Blindness
I was having this discussion about politics and religion and how they interact in this part of the world a while back and was completely dumbfounded by just how ignorant most people are. I would not like to use the word stupid, but perhaps it wouldn't be too out of place here.
I was comparing the situation in the Arab world with how things are in Europe or the USA and the guy interrupts me, "what the USA?" he shouted, "those kafirs (infidels)? How can you talk about them? Those are people that do nothing but have sex with each other all day and take each others' wives.?
Needless to say, they guy had never been to the USA, he had never even been outside of Egypt.
"How do you know such things?" I asked.
"It is very well known how corrupt the west is. Their fate is to burn in hell," He responded with apparent happiness at the conclusion.
I am well aware that such ignorance is present in many parts of Europe, as well as the USA, about the rest of the world, especially the Muslim world, but the problem is the in the Muslim world it is the extremists who are loud and are forcing their ideas on the rest of society.
Another time i was having a discussion about religion with another guy i know who is Christian (Coptic that is). I was also in a complete state of shock about just how narrow minded people can get. Perhaps is is the culture in this part of the world, it's not only the religion.
The discussion was about the various prophets that God is supposed to have sent to humanity. I asked the guy to forget about religion for a moment and just discuss God. His response was to talk about Jesus. When i asked him to just forget about Jesus for a minute so we can talk about the various religions in the world today, his response was this "I am not talking about any religion here, i am talking about Jesus, Jesus has nothing to do with religion. How can you be so simple?"
When i tried to tell him that Jesus is the Christian way of looking at things and that others might disagree with him, he would not even admit this, to him Jesus was "beyond religion and not a Christian figure."
The discussion ended there, because there was no need to go on. If i am trying to talk "outside religion" and you still cannot remove yourself from whatever beliefs you have just for a few minutes, then it is useless.
I wonder if i had this discussion with a fanatic Muslim what would have happened?
I will have to try it sometime soon.
It is sad how the mass interpretation of religion is basically to blind ourselves to anything else, to each other and to the "other".
If i am a Muslim and i continue to discredit Christianity, aren't i indirectly discrediting Islam? I mean Islam is clear in saying that it is based on Christianity and is a continuation of its teachings. How can i judge someone for the beliefs that have reached them? How can held accountable for what they are being teached?
If everyone is blind, will they actually know that they are blind?
Interesting question.
I was comparing the situation in the Arab world with how things are in Europe or the USA and the guy interrupts me, "what the USA?" he shouted, "those kafirs (infidels)? How can you talk about them? Those are people that do nothing but have sex with each other all day and take each others' wives.?
Needless to say, they guy had never been to the USA, he had never even been outside of Egypt.
"How do you know such things?" I asked.
"It is very well known how corrupt the west is. Their fate is to burn in hell," He responded with apparent happiness at the conclusion.
I am well aware that such ignorance is present in many parts of Europe, as well as the USA, about the rest of the world, especially the Muslim world, but the problem is the in the Muslim world it is the extremists who are loud and are forcing their ideas on the rest of society.
Another time i was having a discussion about religion with another guy i know who is Christian (Coptic that is). I was also in a complete state of shock about just how narrow minded people can get. Perhaps is is the culture in this part of the world, it's not only the religion.
The discussion was about the various prophets that God is supposed to have sent to humanity. I asked the guy to forget about religion for a moment and just discuss God. His response was to talk about Jesus. When i asked him to just forget about Jesus for a minute so we can talk about the various religions in the world today, his response was this "I am not talking about any religion here, i am talking about Jesus, Jesus has nothing to do with religion. How can you be so simple?"
When i tried to tell him that Jesus is the Christian way of looking at things and that others might disagree with him, he would not even admit this, to him Jesus was "beyond religion and not a Christian figure."
The discussion ended there, because there was no need to go on. If i am trying to talk "outside religion" and you still cannot remove yourself from whatever beliefs you have just for a few minutes, then it is useless.
I wonder if i had this discussion with a fanatic Muslim what would have happened?
I will have to try it sometime soon.
It is sad how the mass interpretation of religion is basically to blind ourselves to anything else, to each other and to the "other".
If i am a Muslim and i continue to discredit Christianity, aren't i indirectly discrediting Islam? I mean Islam is clear in saying that it is based on Christianity and is a continuation of its teachings. How can i judge someone for the beliefs that have reached them? How can held accountable for what they are being teached?
If everyone is blind, will they actually know that they are blind?
Interesting question.
posted by Caliph at 1:29 AM
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