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Tag Archives: Islam

Some Good In The World: June 8, 2017

08 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by brandonlbc in Current Events, New Content, Some Good In The World

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Islam, Multi-Faith Relations, News

One thing that I suspect a lot of us can identify with right now is the amount of horrible, nasty, disgusting, and downright depressing stories in the news these days. It seems like wherever we look there’s so much hate, violence, and bloodshed. It’s affected me so much that I’ve actually cut off most of my interaction with social media and news sites (which isn’t always a bad thing, my blood pressure has been down lately!)

So I’ve decided to try to combat this with a series of posts highlighting some of the good in the world. I want to point out some folks who truly go out of their way to try to make a difference for the better. I want the merciful, the meek, and the selfless to start getting as much play as the judgmental, the corrupt, and the selfish. This series will be called:

“Some Good In The World.”

And for our first entry, I would like to introduce you to this man:

MuslimManSaves

His name is Noor Lucman, and he’s a former politician and clan leader in the Marawi area of the Philippines. Mr. Lucman is a Muslim, and while most of the people in the Philippines identify themselves as Christians, Mr. Lucman lives in the area of the country with the largest Muslim population.

This has made this area, the island of Mindanao, a hot spot for Islamic Fundamentalists in league with groups like ISIL. Well, last week the city of Marawi was attacked by some militants. Many Christians who lived there were not able to flee the city in time.

Mr. Lucman hid 64 of them in his home. He is quoted as saying that they would take them (the Christians) “over my dead body.” When the situation became truly desperate and they needed to flee to try to find food, Mr. Lucman helped them get through the militants’ lines by helping them pretend to be Muslim.

He saved their lives. Make no mistake, had these Christians been found by the militants, they would have been executed. Mr. Lucman is a hero, and we desperately need more people like him.

And that’s some good in the world!

(Information in this entry is from Reuters, The Independent, and Malaysian Digest.)

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I’m At A Bit of A Loss Right Now.

29 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by brandonlbc in Current Events, New Content

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Fear, Gospel of Matthew, Islam, News, Refugees

0000stutter“Then shall he answer them, saying, ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.’ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matthew 25: 45-46 KJV)

I’m in a bit of an uncomfortable place right now. If you’re a regular reader, then you might notice two things right away. One, I haven’t posted in a few weeks. Two, I used the King James Version for the scripture, which I don’t think I’ve ever done. I’ve used the NKJV a couple of times, but not Ye Olde King James.

Why? Well, I wanted to preserve the real wrath of God feel that the King James language brings out so well. Now, if you know me, you know that’s not like me at all. I’m a Methodist for heaven sake, we don’t usually do wrath and the like. Well, I’m one angry, discontent, utterly disappointed Methodist. I am so mad that I SKIPPED COFFEE AT CHURCH TODAY! WUT?!

But why? Well, that’s part of the reason behind why haven’t posted much lately. It’s partly because I have a new position at work with more hours (yay!) and partly because I’ve been so upset and disappointed that I haven’t really known what to say. That’s come to a head the last couple of days.

In his infinite “wisdom” our new president has decided to issue a “temporary” ban on refugees and visas from certain predominantly Muslim countries. In doing so he has slammed the door in the faces of some of the most vulnerable people in the world right now. These are people who need our help. It would be bad enough if it were just Trump and his cronies going off, but many Christians, including some that label themselves as leaders, have just released lukewarm statements about it, stayed silent about it, or some have even come out in support of it!  This includes some of what went on at my own church today. We look at ourselves as wonderful because we’re doing a Sunday School class that’s trying to start a dialogue on race issues. We pat ourselves on the back for that. We go serve food at the homeless shelter, and we pat ourselves on the back for that too.

Yet what was said about this clearly unbiblical, antichristian action by the president? A few mealy-mouthed statements about how “we have to love everybody” and “we are all God’s children,” and how we “need to come to a compromise.”

Compromise? COMPROMISE? People are DYING. Parents are being separated from their young children! Meanwhile we set around and try pick our words carefully so we don’t offend anybody?

That’s why the picture I used here caught my eye, “DID I STUTTER?”

UGH.

Hey look, I get it. When you have a big congregation you have to remember that people have differing opinions. I get it, there’s a certain balancing act that has to go on, a certain politic that sometimes needs to be played.

But this….Jesus himself seems pretty clear about this. Jesus commands us, his followers, to see Himself in the sick, the dying, the naked, the hungry, and the stranger. He also said if we love him, we will keep his commands (John 14:15). He doesn’t seem to have much time for lukewarm folks (ask the Church in Laodicea).

This is wrong. This is exactly the opposite of the teachings of Jesus. You know it. I know it. Folks like Franklin Graham know it. So what exactly is the elephant in the room here?

Some of us, many of us, don’t feel safe. People who feel that the president’s actions are warranted do not feel safe. I can understand that. Maybe some people don’t speak out because they feel that if they do they won’t be safe. I get that too. Fear is a powerful motivator. I’m not really trying to fault anyone for feeling that way. We live in a big, complicated, scary world and we’re constantly being bombarded with “news” that just confirms our worst fears. As I write this tonight there is word of a mosque in Quebec City that has been attacked by gunmen with multiple fatalities. Things like this are legitimate news, and they can instill fear. However, much of it is propaganda trying to convince you that you won’t be safe unless you vote a certain way, give money to a certain cause, or repost somebody’s status on Facebook.

Has fear gotten to us as Christians? I think it has. I’ve been afraid. For the better part of the last month I’ve thrown myself into my new job, buried my head in the sand, and just hoped that it would either all go away or maybe not be as bad as people have been thinking.

But it all hasn’t gone away, and yes, it’s that bad.

And if I’m afraid, how would a Muslim living here right now feel? I’d be scared to death. Heck, I’m a straight, white, Christian male! I’m top of the food chain with these Trump folks. But I’m afraid, it’s scary. Tonight I was discussing this with my mom. I mentioned that with all this serious, scary stuff going on that it seemed almost trivial to go read a book, watch a movie, or play a game (one of my hobbies). I asked her if things were that tense in the Civil Rights era and during the Vietnam era. She said yes, they were. Every week in the newspaper you looked to see who had died and who’s draft number had come up. I was born in the late 70s, I missed all that. I don’t even recall being afraid on 9/11. This is a new feeling to me.

So again, I try to take the example of Jesus. I believe Jesus felt fear. Since he was fully human as well as fully divine, he had to. I picture him in Gethsemane being paralyzed so much with fear and so anguished that he sweat drops of blood.

But he did what he had to do. He did it as an example to us. He did it to show us how much he loves us and how much he wants us to love each other.

Is there room in the theology of the Crucified One, broken for our sin and salvation, for the politics of fear? No, I do not believe there is. Christ’s commands are clear. The president is wrong.

Doing something about it is going to be a big scary task, and I admit that outside of contacting my representatives (which I have done) I’m not sure what to do. I do believe, however, that Jesus is calling both you and me to set aside our fear and do more. May he give us the grace and fortitude to do just that.

My prayers are with refugees everywhere, particularly the ones affected by the president’s order. Tonight I also mourn with those who were injured or lost loved ones in Quebec City.

A Chance to Build Bridges

13 Monday Apr 2015

Posted by brandonlbc in New Content

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Islam, Multi-Faith Relations

BridgesI’m really excited about something that is going to be happening in my local church and local community next week.  I’m excited about it because it has the potential to help build bridges and lasting relationships in the local area.  I’m excited about it because I don’t see enough people, Christian or not, reaching out like this.  In my experience, what we do and what we say either tends to build bridges or build walls.  I’m really excited that this is going to build bridges.

Next Friday night, April 24, our church is hosting a guest speaker.  This isn’t a big deal in and of itself, we rather routinely host different speakers that are involved in one way or another with community outreach.

Our special guest speaker will be Dr. Salman Masud, President of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake.  Our pastor and Dr. Masud have been working on this for awhile, and last week he met with a group of people from our church to help flesh it out.  Dr. Masud will be addressing several topics that night, including:

The Islamic Faith and the Need for Religion
Islam’s Place in World Religions
Faith and Politics
Religious Extremism

I think that this will be a great chance for people in our church and our community to learn about Islam from an actual Muslim, not from what other Christians or the media tell us about it.  I have an interest in world religions and comparative religions, so I do a lot of reading for pleasure on the subject, but it seems like many people in the United States don’t actively seek to learn about other cultures.  Not only that, many of us tend to wear that fact like a badge of honor. “We don’t learn about or care about what you believe, it’s our way or the highway.”  Needless to say, that’s not constructive behavior.

In particular, I think that our fear of Islam has been shot into the stratosphere since 9/11.  Now every time there is another kind of incident or ISIS does something, some folks in the media ratchet up the dial to full tilt and social media goes crazy.  I’ve seen some of my friends, people who normally like to consider themselves to be understanding and tolerant, buy into this in times of stress as well.

Fear is a powerful thing, and once it gets on roll, it’s hard to stop.

This behavior, in turn, makes our Muslim brothers and sisters are afraid of us.  Yeah, that’s right, brothers and sisters.  They may believe different things than some of us, but they still share the same DNA, the same red blood in their veins, and they are also created in the image of the Creator.

And yes, they have reason to be afraid.  The incident where a self-professed “atheist” murdered three Muslims in North Carolina was only one incident.  People are being threatened.  Mosques and other buildings belonging to Muslims are being vandalized and damaged, and this sometimes spikes with media coverage.  We have a couple of Muslim families that come into my store and shop quite often, and the women wear the hijab. I hear people, both customers and fellow coworkers, whisper behind their backs.  I hear jokes after they leave about how we better go check the store for bombs.  It’s disgusting.

So there is fear on both sides, but how do we get rid of it?  Well I believe that it’s through opportunities like this.  Not only will Dr. Masud be talking, but they’re hoping to get a portion of the Muslim community in Ogden to attend as well.  That way we can meet people, make friends, and hopefully get a chance to start building relationships in the community.

I really hope this pans out.  Not only for me, though I confess a deep fascination and respect for the differing beliefs of my sisters and brothers, but for everyone.  Just maybe friends can be made and the seeds to change the attitudes of our culture today can be planted.

If you’re in the Ogden area, and you might like to attend, drop me an email at brandonlbc@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to get you the information.  For others, people of both faiths, I would humbly ask that you pray for this gathering and those involved, that it can be a great starting point for getting rid of the fear and building bridges in our community.

Three Faces

12 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by brandonlbc in Current Events, New Content

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Islam, Issues, Multi-Faith Relations, News

ChapelHillVictimsLook at these three faces. The faces of three beautiful people, the faces of three human beings, the faces of three children of God.  They happen to belong to Deah Barakat, 23, Barakat’s wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Yusor’s sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19.  These three people were murdered in cold blood, apparently over a parking dispute?

Yeah a parking dispute. Apparently they were having an issue with a neighbor over parking, and the neighbor decided to take matters into his own hands and solve the dispute by shooting all three of them in the head.

Really, I’m supposed to buy that?

I’m not saying that there wasn’t a “parking dispute.”  I’m not saying that it didn’t have anything to do with what has happened…but really?

The alleged killer, one mister Craig Hicks has apparently billed himself as a champion of rational thought, anti-theism, and atheism.  His Facebook page chides religious people for their “baseless superstitions” that keep killing people. He also apparently believes that atheism is the cure for everything that ails the Middle East.

Interesting.

So I’m supposed to believe that a man who bills himself as a thinker and mister rational executes three people over a parking dispute?  Give me a break.  Apparently he wasn’t as rational as he would have us believe.

More likely you have a guy who gets gradually more pissed off about whatever dispute is happening.  Worse yet, the dispute is with some of “them.”  Not just any them, mind you, but you know, the ones that wear those head scarves.  Anger turns to rage, and what is the most American way to deal with rage, especially against someone that you already feel is inferior?  Why, with a gun of course!

Westerners get murdered in cold blood by a Muslim and we immediately scream “TERRORISM.” Muslims get murdered in cold blood by a westerner and we pull out all the stops to try to make sure we can label the act as anything but terrorism.  When it’s some supposedly rational white guy that does the killing we have to come up with excuses, because he looks like one of “us” and “we” don’t do terrorism.  We’ve seen the same attitude in recent days since the President brought up the Crusades.  The news and social media have been full of white Christians talking about how the Crusades were SO DIFFERENT than what’s going on right now.

Again I have to ask….REALLY?

It’s interesting how we treat things, isn’t it?  Where are the calls from the national media for atheists to come out and speak against a heinous crime allegedly committed by one of their own?  I don’t think we need that.  I know that most atheists, like most religious people are good folks who wouldn’t think of harming another person.  I just wonder if we can keep this in mind next time we scream at the Muslim community to denounce a particular act.

It’s never fun to be hoisted on the same petard that you use to damage others, is it?

In the end it all comes down to…

#BlackLivesMatter

#MuslimLivesMatter

#AllLivesMatter

How might you feel if you were a Muslim living in an America fueled by this climate? Maybe scared to death?  I wouldn’t blame you. I pray to God that we as a country are better than this.

Something good has to start coming out of this.  Maybe that “something good” is the true recognition that hate and violence are not exclusive to any race, religion, or group.

ChapelHillVigilMaybe “something good” looks like this, thousands of people mourning the loss of these three beautiful people.

What do I see when I see those three faces?  I see tragedy. I see loss. I also see the capacity for people to come together and try to work for peace and reconciliation brought on by the worst circumstances.

Most of all, tonight my thoughts and prayers are with the family of these individuals that died.  Their grief and pain must be beyond comprehension.  I pray that they find comfort and strength in their faith, and in the community around them.

I pray for all of us, that just maybe someday the violence comes to an end.

Three faces.  Three beautiful, holy faces.

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