends of non-Muslims.

Christianity says we are to love God, neighbor as much as self, brother (family) and enemy. We are not to "fellowship" with those walking in darkness --but this teaching means that we can't (in our youth especially) choose bad friends if it means we will get into trouble with them. It doesn't mean that we can't be friendly to and kind to and even loving to people who are in darkness. In fact, Jesus Himself, at one point, was accused of hanging out with wine-bibbers and harlots. He was light to them --rather than them pulling Him down --which is the purpose of the warning about fellowshipping with those in darkness.



"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey barb you sound like the type of christian who has no clue of what is going on in the world. If you are a true follower of CHRIST you would know that the golden rule is to "love your neighbor as you do yourself".

That being said Palestinians are dying every day by the very hands of jews (Palestinian's neighbors). Their homes are taken away by these jews who people like John Hagee support. How can you say that you believe in God and you forget that God is love. You need to get off your evangelical lazy butt and read your bible.

Listen people there are CHRISTIANS who are saddend by what is going on in the world and to the Palestinians. I am one of those Christians who believe that love is the ultimate gift from God. I hate the way the evangelical right leads their flock astray.

I hate the evil they do in the name of God, and as a Christian I hate that they affiliate themselves with Jesus and destroy the values he taught.

What happens to Palestinians is injustice. John Hagee needs someone to take his million dollar mansion away from him so he knows what Palestinians go through.

I live in San Antonio and I know for a fact that Hagee lives in the richest gated community in San Antonio.

Barb read galatians 3:28

email me at teeter1122@yahoo.com

Barb said...

I don't know how you get the idea that I don't believe in loving neighbor as self from this post on Saudi textbooks. Do you think the textbooks model God's love? Do you have any criticism of the text books?

And I don't believe the golden rule is as you state it, but, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

If you can find that it is the Love commandment instead, do let me know. I've understood for years that the Golden rule was the Do unto others....verse. Both are golden rules, however.

Seems you do a lot of hating in this comment of yours in paragraph 4.

As for what is happening to Palestinians, the injustice has gone both ways for centuries. The question is, where is the Israeli homeland? It was given to them by God a few thousand years ago. And Muslims took it over from them in the last 2000 years--and the Jews have been scattered to the 4 winds --and never lost their identity as children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Now the flowers are blooming in the desert again, as the Bible predicted. And the Jews are in their promised land, promised by God.

Barb said...

I know there are two versions of what goes on in Palestine. I know the Palestinians were given Gaza and moved right up to the new border and started shooting at Israelis. I know that there are Muslims in the whole region--and Palestinians --who think Israel is an illegitimate gov't with no right to be there and they will continue to attack Israel --so Israel is beleagured from every side --and as the Iranian pres. said, he wants them destroyed --out of there --Muslim rule in Jerusalem. Therefore, he, as well as others, have, in effect, declared war on this tiny nation of people returning to their historic homeland which predates Islam in the region.

It was a British and UN decision that gave Israel to the Jews, right? Then the Palestinians waged a war against Israel and lost. They want revenge for that.

If Israelis just went into the Palestinians' homes and kicked them out, I've not seen that in news or read of it in newsmagazines. I'm sure offenses have occured on both sides of the dispute. But I know that Israel made a good faith gesture and took their settlers out of Gaza strip last year? --as a conciliatory move, and still, the Palestinians were not, and will not be, appeased.

What would you do if your neighbor kept bombing markets, weddings, buses, roadsides --randomly and daily in your city? You wouldn't do anything to try to stop them? to defend your family and village?

I also know that in April, the only Christian bookstore in Gaza was bombed --and last Saturday Hamas kidnapped the owner --and he called home and thought he would be alright --but his body was found with bullet hole in the head this last weekend --because the small Christian presence and his evangelism (free expression of religion) in Gaza was unwelcome. He leaves a pregnant wife and 2 children. He was in his early 30's, a brave Palestinian man who loved Christ.