I found the study of Islam to be so interesting. The “human disease” for Islam is pride. They believe sin is when you put your will above God. I so agree with this and I thought I would not agree with a whole lot but this intrigued me. Just like the misconception about people believing all Christians believe “all homosexuals will go to hell” (that was a lot of absolutes), is not true. On the surface, yes, it is a sin and we die because of sin but homosexuality is not above any other sin and it is not what is sending you to hell. It is the fact that you believe you are better than God. You believe your thoughts and your righteousness is more than God’s. This is the sin, not the action. That is where Islam differs. Islam is more connected with the doing than the heart. The concrete, this is what I did, this is the action I took that is sin. Muslims do believe in what the intentions were but if you were to hate someone but not act on it that is not a sin. Within Christian belief, the hating of someone is the same as killing them.
Judaism was so new to me because the only Judaism I knew about was Old Testament Judaism. Hearing the interpretations of stories I have always heard was difficult. For example, the story about Abraham asking God if there was only 50 righteous men, would God still destroy the city. Then, he keeps going to 5 people and God says He would not destroy the city if he could find 5 righteous men in the city. The story was interpreted by most Jews as Abraham calling God out on being a just and moral. In Christian belief it was like a theological lesson and also pointing towards Jesus. I do not think this proves the bible can be interpreted in any way possible. I believe it’s the mind set behind how you study it that makes it seem that way.
We are usually asked in class if whatever religion we just learned about had spoken to us or moved us in anyway. Well, I’m not converting anytime soon but I did learn a lot. My mind was opened more to respect for these religions more than anything else. In one class, we had talked about abortion. Rabbi Rami talked about how he understood people protesting it but they crossed the line when they used pictures of the holocaust to get their point across. He said something on the lines of, “You want to protest abortion fine, but don’t use pictures of the corpses of my people to do so.” I can’t imagine that. I can’t imagine the pain or even the thought of having a people. Being Jewish means something, something powerful and something I won’t understand. The Rabbi also talked about how most Jews do not believe in God the way they used to but as far as I can tell they still practice the same traditions and restrictions as the people that came before them (maybe not so much sacrificing lambs but still, a lot of laws still practiced). They are still bound together even though they go through torture and disbelief. Respect is so different today in America. Our version of respect looks like either pluralism or tolorance, but respect of ancestors and your family name is not even a thought to most Americans (this is just my assumption through observation). It is just amazing to me that that still exists in a very real way today. Also, talking about a conscious decision made daily to be obedient and eat what you are told to eat is something I wonder about. Is this practice made habit or disbelief wanting to believe or something completely different? I don’t have an answer or a thought for an answer just excited to finally see more depth in the beliefs and traditions of other religions.
This might not be true but is interesting enough for me to think about. I have heard that Islam came from Muhammad searching for religion and went to Christianity but thought they were polytheists because of the trinity belief. This is how he was turned off to Christianity because he was sure God was one and then the Qur’an came. Listening to the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish views on sexuality in my other class also greatened my respect for religions. Just being with people who are fighting to be selfless and wanting to love our creator is awesome to listen to.
My reaction to these different religions is one of respect and one of conviction. I have more respect because of a greater knowledge of the people and their beliefs but also that I should not hide my beliefs. I’m not trying to convince people that I am right but I want to tell the truth I have found and have been changed by. I believe when “…you will seek the LORD your God - you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” I believe Jesus is the only way to God. I honestly do not believe this is my truth but the truth. Thank you for your classes, Rami. I learned more about people and myself than any other class I’ve taken in college. I truly appreciate your ability to make students think and your genuine interest and excitement for religion. I’ve learned a lot.
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