When Ideology, Theology And Islam Collide

As the situtation in Iraq deteriorates and the Iranians move ever forward with their nuclear program and unbridled belligerance and bombast, understanding the nature of much of the turmoil in the Islamic world becomes imperative.

There are profound differences in how western and democratic societies understand politics, ideologies and theology, versus how Middle Eastern and Islamic societies view those concepts. Inasmuch as these differences are being played out violently, every day, it is critical that we understand the choices we ask our elected officials to make. In addition in really understanding the issues we can more fairly and accurately judge the efficacy- or failures- of the United Nations.

‘It is only the unsayable that is worth saying’- so goes a quote attributed to just about everybody who put pen to paper, starting with the cave dwellers. That idea has been the inspiration for more than one writer questioning the status quo, and it is that idea that serves as the basis for this essay.

We strongly urge you to read Shame, The Arab Psyche And Islam, by Dr Sanity. It is an excellent essay that undescores and defines the nuances of the Arab psyche- and by extension, helps us to understand what comprises our own value system.

We will discuss the differences between Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

As a matter of preamble, we wish to say that we are discussing those three faiths, today. We are not looking to ’stack the deck’ by comparing apples with oranges, so to speak. Rather, we want to examine the realities as we- and everyone else, sees them today. We will discuss ideologies and theologies- where they meet and merge, and where they collide and careen off each other.

Theology, as defined by Webster: the study of religious faith, practice, and experience; especially : the study of God and of God’s relation to the world.

On the other hand, ideology is defined as follows: a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture b : a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture c : the integrated assertions, theories and aims that constitute a sociopolitical program

In other words, theology differs from ideology in that theology keeps faith first focused in the spiritual milieu, whereas ideology can and does answer to a ‘sociopolitical program’ as a primary focus.

To be clear- religious theology has influenced and continues to influence, political ideologies. The most recent example is that of the influence the Catholic Church had on the Solidarity movement in Poland and the Church’s influence in combating and finally breaking communist dictatorships, as well as the influence the Russian Orthodox Church had within the Soviet Union. The lessons learned, how religious influence impacted communist ideology should not be lost, because those lessons are a triumph of religious ideology over an evil political ideology. It is true that there were non religious democratic influences that were brought to bear. Certainly, their influence cannot be understated. That said, the popular support that reformers had attracted, would not have been so popular had those ideas and organizations not had the support of the Church. Walensa, Havel and others in the freedom movements of the European eastern bloc were effusive in their gratitude for Church support.

Throughout the Soviet era, in what was the European eastern bloc and the Soviet Union, church leaders fought tyrannical regimes with carefully worded sermons and a support of an underground press and ‘decadent’ (read: pro freedom) culture. With every bit of cunning and shrewdness, the churches resisted the ideologies that deprived people the freedom to choose and the freedom to self express. Their motivation was simple: Man was meant to be free from oppression and suppression. Man was to afforded the opportunity and freedom to reach his greatest potential. This ‘resistance’ went on for decades, imparting the hopes and ideals of freedom to millions. In one of the seminal events of the Polish resistance to communism, the murder of a priest, Fr Jerzy Popieluszko. (see this and this) led to massive protests against the government and was to serve as a rallying call for change. A crime meant to stifle calls for change had the exact opposite effect, and many argue that Popieluszko’s murder was the first ring of what was to become the death knell of communism in Poland.

Simply put, freedom- and thus resistance to tyranny, is part of a theology that trumps any and all political ideologies that seek to repress that free expression.

Contrast this with what occurs in much of the Islamic world today. Under harsh regimes that eschew freedom, clerics encourage allegiance to those regimes and decry any calls for freedom. Reformers are called traitors and worse, and attempts to even have the conversation are stifled with the iron fist into much of what Islam has evolved. Even if one were to exclude the calls for a hard reform in Islam, even the voices of a moderate and peaceful Islam are under attack.

Islam has morphed from a theology into an ideology. It is the ideology that takes precedence and it is the theology that has come to serve that ideology, providing a religious context for the evil that would keep freedom at bay. The ideology that has become much of Islam is undeniable. It is oppressive, repressive, stifling and designed to ‘re-brand’ a once great religion. What once gave the world warm and colorful expressions of art, literature and architecture, has been redefined into cold, stark and controlled expressions of faith. Mosques are now drab and colorless and Islamic expression is focused on hate and subjugation. There is no call to celebrate what is possible under Islam, the potential or greatness, but rather, what can be destroyed or broken and ultimately, what can be controlled.

Whereas Islam, like Christianity and Judaism once celebrated mans potential, now regards that potential as dangerous and a matter to be subjugated. That is in stark contrast to the culture and society that gave us the organized study of mathematics and medicine, philosophy and art and literature. It is ironic that Islamists, in their wish to ‘reclaim pat glories,’ would no doubt end up persecuting those free thinkers that were the foundation of Islam’s ‘Golden Era,’ incompatible with the ideology that is today’s Islam.

While Islamic theology is presented to the west as one of equivalence to our own, it is Islamic ideologies that rule the day.

It cannot be explained any other way. Muslims cannot claim to be equals in faith and at the same time, allow for that faith to spew vile hatred. There is no denying that truth. When Jews and Christians leave worship services, they are filled with the spirit of sanctity and humility. When many in the Islamic world leave their services, they are overcome with rage and hate, and are ready to kill. That is not an exaggeration, as Christians in Pakistan and Indonesia can attest to.

It is up to the Muslim world to explain that reality, in an honest a way as they can. It is not enough to blame the failures on Israel and the Jews. There have been and continues to be, far greater crimes against Muslims, by other Muslims- a reality rarely, if ever, discussed.

As we have noted before, Muslims, for the most part, took no part in the Holocaust. They could, if they desired, point an accusatory finger at us and say, ‘look at what you have done!’ Instead, they cannot hide their association with the perpetrators of the crime, identifying with the evil-doers and their ideologies. The Nazis took pain to hide their evil agenda. The Islamists, with the tacit support of much of the Islamic world including the religious community, cannot be bothered.

To be clear- the Christian community too, persecuted Jews. That said, the Christian community has long since abandoned that ideology. The theology of Christianity is no longer influenced by those who hate. In fact, John Paul II made it very clear that Catholicism must atone for the sin of that persecution- the greatest sin the one that allowed an ideology of hate to influence the theology.

We would be less than complete if we did not address Zionism, because it is after all, an extension of the Jewish identity. In all it’s incarnations, religious or secular, the fact remains that Zionism was a noble ideal, mismanaged. No matter how you cut it, the State of Israel was led by first generation Holocaust survivors, ‘graduates’ of the concentration camps established to eradicate them and other ‘undesirables.’ One would be foolish to think the Holocaust did not influence the decision makers in Israel. They saw the Zionist dream as a homeland for the Jews and at the same time, attached an almost fanatical ideology that all was fair in the name of survival- even when it wasn’t. The fact of the matter is that even if the Palestinians were to remain indoors and were to stop breathing for six months, they would somehow be violation of of treaties authored by the Israelis.

That said, the Israelis were not responding to messages from outer space. All they had to do- and still do- is listen and read Arab media. All they had to do was look to the UN and see outrageous displays of anti semitism.

Nevertheless, the Israelis, despite their faults, never responded with a hand heavier than the one they were extended. The faith of the Jews, despite the hand they were dealt, was never turned into an ideology of hatred, save for a very few. Despite the difficulties and shortcomings, the Jewish state was quick to offer a helping hand to others and freedoms to it’s own Arab citizens, that remain unknown in the Arab world, predicated on the unyielding belief in freedom and the theology that defined a people for 2,000 years, despite a history of persecution. It is after all, the Old Testament that is the foundation for our beliefs and much of our value system.

As we have noted earlier,

… the bible is the guidebook to day to day living with each other. We are to help each other, nourish each other and support each other. If we accept that our mission on this earth is not to destroy each other, then we must accept as truth that the principal part of our lives is to be spent living in peace and harmony. We are all connected, each of us. The accumulation of our contributions are what define us as a community. Those that do not contribute, exclude themselves from that community, of course- and that weakens the community in general. It is our collective mission to bring light into this world, not darkness…

Our adversaries, by deeds, actions and own admission, have destroyed much and wish to destroy even more. They wish to upend the truth that we are not meant to destroy each other. We do not go to war easily. Indeed, we wish peace with our neighbors. Peace by definition, means equality, a live and let live culture. Our adversaries want peace based on our capitulation to an evil that destroys and hates.

The current ideology that is Islam neither sees those truths nor recognizes the distance between their ideology and the theology of the Judeo-Christian ethic

Until such time as a real Islamic theology replaces Islamic ideologies, we must be clear as to our differences.

This post was originally published on August 22. 2005. We are reposting because not enough of you were able to stay awake and grasp the concepts involved the first time.

Fausta Speaks

It had to happen, sooner or later- Fausta is movin’ on up!

In a terrific ‘Blography’ interview with The Baltimore Sun’s John Lindner,  Fausta opines on politics, the blogoshere and our world as she sees it, today and in the future.  She is articulate, thoughful and elegant, as she responds to Lindners’ questions. Always a ‘class act,’ Fausta is generous and kind as she speaks of the bloggers she reads and influence her.

The blogosphere is a better place because of Fausta. Listen to her interview with John Lindner and you’ll understand why that is an understatement.

The Hands Of Esau, The Voice Of Jacob: SC&A Review Robert Godwin’s “One Cosmos Under God”

One of the most dramatic scenes in the Old Testament takes place on the deathbed of the biblical patriarch, Isaac. As his strength wanes, the now blind patriarch sends his eldest son, Esau, into the fields to trap and then prepare a game animal in celebration of the blessings about to be bestowed.

Rebekah, mother of both Esau and Jacob, decides that it is Jacob and not Esau, that deserves the ‘blessing of the firstborn.’ She concocts a plan to do just that. She slaughters two goats, and prepares a favorite savory meal and encourages Jacob to serve his father the meal. Jacob protests- he tells his mother that his father will be able to see through the deception. Undaunted, Rebekah fashions sleeves of goatskins that Jacob is to slide over his smooth arms and a scarf of goatskin to wrap around his neck, so that when the blind Isaac embraces his son, the smooth skinned Jacob will feel like the rougher skinned and haired brother, Esau. As the drama unfolds, Rebekah’s plan works and Jacob is bestowed with the blessing meant for his older brother, much to the consternation of Esau.

Many religious commentators and theologians have written on the episode, but one nagging questions remains: Once Isaac knew he was deceived, why did he not simply bestow the appropriate blessing on Esau? Why not admonish Jacob for the deception?

While there are many lessons to be learned from the story, some lessons stand out.

Firstly, it is clear from Rebekah’s action that blessings from God are to be earned. They are not simply handed out by reason of protocol or belief. While the acceptance of a religious creed is important, the deeds of the individual are more important. Rebekah understood that it was her second son, Jacob, by reason of his behavior, who was more worthy of Isaac’s blessing. Isaac realized that his wife’s motivation for deceiving him was more significant than his own desire to reward his firstborn. Isaac comes to realize that the reality of the moral worthiness of Jacob supersedes the significance of birth order.

It could not have been easy for Rebekah to choose one son over the other. Nevertheless, Rebekah does exactly that because she understand that there are some things bigger than her own motherhood. By reason of her own faith, she came to understand the legacy of Abraham’s covenant with God was not to be measured by protocol or birth order, but rather, by the legacy of the kind of deeds that God intended for man to elevate himself, to be worthy of having been ‘created in His image.’

One Cosmos Under God, by Robert Godwin (author of the blog One Cosmos) is a marvelous and profound book that illustrates the simple truth that real faith serves to elevate man and that the struggle for that faith elevates our potential, because our behavior and deeds can influence and author our collective and individual destinies. The book is satisfying and rich. That said, it cannot be read in a single sitting. Godwin expects his readers to contemplate his ideas and to challenge him with their own long held beliefs.

Godwin’s ideas are the result of a fresh look at the world around us. He looks at parenthood and ‘babyhood’ and the mystical process of acquiring ‘humaness.’ He discusses the nature of knowledge and the nature of experience and where they converge to become recognized and elevating of universal and spiritual truths.

In science, Godwin sees the exquisitely transcendent and choreographed ballet of the life and the universe and he challenges those who believe the lonely and cacophonous notes of science are the point of our existence. Perhaps most importantly, he deconstructs the stridency and literal interpretation of religious doctrine as well as the contemporary desire to make religion an abstract manifestation of self expression. That is no small matter. Are we answerable to God or is God answerable to us? These are the questions of our time.

Godwin sees the struggle with and for faith as a kind of conversation with God- and that is a good thing. He sees the meaningfulness of that conversation enhanced by elevating behaviors negating those behaviors that only serve to lower our humaness. By way of example, he notes that

The cultivation of humility and gratitude serve to oppose covetousness and envy.

If we are to elevate ourselves and our conversations with God, we must first understand and then work on our own weaknesses. As Rebekah understood, it is through our deeds and personal struggles that we become worthy of our potential destiny.

The book is not about religion. Godwin is comfortable seeking truth wherever it might be found. His treasure map is the world, drawn with the pen of history and colored with the universal wisdom of the cultures of the ages. The approach is refreshing- no matter our religion, we come to see the elevation of man by way of faith as something to rejoice. Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr or the Imam in Paris that called out to save the Jews in Nazi occupied France, are all examples of how an elevated sense and understanding of what it means to be ‘created in His image’ means.

One Cosmos Under God is a testament to the ‘Unity’ of Creation, life and purpose, of which Godwin writes so elegantly. The ‘Unity,’ that endless symphony of life he describes, is really a moving target, ever more demanding of our better selves and ever more elevating. It is through faith that we are given the tools with which we can meet the challenge.

In the end, One Cosmos Under God, is one man’s effort to put onto canvas his search for meaning, life and unity. His convictions are fierce and unshakable- the hands of Esau, the product of his own fierce struggle for and with faith. His voice is that of Jacob, soft and compelling, by way of reason and ever yearning to find that higher and elevated self.

The universe is like a holographic, multidimensional musical score, that must be read, understood and performed. Like the score of a symphony, it is full of information that can be rendered in different ways. The score can support diverse interpretations, but surely one of them cannot be “music does not exist.” For at the end of the day, we are each a unique and unrepeatable melody that can, if only we pay close enough attention to the polyphonic score that surrounds and abides within us, harmonize existence in our own beautiful way, and thereby hear the vespered strains of the “song supreme.”

Like great art, readers of Robert Godwin’s effort will be rewarded and nourished in the way they need to be. There is no ‘one size fits all,’ when it comes to faith, God and the never ending struggle to elevate ourselves- and therin we are each assured of adding our own notes to that symphony and “song supreme.”