Chapter 9 Documents

Here are the questions posted by our professor about what we should be thinking about as we read the Chapter 9 Documents: 

1.) Students can think about how they would feel if they were to follow the Qur'an.

 2.) Students can think about what jihad means to them.

3.) Students can think about what impression they get of Islam and Muhammad and how do these impressions compare to feelings they get when they see religious paintings of Jesus or Buddha.

The Qur'an, from I remember learning, can only be truly understood if it is read in proper Arabic.In my previous history and culture class, my teacher had asked if any of the students had read it, and some said they read an English translation and he explained that it doesn't quite mean the same unless it is read in Arabic. He had shown us similar examples of this with how the bible is translated as well. He was a very mean and unfair teacher, but I hate to admit,  I learned a lot of useless information from the class that will only help me if I take another similar class, and it has come in handy since then...so I guess it isn't as useless as I think it is.

I don't know a who lot about the Qur'an or about the Islamic religion but the Chapter 9 Documents gives me a bit of insight on what is means to follow the Islamic religion. It seems like it can easily be combined with other religions that follow God. The Islamic religion seems to honor Mary and Jesus, which I did not know, and since I don't know enough about it, one can only wonder why it is separate from christian religions. The values and ideas that the religion has is very similar to the ones the Catholic religion has. It teaches respect in many ways we should show our respect. 

I am not sure if my religion completely agrees with jihad. I am not sure if violence is okay most cases unless it is for defense. It sounds like the way to punish those who disagree would be kind of against what God wants. To slay the necks of those who oppose the truth does not seem like the rightful way to get others to want to follow, also the trauma you would cause because of it. This may be one of the things that separates the religions, but for the most part, since I don't enough about the religion, it seems to agree with some Catholic values. I wouldn't all of a sudden join this religion because of its similarities since I am hearty devoted to my own religion but they seem to compliment one another.

Muhammad's words are quiet interesting as well since they speak of values, and really good ones. One thing I do feel is some of the things he says are kind of intense. While Jesus also told the bitter truth, Muhammad goes about how to live a good religious life but certain things he says are kind of strange, such as you are unable to look at a woman.

I guess another things that would be different to my religion is the fact that they gave God a name and they call him by that name. The Catholic religion has also given God a "name", well not an actually name, but some people would call him by the foreign word for father, or big papa. However, I believe it is disrespectful to call God by his name, or given name, because you don't call your own father by his first name, and since God created everyone, it wouldn't be proper to call him by his first name as well, but to call him Father, or God, or Lord.It is actually believed that God's name can not be pronounced by human tongues so when Moses asks what he should refer to him as, God's response is "I Am".

The way Muhammad speaks, is in a similar way that Jesus has spoke. I am not too sure how Buddha had spoke, and actually I am not sure if there are many things that show how Buddha spoke or the words that he used. Most things I read about Buddha dealt with what he did, and how people interpret what he represented.

Another thing that set the religions apart are that the Muslims put more emphasis on law which is very strange. Jesus actually had shown the worthlessness of most laws and explained how God's ten commandments should be valued more than another other law. Another strange thing is this religion is okay with adultery, which is against one of the ten commandments, Now that I have read this far, I see what really separates the two now. It is okay for a man to merry four wives! That is pretty ridiculous and contradictory to the ten commandment, and if Muslims believe in Jesus this shouldn't exist at all. Well with the exception of this, which was most likely not meant to be, most other values are pretty valid.

In conclusion, the Muslim religion has many great values, but of course I don't know the entire religion, but there is definitely a lot of good similarities between this religion and the Catholic religion. Also there are some things I greatly disagree with but that deals with the law side of it, and Mohammad may have not wanted it to be the way it is. Well anyways it is always good to learn about the different religions so that way you can understand the different cultures and be able to relate or communicate. Interesting documents as well.

Goodnight.

by Andrew Murillo