Comments on: He is Risen

By: Jeff Beamsley

Jeff Beamsley — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 13:41:31 +0000

The program was speaking of faith on NPR. In this area it broadcasts on the UoM station Sunday mornings. I think that it was the Stephen Waldman program where this discussion occured.

I agree with your Biblical view of tolerance. I think the comment though was based on a more western rather than biblical view of tolerance. Similarly, the eastern view is more historic than fundamentalist. During the height of the last caliphate when muslim leaders ruled all of the Middle East, they attracted and supported some of the great christian and jewish philosophers of the time to do research because of their reverence for prayer.

Clearly fundamentalist bin Ladist Islam has twisted that view into hatred of Christianity and the west. Though we don’t see fundamentalist Christian preachers approaching the same levels of violence, there is comparable broad brush condemnation of Muslims coming from many of those pulpits too.

We can’t allow either of these extremes to be percieved as representing the mainstream, but unfortunately for different reasons both the eastern and western cultures these days are very tolerant of their own brands of extremism.

Jeff

By: keith

keith — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:32:16 +0000

………in addition, if it were to take the 40,000 foot view i would say that mr columbus came looking to evengelize an unknown land. (true believe it or not) our contry was founded on the idea of religious freedom and a thought that the gov’t should establish no religion. that pretty much hits tolarance for and respect for many religions.

given further thought, but having never been there myself, the religious freedom of some contries in the middle east, which happen to be muslim, forbid any other. you can go to jail. the more i think about what you heard on the radio the more interested i’m becoming in what they guy ment….

By: keith

keith — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:18:58 +0000

Hey Jeff,
I don’t know if that’s what Christians in the west base their tolerance on. For me its the versee in Mathew which says to remove the log in your own eye before trying to remove the speck of saw dust in the other guys. In addition we have been given grace, how then can we not, haveing been given it, give it to others. Also we are commanded to “bear with one another.” So I guess I would preferr to think Christians are taught to allow grace as we are instucted to do so and in our own being “set free” we allow for others who were in the same state as we before becoming an Christian.

I don’t agree with the “no one knows part. I would guess, and only guess, that that would not be the comment of a Christian. A Christian simply wouldn’t “guess” that Jesus was the WAY, Truth and the Light.

As for the Muslim’s tolerance I really can’t speak. I don’t know. I have observations and in the past two years have gotten to know a few muslim women but I would hate to comment based on those three womens experiance.

By: Jeff Beamsley

Jeff Beamsley — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:01:54 +0000

Keith,

Thanks for the response.

I agree. What other common ground do we need than a mutual respect for the power of prayer?

I heard an interesting item on the radio the other day talking about Muslim versus Christian attitudes toward religion. In the west we based our concept of religious tolerance on the “nobody knows” approach which says that since no one can say for sure, then everyone is entitled to their own opinion. In the east, Muslims believe that anyone who prays to God deserves respect and tolerance since there is only one God.

What do you think?

Jeff

By: keith

keith — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:51:22 +0000

Thanks Jeff,
This is our true common ground!!!!
Billy Graham was asked in the past few years
what he wished he would have done diferently, His response
was this, that he would have prayed more. I think
we all can say the same thing. If so, our differenses
would become less and less. Thanks for the post.