Last night I could not sleep. It was 3:00 AM and I was just laying there. I played with my phone for a while, watched my husband sleep and read a little. One of the books that I found tucked away in the pile next to my bed was a dawah book called 'Priests Entering Islam'.I read a few of the stories, but the one I liked the best was the reversion story of Gerald Dirks. (you can read his story here) One of the things he said that caught my attention was the following:
There is some irony in the fact that the supposedly best, brightest, and most idealistic of ministers-to-be are selected for the very best of seminary education, e.g. that offered at that time at the Harvard Divinity School. The irony is that, given such an education, the seminarian is exposed to as much of the actual historical truth as is known about: 1) the formation of the early, “mainstream” church, and how it was shaped by geopolitical considerations; 2) the “original” reading of various Biblical texts, many of which are in sharp contrast to what most Christians read when they pick up their Bible, although gradually some of this information is being incorporated into newer and better translations; 3) the evolution of such concepts as a triune godhead and the “sonship” of Jesus, peace be upon him; 4) the non-religious considerations that underlie many Christian creeds and doctrines; 5) the existence of those early churches and Christian movements which never accepted the concept of a triune godhead, and which never accepted the concept of the divinity of Jesus, peace be upon him; and 6) etc. As such, it is no real wonder that almost a majority of such seminary graduates leave seminary, not to “fill pulpits”, where they would be asked to preach that which they know is not true
He later goes on to say that his eduction at the Harvard Divinity School "had taken care of any belief I might have had regarding a triune godhead or the divinity of Jesus" So this made me wonder how many scholars of Christianity feel the same way? If you read his story you don't get the idea that he never had any faith in Christianity, only that when he took the time to study and learn about it, he found it was created by man and not by God. That the scriptures were very altered and that the divinity of Jesus was something politically decided by a council rather than decreed by God.
The above conclusion is not difficult to come by really. Once I started to study Islam, and by default Christianity, I found this all to be true as well. The information is out there for anyone who wants to open their eyes to the truth. Have you ever tried to ask a Christian about the trinity? The explanation given NEVER makes any sense... and even if you as a priest or minister they can't really explain it logically either. Is this what they call suspension of disbelief?
Growing up as a Christian I just knew what I was told. I went to church I went to Sunday school, I was an alter girl, and I just followed along. The very first time a Muslim asked me 'do you believe that Jesus is the son of God?' I said 'Of Course!' and then he said... 'why?'... I had no idea. This was the beginning of my journey to Islam. Someone asked me a question about my own religion that I could not answer... so I started learning the truth and it shocked me.
Alhamdulilah I was guided to Islam and so was my husband and son. I thank Allah for that everyday, the truth is there for those he gives it to.
2 comments:
Ma shaa Allah, what a lovely, thoughtful post :) Thanks for sharing!
I've wondered about this too, because it seems to me (from the little I have seen of Church) that the priests do not talk about much... I mean, by going to Church, you are learning some stories that are in the Bible and told to be better people and to follow Jesus' example. It's just hard to find where the truth is. I always found it all very confusing, and I found that no answers were really provided about these questions, like why Jesus is the son of God. And I always figured the priests, having extensive knowledge, should be talking about these things. But they don't.
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