The Christmas Story

Christians now begin to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Many of us Christians don’t know that the Holy Qur’an (the holy book of Islam) includes a story of Jesus’ birth.

“The angels said to Mary: 'Allah bids you rejoice in a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary. He shall be noble in this world and in the next, and shall be favored by Allah. He shall preach to men in his cradle and in the prime of manhood, and shall lead a righteous life.' (Qur’an 3:45-46)

Here’s one translation of the Christmas story, from the Qur’an 19:16-33. Allah is speaking through the Prophet:

“And you shall recount in the Book the story of Mary: how she left her people and betook herself to a solitary place to the east.

“We sent to her Our spirit in the semblance of a full-grown man. And when she saw him she said: 'May the Merciful defend me from you! If you fear the Lord, leave me and go your way.'

“'I am the messenger of your Lord,' he replied, 'and have come to give you a holy son.'

“'How shall I bear a child,' she answered, 'when I am a virgin, untouched by man?'

“'Such is the will of your Lord,' he replied. 'That is no difficult thing for Him. "He shall be a sign to mankind," says the Lord, "and a blessing from Ourself. This is Our decree."'

“Thereupon she conceived him, and retired to a far-off place. And when she felt the throes of childbirth she lay down by the trunk of a palm-tree, crying: 'Oh, would that I had died and passed into oblivion!'

“But a voice from below cried out to her: 'Do not despair. Your Lord has provided a brook that runs at your feet, and if you shake the trunk of this palm-tree it will drop fresh ripe dates in your lap. Therefore rejoice. Eat and drink, and should you meet any mortal say to him: "I have vowed a fast to the Merciful and will not speak with any man today."'

“Carrying the child, she came to her people, who said to her: 'This is indeed a strange thing! Sister of Aaron, your father was never a whore-monger, nor was your mother a harlot.'

“She made a sign to them, pointing to the child. But they replied: 'How can we speak with a babe in the cradle?' Whereupon he spoke and said: 'I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Gospel and ordained me a prophet. His blessing is upon me wherever I go, and He has commanded me to be steadfast in prayer and to give alms to the poor as long as I shall live. He has exhorted me to honor my mother and has purged me of vanity and wickedness. I was blessed on the day I was born, and blessed I shall be on the day of my death; and may peace be upon me on the day when I shall be raised to life.'

So there’s the Christmas story as told through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7^th century. Muslims don’t worship Jesus as the Son of God. They don’t worship Mary as the mother of Jesus. They don’t worship Muhammad, or Abraham or any of the other Prophets. However, Muslims do revere all these, and many more, including all the prophets of the Old Testament.

So in that spirit of reverence, let’s celebrate the blessings of Christmas with all whose spiritual heritage descends from Abraham: Let’s work for peace and good will among all our neighbors. Merry Christmas!

Wisdom Books and the Bible

While reviewing the Lectionary readings for November, I came across a reading from the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon. A quick check of the various bibles in my house showed that I own no copy of this Book. I wondered what the Book of Wisdom is, and why is it not in my Bible? So, I “Googled” the Book and was sent quickly to the Wikipedia.

“Book of Wisdom, or Wisdom of Solomon or simply Wisdom is one of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible. It is one of the seven Sapiential or wisdom books of the Septuagint, which includes Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (Song of Songs), and Ecclesiasticus (Sirach).” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Wisdom

“Wait!” I thought. What is meant by “Deuterocanonical?” It means “of the second Canon.” It “is a term used since the sixteenth century in the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Christianity to describe certain books and passages of the Christian Old Testament that are not part of the Jewish Bible...The Deuterocanonical books are considered canonical by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox, but are considered non-canonical by Protestants.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deuterocanonical

And what is “Septuagint?” The Septuagint, or simply ‘LXX,’ “... was the common Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC in Alexandria. It is the oldest of several ancient translations of the Hebrew Bible into Greek [and] is quoted by the Christian New Testament ... In the 3rd century BC, most Jewish communities were located in the Hellenistic world ... It is believed that the LXX was produced because many Jews ... needed a Greek version of the scripture for use during synagogue readings.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint

LXX was the basis of the Old Testaments of the earliest Christian Bibles. But, some things change.

“Some scriptures of ancient origin are found in the Septuagint but are not present in the Hebrew Bible ... The New Testament makes a number of allusions to and may quote the additional books. The books are Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Wisdom of Jesus Sirach, Baruch, Epistle of Jeremy (which later became chapter 6 of Baruch in the Vulgate), additions to Daniel (The Prayer of Azarias, the Song of the Three Children, Sosanna and Bel and the Dragon), additions to Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, 1 Esdras, Odes, including the Prayer of Manasses, and Psalm 151.”

Christian churches differ about what’s in their bibles. Moreover, some Christian churches have changed what they considered “canonical.” Some left their canons unchanged. Roman Catholics include some of these books in their bible. Eastern Orthodox Churches still use all the books of the Septuagint. In fact, “[t]he Ethiopian Orthodox church's narrower Old Testament canon includes the books of the Hebrew Bible, all of the Apocrypha, and "Jubilees, 1 Enoch, and Joseph ben Gurion's (Josippon's) medieval history of the Jews and other nations." http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/bible/canon2.stm The full King James version of the Christian Bible often includes these additional books as "Apocrypha." Protestant Bibles follow the Hebrew Bible and exclude the additional books.

Anglican lectionaries use all of the books of the Septuagint except Psalm 151. While the Eastern Orthodox Church accepts Psalm 151 as canonical, Roman Catholics, Protestants, and most Jews consider it apocryphal. However, it is found in an appendix in some Catholic Bibles, as well as in some ecumenical translations, such as the New Revised Standard Version. (Psalms 151-155 are called the Five Apocryphal Psalms of David.)

Alas, the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon seems not to be part of the Hebrew Bible and so not part of any of my Protestant Bibles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_the_Bible But that’s OK – the Lectionary suggests an alternative reading from Isaiah for Protestant Christians, while our Catholic and Orthodox brethren are reading from Wisdom. Besides, we all can now read Wisdom on line.

Happy New Year!

“On Friday night, Sept. 18, 2009, Jews will begin celebrating one of their most important religious holidays, Rosh Hashanah. It remembers the creation of the world. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means the "head of the year." It is also called the Feast of the Trumpets. The blowing of a ram's horn, a shofar, proclaims Rosh Hashanah.” [http://www.factmonster.com/spot/roshhashanah1.html for further information.]

September 19, 2009, marks the beginning of the year 5770 on the Hebrew calendar, and the first day of the month of Tishri. Some believe that Adam was created on this day, 5,770 years ago. [http://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/day.asp?tdate=9/19/2009] You can read all about it in Genesis 1:26. “On the sixth day....”

Most of us in the west consider the celebration of New Year’s Eve/Day a secular holiday , an evening and a day wherein we consider the year past, plan for the coming year, and enjoy friends, food and drink. [In my 85-year-old COMMON SERVICE BOOK OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH, New Year’s Day is the time of celebrating “The Circumcision and Name of Jesus.”] While seeming to be all about celebrating, New Year’s provides many of us the occasion to consider seriously the times past and the times to come. Some people even make resolutions about changing their behaviors, perhaps giving up some “bad” habit, or resolving to change how they use their time or money.

For Jews, Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the 10 “Days of Awe” or “Days of Repentance.” Just as many Westerners resolve to make personal life changes at New Year’s, Jews here and abroad understand Rosh Hashanah as a time of reflection and introspection.

“These ten days, called The Ten Days of Teshuvah, are the most solemn days of the year -- days designated for soul-searching and return (teshuvah) to G-d. G-d is near--more attentive to our prayers, more accepting of our repentance, than on the other days of the year.” [http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/59160/jewish/Day-One.htm]

During these ten days, Jews will seek to reconcile wrongs done to other people, and to right those wrongs where possible, and ask forgiveness.

The 10 days end with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, this year beginning September 27 at sundown. Yom Kippur is a day of prayers, and one does not work or eat. Certain other limits apply: “...no bathing, no using creams and oils, no wearing of leather shoes, and no sexual relations.” [http://www.factmonster.com/spot/yomkippur1.html]

Jews believe that Yom Kippur atones for sins between people and God (Leviticus 23:26-32). Some (Jews and others) believe that God keeps books on our actions, writes down decrees about who will live and who will die during the next year, and “seals” the books on Yom Kippur.

Hmm... Reconciling wrongs, and being nearer to God, would make for a very happy New Year indeed!

Forgiveness and Forgiving

“He who forgives first ends the argument.”

--African proverb

I’ve been fascinated with why, when and how people forgive one another. By forgiving, I mean “to cease to feel resentment toward; to PARDON,” as stated in my Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. To explore my “how” question, a few years ago, I attended three talks at an afternoon session entitled, “The Concept of Forgiveness in the Abrahamic Traditions.” Here are my notes from a talk by Rabbi Sydney Mintz, Associate Rabbi at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco.

An Hassidic parable tells of a king who expelled his son from the kingdom. Years later, he wanted his son back, so he sent his messengers to find his son. The son said he was too far away, and had wandered too long to find his way home. The father said, “Return as far as you can. I’ll come out the rest of the way to meet you.”

This illustrates the concept of return or repentance, “Teshuvah.” Forgiveness involves repentance, or returning to God. The Talmud spells out five steps in seeking forgiveness from others:

1. To confess to another, face to face, that you’ve wronged that person and ask forgiveness, up to 3 times if necessary.

2. To compensate the person injured in appropriate ways.

3. To resolve to never again wound that person, or others in that way.

4. To ask forgiveness of God.

5. To refrain from repeating the offense.

Jews focus on forgiving one another during the 10 days called Rosh Hashanah. As Rabbi Mintz says, “The ’gates’ of teshuvah are always open to anyone who desires to return. It is only on the ten days of reflection that we are considered to be closest to God!” The last day of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, is a day on which Jews confess their sins to God and ask God’s forgiveness.

Another source (http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/timeless-patterns/06.htm) differentiates repentance from return to God. “Repentance implies a reversal of one's conduct - a recognition of past shortcomings, and a firm resolution to change in the future. The two are interrelated; the awareness of our weaknesses impels us to reorient.

“The concept of Teshuvah as "return" emphasizes the fundamental spiritual potential of every person. Chassidic thought teaches that within each of us resides a Divine soul, a spark of God. This infinite Godly potential represents the core of our souls, our genuine "I".”

Perhaps, as one repents, one seeks a return to God, whether “within each of us,” or external to us.

Rev. Gerald O’Rourke, Ecumenical and Interfaith Officer of the (Roman Catholic) Archdiocese of San Francisco gave the second talk. He said:

Christianity shows two sides of the forgiveness question: Forgiveness by God, and forgiveness of others. Both are addressed in the Lord’s Prayer. We acknowledge that the loving God does forgive us our sins, our debts, and our trespasses.

Second, Christians seek to forgive others as they have already been forgiven by God. The healing process begins when a Christian is willing to forgive an offense. It continues as that Christian is willing to forgive totally. It concludes when the Christian is finally willing to forgive unconditionally.

In Luke 15:17-24, we see how the prodigal son is forgiven by his father, after he confesses his sin. Of course, the question of reconciliation remains after forgiveness occurs. Even when we’ve reached a state of total absence of ill-feeling toward the one who injured us, still we must choose whether or not to reconcile, and if so, whether to reunite with that person.

The third talk was given by Ms. Hina Azam, Lecturer in Islamic Studies at St. Mary’s College of California. She said that Islam considers four aspects of forgiveness.

First, Muslims seek forgiveness from God through “tawbah” or repentance, returning to God, as this, along with good works, is the key to salvation. Repentance requires (1) certainty in faith in the one God, (2) striving to return to right belief and right actions, (3) striving toward more acceptable behavior, (4) giving thanks for the abundance God provides us, and (5) acknowledging our sins, and requesting forgiveness. Forgiveness is not automatic – it must be requested. There is nothing to fear by humbling ourselves before God and confessing our sin. God already knows our sin, and has nothing to gain by punishing us, if we repent.

Second, Muslims wish to be forgiving of others, trying to emulate Allah’s forgiveness of themselves.

Third, they “forgive” God when they face trials in their lives. They strive for contentment, balance and to remember all their reasons for giving thanks to God.

Finally, they seek forgiveness from others when they have offended.

In Genesis 45:4-8 and 50:20, we see that Joseph forgives his brothers, who “intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is being done. . .” Here, we learn that Joseph trusted God to bring something good out of otherwise bad intentions. So he could forgive his brothers, and leave the judgment to God. In the Qur’an, 12:92-93, the brothers confess to Joseph, “We have indeed been guilty.” Joseph replies, “None shall reproach you this day. May God forgive you: of all those that show mercy He is the most merciful.”

Are the three sets of teachings about forgiving one another the same? Well, not exactly, but they surely have commonalities: These faiths each teach repentance, confession to God and each other, and behavioral reform. They seem to differ mostly in process and language, but each emphasizes the need to confront our sins, before God, and compensate for them.

Fighting Evil Within Ourselves

Recently, I had breakfast with an old friend and retired Methodist minister. During our time together, my friend mentioned how difficult it is to resist evil and to hold to those values and truths we’re taught. He quoted Matthew 10:16, where Jesus sends his disciples out to the nation of Israel, warning them of the troubles they might face, and saying they should be as “wise as serpents; innocent as doves.” How, I wondered, could one accomplish that state of being? What would that mean?

Wisdom might be gained by living a long life, thoughtfully and studiously, but perhaps the disciples would not be long-lived. And, how might they remain (or become) “innocent as doves?” I decided that Jesus could only have meant that they should undertake and continue that internal struggle against all the worldly temptations they would (and we all do) face, all the time. I began thinking about the term jihad, not in its most frequent misuse by the English-speaking press, but in the more traditional way.

“Within Islamic belief, Muhammad is said to have regarded the inner struggle for faith the "greater jihad", prioritizing it over physical fighting in defense of the Ummah, or members of the global Islamic community. One famous hadith has the prophet saying: "We have returned from the lesser jihad (battle) to the greater jihad (jihad of the soul)." Muslim scholar Mahmoud Ayoub states that "The goal of true jihad is to attain a harmony between islam (submission), iman (faith), and ihsan (righteous living)." Greater jihad can be compared to the struggle that Christians refer to as "resisting sin", i.e. fighting temptation, doubt, disbelief, or detraction. The greater jihad is about holding fast against any ideas and practices that run contrary to the Muhammad's revelations (Qur'an), sayings (Hadith) and the examples set by how he lived his life (Sunnah). This concept of jihad has does not correspond to any military action.”[1]

“Martin Buber [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Buber], in his book Good and Evil, raises the question, What should be the ‘point of attack for the struggle against evil?’ And his reply is ‘The struggle must begin within one’s one soul – all else will follow upon this.’” [See Fox, Matthew, SINS OF THE SPIRIT, BLESSINGS OF THE FLESH. New York, Harmony Books. 1999, p. 2] How interesting and affirming that this Jewish philosopher seems to endorse the concept of “greater jihad.”

And it’s not only in the Abrahamic faiths that we find this concept. Hermann Hesse wrote, in his novel Siddhartha (1922), a story about Buddha's rebellion against tradition and his quest for enlightenment.

”And he found: "It was the self, the purpose and essence of which I sought to learn. It was the self, I wanted to free myself from, which I sought to overcome. But I was not able to overcome it, could only deceive it, could only flee from it, only hide from it. Truly, no thing in this world has kept my thoughts thus busy, as this my very own self, this mystery of me being alive, of me being one and being separated and isolated from all others, of me being Siddhartha! And there is no thing in this world I know less about than about me, about Siddhartha!"[2]

I conclude that wisdom and innocence must be the inevitable result of our constant struggles to resist temptation, and to find the harmony that comes from faith and righteous living. Would you agree?

---

Learning Extremism

I recently traveled through the eastern part of the US, to visit family and friends. I saw many Christian schools of various denominations. I saw no Jewish schools, but would have had I driven through the largest east coast cities. I saw no madrasahs either, mostly for the same reason – there are few outside the larger urban centers. What, I wondered, do all these religious schools teach about how to live with others in their communities. Would their teachings seem extreme to me? Or would they be teaching moderation in some form?

Then, last week, in an article in the WASHINGTON POST newspaper, I read of how one of those imprisoned for seven years at Guantanamo Bay had spent some time in Pakistan. He said his time there had “nothing to do with that country’s madrassas, or religious schools where future fighters were being educated in an extreme form of Islam.” (Cody, Edward, “Ex-Detainee Describes Struggle of Exoneration” Washington Post May 26, 2009. P. A1) I wondered, what is a madrasah ? Do they really teach extremism?

And then today, I read in the NEW YORK TIMES newspaper that a man had killed a doctor, Dr. George Tiller, who’s performed abortions for 30 years. (Stumpe, Joe and Monica Davey, “Abortion Doctor Shot to Death in Kansas Church.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/us/01tiller.html?_r=1&em retrieved 1 June 2009) The killing occurred in the foyer of a Christian church. The abortion issue divides Americans as few other issues can, and the reporters took statements from representatives of both sides. I was struck by one side’s statement: “We are pro-life, and this act was antithetical to what we believe.” Where do people like the killer learn these extreme behaviors? In religious schools?

The word, “madrasah,” simply means school, whether public or private or religious, upper or lower grades. The madrasahs might be elementary schools, or upper level centers through the university level. Some in Africa serve the after-school religious educations of the Muslim children, in the same way I remember Catholic churches offering after school religious education. Although some of these madrasahs or schools have focused on religious education, i.e., study of the Qur’an, many have historically taught secular topics as well. Still, their purpose might be stated as learning so as to understand God’s word.

It might be easy for us Americans to believe that madrasas might be teaching anti-Christian, or anti-Western thinking. That’s what our newspapers often tell us. Perhaps some in Muslim countries might also be wondering if Christian schools and colleges are teaching anti-Islamic thinking. What’s taught at a typical Christian school in the US? Covenant College, located at Lookout Mountain in Georgia, states, “We are a community committed to the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, [emphasis mine] and everything we do is grounded in our Reformed theology and worldview.” (http://www.pcanet.org/general/cof_contents.htm) Based on a sample size of one, I can vouch for the quality of Covenant’s education program. I can also say that the college teaches math, science, and humanities from one Christian point of view.

Beyond teaching, madrasahs also served social purposes. Historically, “[s]ocial life was dominated by religion not only in the Muslim world of the Ottoman Empire [1300 – 1600AD] . . . Just as mosques dominated social life for the Ottomans, churches and synagogues dominated life for the Christians and Jews as well." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrasah. retrieved 27 May 2009)

Graham Nash, while a member of the British rock band the Hollies, wrote, “Teach your children well. Their fathers’ hell did slowly go by. And feed them on your dreams...” (from Nash’s song, “Teach Your Children,” recorded and released in 1970 on the album “Déjà Vu” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.) Isn’t this, in fact, what religious schools of all faiths have been doing for centuries, perhaps millennia? And isn’t it probable that some of those teachings will seem extreme to us, based on our own life experiences and beliefs, and our own dreams?

My real concern is whether we can learn to live together in moderation, differing in our views while respecting other’s rights to disagree with us? Or must we continue to kill them? Must they and we continue to teach extremism?

"Changing" Our Religion

Today, my newspaper carried a story (Kuruvila, Matthai, “Why 53% of Americans have changed their faiths.” San Francisco CHRONICLE, 28 April, 2009, page A1) about how we Americans say we choose (or inherit) a religious affiliation, and how many of us change that choice.

• 28% of Americans have left their childhood religion through conversion or abandonment of institutional religion altogether.
• 25% may change religions, e.g., Protestant denominations, as they move, marry, and make other life changes. About 9% return to their original faith tradition.
• 16% of adult Americans – 1 in 6 – don’t affiliate with organized religion. About half of those – 1 in 12 -- who are former Christians, become unaffiliated because “they believe religious people are hypocritical, judgmental, or insincere.”
• More than 3/4 of those who change their religion do so by about age 24; and few change after age 50.

According to Kuruvila’s story, “Carlo Busby, co-owner of Sagrada Sacred Arts, an Oakland [CA] store that caters to spiritual exploration, ...[says]... people become more rooted in their own faith if they explore another tradition and realize that other traditions have developed similar responses and yearnings.”

I’m one of those who left my “childhood” religion (Protestant denomination) like many youngsters. And when I returned to religious institutions as an adult, I found another denomination. And later, still another. Meantime, I had seriously explored Catholicism and Judaism. Catholicism has the ritual trappings I found very attractive when I was younger. And Judaism has that feeling of permanence that comes with being both a faith tradition, and a way of living in a community which I had not found in Christianity.

Have you done something like this? Have you changed your affiliation because you’ve married into another, or because you’ve relocated, or because you’ve been “called” to another way?

Perhaps it’s only an artifact of my personal circle of friends, but I know only one person who converted into Judaism from Christianity, and that as a result of marriage. I have met one or two who have converted to Islam. I personally know no one who has left Islam or Judaism for Christianity. Yet, it’s easy at some level to understand how such conversions, or re-affiliations might happen.

Still, even those who leave organized religion altogether probably don’t really change their orientation, but only their outward “label.” They could be the ones seeking a “spiritual but not religious” experience. Of the many of us who stay but change our affiliation, we probably don’t change our basic faith. After all, the three Abrahamic faiths do share fundamental beliefs: God is all powerful. God is responsible for all circumstances. God will judge our actions during our lives, sending some souls to hell and others to heaven/paradise. We worship God when we care for one another. These basic things don’t change.

Endowments

Have you ever set up an endowment? Considered a planned giving program? People in Christian and Muslim (and other) societies have been giving charitable gifts since the beginnings of their faiths, at least because their belief systems taught them to give. Moreover, basic concern for less fortunate people would promote such giving in some people. Christians have always been taught to give, to help the poor and the needy. For example, see Luke 14:12-14, wherein we’re reminded that our rewards for giving to those in need are in heaven:

“When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors – for they will invite you back, and in this way you will be paid for what you did. When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; and you will be blessed, because they are not able to pay you back. God will repay you on the day the good people rise from death.”

Muslims too learn to give. Two citations in the Qur’an relate to this:

2:215: They ask you about giving: say, "The charity you give shall go to the parents, the relatives, the orphans, the poor, and the traveling alien." Any good you do, GOD is fully aware thereof.
and
9:60: Charities shall go to the poor, the needy, the workers who collect them, the new converts, to free the slaves, to those burdened by sudden expenses, in the cause of GOD, and to the traveling alien. Such is GOD's commandment. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.

Most of us, as individuals, give a little of what we have to others. We make donations, and contributions to favorite causes as memorials, celebrations, and as part of our daily routines. Some wealthy individuals might feel an obligation, resulting from their wealth, to give lavishly: Those who have much, have an obligation to give much.

I recently was given Amy Singer's book, CONSTRUCTING OTTOMAN BENEFICENCE: AN IMPERIAL SOUP KITCHEN IN JERUSALEM (SUNY Press, Albany: 2002), an interesting discussion of organized charity as it developed in Jerusalem in the 16th century. As a vehicle for giving, any person might establish a waqf, what we would call an “endowment.” The word means essentially that the item endowed is no longer available to sell or transfer in any other way. Singer discusses this process at length. These endowments would be established for pious purposes (those found in the Qur’an citations above). Basically, the person making the endowment must own the item being endowed and there must have no outstanding liabilities against the item. The item of property – it might be a building or a room, an orchard or a tree, a mill or a bath house, a slave, a horse, ...- would be put into service to generate income for the support of the beneficiary. Beneficiaries could be institutions and people, as named in the Qur’an.

Some other interesting facts:

• Cash endowments existed in the Ottoman society. Contrary to teachings of the Qur’an, cash endowments could earn interest. However, these were not allowed in Arabic – speaking societies.
• Christians and Jews could establish endowments too in the Ottoman society.
• A manager of the endowment was responsible to ensure the productivity of the endowment. He oversaw upkeep, repair, etc.
• Endowments stipulated that when the beneficiaries expired the revenues and remaining value would go to the poor. As Jesus said to Mary, “The poor are always with you.”

Next time you see a “planned giving” symposium set up for your congregation, take a moment to consider just how long people of faith have been giving, and sharing their wealth and property with others in need.

With God On Our Side

While reading the news about the new President’s plans for our military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, I happened to think of Bob Dylan’s song, “With God on our side.” Often we hear prayers for victory over [your enemy’s name here]. Whose side is God on anyway?

Both the Qur’an and the Torah teach in this vein. Chapter 48 of the Qur’an, titled “Al Fath” (Victory, Conquest), tells of God’s role in a (then) recently won victory. God had been on the side of the Muslims. Verses 1-3 read, “Surely We have given to you a clear victory, That Allah may forgive your community their past faults and those to follow and complete His favor to you and keep you on a right way, And that Allah might help you with a mighty help.”[1]

A group Muhammad’s followers had gone to Mecca in pilgrim’s clothing, without weapons, to worship at the Kaaba, now the most sacred site in Islam. The Quraysh tribe who controlled the city, and who worshiped the pagan gods of old Arabia, tried several times to provoke a battle, but the Muslims wouldn’t fight. In the end, the treaty of Hudaibiyah[2] was negotiated: The Muslims had won the right to make the pilgrimage (hajj) the following year without a major battle. By their actions, and with God’s help, the Muslims had gained stature as a “force to be reckoned with.” God was certainly on their side.

In the Torah, in Exodus 23:20-33 we read one of the passages in which God tells us He will be on our side. God will be “an enemy to your enemies” and an “adversary to your adversaries” (v. 22). God “will cause them to perish” (v. 23). And worse is forecast in v. 27 and 28: “My terror I will send on before you, I will panic all the peoples among whom you come, I will give all your enemies to you by the neck...I will send Despair on before you...” So the Jews – I’m not sure they were Jews yet -- get God’s help in taking land from the present residents; and the residents (those who survive) “are not to stay in your land...” And in return, the Jews are to “serve YHWH your God,” and not bow down to the other gods in the lands they are entering. So God was on their side too, right?

God’s on our side as He sends us a leader. Exodus 23:20: “Here, I am sending a messenger before you to care for you on the way, to bring you to the place that I have prepared.” The footnote here says that the text suggests the messenger is an angel or Moses himself. The messenger has the authority of God (verse 21). As in Exodus, we read of a messenger in the Qur’an, 48, verse 8: “Surely We have sent [the Prophet Muhammad] as a witness and as a bearer of good news and as a warner, that you may believe in Allah and His Messenger and may aid him and revere him; and (that) you may declare His glory, morning and evening.”[3]

The old Christian hymn preserves this tradition: Jesus, the leader sent by God, will vanquish our enemies. “Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ the royal master leads against the foe. Forward into battle, see his banners go!”

Again: Whose side? Bob Dylan concluded his song with, “If God’s on our side, he’ll stop the next war.”

Religious law/Financial practice

Like you, perhaps, I’ve been perplexed, even bewildered, by what’s happening to our world’s banking systems. So, a recent article in the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE ("Michigan bank operates by Islamic law,” Wednesday, January 21, 2009, page E4) caught my eye. The authors, Jeff Karoub and Sebastian Abbot, wrote: “Big financial institutions have been battered by mortgages gone bad. But a tiny Michigan bank is getting attention in the industry by turning a profit on loans without even charging interest. Its specialty: financial products that comply with Islamic law. That means no collecting interest, no short selling and no contracts that are considered exceedingly risky. It also rules out some of the activity that got Western finance in trouble – sub-prime mortgages, credit default swaps and the like.”

Now I know that many in our nation are wary of anything remotely related to Islamic law or Sharia. But that might just be a result of our ignorance. Most of us know only what our news sources tell us about Sharia, and mostly that’s about women stoned and hands severed, because those events get our attention. However, like other bodies of law, Sharia deals with many topics, including financial matters.

According to Karoub and Abbot, “Islamic law says money cannot grow by itself, the way it does with compounding interest.” Fairly negotiated prices are the basis of trade. Also, “short selling” is not allowed. You have to own it before you can sell it. Now, there’s a concept.

Installment purchases are allowed. In other words, to purchase a home, one might enter into a rent-to-purchase agreement. A part of the monthly rent payment is put toward the purchase price of the property. One would not borrow money from a bank at interest to purchase a home from a third party. In theory, a property owner might be more conservative about selling, if he/she was receiving those payments over a long time.

Other models of Sharia-compliant financing include the following (from BBC News at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/3548656.stm):

• Ijara is a leasing agreement whereby the bank buys an item for a customer and then leases it back over a specific period.

• Ijara-wa-Iqtina is a similar arrangement, except that the customer is able to buy the item at the end of the contract.

• Mudaraba offers specialist investment by a financial expert in which the bank and the customer shares any profits. Customers risks losing their money if the investment is unsuccessful, although the bank will not charge a handling fee unless it turns a profit.

• Murabaha is a form of credit which enables customers to make a purchase without having to take out an interest bearing loan. The bank buys an item and then sells it on to the customer on a deferred basis.

• Musharaka is a investment partnership in which profit sharing terms are agreed in advance, and losses are pegged to the amount invested.

Jews find prohibitions against lending money at interest in the Torah. See, for example, Exodus 22:25 and Deuteronomy 23:20-21. Also, Ezekiel 18 describes a “good man” as one who doesn’t charge interest when lending money.

Christians find even stronger admonitions against loaning money for profit. Read again Jesus’ words about loving your neighbor in Luke 6:34-35, and Matthew 7:12: “Treat others as you want them to treat you. That’s what the Law and the Prophets are all about.” (Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version)

We can learn from the banks which have embraced Sharia-based financing concepts, but it seems that the Prophet may have received instructions (Qur’an 2:275-276) which mirror the laws found in the Torah. No surprise there!

Understanding and Acceptance

I hope you all have enjoyed a wonderful holiday season, with celebrations and parties, time with family and friends, and perhaps presents! “’Tis the season...” as the song goes, for holly and mistletoe, and for peace on earth. I’ve long held that peace on earth might most easily come from our joint efforts at understanding one another – we’re more likely to accept another when we can understand the other’s motivations, desires, and hopes. Moreover, as we become more accepting, we’re also likely to become more tolerant of those whom we understand less, but toward whom we feel more peaceable.

You might guess that I was somewhat surprised when, during a lively family holiday discussion, one well-educated Christian asked another if the Orthodox church isn’t a part of the Catholic church. Hmm.... It’s in another column, for another time, that we might glimpse a bit of church history, but the quick answer is “no.” Christians have organized, split off, reformed, and otherwise changed their affiliations so often during the past two millennia, that it’s easy to misunderstand how one part of Christianity is related to another. Wars have been fought....

But let’s return to understanding, for example, who’s celebrating what holiday and when this month. The organization called Religions for Peace publishes a calendar (http://www.rfpusa.org/resources/jan09.html) which lists some religious holidays. A quick look informs us that Christians don’t even agree on when to celebrate one of the most important dates in their faith. Here in the west, most celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25th. But the Armenian Orthodox Church celebrates on January 6. Other Orthodox churches and Ethiopian churches do that on January 7.

Consider these:
• While the eastern churches are awaiting Christmas, western churches, (Roman Catholic and most Protestant) will celebrate Jesus’ circumcision and naming on January 1. Born a Jew, Jesus had a briss. (http://www.partyfun411.com/party_planning/events/what-is-a-briss-13.html)
• Catholics in England and Wales will celebrate Epiphany on January 4, while many other Christians celebrate on January 6. “Meaning manifestation, this is the end of the 12 days of Christmas. It also marks the day the Three Kings visited the baby Jesus. (Only Catholics who follow the pre Vatican II calendar celebrate Epiphany on this day.)”
• The feast of Theophany, celebrated in January by Orthodox Christians, commemorates Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. However those who follow the Gregorian (western) calendar observe on January 6th, while those who follow the Julian calendar celebrate on the 19th.
• On January 18, Christians begin a week of prayer for unity among all Christians. Interestingly, the same day is celebrated as World Religion Day in the Baha'i faith - a celebration of the unity found in all faiths.

Here in the Bay area, several interfaith events ( http://interfaith-presidio.org/icpnewsevents.cfm) are planned to celebrate the next US President’s inauguration, some together with observances of Martin Luther King Jr. day. Our season brings us ample opportunities to increase our understanding and acceptance of others’ motivations, desires and hopes. And calendars! Now’s an excellent time to act on our prayers for unity. Happy New Year!