Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Islam Versus Christianity - Jihad

 Many Christians and Muslims think of their religions as opposite forces. I don't think so. I already posted that we 99% people have more in common with each other than we do with the 1% in our own country. I wish to do this post about what Christians and Muslims have in common. 

Jihad is a big one. Jihad does not mean "holy war", as a lot of non-Muslims think it does. My understanding of what it actually means is something like, "utmost effort", or "strive with all your might", or "try as hard as you possibly can". It can apply to war. It can also apply to doing other things. 

It would be possible to have a Jihad on studying your holy book. You could have a Jihad on stopping pollution. You could have a Jihad on getting sustainable agriculture going to feed everyone. There could be a Jihad on reversing climate change. I am not sure whether it would be acceptable to have a Jihad on getting your home organized, but maybe. The thought would work anyway.

I happen to like to learn about the word of the being that I choose to call God which I prefer to write as Gd. I enjoy it in different holy books, but I believe the particular book that was meant for me to use most of the time is the Bible. The specifics one is  the Old King James version of the Bible. I hope that you will look up what I say in your version of a Holy Book and satisfy yourself that it fits what you think is right to do. I will refer to my Holy Book and the version that works best for me. 

I believe the different Holy Books all say the same important things. The Bible tells us to have Jihads also. Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

There are other places in the Bible where it talks of the Christian equivalent of Jihads besides Ecclesiastes 9:10. That one is my favorite, however. This is not a Bible study blog, so you will have to do that yourself. 

If you do not already do this and you are a Christian, I suggest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries. I like the old King James Version of the Bible because I believe it to be the most accurate along with it's matching Concordance, the Strong's that I  just mentioned. If you are a Christian and you do not study your Holy Book, the Bible, you are like a ship without a rudder. We are facing stormy seas and we need direction.

If you are still reading this and you are not a Christian, I suggest you get your Holy Book and study it with all your might. You too, need a rudder in these stormy seas that we all face. I mean people who have Holy Books like the Pali Canon, Grimoires, Bhagavad Gita, etc. as well as the obviously connected ones like the Bible, Koran, and Torah. 

I am not sure how to put this to avoid offense to Atheists and Humanists, etc., but you also have books that give you direction in your life. I think you should use them as well. 

I can not mention all of the Holy Books here, but you know what yours is, so use it. It was written for a reason and your existence is part of that reason.

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