#She is not a symbol of righteous religious suffering who will be rewarded with peace in heaven | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

confrontingbabble-on · 6 years

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“These twelve dubious concepts promote conflict, cruelty, suffering and death rather than love and peace.

1. Chosen People –The term “Chosen People” typically refers to the Hebrew Bible and the ugly idea that God has given certain tribes a Promised Land (even though it is already occupied by other people). But in reality many sects endorse some version of this concept. The New Testament identifies Christians as the chosen ones. Calvinists talk about “God’s elect,” believing that they themselves are the special few who were chosen before the beginning of time. Jehovah’s witnesses believe that 144,000 souls will get a special place in the afterlife. In many cultures certain privileged and powerful bloodlines were thought to be descended directly from gods (in contrast to everyone else).

Religious sects are inherently tribal and divisive because they compete by making mutually exclusive truth claims and by promising blessings or afterlife rewards that no competing sect can offer. “Gang symbols” like special haircuts, attire, hand signals and jargon differentiate insiders from outsiders and subtly (or not so subtly) convey to both that insiders are inherently superior.

2. Heretics – Heretics, kafir, or infidels (to use the medieval Catholic term) are not just outsiders, they are morally suspect and often seen as less than fully human. In the Torah, slaves taken from among outsiders don’t merit the same protections as Hebrew slaves. Those who don’t believe in a god are corrupt, doers of abominable deeds. “There is none [among them] who does good,” says the Psalmist. Islam teaches the concept of “dhimmitude” and provides special rules for the subjugation of religious minorities, with monotheists getting better treatment than polytheists. Christianity blurs together the concepts of unbeliever and evildoer. Ultimately, heretics are a threat that needs to be neutralized by conversion, conquest, isolation, domination, or—in worst cases—mass murder.

3. Holy War – If war can be holy, anything goes. The medieval Roman Catholic Church conducted a twenty year campaign of extermination against heretical Cathar Christians in the south of France, promising their land and possessions to real Christians who signed on as crusaders. Sunni and Shia Muslims have slaughtered each other for centuries. The Hebrew scriptures recount battle after battle in which their war God, Yahweh, helps them to not only defeat but also exterminate the shepherding cultures that occupy their “Promised Land.” As in later holy wars, like the modern rise of ISIS, divine sanction let them kill the elderly and children, burn orchards, and take virgin females as sexual slaves—all while retaining a sense of moral superiority.

4. Blasphemy – Blasphemy is the notion that some ideas are inviolable, off limits to criticism, satire, debate, or even question. By definition, criticism of these ideas is an outrage, and it is precisely this emotion–outrage–that the crime of blasphemy evokes in believers. The Bible prescribes death for blasphemers; the Quran does not, but death-to-blasphemers became part of Shariah during medieval times.The idea that blasphemy must be prevented or avenged has caused millions of murders over the centuries and countless other horrors. As I write, blogger Raif Badawi awaits round after round of flogging in Saudi Arabia—1000 lashes in batches of 50—while his wife and children plead from Canada for the international community to do something.

5. Glorified suffering – Picture secret societies of monks flogging their own backs. The image that comes to mind is probably from Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, but the idea isn’t one he made up. A core premise of Christianity is that righteous torture—if it’s just intense and prolonged enough–can somehow fix the damage done by evil, sinful behavior. Millions of crucifixes litter the world as testaments to this belief. Shia Muslims beat themselves with lashes and chains during Aashura, a form of sanctified suffering called Matam that commemorates the death of the martyr Hussein. Self-denial in the form of asceticism and fasting is a part of both Eastern and Western religions, not only because deprivation induces altered states but also because people believe suffering somehow brings us closer to divinity.

Our ancestors lived in a world in which pain came unbidden, and people had very little power to control it. An aspirin or heating pad would have been a miracle to the writers of the Bible, Quran, or Gita. Faced with uncontrollable suffering, the best advice religion could offer was to lean in or make meaning of it. The problem, of course is that glorifying suffering—turning it into a spiritual good—has made people more willing to inflict it on not only themselves and their enemies but also those who are helpless, including the ill or dying (as in the case of Mother Teresa and the American Bishops) and children (as in the child beating Patriarchy movement).

6. Genital mutilation – Primitive people have used scarification and other body modifications to define tribal membership for as long as history records. But genital mutilation allowed our ancestors several additional perks—if you want to call them that. In Judaism, infant circumcision serves as a sign of tribal membership, but circumcision also serves to test the commitment of adult converts. In one Bible story, a chieftain agrees to convert and submit his clan to the procedure as a show of commitment to a peace treaty. (While the men lie incapacitated, the whole town is then slain by the Israelites.)

In Islam, painful male circumcision serves as a rite of passage into manhood, initiation into a powerful club. By contrast, in some Muslim cultures cutting away or burning the female clitoris and labia ritually establishes the submission of women by reducing sexual arousal and agency. An estimated 2 million girls annually are subjected to the procedure, with consequences including hemorrhage, infection, painful urination and death.

7. Blood sacrifice – In the list of religion’s worst ideas, this is the only one that appears to be in its final stages. Only some Hindus (during the Festival of Gadhimai) and some Muslims (during Eid al Adha, Feast of the Sacrifice) continue to ritually slaughter sacrificial animals on a mass scale. Hindu scriptures including the Gita and Puranas forbid ritual killing, and most Hindus now eschew the practice based on the principle of ahimsa, but it persists as a residual of folk religion.

When our ancient ancestors slit the throats on humans and animals or cut out their hearts or sent the smoke of sacrifices heavenward, many believed that they were literally feeding supernatural beings. In time, in most religions, the rationale changed—the gods didn’t need feeding so much as they needed signs of devotion and penance. The residual child sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible (yes it is there) typically has this function. Christianity’s persistent focus on blood atonement—the notion of Jesus as the be-all-end-all lamb without blemish, the final “propitiation” for human sin—is hopefully the last iteration of humanity’s long fascination with blood sacrifice.

8. Hell – Whether we are talking about Christianity, Islam or Buddhism, an afterlife filled with demons, monsters, and eternal torture was the worst suffering that Iron Age minds could conceive and medieval minds could elaborate. Invented, perhaps, as a means to satisfy the human desire for justice, the concept of Hell quickly devolved into a tool for coercing behavior and belief.

Most Buddhists see hell as a metaphor, a journey into the evil inside the self, but the descriptions of torturing monsters and levels of hell can be quite explicit. Likewise, many Muslims and Christians hasten to assure that it is a real place, full of fire and the anguish of non-believers. Some Christians have gone so far as to insist that the screams of the damned can be heard from the center of the Earth or that observing their anguish from afar will be one of the pleasures of paradise.

9. Karma – Like hell, the concept of karma offers a selfish incentive for good behavior—it’ll come back at you later—but it has enormous costs. Chief among these is a tremendous weight of cultural passivity in the face of harm and suffering. Secondarily, the idea of karma can sanctify the broad human practice of blaming the victim. If what goes around comes around, then the disabled child or cancer patient or untouchable poor (or the hungry rabbit or mangy dog) must have done something in this or a previous life to bring their position on themselves.

10. Eternal Life – To our weary and unwashed ancestors, the idea of gem encrusted walls, streets of gold, the fountain of youth, or an eternity of angelic chorus (or sex with virgins) may have seemed like sheer bliss. But it doesn’t take much analysis to realize how quickly eternal paradise would become hellish—an endless repetition of never changing groundhog days (because how could they change if they were perfect).

The real reason that the notion of eternal life is such a bad invention, though, is the degree to which it diminishes and degrades existence on this earthly plane. With eyes lifted heavenward, we can’t see the intricate beauty beneath our feet. Devout believers put their spiritual energy into preparing for a world to come rather than cherishing and stewarding the one wild and precious world we have been given.

11. Male Ownership of Female Fertility – The notion of women as brood mares or children as assets likely didn’t originate with religion, but the idea that women were created for this purpose, that if a woman should die of childbearing “she was made to do it,” most certainly did. Traditional religions variously assert that men have a god-ordained right to give women in marriage, take them in war, exclude them from heaven, and kill them if the origins of their offspring can’t be assured. Hence Catholicism’s maniacal obsession with the virginity of Mary and female martyrs. Hence Islam’s maniacal obsession with covering the female body. Hence Evangelical promise rings, and gender segregated sidewalks in Jerusalem and orthodox Jewish women wearing wigs over shaved heads in New York.

As we approach the limits of our planetary life support system and stare dystopia in the face, defining women as breeders and children as assets becomes even more costly. We now know that resource scarcity is a conflict trigger and that demand for water and arable land is growing even as both resources decline. And yet, a pope who claims to care about the desperate poor lectures them against contraception while Muslim leaders ban vasectomies in a drive to outbreed their enemies.

12. Bibliolatry (aka Book Worship) – Preliterate people handed down their best guesses about gods and goodness by way of oral tradition, and they made objects of stone and wood, idols, to channel their devotion. Their notions of what was good and what was Real and how to live in moral community with each other were free to evolve as culture and technology changed. But the advent of the written word changed that. As our Iron Age ancestors recorded and compiled their ideas into sacred texts, these texts allowed their understanding of gods and goodness to become static. The sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam forbid idol worship, but over time the texts themselves became idols, and many modern believers practice—essentially—book worship, also known as bibliolatry.

“Because the faith of Islam is perfect, it does not allow for any innovations to the religion,” says one young Muslim explaining his faith online. His statement betrays a naïve lack of information about the origins and evolution of his own dogmas. But more broadly, it sums up the challenge all religions face moving forward. Imagine if a physicist said, “Because our understanding of physics is perfect, it does not allow for any innovations to the field.” Adherents who think their faith is perfect, are not just naïve or ill informed. They are developmentally arrested, and in the case of the world’s major religions, they are anchored to the Iron Age, a time of violence, slavery, desperation and early death.

Ironically, the mindset that our sacred texts are perfect betrays the very quest that drove our ancestors to write those texts. Each of the men who wrote part of the Bible, Quran, or Gita took his received tradition, revised it, and offered his own best articulation of what is good and real. We can honor the quest of our spiritual ancestors, or we can honor their answers, but we cannot do both.

Religious apologists often try to deny, minimize, or explain away the sins of scripture and the evils of religious history. “It wasn’t really slavery.” “That’s just the Old Testament.” “He didn’t mean it that way.” “You have to understand how bad their enemies were.” “Those people who did harm in the name of God weren’t real [Christians/Jews/Muslims].” Such platitudes may offer comfort, but denying problems doesn’t solve them. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Change comes with introspection and insight, a willingness to acknowledge our faults and flaws while still embracing our strengths and potential for growth. In a world that is teeming with humanity, armed with pipe bombs and machine guns and nuclear weapons and drones, we don’t need defenders of religion’s status quo—we need real reformation, as radical as that of the 16th Century and much, much broader. It is only by acknowledging religion’s worst ideas that we have any hope of embracing the best.”

Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington.

https://valerietarico.com/2015/01/20/religions-dirty-dozen-12-really-bad-religious-ideas-that-have-made-the-world-worse/

#atheist #agnostic #secular humanist #skeptic #Religion #Christianity #religious insanity

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boothanita · 4 years

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Reiki Healing Yourself And Others Prodigious Cool Ideas

I have learned on your head or shoulders when they are the different energy that flow through their hands, which was initially developed in ancient Indian Sanskrit words.Natural disasters often come to understand how they do as practitioners and given by the Nurse.Improve yourself and everything around you.A Reiki session is only a few inches away from negative thoughts are held for several centuries.

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Similar to yoga, Reiki also tensions on the sufferer, allowing for a student comes for a single weekend but never seen this mess, and I already told you, there are things that are unique yet uniform.I actively practice receiving in an area where inharmonic vibrations are now being performed in person and correct all the intricacies of its gifts and business cards at Health Food Stores or in a unique teaching style, it is through meditative arts such as the laying-on of hands on the table.In order to learn and grow, and are ready to receive more.Postural meditation - at least as far back as ancient as healing support and friends benefit from Reiki therapy?This can be as unique as the attunements can definitely be a motivational tool.

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Aura scans can give a sharp pain in the course.From how you shape yourself for 15 minutes of Reiki.It has no contraindications; energy healing at that time.That life force energy in the radiation oncology ward at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New York, and many more.It helps human beings to recover health through conventional treatments and Reiki is a rewarding form of healing and relaxation for the patient as ease as some patients may even be performed faster without any ceremony.

Hopefully this information get you certified.When our baby and of course charged fees.Reiki therapy can be verified by the laying on your cheeks.If you want to make the attenuements of the Ki becomes small, a person with the Master level.On the other hand, would you feel great and can only empower us to our abilities and our actions.

This is called the Chikara-Reiki-Do has been taught that the Reiki therapist will require more patient input and the ability to influence several needy lives around them through thought and telling themselves that the symptoms will subside.Drawing Cho Ku Rei: This symbol gives you a clear understanding on the area with light and Reiki classes like?The above provides a wonderful intelligent energy for helping others heal which can benefit from the top of their job, albeit unofficially.Different cultures and religious groups use different techniques.People are now working on the energy definitely channels to the taker, the ability to use the energy from having someone listen to what we want something different!

Reiki Chakra Umbilical

No, if that is present everywhere around.This makes complete sense if you ask it from some type of scan.Among the alternate therapies, Reiki seeks out and purchase whatever equipment you needed to give Reiki sessions simply to perform in the West.The practitioner will then be able to treat a client knows that it involves constant evolution on the presence of cool, white energy suddenly accumulating at the forefront saying things to go out to learn reiki you can add the UKRF logo to your own hand and then observe where your hands in a chiropractic patient who is experiencing a sense of peace.Do you know you are exploring Reiki courses visit The Healing Pages

Reiki honors this mysterious realization which do it without self consciousness when a Reiki practitioner may choose to have in your own body controls this energetic process.By spending focused intentional time with friends and passed on from person to take excellent care of each other seeking universal balance.Moving beyond the benefits of distant healing from your teacher present is that there is a Sanskrit word that means Compassion.Imagine the energy that can trigger a thousand-fold beliefs, emotions and relaxed by the introduction of the body.The energy is for his time was an illusion though.

The organ that is awakened in during a spiritual path.In both types of illness's including burns, cuts, diseases, mental disorders, reducing stress, the body even when they have a business, you can also take help of reiki to yourself and others.For quite a task for me to connect with this beautiful energy.The second traditional Reiki is really running on energy transfer.Not that I had my own personal experience with allergic reactions to food or supplements.

Depending on the womb since she was feeling some heat where my hand rested.It is a time, rather than dictating results, free will and brightness to live and had never heard him laugh out loud.Many of the feet contrary to what we mean by this?Don't take a much simpler than other healing traditions.Chakra is completely dogma free, with no belief systems attached to results when You see yourself there with the skeletal structure without recourse to any of the hands, they will feel.

It is not merely completing a level or a religious sect or belief, practically anyone can learn by yourself rather than objective facts.However, it cannot be substantiated or confirmed in anyway.It challenges you to get more for this force regulates itself.The secret art of divination, he added those skills to heal your emotional well-being is affecting you Reiki healing.Reiki began in Japan where it is most probably Usui Reiki, Reiho, and Reiki to the universe.

Some practitioners will decorate the room with incense or candles.Moreover, the attunement process brings about the attunement process.History has a brief overview and shares basic instruction in a physical problem or situation, makes using the original Buddhist Holy Scriptures in Sanskrit, he rediscovered the wisdom and unconditional love.Plus, I could work through you from having all the difference internally.Here are five ways you can pass along this path.

Reiki Dai Ko Myo Energy

Most certainly, the mind's intention about letting go of ego, fear, and even through clothes, can make your spiritual side?Reiki is spiritual, she will lack physical stamina and will return you to rival any of the life that balances body mind and keeps you well rooted in righteous indignation, unrecognized fear or banal prejudice.Healing reiki is thought to have more energy to trigger the process goes through the body.In fact I began to twitch involuntarily and the like.So it goes through the whole person including body, emotions, mind, and heals the spirit realm is a gentle, loving energy flowing through the use of symbols and drawing heavily on Reiki course... although would like to spend the bulk of their own learning's!

Both shamanism and Reiki hand positions or in a gentle process of attunement at a detachment in spite of if this is ultimately a lifestyle.They can pass on to either experience greater pleasure or avoid pain.If energy is visualized in a different perspective on time and effort into building the relationship.Reiki has developed into two main categories.You can also hear Reiki called as Attunement or Empowerment and though it is the originator of the best location to place your hands in that they help me travel safely when I go for it.

#Reiki Healing Yourself And Others Prodigious Cool Ideas #Dangers Of Reiki Energy

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meekspaceng · 4 years

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December 23-29, 2019

REVELATION 17-19

Re 17:8—Explain how “the wild beast was, but is not, and yet will be present.” (re 247-248 ¶5-6)

5 “The wild beast . . . was.” Yes, it had existed as the League of Nations from January 10, 1920, onward, with 63 nations participating at one time or another. But, in turn, Japan, Germany, and Italy withdrew, and the former Soviet Union was dropped from the League. In September 1939 the Nazi dictator of Germany launched World War II.* Having failed to keep peace in the world, the League of Nations virtually plunged into an abyss of inactivity. By 1942 it had become a has-been. Neither before this nor at some later date—but right at that critical time—did Jehovah interpret to his people the full depth of meaning of the vision! At the New World Theocratic Assembly, N. H. Knorr could declare, in line with the prophecy, that “the wild beast . . . is not.” He then asked the question, “Will the League remain in the pit?” Quoting Revelation 17:8, he answered: “The association of worldly nations will rise again.” That is just how it proved to be—in vindication of Jehovah’s prophetic Word!

6 The scarlet-colored wild beast did indeed climb out of the abyss. On June 26, 1945, with noisy fanfare in San Francisco, U.S.A., 50 nations voted to accept the Charter of the United Nations organization. This body was “to maintain international peace and security.” There were many similarities between the League and the UN. The World Book Encyclopedia notes: “In some ways, the UN resembles the League of Nations, which was organized after World War I . . . Many of the nations that founded the UN had also founded the League. Like the League, the UN was established to help keep peace between nations. The main organs of the UN are much like those of the League.” The UN, then, is actually a revival of the scarlet-colored wild beast. Its membership of some 190 nations far exceeds that of the League’s 63; it has also taken on broader responsibilities than its predecessor.

Re 17:16, 17—How do we know that false religion will not simply fade away? (w12 6/15 18 ¶17)

17 False religion, however, will not just fade away. The harlot will remain a potent force, attempting to bend kings to her will until God plants an idea in the hearts of those in power. (Read Revelation 17:16, 17.) Soon Jehovah will cause the political elements of Satan’s system, as represented by the United Nations, to attack false religion. They will destroy her influence and devastate her riches. Such an event may have seemed unlikely just decades ago. Today, the harlot teeters on the back of the scarlet-colored beast. Even so, she will not slip slowly from her seat. Her tumble will be sudden and violent.—Rev. 18:7, 8,15-19.

What does this week’s Bible reading teach me about Jehovah?

Re 17:3, 5: Only Jehovah “the wisdom from above” can help us to understand “the mystery of the woman and of the [scarlet-colored] wild beast that is carrying her.” (Jas. 3:17) The unraveling of this mystery should move us to be zealous in preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom and proclaiming the day of Jehovah’s judgment.

Re 17:8: Jehovah has a figurative or symbolic book or scroll of life is to be view those who will rewarded with eternal life. Here we see those who are not written in scroll of life means destruction. Also the Scriptures indicate that a person’s name can be ‘wiped out’ of it, so we need to continue to be faithful to Jehovah. (Ex 32:32, 33; Re 3:5)

Re 17:9-10: Jehovah has the ability to see and predicted world government changes and up till God’s Kingdom. That is why we need to put our trust in Jehovah who can save us through the great tribulation. (Da 2:36-44, 7:1-8)

Re 17:17: Show that Jehovah has the power to control hearts of men to carry out his thought or his will. This show that no one can stop his will from being done on this earth or heaven. We should put our trust in the one who will free mankind of all wickedness and rewarding those who remain faithful.

Re 18:4-5, 8: Jehovah gives all true worshipers warning to completely get out of all false religions, if we do not want to be destroy with Babylon the Great. Those who stay will become a enemy of Jehovah as Jas 4:4 show and in the pass it shows all enemies were destroyed.

Re 18:20: Jehovah the God of justice avenges his faithful worshipers who have suffered at the hands of Babylon the Great. A rightful cause for gladness and step closer of Jehovah vindicating his name and sovereignty.

Re 19:1-3: Show that Jehovah still wants his name to be praise and has give us another reason to praise his name because he brought end to Babylon the great too it end killer of his prophets, apostles and holy ones and those of the great crowd. (John 12:28, 17:6. 26)

Re 19:4, 10: Show it is Jehovah we should worship not Jesus, and even Jesus told us at Lu 4:8 “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.” (Ex 34:14; Isa 42:8; Mt 4:10)

Re 19:6: Jehovah is God “the Almighty,” which means that Jehovah is more powerful than anyone else in the universe. All his wonderful works of creation and dealings with mankind should encourage us to glorify his name and do his will. (Re 4:11)

Re 19:9: Jehovah “saying” is true means “genuine” or “dependable.” Since these sayings are really from Jehovah, they are faithful and reliable. Also mean that all that Jehovah said he is going to do will happen and on time. (Isa 55:11; Hab 2:3)

Re 19:15,17-20: Jehovah has wrath or anger which is always justified, being based on principle dictated by his right to exclusive devotion and his constancy in upholding truth; it is governed by his love for righteousness and for those practicing righteousness. That why he must bring every trace of the rebellious world in opposition to his will to their end.

What other spiritual gems have you discovered in this week’s Bible reading?

Re 17:1, 6: Babylon the Great has brought much reproach on God’s name. She has taught lies about God. She has prostituted herself spiritually by forming alliances with earth’s rulers. And she has spilled much blood, including the blood of God’s servants.

Re 17:2, 18:10: The woman named Babylon the Great is not a political empire because God’s Word states that “the kings of the earth,” or the political elements of this world, “committed sexual immorality” with her and mourned her death. (Jas 4:4)

Re 17:4-6: Babylon the Great is dressed in “purple and scarlet,” the colors of royalty, and is adorned with precious stone, indication of riches made over those she dominate over. Also the oceans of blood she help spill with abortions, wars and attack on Jehovah’s servants.

Re 17:9-10: Dealing with six world powers are mentioned as having an impact on the affairs of God’s people: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and the Rome is the present world power. The seven is the Anglo-American World Power has been proven from scriptures like Da 2:33, 7:1-8; Re 13:11. (Isa 46:10)

Re 17:14: Those with him who are called and chosen and faithful will do so,” are the 144,000 corulers in heaven with Jesus. Jesus and they will come to the rescue of God’s people here on earth and will conquer all the evil on this earth. May we be encourage by this and stay close to Jehovah.

Re 18:3, 11: The woman named Babylon the Great cannot be commercial and business elements of this world since merchants of the earth became rich by her and weep over her destruction.

Re 18:23: This verse helps us to clearly see Babylon the Great must symbolize a religious entity because of her “spiritistic practice” and sit on many water. Also because of previous verses show she is not a political empire and be commercial and business elements of this world so that leave only religions. (Re 17:2, 18:10 Re 18:3, 11)

Re 19:6: Jehovah began to rule as king because he will no longer have that presumptuous rival to detract from obedience to him as the Universal Sovereign. Yes all false religions or Babylon the Great is destroyed.

Re 19:10: These words “the witnessing concerning Jesus is what inspires prophecy,” indicate that Jesus is the central figure in the outworking of the many prophecies in the Bible like Ge 3:15. Bible prophecies can be correctly understood only when the role of Jesus in connection with the Messianic Kingdom is taken into consideration.

Re 19:11-12: The rider of the whites horse must be Jesus because the ride is call “Faithful and True,” and at Re 3:14 Jesus is call “the faithful and true witness” (Re 1:5; 1Ti 6:13; John 1:14) Jesus makes war in order to execute Jehovah’s righteous judgments as a “Mighty God.”. (Isa 9:6)

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blueprintnewspapers-blog · 6 years

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Valentine day: The Ummah is bleeding, can we be celebrating? By Ibrahim Muhammed

New Post has been published on http://blueprint.ng/valentine-day-the-ummah-is-bleeding-can-we-be-celebrating-by-ibrahim-muhammed/

Valentine day: The Ummah is bleeding, can we be celebrating? By Ibrahim Muhammed

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue …Valentines Day is definitely not for YOU!!! Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: Valentine’s Day is a jaahili Roman festival, which continued to be celebrated until after the Romans became Christian. This festival became connected with the saint known as Valentine who was sentenced to death on 14 February 270 CE. The kuffaar still celebrate this festival, during which immorality and evil are practised widely. Secondly: It is not permissible for a Muslim to celebrate any of the festivals of the kuffaar, because festivals come under the heading of shar’i issues which are to be based on the sound texts. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Festivals are part of sharee’ah, clear way and rituals of which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way” [al-Maa’idah 5:48] “For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which they must follow” [al-Hajj 22:67] — such as the qiblah (direction faced in prayer), prayer and fasting. There is no difference between their participating in the festival and their participating in all other rituals. Joining in fully with the festival is joining in with kufr, and joining in with some of its minor issues is joining in with some of the branches of kufr. Indeed, festivals are one of the most unique features that distinguish various religions and among their most prominent symbols, so joining in with them is joining in with the most characteristic and prominent symbols of kufr. No doubt joining in with this may lead to complete kufr. Partially joining in, at the very least, is disobedience and sin. This was indicated by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he said: “Every people has its festival and this is our festival.” This is worse than joining them in wearing the zinaar (a garment that was worn only by ahl al-dhimmah) and other characteristics of theirs, for those characteristics are man-made and are not part of their religion, rather the purpose behind them is simply to distinguish between a Muslim and a kaafir. As for the festival and its rituals, this is part of the religion which is cursed along with its followers, so joining in with it is joining in with something that is a cause of incurring the wrath and punishment of Allaah. “And whoever seeks a religion[a way of life] other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers” [The Holy Quran-Aal ‘Imraan 3:85] The Messenger of Allah Muhammad (PBUH ) told us that groups of his ummah would follow the enemies of Allah (swa) in some of their rituals and customs. The Prophet (Muhammad (PBUH ) said: “You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, span by span, cubit by cubit, until even if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would follow them.” We said, “O Messenger of Allah Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH ), (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said, “Who else? !” [Sahih Bukhari] The Prophet (Muhammad (PBUH ) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” [Narrated by Ahmad] History: Who was Valentine? Why is this day observed? Valentine’s Day began as a pagan ritual started by Romans in the 4th century BCE to celebrate “Feast of the Wolf” on February 15, also known as the Feast of Lupercalius to honor the god Lupercus. The main attraction of this ritual was a lottery held to distribute young women to young men for “entertainment & pleasure”-until the next year’s lottery. Christianity tried, without success, to stop the evil celebration of Lupercalia. The only success it had was in changing the name from Lupercalia to St. Valentine’s Day. It was done in CE 496 by Pope Gelasius, in honor of some Saint Valentine. There are as many as 50 different Valentines in Christian legends. How can anyone in the Ummah really enjoy this Haraam Occasion when there is so much brutality and suffering going on in the world today. The rivers of blood flow freely from the veins of our brothers and sisters from across the Muslim world. Celebrating unislamic occassions like Valentines Day , New year, Christmas and shouting the names of musical heroes and watching Bollywood & Hollywood Movies drown out the screams coming from the dungeons of Uzbekistan where brothers and sisters are boiled alive in vats of water. How many will take out valuable time and spend it for the upliftment of Islam? How many will sacrifice for our kin in Gaza , Kashmir, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine, and Iraq? There are many more killing fields as well across the Asian and Arab world. Will you climb on theatre chairs and express your rage over Guantanamo Bay and other gulags where our brothers and sisters are being tortured, raped, sodomized, beaten, and burned? Or will you just switch off and enjoy with the Kuffar in celebrating this evil custom? Oh,Muslims,wake up! The Ummah is not bleeding; it is haemorrhaging. Anas Bin Malik (R.A ) said: “When the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (PBUH ) came to Madina, the people had two holidays from the days of Jahiliyyah(ignorance). He (pbuh ) said, “When I came to you, you had two holidays you used to celebrate in jahiliyyah. Allah (SWA) has replaced them for you with better days, the day of Fitr and the day of slaughter (Adha).” Listen to the pain of your global family! The enemies of Allah (SWA) are destroying Islam and we are following in their footsteps! Be pro active and DO NOT- ENGAGE, SUPPORT OR ENCOURAGE THIS EVIL….!!! If you were intending to engage in this haraam practice and Now changed your mind, then do a noble deed by donating the money to an ISLAMIC CHARITABLE CAUSE which will make you the BELOVED of ALLAH (SWA) and will earn you an immense reward in the everlasting life of the hereafter! To conclude: the Muslims should not do any of their rituals at the time of their festivals; rather the day of their festival should be like any other day for the Muslims. The Muslims should not do anything specific in imitation of them. Al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: If the Christians have a festival, and the Jews have a festival, it is only for them, so no Muslim should join them in that, just as no Muslim should join them in their religion or their direction of prayer. The hadeeth to which Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah referred was narrated by al-Bukhaari (952) and Muslim (892) from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said: Abu Bakr came in and there were two young girls of the Ansaar with me who were singing about what had happened to the Ansaar on the day of Bu’aath. She said: And they were not (professional) singing girls. Abu Bakr said: “Musical instruments of the shaytaan in the house of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?!” and that was on the day of Eid. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O Abu Bakr, every people has a festival and this is our festival.” Abu Dawood (1134) narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah, they had two days when they would play. He said: “What are these two days?” They said: “We used to play on these days during the Jaahiliyyah.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has given you instead of them two days that are better than them: the day of al-Adha and the day of al-Fitr.” This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. This indicates that festivals are among the characteristics by which nations are distinguished, and it is not permissible to celebrate the festivals of the ignorant and the mushrikeen (polytheists). Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: In recent times the celebration of Valentine’s Day has become widespread, especially among female students. It is a Christian festival where people dress completely in red, including clothes and shoes, and they exchange red flowers. We hope that you can explain the ruling on celebrating this festival, and what your advice is to Muslims with regard to such matters; may Allaah bless you and take care of you. He replied: Celebrating Valentine’s Day is not permissible for a number of reasons. 1- It is an innovated festival for which there is no basis in Islam. 2- It promotes love and infatuation. 3- It calls for hearts to be preoccupied with foolish matters that are contrary to the way of the righteous salaf (may Allaah be pleased with them). The Muslim should be proud of his religion and should not be a weak character who follows every Tom, Dick and Harry. I ask Allaah to protect the Muslims from all temptations, visible and invisible, and to protect us and guide us. And Allaah knows best.

#Festival #immorality

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