On this Easter Sunday, we recited the Lord’s Prayer:
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.“
A simple prayer, a humble prayer, a prayer of peace and goodness.
It is said that Jesus Christ taught this prayer to his disciples, making it a Christian prayer. But could it not also be a Jewish prayer, or an Islamic prayer?
And consider the Ten Commandments:
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.
It is said that God gave these laws to Moses, who was Jewish, and that these laws were later passed down to the Christians. Could these laws not be Islamic as well? Which of these Ten Commandments contradict the teachings of Mohammed?
The Jewish Torah, the Christian Bible, and the Islamic Quran all mention Abraham as a man who was favored by God, a man who lived a righteous and moral life. Although certainly a simplification, it can be said that Abraham begat Judaism, which then begat Christianity, which then begat Islam. This is why Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all referred to as Abrahamic religions.
Each of these three religions lay claim to being the one true faith, but they all worship the same God, and they all acknowledge the same Abrahamic origin. Which of these faiths a person practices is more a consequence of their birth than of anything else.
The unfounded hubris of man has been used to justify religious wars for over two thousand years. These wars have accomplished nothing except to strengthen the hatred and distrust that exists between people who are actually more alike than they have been taught to believe.
And now we find ourselves in the middle of another religious war. Peace will never come to the Middle Eastern region if the religious basis of these conflicts continues to be ignored and no effort is made to focus on the religious commonality of the three Abrahamic religions.
Religiously speaking, all of this hatred and violence and suffering plays into the desires of Satan, who counts upon His legions those countless political and religious leaders of all countries and all faiths that encourage more hatred and violence and suffering.
For those who are atheists and think that religion is the opioid of the masses, please realize that 75% of all people in the world believe in God, and that religion has been a central part of human life for thousands of years. Understanding what is happening in the Middle East, where 90% of the population follows Islam, must begin with an understanding of reality, an acceptance that religion has to be taken into account.
The United States has been referred to as the Great Satan by Iran for over 45 years. Our response has been to be dismissive of this extreme characterization of our country, and to act in threatening and aggressive ways towards Iran and other Islamic countries in the region that have only served to confirm to a great many Muslims that the United States is, in fact, the Great Satan.
Lasting peace in the Middle East will only be possible once we understand why the United States has been perceived for so long as the Great Satan. Islam is a strange and threatening religion to many in the Western world where Christianity and atheism are the predominant religions. This is a fundamental problem and a barrier to peace.
Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, provides a code of conduct that is intended to teach people how to live peacefully with one another. These religions all encourage strong bonds within families and within communities, These religions all speak of compassion and tolerance. The commonalities between these religions must begin to take precedence over the current obsession with, and mischaracterization of, the differences between them.
It is vitally important the this country begins to speak and act in ways that acknowledge the positive teachings of Islam and serve to foster a deeper understanding and acceptance of Islamic culture and faith, and as a consequence, to develop a respect for its teachings and beliefs.
Contrast this with the destructive, ignorant, and threatening rhetoric being expressed by the regimes of both Washington D.C. and Teheran. The languages spoken may be different, but there seems to be no difference in the meaning of what both sides are saying.
Lasting peace seems to be so far away.