I went to a bookstore about a week ago and picked up three books. That was huge for me as I never do that. Sitting down and reading a book is not my favorite thing to do. Last time I went to a bookstore was to buy a gift card. No looking at the latest releases. No checking out the markdown sections. Just a gift card. But this time was different.
Recently, I finished Colin Powell's "My American Journey" for oh probably the 10th time. I had begun reading "Through Gates of Splendor" by Elizabeth Elliott for the 4th time and decided enough was enough. I know how it turns out (and no I am not telling you). It was time for something new. I was looking for a particular book, "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Reading some stories several months ago about this book really piqued my curiosity. With the name in my head, I embarked on my adventure in the bookstore. Nearly 45 minutes later I emerged, safe, unharmed and "loaded" with the three new books ("Infidel", "The Blind Side" and "Into Thin Air"). Quite the assortment I know but I knew the names of these books and so I bought them. Truth be told, I couldn't bear the thought of reading "My American Journey" again this year so I just grabbed what I knew.
"Infidel" is quite a book. For the first half of it, I read it every night before bed. I could not put it down. It wasn't like a mystery novel where you had to know what happened next. Surprisingly though, it had the same effect on me even though it was a biography. My knowledge of Islam is not vast, so learning about the family dynamic with respect to Islam was eye-opening. In no way do I now proclaim myself an 'expert' in Islam after this one book. Yet, many things I had heard in the past regarding the restrictiveness, abuse, isolation and fanaticism proved to be quite true, at least in Ms. Ali's life.
However, after getting through the first half, I found myself having to stop reading. It was to a point where Ms. Ali began questioning her faith and Allah. For some reason, that truly bothered me. It's not as if the god she served is the same as my God. Her god is not alive. My God is Jesus Christ who is very much alive. Many of the teachings she followed were from the prophet Muhammad in the Quran. The teachings I follow (or try to) in the Holy Bible were written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit (part of the Trinity of God). Muhammad was not without sin; Jesus was without sin. She was questioning what she believed and it struck a nerve with me.
Don't get me wrong. I am not questioning my belief in God or Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit. I don't question His existence, what He has done or how He saved me (i.e. my salvation). I do at times question where I am in this thing called life. I think that is all part of working out my salvation (Philippians 2:12 I believe). But to hear, or rather, read of a Muslim questioning their faith was very perplexing to me. I didn't think that was allowed. What do I know?
I took a couple of days off from that book to read "The Blind Side". Whew....what a difference. It was just the type of book I needed to get a clearer head about "Infidel". Most people with a computer have heard or know of the story of Michael Oher; Sandra Bullock gave an Oscar-winning performance as Lee Anne Tuohy. If you haven't heard of it, just Google it and I'm sure you'll find it. But those that know, the contrast between Michael Oher's story and Ayaan Hirsi Ali's story is like day and night.
And so I finished. The result of her choice to leave Islam, speaking out against Muhammad and the pracitices of the religion has garnered her quite possibly a lifetime of security due to death threats. As of the writing of the book, she is now an atheist. While she may disagree with me, I believe she came to the "conclusion" based solely on the events of her life. Her religion and the religious leaders of her life never provided an answer as to why God did not help her when she and so many other Muslim women were abused and mistreated the way they were. (You will need to read the story to understand the full extent of it.)
She was exposed to "Christians" in Holland, the place she fled Somalia to. I am of the mind to believe that it was in name only, not in heart, as the ones she referred to would go out drinking at the clubs, etc. No, I'm not being religious, but a Christian is Christ-like, or at the very least, striving to be Christ-like with the help of the Holy Spirit. True Christians have their minds set on things above, on pleasing the Father and following His ways as instructed in the Bible. And if we fall or fail in any way, He has given us grace and extended His mercy towards us so that we have an avenue through Jesus Christ to be forgiven. No flogging, beating, stoning or death need result from our failure as a Christian; Jesus took care of that. A Christian's heart longs to live for God and do what's right in His eyes. And somehow, drinking and partying at the clubs does not seem to be something that would please Him.
Is there a scripture verse somewhere that says "no clubbing" or "no drinking"? Not in so many words, no. But, the question would then be, what's in your heart? People will tell you they drink/party because they like the taste of it but there is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS another reason tied to it (forgetting one's troubles, getting a buzz, getting drunk). Always another underlying reason!!! Did I say "underlying reason"? Okay good. Just want to make sure. I digress--God cares about the heart. He cares about what is in my heart, Michael Oher's heart and yes, even an atheist heart like Ayaan Hirsi Ali. He cares even we don't. It doesn't mean He will always intervene on someone's behalf, but He does care. And He is always there (Hebrews 13:5).
So I do not believe Ms. Ali has been around the best examples of faith in her life. Religion has corrupted her ability to believe. Yes, she has made this choice of her own free will (which she cherishes dearly). For the record, religion=rules without relationship. In my experience, people who come from that type of religion or religious experience/encounter, turn away from God completely or never have anything to do with church again (but still profess to be Christian). A sad statement but alas, it's true.
God have mercy on Ms. Ali and those like her. And may God have mercy on me.
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning.
New every morning.
Great is thy faithfulness oh Lord.
Great is thy faithfulness."
(composer Edith McNeil)
Until next time,
RSPS Sunny
0 comments:
Post a Comment