27 July 2005

Why I am glad to be neither Muslim nor Christian

Fellow blogger Christy of ReBelle Nation caught an article out of Jacksonville, Florida, where a Baptist church has a sign out saying "Islam is evil."

More specifically, it quotes Surah 9-29 out of the Koran, which tells believers to fight against those who do not believe in Allah. For comparison, the sign quotes the Book of Matthew to claim that Jesus is for peace.

I've said this before, and I will say this again. Anyone who knows the development of these two religions knows that they are really from the same root and beginnings. In fact, Islam takes most of the tenets of Christianity and adds to them.

Not only does Islam tell believers to fight the non-believers, Christianity does the same. I don't have a Bible handy right now, but it does tell believers to either convert or kill non-believers, especially in the Old Testament. Remember the Crusades? (And despite what his spokespeople say otherwise, Bush is carrying out his own crusade in the Middle East right now.) Both religions assert that the ONLY truth is theirs, and try to rub that in at every moment. Honestly, if your truth has to be rubbed in at every possible moment, I am not so sure it's so true anymore; real truth can convince by itself.

The two religions also share their contempt for women, based on the original sins of Eve. Many metaphors used enforce the superiority of men over women. A fallout is that neither religion is tolerant of behavior that threatens the gender hierarchy, such as feminism or homosexual relationships.

The bottom line: Jesus may have been for peace, but it turns out to be a patriarchal peace only acceptable to the so-called "believers." More deaths and sufferings have happened in the name of Christianity and Islam than anything else. I'm so glad that I have taken my view of divinity beyond the confines of these belief systems.