Something that is a bit uncomfortable to acknowledge, but is also very empowering, is that God and Satan seem to be incahoots at times. Looking back to the Old Testament, for example, God and Satan discuss Job’s righteousness. God is very pleased with Job, and when He and Satan disagree on the motivation for Job’s upright character, God grants Satan the power to essentially wreak havoc on Job’s life. He experiences extreme hardships and we (along with God and Satan) watch to see if Job will stay faithful to God during hard times or if he will break. Looking forward in the New Testament, we can see something similar in Mark Chapter 1. At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “you are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well … [Read more...] about Satan and Suffering as Teachers
Religion
Cain and Abel
Jewish thoughts on Cain and Abel are far more extensive than you’d think, given how short the story is. Thanks to Midrash, creative ways the ancient Rabbis explained, understood, and expanded on various biblical themes, we can see stories like Cain and Abel through new eyes and discover a lot of different morals that we otherwise wouldn’t have seen. Cain v. Abel is a fantastic book on this subject written by Rabbi Dan Ornstein and it combines many Midrashic views with his own modern Midrashic spin as well. It’s worth noting that the story he presents is not meant to be taken literally. Jews tend to read the Bible both through surface level reading and by finding the hidden meanings and morals of the stories. As far as midrashic works go, accuracy is far less relevant than the moral teachings underlying them. Another great source for understanding Cain and Abel is the book Messengers of God by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor who wrote extensively about Judaism. The Story of … [Read more...] about Cain and Abel
What Is Hinduism?
Hinduism is an extremely complicated religion to explain, mostly due to the fact that it is not a religion, but rather a family of religions. The word “Hindu” was actually a Persian word meant to describe the people of India, not a specific religion. This brings up the point though that Hinduism and India go hand in hand. India is unbelievably diverse in every way; ethnically, geographically, religiously, you name it, and this diversity is celebrated, not feared. India is so diverse that there are 16 major languages spoken and hundreds of dialects, bringing it up to an estimated 850 languages spoken daily. This often makes it difficult for Indians from different parts of the country to talk with each other without a harsh language barrier, typically requiring English to be spoken as the lingua franca. This is all relevant to Hinduism because the family of religions practiced amongst this diverse people is equally diverse, and this diversity is again celebrated, not scorned. … [Read more...] about What Is Hinduism?
Should Westerners Convert to Buddhism?
Conversion can be a touchy subject, especially since it can be extremely bothersome being on the receiving end of someone trying to convert you. We have probably all encountered, or at least heard stories, about people very intrusively trying to force their religions upon others. Other times conversion can be extremely natural, for example, someone stumbles upon a teaching from a great mystic and ends up falling in love with the faith. But where do Buddhists stand on this topic? The Dalai Lama, who is the face of Tibetan Buddhism, and honestly Buddhism in general for most of us, has a bit to say on this subject. But for starters, it’s useful to understand how he views other religions. The Dalai Lama strongly believes that we should accept the diversity of religions around us. He accepts the fact that for many people, Buddhist philosophy is very effective in developing their spiritual qualities, but for other people, he is humble enough … [Read more...] about Should Westerners Convert to Buddhism?
Is Islam a Tolerant Religion?
What Does Islam Mean? To understand Islam and to understand your Muslim peers, it’s helpful to know what the word Islam means. It means “submission” or “surrender,” and Muslims generally understand this to mean that individual people and communities will fully submit to God, which is very different from submitting to one’s own personal will. From this, one also hopes to spread an Islamic order and create a socially just society. Are Muslims The Only Ones Who Are Considered Submitters? No. Submission to God in the Quran is far more universal than to just be confined to Muslims. Abraham and Jesus, for example, are also considered submitters in the Quran because they too fully submit to God. The second verse in the Quran is very helpful in understanding what submission means. “Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.” Although there are many interpretations of this verse, Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī explains that the “worlds” refer to all existent things. There is infinite space … [Read more...] about Is Islam a Tolerant Religion?
Who Is The Buddha? God or Man?
When Westerners think about the Buddha, we often fall into the trap of thinking that the Buddha is God. This makes sense for us considering there are Buddhist shrines, the religion is called Buddhism, and through our association with Jesus being considered God, it is natural that we would fall into this line of “God” thinking. That’s why it’s important to clear up this misconception. The Buddha (properly known as Śākyamuni Buddha) was simply a man who transcended cyclic existence. He was actually a prince named Siddhārtha Gautama, born in approximately the 5th century BCE most likely around the India-Nepal border. As a prince, Siddhārtha Gautama was kind-hearted, intelligent, very sheltered, and never really left the palace. At one point he does leave the palace and he sees real suffering in town with his own eyes. He sees a sick person, an old person, and a dead body, which truly shakes him. This causes him to very seriously contemplate suffering, which in turn leaves him … [Read more...] about Who Is The Buddha? God or Man?
Tamas and Reincarnation
Tamas, and the gunas in general, are not widely known concepts, but they are worth putting some thought into. The Bhagavad Gita, India’s most famous scripture, goes to lengths to explain the concepts, and we can do well to take note. The idea is that every state of mind and matter is a combination of the three gunas. This is extremely vague and doesn’t quite do the concept justice, but hopefully as this story goes on, the pieces will come together. The three gunas are 1.) Tamas or inertia 2.) Rajas or activity 3.) Sattva or harmony/equilibrium. We will go over all three but Tamas is what we will focus on here the most. Tamas: Eknath Easwaran explains tamas in terms of consciousness (as opposed to matter) as being like the basement level of a house. The basement tends to be piled up with a bunch of old junk and tends to be very chaotic. So too with the mind when we are full of tamas. Our minds tend to be cluttered and we ride the wave of inertia, not trying to do anything to … [Read more...] about Tamas and Reincarnation
5 Basic Facts About Islam
Sources: The Great Courses Series: Great World Religions - Islam Lectures 1-3 … [Read more...] about 5 Basic Facts About Islam
Money vs. Heaven
Jesus speaks quite a bit about the perils of money and wealth, but today this message is seldom heard. We seek wealth constantly, and in our society, success is often measured in dollars. So let’s dive into two key examples of what Jesus has to say about money and let’s also dive into what his warnings are truly trying to convey. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good - except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you … [Read more...] about Money vs. Heaven
Are Jews Too Legalistic?
Many non-Jews consider the vast number (613) of Jewish laws to be a bit cumbersome. This way of thinking often leads to negative views about the laws, and many people begin to consider the Jewish people to be too legalistic of a group. Non-Jews often say that the Jews care too much about the laws and not enough about “what really matters.” But is this a fair conclusion to make? We will back up a touch and look at the concept of Jews being the “chosen people” in the first place. Jews don’t view themselves being chosen with arrogance, they tend to look at it with humility. If we look at the Bible, it becomes painfully clear that the people God chooses aren’t always the best and brightest people out there. They are often seriously flawed just like everyone else. It seems that God chooses them to see what potential this unlikely group could achieve with a little divine guidance. This covenant and giving … [Read more...] about Are Jews Too Legalistic?