I was a student of Philosophy in college. I have studied much Nietzsche in my lifetime. I have also studied The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich. Hitler was inspired by a man named H.S. Chamberlain. While Mr. Chamberlain's philosophy was not as cogent as that of Nietzsche, his ideas and his experiences in the development of those ideas were eerily similar to the famed German philsopher's. (Go down to a book store and leaf through a copy of "The Rise and Fall" and find the chapter called "The Strange Life And Works of H.S. Chamberlain") I have also studied the world's religions. Besides having studied the history of Catholic Theology (I am a Protestant myself), I have also studied Judaism, Hindusim, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Satanism. (Let me be clear that I do not consider myself to be an expert in any of these subjects. Instead, I am a jack of all trades, and a master of none.)
When I was a young man, I came to believe that ideas moved the world, and thus it was ideas which I chose to study. I wanted to understand all the ideas I could get my mind around. I wanted to understand the engine of the movement of history. Having studied both history and philosphy, it seems clear to me that the movements of the world's political powers trail the ideas of philosophers by between 20-100 years. The more powerful, complex, and new the ideas are the longer it takes for the political powers (which are primarily driven by charismatic individuals who act as salesmen for ideas) to assimilate the ideas. The American Democracy Project is a good example of this. America is a nation completely driven by the free market of ideas.
(I am speaking in broad generalities here. If anyone wants to discuss specifics, I am more than willing to do so.)
However, there are certain ancient ideas which are repackaged in new ways in succeeding generations. Having studied Judaism and Christianity, and having come to comprehend the Bible as the love story between God and man, and of man's coming to understand God's love for him, I am struck by the almost-polar-dialectic which exists between Judeo-Christianity and Islam. The ideas of Islam constitute a philosophy of power. The ideas of Judeo-Christianity constitute a philosophy which is a gradual clarification of the Law of Justice perfected in the Law of Love. The Bible clear articulates that the sacrifices of God are to help the widows and the orphans. Yeshua (Jesus Christ) said that the entirety of the law is articulated thusly:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
And, what is it to love? This is clarified for us by Christ in Matthew 25, wherein Yeshua said:
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
The ideas articulated in these verses are the opposite of a philosophy of power. Instead, they are the philosophy of one who would count the lives of others as more important than his own, of one who would lay down his life for a friend.
Now, check out this audio/video from InTheNameOfAllah.org, and learn about the Koran and the origin of its philosophy of power. (Thanks to X Dhimmi for making me aware of this video.)
And just who compiled that Koran and what agenda did he have?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. I wonder if anyone else can enlighten us on that.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was a fellow named Osman--something I heard a lecture last week.
ReplyDeleteI think that I heard the name incorrectly.
ReplyDeleteFrom this source:
‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān (عثمان بن عفان) (c. 580 - July 17, 656) was a companion of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. An early convert to Islam, he played a major role in early Islamic history, most notably as the third Caliph of Islamic state (644 to death) and the compilation of the Qur'an. Revered by Sunni Muslims as one of the the Rashidun (four rightly guided Caliphs) of Islam...
Lots more at the above link.
I heard last week that this fellow threw away the scraps on which the earliest accounts were written. Hmmmm....
Very good broadcast....I'd like to broadcast that via pirate radio in the neighbourhood...
ReplyDeleteHey Watcher 71,
ReplyDeleteIf you do, make sure it is VERY pirate.
:)
I wouldn't want them tracking you down.
That's quite ridiculous to say Muslims are programmed to be evil since many, if not a majority of self-declared muslims are good people.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, the rest is true enough.
A stickler for facts, even that is misleading since the majority of muslims in western nations are certainly opposed to what we all believe to be evil.
ReplyDeleteOf course the point of this blog is not the benign majority but the indoctrinated minority. Though I feel it needs to be pointed out for the sake of some balance.
Hey Nutjob, how's it going?
ReplyDeleteI think the point is that those Muslims who truly study the Koran will be indoctrinated to be evil. Those Muslims who are good and decent people are those Muslims who ignore much of the Koran and the Hadith, and the tradition of Islam.
In other words, those Muslims who are good and decent people tend to be those who are less studious, and less adherent to the actual Islamic texts.
Do you agree with that?