Interesting Christian blog, “His Peace Upon Us“. From the About page:
I am a Christian follower of Jesus who loves the people of the Middle East. The basic premise of this blog is that we cannot love those we do not know. So I am hopeful that this blog is one way Muslims and Christians get to know each other.
I thank God for my wonderful wife and three beautiful children. I enjoy people of other cultures, telling Arabic jokes, eating shawarma and falafel, and studying US presidential history.
bookmark it – the Brass Crescent Awards are coming up again!
Shams al-Nahar 9:01 am on July 19, 2009 Permalink |
I have to confess….I am at this point so horrifically prejudiced against evangelical christians that I can’t even bring myself to click the link.
This must be what racism is like. I feel physical revulsion symptoms.
aziz 10:03 am on July 19, 2009 Permalink |
and recognizing prejudice is teh first step to ridding yourself of it. but the second step is pretty clear, too.
not all christians are evangelical, just as you know that not all muslims are salafi,, of course…
Shams al-Nahar 3:18 pm on July 19, 2009 Permalink |
wow….epiphany! I feel exactly the same way towards evangelicals that they feel towards homasexshuals and blacks. I think they are icky, i don’t want my eventual children to marry them, i don’t want them to benefit from my tax dollars, i don’t want them in my eventual childrens’ eventual schools, i don’t want them to have any say in how i live, or any influence in goverment or society. I think they should live in evangelical ghettos and go to evangelical schools.
I am Bigot!
Muse 3:20 pm on July 21, 2009 Permalink |
My husband has the total opposite viewpoint. He disagrees strongly with evangelicals politically, but actually likes people who try to proselytize to him. He thinks its nice of them to try to save him if they believe he is going to hell. I totally don’t get it, but its an interesting way of looking at it.
Shams al-Nahar 3:29 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink
It is my considered opinion that proselytization and tribalism have caused all the great ills of the world, although “religion” is commonly blamed.
It is my understanding that evangelicals feel commanded to proselytize.
I simply have nothing to talk about with people that proselytize.
It is rude and offensive, and intrudes unwelcome into my personal intellectual space.
Shams al-Nahar 3:31 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink
Sorry to be harsh dear Muse, but I feel strongly about this.
aziz 8:33 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink
agreed. in fact prosletyzation is in many ways an expression of free speech as an arena for “good ideas”. survival of teh fittest and open competition for religion memes to survive and prosper.
Dustin 11:46 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink
I agree with Muse’s husband.
Muslims sharing their faith is loving.
Shams al-Nahar 5:39 pm on July 22, 2009 Permalink
Dustin, muslims have no desire to convert you.
We think everyone was born muslim and will probably return to al-Islam.
We think all people of the book know the path anyways.
Shams al-Nahar 3:22 pm on July 19, 2009 Permalink |
And maybe…….there should be a separate evangelical reservation where they can all live and reproduce in purity and do evangelical stuff!!!!!
lol
Shams al-Nahar 3:29 pm on July 19, 2009 Permalink |
Jesusland FTW!
Dustin 3:01 pm on July 21, 2009 Permalink |
Aziz, thank you for the link. I am really encouraged that a Muslim would be willing to point others to my blog. My hope, of course, is that it is will be a place where Muslims and Christians can learn from one another.
Shams al-Nahar, Ahlan wa sahlan. You are welcome anytime. I would love for you to do the unthinkable and actually click on the link. And then feel free to share all the things you disagree with or dislike. It will be good for me (and my readers) and I suspect it will be good for you too.
aziz 8:32 pm on July 21, 2009 Permalink |
you’re most welcome, Dustin – though this site is “talk islam” i think that any conversation limited only to muslims will not do it justice. I hope you stick around here, too!
Shams al-Nahar 8:24 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink |
Salaams, Dustin.
Well first I will ask if you proselytize.
If your answer is yes then there can be no dihliz between us.
You have intruded into my intellectual space already.
aziz 8:31 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink |
curious – why is prosletyzation the ultimate evil? recall that dawah is mandatory for muslims as well, thoughg it need not be explicit (I prefer the passive dawah of the good example). still the point is that the faithful are encouraged to seek growth.
WHat does it matter if he prosletyzes? I think you’re going off on Dustin for no good reason here. you’re disincentivizing the kind of respectful dialogue we would actually prefer over the annoying evangelical type – Dustin reaches out, and you cut his hand off?
Shams al-Nahar 8:47 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink
Because there can be no neutral threshold space, no dihliz for discussion.
Dustin is welcome to his religion….yours is better for you, mine is better for me is what I always say.
I do not cut off any hands.
He is not reaching out, he is rudely pushing into my intellectual space.
I am simply turning away.
Shams al-Nahar 8:57 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink
Proselytization is disrepectful.
There can be no productive discussion except between peers that argue respectfully.
Shams al-Nahar 9:08 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink
And certainly you may visit Dustin, and even nominate his blog for the brass crescent. He can post here I don’t care.
I am just saying why I am turning away…that has no implications for any other commenters.
How I actually feel about evangelicals is rather intolerant and quite a surprise to me. I was just marvelling that I feel that way….I think they are icky. That is not a rational response, but a tribal one.
I should be able to override that with IQ.
Dustin 11:44 am on July 22, 2009 Permalink
Shams Al-Nahar,
Do you mean by proselytization making someone denounce their religion and family to join a new religion? Not guilty.
Do you mean seeking relationship with people of other worldviews and commending and pointing to what I believe is the truth while I graciously listen to them point me to what they believe is the truth, growing in love for one another and serving one another regardless of whether we agree or not? Gladly guilty.
I suspect that you are so anti-evangelical because you don’t know any. Is that true? I really wish I could sit down and drink coffee with you. I’d even be willing to hear you try to convince me why evangelicals are so bad.
Shams al-Nahar 12:47 pm on July 22, 2009 Permalink |
that is proselytization.
respectful dialog would acknowledge the many truths.
if you have ears, listen to the Muhiyyadin.