Christian - Traveling Thru History

What Makes You So Different From A Terrorist?

Erin — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 04:46:41 +0000

There is something that has been weighing on my mind recently and I don’t think I’ll be able to stop thinking about it until I write about it. Or maybe not. Hopefully this doesn’t open a firestorm. I may lose some friends and some followers, but I can’t stay silent about this anymore. Some things just need to be said. I’m sure most people have a Facebook account and have seen all the negative posts people are making about Muslims and Islam. If you don’t have a Facebook page, perhaps you’ve seen these types of posts on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Google+ , Youtube and various other websites. And if you still don’t know what I’m been talking about, I wish I could be like you. For the past year or so we’ve been seeing an upsurge in the animosity towards Muslims and the Islamic faith. Yes, this has been happening for over a decade now, but recently it has changed. Now that we’re bringing more refugees to the US and increasing the Muslim presence in our country, the rhetoric has changed. Friends of mine who I’d believed were peace-loving and kind-hearted people have been posting statuses saying we should destroy Islam and get rid of all the Muslims. Some say we should lock them up or shoot them. Others are posting that we should kick all of the Muslims out of America and yet more are celebrating others who call for the death or incarceration of Muslims. The most shocking posts have been the ones where people I know are themselves posting that all Muslims should be executed and Islam should be wiped from the earth. Are you kidding????!? And these are just the posts I’m seeing from my friends. My Christian, God-fearing, bible-following and “Christ-like” friends. And along with my Christian friends, yes, these types of posts are also coming from my Agnostic, Buddhist, Jewish, Atheist, non-denominational, Hindu and Pagan friends. What is wrong with all of you?!?!?!?! Do you not realize you are behaving just like the people you say are destroying the world? Do you not realize that by calling for the eradication of Islam and the destruction of Muslims that you are supporting the very ideology that you wish to destroy? It isn’t the ideology of Islam, but the ideology of hate. You condemn these people for their desire for death and destruction, yet you are calling out for the same. Radical Muslims say, “Death to America.” Many Americans are saying, “Death to Muslims.” What’s the difference? What makes you so different from them? Is it because you’ve never actually killed anyone? Neither have most of them. Middle Eastern terrorist groups are made of more than just Muslims. Granted, Muslims probably make up for a large portion of their numbers, but there are certainly plenty of people of other religions who just want to cause mayhem in those groups. Certainly there are non-denominational members, Christian members, Jewish, Atheist, Buddhist and Pagan members. Terrorist can come from any religious background. Before I go any further, I wish to clarify that I am, in fact, a devout and faithful Christian. I’m not a follower or studier of Islam. I believe in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and strive to follow the teachings of the Savior. I’m not perfect, I fall short so many times, but I’m doing my best. Except for right now. Right now I feel upset and want to yell at a lot of people. When I read these status updates about how we need to kick all the Muslims out of the US or that we need to round them all up and put them in Guantanamo or that Muslims need to be shot on sight or that we should just bomb Iran, Iraq and Syria off the planet it just breaks my heart and baffles my mind. How can anyone think that 100% of Muslims are evil? Do we think 100% of all Catholic clergy are child molesters? Do we think 100% of all Baptists rejoice in the deaths of the military? Do we think 100% of Jews are penny-pinchers? Do we think 100% of Hindus perform human sacrifices? Do we think 100% of all Pagans practice witchcraft? Do we think 100% of Atheists are devil worshipers? Do we think 100% of all Christians practice what they preach? I’m pretty sure most of you answered NO to all of those. There is no situation on EARTH where 100% of any group of people have the same ideals. Most Catholic clergymen are good and devout men. Most Baptists disavow the Westboro group. Jews have a wide variety of practices when it comes to spending and saving. Hindus moved away from human sacrifice almost 200 years ago and it is only rural and radical sects who violate the laws banning such practices. Most Pagan beliefs and ceremonies revolve around a human connection with nature, not witchcraft or black magic. Atheists do not worship the devil, they do not even believe in the devil. That would be the Satanists. And as for the Christians, we Christians are just as bad as everyone else when it comes to not always living what we believe. There always has been and always will be a variety of beliefs and actions across each religious group, so why do we allow that to some and not others? I mean, seriously, there are quite a few Christian serial killers, bombers, arsonists, murderers and radicals. Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City bomber) was raised Catholic. Eric Robert Rudolph (Olympic Park bomber) was a member of the Church of Israel. The Army of God is a Christian group with many members who have committed mass shootings, sent bombs or murdered. Heck, a lot of mob, mafia and cartel leaders are devout Christians, too. These people are all radicals and terrorists. Does this mean ALL Christians are terrorists? By your reasoning, yes. And I’m pretty sure that assertion is making you quite upset. But all I’m doing is applying your own logic. My point is, not all Muslims are terrorists and wish to destroy America. Not all followers of Islam are radicals. Not all of those who worship in a mosque are conspiring to take your life away. So many of these people are peace-loving and hate what the radicals are doing to their beloved religion. Don’t you hate it when you hear about another Christian doing something awful in the name of God? And now I have some questions I want you to consider. Do you realize that when you call for Islam to be destroyed that you are mirroring the radical Muslims’ calls for the destruction of Christianity? Do you realize that when you post that all Muslims should be eradicated that you are echoing the radical Muslims’ cry for the annihilation of the Western world? (as well as Hitler’s rally for the murder of the Jews?) Do you realize that when you call for the deaths of all Muslims, that you are calling for the deaths of babies, toddlers, young children and so many others who have never hurt a person in their lives? Do you realize that the venom you spew about how evil Islam is and how it needs to be crushed is hate speech? Do you realize that when you say all of this you are acting just like THEM? The radical Islamic terrorists are saying the exact same things about you as many of you are saying about them. Do you not realize this? Something that crossed my mind is that a lot of these things were said by people in the days leading up to the Holocaust. So many in Germany blamed the Jews for everything that was going wrong in their country. It started with making them wear something that denoted who they were, then there were calls to kick them all out, then it evolved to putting them in special ‘zones.’ After that, all humanity was lost. Are we heading in that direction again with the Muslims? As a Christian, it is so shocking to me that my fellow Christians are saying such horrible things. How can you call yourself a Christian and say the awful things you do? Do you believe that Jesus Christ would be calling for the murder and destruction of a single person, let alone an entire group of people? Do you believe that “Thou shalt not kill” only applies to the actual act of murder by you and not for the support and rejoicing of it? Do you believe that “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” only applies to your actual neighbor? Do you believe that the God of peace, love, grace and truth would have His followers petitioning for hate, murder, anger and destruction? Do you believe that the instruction to “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” only applies to those of the same faith? Do you really believe you are behaving in a Christ-like manner when you speak in such a way? Whatever happened to love and compassion? Whatever happened to following the example of the Savior? And if you aren’t a Christian, these questions apply to you as well: How does being hateful to those who may or may not hate you make them not hate you? How is calling for the destruction of an entire religious group any different from what Hitler wanted with the Jews? How is inciting hate and fear going to solve the problem? How is behaving in an antagonistic manner going to stop other people from becoming militant extremists? Cuz, really, I bet there are quite a few that join the radical cause because they see all the hate many are spewing their way and start to believe the radical preachings that they must destroy us before we destroy them. But, of course, I do believe there are those out there who just want to destroy us because of the warped view of what their religion teaches. If there should be calls to destroy anyone, it should be those who are actively trying to destroy us. Not those who are just living their lives. Or those who have come to the United States to get away from the militant extremists. Or those who are living in fear in their home countries because of those same extremists. Or those like Malala, the young Islamic peace activist who terrorists almost killed because she went to school and spoke out against them. Those people, those are the ones we need to protect. I’m not saying we should just sit back and let the Islamic extremists blow America to bits. Or that we should give up trying to get rid of terrorism around the world. Or that we shouldn’t conduct thorough background checks before letting refugees into the country. What I AM saying is that not every Muslim is a terrorist and we need to stop acting like they are. And I’m also saying that before you write your next “we should blow every Muslim off the planet” post or make your next “Muslims are the scum of the earth” comment or share that hate-filled blog post, perhaps you should think about what you’re doing. Because, honestly, you’re saying the same things the terrorists are and, from where I’m sitting, you’re not much different from them.

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Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin

Erin — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 01:00:06 +0000

While I was out wandering around Merdeka Square one day, I glanced across a small side road and happened to see this cute little church hidden behind a fence covered in ivy. Since it is somewhat unusual to see Christian churches in Malaysia and the year on it marks this one as quite old, I just had to go over and investigate. This church is so quaint. I love it! Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin is an Anglican church that was commissioned in 1893 when the original building became too small to hold the growing congregation. The original chapel, named St. Mary’s Church, was built in 1887, made of wood and only held 95 people. It was located on the top of a hill called Bukit Aman, which was a quite a bit out of the way. Once the chapel from 1887 became too small to hold the growing congregation it was decided that the new church would be built in the center of town, next to Merdeka Square. Several designs were put forth for the new building, but none of them struck the fancy of the committee and a government architect was finally called in to design the new church. A.C. Norman suggested an Early English Gothic Style design satisfied the committee. I think it turned out fabulous. Construction began on the church on February 3, 1894 and was completed on February 9, 1895. A ceremony was held on February 3, 1894, to lay the foundation stone for St. Mary’s Cathedral. The stone was laid by Sir W.H. Treacher, a British resident of Selangor, and the ceremony was presided over by Bishop G.F. Hose. Another ceremony was held on February 9, 1895, to consecrate the church, presided over again by Bishop G.F. Hose. The completion of this church marked the first brick church built in the Malay Peninsula. Going inside the church felt like walking into the past. The whole church is just absolutely beautiful. The inside is pretty close to what I imagined for the inside of a gothic chapel. I was expecting it to be a bit more dark and dreary, but the whitewashed walls brightened things up a bit. Aren’t these chandeliers just amazing? I also love the vaulted ceiling. The pews and ceiling are made from merbau and seriah wood. The aspe is designed beautifully. I love the wrought-iron gating and the stained glass. Isn’t this just beautiful? I read a sign at the chapel that said the stained glass panels were removed during WWII to protect them from the bombing, but they couldn’t be located after the war, so new panels had to be commissioned. I think they turned out quite lovely. Part of me wonders if the old panels will just show up someday, all covered in dust in someone’s basement. The church stayed mostly the same (aside from minor repairs and such) up until 1958 when the nave was extended to admit a larger congregation. This addition is called the Jubilee Hall. Between 1968-1969, a two-story annex was built to allow for an upper room, administrative rooms and an office for the Vicar. They also replaced the previous residential building, a wooden house in stilts, with another add-on to the church that included utility rooms, a kitchen and living quarters. Even with all of the changes around the church, it’s really fascinating that all of the memorial placards and items around the church have stayed and are in pristine condition. On September 8, 1983, the church officially changed it’s name during the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin. The new and current name of the church is Cathedral Church of St. Mary the Virgin. During 2006 and 2007, additional rooms were added to the church. These included new offices, a library and an apartment. This church is absolutely beautiful and totally worth a visit. It’s a small church and doesn’t take up too much time. To get to the church, you can take the LRT to Masjid Jamek and then walk a few streets over to Merdeka Square and across a little side road to the church. Or you can take a taxi there.

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The Great Mosque of Cordoba

Erin — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 14:00:29 +0000

In the southern half of Spain, in one of the oldest cities in the region, lies one of the most unique structures in religious history. Beginning in 152 BC, in a city that would become the capital of the Islamic Emirate and, for a time, the most populous city in the world, a sacred edifice was erected that has fascinated the public for generations. First, it was a temple built by the Romans, next it was converted to a Catholic church by the Visigoths and then it became an Islamic mosque built by Abd al-Rahman I in 784 AD before being altered in a way that has never been done before or since. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is a monument to the religious changes that have taken place in Spain since the area was first populated. In the 206 BC, Rome conquered the Carthaginian inhabitants of the area now known as Spain. For centuries Rome ruled the area that they named Hispania Ulterior Baetica, of which Cordoba was the capital. During that time, around 169 BC, Roman consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus built a temple to their god, Janus. In 572 AD, Catholic Visigoths conquered Cordoba and began converting the Temple of Janus into a Christian church that they dedicated to St. Vincent. A few short years later, around 710 AD, Muslim forces overran Cordoba and seized control of the city. For a time, Christians and Muslims shared the Church of St. Vincent, with areas set apart where Christians and Muslims could worship separately. Cordoba Mihrab – Courtesy of Khan Academy But then, in 766 AD, Cordoba became the capital of the newly-designated Muslim region of al-Andalus under the rule of Abd al-Rahman I. By order of Abd al-Rahman I, who purchased the Christian half of the Church of St. Vincent from the local congregation, the Church of St. Vincent was destroyed and a grand mosque put in its place. Over the next two decades, with the intent to recreate his birth city of Damascus, al-Rahman worked to design a mosque that would rival the Great Mosque of Damascus while incorporating local styles and elements. This mosque was begun in 784 AD and over the course of the next two hundred years, would receive various modifications and alterations by the Muslim rulers of al-Andalus. By the time the Great Mosque of Cordoba was finally completed over 200 years later, it had become the most innovative Islamic Mosque in the world. The original Great Mosque of Cordoba was architecturally innovative for a number of reasons, though it did have features and characteristics that were common to that era. It is the use of those common features and characteristics that made this structure the fascinating marvel that it is. To examine fully whether or not the Great Mosque of Cordoba was truly an innovative masterpiece, let us compare it to the other prominent Islamic structure of that time: The Great Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Umayyad Mosque. The Umayyad Mosque was completed in 715 AD, a full 69 years before the Great Mosque of Cordoba was even begun, and was the most prominent Islamic building of the time, serving as one of the main architectural inspirations for the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Along with sharing architectural elements and themes, the Great Mosque of Cordoba also follows the tradition of Umayyad Mosque in being built over the site of a local Christian church. Aside from that feature, these two magnificent structures have various other similarities as well as several distinct differences. Examining the exteriors of each structure, you will immediately see some architectural differences. Whereas the Umayyad Mosque uses arches mainly as a structural element, the Great Mosque of Cordoba uses arches as both structural and decorative elements. The Umayyad Mosque uses two sizes of a standard, simple, repeating arch while the Great Mosque of Cordoba uses a variety of styles, sizes and designs. There are poly-lobed arches, horseshoe arches and interlacing horseshoe arches. An interesting fact to note about the interlacing arches is that Islamic artists “[drew] from Christian traditions [and] a variety of traditions in creating their art [and] they also….mimic what we see in Christian art of the Romanesque period where we see a lot of interlacing arches and that’s very unusual” (Ross). Another key difference of the exterior is that Umayyad Mosque has three minarets while the Great Mosque of Cordoba only has one, though it does not appear like one anymore and we will go into the reason for that later. Exterior similarities between the two mosques include the elaborately decorative doors with artistic elements around the doors, though the specific artistic styles differ; Umayyad Mosque utilizes stained glass while the Great Mosque of Cordoba displays intricately designed mosaics. Moving on to the interior, we see one of the more distinct elements of the Great Mosque of Cordoba. Inside the mosque, there are 856 columns supporting a series of two-tiered arches that support the roof. This is called a Hypostyle hall. While the use of arches and columns was not unusual during and prior to the early-Christian era, the way the arches and columns were used in the Great Mosque of Cordoba was. Columns had been used for centuries in buildings such as the Parthenon and many early Christian basilica-styles church, but what makes the columns in the Great Mosque of Cordoba so special is that the number of them, 856, is “the most columns in any single building ever” (Ross). As for the style of the arches attached to those columns, that, too, is unique. Bi-level arches had been used prior to the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Islamic, Christian and Roman structures such as the aqueduct bridges of Segovia and Pont du Gard, the Verona Arena, the Colosseum, the Great Mosque of Damascus, Dome of the Rock, the Basilica of San Vitale and Hagia Sophia. The difference, however, is that the Great Mosque of Cordoba did not separate the tiers with straight levels of brick or concrete. These other structures had a distinct separation of arches because the second or third sets of arches were usually on a second or third floor of the building. The Great Mosque of Cordoba did away with the common practice of putting tiered arches on separate and distinct levels by removing the separating plane from the structure and instead, extended the arch column up to support a second, freestanding arch. This created an innovative design that had never been seen before. Aside from putting a twist on the traditional style of bi-level arches, the Great Mosque of Cordoba utilized a wide variety of arch designs and placement. The placement of multiple rows of arches in the layout of a church was something that was very common. What wasn’t common was using a variety of designs for those arches. Inside the Great Mosque of Cordoba are further examples of interlacing arches, poly-lobed arches, horseshoe arches, interlacing horseshoe arches and the standard single arch. Most of the arches have an alternating stone and red brick pattern while others are covered in mosaics. The ideas for these different designs and their decoration came from Visigothic, Byzantine, Christian and Islamic styles. The horseshoe arch is a Visigothic feature, the interlacing horseshoe arch is a Christian feature and the alternating stone and red brick comes from the Byzantine tradition. This practice of adapting and incorporating previous architectural styles and local elements is what makes Islamic architecture so one-of-a-kind. “Islamic architecture is unique in the non-Western world in that it alone – not Buddhist, not Hindu, not Pre-Columbian – shares many of the forms and structural concerns of Byzantine, Medieval, and Renaissance architecture, having grown from identical roots in the ancient world” (Trachtenberg, 215). Moving on through the interior we see further similarities between the two mosques. Both have enclosed courtyards, rectangular prayer halls and repeating abstract patterns adorning the walls. Islamic artists believe that by covering a space in patterns, it makes that space more holy and the reason these patterns are abstract is because Islam forbids the depiction of things observable in nature, so Islamic artists decorate their mosques in repeating floral motifs and other patterns inspired by what they see in nature. Almost every surface in both mosques is covered in some form of patterned decoration to create a luxurious and holy space. The Great Mosque of Cordoba displays these patterns by way of mosaic, which was “the most lavish way to decorate” at that time (Ross). This, though, is the last feature which the Great Mosque of Cordoba and Umayyad Mosque have in common. The last interior feature of the Great Mosque of Cordoba is probably the most unique, and shocking, of all. While the original features of the mosque are enough to make this building an innovative piece of architecture, it wasn’t until after King Ferdinand III of Castile conquered the city in June 1236 that the most truly unique feature of this ancient masterpiece came to be. Desiring the magnificent edifice for their new place of worship, the local bishop ritualistically cleansed the building and declared it a Catholic cathedral. Soon after, various sections of the mosque were converted into chapels. Over the next 600 years, many other changes would be made to the mosque to bring it more in line with Christian churches, but the biggest change of all happened almost immediately. In 1252, Alfonso X succeeded King Ferdinand III and received permission from the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to make the most extreme change of all: the insertion a full-sized Renaissance-style Catholic cathedral into the center of The Great Mosque of Cordoba, the removal of all but one minaret, and that one was converted into a bell tower. While this cathedral is striking and masterful, its inclusion caused incredible shock and dismay. Upon seeing the completed structure for himself, Emperor Charles V is said to have declared, “they have taken something unique in all the world and destroyed it to build something you can find in any city” (Wikipedia). As you can see, the Great Mosque of Cordoba is an architectural marvel that is both innovative and typical. It includes several elements of architecture and style that were typical of the period when it was created, but it also has several elements that were innovative and unique. But these elements are not all that make this work an important part of art history. The elements that make this structure so important vary. One reason is that the Great Mosque of Cordoba was built about 175 years after Islam began, making it one of the first mosques ever built. Another reason why this structure is so important is because it includes the deliberate incorporation of so many local, Visigothic and Christian architectural traditions that would later become very influential in the building of future Islamic buildings. The final two reasons why this structure is so important are that it is the only mosque on earth with a cathedral inside and that it includes such a unique Hypostyle hall. The extensive use of arches and columns makes the gallery look much larger than it is and gives the illusion that it goes on for forever. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is such a fascinating and timeless piece of ancient history. Even now, it still holds an important place in the hearts of many. Fought over for centuries by Christians and Muslims alike, the Great Mosque of Cordoba will forever be a place that stands for the harmony of artistic, architectural and religious traditions. Works Cited “The Art of the Umayyad Period in Spain (711-1031).” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sumay/hd_sumay.htm>. “Córdoba, Andalusia.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Córdoba,_Andalusia>. “Córdoba: Historical Overview.” Spain: Then and Now. Spain: Then and Now, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <http://www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-history/cordoba-historical-overview/default_41.aspx>. Demirhan, Meryem. “The Great Mosque of Damascus.” Academia.edu. N.p., 26 May 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <https://www.academia.edu/3769159/The_Great_Mosque_of_Damascus>. “Features and Characteristics.”...

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