Islam and the Seven Laws
Islam and the Seven Laws It isn’t just Christians and Jews who worry where Islam is heading. Many Muslims have doubts themselves.
Where do Noah’s Laws - the Seven Universal Laws that define what it is to be civilized - fit into Islam?
Islam has an official approach to free will - the doctrine that an individual can choose to respond one way or the other to the alternatives before him, without being fated, destined, or Divinely compelled to choose either - which tends to deny that free will exists. Islam is a religion that believes strongly in fate. But individual Muslims usually act as thought they have free will. They make choices like anyone else.
None of the Noahide prohibitions conflicts with mainstream Islamic teachings. If you told a Muslim that he or she must conform to the basic requisites of civilization, the response you would hear would be agreement.
What are the Seven Laws? In very simple terms they are:
1) Do not ea flesh or tissue that was torn from any living mammal (thoughtless cruelty against animals trumped by eating them is disgusting, lawless and sick).
2) Do not steal. (Larceny defiles the earth.)
3) Do not commit acts of gross sexual immorality (sex acts that everyone ought to know are wrong.)
4) Do not commit murder. (Murder defiles the earth.)
5)Â Do not tolerate the oppression of the weak by the strong but, rather, establish and maintain a just system of laws, police and courts.
6) Do not insult or blaspheme God, the Maker of All things.
7) Do not serve or worship any thing or deity through idolatrous means - that is, by carrying on savagely, as idolators do, when they serve their gods with cruelty, obscenity, or murder.
(This last prohibition means, speaking a little more specifically, do not whip or cut yourself or anyone else to “suffer as He suffered,” or perform private biological functions in public in His honor, or kill human beings as living sacrifices or martyrs meant to honor or glorify the Divine. All such stuff is sacrilegious, an insult to the Being or beings who are supposedly being served or worshipped. No Being worthy of being worshipped would ever want to be worshipped in such manner.)
One of the features of the Seven Laws is that they all belong to a larger system of spirituality and belief - the Biblical system. The Biblical system, or Torah, puts them into context, and helps to flesh them out and give them meaning.
Since official Islam respects the Bible and the Torah, this should not be a problem. Many a Muslim has written me, saying that the Seven Law system resembles early Islam. In other words, they say, Islam contains the Seven Laws of Noah at its core.
Apparently, nothing in Islam is antithetical to Noah’s Laws, and nothing in Noah’s Laws, the Seven Universal Laws, is necessarily antithetical to Islam.
So when, we wonder, will Islam officially adopt Noah’s Laws? When will Muslims stop behaving so cruelly and violently, even among themselves? When will they stop sending themselves, or their wives, mothers, or even their children - more often, actually, someone else’s children - to maim and slaughter others, even their own fellow Muslims?
When will the world - let us leave the Muslim world out of it, at this point, let us just talk of non-Muslim who keep making lame excuses for Muslim “outrage” - clearly and unambiguously condemn such barbarity and cruelty?
And, finally, when will the Muslims themselves condemn this evil, these horrible violations of the world’s most fundamental laws of civilization? When will they wholeheartedly take up the basic requisites of civilization?
In this age of environmental consciousness, let us recognize the truth that every violation of God’s Universal Laws defiles the Earth itself. As the Bible teaches, larceny, sexual immorality, injustice, blasphemy, cruelty and thoughtlessness towards animals, murder, idolatry, etc., all pollute and corrupt the land.
(By the way, the history of man on earth proves that proposition. Look at the ecological disasters that are Nigeria, Kenya, or Zimbabwe, or in India, and China. Look at some of America’s central cities. Look at the Muslim world itself - where deserts fill what used to be called the Fertile Crescent. . .
MD
A bit on how I see fatalism…
Fatalism was a strong part of almost all ancient religions, and Islam isn’t any different, it seems. This is also like certain branches of Christianity, most notably Calvinism, which also deny free will and say that everything is fated by to happen.
Human determinism is not the same thing as fatalism.
Wikipedia calls the former, “the philosophical proposition that every event, including human cognition, decision and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determinism
It calls the latter, “the doctrine that all events are subject to fate or inevitable predetermination.”
It might be said that religion is determined by the choices that have been made, are being made, will be made, etc. But, to say that everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen is pre-determined by the Creator.
A chain of (human) causation is determinism, which doesn’t necessarily abrogate free will. Too many people forget about the events of the past and ascribe a current event (say the terrible 9-11 attacks) to fate. This is basically to forget everything that led up to that event (even going back centuries, in the case of 9-11 to the earliest conflicts between the West and Islam).
Does G-d play dice with things? It seems to me that there is a certain subtle randomness to the way things work, but this is because humans are as yet unawares of the true workings of the universe. If this is so, then things certainly can’t be fated to happen because G-d’s design of the universe takes into account a wildcard element.
What do you think?
Roger wrote:
“Does G-d play dice with things? It seems to me that there is a certain subtle randomness to the way things work, but this is because humans are as yet unawares of the true workings of the universe. If this is so, then things certainly can’t be fated to happen because G-d’s design of the universe takes into account a wildcard element.
What do you think? ”
——————-
G-d gave mankind “Freewill” which argues against ‘fate’ and the idea that “G-d plays dice with us”. So we are the ones throwing the dice, and within the parameters of the laws of creation, we humans have control over our own, and to some degree the destiny of others. That is why we must keep the Seven Laws, because to do otherwise infringes on the rights of others. Every time we transgress one of the Seven Noahide Laws we step on the rights of others in some way.
Frances
But the argument that religious fatalists use, as I understand it, is that all activities and the outcomes of such activities fall under the scrutiny of Divine Providence. So, even free will is a bit of a misnomer, because the choices we make are “already determined” in that they are allowed by Providence. So, a murderer who murders is acting within the bounds of fate and the Divine government of the universe. This, even though murder is a high crime to all but the most savage people.
If G-d’s Providence governs all things, how to explain illness, natural disasters, and wars? We’ve already tossed Satan out of the window as the cause of the world’s ills, and the idea that the world is a fallen place is equally debunked by common sense. So, this is why I think that, while Providence is all-encompassing, G-d allows for a certain amount of apparent randomness. Our human free will is an example of a random agent at work in the world.
R.
The arguments of religious fatalists ignores the fact that we hold our own destinies in our hands though. ‘Inevitable predeterminism’ makes man out to be little more than a puppet, and is an excuse for any kind of bad behaviour. But the concept of ‘freewill’ is based on the biblical precept.
Deut. 30:19 I call heaven and earth today to bear witness against you: I have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life, so that you will live, you and your offspring - to love HaShem, your G-d, to listen to His voice and to cleave to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days……”
The choice is ours on how we behave, whether we do good or evil is in our hands. Hitler had a choice and he chose to do evil. G-d has built into creation correction for mankind in the form of prophets and punishments for bad behaviour, and each individual is dealt with individually, as well as nationally. G-d also makes provision for miracles at times when necessary, to keep the whole of creation under His divine control.
Without freewill there would be no point in divine retribution for evil, since predeterminism implies lack of responsibility. Divine Providence is more than just permitting ‘apparent randomness’ it is Divine intervention in the affairs of men, to ensure that G-d’s will, will indeed prevail.
As for murder being a high crime to all but the most savage people, sadly, today murder has become so commonplace that people no longer even pay much attention to it. Abortion is commonplace in society today, as is euthanasia, both of these are murder, and yet it is countenanced by society almost everywhere today, without any real concept of guilt anymore. Human body parts are harvested from people who are declared brain dead, despite the fact that death is not the cessation of measurable intelligence, but the cessation of breath. People who have been declared ‘brain dead’, such as the highly publicized case of Terri Schiavo Schindler are murdered because they are no longer considered to be of value to society by some. Babies who are born disfigured, or mentally or physically impaired, are daily quietly starved to death in major hospitals around the world, without any publicity at all. Those who choose to murder these victims feel no sense of sin, rather they justify it to themselves.
Frances
hi, y’all. i guess i will jump into the fray at this point, although i probably have more questions than well-reasoned opinions on this subject.
michael’s questions dealt with calling all humans to the “7 laws table,” holding each other accountable for transgressing them. robert and frances have been speaking about the enigma of free will, and “predetermined outcomes/behaviors.” i think that sometimes, the things that happen in this life do seem like a “roll of the dice.” what we do affects us, but other circumstances, which have nothing to do with any human behavior, also affect us. we are responsible for our response/reaction, but so many times, the outcome has been predetermined.
case in point…. we are now in the midst of passover. everything about the story smacks of God’s hand directing the whole play. did moses have a choice….surely, but God already knew what he would do. how about pharoah? God said HE would harden pharoah’s heart, not that pharoah would harden his own heart.
i have long puzzled over things like this, so i have more questions than answers here. the best i can figure is that i am responsible for my actions and choices, but God knows me, from the inside out. sometimes, it seems that the “deck is stacked against us.” there are situations in our lives that we can’t change/affect for “love nor money,” but it doesn’t mean that we have no choices/free will. sometimes, the only freedom i have is the power to choose how i will think about things, whether i will look at the matter as a “done deal,” or whether i will look for God’s hand in it. do i attempt to be an ACTIVE agent for God’s will, or do i passively play my part…….
my actions MUST reflect my belief that God is watching and directing, even when it seems He couldn’t possibly care. my behavior, to the best of my ability to make it so, MUST be a positive demonstration of God’s will. but, there are limits to my power to act, and limits to the influence of my actions/decisions.
i guess this all goes back to king david’s ancient cry….”how long, o Lord?” when i can act, i must act with righteousness. when i speak, my words must reflect goodness. until the advent of Moshiach, we can win these battles only one action, one thought, one prayer at a time. and our hearts must continue to break when we see God’s laws shattered by carelessness or callousness or outright evil…..because if we no longer cringe inside over the sad, outrageous, sickening things, we have abdicated our roles as His witnesses to the world.
in the final analysis, my choice to be His may be the only truly free agancy i have.
andrea
Andrea wrote:
” we are responsible for our response/reaction, but so many times, the outcome has been predetermined.
case in point…. we are now in the midst of passover. everything about the story smacks of God’s hand directing the whole play. did moses have a choice….surely, but God already knew what he would do. how about pharoah? God said HE would harden pharoah’s heart, not that pharoah would harden his own heart.”
Initially G-d did harden Pharoah’s heart. Exodus 7.3.
However, by Exodus 8.11 - 28 Pharoah hardened his own heart. It was Pharoah’s freewill choice to refuse to send out the children of Israel from Egypt.
So while G-d gave Pharoah a little kick start in the process in order to fulfill prophecy, ultimately Pharoah made the decision to refuse, and eventually gave chase to the children of Israel after he finally let them go, and in so doing many of the Egyptians drowned in the sea of reeds.
So we do always have free will, acting on our impulses or denying them is our choice. We may wish to hit out out someone who has done us harm, but when we restrain ourselves from acting on our natural impulses by refusing to give in to our Yetzer hora, (evil inclination) we win a battle and give more power to our Yetzer Tov. (good inclination).
Those are the tests HaShem sets us every single day, and how we deal with them will either weaken us or strengthen us. The choice is ours.
i’m not speaking only of natural impulses….. that’s too easy an answer. and, yes, we usually have a bit of choice in how we respond/react. but there are circumstances well beyond human control, in which free egency has been taken away from at least one of the persons involved.
for example, cases of some types of mental illness (alzheimer’s is a prime example)….. other things, natural events and Acts of God, are beyond our control, and we are helpless in the face of them. in such times, our only “choice” is in whether we will continue to try to find God’s will for us in those things. not everything is under the dominion of humans………
perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle, for me, at least, is to realize that some things are truly OUT of my control, but many things are really WITHIN my control, too. finding that balance, that point of doing what is mine to do, is the trick.
there’s an old saying… “God doesn’t expect us to do what only He can do, but He will not do for us what only we can do….” sometimes, my circumstance/situation is out of my control, but my response to it is USUALLY in my control.
so, back to michael’s statements…..how to influence the world (ourselves, our nation’s representatives, our neighbors, our enemies) to stop making excuses for immoral, savage, Godless behavior? except on the personal level….one prayer, one truth, one act of kindness at a time…. it’s out of our control. BUT….. you never know how the ripples of your prayer, or conciliatory word, or friendly challenge to live up to higher principles will affect another person.
to cite frances’ example of terry schiavo….. we couldn’t change the despicable decisions made by the judges. but those who prayed, who cried out to God, who cried out in the courts, against the judgments….. who knows what OTHER person will be treated differently, because some refused to be silent about it? years down the road, someone may live, because terry schiavo died……
the moral of my tale is that we can’t give up and stop doing what’s right just because we think it won’t make any difference. it may not make a difference….now. but someday, whether in this life or in eternity, what i say, what i do, whether i choose to be an active agent for God’s will or whether i choose to let the chips fall where they may….. someday, somewhere, it will make a difference i cannot imagine right now.
we cannot give up just because we think the task looks hopeless.
love you all. keep making a difference in your little corner of the world!
andrea
All,
Hi everyone! Glad to see you involved. I enjoyed everything you have posted and the conclusions that you’ve made.
I won’t spend too much time on my point-of-view, because I would like to deal with the acceptance of the Seven and Israel by the Muslims instead.
Nothing happens by chance. Our actions predicate circumstances or situations that we may find ourselves in. Illnesses, such as the examples of Andrea, are not something that we may understand, but happen for a reason. When you are out of touch with the world around you, however, the body is what is out of touch with reality. If we accept that our soul is not embodied in the brain, then, we know that we are still in that body. The inner man/woman is still present and we don’t know what may be happening between G’d and that inner person. It may not seem fair to those around them; however, that is not for us to decide. It happened, so leave it up to G’d. To pull the plug on someone like this, I don’t agree with and I have my personal reasons for that. However, it may be that the time for this woman in the example to live was up and that’s how the plan worked out for her life journey. We don’t know for sure! If we are to look for G’d in everything, then, this would explain it to me.
On to the rest of my thoughts…
Michael’s article seems to deal with a subject that I’ve talked with others about; so called, Moderate Muslims.
My question has always been; where are those Moderate Muslims now?
If they feel the way they do, concerning the Seven, then, where are they? Why are they not putting forth a noticeable effort to stop the irrational actions of those, within their religion, that are corrupting their moral values?
The questions may not be easy to answer for these individuals, but I sure would like to hear from those who have written to Michael. Maybe they could educate us on what they believe and why?
Are they affraid that the extremists will “lash out” at them? Will these Muslims be able to accept, completely, Israel’s place in G-d’s plan? Will they accept the rest of the Gentile world that has come to the acceptance of the G-d of Israel-the G’d of Creation- as well?
The Muslim community is a “huge” community and if they are all on the same page, sooner or later, the Moderate will become Extremists. Or, am I wrong on this and the Extremist can become Moderate? Is there truly such thing as Moderate?
My next question, I guess, is, whether or not, they are accepting the Seven Laws as legitimate. I know that some of the ones I’ve talked to say they are “man-made by the Jews”- these are their words- and tell me that the Hebrew scriptures can’t be trusted, etc. The Seven Laws, if accepted by them, need to be followed on an individual basis, as well as communal, by them, so that the others will see their example. If, they fail to do this, the rest will never learn.
Again, there’s a bigger picture when it comes to Muslims. Many are Ishmaelites and they want to replace Israel on the promise of G’d to them. Are they willing to accept their part in the plan or what?
These are my questions…
Best to all,
Hiram
hiram, i think you have verbalized a very important issue, and it’s rampant, not only in the muslim world, but in the christian world, and yes, even in the jewish world. that issue is “turfism.” we want our place in the sun, and we do what we think we have to to protect that spot. muslims aren’t the only ones who want to replace israel….and some (although certainly not all) of israel thinks that THEY are the only ones with ANY correct answers.
as far as how to get another person, or group of persons, to accept the “magnificent 7″ as legitimate and binding…..well, that’s entirely individual. all we noahides can do is LIVE by our codes, and try to do it attractively. when others ask us, we can tell them. that’s it. it’s the only thing that works, whether you’re talking about “just say no to drugs” or living by God’s standards.
we “come to understand” only when God allows the scales to fall from our eyes and our hearts, not one nanosecond earlier. some humans have some serious scaly deposits on their eyes and hearts……some have almost none. but when nobody around you is living gently, when hatred is what you eat and breathe every day, when everything on the media seems to illustrate that your hatred is righteous….how can you come to that understanding?
that’s why we, and israel, are called upon to be the witnesses, the lights unto the world. we must lead by example, by living in harmony with our fellows where possible, by standing up for the truth when necessary, and by doing it in as conciliatory and attractive way as possible.
when i was a little girl, my mother used to have a saying….”if you were on trial for being a christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” well, most of those reading this blog are no longer christians, but the question is still a good one. when my children and grandchildren watch me, when my co-workers notice how i behave, when the local atheist, or muslim, or pagan, looks at me…..is there any question whether i take those 7 universal principles as bedrock guidelines for my behavior?
and, when i stand before my God to answer for myself, am i “protected” by a lifetime of obedience to His rules? does He see someone who legitimately gave it the best she could?
i surely hope that’s the legacy i leave. and, it’s the only way i know to influence the world, and make it a better place.
andrea
hi again. i thought about hiram’s question some more…such a good question, really. where are those (in this example, muslims) who disagree with what the more visible and vocal (of their own people) are doing? it’s an age-old question, i think.
look at our own societies. here in america and other westernized societies, everything seems to revolve around sex, violence, drugs, and money.
i remember clearly when 9/11 happened….. people crying on the television..”why do they hate us?”
“why?” indeed….. for a group such as the muslims- even those not particularly religious- our movies, our way of dress, our books, our television shows are examples of rottenness. who are the “stars” who get all the press? britney spears, rosie, anna nicole….. these people can’t even be excused as having loads of talent to make up for their obvious lack of good sense and moral character.
look at our televison ads….most of them are still in fairly good taste, but…. it’s no news that sexual innuendo and outright sexual “tease” can usually sell any product.
the american public, for example, used to be shocked and dismayed, but soon, the clamor died down, and hollywood/madison avenue turned it up another notch. each time, they take it right to the edge of acceptability, and raise the ceiling just a little bit more. pretty soon, we aren’t dismayed by anything. things that would have made our grandparents sick to watch, we yawn at…..
so, that’s where all the moderates are. like the person who loses his vision gradually, one morning, we may wake up to find ourselves almost blind, and wonder when it happened! we may find more terrorists in our midst, and wonder why they hate us…..
we can’t change it all by ourselves. like “global warming,” it’s not really in our control. some of it is as inevitable as hurricane season or winter frost. some of it was determined long ago, by people who didn’t know, or didn’t care, what they were doing to their world. some of it is just “the way it is.”
but, and i’ve said this before, we can change OUR actions, to more clearly reflect what God expects of us. we can take an active part. we can LIVE as if we believe that God cares what we say or do. and, someone, somewhere, will notice. it won’t seem like much maybe…
let me tell you something kinda silly that i do. i have some “yanni” tapes. many of his compositions are the most passionately beautiful, defiantly joyous music ever written. once in a while, i turn up the volume on my car tape player, roll my windows down and drive….. i just let all that joy and beauty wash over me and stream out my windows, spreading little bits of it wherever i go. i get some strange looks, but i get some smiles, too.
i can’t change the world……but maybe i can give one other person a reason to smile, or to whistle a happy tune. maybe i can treat my cranky boss with undeserved kindness. maybe i can feed that stray cat.
so, if you ever see some grinning middle aged woman driving along, windows wide open, with beautiful music blaring out of her car…..just wave. you’ll know who it is!
love you guys. keep on keepin on. God’s keeping score!
andrea
Muslims hate the U.S. because of our weak foreign policy. Speaker Pelosi will meet with the leader of the Syrian “democracy” but, at the same time, American troops are hunting down terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan. The support for Israel is obvious, but Americans alo can’t forget that a lot of what’s been happening in regards to the Muslims is something that past administrations can be blamed for.
Just some examples:
Reagan armed and trained the mujahideen to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. Some of these same mujahideen went on to become the Taliban regime and Osama bin Laden was a prominent planner for the same group.
Operation Ajax: A successful plot by the US and the UK that ousted the pro-Western regime of Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq of Iran in 1953, apprently because Prime Minister Mosaddeq objected to the British domination of Iran’s oil industry; his increasingly nationalistic policies were seen as a threat by the UK, which turned to the US, which used the CIA to oust the Prime Minister from power. This led to the centralization of power within the corrupt Pahlavi regime, which led to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
And so on…
In dealing with the Muslim world, the U.S. is hardly innocent of making mistakes (and outright bad choices). We can be outraged, and rightfully so, and Islamic terror, but we can’t forget our own blunders, blunders which have heaped fuel upon the fire.
Most of the Muslim world is a mess but it would be a mess with or without the West. Mississippi is my least favorite American state but Mississippi is paradise compared to even relatively cool - i.e., “advanced,” “civilized,” “moderate” - Muslim countries like Morocco.
When the leaders of a country are corrupt, cruel, selfish, disloyal to their country and to their countrymen, their countries will suffer at somebody’s hands. Especially when G’d has cursed them with wealth which doesn’t spring directly from the hard work and virtue of the people of the country - oil wealth, three harvests a year, diamonds, precious metals or the like. Those countries are ripe for exploitation: somebody’s going to take advantage of them, because their own corruption-based weakness invites it.
Turkey’s “Great Turk,” Ataturk, blamed the excessive influence of Islam in Turkey for Turkey’s horrendous decadence. Generations of thoughtful Turks agreed with him. It’s not politically correct to speak badly of other peoples’ religions but it had better become correct when the world’s survival depends on seeing these sorts of things straight.
One understands that Islam helps to give its adherents a sense of great personal self-worth and dignity. But there is still something rotten in Islam.
When I go to a new country the first thing I try to gauge is the nature and quality of the country’s elite - its leadership. The South American countries have, speaking generally, suffered from generations of disgraceful elites. Spoiled rich, feeling that they’re like a species apart from their poor countrymen who serve them. The black elites in Sub-Saharan Africa seem, if anything, worse. I’m not too nuts about the black elites of black America, either: they don’t, speaking generally, seem to do the greatest job at turning out kids who share the virtues of their parents. As for the Arabs’s leaders, and the Muslim religious leaders - man, they are awful. Not as bad as the subSaharan Africans’, perhaps (who generally seem to be believe that they themselves are gods!), but . . .
I don’t think we should be excusing Arab decadence, or the decadence or selfish, disgraceful bad behavior of any people who enjoy positions of power. The wrong that they do should stink in the nostrils of the good people of the world. Everyone owes an obligation to G’d and man to live up to the minimum requisites of the Noahide Law - and, when these poor excuses for people fail in that, they deserve to get it good and hard from both G’d and man.
“One understands that Islam helps to give its adherents a sense of great personal self-worth and dignity. But there is still something rotten in Islam.”
Maybe it’s because Islam offers more of a stable sense of community than Christianity? Many Christians are converting over to Islam, and one of the reasons for this seems to be a real sense of dissatisfaction with the factionalism of the Christian religion.
Factionalism begets infighting, and these Christian factions seem to do more bashing of each other than anything else. I can happily say, however, that Christian factions don’t resort to the carnage that is the result of Islamic factionalism. Perhaps this is also what’s rotten in the Muslim world, the ease with which many Muslims resort to violence to solve perceived differences.
R.
Are Christians dissatisfied w/ Christianity mostly because of Christian factionalism? That’s not why you’re dissatisfied w/ Christianity. You find the central argument - that G’d created a world which one enters under a curse, and everyone must abase himself before His Divine son in order to get out from under the curse - repulsive.
I think that Islam’s alleged monotheism attracts people. You don’t need Jesus to save you from G’d’s wrath in Islam. You still have to surrender to Islam’s enervating worldview (everything is fate and destiny, nobody has free will, and Muhammed’s thoughts are the pinnacle of human achievement) but you don’t need Jesus.
A great early 20th century travel writer walked through the Middle East. Harry Franck thought that the backwardness of the Arab world might be race-based. Then he came upon a upon a tribe of blond, blue-eyed Circassians - Europeans - in Syria. They were all Muslims - they had all surrendered to Islam. And the men were as shiftless, fatalistic, disgraceful and useless “as the worst Arabs.” Aha, said Harry: it’s not their blood, it’s their religion. (A Vagabond Journey Around the World, 1906?)
Maimonides called Muhammed “the Mishuganah” - the Crazy Man. But he also recognized that Muslims can be great people. It’s just that, in our time, it’s been taken over by Nazis, basically.
The combination of Jew-hatred and Israel-envy and the weird anti-intellectual, anti-woman, really rather stupid religious movement that the Saudis sponsor has made Islam sick.
That’s true, I find what Christians say about the state of the world to be a disgrace. Mainstream Christianity is pretty much a sob story about how evil people are, so the creator of the universe needs to send His son down to die for the ingrateful humans. As I’ve said before, it’d be fine if the Christians didn’t try to pretend that Christianity was the capstone of an older religion. But, they’re trying to justify a religion that is essentially alien to what the Torah really teaches. The Catholics are better than most denominations, because they acknowledge that Christianity has outside influences (Greek and Roman philosophy), but most modern Christians tend to bail out when any serious study of Christian origins occur that calls into question the historicity and accuracy of Christianity. That’s what I did, sort of, but I bailed out because I knew for a fact that the religion that I was professing wasn’t what it made itself out to be.
Just reading a newspaper travel section about “spritual tourism,” involving New Age worshippers going to famous “power centers,” like the sarcophogus room in the Great Pyramid or a llamasary in Tibet. There they try to invoke deep spiritual powers, naturally.
The New Age stuff, so it seems to me, is all syncretic, a mishmash of old paganism and scientific-sounding language combined with modern popular culture. These folks certainly aspire to the Ultimate - Whom we call Hashem - but they think more in terms of Elokim, Ultimate Independent Powers. They want to align themselves with the Powers.
You came the way you did because Christianity helped create a culture where you would study history and read and think about the Bible. I don’t think New Age has much potential that way. It rejects the Bible and I have the sense that, beyond allowing for the teaching of table manners, it tends to avoid even thinking about good or bad conduct, ethics, or morality.
I know some Buddhists, and they tend to get annoyed by all of the New Agers who steal samples of Buddhist doctrine. Buddha was an agnostic who didn’t really have anything to say about the daevas (Hindu gods). Buddha was trying to get away from religiosity and create a system of ethics that straddled the “middle path.” But, as with JC, Buddhists have, over the 2500 or so years since Buddha lived and died, invented all sorts of stories about the man. There’s a Tibetan Buddhist center in my hometown, a little monastery, but it’s left largely alone. I guess the New Agers, being superficial, couldn’t stand to live like those monks do.
As to the Great Pyramids, I like what some forgotten Roman commentator said of them (I can’t remember who said it): that they were monuments to tyranny and the vanity of the Egyptian rulers.
All of these people who attempt to “draw power” from a few crumbling ruins in Egypt are pretty funny, as are the people who attempt to “recreate” Egyptian religion in a modern form.
I don’t consider the empiricism of modern society to be Christian in origin, that I give credit to where it’s due: to the ancients, Greeks specifically. The Greeks were among the first to ask question and look for honest answers; the Hebrews, too, but that little bit of knowledge about the Hebrew component of modern society is pretty much tied up with the Greek, so you could say we have a Judeo-Hellenic (or Judeo-Hellenic-Latin) civilization. Christianity is the current apex of this dual (or tripartite) culture: ethics from the Hebrews and empiricism from the Greeks (and secular laws to hold our society together from the Romans). The forms of the religions tend to change with the times; classical civilization went through upheavals for centuries as one doctrine came and another went out the door. You also have then, as now, many admirers of the Bible who put considerable effort into syncretizing the best aspects (like Philo or some of the more liberal Church Fathers), not some stupid New Age doctrine like Pyramid power or ripping off from Eastern beliefs.