Saint Augustine’s Confessions surprised me a bit, due to the fact that Augustine made many mistakes as a child and young adult and is willing to talk about them openly. Usually when one thinks of a saint they assume that they are very good and were always that way. But, Augustine is not ashamed to reveal the truth behind his coming to God. Augustine explores the concept of his guilt of sin even as a child. This subject of sinful children has a great many good points in it. Seldom is it thought that a tantrum of a child is a sin for that person, because we assume they do not know any better, but do they? Augustine brings up a good point that children sin even before they are able to talk because they are in want of their own way and will do anything to get it. Such is the character of human nature. Even wee children are faced with the challenge of temptation to sin. I believe this can be related to Plato’s definition of justice. Every human knows what he or she are and are not suppose to be doing, as long as they have the intellect to know so. Children learn quickly and cannot be given much of an excuse if they do something sinful. They know that to get what they want they must make a fuss, even though they know they are not meant to have what they want. I almost think that we as humans are born with the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, but it would be up to the individual whether or not they utilize this ability, or choose to ignore it. As Augustine progressed in age he became engulfed with trials of the human want, and did not resist temptation. He admits that he pursued his sexual wants, divulged into the temptation of robbery and took delight in the observed suffering of others. He even tried to deny the fact that he was doing wrong, because he decided to embrace his instinctive human nature. Later in life he pursued education and started to become a very educated man, without putting his education toward the identification of religion. He even ridiculed religion with his friends, saying how ridiculous different aspects were. Regardless of all this defying nature, his mother, Monica, never gave up on hoping and praying that her son would someday find God and rejoice in Him. Never did she waiver in this life long goal, and she declared as she was dying that she was ready to die now that her son had become faithful to God. This shows the goodness, strength and undying faith of woman, for Augustine looks up to his mother Monica and eventually in Book 9 expresses how faithful and trusting Monica is in God. In Book 9, Augustine is said to have been enlightened towards God and he explores the wants of the body and compares them to the needs of the soul. He finally realizes that things of this earth are only for gain on this earth and will not be preserved when one dies, but things of the soul will last forever and will stay with one into the afterlife. So, I think that Augustine’s thoughts and journey to God are very relatable to any person, for we all go through struggles in life, and it is up to us to ask for and pursue the strength to overcome them.
I also find it interesting how he did not start off as a saint. It is very strange to hear about a saint who did so many things that are considered sins. I agree with your statement about how children quickly learn right from wrong but I believe that the parents have a large part in how they establish it and how long it takes them to realize. St. Augustine's Confessions is a really interesting book about how God forgives all those who eventually realize what they are doing is wrong. I agree that it is relatable to everybody especially the idea that it is never to late to do the right thing. I also completely agree with what you said about how it is up to us to to overcome obstacles in our lives.
I had the same thoughts as you on how Augustine is a saint that spend most of his youth sinning. It's interesting to see that something like stealing pears from a tree is seen as such a bad sin when today some people would not think twice before doing it. Another thing that I found really interesting was that Augustine saw reading fictional books as a sin as well. That is such a strange thought in today's world because the majority of people in the United States have grown up learning morals and lessons from the fictional books they have us read throughout our school years. But it kind of goes along with the idea that Plato had when in Plato's Republic he believed that any kind of book or teaching that depicted Gods in a negative way should be banned. But the way that Augustine views his sins also makes sense when you look at the fact that he was educated in rhetoric and getting messages across so the idea of over exaggerating helps to tell his life story in a way that gets people more interested.
I also agree that it is interesting that Augustine did not begin life as a saint; gradually coming to terms with what it means to believe in god after a living a life he later described as sinful, rather than embodying sainthood from infancy as people might believe. However, I disagree with the idea that Augustine’s life truly was sinful in his childhood and young adulthood. Augustine spends much of the beginning chapters of Confessions detailing how infants are inherently sinful, as they selfishly cry to get what they want, and never express gratitude. I found this ridiculous as I was reading the text, and only think it more so after our class discussion today. Psychologically, as we know today, children cannot even comprehend the concept of sin, let alone reflect upon their own behavior. Despite Bernadette’s argument that children can quickly learn right from wrong, the development of morality is very complex. Up until the teenage years, most children can only concept morality or “sin” in terms of what parents tell them, as they cannot yet think critically. Even older children still make mistakes, and something as insignificant as stealing a pear does not make someone drown in sin.
Reading more of the Qu’ran and comparing it to the bible has been interesting because of how similar they are. Most people are not aware of how similar they are. Again, there was mention of the “People of the Book” and acceptance and tolerance were stressed. “Those who believe (in the Qu’ran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians, — any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” This verse was one of my favorites in the section of the People of the Book because it specifically mentions all of those who are under the People of the Book and shows how tolerant those who believe in the Qu’ran are towards Christianity and Judaism. This is important to know, considering the bad reputation that Muslims have in America. Watching the video of the Qu’ran being burned by Americans was very hurtful to witness. If those people had more knowledge about the actual religion and their holy book, they would be able to see how similar the Qu’ran is to their own holy book, the Bible. This anger and hate is bred by ignorance to other cultures and their beliefs, and unfortunately, by placing an entire population in the same category as one group of extremists. Burning a Qu’ran is similar to burning a Bible because the bulk of the stories and beliefs are consistent with one another. It is amazing to see that people would use such aggression against a book and religion that is so accepting of others. Even though the Qu’ran and Bible are similar, there are some differences. A main difference is how Jesus is portrayed in the Qu’ran as the son of Mary, rather than the son of God which is common in Christianity. Allah is seen as the creator of all things, even Jesus, but this does not make Jesus his son. Jesus is depicted as a prophet and messenger of Allah, working so that others will believe and ultimately find salvation. The verses of the Qu’ran state “It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a song. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, “Be,” and it is.” I like this verse because it depicts Allah as a creator, and there is only one entity like Him. Jesus, although he was given to Mary from Allah, is just a human being working for Allah — he is not a divine entity and is not any different from anyone else.
In reading the Book of Luke and the selections from the Qur’an for last week and this week, I found it very interesting the amount of material that the Bible and the Qur’an have in common. I was raised in a Christian household, going to church and Sunday School every week, and though I wasn’t often taught about other religions, when they were mentioned, it was usually to compare them to Christianity, to show that they were inferior in some way. Islam in particular was implicated as an inferior religion, and I remember being told that Muslims worshipped the prophet Mohammad as a God, which is, as we all know, not true. It was always emphasized how different Islam was from Christianity, and it is truly interesting to me to learn about their clear similarities now, especially when it comes to their portrayals of Jesus and the people around him.
In class today we compared the mentions of Jesus in the Bible and the Qur’an, and it struck me how incredibly similar they were. Not only did they tell the same stories, they were so similar that, as our professor said, they seem as if they are two translations of a third original, or one is a translation of the other. They talked about Mother Mary and Jesus in such similar ways, revering both as very important to God, and even though Islam doesn't regard Jesus as son of God, it recognizes him as a very important human being—a prophet. I had known this previously, but seeing it so plainly in the Qur’an itself was eye opening. I was never told this in church, and I had extremely incorrect views about Islam for a long time because of the things I was taught about it at church.
The fact that the Qur’an shares so many stories about Jesus that I had previously viewed as purely Biblical was surprising as well to me. It tells of his immaculate conception, his miracles, and his ascension into heaven. Though it differs from the Bible in its view of Jesus as merely a prophet and its account of his crucifixion (or, rather, the lack thereof), the Qur’an is remarkably similar in most ways to the Bible when it comes to stories about Jesus.
I think the similarities between the Qur’an and the Bible definitely have current implications, especially to the Islamophobia that has plagued our country since 9/11/2001. Though not all attacks on Islam are from Christians, many are. I seriously doubt anyone who attacks Islam as “of the devil” or “evil” has ever learned much about Islam, much less ever read even part of the Qur’an. I believe that most hate is born out of ignorance, and I think that if more people—especially Christians—were educated on the similarities between the Qur’an and the Bible, some of this hate could be quelled.
I found Saint Augustine's challenges with the Manichees to be very interesting. The Manichees had argued that God is not all-powerful because of the fact that evil exists in the world. He is, according to the Manichees, constantly fighting against all evil, as if God and evil were somehow equal entities. Augustine saw God as the most pure form of existence. Nothing could be above God in terms of existence and truth. He goes on to talk about how evil is a lack of true existence, and is as far away from God as one could possibly get. This counters the argument that God is constantly fighting against evil, as God and evil are on opposite ends of this spectrum. Augustine describes how things closer to God are more pure than things that are evil, and the levels of existence change as such. This scale measures the distance between God and evil, and the measure of how close something is to God can be measured along this scale. This reminds me of the story of Lucifer, and how he fell out of grace with God when he refused to bow down to man after the creation of the Earth. Lucifer embodied pride and trickery, and while God allowed Lucifer to test some people in order to prove the strength of their faith, God was still the more powerful of the two. Lucifer only has as much control as God allows him to have, ultimately maintaining a higher status. The pure existence that Augustine describes leads to his next argument regarding God's permanence in a world full of non-permanent things. The Manichees argue that God is a physical being, but Augustine says that physical beings are transient, and that God is greater than what is limited to physical nature. Being non-physical allows God to be a more permanent figure, according to Augustine. This is interesting, because I personally find it difficult not to picture a physical entity when picturing God. It is harder to identify and recollect on a spiritual entity rather than a physical image, because it is much harder to describe in words the spiritual over the physical. I feel that Augustine made a great point in saying that God is not bound to a physical form; that He is able to reach out to everyone in a way that people cannot see, but can perhaps feel or sense. There are no words to describe the feeling of God, but He is there.
When reading your blog entry I found it very interesting that you compared a few of St. Augustine’s arguments and statements to the story of Lucifer and hiss fall from heaven. Lucifer’s fall was al due to his disagreement on Gods ideas which ended up in Lucifer rebelling leading him to falling from heaven (since he began as an angel) to hell. This is so interesting to me because according to the bible Angels are very close to God. Seen as how Lucifer was once an angel we can somewhat say that God and Lucifer have a connection. The connection is that there is that since God is good and everything that (according to St. Augustine) is far from God is less good (or evil.)
I found our class discussion today incredibly intriguing. Having been raised Christian, there are plenty of things about Islam and about the Qur’an that I had been mislead about. Each discussion we have about the Bible and Qur’an in comparison to one another gives me more and more realizations that they are incredibly similar. While, every detail is obviously not the same, there are many similarities and it brings up some questions.
My first thought is this: Why do Christians look down on Muslims for their religion when there are so many shared beliefs? Sure, there are plenty of differences, but the similarities are plenty enough that is shouldn’t matter. It seems incredibly hypocritical to me.
Watching the YouTube video, in class, about the trial of the Qur’an and that it was found guilty, and blah, blah, blah was absolutely ridiculous. The video honestly made me chuckle. To think that some people can be so hypocritical as to say that Muslims are trying to “take over the world” via religion is so hypocritical. Like we discussed, we would be kidding ourselves if we tried to say every other religion wasn’t guilty of the same type of thing. But the extent to which the man in the video took it was blasphemous.
I also found the class discussion on Tuesday to be interesting. It seems that there are many people in this country who have to rely on limited media portrayals for their main source of education, because they refuse to educate themselves in other, more in depth ways. This reliance on the media creates ignorance about other cultures and religions. It it the job of news corporations and programs to educate the public about what is going on in the world and, the broadcasts must be brief and succinct because many people do not have time to spend most of their day learning about what is actually happening in other countries/their own country. I think it is at the fault of our culture in general because we place so much emphasis on "working hard" to gain an adequate pay check which does not leave individuals enough time or enough motivation to learn about the different ways in which people from different cultures/countries live.
I found the Jesus in the Qur’an reading extremely interesting, especially having been raised in a Catholic home. The similarity of the texts, although written centuries apart, is striking. One concept I found interesting, which conflicts with what is taught in Christianity, are the verses which dismiss the concept of the Trinity. Line 171 states “Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not "Three (Trinity)" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is One God. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son.”
This verse parallels with what we learned in class today that the Trinity is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible and was developed about 350 years after Jesus’ death with the Nicene Creed. Jesus never taught the Trinity, and to say he did could be a corruption of the text. Since the New Testament was not written by Jesus, but by his followers as well as people who were not there, some of the things they say he taught, like his own divinity may never have occurred and were recorded inaccurately. It could be argued that this is perhaps one of the reasons Muhammad was sent later to clarify the messages of Allah.
Overall though, the reading showed that Islam and Christianity have similar ideas about the events of Jesus’ life and him being a messenger of God/Allah, they just interpret whether or not that means he is divine differently. I think this is an aspect of Islam many Americans are unaware of. Too many ignorant Americans believe the Qur’an and Islam are against Christianity and Jesus overall, when really Jesus is very highly spoken of in the religion.
I agree with you that I also found the representation of Jesus in the Quran interesting. I liked how you focused on the idea of the trinity but I would also like to add the difference between the story of the birth of Jesus. Of course in the Bible where Jesus plays an important role because of the idea of the Trinity, the story of his birth is a miracle since Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem and give birth in a stable. Then they were showered by gifts from wise men and shepherds. In the Quran the birth story plays out quite different. Mary has the immaculate conception just like in the Bible, but in the Quran there is no Joseph. Since there is no Joseph everyone of her town exiles her to the desert since she is seen as a “slut” for lack of a better term. She gives birth to Jesus in the middle of the desert under a palm tree given to her by God that when she shook the tree she was provided with dates, and her legs were in a river that was also provided by God so that she had something to drink. It’s obvious as to why the Quran leaves out the idea of Jesus being showered with gifts when he is born based on the idea that they do not follow the holy trinity and original sin. Since they don’t believe in original sin, there is no need for a messiah, meaning there is no need for “The Son of God” (What Jesus is referred to in the Bible under the idea of the Trinity) so there was no need to shower a mere prophet with gifts from wise men and shepherds. That is also why there is the repetition of the line “son of Mary” when referring to Jesus. In the end I find it interesting how Jesus is portrait in the Quran since I too was raised as a Christian. I also agree that many Americans are ignorant for calling it blasphemy since it portraits Jesus so beautifully.
In my studies here at Geneseo I have been exposed to the religious ignorance of Americans. I’m an international relations major and I find it very interesting to learn about the Arab world and Islam. For many it seems like a distant primitive culture compared to the economic “powerhouse” that is the United States. This is certainly not the case, although our political systems and religious beliefs may vary, it does not mean that is not working for that country and culture. Religion is without a doubt an important aspect of civilization that promotes faith and good teachings. What most don’t understand is how similar these teachings are in their message as well as personnel. This year especially I have grown to find the relationship between the West and the Arab world extremely interesting and worth understanding. The majority of Americans do not understand Islam and are quick to assume that Muslims are out to destroy America. In reality it is our country that is causing tensions and insurgences for failing to understand a culture whose foundation is very similar to our own. Our religious teachings are rooted with the same prophets and similar stories that praise community and good deeds. Of course, as we know, there are differences between the scriptures but the central message remains the same. Although not seen as the son of God, Jesus in the Qur’an is highly praised as a great prophet. In addition Mary, an important figure in the Bible, is actually mentioned more in the Qur’an than she is in the Bible. With this being said it’s hard to believe that certain people could have such hatred for another culture. Sure 9/11 changed the perception of Islam in Americans eyes but it was not fueled by Islamic teachings, but rather by extremist that altered the messages in the Qur’an. It is evident that this goes over a lot of peoples heads including our own government, just today a police unit was disbanded that was used to spy on Muslims in our own country. The secretive unit is now involved in two federal lawsuits. Only by truly understanding Islam and its culture can we ease these unnecessary tensions.
The discussion in class today really opened my eyes to today’s society and the ignorance that so many people have in this country. I found myself literally laughing at what the priest from Florida had to say about Islam and its teachings. He sounded absolutely ridiculous as if he was making up everything he was saying and had no education on the matter. At one point he made a claim that Islam was the reason for 9/11 and that all Muslims backed up the actions of that day. He also claimed that “It is Islam’s mission to dominate the world, to replace local governments, to replace the constitution of the United States,” and that all the major troubles around the globe today are because Islam is trying to dominate and suppress peoples’ freedoms. Now I will be honest I am someone who knows very little about Islam and the Muslim people as a whole, and knew close to nothing before taking this class. However, I do know that the teachings in the Qur’an and what Muslims believe is not parallel to the acts of 9/11. These acts were performed by Muslims, but they were a separate group of people who were extremists and people think this encompasses the Muslims as a whole. The priest in Florida, Terry Jones, is doing something offensive and threatening to Muslims around the World. I can’t comprehend how he can say that Islam of the Devil and that burning the Qur’an isn’t going against freedom of religion. Someone who know absolutely nothing about either Christianity or Islam can see that these acts are offensive and wrong. What makes this story the craziest to me is how similar Islam can be to Christianity when we actually look into it and spend some time find commonalities. After reading Jesus in the Qur’an I was shocked to read the stories of Mother Mary and Jesus as compared to the Bible. There are some obvious differences like the idea that Jesus is not the Son of God in the Qur’an and that he is a prophet here to spread the teachings of Allah. However, much of the story is very similar. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in both holy books and he it is known from the birth on that he is destined to be a very important part of the religion and its learnings. Just because Muslims don’t believe Jesus was God’s son on Earth does not mean they believe him to not be important. He is just as important as any other prophet in the Qur’an. Jesus performs miracles in the Qur’an just as he does in the Bible. The Virgin Mary is actually mentioned more times in the Qur’an than in the Bible. The story of John the Baptist is also a common story in both the Qur’an and the Bible. I don’t understand how someone can stand in front of an entire church and preach about the importance of Jesus and the stories of John the Baptist, Mother Mary, and others, and then burn a holy book that has so many similar stories and beliefs. I’d like to ask him if he’s ever even read the book or knows of the many similarities he preaches to his church every Sunday. People find it easy to talk negatively about Muslims and their faith with pure ignorance, because it is not as well known of the teachings and similarities to Christianity. However, Muslims know that Christians also preach an importance of Jesus and have nothing negative to say about what they believe to be a prophet and very important teacher in the history of Islam. Reading Jesus in the Qur’an and seeing the youtube videos in class today makes me embarrassed about some of the actions that Americans and Christians specifically take towards Muslims. They are blindly in rage at people who are not unlike themselves. There are extremists from both religions who the majority does not support and we must realize this to try to move forward in freedom of religion.
I agree with you on how ignorant our country is. Although I am positive that most countries that are NOT religion-oriented are probably in the same boat as those who are, it is interesting to see the significance and quickly we point fingers at the group as a whole. As someone who is grew up religiously and is Christian, the story of the priest in Florida also surprised me. It's easier to see the perspective of the extremist such as those who attacked during 9/11 and the priest and also see the perspective of all the other people who get fingers pointed at just because they are associated and considered a member of the significant group, whether its religion or race. The priest was an extreme case of his beliefs, and I believe that definitely goes against what he believes in and learns. I, as someone who ultimately is part of his religion, when grouped as one, can see the understanding of how muslims who are pointed fingers at, where there is shame and misunderstanding. After reading the Quran, I definitely see that what happened during the attacks has completely against what they believe in, and not what should normally be expected of them. I think the Quran may be the most understanding and open of scriptures compared to other books.
The fact that people have so much trouble accepting one another, especially in a country where we are made of up all different races, where essentially none of us are actually 'originally' from here is extremely scary.
Reading these parts of the Qur'an I realized that there are a lot more similarities with the Bible than I ever would have thought. I never actually realized before that Jesus was in the Qur'an. He is obviously portrayed a bit differently, but he is still there. In the Qur'an Jesus is just another prophet while in the Bible he is held higher as the Son of God. There are several stories including the birth of Jesus that are very similar in both the Bible and the Qur'an. Another similar story is how Elizabeth had a child when she was well aged and barren. I also have realized how ignorant several Americans are. It is ridiculous how Americans act towards others whom aren't exactly the same as them. They are horrible towards Muslims even though Muslims are taught how imortant Jesus is and they learn the same Bible stories as Christians. Also, in the Qur'an, Christians and Jews are highly spoken of. It is not okay that Christians in America look down upon and act like Muslims are completely different and harmful towards us. The things that some Christians have done towards Muslims is starting to make it appear as if Christians are the ones to be afraid of. I grew up in church and never once learned more about the Qur'an and Muslims until I came to this class really. I was definitely ignorant. Now though I have learned how similar things I have learned and been taught in church are to things the Qur'an teaches. Americans are stupid for allowing themselves to be ignorant about such a thing.
I noticed many similarities between the Qur’an and the New Testament; however, the one aspect that stuck out to me the most was how Jesus was portrayed. I was raised in a Christian family and after taking years of religion, I formed this idea of Jesus being the son of God and basically being his incarnate. I read the New Testament again for class and it was all a review, so I never thought about the role of Jesus in this way. It was when I read the Qur’an that these thoughts occurred to me.
In the Qur’an Jesus is not the son of God; he is the son of Mary and a prophet of God (Allah). It was clear that Allah was the only God, and God had no sons. “Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute” (Quran 19: 34). This was different for me, and I did not fully understand Jesus’ role after reading it. “And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: ‘O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you...’” (Quran 61:6). It is stated multiple times throughout the Quran that Jesus was the messenger of Allah and if anyone said he was the son of Allah, they were to be cursed. Both religious books, however, refer to Jesus as the Messiah, which means “God’s anointed,” so it is clear that Jesus is an important figure in both religions.
Another interesting aspect in the Quran that sparked my interested was the fact that they did not state that Jesus was crucified. This came as a shock to me as well since Jesus’ crucifixion has been accepted and undisputed throughout all sects of Christianity. This event was drilled into my head and continues to be discussed whenever I go to church. Since this is the first time I am reading the Qur’ran, this is also the first time I am hearing of a religion that does not discuss Jesus’ death in the same way. The Qur’an does not specify how he died exactly, which raises the question of how Jesus actually died. It forces me to think outside of Christianity and realize there are so many other ways to interpret Jesus and his life.
Like many people who posted last week, I’d have to agree that St. Augustine’s Confessions was an enjoyable read and a nice change of pace. It wasn’t a light read, but it also wasn’t nearly as daunting as trying to decipher all the obscurities littered throughout earlier readings like the Aeneid. Instead, I found Augustine’s use of such eloquent metaphors in representing his childhood to be really well executed! That’s really saying something for a book written over a millennia ago and undergoing multiple translations!
In book 4, St. Augustine asserts that it is human intelligence is the ultimate manifestation of beauty under God. He stresses that there is more beauty to be found in a pious life guided by Jesus, more than any of the planets or stars combined could ever possess. These views are most logical; as Augustine’s devoutness is the very image of a life fulfilled under Jesus. And yet those curious celestial bodies, scattered across the skyscape, how special they still are.
I’ll share an alternate view to Augustine, however. For without the sun we just wouldn’t exist. It constantly nourishes the Earth with energy. Our oceans aren’t freezing, and the circle of life is still flowing. I thank most the sun. It brought the Earth into existence.
And who can forget about our precious moon? Whose gravity helps to lock the Earth, stabilizing her rotations? Without the moon, Earth would wobble uncontrollably, it would be chaos! Temperatures would spike from Geneseo sunshine one day to frigid Antarctic winds the next, (though it already does, but that’s besides the point). How could life possibly survive under these harsh conditions? I think it highlights just how lucky we are to be given Earth as our host, to be nursed to life by our beautiful planet. And after all, we were raised from the ground, so we must be one with it.
Lastly, I suppose it raises the question, what is more important: the progenitors of life, or life itself? What do you guys think?
Throughout St. Augustine's Confessions, he returns again and again to the mistake he made in thinking God was a substance. He believed the Lord to be as a human figure, someone he could touch and see. This was interesting to me because it made me think of how I've always imagined God to look like growing up. As a child, I always thought of God as being this massive man that was bigger than Earth itself. I pictured him with a flowing white beard and hair to match the toga like clothing he wore. I thought of him as strong, muscular and brave. He was a figure that I had created in my mind to look as a person I would feel safe by. I'm not sure if this is a representation of solely my imagination, if I got the idea from pictures and readings, or perhaps a little bit of all three. Whichever way this image was created, it seems to connect to the idea that St. Augustine had. I think that it is very hard for people to see things in ways that are unfamiliar to them. We have a hard time imagining things that do not exist in our world because we base our ideas off of what is already known. Seeing God in the form of a human being rather than a pure essence is comforting to us because we are familiar with this idea.
This also brought my mind back to the reading of the Old Testament. In class we had discussed what it meant when the Bible stated that God created man in his own image. There was dispute between those who believed this meant that God in fact does look like a human, and those who think it was meant in a more ethical way. My standpoint was the latter of the two because by this point of my life, I am aware that God is a bigger power than any of us can be. We cannot see him but according to the Bible and the Qur'an we can hear him and receive messages from him in a variety of forms. A human would not be able to do this. God wants all of his creatures to be genuinely good and live in happiness. Once Saint Augustine figured this out, he was able to read the Scriptures more easily and enjoy the stories and messages behind them.
Reading the verses of Jesus in the Qur'an really opened my eyes to what Muslims really believe about the "People of the Book," as well as their view of where Jesus stands in relation to God. It was really interesting to see that according to Muslims, it would be an insult to make Jesus the son of God, whereas in the Bible, Jesus being the son of God is a heavily accepted part of Christianity.
It was also interesting, therefore, that instead of Jesus being referred to as the son of God, he was usually referred to as the son of Mary. In class today, I saw a photo of Mary that seemed like some sort of proof that she actually taught Jesus, giving off the idea that she was actually an educated woman. Another interesting thought I had was about the crucifixion of Jesus. Whereas the Bible mentions in detail the crucifixion, the Qur'an mentions that Jesus was not actually killed, even though he dies later.
Reading about Jesus in the Qur'an helped me learn again that Muslims are very accepting of "People of the Book," which was why I felt a little hurt on the inside watching the Qur'an being burnt by a pastor ignorant about the world around him. If more people knew about these facts, then there would be less ignorance about Islam. Therefore, because of this understanding, people will start to distinguish true Islam from its more violent, terrorism-oriented sects.
I agree with your idea that if more people knew about these facts, then there would be less ignorance about Islam. I too felt hurt and guilty when we watched the video of the Qur’an being burned by the pastor. This display shows how truly ignorant the leaders and supporters of the anti-Islamic campaigns are, and I highly doubt that these people have a clue what the Qur’an says or have read more than a few pages. I feel that this is common with a lot of people around the world. I feel that ignorance is what leads to the riots and uproars, but most of the time this is what the displays are trying to cause. There is so much that can be learned from the Qur’an that could benefit society as a whole. The Islamic faith encourages acceptance and the pursuit of knowledge. People unaware of these strong morals that shape the Islamic faith just stereotype Muslims as all bad because of the connection to September 11th and other terrorist acts. However, this is such a horrible stereotype and does not represent the mass of the Islamic community. If more people were informed, I agree with you that there would be more acceptance between people of the Islamic faith and people from other faiths. I also found it interesting to find out the differences between the story of Jesus in the Qur’an and the Bible. Personally, I respect the Qur’an and its followers for not saying negative comments about Jesus even though they do not believe he is the son of God. I also appreciate how highly the Qur’an speaks of Mary and how they portray her as an educated woman. Overall I agree with you about how reading Jesus in the Qur’an was interesting and opened the reader’s eyes to what Muslims believe about the “People of the Book”.
While reading St. Augustine’s Confessionsˏ something interesting stood out to me and that was Augustine’s explanation of God in the first book. While I was raised Christian and attended Church every Sundayˏ I never really thought about God as a being. While yes I understood God to be a divine entityˏ I never considered what that meant. St. Augustine however explores the idea of God’s unity with the universe when he initially asksˏ “how can one call for what one does not recognize?” With this question St. Augustine begins to ask questions that Iˏ as someone who regards themselves as a religious and well-educated personˏ have never really thought of before. As Augustine poses this questionˏ he also presents very philosophical answers to that question. His first answer is that faith is how we can call for God even though we do not recognize him. This does not remain the answer though and instead Augustine looks deeper into the question. He tries to understand what more God really isˏ his presence in every living thing and his divinity over the universe. In pursuit of this questionˏ Augustine dismisses what he regards as the frivolities and follies of his society and as such his philosophical endeavors take a very interesting turn. While reading Confessionsˏ not only did I begin to question what I thought in terms of my own beliefsˏ but I also saw the parallels between Platoˏ the Qur’an and Confessions. During my readings I came to realize that all three of these texts tell of self-exploration and finding the “light” as it’s called in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. This similarity between the three texts from seemingly completely different cultures further emphasizes how these cultures are not actually so different. While generally speaking the Church has not had a great track record with people questioning its teachingsˏ St. Augustine’s Confessions brings to light the need for philosophical questioning that is a thread in all major philosophical teachings no matter the culture from which they originated.
I thought your comparison to the Allegory of the Cave and the other two texts was dead on. For me one of the easiest things to take away from Saint Augustine’s Confessions was just how important philosophy is. Throughout the books it becomes evident that his ability to question the truth around him in order to further his learning. If he didn’t have the philosophical background he would have never moved past his dedication to the Manichee religion. Once he was able to question the framework of it he was able to see that he disagreed with their beliefs. I also liked that you mentioned how he never stops questioning things. It seems as though he is always trying to grasp a better understanding of God as the books progress and he grows up. So I would definitely agree with you on the importance of having a philosophical understanding, no matter who the person or the culture they’re from.
You make a very good point about philosophical question and the similarities between Plato, the Qur'an and Confessions. I think that since humans do not know how or why they exist, it is underrated to not question it. It's almost a taboo conversation in society due to the lack of knowledge we have. However these works of literature have really created our minds to reach out of confront zones, they highlight people who have had the courage to question our world and God. These philosophers are the ones figuring it out and are not avoiding the truth about different aspects of life. Self-exploration is a fundamental part of learning, even though there is no concrete answer to life, its important to question it now and then just like St. Augustine.
Saint Augustine’s Confessions surprised me a bit, due to the fact that Augustine made many mistakes as a child and young adult and is willing to talk about them openly. Usually when one thinks of a saint they assume that they are very good and were always that way. But, Augustine is not ashamed to reveal the truth behind his coming to God. Augustine explores the concept of his guilt of sin even as a child. This subject of sinful children has a great many good points in it. Seldom is it thought that a tantrum of a child is a sin for that person, because we assume they do not know any better, but do they? Augustine brings up a good point that children sin even before they are able to talk because they are in want of their own way and will do anything to get it. Such is the character of human nature. Even wee children are faced with the challenge of temptation to sin. I believe this can be related to Plato’s definition of justice. Every human knows what he or she are and are not suppose to be doing, as long as they have the intellect to know so. Children learn quickly and cannot be given much of an excuse if they do something sinful. They know that to get what they want they must make a fuss, even though they know they are not meant to have what they want. I almost think that we as humans are born with the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, but it would be up to the individual whether or not they utilize this ability, or choose to ignore it.
ReplyDeleteAs Augustine progressed in age he became engulfed with trials of the human want, and did not resist temptation. He admits that he pursued his sexual wants, divulged into the temptation of robbery and took delight in the observed suffering of others. He even tried to deny the fact that he was doing wrong, because he decided to embrace his instinctive human nature. Later in life he pursued education and started to become a very educated man, without putting his education toward the identification of religion. He even ridiculed religion with his friends, saying how ridiculous different aspects were. Regardless of all this defying nature, his mother, Monica, never gave up on hoping and praying that her son would someday find God and rejoice in Him. Never did she waiver in this life long goal, and she declared as she was dying that she was ready to die now that her son had become faithful to God. This shows the goodness, strength and undying faith of woman, for Augustine looks up to his mother Monica and eventually in Book 9 expresses how faithful and trusting Monica is in God. In Book 9, Augustine is said to have been enlightened towards God and he explores the wants of the body and compares them to the needs of the soul. He finally realizes that things of this earth are only for gain on this earth and will not be preserved when one dies, but things of the soul will last forever and will stay with one into the afterlife. So, I think that Augustine’s thoughts and journey to God are very relatable to any person, for we all go through struggles in life, and it is up to us to ask for and pursue the strength to overcome them.
I also find it interesting how he did not start off as a saint. It is very strange to hear about a saint who did so many things that are considered sins. I agree with your statement about how children quickly learn right from wrong but I believe that the parents have a large part in how they establish it and how long it takes them to realize. St. Augustine's Confessions is a really interesting book about how God forgives all those who eventually realize what they are doing is wrong. I agree that it is relatable to everybody especially the idea that it is never to late to do the right thing. I also completely agree with what you said about how it is up to us to to overcome obstacles in our lives.
DeleteI had the same thoughts as you on how Augustine is a saint that spend most of his youth sinning. It's interesting to see that something like stealing pears from a tree is seen as such a bad sin when today some people would not think twice before doing it. Another thing that I found really interesting was that Augustine saw reading fictional books as a sin as well. That is such a strange thought in today's world because the majority of people in the United States have grown up learning morals and lessons from the fictional books they have us read throughout our school years. But it kind of goes along with the idea that Plato had when in Plato's Republic he believed that any kind of book or teaching that depicted Gods in a negative way should be banned. But the way that Augustine views his sins also makes sense when you look at the fact that he was educated in rhetoric and getting messages across so the idea of over exaggerating helps to tell his life story in a way that gets people more interested.
DeleteI also agree that it is interesting that Augustine did not begin life as a saint; gradually coming to terms with what it means to believe in god after a living a life he later described as sinful, rather than embodying sainthood from infancy as people might believe. However, I disagree with the idea that Augustine’s life truly was sinful in his childhood and young adulthood.
DeleteAugustine spends much of the beginning chapters of Confessions detailing how infants are inherently sinful, as they selfishly cry to get what they want, and never express gratitude. I found this ridiculous as I was reading the text, and only think it more so after our class discussion today. Psychologically, as we know today, children cannot even comprehend the concept of sin, let alone reflect upon their own behavior. Despite Bernadette’s argument that children can quickly learn right from wrong, the development of morality is very complex. Up until the teenage years, most children can only concept morality or “sin” in terms of what parents tell them, as they cannot yet think critically. Even older children still make mistakes, and something as insignificant as stealing a pear does not make someone drown in sin.
Reading more of the Qu’ran and comparing it to the bible has been interesting because of how similar they are. Most people are not aware of how similar they are. Again, there was mention of the “People of the Book” and acceptance and tolerance were stressed. “Those who believe (in the Qu’ran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians, — any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” This verse was one of my favorites in the section of the People of the Book because it specifically mentions all of those who are under the People of the Book and shows how tolerant those who believe in the Qu’ran are towards Christianity and Judaism. This is important to know, considering the bad reputation that Muslims have in America. Watching the video of the Qu’ran being burned by Americans was very hurtful to witness. If those people had more knowledge about the actual religion and their holy book, they would be able to see how similar the Qu’ran is to their own holy book, the Bible. This anger and hate is bred by ignorance to other cultures and their beliefs, and unfortunately, by placing an entire population in the same category as one group of extremists. Burning a Qu’ran is similar to burning a Bible because the bulk of the stories and beliefs are consistent with one another. It is amazing to see that people would use such aggression against a book and religion that is so accepting of others.
ReplyDeleteEven though the Qu’ran and Bible are similar, there are some differences. A main difference is how Jesus is portrayed in the Qu’ran as the son of Mary, rather than the son of God which is common in Christianity. Allah is seen as the creator of all things, even Jesus, but this does not make Jesus his son. Jesus is depicted as a prophet and messenger of Allah, working so that others will believe and ultimately find salvation. The verses of the Qu’ran state “It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a song. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, “Be,” and it is.” I like this verse because it depicts Allah as a creator, and there is only one entity like Him. Jesus, although he was given to Mary from Allah, is just a human being working for Allah — he is not a divine entity and is not any different from anyone else.
In reading the Book of Luke and the selections from the Qur’an for last week and this week, I found it very interesting the amount of material that the Bible and the Qur’an have in common. I was raised in a Christian household, going to church and Sunday School every week, and though I wasn’t often taught about other religions, when they were mentioned, it was usually to compare them to Christianity, to show that they were inferior in some way. Islam in particular was implicated as an inferior religion, and I remember being told that Muslims worshipped the prophet Mohammad as a God, which is, as we all know, not true. It was always emphasized how different Islam was from Christianity, and it is truly interesting to me to learn about their clear similarities now, especially when it comes to their portrayals of Jesus and the people around him.
ReplyDeleteIn class today we compared the mentions of Jesus in the Bible and the Qur’an, and it struck me how incredibly similar they were. Not only did they tell the same stories, they were so similar that, as our professor said, they seem as if they are two translations of a third original, or one is a translation of the other. They talked about Mother Mary and Jesus in such similar ways, revering both as very important to God, and even though Islam doesn't regard Jesus as son of God, it recognizes him as a very important human being—a prophet. I had known this previously, but seeing it so plainly in the Qur’an itself was eye opening. I was never told this in church, and I had extremely incorrect views about Islam for a long time because of the things I was taught about it at church.
The fact that the Qur’an shares so many stories about Jesus that I had previously viewed as purely Biblical was surprising as well to me. It tells of his immaculate conception, his miracles, and his ascension into heaven. Though it differs from the Bible in its view of Jesus as merely a prophet and its account of his crucifixion (or, rather, the lack thereof), the Qur’an is remarkably similar in most ways to the Bible when it comes to stories about Jesus.
I think the similarities between the Qur’an and the Bible definitely have current implications, especially to the Islamophobia that has plagued our country since 9/11/2001. Though not all attacks on Islam are from Christians, many are. I seriously doubt anyone who attacks Islam as “of the devil” or “evil” has ever learned much about Islam, much less ever read even part of the Qur’an. I believe that most hate is born out of ignorance, and I think that if more people—especially Christians—were educated on the similarities between the Qur’an and the Bible, some of this hate could be quelled.
I found Saint Augustine's challenges with the Manichees to be very interesting. The Manichees had argued that God is not all-powerful because of the fact that evil exists in the world. He is, according to the Manichees, constantly fighting against all evil, as if God and evil were somehow equal entities. Augustine saw God as the most pure form of existence. Nothing could be above God in terms of existence and truth. He goes on to talk about how evil is a lack of true existence, and is as far away from God as one could possibly get. This counters the argument that God is constantly fighting against evil, as God and evil are on opposite ends of this spectrum. Augustine describes how things closer to God are more pure than things that are evil, and the levels of existence change as such. This scale measures the distance between God and evil, and the measure of how close something is to God can be measured along this scale. This reminds me of the story of Lucifer, and how he fell out of grace with God when he refused to bow down to man after the creation of the Earth. Lucifer embodied pride and trickery, and while God allowed Lucifer to test some people in order to prove the strength of their faith, God was still the more powerful of the two. Lucifer only has as much control as God allows him to have, ultimately maintaining a higher status. The pure existence that Augustine describes leads to his next argument regarding God's permanence in a world full of non-permanent things. The Manichees argue that God is a physical being, but Augustine says that physical beings are transient, and that God is greater than what is limited to physical nature. Being non-physical allows God to be a more permanent figure, according to Augustine. This is interesting, because I personally find it difficult not to picture a physical entity when picturing God. It is harder to identify and recollect on a spiritual entity rather than a physical image, because it is much harder to describe in words the spiritual over the physical. I feel that Augustine made a great point in saying that God is not bound to a physical form; that He is able to reach out to everyone in a way that people cannot see, but can perhaps feel or sense. There are no words to describe the feeling of God, but He is there.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading your blog entry I found it very interesting that you compared a few of St. Augustine’s arguments and statements to the story of Lucifer and hiss fall from heaven. Lucifer’s fall was al due to his disagreement on Gods ideas which ended up in Lucifer rebelling leading him to falling from heaven (since he began as an angel) to hell. This is so interesting to me because according to the bible Angels are very close to God. Seen as how Lucifer was once an angel we can somewhat say that God and Lucifer have a connection. The connection is that there is that since God is good and everything that (according to St. Augustine) is far from God is less good (or evil.)
DeleteI found our class discussion today incredibly intriguing. Having been raised Christian, there are plenty of things about Islam and about the Qur’an that I had been mislead about. Each discussion we have about the Bible and Qur’an in comparison to one another gives me more and more realizations that they are incredibly similar. While, every detail is obviously not the same, there are many similarities and it brings up some questions.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought is this: Why do Christians look down on Muslims for their religion when there are so many shared beliefs? Sure, there are plenty of differences, but the similarities are plenty enough that is shouldn’t matter. It seems incredibly hypocritical to me.
Watching the YouTube video, in class, about the trial of the Qur’an and that it was found guilty, and blah, blah, blah was absolutely ridiculous. The video honestly made me chuckle. To think that some people can be so hypocritical as to say that Muslims are trying to “take over the world” via religion is so hypocritical. Like we discussed, we would be kidding ourselves if we tried to say every other religion wasn’t guilty of the same type of thing. But the extent to which the man in the video took it was blasphemous.
I also found the class discussion on Tuesday to be interesting. It seems that there are many people in this country who have to rely on limited media portrayals for their main source of education, because they refuse to educate themselves in other, more in depth ways. This reliance on the media creates ignorance about other cultures and religions. It it the job of news corporations and programs to educate the public about what is going on in the world and, the broadcasts must be brief and succinct because many people do not have time to spend most of their day learning about what is actually happening in other countries/their own country. I think it is at the fault of our culture in general because we place so much emphasis on "working hard" to gain an adequate pay check which does not leave individuals enough time or enough motivation to learn about the different ways in which people from different cultures/countries live.
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ReplyDeleteI found the Jesus in the Qur’an reading extremely interesting, especially having been raised in a Catholic home. The similarity of the texts, although written centuries apart, is striking. One concept I found interesting, which conflicts with what is taught in Christianity, are the verses which dismiss the concept of the Trinity. Line 171 states “Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not "Three (Trinity)" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is One God. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son.”
ReplyDeleteThis verse parallels with what we learned in class today that the Trinity is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible and was developed about 350 years after Jesus’ death with the Nicene Creed. Jesus never taught the Trinity, and to say he did could be a corruption of the text. Since the New Testament was not written by Jesus, but by his followers as well as people who were not there, some of the things they say he taught, like his own divinity may never have occurred and were recorded inaccurately. It could be argued that this is perhaps one of the reasons Muhammad was sent later to clarify the messages of Allah.
Overall though, the reading showed that Islam and Christianity have similar ideas about the events of Jesus’ life and him being a messenger of God/Allah, they just interpret whether or not that means he is divine differently. I think this is an aspect of Islam many Americans are unaware of. Too many ignorant Americans believe the Qur’an and Islam are against Christianity and Jesus overall, when really Jesus is very highly spoken of in the religion.
I agree with you that I also found the representation of Jesus in the Quran interesting. I liked how you focused on the idea of the trinity but I would also like to add the difference between the story of the birth of Jesus. Of course in the Bible where Jesus plays an important role because of the idea of the Trinity, the story of his birth is a miracle since Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem and give birth in a stable. Then they were showered by gifts from wise men and shepherds. In the Quran the birth story plays out quite different. Mary has the immaculate conception just like in the Bible, but in the Quran there is no Joseph. Since there is no Joseph everyone of her town exiles her to the desert since she is seen as a “slut” for lack of a better term. She gives birth to Jesus in the middle of the desert under a palm tree given to her by God that when she shook the tree she was provided with dates, and her legs were in a river that was also provided by God so that she had something to drink. It’s obvious as to why the Quran leaves out the idea of Jesus being showered with gifts when he is born based on the idea that they do not follow the holy trinity and original sin. Since they don’t believe in original sin, there is no need for a messiah, meaning there is no need for “The Son of God” (What Jesus is referred to in the Bible under the idea of the Trinity) so there was no need to shower a mere prophet with gifts from wise men and shepherds. That is also why there is the repetition of the line “son of Mary” when referring to Jesus. In the end I find it interesting how Jesus is portrait in the Quran since I too was raised as a Christian. I also agree that many Americans are ignorant for calling it blasphemy since it portraits Jesus so beautifully.
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ReplyDeleteIn my studies here at Geneseo I have been exposed to the religious ignorance of Americans. I’m an international relations major and I find it very interesting to learn about the Arab world and Islam. For many it seems like a distant primitive culture compared to the economic “powerhouse” that is the United States. This is certainly not the case, although our political systems and religious beliefs may vary, it does not mean that is not working for that country and culture. Religion is without a doubt an important aspect of civilization that promotes faith and good teachings. What most don’t understand is how similar these teachings are in their message as well as personnel. This year especially I have grown to find the relationship between the West and the Arab world extremely interesting and worth understanding. The majority of Americans do not understand Islam and are quick to assume that Muslims are out to destroy America. In reality it is our country that is causing tensions and insurgences for failing to understand a culture whose foundation is very similar to our own. Our religious teachings are rooted with the same prophets and similar stories that praise community and good deeds. Of course, as we know, there are differences between the scriptures but the central message remains the same. Although not seen as the son of God, Jesus in the Qur’an is highly praised as a great prophet. In addition Mary, an important figure in the Bible, is actually mentioned more in the Qur’an than she is in the Bible. With this being said it’s hard to believe that certain people could have such hatred for another culture. Sure 9/11 changed the perception of Islam in Americans eyes but it was not fueled by Islamic teachings, but rather by extremist that altered the messages in the Qur’an. It is evident that this goes over a lot of peoples heads including our own government, just today a police unit was disbanded that was used to spy on Muslims in our own country. The secretive unit is now involved in two federal lawsuits. Only by truly understanding Islam and its culture can we ease these unnecessary tensions.
The discussion in class today really opened my eyes to today’s society and the ignorance that so many people have in this country. I found myself literally laughing at what the priest from Florida had to say about Islam and its teachings. He sounded absolutely ridiculous as if he was making up everything he was saying and had no education on the matter. At one point he made a claim that Islam was the reason for 9/11 and that all Muslims backed up the actions of that day. He also claimed that “It is Islam’s mission to dominate the world, to replace local governments, to replace the constitution of the United States,” and that all the major troubles around the globe today are because Islam is trying to dominate and suppress peoples’ freedoms.
ReplyDeleteNow I will be honest I am someone who knows very little about Islam and the Muslim people as a whole, and knew close to nothing before taking this class. However, I do know that the teachings in the Qur’an and what Muslims believe is not parallel to the acts of 9/11. These acts were performed by Muslims, but they were a separate group of people who were extremists and people think this encompasses the Muslims as a whole. The priest in Florida, Terry Jones, is doing something offensive and threatening to Muslims around the World. I can’t comprehend how he can say that Islam of the Devil and that burning the Qur’an isn’t going against freedom of religion. Someone who know absolutely nothing about either Christianity or Islam can see that these acts are offensive and wrong.
What makes this story the craziest to me is how similar Islam can be to Christianity when we actually look into it and spend some time find commonalities. After reading Jesus in the Qur’an I was shocked to read the stories of Mother Mary and Jesus as compared to the Bible. There are some obvious differences like the idea that Jesus is not the Son of God in the Qur’an and that he is a prophet here to spread the teachings of Allah. However, much of the story is very similar. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in both holy books and he it is known from the birth on that he is destined to be a very important part of the religion and its learnings. Just because Muslims don’t believe Jesus was God’s son on Earth does not mean they believe him to not be important. He is just as important as any other prophet in the Qur’an. Jesus performs miracles in the Qur’an just as he does in the Bible. The Virgin Mary is actually mentioned more times in the Qur’an than in the Bible. The story of John the Baptist is also a common story in both the Qur’an and the Bible.
I don’t understand how someone can stand in front of an entire church and preach about the importance of Jesus and the stories of John the Baptist, Mother Mary, and others, and then burn a holy book that has so many similar stories and beliefs. I’d like to ask him if he’s ever even read the book or knows of the many similarities he preaches to his church every Sunday. People find it easy to talk negatively about Muslims and their faith with pure ignorance, because it is not as well known of the teachings and similarities to Christianity. However, Muslims know that Christians also preach an importance of Jesus and have nothing negative to say about what they believe to be a prophet and very important teacher in the history of Islam. Reading Jesus in the Qur’an and seeing the youtube videos in class today makes me embarrassed about some of the actions that Americans and Christians specifically take towards Muslims. They are blindly in rage at people who are not unlike themselves. There are extremists from both religions who the majority does not support and we must realize this to try to move forward in freedom of religion.
I agree with you on how ignorant our country is. Although I am positive that most countries that are NOT religion-oriented are probably in the same boat as those who are, it is interesting to see the significance and quickly we point fingers at the group as a whole. As someone who is grew up religiously and is Christian, the story of the priest in Florida also surprised me. It's easier to see the perspective of the extremist such as those who attacked during 9/11 and the priest and also see the perspective of all the other people who get fingers pointed at just because they are associated and considered a member of the significant group, whether its religion or race. The priest was an extreme case of his beliefs, and I believe that definitely goes against what he believes in and learns. I, as someone who ultimately is part of his religion, when grouped as one, can see the understanding of how muslims who are pointed fingers at, where there is shame and misunderstanding. After reading the Quran, I definitely see that what happened during the attacks has completely against what they believe in, and not what should normally be expected of them. I think the Quran may be the most understanding and open of scriptures compared to other books.
DeleteThe fact that people have so much trouble accepting one another, especially in a country where we are made of up all different races, where essentially none of us are actually 'originally' from here is extremely scary.
Reading these parts of the Qur'an I realized that there are a lot more similarities with the Bible than I ever would have thought. I never actually realized before that Jesus was in the Qur'an. He is obviously portrayed a bit differently, but he is still there. In the Qur'an Jesus is just another prophet while in the Bible he is held higher as the Son of God. There are several stories including the birth of Jesus that are very similar in both the Bible and the Qur'an. Another similar story is how Elizabeth had a child when she was well aged and barren.
ReplyDeleteI also have realized how ignorant several Americans are. It is ridiculous how Americans act towards others whom aren't exactly the same as them. They are horrible towards Muslims even though Muslims are taught how imortant Jesus is and they learn the same Bible stories as Christians. Also, in the Qur'an, Christians and Jews are highly spoken of. It is not okay that Christians in America look down upon and act like Muslims are completely different and harmful towards us. The things that some Christians have done towards Muslims is starting to make it appear as if Christians are the ones to be afraid of.
I grew up in church and never once learned more about the Qur'an and Muslims until I came to this class really. I was definitely ignorant. Now though I have learned how similar things I have learned and been taught in church are to things the Qur'an teaches. Americans are stupid for allowing themselves to be ignorant about such a thing.
I noticed many similarities between the Qur’an and the New Testament; however, the one aspect that stuck out to me the most was how Jesus was portrayed. I was raised in a Christian family and after taking years of religion, I formed this idea of Jesus being the son of God and basically being his incarnate. I read the New Testament again for class and it was all a review, so I never thought about the role of Jesus in this way. It was when I read the Qur’an that these thoughts occurred to me.
ReplyDeleteIn the Qur’an Jesus is not the son of God; he is the son of Mary and a prophet of God (Allah). It was clear that Allah was the only God, and God had no sons. “Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute” (Quran 19: 34). This was different for me, and I did not fully understand Jesus’ role after reading it. “And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: ‘O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you...’” (Quran 61:6). It is stated multiple times throughout the Quran that Jesus was the messenger of Allah and if anyone said he was the son of Allah, they were to be cursed. Both religious books, however, refer to Jesus as the Messiah, which means “God’s anointed,” so it is clear that Jesus is an important figure in both religions.
Another interesting aspect in the Quran that sparked my interested was the fact that they did not state that Jesus was crucified. This came as a shock to me as well since Jesus’ crucifixion has been accepted and undisputed throughout all sects of Christianity. This event was drilled into my head and continues to be discussed whenever I go to church. Since this is the first time I am reading the Qur’ran, this is also the first time I am hearing of a religion that does not discuss Jesus’ death in the same way. The Qur’an does not specify how he died exactly, which raises the question of how Jesus actually died. It forces me to think outside of Christianity and realize there are so many other ways to interpret Jesus and his life.
Like many people who posted last week, I’d have to agree that St. Augustine’s Confessions was an enjoyable read and a nice change of pace. It wasn’t a light read, but it also wasn’t nearly as daunting as trying to decipher all the obscurities littered throughout earlier readings like the Aeneid. Instead, I found Augustine’s use of such eloquent metaphors in representing his childhood to be really well executed! That’s really saying something for a book written over a millennia ago and undergoing multiple translations!
ReplyDeleteIn book 4, St. Augustine asserts that it is human intelligence is the ultimate manifestation of beauty under God. He stresses that there is more beauty to be found in a pious life guided by Jesus, more than any of the planets or stars combined could ever possess. These views are most logical; as Augustine’s devoutness is the very image of a life fulfilled under Jesus. And yet those curious celestial bodies, scattered across the skyscape, how special they still are.
I’ll share an alternate view to Augustine, however. For without the sun we just wouldn’t exist. It constantly nourishes the Earth with energy. Our oceans aren’t freezing, and the circle of life is still flowing. I thank most the sun. It brought the Earth into existence.
And who can forget about our precious moon? Whose gravity helps to lock the Earth, stabilizing her rotations? Without the moon, Earth would wobble uncontrollably, it would be chaos! Temperatures would spike from Geneseo sunshine one day to frigid Antarctic winds the next, (though it already does, but that’s besides the point). How could life possibly survive under these harsh conditions? I think it highlights just how lucky we are to be given Earth as our host, to be nursed to life by our beautiful planet. And after all, we were raised from the ground, so we must be one with it.
Lastly, I suppose it raises the question, what is more important: the progenitors of life, or life itself? What do you guys think?
Throughout St. Augustine's Confessions, he returns again and again to the mistake he made in thinking God was a substance. He believed the Lord to be as a human figure, someone he could touch and see. This was interesting to me because it made me think of how I've always imagined God to look like growing up. As a child, I always thought of God as being this massive man that was bigger than Earth itself. I pictured him with a flowing white beard and hair to match the toga like clothing he wore. I thought of him as strong, muscular and brave. He was a figure that I had created in my mind to look as a person I would feel safe by. I'm not sure if this is a representation of solely my imagination, if I got the idea from pictures and readings, or perhaps a little bit of all three. Whichever way this image was created, it seems to connect to the idea that St. Augustine had. I think that it is very hard for people to see things in ways that are unfamiliar to them. We have a hard time imagining things that do not exist in our world because we base our ideas off of what is already known. Seeing God in the form of a human being rather than a pure essence is comforting to us because we are familiar with this idea.
ReplyDeleteThis also brought my mind back to the reading of the Old Testament. In class we had discussed what it meant when the Bible stated that God created man in his own image. There was dispute between those who believed this meant that God in fact does look like a human, and those who think it was meant in a more ethical way. My standpoint was the latter of the two because by this point of my life, I am aware that God is a bigger power than any of us can be. We cannot see him but according to the Bible and the Qur'an we can hear him and receive messages from him in a variety of forms. A human would not be able to do this. God wants all of his creatures to be genuinely good and live in happiness. Once Saint Augustine figured this out, he was able to read the Scriptures more easily and enjoy the stories and messages behind them.
Reading the verses of Jesus in the Qur'an really opened my eyes to what Muslims really believe about the "People of the Book," as well as their view of where Jesus stands in relation to God. It was really interesting to see that according to Muslims, it would be an insult to make Jesus the son of God, whereas in the Bible, Jesus being the son of God is a heavily accepted part of Christianity.
ReplyDeleteIt was also interesting, therefore, that instead of Jesus being referred to as the son of God, he was usually referred to as the son of Mary. In class today, I saw a photo of Mary that seemed like some sort of proof that she actually taught Jesus, giving off the idea that she was actually an educated woman. Another interesting thought I had was about the crucifixion of Jesus. Whereas the Bible mentions in detail the crucifixion, the Qur'an mentions that Jesus was not actually killed, even though he dies later.
Reading about Jesus in the Qur'an helped me learn again that Muslims are very accepting of "People of the Book," which was why I felt a little hurt on the inside watching the Qur'an being burnt by a pastor ignorant about the world around him. If more people knew about these facts, then there would be less ignorance about Islam. Therefore, because of this understanding, people will start to distinguish true Islam from its more violent, terrorism-oriented sects.
I agree with your idea that if more people knew about these facts, then there would be less ignorance about Islam. I too felt hurt and guilty when we watched the video of the Qur’an being burned by the pastor. This display shows how truly ignorant the leaders and supporters of the anti-Islamic campaigns are, and I highly doubt that these people have a clue what the Qur’an says or have read more than a few pages. I feel that this is common with a lot of people around the world. I feel that ignorance is what leads to the riots and uproars, but most of the time this is what the displays are trying to cause. There is so much that can be learned from the Qur’an that could benefit society as a whole. The Islamic faith encourages acceptance and the pursuit of knowledge. People unaware of these strong morals that shape the Islamic faith just stereotype Muslims as all bad because of the connection to September 11th and other terrorist acts. However, this is such a horrible stereotype and does not represent the mass of the Islamic community. If more people were informed, I agree with you that there would be more acceptance between people of the Islamic faith and people from other faiths. I also found it interesting to find out the differences between the story of Jesus in the Qur’an and the Bible. Personally, I respect the Qur’an and its followers for not saying negative comments about Jesus even though they do not believe he is the son of God. I also appreciate how highly the Qur’an speaks of Mary and how they portray her as an educated woman. Overall I agree with you about how reading Jesus in the Qur’an was interesting and opened the reader’s eyes to what Muslims believe about the “People of the Book”.
DeleteWhile reading St. Augustine’s Confessionsˏ something interesting stood out to me and that was Augustine’s explanation of God in the first book. While I was raised Christian and attended Church every Sundayˏ I never really thought about God as a being. While yes I understood God to be a divine entityˏ I never considered what that meant. St. Augustine however explores the idea of God’s unity with the universe when he initially asksˏ “how can one call for what one does not recognize?” With this question St. Augustine begins to ask questions that Iˏ as someone who regards themselves as a religious and well-educated personˏ have never really thought of before.
ReplyDeleteAs Augustine poses this questionˏ he also presents very philosophical answers to that question. His first answer is that faith is how we can call for God even though we do not recognize him. This does not remain the answer though and instead Augustine looks deeper into the question. He tries to understand what more God really isˏ his presence in every living thing and his divinity over the universe. In pursuit of this questionˏ Augustine dismisses what he regards as the frivolities and follies of his society and as such his philosophical endeavors take a very interesting turn. While reading Confessionsˏ not only did I begin to question what I thought in terms of my own beliefsˏ but I also saw the parallels between Platoˏ the Qur’an and Confessions. During my readings I came to realize that all three of these texts tell of self-exploration and finding the “light” as it’s called in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.
This similarity between the three texts from seemingly completely different cultures further emphasizes how these cultures are not actually so different. While generally speaking the Church has not had a great track record with people questioning its teachingsˏ St. Augustine’s Confessions brings to light the need for philosophical questioning that is a thread in all major philosophical teachings no matter the culture from which they originated.
I thought your comparison to the Allegory of the Cave and the other two texts was dead on. For me one of the easiest things to take away from Saint Augustine’s Confessions was just how important philosophy is. Throughout the books it becomes evident that his ability to question the truth around him in order to further his learning. If he didn’t have the philosophical background he would have never moved past his dedication to the Manichee religion. Once he was able to question the framework of it he was able to see that he disagreed with their beliefs. I also liked that you mentioned how he never stops questioning things. It seems as though he is always trying to grasp a better understanding of God as the books progress and he grows up. So I would definitely agree with you on the importance of having a philosophical understanding, no matter who the person or the culture they’re from.
DeleteYou make a very good point about philosophical question and the similarities between Plato, the Qur'an and Confessions. I think that since humans do not know how or why they exist, it is underrated to not question it. It's almost a taboo conversation in society due to the lack of knowledge we have. However these works of literature have really created our minds to reach out of confront zones, they highlight people who have had the courage to question our world and God. These philosophers are the ones figuring it out and are not avoiding the truth about different aspects of life. Self-exploration is a fundamental part of learning, even though there is no concrete answer to life, its important to question it now and then just like St. Augustine.
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