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May 25, 2004
Dinner talk
S (my co-worker) and I had dinner together last night. S is 26 years old, and is of Indian descent (her parents came here from India many years ago). We get along very well. I kind of feel like a big sister to her sometime - okay, a much older sister, ok well, maybe a mom to her, and we have some interesting discussions.
My friend is a devout Hindu. She is a vegetarian as part of her faith, and she thinks the whole Vegan movement is very silly. She is going to be officially engaged in a couple of months, and is will get married in about a year. S has saved herself for marriage, also as her religion requires.
Somehow, our conversation turned to different religions - and we both felt that all religions have some truth, some value - and then S looked at me and said, of course except for that one religion. And this very kind, sweet, smart young woman said - you know, the whole Muslim thing. And I agree with her.
When I was in elementary school - all girl Catholic school - Mother Earhardt was our religion teacher from 1st to 4th grade. She once said that if you think of a tall tower, with windows all around the top of it, the view outside of each window could represent the different views of each religion - they all see part of the truth, but none of them see all of the truth.
I think that perhaps that Mother Earhardt was wrong - I think that perhaps one religion is in the basement, looking at the dirt around the tower and trying to figure out how to blow up the tower so that all the other religions will perish. So they can force all of us, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Animist, Buddhist, all of us, to face East, kneel and submit to their religion - so they can rule us and enslave us.
I think we need an exterminator to get that rat out of the Tower's basement before the foundation of all of faiths is fouled.
Posted by Beth at May 25, 2004 6:10 AM
Comments
Whew! We woke up grumpy this morning!
Posted by: John of Argghhh! at May 25, 2004 7:44 AM
You go girl! Right on the mark.
Posted by: BeeBee at May 25, 2004 7:58 AM
Excellent analogy. :)
Posted by: Michael at May 25, 2004 3:43 PM
"There are many paths up the mountain, but there is only one peak."
There is, in the context of this analogy, also a path which leads one off a cliff.
Posted by: triticale at May 26, 2004 12:57 AM
I find it very sad that you and your Indian friend think that way.
I myself am not Muslim nor any other religion but from my understanding all religions share a common philosophy, that is to treat others how you would like to be treated yourself. It is only the fundamentalists who cause the problems in ANY religion, take the Catholics and the Protestants in Ireland for example. Nice white folk but killing each other for the sake of religion.
I know that the majority of Muslims in Iraq are not like this and just want the water back on. Just as you would if someone turned up on your back door and blew up your infrastructure in the name of democracy.
Posted by: Gman at May 26, 2004 4:05 AM
My friend would be offended if you called her Indian. She is an American and is proud to be so.
The only Muslims I know who don't want us all to be Muslims are people who admit that they are not very faithful to their religion.
Posted by: Beth at May 26, 2004 5:26 AM