A Christian interested in Islam

I’m a Christian who’s always been pretty religious and but I’ve been really interested in Islam because I have a lot of Muslim friends and I love how they follow their religion. Can somebody give me some good reasons why I could convert to Islam?

In any case, it is good to question or at least ask questions about your faith. Daily, we need to examine and weigh ourselves, our thinking and our beliefs against the data we can find in the Holy Scriptures.

To your question, some might react and ask that person with such a question or remark

Why would you exchange the truth about God for a lie?

Others might say

I can’t think of good reasons why you would want to convert to Islam but I can understand why your Muslim friends’ devotion would make you wonder.

Some Christians consider Islam a threat to their faith. In doing so, they do not ask why that faith needs to be a threat to our society.

About God, there are no lies in Islam. Like in Judaism Islam teaches about the Only One True God, Who is One and not Three, like lots of Christians think. When coming to know the God of the Bible it is understandable that you might think you come to serve that God to your best of your ability.

You should know that, in Christianity, not all Christians worship the Trinity. There are masses of Christians who worship only That One True God and keep away from any idolatry, like praying to saints or keeping pagan festivals (like Christmas and Easter).

Even when you see all the wrong doctrines your Christian denomination brought to in its faith, you should not step away from Christianity, though you could leave Christendom aside.

There are no good reasons to convert to Islam.

The fact you’re considering it, actually makes us wonder whether you actually believe in Jesus. We do know that there are many atheists, because they do not believe in God, that say that Christ did not exist; But that does not make any sense. Jesus Christ is a historical figure, like the world knowns so many historical figures about whom nobody would doubt, even when there is less material evidence of their existence than about the existence of Jeshua ben Josef, (the son of Josef) who is better known as Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

Jesus said,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

It is God Himself Who provided this Nazarene man, born in Bethlehem. That Islam denies the deity of Jesus is not bad and totally justified, because Jesus is not God but the son of God. The fact that Islam denies Jesus died on the cross for your sins is another matter which is a shame. Because they do not believe Jesus really died, naturally Islam can only deny Jesus’ glorious resurrection from the dead. For Christians who believe Jesus is God, there is also a problem, because God has no birth and can not die according to the Holy Scriptures. But all Christians are convinced that Jesus died and was resurrected.

You need to think about what you’ll be rejecting if you decide to convert to Islam.

Without Jesus, where would your salvation come from? Here’s a Bible verse for you to think about:

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (ESV)

It is not bad to have friends in all sorts of faiths, but that does not give yet one reason to change faith. One can have a lot of Muslim friends and one may love how they follow their religion. They do tend to be faithful to their faith and do not disregard as many precepts as Catholics and Protestants usually do.

Why would you exchange the truth about God and HIs son for a lie?

There are no good reasons to convert to Islam.

More than once we’ve read of priests and ministers who converted to Islam because Muslims take prayer so seriously and pray so often. They forgot they too could pray more often. We are all free to pray as much as we want.

In the Netherlands they are so afraid Islam would take over their country. Do they neve ask themselves how it would come that so many of their compatriots, Calvinists, Lutherans and other Protestants and Catholics made steps to leave their congregation and to go more regularly to the mosque instead of the church. Is it not because so many Dutch, Belgian French and English people are so much dissatisfied with their Christian faith that they go looking for other solutions and come up to the Muslim faith. If these churches in our area had enough to offer to the people, they would not be running away from them.

In Belgium we also heard it more than once that people were cross with the fact that in the schools of their children or at work Muslims were demanding and getting a special room set aside for prayer. Ditd they ever asked the school or their employer for a special prayer room?
Our response would be

“great for them – why aren’t you doing the same?”

So again is it not our own fault when Islam is getting a bigger denomination than all the Christian denominations?
Why is there not something people may find appealing in Islam/Muslim practice to challenge them to grow in their own faith and faith practice as a Christian?

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Find also to read

1. Are people allowed to have doubts
2. How Many Persons Created the Heavens and the Earth?
3. Christians saying Jesus is God giving food for atheists to prove there exist no God
4. Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible
5. Nazarene Commentary Luke 3:1, 2 – Factual Data
6. Matthew 2:1-6 – Astrologers and Priests in a Satanic Plot
7. The place where Jesus was brought up
8. A rebellious movement founded on a fake?
9. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #2
10. Trinitarians making their proof for existence of God look ridiculous #3

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Additional reading

1. The habitual misreading of John 1 and the ‘Word being God’ #2
2. A Father Who begat a son

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Related

1. The Atheist Jesus: Man, Myth, or Mix?
2. Did Jesus Actually Exist?
3. Did Jesus really exist
4. Did Jesus Really Exist? – Christmas is around the corner
5. Jesus never existed?
6. Did Jesus Exist…
7. Did Jesus Exist? (Part One)
8. Evidence for Jesus – Was Jesus a Real Person?
9. Do Scholars and Historians think Jesus never existed?
10. Why Do Scholars Think Jesus Christ Existed Historically?
11. Are there historical documentations of Jesus outside the Bible?
12. What evidence should we expect about Jesus?
13. Jesus : Myth or Reality
14. #3: Is Jesus of Nazareth a Fairy Tale—a Legendary Copy of Pagan Myths? Part 1 (of 2)
15. #2: The Reason-Based-Faith Approach, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, Part 1 (of 2)
16. #8: The Strongest Historical Evidences for Jesus and the Resurrection, Pt. 1
17. Did Jesus Exist? 18 Parallels to Fictional Hero Narratives
18. Did Jesus Just Admit He Was a Fictional Character?
19. What about pre-Christ resurrection myths?
20. Living a lie or Desiring God?

Catholic priest: Islam is faith of liberation

From some older writings

Catholic priest: Islam is faith of liberation by rehmat1

Rev. Mike Rivage-Seul is a retired Catholic priest, teacher and a liberation theologian. He taught at Berea College in Kentucky for 36 years where he directed Berea’s Peace and Social Justice Studies Program.In Octobder 2013, he posted a two-part study on Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), entitled, Islam as Liberation Theology: Muhammad as a Prophet for our times.

“Understanding Islam as today’s foremost expression of the liberating power of faith made the 1979 Revolution in Iran a movement inspired by liberation theology.
It did the same thing for other movements for liberation throughout the Asia and Africa. With all their triumphs and distortions, they too were movements against colonialism and its neo-colonial aftermath. In the name of God, they all stood against the exploitation and oppression of the East by the West,”

says Rivage-Seul.

“As a liberation theologian, I see Islamists as part of world-wide movement of poor people to use their religious traditions as a force for freedom rather than control and slavery. In fact, I consider this movement as the most important intellectual and social development since the writing of the Communist Manifesto in 1848. Grasping that fact and the true nature of Islam should be Job #1 for teachers and peace advocates,”

Rivage-Seul.

Rivage-Seul claims that after studying American religious scholar Huston Smith’s book, The Religion of Man, he realized that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are sister faiths.

“There is no distinction between “their God” and “our God.”

All three were

“religions of the book.”

At the very least, all recognized Jesus as a great prophet,”

Rivage-Seul claims.

This is where I draw the line. Holy Qur’an claims that prophet Jesus'(as) birth by Virgin Mary (as) was a Divine miracle. Catholic Bible claims Jesus pronounced himself ‘God’s son’ and thus shares God’s powers along with angel Gabriel (Trinity). Jewish Talmud shows nothing but contempt for Jesus, Mary and Christianity.

I think Huston Smith (died 2016), like Donald Trump, was a Jew apologist as result of

“his eldest daughter, Karen, married a Jew, converted and raised her kids in a Jewish home,”

reported Dan Pine at the Jewish News of Northern California, June 26, 2009.

“I have also taught Malcolm X’s autobiography. His embrace of Islam had called my attention to the attraction of Islam for poor people as an alternative to enslaving interpretations of Christianity. Malcolm’s passion for theNation of Islam easily connected with my own for liberation theology – i.e. with the reading of the Judeo-Christian tradition from the perspective of those committed to the welfare and destiny of the world’s poor,”

Rivage-Seul said.

The concept of liberation is an important part of Islamic Jihad. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) divided Muslims based on their commitment Islamic faith in the following three categories.

1. If a Believer sees an act of aggression and has the power to stop it – he must do it even if he had to use arms.
2. If a Believer sees an act of aggression and doesn’t have the means to stop it – he must protest against it verbally or through media.
3. If a Believer sees an act of aggression but decide not to apply one the above two options – he has the weakest faith in Allah.

Several Jewish rabbis have agreed with Mike Rivage-Seul in the past.

The women liberation movement (Feminism) is not a Western invention. It was established by Islam in the 7th century.

Father of India, Mahatma Gandhi praised Islam, saying:

“I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway of over the hearts of millions of mankind. I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet Muhammad the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers . his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in Allah and his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume of the Prophet’s biography, I was sorry there was no more for me to read of that great life.”

rehmat1 | June 5, 2017 at 12:51 am

Van waar halen bepaalde gelovigen dat Paulus de Wet (van Mozes) dood verklaarde

Als wij bepaalde Christenen maar ook sommige moslim zouden moeten geloven, zou de apostel Paulus de Thora dood verklaard hebben, wat zeer vreemd is want Paulus als Farizeeër (Saul) was juist een zeer devote Jood.

In “Typdenken over … Reacties op Islam” geeft de blogster Mariam dat ook aan. Maar nergens geeft zij de mogelijkheid aan lezers hierop te reageren of vragen te stellen. Dat valt wel meer voor bij Trinitariërs, eerder dan bij Moslims.

Als zij schrijft

We bekeken zelfs foto’s in de godsdienstles – zelfs aan het seminarie, als ik me goed herinner – over de mooie gebedshouding van de Muslim tijdens zijn smeekbede.

krijg ik de indruk dat zij uit een Trinitarisch midden komt en dat zij zelfs er aan gedacht had zich meer op het geestelijke te richten, doordat zij naar het seminarie  (een instelling of universiteit voor de opleiding van geestelijken) is gegaan. Ik vermoed dat het daar om de Rooms Katholieke Kerk gaat.

Ik vraag mij ook af waarom zij niet eerder tot de Niet-trinitarische groeperingen is overgegaan in de Christenheid in plaats van het Christendom volledig de rug toe te keren en over te gaan tot het Islamitisch geloof.

Zij schrijft

gek genoeg ging ik dankzij de Islam ook inzien dat God in die àndere Openbaringen niets anders had gezegd… Wel hadden mensen hun eigen visie gewoon in Zijn teksten verwerkt, hun beeld van Hem vernauwd tot wat hen het beste lag, om te ontsnappen aan regels die ze te lastig vonden (Zoals Paulus, die besloot dat hij de Wet (van Mozes) gewoon dood verklaarde aangezien hij anders, omwille van die wet, een zondaar was … terwijl Jezus nochtans duidelijk heeft gezegd dat hij die Wet kwam bevestigen!). {Typdenken over … Reacties op Islam}

Dat doet mij toch afvragen waar zij zoiets vandaan haalt dat de apostel Paulus de Wet zou verworpen hebben, of dat hijzelf zo maar de regels van God zou veranderd hebben. De reden die zij opgeeft, lijkt me ook zeer vreemd. Natuurlijk wist Paulus dat ook hij, zoals de meeste mensen, een zondaar was en dat hij zelfs lange tijd zijn zonden probeerde te verbergen. Ook was hij er van bewust dat hij onterecht de volgers van de Nazareen Jeshua (Jezus Christus), zwart gemaakt en vervolgd had. Maar daar had hij spijt over betuigd.

De ergste beschuldiging die bepaalde Christenen en Moslims aan Paulus toe schrijven is dat hij de Drie-eenheid zou geprezen hebben. Nooit, maar nooit te immer heeft Paulus zulk een wandaad gedaan. Nooit heeft hij mensen die andere goden aanbaden dan zijn Ene Ware God, tot zijn geloofsgemeenschap laten toe treden. Formeel was hij met al de andere apostelen dat zij die deel wensten uit te maken van de groepering De Weg, de God der Joden moesten aanbidden. En Die God is de God van Jezus, de God van Abraham en de God van Mozes, welke een Enige God is en geen drievoudige of drie-enige, zoals zo velen beweren.

Die Christenen die beweren dat Paulus leerde de Drie-eenheid te aanbidden hebben het helemaal mis en kunnen die leerstelling niet staven met Bijbelse teksten.

Graag had ik te weten gekomen waar zulke stellingnames vandaan kwamen zoals Mariam aanhaalt

Destijds was het gelukt om de Drievuldigheid erdoor te drukken, de leer van Paulus die Jezus niet had gekend, en die dan nog eens werd aangepast aan wat de zonnevereerder Constantijn oplegde via het concilie van Nicea. {Typdenken over … Reacties op Islam}

Verder schrijft zij verder ook

Eeuwenlang werd het argument aangevoerd dat de Trinitaire Christenen veel meer de theologie van Paulus dan de leer van Jezus volgen. Deze beschuldiging kan moeilijk worden ontkend, aangezien Jezus de Wet van het Oude Testament onderwees, terwijl Paulus geloofsmysteries onderrichtte, waarbij hij de Wet – waarvoor de Profeten hebben geleden en zich hebben opgeofferd om die over te brengen – verloochende. {De theologie van Paulus}

Vanwaar haalt zij dat Paulus de Wet verloochende, terwijl hij zich er altijd strikt aan gehouden had.

Dat Paulus zich meer zou geconcentreerd hebben op Jezus zijn dood, is mij ook wel een vraagteken, maar als dit zo mocht wezen, hoeft dit niet iets negatiefs te zijn of te betekenen dat de Wet van geen tel meer zou zijn.

Zij haalt ook Lehman aan die het als volgt, verwoordde:

“Het enige wat Paulus belangrijk vindt, is de dood van de Jood Jezus, die alle hoop op een bevrijding door een Messias teniet deed. Hij maakt van de falende joodse Messias de zegevierende Christus, hij maakt de dode levend en van de Mensenzoon maakt hij de zoon van God.” {Lehmann, Johannes pag. 125-6}

Verder beweert zij ook dat

Meer dan enkele geleerden beschouwen Paulus als de belangrijkste bederver van het apostolische Christendom en van de leer van Jezus.

“Wat Paulus als ‘Christendom’ verkondigde was pure ketterij, die niet kon gebaseerd zijn op het Joodse of Esseense geloof, noch op de leer van Rabbi Jezus. Maar, zoals Schonfield zegt:

‘De ketterij van Paulus werd de fundering van het orthodoxe Christendom en de legitieme Kerk werd als ketters verloochend’.” {Lehmann, Johannes pag. 128}

Het mag wel gezegd worden dat de Apostel Paulus de weg opende voor goyim om ook toe te treden tot de groep van Jezus-volgers. Maar het is totaal verkeerd te denken dat Paulus daar iets zou gedaan hebben wat de Rabbijn Jezus nooit heeft gedaan of ook zou hebben geweigerd te doen. {De theologie van Paulus}

Dat bij de uitbreiding van de verlossingsbelofte van God tot de heidenen, hij de Wet van Mozes zou afgeschaft hebben is een brug te ver.

Ook dat Paulus de directe toegang tot God voorkwam door bemiddelaars in te voeren [Lehmann, Johannes pag. 134]} is een opvatting die geen steek houdt en Schriftuurlijk niet kan bewezen worden. Zo ook dat Paulus een totaal nieuwe godsdienst zou gecreëerd hebben is onterecht. ^[(Weiss, Johannes. 1909. “Paul and Jesus”. (vertaald naar het Engels door Rev. H. J. Chaytor). London and New York: Harper and Brothers. pag. 130.]

Paulus legt juist bloot wat Jezus ook duidelijk wenste te maken, dat alle zondaars, dus ook niet-Joden tot God kunnen komen. Maar hij legt het in het kamp van ieder individu. Elkeen is namelijk volgens hem verantwoordelijk voor de eigen keuzes. Ieder mens moet er zelf toe komen om ‘te keren’ of ‘zijn oude persoonlijkheid’ opzij te zetten. Nergens geeft Paulus aan dat zij ‘De Wet’ opzij zouden moeten zetten. Integendeel laat hij verstaan dat het fijn zou zijn als mensen Jezus aanvaarden als de gezondene van God en als hun bemiddelaar bij God, maar zodoende zich dan ook zouden houden aan de leerstellingen van die leermeester en zijn God.

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Aanvullende lezing

1. Christenen
2. Een Drievoudige God of simpelweg een éénvoudige God
3. Drie-eenheid
4. Drie-eenheid – God de zoon of Zoon van God
5. Heeft men bewijs nodig?
6. Gods vergeten Woord 20 Volk van het Boek 3 Voorbeelden in het Nieuwe Testament
7. Overdenking: De verrezen Christus in het leven van Paulus
8. Bijbels geloof en heidense filosofie
9. Zonder de wet van Mozes zélf weten wat goed en wat kwaad is
10. Als de tijd ten einde loopt …… Vragen naar het goede
11. Fundamenten van het Geloof 8 De dood. Gods vonnis over de zonde
12. Als de tijd ten einde loopt …… Slechts een klein deel gered
13. Gods vergeten Woord 4 Verloren Wetboek 3 Vroege afdwalingen en de ‘Constantinische’ omwenteling
14. Hoeft men Jood te zijn of niet om waardige volgeling van Jezus Christus te zijn 3 De Weg – een Joodse sekte
15. Hoeft men Jood te zijn of niet om waardige volgeling van Jezus Christus te zijn 4 Trinitariërs en Niet-trinitariërs

Saudi Arabia Calls On Muslims To Sight Ramadan Crescent Moon On Friday Evening

Belgium is one of the European countries with the highest number of Muslims. According to a demographic study carried out in 2010, Belgium has 623,780 Muslims, i.e. 5.8% of the population. Islam is thus the second religion in the country after Christianity.
Ramadan is therefore part of multicultural Belgium, and Belgian Muslims look forward to it every year and celebrate it with the same joy as Muslims around the world.

Ramadan 2022/1443 will begin in Belgium on Sunday 3/4/2022, according to astronomical calculations. For the year 2022, the night of doubt will be on Saturday 2/4, based on an astronomical calculation.

Another “night of doubt” is observed at the end of the month to define the last of the fasting month. Although in recent years astrological calculation has gradually replaced the sight of the crescent moon.

AMRAH

PARIS, France – Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has called on all Muslims through the Kingdom to sight the crescent moon of the holy month of Ramadan on Friday evening, state news agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court called on Whoever sight the crescent moon by naked eyes or through binoculars to report to the nearest court and register their their testimony, or to contact the nearest relevant department to guide them to the nearest court.

Muslims follow a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days. Sighting a crescent moon heralds the start of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

More than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world will mark the month, during which believers abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and having marital relations from dawn until sunset. They also try to avoid evil thoughts and deeds.

Ramadan is sacred…

View original post 45 more words

Voids in the fight against anti-Muslim racism

The Ampel-Vertrag announces religious policy initiatives. There are empty spaces on the topic of Islam: the fight against anti-Muslim racism and equal rights for Muslim religious communities.

The coalition agreement of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP takes up important demands and initiatives on religious policy of recent years and announces initiatives that take into account a religiously and ideologically diverse society. There are gaps in the equal rights of Muslim religious communities and in the fight against anti-Muslim racism.

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The coalition wants to examine whether “additions to the legal status of religious communities are necessary” and wants to discuss this “in close consultation with the churches and religious communities concerned”. If this would also happen in cooperation with the religious communities and would result in a legal status with equal rights, this would be welcome.

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When it comes to implementing the cooperative separation of state and religion – especially the replacement of the state benefit and the abolition of the special church labour law – words must now be followed by deeds. The new government must respect the human right to religious freedom, protect religious minorities from discrimination and launch an initiative for the Bundestag to finally outlaw anti-Muslim racism.

It will be necessary to keep up the pressure for equal rights for Muslim religious communities and other religious and ideological communities with the Christian churches.

Read: Leerstellen im Kampf gegen antimuslimischen Rassismus

Leerstellen im Kampf gegen antimuslimischen Rassismus

Der Ampel-Vertrag kündigt religionspolitische Initiativen an. Leerstellen gibt es beim Thema Islam: Kampf gegen antimuslimischen Rassismus und Gleichberechtigung muslimischer Religionsgemeinschaften.

Der Koalitionsvertrag von SPD, Grünen und FDP greift wichtige religionspolitische Forderungen und Initiativen der letzten Jahre auf und kündigt Initiativen an, die einer religiös und weltanschaulich vielfältigen Gesellschaft Rechnung tragen. Leerstellen gibt es bei der Gleichberechtigung muslimischer Religionsgemeinschaften und beim Kampf gegen antimuslimischen Rassismus.

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Die Koalition will prüfen, ob „Ergänzungen des Rechtsstatus von Religionsgemeinschaften notwendig sind“ und will dies „in enger Abstimmung mit den betroffenen Kirchen und Religionsgemeinschaften“ erörtern. Wenn dies auch in Kooperation mit den Religionsgemeinschaften passieren würde und einen gleichberechtigten Rechtsstatus zu Folge hätte, wäre das zu begrüßen.

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Bei der Umsetzung der kooperativen Trennung von Staat und Religion – insbesondere der Ablösung der Staatsleistung und der Abschaffung des kirchlichen Sonderarbeitsrechts – müssen jetzt den Worten Taten folgen. Die neue Regierung muss das Menschenrecht auf Religionsfreiheit achten, religiöse Minderheiten vor Diskriminierung zu schützen und eine Initiative starten, dass der Bundestag antimuslimischen Rassismus endlich ächtet.

Es wird nötig sein, weiter Druck zu machen für eine Gleichberechtigung der muslimischen Religionsgemeinschaften und anderer Religions- und Weltanschauungsgemeinschaften mit den christlichen Kirchen.

> Bitte kommen Sie und lesen Sie den Artikel: Koalitionsvertrag: Leerstellen im Kampf gegen Islamfeindlichkeit

Uit de oude doos: Soennitische en Shiitische Moslims

In het Nieuws: Belangrijke en interessante nieuwsfeiten in het licht van de Bijbel

Deze keer het eerste deel van een achtergrondartikel van de hand van Keith Worthington, dat verscheen in het Engels in the Christadelphian van oktober 2006

Verdeeldheid onder Moslims

 Soennitische en Shiitische Moslims

De Islam kent twee hoofdgroepen, die fundamenteel gezien dezelfde religieuze overtuigingen hebben. Het probleem ontstond na de dood van Mohammed, omdat hij niemand als zijn opvolger had aangewezen, en ook geen methode had vastgesteld om een nieuwe leider te kiezen. Na zijn dood in 632 na Chr. streden verschillende groepen Moslims om het leiderschap. De meerderheid wees Abu Bakr, een van de vooraanstaande volgelingen van Mohammed, aan als kalief. Deze groep werd de Soennieten, terwijl een veel kleinere groep, die de Shiiten werd, Abu Bakr verwierp, omdat zij aanvoerden dat Mohammeds schoonzoon Ali de leider moest zijn, en dat het leiderschap binnen de familie van Mohammed moest blijven. Er is altijd een grote onderlinge spanning geweest tussen deze twee gemeenschappen.

Landen met een moslimbevolking van minimaal 10% (groen is soennitisch, rood is sjiitisch, blauw is ibadisch)

Extreme verdeeldheid

De terugkeer van Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini uit Parijs (Teheran, 1 februari 1979). Khomeini wordt door de piloot van het Air France-toestel de trap af geholpen.

Soennieten, die bijna 90% van alle Moslims uitmaken, leven voor het grootste deel in de zuidelijke streken van het Midden-Oosten – Saudi-Arabië, Jordanië, Egypte en Noord Afrika – en worden beschouwd als orthodoxe Moslims. De volken van de noordelijke landen – Iran, Irak en Libanon – hebben een Shiitische meerderheid. En hoewel Syrië voor het merendeel Soennitisch is, wordt het geregeerd door de Alavieten, een Shiitische splintergroepering. Hezbollah (of Hetzb’Allah)is een radicale Shiitische groepering, die voortkwam uit de Iraanse revolutie van 1979, toen de Sjah werd afgezet. Ayatollah Khomeini kreeg toen de macht en riep Iran uit tot Islamitische Republiek. Iran ziet Hezbollah als een van zijn steunpilaren in zijn strategische veiligheid, en de voorste verdedigingslinie tegen Israël.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad die een nucleaire plant inspecteert in 2008

De huidige President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad draagt de revolutie nu uit over zijn landsgrenzen. Beide groepen hebben radicale terroristische organisaties. Zo worden al-Qa’eda en Hamas geleid door Soennitische Moslims. Zij staan gewoonlijk vijandig tegenover alle Shiiten, zodat er sprake is van extreme verdeeldheid binnen het moslimgeloof.

De Soennitische al-Qa’eda guerilla strijdkrachten, die worden gesteund door Jordaanse en Syrische organisaties met dezelfde religieuze overtuiging, laten bommen ontploffen in Irak, meestal gericht tegen de armste Shiitische Moslims. Daarom zijn de VS meer geneigd samen te werken met de Shiiten in Irak en de Soennieten in de zuidelijke streken. De Koerden, die leven in de noordelijke delen van Irak, zijn Soennieten en worden gehaat door de Shiiten.

Op 31 augustus 2005 was er een zeer ernstig incident. Op geruchten dat er zelfmoordaanslagen zouden plaatsvinden, werden bijna 1000 Shiiten – waarvan vele vrouwen en kinderen – die bezig waren met hun jaarlijkse pelgrimstocht naar het Mousa al-Kadhim heiligdom, of vertrapt of van de brug over de Tigris in Bagdad gegooid. Dit leidde bijna tot een burgeroorlog. President Ahmadinejad van Iran beweert dat het Soennitische radicalisme het uiterste van zijn mogelijkheden heeft bereikt in zijn strijd tegen het door de VS geleide globale systeem, en dat het nu de beurt is van de Shiiten, geleid door Iran, het roer over te nemen. Hun jihad strekt zich nu uit van Spanje tot Afghanistan.

Verzet tegen Israël

Abdoellah II bin al-Hoessein koning van het Hasjemitische Koninkrijk Jordanië. – Abdoellah behoort tot de stam van de Hasjemieten en is volgens zijn stamboom een nazaat van de profeet Mohammed in de 41e generatie.

Alle Moslims hebben één ding gemeenschappelijk: hun verzet tegen Israël. In de 7e eeuw na Chr. vielen de Saracenen het Midden-Oosten binnen en bezetten het grootste deel daarvan. Daaruit kwam het Ottomaanse Rijk voort. Als Moslims wijdden zij al hun land aan Allah, maar sinds 1948, zeggen zij, is dit land ontheiligd door de Israëlische bezetting, en zij moeten voorgoed verdreven worden van hun bezette gebied. Hierbij moet worden aangetekend dat Koning Abdullah van Jordanië, de Egyptische President Hosni Mubarak en de Saudische Minister van Buitenlandse zaken en hun onderdanen Soennitische Moslims zijn, en bondgenoten van Amerika en Groot-Britannië.  Zij vormen de ‘koning van het zuiden’ waarover in de Bijbel wordt gesproken. Deze leiders hebben notitie genomen van de recente regionale ontwikkelingen een ‘Shiitische halve maan’ te vormen (zoals Koning Abdullah dezebeschreef) in de noordelijke gebieden van het Midden-Oosten.

Instruments for the fulfilment of the prophecy

We should consider Christians and Moslems as
instruments for the fulfilment of the prophecy
that the knowledge of God will one day spread throughout the earth.
Whereas the nations before them worshipped idols, denied God’s existence,
and thus did not recognize God’s power or retribution,
the rise of Christianity and Islam served to spread among the nations,
to the furthest ends of the earth,
the knowledge that there is One God who rules the world,
who rewards and punishes and reveals Himself to man.

~ Jacob Emden, also known as Ya’avetz

Jacob Emden, likely around 1760

The son of the Chacham Tzvi, and a descendant of Elijah Ba’al Shem of Chelm, Jacob Emden (born Ashkenazi), was a traditionalist who responded to the ideals of tolerance being circulated during the 18th-century Enlightenment. He stretched the traditional inclusivist position into universal directions and, like Maimonides, believed that Christianity and Islam have important roles to play in God’s plan for mankind,

Nederlandse tekst / Dutch version: Instrumenten voor de vervulling van de profetie

Instrumenten voor de vervulling van de profetie

We moeten christenen en moslims beschouwen als
instrumenten voor de vervulling van de profetie
dat de kennis van God zich op een dag over de aarde zal verspreiden.
Terwijl de volken vóór hen afgoden aanbaden, Gods bestaan ​​ontkenden,
en dus niet de kracht of vergelding van God erkende,
de opkomst van het christendom en de islam diende zich te verspreiden onder de naties,
naar de verste uiteinden van de aarde,
de wetenschap dat er Eén God is die de wereld regeert,
die beloont en straft en Zichzelf openbaart aan de mens.

~ Jacob Emden, ook bekend als Ya’avetz

Jacob Emden, waarschijnlijk rond 1760

De zoon van de Chacham Tzvi, en een afstammeling van Elia Ba’al Sem van Chelm, Jacob Emden (geboren Ashkenazi), was een traditionalist die reageerde op de idealen van tolerantie die in de 18e eeuw werden verspreid. Hij strekte de traditionele inclusivistische positie in universele richtingen en, zoals Maimonides, geloofde hij dat het christendom en de islam een ​​belangrijke rol spelen in Gods plan voor de mensheid,

Engelse tekst / English text: Instruments for the fulfilment of the prophecy

Naast Joodse Jeshua volgers ook Geen plaats voor de islam in Nederland

Onderzoek van Hoogleraar Ruud Koopmans bracht aan het licht dat  2/3 van alle Nederlanders van mening was dat de islam niet bij Nederland hoorde.  Stel je voor dat 2/3 van alle Nederlanders islamofoob en/of racist zou zijn.

Koopmans vond nog veel meer en durfde dat ook hardop te zeggen:

“Onder leden van Nederlandse moslims bestaan bijvoorbeeld enorme negatieve opvattingen over homoseksuelen, joden, of moslims die van het geloof afstappen.”

“Moslims moeten hun verantwoordelijkheid nemen en hun afwerende houding van ’dat is ons pakkie-an niet’ laten varen. Mensen zijn namelijk niet gek, die zien ook dat moslims wél massaal de straat op gaan om Erdogan te steunen of om tegen Israël te protesteren.”

“Er bestaat een sterke neiging om de oorzaken in de boze buitenwereld te zoeken in plaats van in de eigen gemeenschap. Moslims geven Geert Wilders de schuld, of westers kolonialisme, of Israël, of islamofobie.”

“‘Geweld heeft niets met de islam te maken’ is een drogreden waar je niet meer mee aan kan komen als terroristen zelf verklaren dat ze handelen vanuit het geloof.”

“Wereldwijd staan er 50 miljoen moslims klaar om geweld te gebruiken”

“Dat het de schuld van anderen is, zit bij veel moslims heel diep.” {Dr. Gert Jan Mulder over aantijgingen van extreemlinkse twitteraars}

Veelal wordt er verward gekeken naar mensen met een anders geloof dan de doorsnee Nederlander, waarbij zij ook geen verschil tussen de verschillende vormen in die moslimcultuur zien.

Dr. Gert Jan Mulder gaat in een schrijven van 21 maart in op de aantijgingen van extreemlinkse twitteraars, die er twee weken terug in slaagden hem van Twitter te verdrijven. Hij hecht zich eraan te benadrukken dat haat nooit een motief is geweest om zich kritisch uit te laten over islam, of over individuele moslims en schrijft

Ik heb niets met geloof in het algemeen en al helemaal niets met islam en alles dat daarmee samenhangt. {Dr. Gert Jan Mulder over aantijgingen van extreemlinkse twitteraars}

Hij vind:

• dat de toevloed van moslims naar Nederland geen toegevoegde waarde heeft gehad voor de Nederlandse maatschappij;
• dat multiculturalisme heeft gefaald;
• dat islam geen godsdienst is maar een politieke ideologie met als doel de rest van de wereld te onderwerpen (door jihad); {Dr. Gert Jan Mulder over aantijgingen van extreemlinkse twitteraars}

Hierbij lijkt hem te ontgaan dat zulk een politieke ideologie een bijverschijnsel is dat wij ook bij de Rooms Katholieke Kerk hebben kunnen waarnemen. Die Kerk heeft zich jaren bezondigd aan prediking met geweld op Europees, Afrikaans en Amerikaans grondgebied. Meerdere kruistochten werden georganiseerd in naam van die godsdienst. Die rooftochten, verkrachitngen en moorden hadden niets te maken met dat geloof in Christus, maar wel alles met macht, zoals wij nu ook met Daesh, ISIS, Bokoharam en konsoorten kunnen zien.

Volgens Gert Jan Mulder zou de cultuur die islam en moslims vertegenwoordigen en zo veel vernieuwing en uitzonderlijke kunst in de wereld heeft gebracht achterlijk zijn en verwijst hij naar lectuur van de van Israel naar Nederland geïmmigreerde David Pinto en naar de lectuur aan wie Pinto de duimen moest leggen, de bijzonder hoogleraar aan de Erasmus Universiteit in Rotterdam die aanvankelijk met onder andere de Communistische Partij van Nederland sympathiseer, Pim Fortuyn.

Mr. Mulder ziet het allemaal donker in en ziet niet in dat er de komende 1400 jaar verandering zou komen, wat hij daarmee moge bedoelen? Voor hem staat het vast

• dat alle landen waar islam heerst uiterst onaangename landen zijn en vrijwel zonder uitzondering “failed states” mogen worden genoemd;
• dat islam -en vrijwel alle moslims- inherent antisemitisch zijn, Israël (en joden) willen vernietigen; {Dr. Gert Jan Mulder over aantijgingen van extreemlinkse twitteraars}

Hierbij ziet hij meerdere samenwerkingsverbanden tussen Israëliërs en Palestijnen zowel als tussen Joden en Islamieten over het hoofd. Wie weet kent hij helemaal zulke initiatieven niet als Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom (uitgesproken “waaḥat’ as-salaam/nevei shalom”) wat Arabisch en Hebreeuws is voor Oasis van Vrede (Oasis of Peace) een opzettelijke bijeengebrachte gemeenschap, in 1970 gesticht door broeder Bruno Hussar en verder uitgewerkt door de jaren heen bij de Joodse en Palestijnse Arabische burgers van Israël. Het dorp ligt halverwege tussen Jeruzalem en Tel Aviv-Jaffa. De school die door die gemeenschap is gesticht wordt nu gretig bezocht door kinderen van Palestijnse  origine, Islamieten en Joden. Men is niet gelieerd aan enige politieke partij en mensen voelen zich vrij en buiten het touwgetrek van de Israëlische regering staande. Hierdoor is het samenwerkingsverband zeer aantrekkelijk en staan er meer dan 300 families op een wachtlijst om toegelaten te worden tot het dorp.

Ook bepaalde tradities blijkt de heer Mulder niet te onderscheiden van het ware geloof. Zo te zien trekt hij alles onder één lijn. Hij haalt dan ook de menselijke tradities aan die zelfs zeer plaatselijk gebonden mogen zijn, zoals

• dat FGM (diverse vormen van vrouwen verminking, onder andere door tenminste clitoris verwijdering) eenvoudig afschuwelijk is;
• dat de meeste mensen de reikwijdte hiervan niet begrijpen en niet willen zien (zelfs in Egypte met ruim 40 miljoen vrouwen zijn ruim 90% van alle vrouwen besneden); {Dr. Gert Jan Mulder over aantijgingen van extreemlinkse twitteraars}

Voor hem botsen vrijheid van meningsuiting en islam alhoewel dat in de vroegere eeuwen veel islamitische landen open stonden voor Joden en anders denkenden. Wel kan men zeggen dat hij terecht aanhaalt dat er in de islam een gevaar schuilt dat het

• collectivistisch is, geen bescherming biedt aan rechten van homoseksuelen, transgenders, vrouwen, minderheden in het algemeen;
• dat ik onder andere daarom niets met moslims heb. {Dr. Gert Jan Mulder over aantijgingen van extreemlinkse twitteraars}

Maar daarop zou ik kunnen zeggen dat hij zoals vele anderen misschien eens wat meer met ware gelovigen moet praten en zich niet moet fixeren op fundamentalistische groeperingen, alsook dat hij zijn taalgebruik naar anders denkenden of gelovigen wat zou kunnen bij schaven of beschaafd houden. Waarom zulke lelijke woorden gebruiken naar medemensen?

Wat hij doet zou het zelfde zijn als moesten wij ons gaan fixeren op de fundamentalistische christenen, die dokters doden welke abortus plegen, of die huizen in brand steken van anders gelovigen of mensen waar zij het niet mee eens zijn, of in Afrika onder dwang mensen tot het christendom brengen.

Mr. Mulder begrijpt niet hoe simpele zielen zich verliezen in hem als racist te betitelen omdat dit alles volgens hem namelijk niets met racisme te maken heeft. Schrijft hij als verontschuldiging?

Ik maak wel degelijk onderscheid, discrimineer maar niet zonder dat daarvoor een gerechtvaardigde reden bestaat. {Dr. Gert Jan Mulder over aantijgingen van extreemlinkse twitteraars}

Velen mogen verschrikt opkijken als zij te horen krijgen hoeveel moskeeën er in Nederland en België wel mogen zijn. Hierbij denken ze dan ook dat de islam onze contreien aan het veroveren is. Maar moeten zij dan niet de vraag stellen hoe dat zou kunnen komen. Waaraan ligt het dat mensen van hier zich gaan aansluiten bij een godsdienstgroep die niet hier maar in het Midden-Oosten haar oorsprong vond? Hetzelfde kan gezegd worden betreft de verhoogde aanhang in de jaren 70-80 van vorige eeuw voor het boeddhisme. dat won toentertijd ook enorm aan gegadigden die over gingen to meditatievormen en het prevelen van gebeden in het Sanskriet.

In beide gevallen zien wij duidelijk een zoektocht naar het hogere en het buitengewone. Bij de overgang naar de islam kan men stellen dat mensen naar een godheid zoeken en naar verlichting die hun godsdienst niet heeft kunnen brengen. Hierbij mag men wel betreuren dat vele van die verlaters van hun christelijk geloof niet de moeite hebben genomen om eens bij ware christenen te gaan kijken. Maar hier kenden zij allen maar de ‘Getuigen van Jehovah’ die hen afschrikken omdat de goegemeente daar zo tegen is en deze als des duivels worden beschouwd. Van die christenen die naar de islam zijn overgestapt heeft 100% vast en zeker niet nar ware christenen, zoals de  ‘Christadelphians’ of ‘Broeders in Christus’ gezocht. Voorzekers heeft ook niemand daarvan gekeken wat de ‘Kerk van God’ hen te bieden zou kunnen hebben, of de Nazarener vrienden.

Mr. Mulder zou zich best eens afvragen waarom zo veel autochtonen zich willen bekeren en dan daarbij nog zo ver zouden willen gaan om zich heel anders te gaan kleden dan hier in deze streek de gewoonte is, terwijl in de islam zulke volledige versluiering van de vrouw niet eens verplicht is. eveneens vergeet de heer mulder hoe hier in de jaren 50-60 van de vorige eeuw de Katholieke vrouwen ook gesluierd of met een hoedje op de straat op moesten en links in de kerk gescheiden van de mannen moesten zitten. Of was dat voor zijn tijd en weet hij daar niets van omdat hij weinig van dat Katholieke geloof af weet?

Hij geeft toe dat hij niets met religies heeft maar zegt ook

nog minder met totalitaire ideologieën die alle waarden die wij in het “vrije westen” in eeuwen hebben bevochten niet respecteren en met voeten en hun jihad willen treden en vernietigen. Als u die ideologie aanhangt nodig ik u graag uit om weg te gaan. Ga fijn in een islamitisch land wonen.

Waaruit eens te meer dat hij geen onderscheid kan maken tussen de ware religie en de menselijke dogmatische groeperingen, zoals die in elke geloofsgroepering zich voordoen. Nederland is daar zelfs een pracht voorbeeld van van zulke fundamentalistische christelijke verenigingen en zeer conservatieve personen die eveneens weinig vrijheden aan hun volgelingen toelaten (zelfs geen televisie kijken of krant lezen op zondag).

 

Wij kunnen slechts hopen dat mensen als mr. Mulder gaan inzien dat er een groot verschil is tussen godsdiensten onderling en hoe mensen hun geloof willen dragen maar daarbij ook valselijk misleid kunnen worden door mensen die heel wat andere prioriteiten hebben dan dat (ware) geloof.

The Mystical Tales of the 1001 Arabian Nights, Symbols of the Heart of Secrets

How many people do not chase a dream they allow mastering their mind? Lots of people are blind to what they should see but want to go looking for something which seems unavailable and far away, but often seems better than where they live, instead of searching the richness in their own habitat.

People should know the treasures are not hidden in a secret cave but are hidden in the own heart to which the own spirit and the set-apart or Holy Scriptures are the key to enter.

Kone, Krusos, Kronos

“We lay veils upon their hearts lest they understand it…”

Qur’an (17:46)

Many years ago in my youth when I meet my Spiritual Teacher, I heard someone ask him what were his favorite movies, to my surprise he said:

“I love those movies, about Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba, The thief of Bagdad, and that type of movies.”

I was floored, an avid movie fan at the time I couldn’t figure out a man of his Spiritual realization would care for such cheese B movies made on the fifties, and sixties, with second rate actors like Steve Reeves, and other perhaps more memorable, like Douglas Fairbanks earlier and many others, since Hollywood love for the exotic, an adventures has been a cash cow, and every so many years they bring to the screen the tales of the Arabian Nights in a new form, with little, or any artistic relevance, .

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Godsdienstwetenschapper: “Religie is geen keuze, geloof is een keuze”

Toen godsdienstwetenschapper en publicist Reza Aslan aankwam in de Verenigde Staten bekeerde hij zich met zijn moeder tot het christendom. Na zijn studietijd is hij toch weer moslim geworden. Hierover vertelde Aslan in de Volkskrant.

Aslan:

“Ik zie religie als een taal en in het leven moet je een taal vinden waarbij je je het meest op je gemak voelt en waarmee je kunt communiceren. Jezus is de zoon van God, hij staat symbool voor alles wat perfect is binnen het christendom. De figuur Jezus is een soort supermens, die het je makkelijker maakt om je in zijn vader, in God, te herkennen en om in te zien dat je eigenlijk helemaal niet zoveel van hem verschilt.”

Maar hoe meer Aslan leerde over religie, hoe meer hij besefte dat die metafoor voor hem niet werkt.

“Binnen de islamitische leer van het soefisme, waarvan ik een aanhanger ben, staat het idee van eenheid centraal. Dat is natuurlijk ook een metafoor, maar het is een metafoor waarin ik mijzelf herken. Als je religie ziet als een taal, dan het is totale onzin om te zeggen dat Frans bijvoorbeeld beter is dan Duits. Het is ook niet zo dat islam meer waar is dan het christendom, of dat het christendom meer waar is dan het jodendom. Mijn vrouw is bijvoorbeeld christen en daarin heeft zij haar taal gevonden.

Religie is geen keuze, geloof is een keuze, de twee zijn absoluut niet hetzelfde.

Geloof, zoals ik het in het boek omschrijf is mysterieus, individualistisch, niet in woorden te vatten en nauw verbonden met het bestaan van de mens. Religie daarentegen is een instituut vol regels en normen dat is gemaakt door mensen om een verklaring te geven voor de aangeboren geloofsbelevenis.”

Lees het volledige interview met Aslan in de Volkskrant.

Institutional Racism

Not only the United States of America has its problems with racism. It is a growing problem in Europe as well where populism and nationalism are gaining terrain.

Several right-wing politicians are helping it to grow and use the immigration as their flagship to make people afraid for Mohammedanism. At the same time the other politicians are too much afraid to loose votes, by giving a clear voice against the exclusion of certain people and religions.

From the church, synagogues and mosques are not enough voices coming up and letting people see their true face.

We can not longer stand at the side and be silent. We do have to play our role to have people their eyes opened and to overcome to see the differences which are not and should not frighten us. We should take care to be in time to disarm those who take every effort to blacken others and to have those who have a gloomy side of things to see the world more positive and to see the others not as a threat.

We need the right people to show others are not the menace to fear, and that we can live together in peace with a multicultural society, which shall enrich us more than deteriorating us.

It is high time to see those to stand up who can and will be the ones who reform policing and empower all to build up one united society.

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To remember

• Much of the resistance to government intervention and assistance comes down to a belief that “They” are getting the benefits – the mysterious “other” that is easily blamed for everything. It prevents us from having a useful discussion about “Us”, a free and united people ready to tackle the changes of our world bravely and directly.
• White Privilege is generally little more than the benefit of the doubt. But when the volume is turned up and the noise is deafening, only baser senses remain. The simple benefit of the doubt often adrenalizes into violent, destructive action. {White Privilege}
• A simple assumption accelerates into a terrible collision. {White Privilege}
• society as a whole is still incapable of comprehending how simple yet terrible it is. {White Privilege}
• We won’t end racism overnight, but we can continue to make progress.
• There is a horrible lack of leadership everywhere in the developed world right now > requires strategic thinking, + strategy = horribly under-appreciated. {Strategy as Leadership}
• separation between Strategy and Tactics is what usually trips people up. {Strategy as Leadership}
• lack of leadership we see at the top = merely a reflection of the lack of understanding of leadership throughout our society, which is to say how to think strategically.{Strategy as Leadership}
• institutional racism, =/= issue defeated head-on > Once lines are set => frozen. Everyone hunkered down in a defensive position, ready for the attacks. => quickly dissolves into trench warfare, = nasty game of inches rather than yards.
• It will take understanding, love, patience, + humor to get at the heart of racism.
• key = to engage it in a way that disarms majority of people who have racist thoughts but are empathetic enough to realize it is wrong. They need tools to cope and an invitation to stand proud rather than hunker down defensively.

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Preceding articles

If you’re going to be a hater, make sure you’ve done your homework.

Refusing to Be Silent

Tact? Knowing when it is better to remain silent!

My Multi-Cultural Childhood Could be the Answer to Racism & Xenophobia

Anti-Semitic pressure driving Jews out of Europe

It’s Time real lovers of God to Stand and Speak Out!

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Additional reading

1. Martin Luther King’s Dream Today
2. Immigration consternation
3. Forms of slavery, human trafficking and disrespectful attitude to creation to be changed
4. Migrants to the West #3
5. Migrants to the West #8 Welbeing
6. Speciesism and racism
7. Rome mobilisation to say no to fascism and racism

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Related

1. More about the Legacy of Race in Seventh-day Adventist Culture
2. Anti-racism – definition of anti-racism by The Free Dictionary
3. Jon Jones blasts Colby Covington for racism, throws shade after Fabricio Werdum altercation
4. Social Issues: #2 Racial Prejudice and Racism
5. Everyday racism
6. AmeriKKKan Racism ~VS~ World Racism
7. Institutional Racism Finally Addressed at Inquest into Toronto Police Killing of Andrew Loku

Barataria - The work of Erik Hare

For Dr. King’s Day, we have to acknowledge there is a war on between races.  It is a war which can only tear this nation apart, as it has done for centuries.  This,from 2016, is on how we have to engage it.

My thesis is this: there is nothing more important to the future of our nation than ending racism, particularly institutional racism. This has become a desperate matter of survival for far too many people when it comes to the issue of police killings. These tragedies happen disproportionately to minorities largely because of racism.

Yet the problem goes far beyond that. There is not a single issue in this nation which does not ultimately become polarized and frozen by race. Much of the resistance to government intervention and assistance comes down to a belief that “They” are getting the benefits – the mysterious “other” that is easily blamed for…

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Anti-Semitic pressure driving Jews out of Europe

It can not go unnoticed, since a decade lots of Jews feel the pressure of the growing anti-Semitism and an aversion against the Divine Creator. Some even feel like it is again as in the 1930ies and the fear is great that Jews could be experiencing the most difficult situation they have encountered since the end of World War II.

Francis Kalifat, Président du Cirf

The Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France is fully aware of the bad situation and the 11th president of it looks at the present situation with Argus eyes. For him the Western world may not neglect the reason why we can see such a record emigration by Jews from France.

For him the year that lies before us is one full of challenges.

I hear pre-conceived ideas and dogma along with populist statements from some, and totalitarian reactions from more radical minds.

he says, looking at our society which is suffering and facing a climate of mistrust. Many French people are afraid or angry and democracy is on the back foot. According to an IPSOS survey taken in November last year, 32% of French people think that other political regimes would be equally effective. They long for a world of times gone by, looking for scapegoats and sweeping changes. This want to find a guilty one we can find back at several occasions in the past and today in many countries all over the world where the far right is gaining popularity.

Racist and anti-Semitic comments creep up out of the sewers, meeting an indifferent response or emerge from the online echo chamber of Facebook friends. And where there are disgraceful comments, there is always someone ready to laugh, offer approval or justification.

remarked Francis Kalifat, the Crif President at a speech at the annual Crif’s dinner 2017, where he said

When I take a step back, I am struck by a profound realisation: those in France who have a problem with Jews and Israel almost always have a problem with democracy, the rule of law and individual liberties. And vice-versa.

Ilan Halimi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Following the murder of Ilan Halimi in 2006 and the massacre at the Ozar Ha Torah school in Toulouse in 2012, anti-Jewish hatred once again reared its ugly head in France on 9^th January 2015 and thus reinforced the feeling of solitude and abandonment that had started to engulf the Jewish community.

Partly because of anti-Semitic violence that included hundreds of anti-Semitic incidents annually in recent years, and dozens of physical assaults, lots of Jewish brethren ans sisters found it wiser to look for other pastures.

Since 2012, attacks on Jewish targets by French Islamists in France and Belgium claimed the lives of 12 people. Last year, roughly 8,000 French Jews left for Israel — the highest number on record for any year, which made France for the second year straight Israel’s largest provider of newcomers.

We heard already of certain quarters which got French names, because so many French people came to settle over there. According to figures seen by AFP in total, 40,000 French Jews have emigrated between 2006 and the end of 2016.

“The aliyah (the act of moving to Israel) of French Jews has been significant over the last decade,”

said Daniel Benhaim, who heads the Israeli-backed group in France, and agreed that insecurity had been a “catalyst” for many Jews who were already thinking of leaving.

The French Jewish community is the biggest in Europe and is thought to number around 500,000 people. In the 1970ies there where also a lot of Jews in Antwerp, but their number has decreased a lot.

The Jewish Museum of Belgium, between the Sablon in central Brussels and Brussels South, pictured in 2009

The Jewish communities form the Benelux and France were shocked in 2006 by the kidnapping and brutal anti-Semitic killing of a young Jewish man, Ilan Halimi, in the Paris suburbs, which was followed by a shooting in a Jewish school in the southwest city of Toulouse in 2012.
Two years later on 24 May 2014, in Brussels a gunman opened fire at the Jewish Museum of Belgium, killing four people. Three died at the scene; a fourth was taken to the hospital and died on 6 June. The attack is being investigated as terrorism by Belgian authorities. Several more threats followed on Belgian as well as on French Jewish sites, often coming from people having links with radical Islamists. By those terrorists many youngster felt called to do horrible things, not even afraid to carry loads of bombs from one place to another. Home made bombs but also professional weapons switched hands easily, to bring fear and terror in name of Allah.

It also did not help that the problems of the settlers in Israel and the relationship between Israeli and Palestinian governement did not progress in the good direction. The anti-Israel resolution of the UN being considered by Israel as a “no” to the possibility of peace. Israel having the impression the UN gave a sign to continue on the path of terrorism and incitement.

Since the attacks of November 2015 the West of the European continent came to realise that it is the whole of our society has come under attack. It is not just any more about Jews, Israel, Christendom, Belgium or France but the citizens their culture, freedom, way of life and world view.

All French people are now aware that they are at threat and we are slowly but surely regaining our position on the national stage. We have always been vigilant and concerned and now we continue to be so. We remain alert and know that we are still the preferred target of Islamist totalitarianism. Today, we are no longer indifferent targets.

said Francis Kalifat.

Some now may have come to think it is more a battle against Islam. they should know fighting against Islam is as wrong as fighting against Judaism or Christianity. the world has to see it are just a few extremists who make life difficult for a whole group of people. Because the Brussels attacks of March 22, 2016 and later the Marseille and Nice attacks the governments focused Islamic terrorists and people where more afraid of such further terrorist acts. This made that 2016 saw a net drop in anti-Semitic acts and threats: a 58% reduction compared with 2015, though anti-Islamic acts also dropped by the same amount.

Kalifat warned that nevertheless, anti-Semitism remains at a historic high. Jewish people, who represent under 1% of the population, remained a focal point of over 30% of all reported racist acts committed in France throughout 2016, being subject to 335 anti-Semitic acts and threats.

The tell-tale signs of anti-Semitism never seem to be far away.

Probably less Jews where victims of harassment because the Jewish quarters had everywhere soldiers patrolling. The increased police patrols also made lost of place less vulnerable, which can also be seen in the lesser amount of robberies.

Leaders of French Jewry may have expressed both relief over the defeat of the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in the presidential elections and concern over her receiving more than a third of the vote, they may not forget that those 11 million voters for the extreme right party can perhaps be only part of the many right wingers who would love all Jews and Muslims out of their ‘Catholic’ country.

Joel Mergui, the president of the Consistoire, was very fast to react on Sunday evening in a statement by his group, which is responsible for providing religious services to Jews to say he was happy with the result of Emmanuel Macron being elected president,

“which constitutes a veritable relief for all our nation and for the Jewish community of France”.

Chief Rabbi Haim Korsia, who is employed by the Consistoire, also spoke of his satisfaction from the vote. But in his statement, Korsia also referenced concerns over the support shown to Le Pen and those who would like to ban wearing Jewish and Muslim religious symbols in public, ritual slaughter and the provision of pork-free meals in school cafeterias, like they also have done in Belgium.

The ban for the religious symbols in the Belgian state schools is idiotic, because state-schools should just show they are free of any religious bias and that they are open to all sorts of religion. That ban is already some years in use by several Belgian schools and recently some complaints where made that elderly homes and prisons still provided pork-free meals. at first there was only a ban on ritual slaughter in private homes by ordinary citizens, but from 2017 onward there shall be a total ban of ritual slaughter in Belgium, which shall make it very difficult for religious Jews, Muslims and certain Christians to have kosher or halal meat from the own country. As long as importation would not be a problem, work of it can made that way, but it will also undermine the countries own economy.

Kalifat, who has lobbied intensively in favour of Macron in recent days, wrote optimistically on Twitter that everything starts now.

And that is what we can hope for … that a new start is made to bring non-Jews to come to understand why certain regulations are so important for the Jewish community, who want to put God’s mitzvot above the laws of man.

Also it is getting time that non-Jews come to see that there is a difference between secular (or apikorsim) – political Jews and religious Jews, who want to live according to the Law of God.

We only can hope that the new French president shall make work to bring Europeans of all sorts of religions together to live in peace and that he with the European Unions also shall try to get both parties Israel to come to negotiate directly in order to reach a point where they can live side by side in peace and security. All parties involved should recognise that as well as for Jews, Christians and Muslims, all having their faith build on the same root, our patriarch Abraham, that for all of them Jerusalem is a holy place. Real lovers of God, be them Jews, Christians or Muslims do know that Jerusalem in the end shall become the capital of the world. Therefore the lovers of God should also stimulate their politicians to get the political groups around the table to find a good solution for reconciliation and lasting peace.

I would love to see that all shall be able to come to believe that big picture Mr Kalifar wished to reiterate

that Israel is a democracy, a State respecting the rule of law and a country of freedoms. It is a democracy which has held 5 general elections since 2003 and now counts 13 Arab members among a total of 120 in the Knesset. This State, which respects the rule of law, is also home to a Supreme Court and judges whose independence is renowned and rulings are just.  It is a country where all are free to practice or change religion, or indeed not to follow one at all. It is a country where Jews, Christians and Muslims are afforded access to their holy sites within the ancient city of Jerusalem.  June 2017 will see the 50^th anniversary of that freedom. Previously, and for centuries, Jews could do no more than dream of and pray for as much.

+

Preceding

Kindertransport

Apocalyptic Extremism: No Longer a Laughing Matter

Seeds from the world creating division and separation from God

What to do in the Face of Global Anti-semitism

The Rise of Anti-Seminism

If you’re going to be a hater, make sure you’ve done your homework.

Dr. Miller looking at Jews in France

Bringers of agony, Trained in Belgium and Syria

Bruxelles Ma Belle

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Please read also:

1. January 2015 Île-de-France attacks
2. November 2015 Paris attacks
3. At the closing hours of 2016 #1 Looking down at terror
4. Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting
5. Knife-trust in democratic sore back
6. Brussels bombings
7. Mediterranean bloodshed
8. 2016 Nice attack
9. 14 Year Old With Sack Full of Bombs Seized in Belgium
10. Danny Dannon Complete Smackdown of the Anti-Israel UN Resolution
11. Another 5,000 Jews quit France for Israel
12. ‘French Jews experiencing worst situation since 1945’
13. January 27 – 70 years ago Not an end yet to genocide
14. Hamas the modern Philistines
15. 25 Orthodox rabbis issued a statement on Christianity
16. The American clouds of Anti-Semitism
17. Donald Trump after declining numbers of people victimised for their religion managed to increase the numbers again
18. Incidents of hate have become commonplace in the U.S.A. anno 2017
19. Beware of Jews
20. French Jews worried over Le Pen’s success in presidential vote’s 1st round
21. Natan Sharansky (Jew) : There is no future for Jews in France
22. French Jews ‘relieved’ Macron won but worried over Le Pen’s electoral gains

+++

Other articles of interest

1. The Day France Refused To Surrender
2. France Says “Non”
3. Far-right nationalism is dealt a second blow, as Le Pen is defeated in France
4. What does the French Presidential Election Tell Us?
5. Make Ready the Elysian Fields: Globalization Wins French Election Thanks To Worst Turnout in 50 Years
6. Macron Wins In France
7. Macron wins French election, but Marine Le Pen wins a contest for legitimacy
8. the sixth republic
9. Open borders, migrant mayhem, c’est la vie!
10. The French Elections – What Now?
11. The French Election in Under 2 Minutes
12. Emmanuel Macron Wins French Presidency
13. France’s Le Pen to reform National Front, create ‘new political force’
14. What do Texas and France have in common?France: Emmanuel Macron, Useful Idiot of Islamism
15. Macron Beats Le Pen In French Election | EU Leaders Rejoice | Is France
16. Nigel Farage Discusses Le Pen’s Defeat in French Election
17. Nigel Farage: Le Pen will be French president in 2022. 8th May 2017
18. UMD Students Weigh in on French Election
19. Notes From Underground: Au Revoir, Marine Le Pen
20. The Quint: Macron Expresses Gratitude After Becoming France’s New President
21. Listen: Dr Myriam Benraad speaks about the election of Emmanuel Macron
22. Macron’s French win: Viva la dance!
23. Le Pen loses to Macron in the French Presidential election
24. Attacks on Holocaust survivors and pogroms in post-war Poland – a lecture by Dr. Edyta Gawron of Jagiellonian University
25. The New Leader Of France’s National Front Questioned The Existence Of Nazi Gas Chambers
26. Marine Le Pen’s party president, holocaust denier
27. The One Lesson of the Holocaust
28. Israel Indicts US Hacker Linked To Threats To Jewish Centers
29. Mugwump! – Election News In Brief
30. Multiculturalism and the Jews
31. There are more anti-Semitic posts on Twitter than Facebook, Instagram and YouTube combined
32. Jews Are Still the Biggest Target of Religious Hate Crimes
33. FTAC – Tip to the KGB’s Amplification of Middle Eastern Anti-Semitism
34. It’s Hard Helping You When You Are Anti-Semitic, Among Other Things
35. FTACT: Anti-Semitism and the Displacement of the Medieval Mode by a Developing Modern World
36. Anti-Semitic Acts In Massachusetts More Than Doubled In 2016Keith Preston: US using anti-Semitism excuse to cover up growing opposition to Israel
37. B’nai Brith records highest number of anti-Semitic incident in Canada in 2016
38. Israel’s New Cultural War of Aggression
39. Report: The link between the election of Donald Trump and resurgent anti-Semitism is now undeniable
40. Democratic Party Stands By Complicit As Violent, Anti-Semitic NYC City Council Candidate Rises
41. American Media Discriminate Against Jewish, For Muslim Single-Sex Pool Mark Regev at SOAS: a victory for free speech
42. Fighting Back Is the Best Way to Combat Antisemitism on College Campuses
43. UNESCO to fire another volley at Israel – on Independence Day
44. Memorializing terror victims, Netanyahu urges Abbas to stop funding

+++

Related articles

• Anti-Semitic incidents spike nearly 90 percent in 2017
• Watchdog: Anti-Semitic threats and vandalism rose after the election
• Rising anti-semitism in the UK fuelled by social media, report finds
• Marine Le Pen Calls French Election a ‘Revolt’ Against the Elite
• Marine Le Pen says French government is not to blame for WWII round-up of Jews
• Tim Farron sacks Liberal Democrat candidate David Ward in antisemitism row
• Trump condemns Holocaust deniers, anti-Semitism
• Official says Justice will aggressively pursue hate crimes
• YouTube’s biggest star is trying out Twitch

Politici handig gebruik makend van immigranten en jihad angst

Zonder levensbeschouwelijke tolerantie kan een open samenleving niet functioneren,
dan is vrijheid onbestaande en diversiteit onmogelijk.

Eerst waren er Groot-Brittannië en daarna de Verenigde staten van America waar een mooiprater en/of bullebak handig gebruik wist te maken van de angst voor immigranten. Nu loeren in Nederland en Frankrijk het zelfde fenomeen om de hoek.

Wat in Nederland op valt is dat daar wel politiekers toch nog een andere troef willen uitspelen. Men kan het zelfs prachtig vinden dat politici zich inspannen om de christelijke traditie en geloof te herwaarderen. Men kan ook zeggen dat daar ook grote behoefte aan is, zowel in religieus als in cultureel opzicht.

Maar niet vanwege het goedkoop binnenharken van christelijke stemmers. En niet om te worden gebruiken als stok om de Islam mee te slaan.

schrijft de belijdend rooms-katholiek en academisch theoloog kan Frank Bosman niets anders concluderen dat de Westerse beschaving is gestoeld op twee millennia christelijke cultuur. Maar dezer dagen kijkt hij op hoe politici hem willen strikken om hun agenda van anti moslim gevoelen of zelfs moslimhaat door te voeren

Ik wens als christen niet misbruikt te worden om mijn moslimzusters en –broeders af te weren. Ik wens in hen het gelaat van de Christus te zien, die mij wenend aanklaagt omdat ik niet genoeg gedaan heb ‘voor de minsten van mijn broeders en zusters’ (Matteüs 25)

bevestigd Bosman die zich gisteren misbruikt voelde in het programma De Tafel van Tijs.

Ik voelde me misbruikt als christen. Of eigenlijk als christelijke stemmer. Voor de zoveelste keer misbruikt door politieke bewegingen die vlak voor de verkiezingen ‘mijn’ christendom willen gebruiken als hefboom om vreemdelingen, asielzoekers of moslims te kunnen wegzetten als tweederangs burgers. Ik pas daar beleefd maar zeer nadrukkelijk voor. {Christenen worden misbruikt voor anti-Islamretoriek}

In tegenstelling tot België waar de politici niet liever zouden hebben dat het geloof volledig uit het burgerleven verbannen zou worden en waar wij nu al moeten toezien hoe in rijks- of openbare scholen geen geloofssymbolen meer mogen gedragen worden door de leerlingen noch in de ruimten mogen vertoond worden. Daartegenover staat haaks de Katholieke scholen waarvan men zou denken dat zij enkel toezien op Katholiek gelovigen, waar dan wel de klederdracht volgens het geloof mag zijn en waar bij er zelfs scholen zijn die een bidruimte voor de moslims hebben ingericht. Nochtans zouden publieke scholen een voorbeeld van verdraagzaamheid moeten zijn en alle geloven naast elkaar zich zichtbaar moeten laten uiten.

De burgermeester van Mechelen, Bart Somers, vanuit zijn ervaringen in Mechelen schrijft dat zich religieus verbonden voelen niet fout is zolang dit ook gebeurt in een juiste verhouding met de huidige samenleving. Hij schrijft ook dat wanneer mensen zich afsluiten in hun religieuze gemeenschap en zich afsnijden van anderen, ze vastgepind worden op één allesbepalende identiteit …

dan krijg je eendimensionale, verschraalde mensen. {“Samen leven, een hoopvolle strategie tegen IS” , Bart Somers}

Een citaat van Bart Somers is ook de essentie van het boek “Het huis van de moskee”:

Door in onze medeburgers alleen nog maar de moslim te zien vergeten wij dat het mensen zijn zoals jij en ik. {“Het huis van de moskee”}

Het is juist door mensen zodanig te labellen en met de vinger te wijzen dat zij zich gaan afzonderen of getto’s gaan vormen, welke de integratie tegen gaat en maakt dat er makkelijker een onnavolgbare negatieve ontwikkeling kan plaats grijpen.

Dezer dagen zien wij mensen anderen verachten en een onverdraagzame houding aan nemen waarbij zij anderen in mee willen betrekken. Hierdoor worden velen uitgedaagd door mensen die onze democratische rechtstaat verachten, door zij die ons provoceren door bommen en terreur en door populisten.

Bart Somers

In het boek “Samen leven, een hoopvolle strategie tegen IS” dat Bart Somers opgedragen heeft aan zijn oom die met 15 jaar “in uniform” in Duitsland is gestorven, kan men lezen dat zonder levensbeschouwelijke tolerantie een open samenleving niet kan functioneren, dat vrijheid onbestaande is en diversiteit onmogelijk. Hij stelt ook dat

Door in onze medeburgers alleen nog maar de moslim te zien vergeten wij dat het mensen zijn zoals jij en ik. {Bart Somers bij verscheidene gelegenheden}

En toch dienen wij met engagement weerwerk te verrichten door meer in te zetten op vrijheid en tolerantie, mensenrechten en democratie …Een strijd om de ziel van onze samenleving.

Kader Abdolah (pseudoniem van Hossein Sadjadi Ghaemmaghami Farahani), in Iran geboren Nederlandse schrijver en zijn dochter Bahar Abdolah, die co-auteur is van een van zijn boeken (Foto credit: Wikipedia)

Kader Abdolah in zijn boek “Het huis der moskee” waarin hij de geschiedenis van Iran verteld vanuit het spanningsveld tussen religie en maatschappij, beschrijft hoe in het vroegere Perzië de islam het fundament was van een ganse cultuur en haar samenleving later verwesterd werd in de richting van een modern Teheran en Iran. In latere jaren werd de Iraanse maatschappij andermaal fundamenteel gewijzigd met dramatisch geweld, uitgaande van nieuwe religieuze en radicale leiders.

Relevant in dat boek is de idee dat de burger, de man in de straat, uiteindelijk goed en verdraagzaam wil zijn doch dat zijn verlangen naar evenwicht zwaar verstoord wordt door hogere krachten, gesteund op macht en economische belangen, waarbij radicale religie ook als voorwendsel werd aangewend voor autoriteit en machtsmisbruik.

In Nederland en Frankrijk ziet men nu ook hoe bepaalde politici roet in het eten willen gooien.

Frank Bosman bij de talkshow De tafel van Tijs (EO, NPO2)

Frank Bosman word altijd zo wantrouwig als politici – meestal vlak voor verkiezingstijd – opzichtig gaan flirten met de christenen in dit land.

Het politiek-electorale motief ligt er duimendik bovenop: hiér met die christelijke stemmen! Nee, dank u beleefd. Ik ben geen stemvee, dat één keer in de vier jaar een aai over de bol kan krijgen om vervolgens achtergelaten te worden als de eerste de beste straatschooier. Maar ik vind het nog veel erger dat ‘mijn’ christendom (als ik even zo onbescheiden mag zijn) wordt ‘geroofd’ om te fungeren als hefboom tegen mijn Islamitische zusters en broeders in dit land. {Christenen worden misbruikt voor anti-Islamretoriek}

Nederlanders moeten zich meer bewust worden van de christelijke wortels van ons land, vindt lijsttrekker Thierry Baudet van Forum voor Democratie.{Hengelen naar christelijke stemmen en gediscrimineerde éénverdieners}

Thierry Henri Philippe (Thierry) Baudet Nederlands politicus, historicus, publicist en jurist

Op de vraag wat ‘we’ moeten doen tegen de ‘uitverkoop’ van onze normen en waarden, antwoordde Thierry Baudet:

‘Een ontmoedigingsbeleid voeren. Immigratie uit moslimlanden stoppen, geen moskeeën meer bouwen en geen islamitische scholen meer stichten.’ {Christenen worden misbruikt voor anti-Islamretoriek}

Juist door niet open te staan voor andere godsdiensten en niet toe te laten dat er openbare gebedshuizen komen, zorgt men er voor dat die religieuze groepering in de clandestiniteit verder gaat en erger nog meer kan radicaliseren zonder enige uitwendige controle.

Baudet ziet liefst het ‘eigen volk eerst’ met een sterk nationaal gevoelen dat niet slachtoffer is geworden van de volgens hem huidige ziekte ‘Oikofobie‘ waarbij er een verregaande vorm van cultuurrelativisme heerst. Oikofobie is volgens hem de ziekelijke afkeer van het eigene, het eigen nest. Met name bedoelt hij de instinctieve neiging om de eigen cultuur, de eigen gebruiken, de nationale identiteit en geschiedenis af te vallen of te ridiculiseren. De oikofobie manifesteert zich op ten minste drie manieren: via het multiculturalisme en het opengrenzenbeleid, via het modernisme in de kunst (waarbij niet langer het esthetische maar het conceptuele en bevreemdende het grootste belang heeft) en via de Europese integratie. Een gelijkaardig discours is terug te vinden bij onder anderen Guillaume Faye, Jean Raspail, Pascal Bruckner, Sid Lukkassen en Wim van Rooy. Het lijkt er op dat er velen van zijn slag angst hebben dat hun eigen identiteit verdrongen zou worden door hen die een andere religie aanhouden dan het christendom.

Baudet is niet de enige politicus die probeert de christelijke kiezer te paaien door met het christendom te flirten. Geert Wilders spreekt als sinds jaar en dag over de ‘joods-christelijke traditie’ die verdedigd moet worden tegen buitenlandse indringers, lees: moslims. Het vreemde is dat Wilders niet goed in staat is tot uitdrukking te brengen wat hij nu precies bedoelt met deze term. En dat is ook verdraaid moeilijk, omdat de ‘joods-christelijke traditie’ in verschillende tijdperken verschillende betekenissen had. De term werd echter altijd ingezet om ‘ons’ af te zetten tegen ‘hen’, of het nu ging om fascisten, communisten, of – nu – moslims (Wallet 2012). {Christenen worden misbruikt voor anti-Islamretoriek}

Volgens Bosman is

Baudets sympathie voor het christendom is vooral die van een intellectuele buitenstaander, zo bleek in De Tafel van Tijs:

‘De kern van het christendom is vrije gewetensvorming.’

Of in het RD:

‘Het christendom heeft de waarheid over de mens ontdekt. Het christendom is de belangrijkste morele ontwikkeling in de wereldgeschiedenis. God offert Zijn Zoon voor onze zonden. Wij hebben de moord op Jezus op ons geweten, omdat we niet in staat waren voorbij onze eigen kaders te denken. Als je dat tot je door laat dringen, word je gedwongen de ander als gelijke te zien.’

Hoog-theologische taal wordt direct gevolgd door een stevige relativering.

‘Tegelijk zeg ik: het is voor mij niet letterlijk waar wat er in de Bijbel staat. Maar dat vind ik niet zo relevant.’

Baudet noemt zich niet voor niets een ‘seculiere cultuurchristen’. En dat merk je aan alles. En dat is geen compliment. {Christenen worden misbruikt voor anti-Islamretoriek}

Een groot probleem met vele zogenaamde Christenen is dat zij meer waard vinden dan anders gelovigen. In Nederland is er zelfs onder de christenen dikwijls ruzie of een neerkijken naar anders denkende christenen en niet trinitarische christenen krijgen het daar helemaal te verduren. (Ook al beweren sommigen dat Nederlanders erg tolerant zijn.)

Geert Wilders, partijleider van de Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) + fractieleider in de Tweede Kamer

Bosman herkent dat zelfs de oudste Nederlandse politieke partij die in het parlement vertegenwoordigd is, de SGP met Kees van der Staaij als fractieleider, zich zoals Baudet en Wilders ook schuldig maakt aan dat superieursgevoelen. Die partij mag zich dan wel zogenaamd stellen op de grondslag van Gods Woord, zoals daarvan belijdenis gedaan wordt in de artikelen 2 tot en met 7 van de Nederlandse Geloofsbelijdenis, maar toont toch niet die vredelievendheid en openheid die van een Christen zou mogen verwacht worden.

Zelfs de SGP maakt zich er op een bepaalde manier schuldig aan, namelijk in haar voortdurend gehamer op haar idee dat verschillende godsdiensten niet gelijkwaardig zijn of zo beschouwd moeten worden. Baudet, Wilders en de SGP zeggen hetzelfde: het christendom is superieur aan de Islam. Zo bepleitte de SGP laatst voor het afschaffen van de gebedsoproep vanaf de minaretten (RTLnieuws.nl, 14-10-16 ). Reden: de overheid moet de islamisering van de publieke ruimte niet in de hand werken. Dat dit rechtstreeks ingaat tegen de grondwet, doet voor de SGP niet zo ter zake. En dat is vreemd, want de partij staat (stond?) bekend  als een sterke staatsrechtelijke partij. Niettemin krijgt de SGP, samen met onder andere de PVV en de VVD, een ‘rode kaart’ van een groep hoogleraren, precies vanwege het uithollen van de rechtstaat (Trouw, 14-02-17 ). {Christenen worden misbruikt voor anti-Islamretoriek}

Bosman snapt dit geflirt van SGP, Forum voor Democratie en PVV wel, maar vindt het tegelijkertijd onbegrijpelijk. En wel om drie redenen.

In de eerste plaats is dit gekift tegen de Islam juist contraproductief als je het belang van de christenen in Nederland voor ogen hebt. Dat klinkt paradoxaal, maar dat is het niet. De religieuze vrijheid die jij (als christen) aan een andersgelovige (in casu: een moslim) geeft, is precies dezelfde ruimte die jij als christen voor je eigen traditie kan ‘opeisen’ op het publieke forum (in juridische, maar vooral in morele zin). De vrijheid van de ander, is mijn vrijheid, en omgekeerd. Baudet, Wilders en Kees van der Staaij (politiek leider SGP) begrijpen dit principe niet, of het gaat ze uiteindelijk niet om de verdediging van het christendom, maar om de vernietiging van de Islam in Nederland.

Ten tweede zou elke politieke verdediger van de christelijke normen en waarden in Nederland moeten reflecteren op wat dan wel precies de kern is van de christelijke traditie. Wilders komt überhaupt niet uit zijn woorden als het om dit onderwerp gaat. En Baudet komt ook niet verder dan enig gestamel over ‘vrijheid van geweten’ en ‘kinderen weten niet meer wat Pasen betekent’. Die laatste constatering is overigens waar, maar vormt niet het hart van de christelijke traditie.

Uiteindelijk is de kern van het christendom de liefde, de liefde tot God, je naasten en jezelf (Matteüs 22-35-40). En deze drie horen bij elkaar, zijn consequenties van elkaar. De rest is, om met de beroemde rabbijn Hillel te spreken, uitleg daarvan. Wie niet in staat is het gelaat van de Christus te herkennen in zijn Islamitische zuster of broeder heeft dit gebod niet begrepen.

Ten derde. De heren Wilders en Baudet denken, althans dat is mijn stellige indruk, bij het woord ‘christendom’ niet aan een geleefd geloof zoals dat door miljarden mensen wereldwijd wordt beleden en gevierd, maar eerder aan een set regels en noties zoals ‘tolerantie’ of ‘vrijheid’.  Nu zal ik de eerste zijn om te beamen dat noties als tolerantie en vrijheid kernbegrippen uit het Nieuwe Testament zijn, maar ik vind de religie-opvatting van dit soort politici toch uiteindelijk instrumenteel.

Het gaat hen niet om de religieuze waarheidsclaim die in elke religie zit, maar om de praktisch-ethische uitvloeiselen ervan, een ‘ethisch christendom’, dat tegelijkertijd al zijn tanden heeft laten trekken door een Verlichtingstandarts. ‘Kom je wel eens in de kerk?’ vroeg Van den Brink aan Baudet in De Tafel. ‘Soms,’ was zijn antwoord, maar nooit voor een viering, altijd min of meer ‘per ongeluk’. {Christenen worden misbruikt voor anti-Islamretoriek}

Wij zullen verder moeten uitkijken naar onze noorderburen war vorige maand het Amsterdamse debatcentrum De Balie de nationale krantenkoppen wits te halen met een debat over moslims, Islam en vluchtelingen. Daar maakten Vlaamse schrijver Wim Rooij en de Nederlandse rechtsfilosoof Paul Cliteur van hun hart geen moordkuil.

 Getriggerd door vragen uit de zaal spraken de heren zich in meer of mindere sterke bewoordingen uit voor het discrimineren van moslims, het breken van internationale verdragen (om dat mogelijk te maken), het inperken van religieuze vrijheid (voor moslims) en zelfs het uitzetten van ‘beroepsmoslims’.  (Beluister ook het interview voor Dit is de dag). {Populistische uitspraken horen in publieke debat}

Gelukkig kwam er een ware hausse aan kritiek, op Cliteur en Rooij, maar ook op het debatcentrum dat een podium geboden zou hebben aan abjecte, racistische opinies.

Nu staat er ons enkel nog uit te kijken naar de denkelijk boeiende debatten die nu nog de verkiezingen zullen voorafgaan waarbij men niet naast het geloof en de uiting van geloof zal kunnen kijken. Zullen België en Nederland bereid zijn om te gaan voor een multiculturele samenleving waarin men bereid is respect te tonen voor mensen met een ander geloof?

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Voorgaande

Het gevaar om niets te doen tegen de oorzaak en de kwaal

Migratie en veiligheid even geherformuleerd

Het failliet van de war on terror

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Aanverwante lectuur

1. Koran tegenover veel oudere Heilige Geschriften
2. Angst voor ouderwetse regels en verlies van christenen
3. 2015 het jaar dat ISIS duidelijk maakte dat het ook in Europa is
4. 2015 het jaar dat ISIS duidelijk maakte dat het ook in Europa is – Vervolg 1
5. Politici die trachten het geloof in de privesfeer te duwen of uit de maatschappij te bannen
6. Met christenen flirtende politici
7. Kerk in Actie presenteert diaconale stemwijzer
8. Fundamentalisme en religie #2 Frankrijk en België
9. Fundamentalisme en religie #3 Vluchtelingen en racisme
10. Fundamentalisme en religie #4 Verdrukking
11. Fundamentalisme en religie #6 Versplintering
12. Zit je met vele vragen vind dan een site die misschien antwoorden kan geven op levensbelangrijke vragen
13. Immanuel en een Joodse kijk en christelijke visie
14. Wapens van de gelovige bij voortdurend geweld

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Vindt verder ook om te lezen

1. Nederlanders zijn eigenlijk heel tolerant, ook tegen nieuwkomers
2. Populistische uitspraken horen in publieke debat
3. Willen vrijzinnigen via de islam eigenlijk christenen of joden treffen? – Paul Quirynen
4. Hengelen naar christelijke stemmen en gediscrimineerde éénverdieners
5. Christenen worden misbruikt voor anti-Islamretoriek
6. Het afbladderende geloof in de representatieve democratie #volkskrant
7. Migranten en Europa
8. Sociolinguisten tonen aan: het gebruik van “like” zegt veel
9. #Islam gaat terecht niet mee in het #reli-polderen volgens #StefanGärtner @volkskrant @tilburguniversity
10. Haten meeste christenen moslims?
11. Zwemles Zwitserse moslimmeisjes verplicht
12. Terug naar de natiestaat
13. De “Linkse NPO”
14. Groot liegen en dat volhouden
15. Rucphen: het dorp van Geert Wilders
16. Als Wilders premier wordt…
17. Geert Wilders, Minister President (Dutch)
18. Stemmen
19. Kies!
20. Laat je stem gelden!
21. 60% of Dutch Police Officers want to vote for Wilders. I’d trust them. The duo Wilders-Baudet may restore the Netherlands.
22. A new low in the Low Countries
23. Geert Wilders interview skynews
24. It’s time the international media sharpened up its act on Geert Wilders
25. Wilders Makes Pitch To Mainstream Parties
26. Dutch MP vows to ‘de-Islamize’ nation, calls mosques ‘Nazi temples’
27. Euroland: Will the Netherlands Be the Next Domino To Fall?

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De familie Palache, Joden en Ontroerende onzin

Omtrent het Jood zijn kan er veel gediscussieerd worden. Wie mag zich Jood noemen en van al die verschillende Joodse geloofsgroepen welke heeft er dan het ware Joodse geloof? Tegenwoordig vindt men ook groepen die zich Messiaanse Joden noemen. Hierbij valt op dat er daar ook mensen bij zijn die in de Drie-eenheid geloven en daarom eigenlijk nooit het recht kunnen opeisen om zich Jood te noemen, want dit is een aanfluiting voor de gehele Joodse gemeenschap, mits de God van de Joden een Enige God is die slechts Één is en niet uit meerdere godheden bestaat. De God van Abraham is slechts één. Jezus als Esseense jood wist drommels goed wie die Godheid was en heeft ook nooit opgeëist om zelf als godheid erkend te worden. Integendeel heeft Jezus steeds beweerd dat hij niets kon zonder die Ene Ware God, de God van Israël, die veel groter is dan hij.

Na de afslachting van de Joden kan men toch nog stellen dat in Nederland er nu toch nog zo een 40.000 tot 50.000 Joden zijn. Daarvan zijn er die anderen wegens het moeder of vaderschap geen Joodschap willen toekennen.

De 36-jarige Chaim Moszkowicz zegt bijvoorbeeld:

‘Als kind al besefte ik dat mijn opa anders was dan anderen, met dat vreselijke nummer op zijn arm. Ik voelde haarfijn aan dat het niet iets alledaags was. En nog iedere keer als ik hem opzoek word ik daarmee opnieuw geconfronteerd. Die oorlog roept vragen op: ik geloof wel in íets – al kan ik dat moeilijk onder woorden brengen – maar hoe heeft die oorlog dan kunnen plaatsvinden? Daarom snap ik ook niet dat orthodoxe joden vaak zo neerkijken op liberalen of mensen met alleen een joodse vader; we hebben al zo veel mensen verloren.’

Ronit Palache

Of er al of niet altijd die overdracht via de moeder moet zijn is  slechts één van de heikelpuntjes bij Joden. Ronit Palache (32) die opgroeide in een traditioneel-joods gezin had zich nooit in de tragiek van de vaderjoden verdiept. De gesprekken die zij met zulke Joden voerde voor haar recent verschenen boek, waren zeer emotioneel.

Soms hadden mensen hun levensverhaal ter voorbereiding opgeschreven. Ze zagen tegen het gesprek op. Sliepen slecht. Huilden veel.

Niet enkel kwamen bepaalde mensen door de oorlog er achter dat zij eigenlijk Joods waren. door de oorlog verstopten ook velen hun Joods zijn of kwamen tot een ontkenning die tot nu door gegaan is bij hun kinderen en kleinkinderen. Maar bij de huidige jongeren, die er nu laat zijn achter gekomen dat zij Joodse familieleden hadden of nog hebben is de vraag gekomen van het al of niet Jood zijn of bij sommigen ook van het al of niet christen en/of Jood zijn.

In ieder geval moet het zeer pijnlijk zijn voor mensen die in kampen hebben gezeten voor hun Jood zijn om te horen dat na de oorlog er zijn die beweren dat hun kinderen geen Jood zijn omdat ze geen joodse moeder hebben. Dit is werkelijk hartverscheurend. Voor die kinderen en hun kleinkinderen is het ook een waar dilemma. Voor hen die daarbij ertoe zijn gekomen om rabbi Jeshua te aanschouwen als de lang verwachte Messias, is het nog moeilijker, want vele christenen willen hen ook niet aanvaarden als Christen omdat zij de Drie-eenheid niet willen erkennen. Maar de Drie-eenheid is iets wat Jezus nooit heeft gepredikt en iets dat geen enkele Jood, dus ook Jezus niet, zou aanvaarden. Gelukkig zijn er ook meerdere niet-trinitarische Christenen die echter ook op weerstand van de andere (valse) christenen vallen. Dit houdt de ware ‘Joodse’ volgers van de Jood Jeshua / Jesus of Jezus, zoals hij door de meeste Christenen wordt genoemd, niet tegen om slechts één Ware God te aanbidden en hun hoop te richten op de wederkomst van Jezus Christus.

Maar ondertussen komt het er op aan zich een leven op te bouwen dat conform is volgens de regels van God en daar kan het wel zoeken zijn naar gemeenschappen die zich daar aan willen houden. Dat is echter niet enkel een probleemgeval bij Christenen. Ook bij Joden en bij Islamieten kan men zien dat ook in die gemeenschappen valse leerstellingen zijn binnen gesijpeld en dat in de verschillende geloofsgroepen van die gemeenschappen ook heel wat menselijke leerstellingen de overhand hebben gehaald op de Schriftuurlijke leerstellingen.

Een van de geïnterviewden vertelt dat hij tijdens een conflict met een orthodox-joodse rabbijn riep:

‘Als dit het jodendom is, kan je Jehova in je reet steken’.

vertelt de liberaal denkende Joods gelovige auteur van de “Verhalenbundel over de joodse identiteit”  “Ontroerende onzin“.

Traditioneel joods opgevoed voerden Ronit Palache haar ouders een kosjere huishouding. In de Nederlands joodse gemeenschap is de naam ‘Palache’ een begrip. Er is de de zeventiende eeuw was Samuel Pallache (de naam werd toen nog met dubbel ‘l’ gespeld) die als ambassadeur voor sultan Muley Zaydan in Nederland als een kameleontisch figuur op trad en met joden, christenen en moslims overweg kon.

Juda Lion Palache leider van de Joods Portugese gemeenschap in Amsterdam

Er was de groot rabbijn Isaac Juda Palache (1858-1927), en haar overgrootvader linguist Juda Lion Palache,  hoogleraar semitische talen aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam. Na zijn ontslag, in 1941, werd hij lid van de Joodse Raad. Drie jaar later volgde deportatie naar Theresienstadt – en van daaruit Auschwitz. Juda Palache werd vermoord, maar zijn naam leeft voort in een bibliotheek voor Hebreeuwse studieboeken: het Juda Palache instituut.

Alle voorvaderen van Palache (haar vader Bram incluis) zaten in het bestuur van de Portugees-Israëlitische gemeente in Amsterdam. Zij leidden de diensten in de orthodoxe synagoge aan het Mr. Visserplein. Een gebouw dat volgens Palache symbool staat voor eeuwenoude tradities, melodieën en overlevering.

Zij zelf doorliep de lagere school Rosj Pina en de middelbare school Maimonides en werd lid van jeugdvereniging Bne Akiwa en sportvereniging Maccabi tennis.

Dankzij de tolerantie van haar ouders kon zij alles vragen en bespreken. Dit is echter niet zo gewoon in de Joodse gemeenschap en gaandeweg besefte zij ook hoe uitzonderlijk dat is.

„Ik ken veel joden die alleen met joden omgaan. Door hun segregatie zijn ze wereldvreemd en beschouwen ze kritiek op de Israëlische politiek als verraad. Het zelfreinigend vermogen van deze gesloten groep is beperkt. Dat is beklemmend voor iemand die graag nadenkt.”

In België stelt zich ook dat probleem. Bepaalde groepen Joden kijken argwanend op indien een Jood maar iets slecht durft te beweren over het huidige bewind in Israël. Echter moeten de mensen in het algemeen beseffen dat er daar ook veel seculiere Joden de klak willen zwaaien en dat veel bewindsvoeringen niet uit religieus maar politiek oogvlak worden voltrokken terwijl extreme Joodse gelovigen het algemeen Joodse geloof meer slecht dan goed doen door hun houding die niet volgens de leer van de Elohim is.

In België, Nederland en in andere landen is het ook een groot probleem als Joden met niet Joden trouwen. In onze contreien zijn er echter onvoldoende gelovigen van de eigen gemeenschap om uit te kiezen. Verder is in onze tegenwoordige maatschappij waar en een andere kijk is op het geslacht en geslachtsgemeenschap ook een moeilijkheid bij gekomen voor diegenen die wel Jood zijn maar verkiezen om geslachtsgemeenschap te hebben met iemand van het zelfde geslacht. De orthodox-joodse homoseksuelen zijn zo de groep die zich het meest uitgesloten voelt.

Palache verklaart

Voor mijn opleiding journalistiek heb ik een documentaire over homoseksualiteit en religie gemaakt. Van een van de geïnterviewden, een lesbische joodse vrouw, mocht de film alleen aan de examinatoren worden vertoond, omdat het thema zo gevoelig ligt in orthodox-joodse kring. De vrouw was zelf orthodox, had een groot gezin, maar vertelde dat ze het liefst met een vrouw samen zou leven. Omdat in de Torah staat dat vrouwen niet als man en vrouw ‘tegen elkaar mogen aanwrijven’, houdt zij haar gevoelens verborgen.”

Voor het boek was het goed dat de geïnterviewden zich niet door de schrijfster veroordeeld voelden.

In het voorwoord van haar boek schrijft zij

Dé joodse gemeenschap bestaat niet

en dat is iets wat de buitenwereld ook moet gaan beseffen dat in het Jodendom en de Islam eveneens een grote verscheidenheid te vinden is zoals deze te vinden is in het Christendom.

Joden moeten zoals Christenen en Islamieten eens durven in de spiegel te kijken en durven kritisch te zijn over hun eigen geloof en het geloof van andere groepen met zogezegd hetzelfde geloof. Niet elke Jood heeft hetzelfde Joodse geloof zo als niet elke Christen hetzelfde Christelijk geloof heeft. dit moeten Joden durven te zeggen en durven delen meet anderen in maar ook buiten hun geloofsgemeenschap.

*

Lees ook het interview van Danielle Pinedo met Ronit Palache (32) in NRC Handelblad ” “‘Ik heb een liberaal hoofd en een religieus hart’”

en vindt: Verhalenbundel over de joodse identiteit in het Nederland van nu

Lees een fragment uit het boek: Leesfragmenten uit “Ontroerende onzin”

+++

Aanverwante verdere lezing

1. Radicaliteit is gevaarlijk
2. Nederlandse man vervrouwelijkt volgens Jaap Marinus

+++

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Darkest just before dawn

Marcus Ampe when looking over the happenings of 2016 told his public that when we should have to choose a colour for 2016 it probably would be ‘black’. Even the darkest black colour you might find.

Certainly here in Belgium and neighbouring countries we have seen many black moments caused by people living very close to us. Hundreds of people who lived in cities like Brussels (Molenbeek district), Verviers, Charleroi, Mons, just to name some of the most mentioned living quarters of those who killed many in Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt and further away many cities in Syria. A so called liberation of human race was on their lips by causing so much agony in name for their sort of Islam which has nothing to do with real Islam, a religion which has ‘salam‘ or ‘peace‘ in its name.

2016 may have been the year where Bad came over Good and brought with it Hate over Love. Though many still may believe in

Good over Bad. Love over Hate. {When it looks like hate is winning}

May we really believe that

“Good always wins”?

When we look around us it seems just the opposite. Those who do not mind to swindle and do whatever they can to make themself rich without taking care of others, seem to win. Marcus Ampe warns us for the political scene which is changing drastically almost everywhere in the world, not for the good. He warns for the populism which is going over Europe and the United States as a virus. As a Christadelphian he likes to look at what is prophesied in the Bible and by looking at that sacred book is not at all surprised of what is going on. In his eyes we can follow the notated signs of those old writings and see that we are heading to a third World War, though it may still many years before us. He likes to compare the last few years with the 1920ies and showed us also how the present days are very much related to the 1930ies, which should sincerely worry us.

He does not speak of an apocalyptic change like certain Christians may do, but likes to warn us to prepare ourselves and our kids for the coming period where very right wing politicians may gain lots of votes and even come into power.

Perhaps Jyoti Chauhan Singh, an Indian lady who reads Tarot cards and came to live in the United States, perhaps thinks on similar lines, saying the same as Mr. Ampe that

it is happening in every corner of this world. People around the world are bringing this change by their votes, by their say, and by their actions. Be it Brexit or current US election, or stimulated political environment in my home country India. This change is too much. Too much for us to handle and accept, and to adapt to. {When it looks like hate is winning}

Is that not the danger we shall have to face in the coming months?

Are not many politicians going to make use of and are going to instigate people against others and nourish the fear many already have?

For Mrs. Chauhan Singh the present President elect in the States was

not elected against a virtuous leader. It was not the fight between good vs evil. It was just bad and worse fighting with each other. You guess which is worse and which is bad. But, it was never a winning situation for USA, no matter who would have won. {When it looks like hate is winning}

speaking at CPAC in Washington D.C. on February 10, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I do not know why Clinton would have been so bad, because honestly her stupidity about the e-mails was not really a criminal act, like so many Americans would like us to believe. If they consider such stupidity already a crime or sin than the many frauds and bankruptcies of Donald Trump which many Americans never seemed to have remembered or noticed, would be “cardinal sins and death penalty crimes”

We also may notice that many people seem to have some nostalgia to some times they had it better, though at those times they ware hoping for better times and for having more material richness. But as we could know beforehand all those modern gadgets they can have today are not making them more happy. The opposite today lots of people are more lonely and feeling poverty more harsh than years ago, though we may see less poverty stricken people. Less tramps on the streets.

With a smiling or is it a sarcastic face Mr. Ampe may tell us that many people would love to go back to a time they are imaging there was, but which has never been so. Mrs. Chauhan Singh alsy pointing to the same fact

With this election, Americans have spoken very clearly that they want to bring back ‘good old days’. Doesn’t matter if those good old days are going to be good for rest of us or not. They want to go back. They want someone with traditional values, traditional promises. Although seeing the lifestyle of elect president I hardly think he is an epitome of traditionalism. {When it looks like hate is winning}

Mr Ampe analysed some body language of Mr. Trump and showed us how clever that man must be playing with his public. This cleverness should make us even be more alert. He also compare certain tactics with the way how Erdogan managed to come in his dictatorial position today. How he was patient enough to go from mayor of Istanbul, even having spent some years in prison after his mayorship to come stronger and more radicalised out of it, imposing the traditional Muslim values and going in against the civil state of the old creator of a dream state Turkey.

We shall have to wait and see  to know how Donald Trump is going to use his power and how Marine Le Pen is going to drive her wedge through France which seem to be the under the spell of Muslim extremism and Islam fear.

Mr Ampe, like Mrs. Chauhan Singh seems to do also says we may not loose hope and contrary to how lots of people are concentrating on their own self, we should look more to others and try to come up for the weaker ones.
Mrs. Chauhan Singh writes

Losing hope is never an option. If we are given this result, we must be hopeful that there must be something good coming out of it. Give him a chance. He has already shocked all of us; he may surprise us too. Do not lose hope. Instead hope for him to change his ways, his words, and his actions, for the betterment of this country. {When it looks like hate is winning}

One of Mr. Ampe his main teachings, also as a retired teacher of ballet history, is that we should learn from history and that we should make others aware of possible traps lots of people in the past did not notice but became victim of. According to him by knowing the past we can avoid the same mistakes, which have been repeated so many times, because people did not know their history.

We always shall look at things and would love to see things changed. Man is not easy satisfied.

One also can wonder when  our world evolves if/ when and how many people would be ready for such changes, and if they are for the better or for the worse. In most cases lots of people are just not ready for the changes taking place.

Problem is not in these major changes but our inability to accept them. {When it looks like hate is winning}

One might also ask whether we shall be able to find enough people who shall be really wanting to pursue peace. To find enough people who really want to “raise awareness that peace in itself,” and willing to take steps with which to motivate others to go that track of peace making is something we should go for. Too many may be very confused and may not be sure which dreams might be the best for them. Though according to Mr. Ampe we should come to work together towards mutual peace and to the broadcasting of hope and positive thoughts, trying to take away the confusion there is today and putting right the wrong ideas about some people, religions and ways of life. He believes the change must come from each of us and that we are responsible for the evolution of the day. According to him, we ourselves are to convey the message and have even to adopt a certain attitude and should form a shining example. According to him, there also should be peace as a base in our own daily lives.

This peace will also make the connection with the other and this will be like a snowball effect to be implemented on this world.

+

Preceding articles about overviews for 2016

Donkere periodes en het uitkijken naar vrede

From Guestwriters 2015 in review

Pokémon craziness

++

Additional reading

1. Knife-trust in democratic sore back
2. Daesh hits heart of Europe
3. What Associated Press released on Wednesday 23 March 2016
4. Iranian media implicitly accuse Erdogan to have known of the Bruxelles’s attacks in advance
5. Hard questions
6. Terrorist attacks in brussels
7. Social media, sympathy & shocks
8. Europe unites to defeat terror
9. Silence, devotion, Salafists, quietists, weaponry, bombings, books, writers and terrorists
10. Declaration of war against Islam and Christianity
11. Is Europe going to become a dictatorial bastion
12. French authorities have shut down around 20 mosques and prayer halls
13. State of emergency and respect for human rights
14. Paris attacks darkning the world
15. Trump brand of migrant demonization
16. Trump brand of migrant demonization #2
17. Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam key suspect Paris terrorist attacks
18. Muslim Grooming (Rape) Gangs and Sharia
19. Amount of Muslims living in your country

+++

Further reading

1. Paris Attackers Had Already Appeared in the Islamic State’s Propaganda
   It has already been established that the on-the-ground leader of the Islamic State’s atrocities on Paris
2. Belgium knew in 2012 already that Paris suspects were plotting attacks
   Belgian authorities knew as early as 2012 that terrorists linked to the bloodshed in Paris were plotting attacks in the West. But little was done to disrupt the build-up of a network that subsequently became a cornerstone …
3. Fugitive Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam captured in anti-terror raid
   He was shot in the leg and arrested in a major police operation in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek
4. Paris Attacks Suspect Wounded, Arrested In Brussels Raid
   Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in the deadly Paris attacks, has been wounded and arrested, following a raid in the Belgian capital, Brussels, after four months on the run.
5. Hollande Chairs Emergency Security Meeting — France Determining Next Move After Arrest of Suspected Terrorist Salah Abdeslam, a French…
6. Muslims in Molenbeek are on the side of Salah against the belgian police. Take in more muslim immigrants so we enlarge the Salah’s Fan…
   The so called refugees are all muslims, I don’t see why we should let them in. Now that we know the destructive attitude of freemasonry we also know we mustn’t let them do what they ask.
7. One Paris attacker buried just a day before his brother was captured in Brussels police raid
   Brahim Abdeslam, who blew himself up in November’s attacks, was laid to rest the day before his brother Salah was captured.
8. Top Lawyers of Belgium, France in Suspected Terrorists Abdeslam Case — Focus on European jihadists
9. How Recent European Terror Wins Led to Abdeslam’s Capture
10. ISIS Launches Coordinated Attacks in Brussels Airport and Subway
    Early reports from Brussels are that two coordinated attacks have taken place with the first being at the Brussels Airport Departure Terminal and the second within the Brussels Subway system.
11. J’accuse ! L’attentat que les services craignaient
    Avec colère suite aux événements de ce matin, j’accuse la Belgique d’avoir été attentiste depuis des années et de n’avoir jamais donné les moyens aux services de Renseignement de faire leur travail professionnellement pour tenter de prévenir ce genre d’attaques.
    … Outraged about the events of this morning in Brussels, I accuse Belgium of having endorsed a “wait-and-see” policy for years and having never giving to the intelligence services the means to do their job professionally to try and avoid this kind of attack. …
12. Leighton: Terror cells are a lot bigger than Belgium authorities anticipated
13. Terror attacks in Brussels kill at least 34, story developing
    Terrorist bombings at a subway station in Maalbeek and at Zaventem Airport have killed at least 34 people and injured another 170. Two bombs, at least one of which is believed to have been a suicide bombing, struck the …
14. Bombing in Brussels!
    Today, once again, Islamic terrorists have attacked the west. This morning, Brussels became the latest city to come under attack with a bomb detonating on a metro train …
15. Islamofoobikot pitävät terrorismin voimissaan
    Ennen kuin Brysselin terrori-iskuista oli kiirinyt tieto Suomeen, Helsingin Sanomat kirjoitti viime syksyn Pariisin iskujen tekijöiden jahdista. Belgiassa 18.3. kiinniotettu Salah Abdesalam piileskeli kuukausien ajan
16. Islamofoobikot pitävät terrorismin voimissaan
    Ennen kuin Brysselin terrori-iskuista oli kiirinyt tieto Suomeen, Helsingin Sanomat kirjoitti viime syksyn Pariisin iskujen tekijöiden jahdista. Belgiassa 18.3. kiinniotettu Salah Abdesalam piileskeli kuukausien ajan …
17. Het raadsel, Salah Abdeslam
    Op 13 november vorig jaar reed hij zijn vrienden naar de Parijse plekken om toe te slaan. Dood en verderf te zaaien, angst aan te jagen, het leven te vernietigen dat hij met hart en ziel haatte.
18. Del estupor al sopor: atentados jihadistas, habituación europea, y jamais vu liberal-progresista
    Creo que estoy progresando. Esta noche, alrededor de las 3am, fui despertado por el zumbido de mi teléfono celular que se encontraba recargándose, apoyado sobre la mesita de luz.
19. The Religion of Peace Strikes Again
    This morning we awoke to the news of a deadly terrorist attack in Brussels. Isis claimed responsibility for the bombings at the airport and the Metro station.
20. Why Belgium?
    ISIS has claimed responsibility for separate explosions in Brussel’s Zaventem airport and a central metro station that killed 34 and wounded over 200.
21. Don’t Blame Whitey!
22. Belgium’s approach to immigration and security again under fire
23. CAIR Cannot Be Trusted To Police Radical Muslims
24. Brussels
25. Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
26. After Brussels, Europe must abandon its safe space and face reality
27. Hidden in Plain Sight: Salah Abdesalam’s 120 Days on the Lam
28. Waking Up to the Brussels Bombs
29. Aboard the Eurostar to Brussels
30. Two belgian politicians elected in Molenbeek committed themselves to legalize Sharia in Belgium. That’s how Islam destroys Democracy when…
31. Molenbeek’s gangster jihadis – BBC News
32. Europe’s Muslims hate the West
33. CAIR Cannot Be Trusted!
34. Belgian Terrorism Suspect Salah Abdeslam Has Agreed To Provide Police With Full Information on Other Terrorists — “Turns Supergrass”
35. Brussels Suicide Attacks ‘Shocking But Not Surprising,’ Stanford Experts Say
36. The Muslim Problem and How Not To Solve It
37. Look at what I almost stepped in
38. We Are AfraidMerci, Thanks !Revolution: Jesus loves Every Jihadist
39. Perps of ‘Far-Right’ Hit-and-Run on Muslim Woman Were Muslims
40. Why Belgium is Ground Zero for European Jihadis
41. Een falend land, dát is het echte probleem, meneer JambonTerrorism From Brussels: A Report
42. Molenbeek and its cultural and creative dynamism – a (small) press review
43. A Close Look at Brussels Offers a More Nuanced View of Radicalization – The New York Times
44. «Il reste encore des éléments à neutraliser»
45. Europe: Suicide by Jihad
46. How Many Molenbeeks in France?
47. The truth about “no-go” Molenbeek
48. Open brief aan Jan Jambon door Selma Benkhelifa (advocate)
49. Getting Up Earlier.
50. Two Police Officers Attacked With Knife In Belgium, Unhurt
51. Knifeman attacks Brussels police
52. Tent Cities for questionable dwellers
53. L’Arc-en-Ciel presque au complet
54. Dec 16,
55. It has been an eventful year for me 2016
56. The Politically Correct Right
57. Bet you missed this #1
58. 2016- A Reflection
59. 2016 Recapped
60. Summarising 2016-Энэ оныг дүгнэх нь
61. 2016 in review
62. Christmas Countdown Blitz 2016 ~ Day 12
63. Not Goals. Plans.
64. Book Review: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet
65. What India Searched in 2016
66. Saturday 17 December 2016 – Some famous people who’ve died in 2016
67. My 2016: August.
68. Movie Review: Rogue One (2016)
69. Things That Need To End In 2017
70. History tells us what may happen next with Brexit & Trump
71. Look East and Watch for the Light
72. Readjusting Expectations
73. revolutionary reflections | The Crisis in German Politics and the Rise of the Radical Right
    2016 has been a year in which right –wing and authoritarian agendas have been in the ascendant. With the French and German elections next year we will see if this trend continues.
74. Links for 16/12/16
    Black-White Earnings Gap Remains at 1950s Levels for Median Worker Donald Trump Should Know: This Is What Climate Change Costs Us How data maps are transforming the fight against malaria in Zambia South
75. Populist right – the mass appeal of “strict father” framing
    George Lakoff’s book, Moral Politics, popularised the idea that ‘rightwing’ politics stem from a particular moral worldview, which Lakoff called “strict father framing”.
76. What is Populism?
    Populism. It is everywhere in the news right now and it is one of those words that have so many vague meanings and yet describes itself so well. Populism is simply the revolt of the people against the political
77. Who do Western Australian populist voters second preference?
    Most draw support from across the spectrum when compared to the remaining small parties.
78. The Elites Are Fuelling A Backlash They Do Not Comprehend And May Not Withstand
    Accustomed to getting their own way and furious at being thwarted by mere democracy, the political elite are responding to recent setbacks by …The Future of Federalism in an Age of Populism
    Richard Eccleston, Helen Krever and Rick Smith explore the future of federalism in the 21st century.
    The two seismic political events of 2016, Brexit and the election victory …
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80. More than just populism: Renzi, the Italian Senate referendum and the perils of second chamber reform
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81. Times of Uncertainty: The Rise of Far-Right Populism
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82. What is anti-establishment according to Donald Trump?
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83. Policy corruption, vote buying and double standards
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Looking at an American nightmare

It looks like the United States has awakened not from a bad dream but in a next night mare.

Having spent the majority of his adult life as a theatre artist throughout the Southeast, John Ellis as columnist of the American online media company PJ Media (originally known as Pajamas Media) an operator of an eponymous conservative news, opinion and commentary collaborative blog that was founded in 2004, has some good comments you should have a look at.

He knows

We are called to show our love for each other by surrendering our rights to each other. {4 Really Bad Reasons to Quit Your Church}

Running up to the 2016 election of the 45th president of the United States John Ellis found himself in a national nightmare which he taught would conclude on the 8th of November. At that time many were holding their breath in worried anticipation that an even worse nightmare was about to begin.

On November the 2nd he wrote

Sadly, the late hours of November 8 may very well find me in agreement that a new national nightmare is imminent. Unlike many, if not most, however, I believe that whatever nightmare is looming, it will be short-lived and may very well give way to a new and improved conservative movement. Strangely, my optimism is a product of Donald Trump. {Divisions Over Trump Reveal Integrity Within the Conservative Movement}

 

(AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

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After it got know that the president elect was going to be Donald Trump in several places of the different states people came together on the streets to show their disgust and anger about the outcome of this election.

For many all over the world it looked really surreal and for some this Kafkan story was to be expected whilst others never thought it would be ever possible to have Donald J. Trump being the President-Elect of the U.S.A. Because of the unjust political system in the U.S.A., not giving those with not enough money the possibility to come up as presidential candidate and not taking into account the populist vote, but giving everything in the hands of the College of Electors, the one with the biggest mouth and making the people afraid most, got the victory. Trump with his vile words and vitriol gained the seat of presidency.

The man who does not dare to look a person straight in the eyes, not even the president of America, himself looked surprised with his victory and had calmed down for his first speech as president–elect.

The President-elect met the current Awesome President Obama in the White House. It’s interesting to see a captured shot of a handshake between two wildly different men. One of stoic principle, defined career, grace, majesty and presence. The other, a man who can’t or won’t straighten his shoulders and who won’t look his President in the eye for the handshake. Obama, the pinnacle of underdog achievement in America stared straight into the face of the pillar of white, moneyed elitism and the latter closed his eyes and dropped his chin by an inch. {Acknowledgement} – Photo; AAP

The man who did not show any interest in decent morals, principles, compassion or empathy who managed to saw division and hate now got the stings in hand to lead one of the biggest nations of the world.

In The America where so many call onto their Constitution and Free Rights, lots of people call themselves Christian but do not seem to show a real Christian attitude. In the country which came big on the work of many slaves, from Africa (black people) and Europe (light coloured, Spanish, Italian and Polish people) those so called Christians do not seem to have a place in what they call “their country”, though they robbed it form the indigenous peoples, the “Red Indians“, for what they call foreigners and coloured people. Once more the U.S.A proved how the colour of skin is going to make it if you are liked or disgusted. When Hispanics, African-Americans, Latinos, tend to be more racist towards white people, for some, they have to look for the reason or the cause of this problem. When you look at the sheriffs or how police often treats Afro-Americans you can imagine how taken by fear such people  may be when they are pulled at the side of the road.

Some may think

the media dramatizes everything, playing it up, making it seem as if everyone is out to get the minorities. {To The Trump America (The Truth About Racism)}

but in the rest of the world enough awful stories are heard how people are still discriminated and what impression should we get when even a candidate, who now has become president elect, spoke about “monkeys” when he was talking about the “black people“, “jigaboos“, “niggers” or “Negroes“.

Naturally we may never generalise, but throughout the election campaign we heard so many sayings, so many statements that can not let us think otherwise that the discrimination is still deep seated in the heart of many Americans, also in many so called Christian Americans. Lots of those so called Christians also made it clear in “their country”, there is no place for an other religion than theirs. And for them Islam is something of the devil (by which they mean a sort of torturous being from beneath the earth or from outer space). For lots of white Americans all evil comes from those Muslims who dare to come to live in their sacred Christian country.

For many it was heaven to hear how Trump would make done by the threat of terrorism which became an opportunity for an extended global vision. But Americans do not need a global vision now. They are mostly concerned about their internal affairs and want to protect their own goods and make sure to earn as  much as they can, even if they have to use such things which are very demanding for the environment.

From “News For The Blind“

Trump brought for many the solution with the change he promises, making their country great again. How, Trump never clearly explained, but they will trust him because he is a good business man and knows how to handle things.

Though when we know that this election was all about ethnic nationalism and racial and religious intolerance we in the West wonder how the wounds now shall be mended.

A 29 year old African American male living in the United States, there since 1995 when his family and he immigrated to the US at the age of 9 years, wrote about this November 2016 election and Trump

His election was the work, almost entirely, of white people. More than 90 per cent of Americans who voted for Mr. Trump were white, and most white U.S. voters, both men and women, cast a ballot for him (even though his opponent got more votes over all). And at least 90 per cent of non-white Americans did not vote for him. This was a white riot – an angry, rejectionist turn by a deeply pessimistic majority within the white population against the far more hopeful and inclusive politics of the rest of the country. {The real reason Donald Trump got elected? We have a white extremism problem (Thanks To White Idiots)}

In that light all have to remember that not all white people are falling into political extremism and not all coloured people take aversion for the white people.

Those who are accepting the differences of skin colour, gender, religious beliefs, should now clearly let their voice be heard as well. But not by lowering themselves on the same level as Trump, by taking on an indecent attitude, using violence or awful words.

John Ellis, like many American Christians adamantly believes in two distinct genders.

We believe that God created men and women to reflect who He is in different ways. Telling women to “suck it up” or passing off jokes about sexual assault (which I don’t believe were mere jokes, for the record) as guys being guys and locker room talk lets them know that the liberal lie about gender being a social construct will be co-opted by Christian men when convenient. Men who defend Trump have abdicated their God-given role to stand up for and protect women. And for that, I am angry, almost sinfully so. Apart from God’s grace, it will hard for me to consistently live out Romans 13:1-2 these next four years. {There Are Some Important Tests Ahead for #NeverTrump Christians}

Many American Christians do not seem to see how denigrating Trump thinks about the woman being, so if Trump would be the right guy to defend women, we doubt. Many Americans also seems to forget that all human beings are created in the image of God and that we all should respect all sorts of people, from whatever gender they may be.

For Donald Trump, who told the press he even doesn’t trust his wife with her vote:

“The lines outside polling stations were much shorter when women weren’t allowed to vote.” {Donald Trump on many occasions}

Christians also should ponder about their place of diversity, on what it means to have a president who is endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan. They with us in Europe should be on our “quivive”, be alert, noticing that this election, both the campaign and the result, will make it harder to defend democracy when talking to authoritarians. the Capitalist world has a real problem. Though in the United States lots of the people may call themselves Christian, they have gone far away from the Biblical teachings and do not show that they are following the teachings of the man whose name they use for their group. The Nazarene rabbi, was a humble teacher of peace, who instigated a peace movement, what was called the sect the Way, and was not the founder of a hate carrying excluding community.

Today we do find a divided country where people who say they are Christian want to exclude those who are different from them. They may feel a man should copulate with a woman and have children, but do not want to accept two men or two women living together to have children. They want to feel good in their skin, but do not want others to feel good in their skin and want to forbid others changing their ‘outer’ looks or gender.

As Trump expressed he “loves the poorly educated”, “keep people dumb so that you can use them”, which also shall make it that Trump shall be able to do whatever he wants, with the knowledge that

“I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and I wouldn’t lose any votes.” {saying of Donald Trump}

Donald Trump enters the Oscar De LA Renta Fashion Show, New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We in the West could see a sexist, racist fascist, though got the impression in the States of America not many saw that. We also noticed that in the States many Christians promoted Trump instead Jesus or instead for calling good common sense and to go for the person who does not go in against the value of freedom and democracy.

In the land where so many hate the Gospel of Jesus Christ and so much hate the Word of Allah or God, and where there has to be a new scapegoat for all the troubles that come over America, because they cannot pick so much any more on the blacks, people could find some one who doesn’t give a rip about others nor about religion, who promised change and to push out that motley crew, and they thought he would be worth to vote for.

Now the dices cast, we shall have to see how it is going to turn out.

The democratic voice has to allow protesters to retort. The state shall have to show it allows riposting, but those who do not agree with the outcome should examine how it could come so far.

In case

Adding a taunting “us” versus “them” in regards to American politics drives an unbiblical wedge between the gospel witness of the Church and unbelievers. {Christians Should Be Promoting Jesus, Not Donald Trump}

Trump (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

American Christians should also examine their heart and check if they are prepared to take on such an attitude Jesus took on for those around him. are they (at last) willing to accept that there may be people who think differently than them, or who want to live differently than they? Should they also not give to the Caesar what belongs to the ruler and respect the regulations that ruler has taken to govern the country? Christians know, as long as they do not go in against the rules of God, they should respect and follow the rules of the country they are living in. They, who claim to be Christian should keep to the Christian laws, of which the golden rule is to love one another, no matter what he or she  has done or how he or she feels or want to be.

The last few moths we have seen many so called Christians who enjoyed the mud throwing Trump and joined him too. Now we also find other Christians who go on the streets fighting, instead of expressing themselves with respect for other man’s goods.

Instead of taking the opportunity to demonstrate love and grace by extending the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it appears that American Christians are instead kicking mud in the face of their vanquished foes. If this applies to you, fellow Christian, shame on you! {Christians Should Be Promoting Jesus, Not Donald Trump}

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Preceding articles

On the 11th hour…

Children of Men

Freedom and amendments, firearms and abortions

Responses to Radical Muslims and Radical Christians

Entry 2. Unite our voices

Mountains of information, disinformation and breaking away

Max Lucado: I Had a Dream That Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Reached a Truce

Leaders in disguise

Looking at man’s closest friend

Study says highlighting gender leads to stereotypes

Happiness mapping and getting over gender mapping

Gender connections

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Additional articles

1. 150 Years after the 13th Amendment
2. Walls,colours, multiculturalism, money to flow, Carson, Trump and consorts
3. Scepticals of the Bible
4. Refugee crisis, terrorist attacks and created fear
5. Coming closer to the end of 2015 and the end for Donald Trump as presidential candidate
6. Islamophobia Must be Fought and Defeated
7. God Isn’t a Republican
8. American Christianity no longer resembles its Founder
9. Fearmongering succeeded and got the bugaboo a victory
10. Blinded crying blue murder having being made afraid by a bugaboo
11. Some quotes Americans should remember when going to the ballot office
12. When so desperate to hold onto power
13. The clean sweeper of the whole caboodle
14. A strong and wise fighter who keeps believing in America
15. Brexit No. 2 Blow-up
16. Voted against their system
17. Nigel Farage called Donald Trump’s victory ‘bigger than Brexit’
18. Stand Up
19. Gender roles and Multitasking parents
20. Avoiding the big questions
21. Gender Roles, What?
22. Belonging to or being judged by
23. Growing rift between observant parents and their children

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1. The Simpsons Predicted Trump’s Presidency 16 Years Ago
2. Final election 2016 Numbers: Trump won both popular ( 62.9 M -62.7 M ) And electoral college votes ( 306-232)…
3. Trump team rivalries spark infighting
4. 2016 Election Aftermath: Mending Relationships
5. First thoughts on the election of Donald Trump
6. Donald Trump: American Legend
7. Pitiable and dangerous face of EU where is so-called civilization center of human kind
8. Great American Harry Reid Says “Trump’s Election Does Not Feel Like America” — Where’s Hillary?
9. Supporters to Trump: break campaign promises at your peril
10. The real reason Donald Trump got elected? We have a white extremism problem (Thanks To White Idiots)
11. Boss says employees who agree with Trump’s rhetoric should resign
12. Spurs’ Popovich on Trump’s election: ‘That’s disgusting.’ (Good!!!)
13. Elite vision
14. To the Trump America (The Truth About Racism)
15. Memo to Trump
16. Clinton Wreckage
17. Trump and Brexit Part Two
18. The End???
19. Identity Politics Doubles Down
20. Acknowledgement
21. The Civics Lesson: Voting Matters, yo!
22. The 2010 Midterms And The 2016 Presidentials: The Lessons Not Learned
23. Yo Donald! Please Deport Me, Too! (99 Word Blog #068)
24. When Life Intervenes with Wrestling
25. How will President-elect Donald Trump affect Obamacare?
26. Bring In the Clowns
27. Don’t give Trump so much credit, America
28. Donald Trump: The Hypocritical-Narcissist Elect
29. What Comes Next With President Trump
30. Ku Klux Klan to Hold Donald Trump Victory Parade in North Carolina
31. Ku Klux Klan announces Trump victory parade in North Carolina
32. The Ku Klux Klan says it will hold a Trump victory parade in North Carolina
33. North Carolina GOP Condemns Ku Klux Klan’s Plans to Hold Parade Celebrating Trump Win
34. First responders to Trump’s election
35. Anti-Trump protests, racist attacks in the USA
36. Ku Klux Klan plans ‘victory’ parade to celebrate election of Donald Trump, who ‘united my people’
37. Weekend Reading: November 11, 2016
38. The Fight
39. White supremacists and EU far-right leaders praise Donald Trump election win
40. After the fall….what kind of protest follows?
41. David Duke Flips Out at Louisiana Senate Debate, Says Clinton Deserves the ‘Electric Chair’ for ‘Treason’
42. Pepper spray flies as students protest white supremacist David Duke’s remarks at black college
43. Right-wing extremism bigger threat in USA than radical Muslims. KKK strength doubles in one year
44. All The News You Klan Stand
45. Mr. C’s Dad- Avoiding the big questions
46. #InsteadOfBacon Miley Cyrus – Hillary shows the progress we’ve made towards gender equalit…
47. Come Outside, Mabel, and play on your gender-neutral bike
48. That’s not going to happen
49. Lonely – 12/11/16
50. Death and Taxes: A Road Trip, A Funeral, and Election Results
51. The Deadliest Year For Us!
52. And So It Begins…
53. Temporary Closing
54. The Left and transgender: “work with trans people, not against them”?
55. ‘Mom and dad’ among phrases banned under university’s new gender guidelines
56. Fleeing To Canada
57. Caring for Yourself as You Parent After a Trump Election
58. There is Light in the Dark: #TransLawHelp Connects Lawyers With Trans Individuals
59. Make America a great Horror again!
60. 2016 Post Election Prayer
61. Trumpland: white women, why, and where to now
62. Time to Act
63. Can we talk about Gender on Sunday?
64. Post Election: Daring to Hope?
65. Is Trump bad for trans people?
66. Day 1 of President of hate.

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Women in France running with naked bosom all right but with covered bosom penalised

Prudish people having put away their shame by causing shame to others

Years ago people had to fight hard against the prudish Catholic minds who opposed any naked flesh to be shown. Today the so called Catholic countries in West Europe seem to have chosen to have the women their tits out and finding it not okay to cover them up.

In the previous century there were many French and Belgians who did find it inappropriate to have some natural flesh of certain body parts to be shown in public. It was considered not done to have dresses which did not come under the knees. (We where brought up like that and got penalties when we had dared to show our bare/naked legs or upper arms.) Last century it was said we all had to listen to God and could not run naked in this world because God opposed such a thing.

Today their god must have changed idea and has come to prefer naked flesh, because in the present time the French seem not to look at those who want to cover their body as unworthy believers and even as people who are a danger for society.

Covering up for the Almighty

When we were young our Catholic mothers had to wear headscarf or hats when coming in public. In church they had to sit at the left hand site with their faces hidden behind a veil. In the previous century most people in Europe thought it was appropriate to dress decently and not having too much bare or naked. Mots parts of the body had to be covered with clothing or tissue.

Only around the turn of the century  less people came to make objections when some parts of the body were not covered. Today it looks like the world has got upside down. What for centuries was thought to be the moral way and according to Judeo Christian values, suddenly seems to be not acceptable any more.

People, like female Muslims, who now choose to cover up for God, are not allowed to do so by the French governement. Europeans should question such a decision taken by a governement in West Europe and see how human rights (freedoms established by custom or international agreement that impose standards of conduct on all nations) are  trespassed. Today we can see in France that many specific human rights are ignored. What happened to the the right to personal or individual liberty and Due Process of Law; to freedom of thought, clothing, expression, religion, organization, and movement; to freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, language, and sex?

Restrictions imposed

In West Europe we encounter more that certain social groups are confined to menial and despised jobs or even get no opportunity on the work-market. When somebody is called Mohammed he may be sure it will be much more difficult to get a job than when he would be called Jef. Arabic looking people shall find it more difficult to be able to rent a place or to buy property.

In Europe they say there does not exist a cast system (or caste) but if they are not careful it will come in existence or (better said) it will grow (because it is already here but denied). In our 21st century ‘Untouchability‘ and ‘Speciesism‘ have become a reality also in Western Europe. We can clearly see that more and more different values, rights, or special consideration is given to individuals solely on the basis of their species membership, origin and faith. There are many who are not minding positive discrimination and taking it up for one particular religious group (the Roman catholics). Today we may find the atheist caste wanting to direct the Christian-caste, Islamic-caste, and may we find different rejections of castes or groups of people.

It seems that France and Belgium are limiting the human rights laws for some groups in their population, which should give us the idea they are discriminating. By singling out a type of person or thing for special negative treatment or denial of equal treatment and to act in a prejudicial manner against someone or something, they have chosen the way of deprivation of individual liberty.

Oppression

Lots of Caucasians seem to think that all those women are oppressed, but is it not they who know bring oppression and take away those women’s freedom to cloth themselves like they want? Clearly we could see several women being downtrodden, maltreated, henpecked, browbeaten and subjugated or abused and tyrannized.

The country

which prides itself for liberté, égalité, fraternité, has unfortunately fallen short in recent times, with more social division and social prejudice arising within the country, due to the public suppression and rejection of religion; the consequent of which has led to violent eruptions.
It is also precisely through the social persecution of the wider Islamic community in such acts which aim to strip them of their beliefs, that it seems that the French government are validating individuals’ fears, rather than attempting to diffuse them. {France’s banning of the ‘Burqini’ is the rejection of its founding principles}

Swimwear

Forbidden: a burkini-clad woman on the beach

This iconic image of Peggy Moffitt modelling Gernreich’s monokini, which got a lot of controversy, was initially published in Women’s Wear Daily on June 3, 1964 and shows how one was still afraid to show a naked tummy.

What should people have against a full body swimsuit for any sort of woman, being Catholic or Muslim? (When we were child our parents had to wear full swimsuits or where fined.) Shall people, who went diving, have to take off their wetsuit before they come onto the beach? If they may walk on the beach with a wetsuit why not women in a full swimsuit?
Why are so many against wearing a swimming costume which covers the whole body with the exception of the face, hands, and feet, suitable for wear by Muslim women, which got the name bourkini/burkini/burqini, but has nothing to do with a bourka/burka/burqa or with the rider’s burka/burqa, which is long, thickpiled, nor with the traditional man’s coat made from felt or karakul, or with the Ukrainian traditional garment or Kobeniak, or with a two-piece bathing costume called bikini (or close-fitting bathing suit worn by men) and even less with a monokini, being just the opposite of it?

Women their freedom taken away

Are so many West Europeans so afraid women cannot stand up for themselves? And certain feminists do they not see there is much more at hand than just sexism?

We must be aware that there is so much more going on in our deranged world where Jihadi terrorist managed to get the fear burning hard over here in our regions that nobody seems to feel at ease when they see something that smells to Islamism. The politicians fell in the trap by creating laws in a hurry which limits the freedom of many women who have nothing to do at all with the faith of those terrorists, because they have chosen the path of God and a religion of peace or salam, hence the name Islam.

The Mayor of Cannes has prohibited access to the beach for those wearing clothing that disrespects secularism Reuters

By prohibiting the burkini the French state limits even more those they say would be oppressed. It is strange that lots of people do not understand those women wearing a burkini get just the freedom to go into the water or to lie on the beach like so many other women do.  By banning the burkini those women their freedom to enjoy a good day at the beach is taken away. By the ban also their children are targeted, because they also shall not be able to come to the beach and to go into the water to play with their mother.

The justification for the burkini ban is no longer about ‘liberating’ women, ….. but Arundhati Roy’s remarks about France’s earlier ban on the burka are still apt:

Suzanna Arundhati Roy , Indian author who is best known for her novel The God of Small Things (1997), which won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997

When, as happened recently in France, an attempt is made to coerce women out of the burka rather than creating a situation in which a woman can choose what she wishes to do, it’s not about liberating her but about unclothing her. It becomes an act of humiliation and cultural imperialism. Coercing a woman out of her burka is as bad as coercing her into one. It’s not about the burka. It’s about the coercion.

Arundhati Roy Capitalism: A Ghost Story, p. 37.

Armed police forcing women to remove their clothes on the beach is nothing other than an act of humiliation – humiliating women to punish a minority group for the actions of a few individuals. {France and the Burkini}

Huda Jawad, Community Coordinator at Standing Together Against Domestic Violence, wrote

Choosing to conflate a cultural and religiously inspired mode of attire – which women choose to wear to feel safe from the sexual gaze of society while partaking in a very ordinary pastime – with a terrorist group is a convenient ‘othering’ of fellow citizens in times of national crisis. {The burkini ban is misogynistic – and Western feminists are turning a blind eye}

Secularism, good attitude and proper values

You may wonder why those women in burkini would not wear appropriate swimwear and would not “respect good customs and secularism” whilst others with their bare poo and bare bosom would be an example how women should be clothed and are respecting the western values.

There exist already a lot of discriminatory treatment towards physically unattractive people. Now to that ‘Lookism‘ we have the discriminatory view of men who can not see enough naked flesh are can not find enough to look at by a woman.

Today people not only make judgements of others based on their physical appearance that influence how they respond to those people, when their clothes are not liked by French men such men may now demand those clothes to be taken off.

The announcement by David Lisnard, UMP Mayor of Cannes, that he is prohibiting access to the beach to anyone not wearing what the French would consider suitable bathing suits, did not make many French question, what right he had, to decide a woman had to wear on the beach and why he choose the more naked version of the feminine, instead of a more clothed, and what believers in God would call a more decent one.

Victims of ISIS, the scapegoat of the French nation

Lots of people consider themselves victim of ISIS but forget that the worst victims are Islamists or ordinary Muslim people all over the world. Europeans and Americans may not be blind and should see that the greatest causalities of Isis have been Muslims, and the banning of the burkini illustrates the extent to which France’s fundamentalist secularism is singling out the most visible and vulnerable group in society for blame.

The governement is giving in and has found its scapegoat and used the local Muslims to blame for the terror the security forces of the country could not avoid or obstruct. Like the Fascist in the past liked Scapegoating many Europeans and Americans now blame the refugees and Muslims for the many problems they have in their country. In the past Jews and immigrants were prominent among the groups that were demonized. In France the Jews got a sibling now in the Muslim community. Today it is not a “Judeo-Masonic-bolshevik” conspiraciy or left-wing agitation, but the presence of immigrants and the amount of active Muslims.

As in the past the governement points the finger to those ‘outcasts’ and originators of all sin. They go with the people and hope to gain popularity by taking measures against the Ummah or Muslim community, making their life so difficult that they hope those other believers will soon leave. Implication was that depriving these demons of their power and influence would cause the nation’s major problems to go away.

Lots of people are afraid that those Muslims would be able to convert many French and that the nation by those converts would be more and more becoming an Islamic state.

Limiting the liberty of Muslims and other believers

Now by limiting the liberty of the Muslims in their own country the governement hopes to please the rest of the population and to take the attention away from their own weakness and the blame they have it not in control.

The governement, because of all the discussions going on about the burkini’s and religious clothing, decided that when the schools will open again, no religious dress or symbol shall be allowed, and as such no head covering for Jews and Muslims or necklaces with religious symbols.

Education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, a former government spokesperson who is politically more to the left than former interior minister Valls and disagrees with the burqini ban could not stop the measures.

For the start of the debate, concerning the burqini Huda Jawad  also questioned in the Daily Independent

Since when did wearing a burkini, in most cases a loose fitting nylon version of a wetsuit, become an act of allegiance to terrorist movements? Do Marks & Spencer or House of Fraser know that their attempt to raise profits and exploit a gap in the over-saturated clothing market is selling and promoting allegiance to Isis? {The burkini ban is misogynistic – and Western feminists are turning a blind eye}

She also remarks

What is it about French secularism’s blindspot to its own racism and misogyny? The obsession to the point of fetishism with Muslim women’s mode of dress and covering curtails the most basic of human rights – that of self-determination and freedom of expression. As Arundhati Roy so eloquently put it, coercing a woman out of the burka instead of enabling her to choose is an act of violence, humiliation and cultural imperialism. Instead of extending the hand of fraternité, Mr Lisnard and his supporters are excluding Muslims, if not pushing them into the arms of radicalisers. {The burkini ban is misogynistic – and Western feminists are turning a blind eye}

Making the Muslims stigmatised as the bogeyman, that scarecrow seems already frightening lots of French people. They are pushing the golliwog in the corner or throwing in front of the swines that in the end they shall have to defend themselves so strongly and make their faith and stance even stronger, so that a new religious revolt can take place. Perhaps than the French shall get their eyes opened and shall be awakened from their cauchemard (their nightmare) they are afraid of.

Today, Friday 26 August 2016, France’s highest administrative court has suspended a ban on the burkini in a test case brought by human rights groups, pending a definitive ruling.

The ruling from the state council suspends a single ban in the southern town of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, but is likely to set a precedent for other towns that have prohibited the full-body swimwear on their beaches.

According to a senior politician in Norway’s right-wing Progress Party (FrP) Norway also has to follow the lead of a number of French towns and ban the burkini. Third deputy, Aina Stenersen, claims the full-body swimsuits worn by some Muslim women are “a symbol of radical Islam” and is convinced that French cities did right to ban the burqini from their beaches. The Progress Party is in the process of formulating a new party manifesto, and the burkini ban is expected to be included.

The FrP does, however, believe the fine faced by those who wear burkinis in France is too lenient. Ms Stenersen intends to double the charge to around 500 kroner, which is equivalent to £57.

A story to be continued and démarche or kick-off to be followed up .

To welcome women wearing burqini’s and coming into public spaces

Marcel Michelson for Forbes writes

Yes, wearing a burkini on the beach, as wearing a burka in town, is an ostentatious sign of religious adherence, as is the wearing of full robes by priests and nuns in public or the traditional garments and hairstyles of orthodox Jews.

Yet a burkini is also a means of emancipation for Muslim women, allowing them to bathe despite the strict, male-dominated, rules under which they have to lead their lives.

In a way, we should welcome burkini’s and encourage Muslims to integrate more in French, or European, society. {Burkini Debate In France Shows Lack Of Tolerance And Understanding Out Of Fear For Strangers}

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Please come to read:

1. On French beach French police forces woman to undress in public
2. Is Europe going to become a dictatorial bastion
3. France and the Burkini
4. Islamophobia or nah?
5. Bitches, Puhleeeeze….
6. The Burkini
7. The Burkini Ban
8. France’s top court to rule on burkini ban
9. My Burkini and I
10. Universal concern: not naked enough
11. This gif sums up the whole ‘debate’ on #BurkiniBan
12. Burkini must be banned, France’s Sarkozy says as he launches election campaign
13. France’s War on the Burqini
14. Dear white people of France: being forced to undress wasn’t exactly the liberation I was longing for
15. Thoughts on Burqini
16. Modest Swimwear: The Burkini
17. Burkini and French Secularism
18. France’s banning of the ‘Burqini’ is the rejection of its founding principles.
19. 7 facts about France’s burkini ban that make outsiders very uncomfortable
20. Planned ‘Burqini Day’ irks French far-rights
21. The Swimsuit War of 2009: Year In Review 2009 (swimming)
22. France’s highest court suspends burkini ban in test case
23. Burkini ban: Norway’s right-wing Progress Party calls for full-body swimsuit to be outlawed

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Further related articles

1. French Web Round-Up: 5 Things That Made Me Smarter This Week
2. Sea Water, Sweat and Tears
3. Please exit calmly and quietly.
4. Is EU discriminating against Israel by labeling settlement goods?
5. Landlords Will Face Tougher Consequences For Discriminating Against (Most) Renters With Criminal Records: Gothamist
6. U.S. House of Representatives’ Chaplain Accused of Discriminating Against Atheism, Judaism and other Minority Religions
7. 3 Helpful Hints on Dismantling Racial Boundaries in the Classroom
8. On My Mind (Vol. 4)
9. I’m Gonna Dress Like a Charlie Brown Ghost Next Time I Go Swimming
10. What does it mean to cover?
11. Ban The Burka
12. What women need is security
13. Breaking News: France requesting to Saudi Arabia’s ‘Morality Police’ for training their police force!
14. Islam, France, Burkini: A chit chat on FB
15. Third French burqini ban after Corsica clashes
16. Beach Party Outside French Embassy Protests The Burkini Ban On French Beaches
17. East Essence: Shop Islamic Clothes For Your Whole Family!
18. True life story- Two plastic sacks
19. Waitress
20. Yttrandefriheten: Opinion live?
21. Di burkini e di diritti
22. Burqini dan Islamophobia Prancis
23. Τα Marks&Spencer, έβγαλαν και μπουργκίνι, μαγιό για μουσουλμάνες
24. Τη θέση του μπικίνι παίρνει το … μπουρκίνι

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Related articles

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• The Latest: French far right leader: Burkini battle not over
• Burkini ban suspended by top French court
• France’s highest court overturns burkini ban
• Top French court suspends burkini ban
• Burkini Debate In France Shows Lack Of Tolerance And Understanding Out Of Fear For Strangers
• Trump brand of migrant demonization #2
• Letter from the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, to Mr Jorge Fernández Díaz, Minister of the Interior of Spain, concerning the human rights of immigrants and asylum-seekers in Spain
• The Latest: White House notes value of religious freedom

Ideas about Religiosity

From the Old French religiosete (late 14th century)  and directly from Late Latin religiositas “religiousness,” from religiosus we got religiosity. In 1795 it came only 0.02% as used word. In 1947 it reached 0.1% and got a peak in 1944-45 from 0.17-021%to decline again until 1959 when it reached a deeper point again of 0.12%. From then onwards it got more used, with a frequency of 0.3% in 1978 and climbing to 0.44 in 1996. In2005 it got a boost and was used 0.62%. After a little dip it got again to 0.74% in 2008.

You can wonder if the word became more popular because the time was so bad that people sought more answers and where looking for meaning in their life, but in a time when more people were religious in a way which seemed exaggerated and insincere.

In the 2010 the word became again more popular to denote the way people were either going to be or not be religious. Having to face times where more people are not so much interested in the existence of a supernatural ruling power, a divine Creator and a controller of the universe, the act of those people became also more in the picture and part of debate. This also because many impeach that religion is the base of the many problems we do face today. Lots of people accuse the religious people of creating a situation of hatred between people. The non-religious people inculpate the believers of the different religious or faith groups this world counts, and that are many.

religions in Europe, map en. See File:Europe religion map.png for details. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When we talk about religion we look at one or an other of the various systems of faith and worship based on such belief. As such we are often confronted with the great religions of the world, being Christendom and Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. the persons belonging to one or another religion we do expect to be bounded to the organisations of that religion and to have a religious life according to the rules of that religion.

When we talk about the religiosity today we think of the manner a person has an awakened sense of the elements we encounter in life. This may be concerning a higher unseen controlling power or powers, with the emotion and morality connected therewith. {Chambers 20th Century dictionary, 1972-1977, p.128,1141} In the 1977 reprint of the Chambers dictionary is still looked at religiosity as some bigotry or blind or excessive zeal, especially in religious matters.

Appropriate to or in accordance with the principles of a religion a person might be religious. In Christianity of or relating to a way of life dedicated to religion by the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and defined by a monastic rule. {Collins English Dictionary}

When we talk about the religiosity of some one we think about his religious life or how he is spiritual, holy, sacred, divine, theological, righteous, sectarian, sanctified, doctrinal, devotional, scriptural, devout, believing, godly, committed, practising, faithful, pious, God-fearing, reverent, pure, churchgoing, conscientious, exact, rigid, rigorous, meticulous, scrupulous, fastidious, unerring, unswerving, punctilious. {Collins English Dictionary}

The religious person is some one who is taken by religiosity and beliefs in and worships something or someone, mostly a superhuman controlling power or powers, esp. a personal god or God or gods. The person who is religious wants to come to a religious act or have some religious activity, spending time to religiosity or giving time for his belief or practice, forming part of his or her thought about or worship of a divine being.

he has strong religious convictions

both men were deeply religious, intelligent, and moralistic. {The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English, 2009}

Today when we talk about religiosity and a religious person, not many are going to think straight ahead of

belonging or relating to a monastic order or other group of people who are united by their practice of religion: religious houses were built on ancient pagan sites. {The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English, 2009}

but are going to think more about the way people are treated or regarded with a devotion and scrupulousness appropriate to worship

I have a religious aversion to reading manuals. {The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English, 2009}

The religiosity may take on all sorts of forms, going from the simple worship – the activity of worshipping, to veneration, cultism, also going into the extreme, becoming excessive or irrational devotion to some activity; “made a fetish of cleanliness” or to become a devotion to the doctrine or a cult or to the practices of a cult.

Religiosity mostly has to do with devotion or love, passion, affection, intensity, attachment, zeal, fondness, fervour, adoration, ardour, earnestness, dedication, commitment, loyalty, allegiance, fidelity, adherence, constancy, and faithfulness. It can be seen in the way people act or worship and bring prayers, religious observance, church service, prayer meeting, matins, vespers, divine office.

In its broadest sense today religiosity can be seen as a comprehensive sociological term used to refer to the numerous aspects of religious activity, dedication, and belief (or religious doctrine)

The Gallup Religiosity Index, 2015. (dark color indicates religious, light nonreligious)

Some like to divide religiosity in six dimensions, others from four to twelve components, based on the understanding that there are at least three components to religious behaviour: knowing (cognition in the mind), feeling (affect to the spirit), and doing (behaviour of the body). Though sociologists have differed over the exact number of components of religiosity.

What can be found in lots of studies is when written by atheists the believer is looked at as a stupid person who believes in things unseen. For the reason such a person accepting what is written in the Bible lots of such researchers do find that they can not be very intellectual because many strong believers do not want to accept certain scientific findings. We can assure you that there are also very intelligent people, scientists, medics, lawyers etc. who are very religious.

Also is known that many do not want to show their religiosity in public and today many are even afraid to show their religiosity to others at all, or dare not to bring up religious matters in public but also not between their own friends or in the family.

For the reason to bring religiosity more in the open the Message Board or Internet Forum Christadelphian has been created in August 2016 on the American Yuku servers of Crowdgather, Inc.. By creating such forum the public has the opportunity to bring up questions and members are allowed to edit or delete their own posts. The posts, when there are more, will be contained in threads, where they appear as blocks one after another. The first post starting the thread; this may be called the TS (thread starter) or OP (original post). Posts that follow in the thread are meant to continue discussion about that post, or respond to other replies. The Christadelphian makers of the board are aware that it is not uncommon for discussions to be derailed, but they do want to give it a chance.

At the place Christadelpian where many people may exchange ideas easily hopefully many will bring forth some good subjects also. To start off the following opening articles can be found

1. Welcome to Christadelphian
2. Places of interest to get more knowledge about God
3. Places of interest to get more knowledge about God
4. Christadelphian a Christian
5. A god, The God and gods
6. How do you look at religion
7. What or which god are you looking at and going for and who or what do you want to worship
8. Christianity and Religiosity in Europe

 

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Preceding articles

Searching for fulfillment and meaning through own efforts, facing unsatisfaction and depression

Laboring in the Vineyard or Sitting on the Hillside with Jonah?

 

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Also related

1. A world with or without religion
2. Being Religious and Spiritual 1 Immateriality and Spiritual experience
3. Being Religious and Spiritual 2 Religiosity and spiritual life
4. Being Religious and Spiritual 5 Gnostic influences
5. Being Religious and Spiritual 3 Philosophers, Avicennism and the spiritual
6. Being Religious and Spiritual 7 Transcendence to become one
7. Looking for True Spirituality 1 Intro
8. Looking for True Spirituality 8 Measuring Up
9. Philosophy hand in hand with spirituality
10. Science, belief, denial and visibility 2
11. Points to remember of philosophy versus spirituality and religion
12. Science, belief, denial and visibility 2
13. Worship and worshipping
14. a Place to discuss religious matters and Christadelphianism
15. Religious matters
16. Religious people and painful absence of spring of living water
17. Christianity and Religiosity in Europe
18. New Christadelphian forum
19. Finding God amid all the religious externals
20. Problems attracting and maintaining worshippers
21. Heaven and hell still high on the believers list showing a religion gender gap
22. Structuur -structure
23. A visible organisation on earth

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Further reading

1. Religion
2. Religion and ceremonies
3. Ethics and Morals – the Ten Commandments
4. Politics is a funny game.
5. For the little gods’ sake…
6. Consciousness continues to amaze and elude
7. Weather or not.
8. Success
9. Religious matters
10. What comes next?
11. Young immigrants to Canada passionate about spirituality: Todd
12. the primitive as reaction, pt. 2
13. Science doesn’t know it all. Neither does Religion.
14. Cara Wall Scheffler: What anthropology can tell us about the origins of religious behaviour
15. Religious experience: William James + criticisms from Russell
16. Religious experience: Otto and the numinous
17. Religious experience: Ayer
18. Experiencing God
19. Belief in moralistic gods makes people generous—towards coreligionists
20. On Certainty
21. Stop Saying “I Feel Like …” to Spiritualize Your Desires
22. Go Ahead and Ask God for Something Really Small
23. How I Hear God’s Voice

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