Posted on 12/20/2014 9:33:50 PM PST by Chuckmorse
In a hilarious episode of the animated TV show The Simpsons, Homer Simpson comes down with a serious case of Jerusalem Syndrome while visiting Israel. While in a messianic trance at the Dome of the Rock, Homer declares to the crowd:
I will unite the Christians, the Muslims and the Jews. From now on, you shall be known as Chrismujews!
…Because in the end, aren't all religions the same? They tell us what to eat, when to pray, that this lump of clay called Man can somehow shape himself to resemble the divine. But we can never attain that perfect grace if we have hatred in our hearts.
…So let us celebrate our commonalties. Some of us don't eat pork. Some of us don't eat shellfish. But we all eat chicken.
The crowd then chants:
Peace and Chicken! Peace and Chicken!
At the risk of sounding like Homer, I will explore the possibilities of rapprochement between Judaism Christianity and Islam. I don’t have Jerusalem Syndrome. I’m not calling for a one world religion like Homer’s Chrismujew. I am merely noting the commonalities between the three monotheistic faiths as a humble contribution toward what is perhaps an illusion. At the same time I honor the sovereignty, the distinctive way of life and the moral mission of each faith.
Are the three faiths doomed to perpetual conflict or is there a path toward peace? Let’s start by noting the central fact that all three faiths believe in and worship the same Almighty God. The three believe in the same creator of the universe, the same law-giver, the same sovereign over all. The three faiths believe that God is the source of rights and that God defined the parameters of that which is right and that which is wrong. This common belief stands juxtaposed against those who deny God and who worship man or the state.
The Jews believe that God gave mankind the law or the Torah at Sinai, a law which is beyond human manipulation, a law which is a blueprint for how to live and how individuals and nations should interact with each other. Christians recognize the authority of the Torah as Jesus is quoted has having said that, while he came to fulfill the law, nevertheless the covenant between God and Israel is forever. Muslims believe that the Torah is a holy book that God gave to Moses at Sinai. The Torah contains an extra layer of laws that are specific to Jews who are commanded to serve as a priestly sect for mankind.
Christians have for the most part come to view passages in the New Testament that were traditionally a source of anti-Semitism, passages that once collectively placed blame on the Jews for killing Christ, in the context of the present day. There are many spiritual as well as political lessons to be derived from studying the mob mentality that caused the crucifixion of Jesus but those lessons should serve as a cautionary tale for all of mankind and should not be collectively affixed against any particular person or group living today. The Torah, revered by all three faiths, rejects collective guilt.
Should Jews recognize Jesus as a messiah? I would argue that Jesus could be considered as a messiah by Jews in a Jewish context but not in a Christian context. I say this with the utmost respect for the Christian context, which is that Jesus was the Son of God or was God incarnate, as I view such theology as appropriate for Christians. Indeed, I exhort Christians to walk with Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.
The Jews believe that the messiah comes to save Israel and set the stage for an age of peace. Cyrus the Great of Persia was called messiah in the Book of Ezra because Cyrus issued a decree that permitted the Jews, who had been driven out of Erez Israel by the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, to return to Erez Israel and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. The Book of Ezra is honored by all three faiths.
I would argue that the messianic mission of Jesus is well on its way toward fulfillment by virtue of the fact that his Christian followers, particularly those residing in the predominantly Christian United States, played an instrumental role in the establishment of the modern State of Israel. The modern miraculous return of the Jews to Erez Israel sets the stage for the messianic age according to the beliefs of all three faiths. Proof of the success of Jesus as messiah resides in the establishment of the United States by Christians as a nation based upon Torah laws. The messianic mission is fulfilled by the fact that Jesus and his ministry did more to transmit the laws of Sinai to mankind at large than did any other person or group.
Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam recognizes the principle of the Jews taking possession of that tiny swath of land that lies between the Jordan River and the Great Sea as the necessary precursor to the advent of the messianic age. The Islamic Holy Book says the following:
Qur'an sura 17:104: And We said unto the Children of Israel after him: Dwell in the land; but when the promise of the Hereafter (wa3’dul akhirati) cometh to pass We shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations.
Qur'an sura 2:40: O Children of Israel! call to mind the favor which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant with Me as I fulfil My Covenant with you, and fear none but Me.
Qur'an, sura 5:20, "The Table" "Bear in mind the words of Moses to his people [the Children of Israel]. He said: 'Remember, my people, the favour which God has bestowed upon you. He [Allah] has raised up prophets among you, made you kings, and given you that [the Torah and the Land of Israel] which He has given to no other nation. Enter, my people, the holy land [of Israel] which God has assigned for you. Do not turn back, and thus lose all'".
Qur'an, sura 32:22, "Adoration" "We [Allah] gave the Book [Torah] to Moses (never doubt that you will meet him) and made it a guide for the Israelites. And when they grew steadfast and firmly believed in Our revelations, We appointed leaders from among them who gave guidance at Our bidding. On the Day of Resurrection your Lord will resolve their differences for them".
The Prophet Muhammad formed alliances with Arabian Jewish tribes and with Christians early in his ministry after he was driven out of Mecca by the Pagan rulers. As his power grew, however, he made war against the Jewish tribes and ultimately annihilated them through forced conversion and wholesale slaughter. The latter portion of the Qur’an and the Hadith contain bloody calls for the annihilation of Jews and Christians.
Yet it is plausible that when Muhammad called for the slaughter of Jews and Christians, he was specifically referring to the Arabian Jewish tribes and the Christians of his own time, both of whom subsequently disappeared from Arabia and not the Jews or the Christians of today. Early in his ministry, Muhammad may have viewed Jihad as a personal relationship with his understanding of God, in a manner similar to Christian proselytizing, and not the bloody war that is presently waged by Islamic groups such as ISIS, al-Qaeda, the Taliban or Boko Harum.
The ancient Israelites were commanded by God to annihilate the Amalekites and the Canaanites for reasons specified by God. They disappeared from history thousands of years ago. Christians engaged in slaughter in the Americas and elsewhere in the name of Christ. These situations were exceptions to the rule which was and remains to love your neighbor as yourself. Might Islam come to be viewed in the same context?
The major violence of modern times has been committed by the two anti-Religious socialist movements of Communism and Nazism. These secular movements drew their inspiration to change mankind and slaughter over 100 million human beings not from God but from their own imperious desire to conquer the world and re-make mankind in their own earthly utopian image. The monotheistic faiths view the source of sovereignty as residing in the mysteries of a supernatural being and not something that emanates from the mind and the might of man.
The three monotheistic faiths have more in common with each other and less in common with the man centered faith that views God given rights and morality as a form of false consciousness. Those of us who are believers, Jew, Christian, Muslim, ought to realize the essential rightness of our ways and that we have more in common with each other than the fact that we all eat chicken.
Sorry bro. I understand your desire and I get your point, but until Islam starts denouncing terrorism, loses the “You die if you leave us” requirement, stops treating women as chattel, and leaves the 7th century behind.... they share nothing in common with Christianity or Judaism.
Your post is getting no hits. I suggest building a Ping List so you can call readers in.
You spent this much time responding to the societal benevalences of “The Simpsons”? Maybe next week, you can solve world peace after a stint watching a segment of “SpongeBob”
Hey c’mon...don’t be such a snob.
Well, bravado to brevity, I hoped you had it in you someplace You’ll like SpongeBob, it adds to one’s introspection of the great religions, too
The problem isn’t finding commonalities between religions.
The problem is that people LIKE the uniqueness of their religion.
They consider it a feature, not a bug.
Which is cool, once you have the US Constitution set up to protect everyone from each other’s “uniqueness.”
Of course, when you allow a political organization that teaches and practices the assault and murder of non-believers, to call itself a “religion” and thereby hide behind 1st Amendment protections, the Constitution doesn’t work so good anymore - as in at all, as in welcome to the 14th Century.
Fortunately the fix is easy and obvious - any belief system that includes the killing or harming of non-believers should be denied the status of “religion” under the 1st Amendment - by definition.
Now who’s going to bell the cat?
Concise. Brilliant. Well done.
No, no..the socioreligious underpinnings of Archer!
Perfect analysis! Their crap is sticking to the bottom of our shoes and we need to kick it off.
I like Homer.
But as you know, he is a real dumbass!
Peace and Chicken!
I heard Space Ghost say that you just can’t get snot out of suede.
He’s probably right, but I’d like a scholarly paper on the matter, with sources, cites, footnotes and some pie-charts too, duh duh duh dagnabit!
I like chicken. Stuff is packed with protein.
“I will explore the possibilities of rapprochement between Judaism Christianity and Islam.”
I’d explore the use of commas.
Up your meds.
There is a vast vast difference between biblical faiths and Islam. Islam means murder subjugation terrorization rape and torture. And that it’s fine to lie about your Intentions too ( so that any “peace” with Islam is a fool’s errand on his way to the slaughter plant). In short, Allah is Satan.
Uhn huh.
Well, a hardy FU Islam.
There ain’t nothing similar or common between beliefs of life and a cult of death.
You know how you can tell the peaceful sects of Islam out there? Because those are the ones persecuted and killed by the members of genuine Islam. They’ve had over 14 centuries to reform to a civilized , reasonable religion. It has not happened. It will never happen. You can’t reform evil . You can , however , be lulled into thinking evil is acceptable by it’s lies. Like Homer Simpson. Don’t be like him.
As in; who is going to try to get this legislation through congress and signed by a Muslim President?
And who will defend it in the USSC?
Good Luck
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