Are there any other Moslems on BYC?

[rainplace]

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[fowltemptress]

Atheist here, though I dislike there being a term for it. Thanks for posting the story . . . I always love tales like that.

 

[GrayDragon]

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, "Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
" 'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Moral:
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

- John Godfrey Saxe





Or, if you prefer:

Do unto others, love thy neighbor, and leave the judgments to whichever god you pray to.

 

[Hippie Chickie]

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Thank You!!! I love that tale too!!!

 

[arabookworm]

I just wanted to say a few things
1) muslim and moslem are the same thing, since the original word is in arabic with a different alphabet, people just sound it out and end up with different spellings
2) I will not try to force my beliefs on you if you don't try to do the same to me. follow the golden rule.
3) just in case anyone was interested, muslims do believe in jesus. we believe that he was a messenger of god. we believe that he ascended to the heavens. we believe that mary was a virgin. but we do not believe that he is a god, or the son of god, or anything like that.

 

[debilorrah]

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I find that having acceptance as a rule is the best practice in this life. My very best friend in the entire world is Jewish. Does that matter to me?? Not in the least. If a person cannot open their heart to other religions they are probably missing out on some really true and great friendships.

 

[lorrir]

I am an Episcopalian living in the Baptist bible belt; hoowever, I do not wear my religion on my sleeve. When my kids were younger and I had to explain the difference religions I made this analogy:

We all think wearing a shirt is important. Some of us like shirts with collars, some like turtlenecks, others like tank tops. All of us like shirts, just different kinds of shirts.

We all believe a higher power has impact on our lives. Just because I think Jesus is the savior doesn't mean it wrong or right it's just what I chose to believe. I know the analogy is corny but it has helped our kids understand different religions.

 

[chickens4me]

I'm not Muslim, but

from SC!

 

[fowltemptress]

I do get a bit upset at the "open mindedness" a lot of people express. Some great ideals about accepting all sorts of religions look great if you just glance at them, but when you read them you realize what they seem to have in common is, "Be accepting of all faiths, as long as there's belief in a higher power." That sentiment is sweet to religious and spiritual folks, but I hope there's some understanding as to why that sounds terrible to an atheist, and why some thinking on how to rephrase these otherwise great sentiments might be in order. How about "Belief doesn't matter, so long as we try to lead good lives and treat others with empathy and respect."

 

[Boyd]

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