My thoughts on the American Jesus and some notes on Islam

Up front let me apologize for the lack of on line writing. I have not given up, just run out of time handy for it. I have found some time for thinking about what is means to be a Christian in America. And I have read some blogs that raise questions regarding Islam and I thought I would throw my two cents in that direction.







Spurred on by the above picture (despite my best efforts to include the picture in the text you must click on that big blank frame above) I began asking myself:

!) Are protests, rallies, and laws the way a Christian should show there interest in the lives of “the lost”?

@) Does the definition/defamation of marriage matter if we are really pilgrims and sojourners?

#) Have I been used as a puppet for Republicans, are all Christians being so used? Have I let myself become a know nothing ditto. Have I become the gimmie vote to political pundits.

It seems like the answer is yes. Unfortunately. But what is the better option? I don’t have an answer yet. I have been a part of the “religious right” since y2k or maybe 2001. I have been an avid listener to talk radio, participated in rallies, and even volunteered at a candidates’ election office. Honestly I had never considered that creating a voting wing of Christendom was not part of the design of Holy Scripture. Hadn’t Ronald Reagan proposed that energizing Christians to get involved in the political process would create this awesome nation, a shining city on the hill, I think he called it. (I am too young to remember I read the book shortly before his passing.) Never once did I consider that this strategy might negatively influence towards those who we were trying to convert by creating a grossly inaccurate picture of Christ.

Last night I read an article Last night I read an article where the writer proposed citizens quit voting until people start running who are really interested in making a change start running. I thought that idea was silly too, but it reminded me of another story that I have written about a tree named Lee. (It was also on “A Cool Collection of Cool Stuff” that died and lost all of my creative writing.)

On Muslims. It is intriguing to me, that I don’t know anyone who had memorized the entire Bible. But in Islam they have a title for people who have memorized the entire Koran, Hasi. The word Haji is a title for someone who has made the journey to their holy city. It is imperative for Muslims to embark on this journey at least once in their life. I wonder how many Christians would save money or set aside time to make a perilous pilgrimage to ANY place mentioned in the Bible. How far would an American Christian walk to define his faith? And mind you not all of our historic landmarks are in combat zones. Crete, Malta, and Greece would make for interesting travel and maybe even mark your soul with the memory of what the first century church availed. Or if you are a little more daring Egypt, Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Macedonia may answer your call. Ever considered the poor, of course you have. In Tulsa it is hard to drive through an intersection without giving some thought to the disheveled figure on one ormore of the corners. You may have heard a challenging sermon or read something that softened your hear towards the plight of the less fortunate. Well in Islam they celebrate Ramadan. Roughly a month of day time fasting. No food, drink, sex, tobacco, alcohol, and only a little work. I thought this was a pretty stupid celebration, and couldn’t understand why they would look forward to it until I asked one of our interpreters why. “To help us remember the poor, and make us more thankful.” Yeah, it was an eye opener for me to. Now I am not trying to uphold or proclaim these precepts of their faith at all; I still stand firm in my faith that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and the only gate through which man can enter Heaven. However I think their zeal is something that we as Christian need to take notice of. Their religion is tightly coordinated with their lifestyle and I think Christians need to be challenged by that.

Star Wars quiz! This turned out alot better than the car quiz

You scored as Mace Windu. You are most like Mace Windu. A celebrated Jedi master known for his unique combination of wisdom, temperance and foresight. You prefer the life of a scholar yet will charge into battle should the need arise. You created and utilize the Vaapad form for lightsaber combat. It combines the usage of The Force for acrobatic speed and precision found in Ataru, the defensive to offensive channel found in Shien/Djem So and a concentration of emotion often seen as a sign for falling to The Dark Side. You eventually are betrayed by Anakin Skywalker and are killed by Darth Sidious. Mace Windu 96% Anakin Skywalker 96% Qui-Gon Jinn 86% Luke Skywalker 82% Obi-Wan Kenobi (Pre Death of Qui-Gon Jinn) 68% Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus 64% Darth Vader 61% Darth Sidious 61% Darth Maul 61% Bastila Shan 61% Darth Revan 57% Yoda 57% Obi-Wan Kenobi (Post Death of Qui-Gon Jinn) 50% Exar Kun 14% What Star Wars Jedi or Sith character is most like your personality? created with QuizFarm.com