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Green Book Store
May 28th
Green Book Store
One wonders if a green book store is one that sells only green related books. While the genre certainly has its strong showing, it is probably better to offer some variety in the books that are sold in the book store. It would be better to have the term “green book store” refer to the way that the business is run rather than the type of books that are sold there. What kind of skills do I need?
You should have a deep interest in books. A degree in library services, literature, writing, journalism or dual degrees in any combination of these is advisable. A business degree is also helpful, especially considering the state of the small book store market. Additional skills that would be helpful to have would include people skills, an excellent eye for a bargain and good negotiating skills so that you can get distributors to give your small business good prices. Another consideration would be the ability to convince authors to come to a smaller venue for book signings, readings and other events. What is the target market?
Depending on the exact books that you sell, you will be attracting people tired of the cookie cutter, big market book stores that sell only certain types of books from only certain authors. Selling unique books means that you will have different customers as well as established customers who will come in frequently to see what new items you have uncovered. Small book stores may do well in college towns, especially if there are other interesting items as well. Who is the competition?
The main competition for the smaller book store of every variety are the large, corporate-run franchise book stores and the book section of the big retail stores. While it may be assured that none of these will be green in any way, neither will they carry many green books. They will have the price advantage because of their sheer size. What do I need to get started?
To get started, you need a selection of the books that you want to sell and a building from which to sell them. If you cannot afford the space on your own, you could negotiate with a coffee shop or café and set up in one part of their shop making your store a neighborhood location and community gathering spot as well. Apply for small business loans and grants, including those for green education, making sure that you are ready to answer questions about what you plan to do to help your community reach as many of its green goals as possible.
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Related Book Of Ezra Articles
The Book of Esther
May 28th
The Book of Esther
The Book of Esther
Esther is not a very popular book.
Not many people preach on Esther. Indeed, the lectionary, if you know how that works, only encourages us to read it once every three years. Unlike the gospel of Mark, for instance, from which we will read something like 50 times over the course of this year, we get only this one reading from Esther this year, after which the book retires to its quiet canonical spot until 2003.
It is an unpopular book. More – it is a controversial book. More – it is a book about which no less a character than Martin Luther said that he ‘hated’ it. That it was ‘perverse’ – ‘filled with much pagan impropriety’.
Esther is one of only two books in the Bible that never mentions the name of God. It shares this singular honour with the Song of Songs, which is also a controversial book.
It’s not just that the book doesn’t mention God by name. It’s that there is so little that is ‘godly’ going on in the book. There is no worship, no reading of the Bible, no persons of outstanding godly character in the book of Esther. There is no mention of the great Biblical themes of covenant and grace. There doesn’t even seem to be any love in Esther! Sex, yes, there’s plenty of sex in Esther – another point of similarity with the Song of Songs. Yet Esther goes one step beyond Songs by bringing in that other great Hollywood theme – violence.
Esther is a violent book. There is a lot of bloodshed in Esther. There seem to be a good hundred thousand people killed in the story of Esther – men, women, and children – and Esther herself does much of the killing.
This raises two questions:
Why hasn’t somebody made a major motion picture based on the story of Esther?
Why is this book in the Bible?
I’m going to shelve both of these questions until we’ve looked at the story, so that you might be in a better position to make up your own minds.
Chapter 1 introduces us to both the environment of the story and to one of the main characters. We are in Persia in the late 5th Century B.C. The Jews are living in exile, and a king by the name of Ahasuerus is on the throne.
Ahasuerus is better-known elsewhere in history by another name – Xerxes – and is best known for his complete failure to conquer the Greeks in the earlier years of his reign.
Yesterday I watched some of a marathon being run. Many of you will know that the first marathon was run after the battle of Marathon – where one poor Greek guy ran so hard and fast after the battle to tell the good news of victory to his king that he died as soon as he had given the message!
Marathon was a victory to the Greeks over the Persians who were then led by Darius, Xerxes’ father. Xerxes returned to Greece to avenge his father’s defeat in 480 B.C. with an army that Herodutus numbered at 2.5 million! He defeated the Spartans at Thermopylae, but was then thoroughly destroyed by the Greeks in the naval battle of Salamis. He returned to his capital beaten but, like his father, and like his modern counterpart, Saddam Hussein, he managed initially to hang on to absolute power in his own region.
The other story I remember about Xerxes was that story about his friend who held a banquet for a great part of his army on the night before they headed off to battle. In the morning, the friend asked Xerxes if his youngest son might stay with him on the farm to help him look after it. He had three other sons in the army and wondered whether the youngest one might stay at home. Xerxes had the young lad brought forward, had the boy cut in half down the middle, had his army march between the two halves, and said to his friend ‘enjoy your son’s company’ or something like that.
Xerxes/Ahasuerus is not a godly man. Yet he is the absolute ruler of many nations and peoples in this story, including many Jews.
Chapter 1 also deals with Vashti, Xerxes’ wife, the first woman in the Bible to demonstrate feminine assertiveness. Xerxes and his mates are drunk and they invite Vashti in to come and join the fun. Vashti tells them to get stuffed. Xerxes responds with something as chauvinistic as Vashti’s action was feminist – he holds a beauty contest to find a fitting replacement for Vashti.
Xerxes pulls in girls from across the empire, has them dressed up and perfumed up, gives each of them a trial run in bed, and promises to the one who tickles his fancy most, that she will become the new queen of Persia. Enter Esther.
Chapter 2 outlines Esther’s rise to power. She pleases the king more than any of her contemporaries, and is much encouraged by her uncle Mordechai – himself a loyal servant of the king who helps to uncover a plot to assassinate Xerxes, and so earns the king’s favour.
Both Esther and Mordechai are Jews, but Mordechai seems to prefer to remain quiet about his Jewishness, and encourages Esther to do the same. Why? Because there seems to be a fair degree of anti-Semitism spreading through the empire, as becomes clear in Chapter 3 when we meet Haman – the enemy of the Jews.
Why was Haman ‘the enemy of the Jews’? Because he was an Amalekite, and because Amalekites and Jews had always hated each other. The problem actually starts with Mordechai. Haman is appointed Prime Minister, and everybody bows and shows respect to him – everybody except Mordechai. Mordechai shows no respect to this man, despite his office. Why? Because he is a damned Amalekite.
This is a helpful reflection, I think, of the piety of Mordechai. What did it mean to him to be a Jew? Did it mean a personal devotion to the God of the Hebrews? Did it mean praying each day while facing Jerusalem? Did it mean a strict adherence to the 10 commandments? No! None of these things, but it did mean hating the Amalekites. Mordechai was not a model Jew.
Haman decides to punish Mordechai for his insolence by killing off all the Jews, and he convinces the king that this is a good idea. He sets a date for his holocaust 11 months hence.
In Chapter 4, Mordechai appeals to Esther for help. Esther says that she’d like to help but that she can’t really do anything at the moment because the king, it seems, has already grown sick of her. She’s not allowed to just waltz in for a chat with the king uninvited. The king is quite entitled to have her cut in half for showing that sort of insolence.
Mordechai tells her that she shouldn’t live under the illusion that she will be safe in the palace while others suffer. She will end up getting it in the neck too. Esther relents and in chapter 5 she takes her chances with Xerxes and wanders into his throne-room to invite him to dinner. Esther catches Xerxes in a good mood. He doesn’t kill her, but accepts the dinner invitation.
The king and Haman dine with Esther that night, which gets Haman so excited that he decides to accelerate his plans to murder Mordechai, and he builds a scaffold in his back yard to do the job.
Chapter 6 is a sort of comic relief, where the king can’t sleep one night and gets it in his head that he’s being troubled because he never gave Mordechai his proper reward for warning him about the assassination plot.
Xerxes calls in Haman to ask for some advice as to how he should reward Mordechai. Haman meanwhile has completed his gallows and was about to go and lynch Mordechai. When Xerxes asks Haman what he should do to reward one of his most loyal servants, Haman assumes that Xerxes is talking about him, and he recommends very lavish treatment. So it is that Haman ends up having to walk around ahead of Mordechai, singing the praises of the man he wants to kill.
In chapter 7 everything comes unstuck for Haman at another dinner party with the queen. Esther tells Xerxes that Haman is trying to kill her and all her people. Haman is promptly hoisted on his own petard.
Chapters 8 & 9 outline Esther’s revenge. With the cooperation of Xerxes, she manages to not only have Haman hanged, but also all his children, with their bodies hung up on display afterwards. She then asks the king if her people might not go on their own killing spree against their enemies, and indeed, she manages to have the best part of 100,000 people killed over the space of only a couple of days, which is an enormous amount of bloodshed.
Chapter 10 concludes by telling us that this story is remembered each year at the feast of Purim, as indeed it is still remembered by Jews around the world today. And the tradition is, and it’s an ancient tradition, that at the feast of Purim, you are allowed to drink so much wine that eventually you can’t tell the difference between the cries of ‘blessed be Mordechai’ and ‘cursed be Haman’.
This is related to one of the theories as to why the name of ‘God’ isn’t in the book. People were regularly so drunk when they read it, they might accidentally take the name in vain.
And so let us leave this tale of drunkenness, sex, and so much violence, and let us return to our original questions:
Why hasn’t somebody made a major motion picture based on the story of Esther?
Why is this book in the Bible?
The first question I’m not sure I can answer. The second question, I’m wanting to have a go at.
What’s this book doing in the Bible? It’s such a violent story. The characters all seem so ungodly. What sort of role models for our children to these Biblical figures make! It all seems so immoral, so violent, and so damn irreligious!
Maybe that’s the point we can get from this book. It points to the fact that there is an irreligious dimension to the Bible, as indeed, we might say, there is a very irreligious dimension to God!
It has been traditional of course to think of God as inhabiting a world of religion. God is present in His holy temple. God is present with his people gathered. God is at work through the prayers of those who serve him bringing miracles and healings and salvation and life. And all this is true.
And yet we know too that God who is present in His holy temple is also present in the palace of pagan king Xerxes at Susa. We know that God who meets us with His presence when we come to worship will also be present with us when we get home. We know that the God who works through the prayers of his faithful people will still be at work when nobody is praying and when there are no faithful people to be found!
In the book of Esther, nobody is faithfully praying to God, nobody is talking about God, nobody even seems to be thinking about God. But that doesn’t mean that God isn’t there. Indeed we, who can look at the story in the context of the larger body of the Scriptures, know full well what is going on. God is protecting His ancient people. God is fulfilling His promise made originally to Abraham that he would preserve these people. God is being true to the prophecies of hope given by the prophet Jeremiah to these people in exile. God is acting in amazing and mysterious ways to see that His will is done at this point in human history. It’s just that nobody in the story really recognises what is going on.
It seems like a series of happy coincidences for the Jews – Esther getting into a position of great influence, Mordechai being saved by the fact that the king had a bad night’s sleep one night, the fact that the king was in a good mood when Esther took her life into her hands by going to see him uninvited, the fact that Mordechai fortuitously overhead the plot against the king. To the person of no faith, these guys just seem to be lucky. A person of faith calls this ‘providence’.
Providence is that great reality that St Paul was pointing to when he said ‘all things work together for good for those who love and serve Him’. Providence doesn’t deny that God can work in wonderful and miraculous ways. It just asserts that God can also work through very human and very ordinary ways to ‘bring things together for good’. Providence doesn’t deny that God will work through the prayers and through the lives of those who serve him. It just asserts that where there is no one praying or serving, God is still capable of bringing all things together for good.
This is a great truth, though it can be a little disturbing, as it suggests that we might not be as essential to the plans of God as we might have thought.
You know what I mean? I like to think that the whole spiritual future of Dulwich Hill is entirely dependant on us. I believe that God has called us together in this place, and I believe that God has given us a mission in this area, and that it involves working with people on the periphery of our society, and that it involves building a Christian community that makes no distinctions between black and white people, between rich and poor, between educated and uneducated, between male and female, between righteous and less-than-righteous. I do believe that this is God’s will for us, that it is our calling, and that if we are faithful to God and can open our hearts and our homes to one another, then we will see this happen and God’s will will be done.
And yet, if I read rightly the book of Esther, it would suggest to me that, even if we don’t get our acts together, even if we stuff things up, and close our minds, and close our hearts and close our homes to one another, then God’s will will still be done!
This all seems a bit mysterious, but it is something that is addressed directly in the book of Esther itself. I want to turn to the text of the book of Esther again one more time, for there is a passage there that speaks very directly to this precise concern.
In Esher chapter 4, Mordecai says to to Esther:
“Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” (Esther 4:13-14)
Mordechai is appealing to Esther’s self-interest. Perhaps Esther was planning on dealing with the destruction of her people by minding her own business, Mordechai tells her in no uncertain terms that she will certainly get it in the neck too. But there is more to Mordechai’s threat:
If she fails to do what is required of her, Mordechai seems to be convinced that ‘deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter’. We’re not told why he was so convinced of this. Had he had a dream about it? Had he read about God’s promises to the Jews in the Bible? Did his parents tell him about these things when he was younger? We don’t know. But he certainly lets on that he sees some greater destiny controlling the future of his people than the royal decree of Xerxes.
He also wonders if Esther might not have been put in this position for just such a purpose. He doesn’t call it God and he doesn’t even call it ‘providence’. But he seems to believe that things happen for a reason, and he wonders if this might be Esther’s destiny?
Now Mordechai might not have got his theology all worked out, and Mordechai might not have read his Bible well enough to be able to articulate exactly what he intuits to be true, but I think we can fill in the blanks for him. Mordechai is right. It is no coincidence that Esther has been put in this position where she is able to save her people from destruction. God’s hand is in this. This is indeed God’s calling upon her. God has been working in His own mysterious ways as to so order events such that Esther is now given this divine opportunity for service.
And yet? if she doesn’t do it. If she fails her calling. If she keeps her mouth shut and consigns her people to destruction, yet (Mordechai is right) the promises of the Lord will prove true. God will not abandon his people. We can be confidant indeed that, as Mordechai says, ‘deliverance will arise from another quarter.’ God will find somebody else to do it!
Isn’t that a great analysis of the place of Esther in the plan of God – she is an important player, but she is not vital. She is significant, but not essential. Isn’t this a good framework within which to understand the part that we all play in the work of God?
We are all called by God to be servants of God and soldiers in the army of Christ – called to do His will in the various different roles to which he calls us. And if we follow Christ and we do as we have been called to do, then God’s will will be done and His work will be accomplished. And if we don’t genuinely follow Christ and we don’t do what we’re called to do, then God’s will will still be done and His work will still be accomplished – ‘deliverance will rise from another quarter’ – God will find somebody else will do it!
We are important players on God’s team, but we are not vital to the team. We play a significant role in the plans of God for this world, but not an essential role. Every good work we do in the name of Christ contributes to the final coming of His Kingdom. And yet, even if we fail completely in the works to which God has called us, His Kingdom will come anyway.
I find this strangely comforting when I think about our situation here in Dulwich Hill. God has called us together here to be his witnesses in this community. He has brought us together, I believe, to play that special role in caring for people on the periphery of our society. He has called us together to build us into that all-inclusive Christian community. And if we are willing to make the sacrifices and follow Christ and open our hearts and open our homes, then we will see God’s deliverance come to this place. And if we fail to do it, then, I guess ‘deliverance will come from another quarter’. God will choose some other group to do it. We’ll miss out on the privilege of being involved in that wonderful work. The work of the Kingdom of God will go on.
There is a beautiful perspective there in the book of Esther, I think, that takes seriously the ordinary secular human world in which we live in, and which recognises the validity of human decision making, and yet which, at the same time, recognises that this world is God’s world first and last, and that our decisions and actions, while significant, cannot ultimately over-rule God’s decisions about the future of this world.
We are real players in the divine drama, but ultimately He is the Alpha and Omega. He is the beginning and the end. He is the creator and He is the saviour. His is the future and His is the Kingdom. And if we can serve Him then we must serve Him. And if we fail, then we fail. And ‘If we perish, we perish’. And yet we can say in faith ‘Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Thy Kingdom come. Amen.’
Rev. David B. Smith
(the ‘Fighting Father’)
Parish priest, community worker,
martial arts master, pro boxer, author, father of three
www.fatherdave.org
Get a free preview copy of Dave’s book,Sex, the Ring & the Eucharist when you sign up
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Muslims Speak Out in New Book by Joel Richardson and Susan Crimp
May 28th
Muslims Speak Out in New Book by Joel Richardson and Susan Crimp
The penalty for renouncing Islam is death, which makes the stories in Why We Left Islam and the lives behind them all the more remarkable.
Contained in these brutally honest personal accounts written by former Muslims is an urgent truth that the mainstream media and cowed politicians won´t admit that far from being “a religion of peace,” Islam is instead barbaric and repressive, a nightmare for those living under it and those seeking to confront it.
We interviewed Joel Richardson, one of the co-authors of Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out (WND Books), to help us understand a religion that allowed persecution of the people of different faiths other than their own.
Thank you for this interview, Joel. Interesting subject. Why did you decide to write about this?
Thank you. This was a book that was essentially crying out to be published. The world is at a crossroadsright now. Whether we admit to or not, we are genuinely in the early stages of a clash between cultures. In the west, whether one is a liberal or a conservative, together we all deeply value the principles that our culture is founded on—the freedoms that hold so dear and respect for all human life etc. The problem is that in cultures where Islam has dominated for the past fourteen hundred years, these principles are not respected or are at the least shoved to the back of the line in terms of their priority when weighed against Islamic law. Whether one is a fundamentalist Christian or a devout Atheist, in the West, we all agree that principles and values such as freedom and human rights underscore every other principle or value that we may stand for. But in the Islamic world, one does not first ask if any particular act or law is in accordance with a proper respect for human rights, but rather one asks if it is in accordance with Islamic law and values first. In Islamic cultures, Islam is always the first and ultimate criterion for evaluating any act or law etc. So when asked the question as to whether death for apostasy is acceptable or not, the Westerner asks whether or not it is in accordance with the principles of freedom and respect for human life, while the Muslim mind—moderate or not—asks if it is in accordance with the proper interpretation of orthodox Islamic jurisprudence. If it doesn´t appear to be just on the surface, then so be it, one does not pit his own judgment against Allah´s laws. Who is wiser? So you see, this isn´t an issue that is going to go away any time soon and as such, the West has some very serious questions to ask itself and some very serious decisions to make if it wishes to survive. The stories that have been gathered in this collection were simply crying out to be heard. Susan and I didn´t really feel as though we had much of a choice in the matter.
I understand that the people you interviewed wished to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. What kind of impression did you get about their feel for the Islamic faith? Have they since denounced their faith?
Everyone in the book has denounced Islam. Most of them use a pseudonym, but some such as Parvin Darabi and Walid Shoebat choose to use their real names. Joel Richardson is actually a pseudonym that I use after I began receiving e-mail promising me that my family would be killed and that my head would be removed. The irony of this is that when this occurred a few years back, I wasn´t in nearly as deep as I am now. But I was in dialogue with a fellow that had converted to Christianity and I believe that the threats may have been related to that. But since that time, I have generally tried to use wisdom and a measure of caution. But overall in the US, we are fairly safe compared to even England or many European cities etc.
The stories range from those who converted to Christianity to those who converted to agnosticism or atheism. They all however agree that Islam is incompatible with the values and principles that I just mentioned. What makes these stories so compelling in this claim however is that these individuals have nothing to really gain by sharing their stories. They are clearly not agenda driven but simply wish the West to hear them out.
Has either of them been found out since the publication of the book?
No.
Of all the stories you heard, which one stood out in your mind as the cruelest or most heart-breaking?
That´s very difficult to say. There are a few that are beyond heart breaking. For some reason, the one that perhaps disturbed me quite a bit was—perhaps because I myself have daughters—the confessions of a fellow from Egypt who spent years literally kidnapping Christian girls and forcing them to convert to Islam. In one case, he drugged a young women, stripped her down and filmed her in this state. Mind you, you have to remember how deeply shame and honor based the eastern culture is. When this women came to, she was told that the film would be shown to her father and family, unless she converted to Islam. She was forced into an abusive marriage and didn´t see her family for years. Her life was ruined. This young man admits, now shamefully that he did these things to dozens of young Coptic Christian women, all for the “victory of Islam”. The stories are all very honest and some, like this one just are brutal in their telling.
Do you feel there are more Muslims out there who would like to speak out, but are afraid? What are they afraid of?
Absolutely, there are many Muslims and former Muslims who would like to speak out, but are afraid. Few westerners understand the degree to which the religion of Islam affects a culture and controls it through fear and intimidation. Wherever Islam rules, it creates a very oppressive atmosphere among the people. This can be true of any religious culture but most particularly among the most fundamentalist of all religions—Islam. Imagine how it would feel to know that your own mother or father might possibly literally kill you for making a well thought out decision of conscience. Yet many in the book have experienced just that. Sometimes the ramifications for speaking out are simply too great.
Why do you feel a need for your book to be read by everyone? What message are you trying to get across to Americans and the rest of the world through your book?
As I said above, the West is going to have to decide whether or not what we have is worth preserving. If it is, then we are going to have to develop a far greater resolve than we are presently showing. The book is actually prophetic in many ways in this regard. Right now, there is a poor Danish cartoonist and his wife who are literally moving from location to location, living in fear because assassins have actually been sent after them. For what? Because per the request of the newspaper that he worked for, he did his job and sketched out a crude and innocuous cartoon of Muhammad. So far, there is nothing surprising about this story. But when we learn that not only are many from within the Muslim world furious at him and calling for his death, but there are also many of his own Danish kinsman who are throwing him to the lions as well. What we are seeing is the early development of a sort of global psychosis similar to the Stockholm Syndrome. Fear is a powerful force. And if the West is going to survive, we are going to have to get past our fears and begin to stand united for the Danish cartoonists of this world. As Karl Popper, in his work The Open Society and Its Enemies, insisted, we simply cannot afford to be tolerant of the hyper-intolerant. Until the west wakes up and realizes what a suicidal position it is taking thus far in the early stages of this “clash of civilizations”, they will one day wake up to realize that its all gone. We in the West are good with our bumper stickers, but we are generally slow with action. “Free Tibet”. “Never Forget.” These are all good and fine, but when the “Never Forget” is beginning to happen again right before our eyes, then bumper stickers are no longer sufficient. Its time to stand up. Our hope is that this book will help folks from all ends of the political spectrum to do just that.
Thank you for this interview, Joel. Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out can be purchased through WND Books at www.wndbooks.com.
Dorothy Thompson is the CEO/Founder of Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion. You can visit her website at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com.
Life Is A Box Of Chocolates … NOT! A Sermon On The Book Of Job
May 28th
Life Is A Box Of Chocolates … NOT! A Sermon On The Book Of Job
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?†(Job 38:2)
Yes, I’m quoting God from the book of Job, chapter 38, second verse – a book that I’ve finally decided, reluctantly, needs to be looked at.
I say reluctantly because it’s a depressing book, and depressing not only because it deals with the series of depressing events that befall the story’s main character, but depressing too because the man’s search for an answer to his problems never gets a result that I find satisfying.
I’m assuming that you are at least a little familiar the book of Job, but in case you’ve never read it let me give you a quick outline:
The book of Job is about a called Job (no surprises there) – a character who we are told at the beginning of the book was “a blameless and upright man who feared God and turned away from evilâ€.
If you didn’t get to meet the historical Job, you’ve no doubt met his modern equivalents, and quite possibly in church. He’s the sort of guy who is so pristine and respectable that he probably makes you squirm a bit.
He’s the guy Winston Churchill described as having “all the virtues I despise and none of the vices I admireâ€. He’s just a little too clean and upright and Peter Perfect when we first meet him, but then everything falls apart for him.
All at once his children die, his livestock are killed, all his belongings are destroyed and he gets a terrible case of boils on his skin, and from this desperate position of physical and emotional desperation, Job begins his quest to get answers from God as to why such evil should befall a good man.
It’s a story that, up to this point, resonates with us on a number of levels. Job suffers. We too have suffered. We might not have suffered to the same extent that Job suffered and yet we would like to have answers just as Job wanted to have answers.
And so as Job goes on his quest – searching for answers to the things that don’t make sense in life, his quest becomes our quest, his questions are our questions, and if his God is our God, we look for his answer to become our answer.
Which is why it is so unsatisfying when we reach the climax of the story (some 38 chapters later) only to find that the answer God gives Job to his unjust suffering is some sort of riddle!
“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements – surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (38.1-7)
For thirty-eight chapters we hear Job pleading his case with God:
“I would speak to the Almighty†he says, “to argue my case with God.†(13:3)
And in Job’s pain his prose degenerates into poetry (as indeed poetry has been described as prose with violence done to it) as he laments his inability to get an answer to life’s questions:
“Where is wisdom to be found and where is the place of understanding? Humanity does not know the way to it. It is not found in the land of the living … it cannot be gotten for gold!†(28:12-13,15)
Job rails, depressed and yearning for death:
“Why is light given to him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, who long for death but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures†(3:20-21)
Job cries the cry of the human condition, without papering over the cracks in life with any glib clichés: And it’s that experience that I suspect we have all had, where the whole of creation seems to have gone into reverse – where instead of light appearing in the darkness, the light that we have been living in seems to be being increasingly eclipsed and enveloped by the darkness:
“When I looked for good, evil came; and when I waited for light, darkness came†(30:265)
And so Job cries out to God, not so much for relief, let alone a reversal of fortune, but simply for some way of making sense of it all, such that he can see that his pain is not meaningless.
And then God finally replies – out of the whirlwind God replies – but it’s not to be the reply we were hoping for:
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements – surely you know! …”
God’s tone seems cynical and aggressive, and God seems to completely fail to address the questions Job has raised. God resembles, in Job 38, a domineering school-teacher, giving a solid dressing-down to an errant schoolchild for having the temerity to ask too many questions.
“Who do you think you are, Job?†God asks. “Are you really the man to take me on over thisâ€, God taunts!
And then over the succeeding two chapters, God parades in front of Job a whole series of weird and wonderful animals – hippopotami, ostriches and crocodiles, and a whole array of things in the created order that also don’t seem to make any sense, and it all seems to be designed to belittle Job.
It’s a passage that brings back to me one of my most disheartening memories of University, where a friend of mine asked (what was deemed to be) an inappropriate question to one of our lecturers.
It was Psychology I, and the lecturer had been lecturing us on Freud for a number of weeks, and on that particular day he had been going on for some hours, if I remember, on the subject of dream interpretation – telling us how whenever we dream, all the elements in the dream, no matter how innocent they might appear, are really all just symbols for sexual activity of one sort or another.
And my friend asked what I thought to be a quite legitimate question. She asked, “if all our dreams are really about sex, what about when we’re dreaming about sex? Are those dreams really symbolic of something else?â€
And the lecturer went very silent, took his glasses off, stared directly at my friend and said, “Girly, you’re never going to get anywhere in this University asking questions like that!†And he then proceeded to dress her down with a series of statements that had nothing to do with the question she’d asked, such that I’m still not sure what his answer to that question really was?
It wasn’t much of an answer, I felt, and when I listen to God’s answer in the book of Job I find myself making the same response: It isn’t much of an answer! And yet I can almost hear God speaking to me through the pages of this book saying, “Well … you’ve heard a lot worse!â€
And indeed, I have heard worse, and so have you Рglib, clich̩d, superficial answers that pass themselves off as wisdom:
“Don’t you cry now. God obviously needed your dad in Heavenâ€; to which the obvious answer is, “well, why would He when I need him down here?â€
“Oh but God obviously had a good reason for taking your grandma/your mother/your child/your puppy …â€
“And don’t you doubt that because doubting God’s wisdom in these matters is a sin and you mustn’t question the wisdom of the almighty.â€
We’ve all heard that sort of dribble and (dare we confess it) we’ve probably sprouted some of it ourselves at some point in our Christian walk.
And yes, the answers God gives to Job might not be what we were looking for, but certainly we’ve heard worse and certainly we hear a lot worse in the book of Job itself.
Indeed, if you trudge your way through the entire book of Job you’ll find that the vast bulk of it is made up of three cycles of dialogue between Job and his three ‘friends’ who are full of answers to life’s troubles.
The friends of Job are well drilled in Biblical theology. They know their Bibles and they know that the only reason you get punished is because you sin, and so they plead God’s case very eloquently, pointing out to Job that he is a sinner and that if he is suffering, it must be something he has brought upon himself, and that even if he isn’t aware of the particular sin that brought about his misfortune, he should stop living in denial and confess his faults in the hope that God might forgive him..
And it’s all very simple and it’s all very logical and it all makes sense, and it’s all a great load of rubbish so far as Job is concerned (and, it seems, so far as God is concerned)
God’s response to Job might not answer all our questions but it’s certainly a step up from the glib and simplistic responses of Job’s friends, and the other interesting thing about it, of course, is that while God’s response to Job might not satisfy us, it did satisfy Job!
This in itself is significant, I think, and scholars do like to theorise as to why Job finds God’s riddles so gratifying.
The general thought is that while Job doesn’t get an intellectually thorough response, he is nonetheless spiritually and emotionally satisfied through the experience of God’s presence. And this is as may be, but if we stand back and leave aside any psychological analysis of Job, it may be sufficient in itself to recognise that Job does get a response from God, regardless of the content of that response. For while the three friends see it as their role to speak in defense of God, it seems in the end that God is quite capable of speaking for Himself!
Job has his day in court, so to speak, and maybe that was all he needed. And maybe that’s the real word of hope for us in all of this – that even though God’s response to Job might not exactly work for us, there is assurance for us here that God does take our questions seriously – that God is not deaf to our questions, let alone to our suffering. God does take us seriously and God will ultimately engage with us, even if it be in God‘s own way, in God‘s own time.
So why does God allow us to go through the things that we go through? Well, the book of Job suggests to me that I can confidently leave God to answer that one for you for Himself!
That might not be the solution you were looking for, of course, any more than God’s response to Job was exactly the answer you were looking for, yet we have to deal with life as it is and with God as God is, or as Job would put it:
“shall we accept good from the hand of the Lord and not evil?†(2:10) “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord†(1:21)
First preached at Holy Trinity Dulwich Hill, October 2009
David B. Smith (the ‘Fighting Father’) Parish priest, community worker, martial arts master, pro boxer, author, father of three www.fatherdave.org. Fighting Father Dave Get a free preview copy of Dave’s book, Sex, the Ring & the Eucharist when you sign up for his free newsletterat www.fatherdave.org.
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6 Tips for the Aspiring Writer – the Road to Publishing Your Book
May 28th
6 Tips for the Aspiring Writer – the Road to Publishing Your Book
I had the opportunity to query a selection of authors about their respective paths to publication. These authors were generous in their advice. They opened up with regard to their trials and hardships, as well as their victories, both major and minor. I sincerely acknowledge and thank these authors for their contributions: JB Kohl, Frank Johnson, David David Katzman, and A.T. Miller.
I asked the authors the following question. For the person hoping to be published, is there a single piece of advice you would like to pass on? Here’s what they had to say.
Take the Time to Enjoy the Writing
Frank Johnson, author of Roseanna’s Reply, says, “Don’t put yourself under some difficult self imposed deadline. There is certainly a line that has to be drawn for those of you out there who lean too far the other way and tend to be such perfectionists that you never finish, but it is important to stay flexible.”
The point is well taken. One online author claimed to have worked on her first novel for ten years before finally self-publishing. Possibly this author was in no hurry to see her book published, or she is an extreme perfectionist. Conversely, a famous young-adult fiction writer says she wrote her first novel in three months in her spare time. It’s hard to fault the success of this multi-million selling author, but she is probably the exception on the other side of the spectrum.
I believe Frank’s position is that there is a happy medium. I tend to agree. Frank expands on his point, “After my first draft, I did a major revision to the book and took out 80 pages. That was a little hard to swallow but I got over it in a couple of days and then tried to enjoy the challenge of getting the re-write right.” (emphasis mine)
So enjoy the labor of writing your book. King Solomon said, “…I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work…” As Frank Johnson stated, “Take the time to enjoy the writing.”
Find Yourself, Find Your Voice
The author of Exordium of the Faerie: Io’s Exodus, A. T. Miller says it is necessary to, “…find yourself. Find your voice, something original, and build upon that. You must write from what you know, and in your own way. That is what makes a good writer and a good work.”
Don’t merely imitate another author’s style. There is only one you in the world. Allow your unique self to show through in your writing. How would it feel to be compared to great authors like Addison, Andersen, Longfellow or Poe? What a compliment to be likened to Angelou, Austen, Bronte or Christie. All are brilliant authors.
Have you ever thought of what it would feel like to have someone else compared to you? It would be fine to hear a critic say, “I love his/her unique and original style of writing.” Like A. T. Miller says, “Find yourself. Find your voice.” (emphasis mine)
Always Be Focused on Your Craft
David David Katzman gives advice that’s in sync with Johnson and Miller. Artist, and author of Death By Zamboni, Katzman advises aspiring authors to, “Always be focused on your craft, never the end goal.” This is sound advice because it encourages you to remain focused on what’s most important. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the big payoff. This ensures the best of you goes into your creation. Dreaming about the payoff does not contribute to your creation. It’s the creation that ultimately provides the big payoff, so you want your efforts targeted toward your creation.
Miller approaches this subject from a more technical angle: “…work on your craft. If you are not a strong writer, get out your grammar guide. Make it your Bible.” More good advice: know your weaknesses. If you want to be your best, use all the tools at your disposal.
In the movie/play, Glengarry Glen Ross, the sales slogan was, “ABC-Always Be Closing.” When it comes to writing your book, I like David David Katzman’s advice, “Always be focused on your craft…”
Develop Thick Skin
Expect rejection. Expect harsh, critical reviews. All authors have received rejections and poor reviews, deserved or not. These are growing pains; don’t take them personally. A.T. Miller advises, “Look in the mirror and call yourself all manner of derogatory names. Find your worst weak points in writing and skewer yourself with them. Get used to it, because you are not the only one who will be doing it.”
I have read many book reviews and artist reviews. Even Stephen King has a bad day now and then. As you develop your craft, bad days will become fewer and farther between. When they do come, your experience and perseverance will have thickened your skin.
Don’t Count On Someone to Notice You
The publishing industry has changed dramatically from back in the day. Although traditional publishers abound, the competition is stiffer than ever. Unless you’re a seasoned veteran or popular multi-umpteen-selling author, there is a burden on you to make yourself known. Especially for your first book, it’s up to you to get noticed because at this point, you’re virtually anonymous. You can look at it as a setback that you have to market yourself, or you can see it as an opportunity.
Until you’re established as an author, don’t quit your current job. David David Katzman advises, “Don’t count on someone to notice you. Send it out, but if no one responds, do it yourself. Remember Van Gogh. Not the ear-cutting-off part. The never-supporting-himself-financially-from-his-art part.”
Keep Submitting
Finally, you can measure the thickness of your skin by how you handle rejections of your inquiries and manuscripts. Again, don’t take the rejections personally. The reasons for rejection are many. Sometimes your submissions are rejected because the agent or publisher has been there done that: your book is nothing new or different. Sometimes you haven’t done your research and the publisher receives your romance novel when they specialize in science fiction. Revamp your inquiry letter. Re-research the agents’ and publishers’ requirements. When you’re sure you have it right, submit again. And again. JB Kohl, author of The Deputy’s Widow, encourages, “Keep submitting. It’s the one sure way to end up published.”
Telecommunications Engineer, freelance artist and writer, Les Anderson has been published in business-related, telecommunications technical trade journals.
Formal education aside, his best artistic education comes from personal studies under Hollywood portraitist, Alexander Rosenfeld, and Southern California watercolorist, Margaret Hunter.
Canvas and Pen,
motivation and inspiration for writers and artists.
Canvas and Pen Blog,
a little edgier, with your feedback.
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Nicu Preemie Baby Book
May 28th
Nicu Preemie Baby Book
This book contained the answers to questions I had while my baby was in the NICU. As a second-time parent, I was especially concerned with attachment issues with my baby that might arise from being hospitalized. This book, written by the attachment-parent gurus helped to alieviate some of my fears as well as give tips for encouraging attachment.
Preemie Chronicles: Our NICU Experience
After reading many reviews, I finally ordered 3 books about premature babies. This book was definetly the BEST. I read through it daily and it answered many questions. I especially recommend it if your baby had no problems and was only in the incubator to grow up.
My beautiful first grandson was born on Thanksgiving Day 2006, 1 day prior to being in the womb for 27 weeks, he weighted 2lbs 2ounces. My daughter-in-law’s water broke when she was pregnant for only 25 weeks and she had be in the hospital, laying flat on her back for 2 1/2 weeks. The doctors had us prepared for the worst, however, my grandson who is now 8 weeks old is doing great and so far no major problems. He is still in the hospital but we expect that he will be home soon. The Premature Baby Book was great, I bought a copy for my daughter-in-law at a well known bookstore, but was unable to find a copy for me so I went on line and found it at AMAZON. This book answered all of the questions that we had while traveling this journey of having a premature infant in your life from infections to how to deal with nurses you are not sure that they have your childs best interest when taking care of them along with what to expect of your baby. I highly recommend the book because it sure gave us alot of peace. Since my children were full term babies, I am learning so much and having the pleasure of seeing our precious preemie thrive outside the womb and is doing so well. We are blessed that he is in a great hospital with wonderful staff and the book serves as a great guide and is very informative. If you or anyone you know has a premature baby, by all means give them this book, you will give them a peace of mind to know that almost all of their questions are answered in this book.
How to write book proposal?
May 28th
How to write book proposal?
You are a first-time writer and you have just finished writing your book, your first book, your dream, your ticket to success, fame, and glory. You feel terrific and on top of the world, don’t you? I know. I have been there, being a writer myself.
But hang on. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your job is done. It’s only half done, or maybe even less than that. What remains to be done is the critical part of finding a publisher for your book. To do that, you have to write a book proposal, and this article will help you with just that. So here are the steps of writing a book proposal.
Identify the publishers that you want to send your proposals to.
Go to the websites of these publishers and read the guidelines for manuscript submission carefully.
Typically, different publishers have different guidelines.
But most publishers will want a brief synopsis of the book, information about you and your past writing experience, and 2 or 3 sample chapters.
Some publishers accept proposals of books that are complete or close to complete. They do not accept proposals of books that are in the very early or early stages.
Some publishers do not allow simultaneous submissions. Typically, these publishers will be big and good publishers, and if they don’t allow simultaneous submissions, chances are that their turnaround time will be quick too. So it might be worth it to send your manuscript to them and wait till you hear from them. If you get a negative response, you can submit to other publishers.
Some publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts and book proposals. Check if this is the case with one of the publishers that you have identified, and if yes, do not send your book proposal to them since there is no point in doing that.Write a good synopsis of your book.
Organize your thoughts.
Write about your book’s subject, theme, plot, and message, and why it will appeal to the readers.
Write a few things about your writing style.
Highlight the main target audience of your book.Write about yourself. This should be fairly straight-forward.
Write about your past writing experiences. This should be fairly straight-forward as well.
Mention all the items that you have attached with your book proposal.
Close the proposal with a cheerful and optimistic “Hope to hear from you soon.”
Restrict the overall proposal to at most two pages only.
Choose the best two or three chapters from your book to send along with the proposal.
If the publisher wants you to send a hard copy to them, take a printout of the letter, sample chapters, and make sure to include a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) in the proposal.
If the publisher accepts the book proposal by email, then just ZIP all the contents in a ZIP file and send it to the appropriate address.
That’s it! You are done! Follow these guidelines and your chances of getting a positive response will increase dramatically.
Of course, it has to be said that, ultimately, the response is likely to be positive if your book (as judged by your sample chapters) is good. Most first-time writers get rejected because the quality of their English is just not up to the mark. Being a publisher I have had to read such bad language that it is unbelievable that the writers actually believed that their proposal would be accepted. Even if the books are published, they have very little chance of selling the first edition. Sometimes, if the language is acceptable, the subject matter or the plot is un-cooked or half-cooked. So make sure that you do your absolute best with your book before you submit it to a publisher. Get help from professional editors if you have the means. Even if you find their charges a bit too high for your taste, good editors are worth their weight in gold. They will point out mistakes that you wouldn’t and couldn’t have imagined.
I have written enough. I will now sign off wishing you all the very best for your book proposal and the book.
<!–[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]–> <!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> <!–[if gte mso 10]> <! /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”;} –> <!–[endif]–>Prashant Karhade is the founder of APK Publishers.
Muslims and the People of the Book in History
May 27th
Muslims and the People of the Book in History
Unbiased people who study Islamic history and the Muslims’ relationship with the Jews and Christians living under Islamic rule will come across the following fact: The People of the Book have always lived in peace and tranquility under Islamic rule.
God reveals that those Christians and Jews who believe in Him and the Day of Judgment and do good deeds will receive the fairest rewards for their virtue:
Those who believe, those who are Jews, Christians, and Sabaeans, all who believe in God and the Last Day and act rightly will have their reward with their Lord. They will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Qur’an, 2:62)
Prophet Mohammed’s (may God bless him and grant him peace) Exemplary Attitude
Prophet Mohammed (saas), the best role model for Muslims who deal with the People of the Book, was always just and compassionate toward Jews and Christians and tried to create an atmosphere based on reconciliation and love among these three religious communities. Various agreements and guarantees allowed Christians and Jews to live as autonomous religious communities.
Prophet Mohammed (saas) allowed the Jews to become a party to the Constitution of Madinah signed with the Aws and Khazraj clans, which permitted them to continue living as a separate religious community. The basis for this acceptance of the Jews’ faith and traditions was laid down in the following article: “The Jews of Banu Awf [non-Muslim minorities] are a community along with the believers. To the Jews their religion, and to the Muslim their religion.” 1
Freedom of Belief and Worship
Beginning at the time of Prophet Mohammed (saas), there has always been freedom of religion in Muslim-ruled lands. Articles guaranteeing the protection of monasteries and churches have been important parts of all agreements signed between Muslims and the People of the Book. Historical documents reveal that many Muslims visited monasteries to rest for the night, to enjoy a meal, or even to have a civilized conversation during their travels or campaigns.
The People of the Book often responded warmly toward Muslims. The following expressions were recorded in an agreement signed by Caliph Umar, which was presented to Abu Ubayda by the Syrian Christians:
[We imposed these terms on ourselves:]… not to withhold our churches from Muslims stopping there by night or day; to open their doors to the traveller and wayfarer; …to entertain every Muslim traveller in our customary style and feed him… We will not abuse a Muslim, and he who strikes a Muslim has forfeited his rights. 2
Under Islamic rule, the People of the Book have always celebrated their religious festivities as they pleased. From time to time, the Muslim leadership even attended them. A letter by the Nestorian Patriarch Isho’yab III (650-60) reveals the Muslim leaders’ compassion and acceptance toward the People of the Book:
They [Abbasids] have not attacked the Christian religion, but rather they have commended our faith, honored our priests… and conferred benefits on churches and monasteries. 3
These historical facts reveal that, contrary to much of what we read today, Islam is a religion of peace and acceptance. Christians and Jews lived freely under Muslim rule and enjoyed the freedoms of religious belief and thought.
Tranquility under Muslim Rule
During the first few centuries of the Christian era, Jews oppressed Christians; as the latter became more powerful, they began to oppress Jews and even fellow Christians belonging to other sects. The Middle Ages were dominated by the Catholic church’s oppression of all Jews and Christians who did not agree with its teachings. Some non-Catholics sought refuge with the Muslims. The oppression and violence directed by Byzantium against the Egyptian Monophysite and the Jacobean Christians, the horrors endured by those Jews and Orthodox Christians who found themselves in the path of the Catholic Crusaders, and the persecution endured by the Jews of Europe, as well as by the Muslims and Jews in Spain after the reconquista, have never occurred on Muslim soil.
Jews escaping Spanish tyranny found the peace and security they sought on Ottoman soil. Driven out of Spain and faced with more hardship in other countries where they sought refuge, many died of hunger and thirst at the gates of towns and cities they were not permitted to enter. Jews who boarded Genoese ships were either exploited or sold to pirates. Sultan Bayazid welcomed the Jews into his empire and demanded that the people show them the respect and acceptance to which they were entitled.
The order proclaimed not to refuse the Jews entry or cause them difficulties, but to receive them cordially. 4 Sultan Bayazid is known to history as a religious man, and his hospitality and acceptance were based on the Qur’an’s morality.
Living under the Islamic rule, the People of the Book took part in the bustling cultural life. Muslim leaders extended their cultural patronage to the lands they conquered and imported them to Baghdad, capital of the empire, where they would be studied by Muslim, Christian, and Jewish scientists. Each of them in turn, could teach their works based on these studies alongside their own religious beliefs. At a time when Muslims supported science and freedom of thought, Europe, the center of Christianity, had Inquisition courts that burned people at the stake for their heretical, meaning non-Catholic, thoughts or religious beliefs.
The Muslim leaders’ sense of justice led many Christians and Jews to bring their cases to Islamic courts, even though they had their own courts with their own laws. At one time, the Nestorian patriarch Mar Timothee I (780-825) even circulated a decree to counteract the ever-increasing number of Christians taking their cases to Islamic courts. 5
The Non-Muslims’ Legal Status
The People of the Book living within the Muslim realm were considered dhimmis, rather than prisoners of war, and therefore were guaranteed certain legal rights. For example, in exchange for paying the jizya tax, their lives and property were guaranteed, and they enjoyed freedom of religious belief and thought, were exempted from military service, and had the right to their own law courts to resolve their disputes. On some occasions, their taxes were refunded.
Our Prophet (saas) said: “I am the adversary of those who wrong the dhimmis or burden them with a load they cannot carry.” According to this principle, Muslims considered it their duty to protect those non-Muslims living under their rule. The Muslims’ sense of justice dictates that dhimmis come under the state’s protection.
The amicable history between Muslims and Jews and Christians is an example for the present. The Islamic code of ethics requires that non-Muslims be accepted, that their values and beliefs be respected, and that an environment in which peaceful coexistence is possible be created. Therefore, the spread of this code, as well as efforts to correct some misguided practices claiming to be Islamic, will play an important role.
Under the pen name of Harun Yahya, Adnan Oktar has written some 250 works. His books contain a total of 46,000 pages and 31,500 illustrations. Of these books, 7,000 pages and 6,000 illustrations deal with the collapse of the Theory of Evolution. You can read, free of charge, all the books Adnan Oktar has written under the pen name Harun Yahya on these websites www.harunyahya.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, HARUN YAHYA
Born in Ankara in 1956, Adnan Oktar writes his books under the pen name of Harun Yahya. Ever since his university years, he has dedicated his life to telling of the existence and oneness of Almighty Allah, and to disseminating the moral values of the Qur’an. He has never wavered in the face of difficulties and despite oppression, still continues this intellectual struggle today exhibiting great patience and determination. For mor information pls visit: http://www.harunyahya.com/theauthor.php
“people of the Book” & the Muslims the Natural Alliance Between Christianity, Judaism and Islam
May 27th
“people of the Book” & the Muslims the Natural Alliance Between Christianity, Judaism and Islam
Islam is a religion of peace, love and tolerance. Today, however, some circles have been presenting a false image of Islam, as if there were conflict between Islam and the adherents of the two other monotheistic religions. Yet Islam’s view of Jews and Christians, who are named “the People of the Book” in the Koran, is very friendly and tolerant.
This attitude towards the People of the Book developed during the years of the birth of Islam. At that time, Muslims were a minority, struggling to protect their faith and suffering oppression and torture from the pagans of the city of Mecca. Due to this persecution, some Muslims decided to flee Mecca and shelter in a safe country with a just ruler. The Prophet Muhammad told them to take refuge with King Negus, the Christian king of Ethiopia. The Muslims who followed this advice found a very fair administration that embraced them with love and respect when they went to Ethiopia. King Negus refused the demands of the pagan messengers who asked him to surrender the Muslims to them, and announced that Muslims could live freely in his country.
Such attitudes of Christian people that are based on the concepts of compassion, mercy, modesty and justice, constitute a fact that God has pointed out in the Koran. A verse of the Koran states:
… You will find the people most affectionate to those who believe are those who say, ‘We are Christians.’ That is because some of them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant. (Surat al-Ma’ida, 82)
The Common Beliefs and Values of the People of the Book with Muslims
Christian and Muslim belief have many aspects in common. Judaism too shares many beliefs with Islam. All true adherents of these three great religions:
believe that God has created the entire universe out of nothing and that He dominates all that exists with His omnipotence.
believe that God has created man and living things in a miraculous way and that man possesses a soul granted him by God.
believe that besides Jesus, Moses or Muhammad, God sent many prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Joseph throughout history, and they love all these prophets.
believe in resurrection, Heaven and Hell and angels, and that God has created our lives with a certain destiny.
The beliefs of the People of the Book are in harmony with Muslims, not only in terms of faith-related issues, but also of moral values. Today, in a world where such immoralities as adultery, homosexuality, drug addiction and a model of egoism and self-seeking cruelty have grown widespread, the People of the Book and Muslims share the same virtues: Honor, chastity, humility, self-sacrifice, honesty, compassion, mercy and unconditional love…
According To The Koran, Muslims, Jews And Christians Should Live In Friendship
It is evident there are ample grounds for an alliance between the “People of the Book” and Muslims. This is also very evident in the Koran. In the relevant verses of the Koran, there is a significant difference between the People of the Book and the idolaters. This is especially emphasized in the area of social life. For example, it is said concerning the idolaters: “(they) are unclean, so after this year they should not come near the Masjid al-Haram (Kaaba).” (Surat at-Tawba: 28) Idolaters are people who obey no divine law, have no moral precepts and who are capable of committing every kind of degrading and perverse action without hesitation.
But while they basically rely on God’s revelation, the People of the Book have moral precepts and know what is lawful and what is not. For this reason, if one of the People of the Book cooks some food, it is lawful for Muslims to eat it. In the same way, permission has been given for a Muslim man to marry a woman from among the People of the Book. On this subject God commands:
Today all good things have been made lawful for you. And the food of those given the Book is also lawful for you and your food is lawful for them. So are chaste women from among the believers and chaste women of those given the Book before you, once you have given them their dowries in marriage, not in fornication or taking them as lovers. But as for anyone who disbelieve, his actions will come to nothing and in the hereafter he will be among the losers. (Surat al-Mai’da: 5)
These commands show that bonds of kinship may be established as a result of the marriage of a Muslim with a woman from the People of the Book, and that those on each side of the union can accept an invitation to a meal. These are the fundamentals that will ensure the establishment of equitable human relationships and a happy communal life. Since the Koran enjoins this equitable and tolerant attitude, it is unthinkable that a Muslim could take an opposing view.
Monasteries, Churches And Synagogues Should Be Respected
Another important fact we learn from the Koran is that Muslims must respect Jewish and Christian places of worship. In the Koran, the places of worship of the People of the Book, i.e. monasteries, churches and synagogues, are mentioned as places of worship protected by God.
…if God had not driven some people back by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where God’s name is mentioned much, would have been pulled down and destroyed. God will certainly help those who help Him – God is All-Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Hajj: 40 )
This verse shows all Muslims the importance of respecting and protecting the sanctuaries of Christians and Jews.
Indeed, in the Koran God commands Muslims not to harbor any enmity towards any people. In many verses, friendship is recommended, even with idolaters. God even refers to the idolaters at war with Muslims in this way: “If any of the idolaters ask you for protection, give them protection until they have heard the words of God. Then convey them to a place where they are safe.” (Surat at-Tawba: 6)
Jews and Christians, however, are much closer to Muslims than idolaters. Each of these religions has its book, that is, they are subject to a revelation sent down by God. They know what is right and what is wrong, what is lawful and what is unlawful. They know they will give an account to God, and they love and revere His prophets. This shows that Muslims and the people of the book can live easily together and cooperate.
The Common Enemies of the Faith
Another important fact that draws Christianity, Judaism and Islam together is the atheist philosophies that are so influential in our time.
Among the best-known and most harmful philosophies of our age can be cited materialism, communism, fascism, anarchism, racism and secular humanism. Many people who believed in the fake diagnoses, deceptive descriptions and explanations of these ideas on the universe, society and man, have lost their faith or doubted it. What is more, these ideologies have dragged people, societies and nations into great crises, conflicts and wars. Their share of the blame for the pain and troubles that humanity suffers today is immense.
While they deny God and creation, all the above-mentioned ideologies are based on a common framework, a so-called scientific basis; Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. Darwinism constitutes the basis of atheist philosophies. This theory claims that living beings have evolved as a result of coincidences and by means of a struggle for life. Therefore, Darwinism sends this deceptive message to people:
“You are not responsible to anyone, you owe your life to coincidences, you need to struggle, and if necessary to oppress others to succeed. This world is one of conflict and self-interest”.
This evil morality advises people to be egoistical, self-seeking, cruel and oppressive. It destroys such virtues as mercy, compassion, self-sacrifice and humility, the moral values of the three great monotheistic religions.
This being the case, it is necessary for the people of the Book and Muslims to cooperate, since they believe in God and accept the morality that He teaches. The followers of these three religions should expose to the world the fallacy of Darwinism, which has no scientific basis, but which is trying to be preserved for the sake of materialist philosophy. They should cooperatively carry out an intellectual struggle against all other deceptive ideas that serve atheism. Once this is realized, the world will, in a very short time, embrace peace, tranquility and justice.
Conclusion: “Let us Rally to a Common Formula”
At a time when anti-religious, atheist and materialist ideologies surround the world, similarities among theistic religions should be emphasized, and cooperation should be established for common aims.
Concerning the People of the Book, God gives Muslims a command in the Koran; to rally to a common formula:
O People of the Book! Let us rally to a common formula to be binding on both us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than God. (Surat Al ‘Imran, 64)
This is indeed our call to Christians and Jews: As people who believe in God and follow His revelations, let us rally to a common formula – “faith”. Let’s love God, Who is our Creator and Lord, and follow His commands. And let us pray God to lead us to an even straighter path.
When Muslims, Christians and Jews rally to a common formula this way;
When they understand that they are friends not enemies,
When they see that the real enemy is atheism and paganism,
then the world will become a very different place.
The fighting that has raged for ages, enmities, fears – and terrorist attacks – will come to an end, and a new civilization based on love, respect and peace will be established upon this “common formula”.
Under the pen name of Harun Yahya, Adnan Oktar has written some 250 works. His books contain a total of 46,000 pages and 31,500 illustrations. Of these books, 7,000 pages and 6,000 illustrations deal with the collapse of the Theory of Evolution. You can read, free of charge, all the books Adnan Oktar has written under the pen name Harun Yahya on these websites www.harunyahya.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, HARUN YAHYA
Born in Ankara in 1956, Adnan Oktar writes his books under the pen name of Harun Yahya. Ever since his university years, he has dedicated his life to telling of the existence and oneness of Almighty Allah, and to disseminating the moral values of the Qur’an. He has never wavered in the face of difficulties and despite oppression, still continues this intellectual struggle today exhibiting great patience and determination. For mor information pls visit: http://www.harunyahya.com/theauthor.php
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