Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Putting Down Mohammad in Texas, Really?

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                      
Torah, the Mosaic Law teaching one G-d, first taught by Abraham in 2nd millennium BCE

We have a conundrum here.  Jews, Christians and Muslims agree that there is only one G-d.  The riddle is that G-d's messages are being interpreted in many of the same ways, but with additional interpretations not agreed on by the others.  How can this all emanate from one G-d?  How does G-d manage to change his views in another generation?  He is G-d.  He knows what will happen before it happens.  Is it that the teachers who receive his message, Moses, Jesus and Mohammad have different radio signals and each translation ability is different in different centuries and through different people?  Then there are the commentators whose reading ability doesn't match the thinking originally found on paper, especially when it was written in a different time.
                                                                     
Qaradowi of Qatar, Islamic interpreter
Today we are facing Islam's Koranic  interpreters  and commentators such as Qaradawi of Qatar and Bagdadi of Iraq with messages to kill others.  This goes against Moses's teaching of one of the 10 Commandments;  #6 thou shalt not kill.  This is believed by Judaism and many of Christians and Muslims  on this earth who are not extremists following extreme messages.
                                                                           
Baghdadi, leader of ISIS
One of the tests of our actions is to follow the Golden Rule from Hillel which tells us:  Don't do something to people you wouldn't want done to you. or "What is hateful to you, do not do to others."  Jesus phrased the rule positively "Do unto thy neighbor as thou wouldst be done by  --- from Matt.7:12.  or Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."  This comes from Lev. 19:18

We see IS and all the terrorist organizations killing those they don't agree with or who have land they want.  They certainly are breaking this rule, and probably most of the other 9 Commandments on the slate as well.  I see that some Christians feel that they don't have to follow anything unless Jesus said it, and the same goes for Muslims.  They forget how one G-d is speaking through 3 people and they are trying to get HIS message right.
                                                                         
In Garland, Texas, there was a contest with a large purse for a prize of drawing cartoons of Mohammad.
Update: 5/6/15 7:14pm   I didn't know, but Pamela Geller organized this contest. Tonight I heard over Fox News that ISIS  has put a fatwa out on her.  Her life is now threatened.  Her point has been freedom of speech, and evidently freedom of drawing cartoons about Mohammad.     I couldn't believe people would actually invite such problems into their community, but they did after preparing for their security for months.  Now, is this something they wouldn't mind having Muslims do about Jesus?  Did they ask the question?  Evidently not. The problem shown through this is that Muslims such as this Imam, Anjem Choudury,  expect and want Sharia law throughout the whole world, and that includes the USA.  It is against the Muslim law to draw cartoons of Mohammad, so that they expect all Americans to obey this injunction, and Pam is not a Muslim.  She is an American and has the freedom of such expression. Talk about controlling!  Such Imams expect to control everyone, even those outside their own country.   This was on the Sean Hannity show.  

The reason they were so brazen about hurting the feelings of Muslims is that they have no respect for the teachings of Mohammad.  He's turned into a mob dictator in the eyes of other religions.  In this discussion aired on Fox News, the Imam talked over and above both Hannity  and Pam.  He ranted and no one could pay attention or hear anyone except at a rare pause.  However, Hannity did bring this ranting to a pause when Pamela was able to quietly and calmly make her point.   The reason for this is because the world is engrossed in fighting terrorism caused in the name of Mohammad.  President Sisi  of Egypt is right in that the Muslims have to internally change some of their values so that such things are not happening to their people.  Muslims have lost the respect of others through all these terror acts.
                                                                       
The two terrorists who reacted to this contest in Texas were killed immediately before they even got close to the building.  They did it in the name of ISIS.  That leads to wondering if ISIS has now landed in the USA or if these 2 men were just ISIS want to be's.  Police are working on this.  "The gunmen, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, wounded a security guard before police shot and killed them."

ISIS hit the Syrian Golan Heights which is close to Israel already.  They are trying to grow their tentacles and spread their message of death being the answer to living.  "The ISIS-linked Jaish al-Jihad has captured the border town of Qahtaniya in southern Quneitra province on the Syrian Golan, thereby taking up its closest position to Israel yet at a distance of just 2.5 to 3 kilometers (1.5-1.8 miles), according to Walla!."  Everything they do is in the name of Allah (G-d).  
                                                                                

Most terror organizations  against Israel are done in the name of Allah. Hamas is a follower of the Muslim Brotherhood and their charter is to kill Jews and wipe out Israel and take it over.  The PLO was secular to start with, but the two groups have melded several times, joining their ideology.  Fatah is just the PLO of the next generation.  The Palestinian Islamic Jihad speaks for itself in being a radical Islamist group of terrorists.  
                                                                           

Hezbollah or Party of God is a Shia Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group mainly in Lebanon.  If it's a communist group, they also join forces with the radicals such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.  

Al Qaeda                                                          
    
" is a global militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden."  ISIS-Islamic State working to create its own Caliphate  is also a militant Islamist group that grew out of al-Qaeda and is more extreme.  Cutting off heads seems to be the rule with them.  
In G-d's name we see many Islamist terrorists.  That's not good for G-d's reputation.  It's the only religion from where terrorist groups have originated today.  

Of course, if you watch History 2 on TV, you might be changing your mind and come to believe that aliens from outer space came to earth thousands of years ago and did everything from building the pyramids to whatever other things seem impossible for humans to accomplish.  They're very close to the Greek and Roman belief system of multiple gods, a veritable Olympic land somewhere in one of the galaxies who are watching earth in their experiment.  With the advent of us going to the moon and back, it's no longer a silly idea to many.  They seem to be trying to disprove Abraham and Moses's revelation of there being only one G-d.  Moses heard the message in the bushes because his mind was programmed to pick up such thoughts, or the aliens spoke to him through their hi fi system from their flying saucers.  
                                                                            

To me, the test of time has succeeded with the Mosaic law which includes 613 other laws of life besides the basic 10. We don't sweat these, because they are made up of most of the things we do anyway, as long as we are normal human beings.   Regardless if you were born in 1391 BCE like Moses was, his message fits our days just as well.  We're still around to prove it works, too.  That hasn't stopped Jews from also being commentators about his laws for mankind.  That's been going on ever since we received them to this very day.  We have differences of opinion about them as well, but only a few times have we experienced some way-out interpretations. 
                                                                                 

 My favorite interpreter of the Torah, the work of Moses,  is RASHI, born in 1040 and died in 1105 in France.                                                    

 He was a direct descendant of King David (1045 BCE to 973 BCE  and 
                                                                           
Hillel (70 BCE to 10 CE). 

 He would have cited the Golden Rule  if asked about having a contest to make fun of Mohammad.  Even though we don't agree with what is being said in Mohammad's name, we shouldn't make fun of him, for this opens the door for the same thing to happen to us.  Another way of saying it is, "What is good for the goose is good for the gander."

France started the whole cartoon epic, though.  A free spirited people like France, whose DNA directs their people to individualistic thinking and not mass obeying, who defied everyone by helping the fledgling country of America get on its feet, is not about to be told what they should or shouldn't do.  This spirit is to be admired.  

By the same token, Texans are just as brave and individualistic.  Their history of the Alamo and fighting against Mexico  in the creation of Texas and even in defying their own president occasionally shows they are their own man.  Who cannot but admire the Texas Rangers?  It was just the city to set the stage for defiance against Islamic oppression.  

A few years back another defiant person decided to burn a Koran or two.  Terry Jones, 60 years old  in 2011,  did just this in Florida.  "Jones believes Islam promotes violence and that Muslims want to impose sharia law in the United States  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "It's regrettable that a pastor in Gainesville, Florida with a church of no more than fifty people can make this outrageous and distressful, disgraceful plan and get, you know, the world's attention."   He's one of our American free thinkers, Hillary.  That's what has set us apart from Europeans.  He didn't need a mega-church to believe something was wrong and needed to be acted on.  Trouble is, he forgot the Golden Rule.  
                                                                    
Koran (Quran) harnessed by many extremists 

 Again, this is an example of not having respect for a religion that teaches beliefs not acceptable to their own beliefs.  It's going against the grain.  One can say its a religion of peace all they want, but when they start teaching hatred and killing, that goes out the window.  You can't have 2 opposing beliefs in one system.  

Resource: http://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-ten-commandments-changing-world.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/history/moses_1.shtml
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/05/us/garland-texas-prophet-mohammed-contest-shooting/
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/194748#.VUj6w45Viko
http://www.history.com/shows/h2
http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens
http://www.history.com/shows/in-search-of-aliens
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/us/garland-mohammed-drawing-contest-shooting/
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
http://www.religioustolerance.org/reciproc.htm  all relligions with a form of Golden Rule
http://pamelageller.com/
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/5705/mohammed-cartoon-wars
UPDATE 5/8/15 *** http://www.jewishjournal.com/world/article/that_the_world_may_not_end  AMUST TO READ

6 comments:

  1. The Taliban of Afghanistan and Pakistan are also Islamic terrorists. "The Taliban's extremely strict and anti-modern ideology has been described as an "innovative form of sharia combining Pashtun tribal codes,"[196] or Pashtunwali, with radical Deobandi interpretations of Islam favored by JUI and its splinter groups. from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban

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  2. people can have their own opinions-free to think what they will-right, wrong or indifferent--but in my opinion it was stupid to taunt the muslims with this contest. why purposely bring trouble? isn't it bad enough to begin with without going to this length to outright invite it? but this is how the world is shaping up these days. evil continually is what i see. when God weighs in, all religions will know how they have gotten it wrong about HIM. the jews were given the oracles of God and the muslims follow a false god, their book is a mish mash that has no core truth so that qualifies it as a lie. even half truth is still a lie-but that does not mean they should be provoked on purpose. they are provoked already because bad religion makes for bad culture and they have many many many centuries of bad history! these people believe and live badly and have and are taking it out on each other-and others-the entire world even, but a hateful response toward muslims does not fix what is wrong does it? that only adds more wrong to what is terrible already. pamela geller is jewish i found out. she and those who have the same outlook are not doing anyone any favors by adding fuel to the fire in my book. i wonder what her reasoning is to go out on such a limb? God will set things right when HE comes. people will be answerable to Him for causing or adding to the multiplied hurts of the world's peoples-individual and/or corporate-sins alike. this world is a hurting hurting place. God will fix it. i think soon--not later...meanwhile hang on to your hat i say.

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  3. Well put, Andre. Bringing on more trouble by provocation doesn't fix things between people.

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  4. Andre, tonight I watched Hannity on Fox News and caught him with a debate between Pamela Geller and the Imam, Anjem Choudury who just ranted wildly. I didn't know that Pamela had organized this contest! I read a lot of her pieces. She's been fighting injustices from Islam for a long time, now. I still would not have done this. The Golden rule still stands in my mind. Now she has to have more protection as there is a fatwa out for her life. I've updated my article to include this. It's not in good taste. There are enough other occasions to teach freedom of speech without making fun of someone's religion, and that's what making fun of Mohammad amounts to. Parents can't teach their children not to swear if they go around swearing all the time. We have to set examples, and not making fun of another's religion is such an example. We can get into debates, which I have done, but just can't make fun of it and leave it there. I've had occasion to debate through email with an Imam from Pakistan. It's useless. Each of us sees only their own side even when presented with perfect arguments. I wound up unfriending him. It had gotten nasty. What is it they say? Friends should not discuss politics or religion.

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  5. well i certainly understand that there is a free speech issue at stake but that said i think it so unwise to incite needlessly. hatred within muslims (whose reknown acts of terror and accompanying silence to lend it support is equally hateful and now rampant worldwide--especially aimed at israel and america) is not staunched or even curbed by returning the 'favor'. truth does not have to be brutal to get it's message across but it should be fearless. hatred is really a coward in idea and actions too because it is fueled by deep insecurity that breeds such raw thinking, feelings and responses. truth has nothing to lose so that affords it dignity. so many in america's modern culture live life not even knowing what is dignified and what is not for society. the muslim culture isn't even 'programed' for dignified exchange is it? disagreeing without being disagreeable should be upheld as an american value just as confronting without confrontation should too but honestly i think that is not popular in our day and age of extremes. sensationalism is a 'drug' for so many empty hearts and minds these days so the floodgates have been opened for egregious behaviors from every segment of society and our new normal--and the invite to more terrible happenings in this issue with islam and culture in general in my mind. i do not see this problem going away or even improving.
    we must do our part to do right and the chips will fall.....that's ok. the truth is worth it.......and God sees...........
    psalm 11 comes to mind.

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  6. I think you have terrific insight to this situation. I like this (confronting without confrontation ).

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