The Qu'ran Says That Mohammed Said That Gabriel Said That Allah Said... What Was That Saying, Now, About Too Many Cooks?

I'm being a little facitious here, but I will forgive myself, as it is a reaction to the ramblings on the internet by both a secularist and a Muslim who have chosen to attack Christianity in the same way some people have tried, to Christianity's detriment, to defend it; by taking scripture verses out of context.

The secularist is , well, secular. Enough of that. But, to a certain extent I cannot really find it in my heart to blame the Muslim individual because of all of the attacks upon the Qu'ran that also appear within and without cyberspace, too. When one has an affinity for certain literature of a religious nature it tends to make one a bit prickly to have it castigated repeatedly.

At any rate, the verse/verses in question are part of the many verses found within the Christian Bible, mostly the Old Testament, that describe the negative or more violent actions or commands attributed to God. The first verse that always springs to my mind when dealing with this particular matter is Psalm 137:9 where it seems that those who delight in the Lord must also take equal delight in braining the infants of His enemies against the rocks. Not a pleasant thought by any stretch of the imagination, and a verse that has caused a great deal of consternation for the more peace loving amongst us. However, it was not comments upon that verse that drew my ire this evening, but upon Acts 13:11, which by itself does not give a very accurate view of the context within which it is found. By the way, it was the secularist, NOT the Muslim, who stuck his foot in my mental doggie poo tonight.

The following is quoted from an online copy of the New International Version of the Bible:
(The items in brackets are what I have added in an attempt to help clarify the context of verse eleven.)

Acts 13:...6,7 - "6...they [Barnabas and Saul] found a certain sorcerer [a.k.a. Elymas], a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: 7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God."

Acts 13:8 - "But Elymas the sorcerer [a.k.a. Barjesus] (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy [Sergius Paulus] from the faith [Christianity]."

Acts 13:11 - "Now the hand of the Lord is against you [this is Saul speaking to Elymas]. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun..."

The website of the secularist lists the eleventh verse under "Bible Atrocities." I have a feeling the Muslim individual might know better than to take this one on in his ramblings due to the differences in reactions that would have happened in a Christian versus Islamic sort of way; Saul merely blinded the man "for a season." Had Elymas committed a similar act against the teachings of Islam, the Qu'ran charges the Muslim to kill him without compunction.

Such is the yield, so far, of my foray* into a study of current religious issues.

*Check the definition in the Oxford Dictionary - the word somehow seems unusually appropriate here. (I am chuckling quietly as I type this - just so you know.) Life and the reactions of others yet to determine the final definition!

This being Easter Sunday may have a lot to do with my frame of mind tonight. I managed to help my friend get out to visit her family and then I took my brother some candy turtles to say "Happy Easter!" Then I headed further north to drop off an Easter gift for my niece. We chatted for awhile and I think she enjoyed her gifts, which included a bouquet of roses. As she, her little brother, and their dad are traveling for a week starting tomorrow I suspect the enjoyment of the roses will be short lived, but she seemed pleased by them despite upcoming events.

This Easter morning was beautiful. The sky was mostly clear, the sun was soft and bright, the breeze was fresh, the Spring flowers blooming in abundance. It also got up into the 70s, degree-wise. It was wonderful! Days like this, especially with today being Easter, have always made me feel the blessings of God far more than the burdens of life. He rose again.

Peace.
Izzlebug