I am not a fan of the idea of a “Global Society”. Like many people my age I’ve been brought up by science fiction wherein future human societies are shown as one group, without cultural differences, without varying values. The presumed image of the future is one that progress comes from the abandonment of cultural differences. I can only assume that the Disneyland of the future’s “It’s a Small World” ride would be one where every room was a copy of the previous.
Today in the Middle East we see a roadblock to that mythical utopia of a one-world-nation. Again, we have a conflict of values between Arabs and Israelis. However, this controversy is representative of a much bigger issue of our time. God vs. Allah vs. Nothingness. Of course most news publications in the last few years have adopted “God” when describing Allah to keep a finger of blame from being pointed at Muslims for much of the worlds unease today. The re-naming of Allah to “God” indicts Christianity and Judaism and is a blatant attack on religion as a whole by making all religions guilty by association. Meaning, calling Allah “God” in the news creates an anonymity for Muslims and makes the issue a more general one… “it’s not Islam, its religion…”.
So what tools do we have to measure these things? Why not from the standards of religious text?
Matthew 7:16-18 (King James Version)
16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
It’s impossible to think of the “fruit” of the Catholic CHurch and not consider Catholic Priests association with pedophilia. But it is also important to understand the distinction between that the fruit of individuals within the church and that of the entire church... Not to mention noting the hypothetical destruction of the Catholic Church would end a worldwide charity. Still, one must weigh these things when measuring the fruits of a collective.
I imagine the obvious question is “what is evil”… Even if you measure by the standards of a secular society (where evil doesn’t seem to exist); there are still judgments made about the treatment of people. “Cruel and unusual punishment” is the considered the anxiety one might feel when he knows that he is going to be put to death by lethal injection. Or, military combatants made to eat food considered dirty by their belief system. Compare that to the recent and readily available actions of the followers of the “merciful Allah.”
Even with an unabashedly bias media (with journalist more concerned with their personal agenda and professional advancement than professionalism), honest news is still made accessible through the Internet. From various blogs we get a picture of the “fruit” that Islam brings. From videos of people being decapitated with a hunting knives, a story of a rabbi and his pregnant wife tortured and murdered in a Chabad House in Myanmar, Christians being slaughtered in the tens of thousands in Sudan, riots, murders, and the destruction of churches over cartoon depictions of their prophet, the cutting off of breasts to force people to convert to Islam, demonstrations in Europe demanding that “their 911 is coming…”, slave trades, dehumanization of women, capital punishment for being raped, “honor killings" for letting your self get raped, Cutting faces off with piano wire, crucifixion for speaking against Islam, stoning for not wearing a burka correctly, targeting innocents, and of course death sentences for converting from Islam. Are these examples of Allah’s mercy?
One can argue that Allah’s mercy is only for his followers. Yet, even for those who are Muslim Allah’s mercy seems to fall short. Islam has dogmatic requirements, (none of which guarantee your getting into paradise but only guarantee the opportunity to be considered worthy of paradise). It is like buying a raffle ticket… You can only win if you play but your playing doesn’t guarantee a win. There is a strict diet, a schedule of prayer time, a dress code, and a Hajj (a pilgrimage) to Mecca (if possible). Of course there are many other rules like the covering of hair for women and depending on where you are, the total covering of even your face.
The requirements of Islam for its faithful are not as bad as the guaranteed sentence for not fulfilling them… Islamic theology is that you do all these things so that when you are measured at the end of your life you are either cast into a hell or brought into paradise. This “paradise” is described in some cases as an abundance and availability of actions (sins) that would actually disqualify one from that very paradise if indulged while on Earth. The irony could not be more ridiculous that Allah would create a heaven made of the indulgences that he would so mercilessly have you butchered for on Earth further cast into hell upon death.
The Koran and Hidith amend these rules by adding that one who dies in the service of Allah is guaranteed paradise. “The service of Allah…” is described in some part as jihad (to struggle for Allah). Recent Islamic theologians have expanded on these ideas of martyrdom to describe that a martyr can bring a number of his relatives with him to paradise. And even more recent revelation has allowed women to become martyrs…This of course is invaluable since it is the ONLY guarantee a Muslim will have for himself or herself and their family to get to paradise. Further this martyr is made to believe they are only killing those who Allah has already damned anyway thereby releasing them of guilt.
The paradox is that you have a religion built on works but without any instruction that would guarantee reconciliation with Allah. Therefore you create a piety built on the uncertainty of the destination of your afterlife. The piety has a foundation by decree of Allah that one must believe the Koran is true before reading it otherwise you will not understand its virtue. Islam cleverly puts into doubt the integrity of the already insecure reader. That blind faith releases them from accountability of their conscience since one must put aside their consciousness to read it. Self doubting followers combined with the control of information from the totalitarian Islamic states they live in creates terrorists.
It is of the most depraved dishonesty that some historians compare the actions of The Boston Tea Party (for example) to the barbarism of today’s Islam.
It is Judeo-Christian values that formed the United States. It is those values that have prospered this country. Measure that to the values of Islam displayed in its theocracies. It is either Allah’s lack of mercy or Allah’s utter impotence that would explain the condition of Islamic countries. How do Muslims reconcile the success of The United States and Israel (two countries that uphold the idea of human value) in comparison of the lack of opportunity, freedom, liberty, and riches of Islamic countries who treat humans like pawns? Or is that the motivation of Islam? Their belief system hinges on the destruction of countries that prosper despite the teachings of Islam. Both the teachings of Islam and the success of the West can not be true.
We are all faced with a decision Judeo-Christian values: Values that pronounce the infinite value of humanity so much so that we protect the unborn and want those who take life (murders) to be removed from this life. Islam’s values: Humanity is only as valuable as your use for Allah and in that your value depends on if you are Muslim or not then whether you are a male or female. Or, Secular values: Humanity is just another “thing” in this universe and you are no more valuable than a rock on a distant planet.
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