A pastor and a layman both asked about the PDF for Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant. They wanted to make it more available to laity for study groups. I decided to make the PDF download for CLP free. Yes, free. Of course, I will need to have a gala auction each year to make up for it. Just kidding.
As Jack Preus said about the Lutheran publishing business, "Don't quit your day job." My friend, Diablo, visiting from another location, said, "No, don't give it away."
My reasoning is: People want to study at home or have the documents available. This way it is free for everyone. I doubt whether it would affect book sales negatively (downwardly trending, as they say at the Love Shack). Free PDFs may help. The difference one way or another is not going to be great.
The main purpose is to make doctrinal materials available to everyone.
The cover is going to be designed by Norma Boeckler. The content will be the same. Unless I find major problems to be fixed, the pagination will be kept to make teaching easier.
The teacher's manual for CLP will be free as a PDF, low-cost for printed orders. Lulu charges a little for printing and shipping, so any printed matter will cost something.
The offer remains for those who want to order 10 or more CLPs.
Ten copies of CLP - $160, including shipping.
Twenty copies of CLP - $320, including shipping.
Make the check out to Gregory Jackson because I do not have a separate account for Martin Chemnitz Press.
Individual orders can be processed through Lulu.com or Christian News. Both accept credit cards.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant
Free PDF To Promote Doctrinal Study
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant Is a Remarkable Book
Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant is a remarkable book. At a time when doctrinal indifference is taught and practiced to varying degrees by all Lutheran Synods this book comes as a blessing from the Lord. For certainly we do not keep or teach His Word purely in and of ourselves but it is a gift from God given by grace through the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Gregory Jackson has appropriately addressed the similarities and differences between these doctrines of faith. They are presented clearly and without emotional emphasis by the author. Pastor Jackson remains consistent with his other writings by measuring every teaching by Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions and includes the scripturally faithful statements of our Church Fathers. This is the foundation which many in the churches and synods today are tearing down in favor of human reason, worldly success, personal relationships and temporary security.
I found his insights to be accurate and detailed concerning the doctrines covered and he thoroughly presents the origins and reasoning behind the false teachings being taught by Lutheran churches, Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church. I believe he gave appropriate emphasis of the Reformed doctrines which are so prevalent in Lutheran churches and Catholic heresies as these speak to where we are today and where the world is heading.
In our day, when the ELS is removing churches from membership because they exercise the office of the keys in response to public sin, the WELS enthusiastically rejects the work of the Holy Ghost through promotion of Church Growth practices and the LCMS lunges headlong toward fellowship with the ELCA and Rome, it is especially important to understand the differences between true Biblical doctrines and the false doctrines of men. For as we daily draw nearer to the glorious return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we will continue to be tempted, by our own sinful flesh, Satan and the doctrines of false teachers, to abandon our only Rock and sure Foundation for the false security and comfort of widely accepted false doctrines. As apostate pastors, corrupt synod officials, blind church leaders and an unbelieving world continue their journey toward Rome and the Antichrist it will remain the responsibility of the orthodox Lutheran layman to discern the truth using Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions in order to remain faithful to Christ and by God’s grace endure to the end.
I highly recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in pure doctrine and even more so to those who don’t. But I would be remiss if I didn’t also recommend Pastor Jackson’s other exceptional books Jesus Priceless Treasure, Thy Strong Word and Liberalism: It’s Cause and Cure.
Brett Meyer
Saturday, November 3, 2007
On May 29th, 1453, A Christian Empire Fell
On May 29th a Christian Empire Fell
Most people do not recognize May 29th as a special day in history. Everyone in Eastern Orthodoxy (Greek, Russian, Romanian, Serbian Orthodox) mourns the day. May 29, 1453 is when the last remnant of an 1100-year-old empire fell with the loss of Constantinople, the greatest and richest city of the world at one time.
During this Memorial Day weekend we should remember what it meant to those Christians who fought against 10-1 odds as the Ottoman Muslim attacked them without cause. The Ottoman Empire had grown at the expense of the Byzantine Christian Empire, but the Byzantines kept them at bay for centuries. During that time, Europe was reasonably safe from invasion, although Italy suffered many naval attacks.
The last emperor of Constantinople had the same name as the first emperor – Constantine. He died fighting on the city walls, his ranks given away by his purple buskins, which only the emperor wore. He gave a speech to his people the day before the city fell, the day before he died:
He spoke first to his Greek subjects, telling them that there were four great causes for which a man should be ready to die: his faith, his country, his family and his sovereign. They must now be prepared to give their lives for all four. He for his part would willingly sacrifice his own for his faith, his city and his people. They were a great and noble people, the descendents of the heroes of ancient Greece and Rome, and he had no doubt that they would prove themselves worthy of their forefathers in the defense of their city, in which the infidel Sultan wished to seat his false prophet on the throne of Jesus Christ. Turning to the Italians, he thanked them for all that they had done and assured them of his love and trust in the dangers that lay ahead. They and the Greeks were now one people, united in God; with his help they would be victorious. Finally he walked slowly round the room, speaking to each man in turn and begging forgiveness if he ever caused him any offense. Source:The American Spectator
I find it very troubling that people gnash their teeth over the fact that soldiers sacrifice their lives fighting for America. People have forgotten what Jefferson wrote: “The tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots. It is its natural manure.” The nobility of fighting for our country is being forgotten.
When students talk about our loss of lives in Iraq, I ask them how many lives are lost to traffic accidents in Arizona. The figure is about 1,000 per year, the same as our losses in Iraq and other places. I do not have the exact figures, but I know we lose soldiers in similar numbers annually from training and traffic accidents.
I often teach in Yuma, where we have a Marine air station for Harriers, a city that features an air show every day. Helicopters practice their maneuvers over the city. One road is marked because of parachuting soldiers landing there. The Yuma Proving Grounds are using for training in desert warfare. Yuma is hotter than Phoenix.
Many of my students in Yuma are Marines, but some have come from other service branches. Some are just back from Iraq. Some are headed there next. I often think of them when the statistics are announced over TV. I am sorry they have to do their jobs with such wavering and manipulative support from the politicians. Nevertheless, they show us time and again that they are the bravest, best-equipped, and most compassionate military force in history. They stand between us and slavery.
When Constantinople was conquered by Islam, the attractive women, girls, and boys were rounded up for Muslim harems. The strongest boys were put in the elite fighting group, the Janissaries, made up of captured Christians. The rest were slaughtered or sold into slavery.
The year 1453 is significant. The Ottoman Empire began to march against Europe. They were partially successful. The biggest efforts came against Vienna. In 1683 a certain victory for the Ottoman Empire was turned into a rout by a decisive attack. Coffee beans were captured as booty; the coffee house was born in Vienna.
Europe remained free because highly trained soldiers were able to defeat a Muslim army glorying in its past victories.
Our military people, past and present, living and dead, deserve our respect and gratitude.
The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. Douglas MacArthur
Why Athens Still Matters Today
Why Athens Still Matters Today
Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.
December 02, 2005
In a brief period of time, about 100 years, a remarkable city, Athens, generated the finest examples of our Western culture, which remain our models of excellence today:
1. Philosophy – Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
2. History – Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon
3. Drama – Sophocles, Euripides
4. Comedy – Aristophanes
5. Architecture – The Parthenon
6. Sculpture – Phidias, Praxiteles
7. Politics – Democracy
8. Literature and poetry – Building on Homer (800 BC)
Athens went into a period of decline, mostly because of the 27-year war with Sparta, the Peloponnesian War. Persia was also a constant threat, having made repeated attempts to conquer Greece (Barr, 1961).
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC)
Suddenly, a great Macedonian general was murdered, perhaps by his ex-wife, the mother of Alexander. The son did not automatically become the leader of Macedonia, but he quickly assumed power, swept down across Greece, and consolidated power. Then Alexander proposed an attack on Persia, to revenge losses from previous wars. He went on a 10 year conquest of the civilized world, reaching India, but turning back when his veterans refused to conquer one more land.
Alexander the Great took Greek culture with him (Fox, 2003). Tutored by Aristotle as a youth, he spread Hellenistic culture across the lands he conquered. Although his death meant the division of his empire, Hellenistic learning and achievements lasted in all those lands, especially in the city in Egypt he modestly named after himself, Alexandria.
The Roman Republic and Empire
When the Alexandrian empire was receding, another one was growing. Rome threw off its monarchy in 510 BC and established a republic until 44 BC. Roman citizens voted for their leaders and began an expansion westward toward England and eastward toward India. They dominated northern Africa and controlled the Mediterranean Sea.
The mark of education in Rome was Greek culture. The Romans modeled their gods after the Greeks, changing the names only slightly. Zeus Pater (Zeus the Father) became Jupiter. Aphrodite the love goddess became Venus. Hermes the messenger became Mercury. Roman literature, drama, comedy, and philosophy looked to Athens for models to emulate. Roman architecture and sculpture reflected their admiration for the greatest Greek accomplishments.
Rome did not die with the Sack of Rome in 410, but Western Europe became fragmented when officials left their posts and tracts of land were taken over by hungrier and more ferocious Germanic tribes. The Church of Rome and the Bishop of Rome grew in importance across Europe, providing literate priests and scholars who filled the vacuum left by the decline of Rome.
Medieval Europe
The Medieval period of Europe (410 to 1453 AD) was dominated by the Latin language and by the Church of Rome. Although Christianity was born in Judaism, the religion was spread and defended through the medium of classical studies. The theologians were philosophers who knew Aristotle and other writers in Latin. Augustine (around the time of the Sack of Rome) was brilliant in Latin and in Greek. Thomas Aquinas, 12th century, wrote exclusively in Latin.
Byzantine Empire (330 AD to 1453 AD)
When the Roman Empire of Western Europe was declining, the Eastern Empire established in Byzantium grew in power. Constantine established his New Rome in Byzantium, which became Constantinople in his honor. The Byzantine Empire was not only incredibly wealthy but also largely Christian. Constantine became a baptized Christian on his deathbed and pointed his domain in the direction of Christianity. For eleven centuries Constantinople was the center of Christianity. A long period of decline began with the Fourth Crusade when the Latin Christians (Church of Rome) sacked Constantinople and ruled the city for 50 years. The Eastern Empire was also whittled away by the growing power of the Ottoman (Turkish) Moslem Empire (Norwich, 1997).
Renaissance and Reformation
The Fall of Constantinople on May 29, 1453, horrified the West, who did little to help the struggling city. However, the final days led to Greek scholars and Greek treasures emigrating to Italy, helping to spark the Renaissance. Classical scholarship, art, literature, sculpture, architecture, took on a new life and spread across Europe. The concept of freedom began to percolate through the Medieval world of kings and popes.
Athens remained the model for culture. European education revolved around classical scholarship. An educated gentleman (and some notable ladies) were well versed in Latin and in Greek, although Greek was not in the curriculum for everyone. The Reformation grew out of the Renaissance, starting with the scholarship of Erasmus, who published a Greek New Testament. Martin Luther hatched the egg that Erasmus laid, as some wits said, when he posted his 95 Theses (in Latin) in 1517 and wrote in German for the first printing press, cobbled from an old wine press, by Gutenberg.
The Renaissance and Reformation surged ahead with the printing press, sending religious literature in the modern languages of Europe (and in Latin) across the civilized world. The theologians of the Reformation were necessarily Greek, Latin, and Hebrew scholars. They argued their viewpoints through the language of philosophy, especially Aristotle.
Protestant ministers were expected to learn Greek. Books were relatively inexpensive compared to the manuscripts of the past.
England – Protestant or Catholic
England was the battleground for religion. Henry VIII was ordered to marry his late brother’s widow. His lack of a male heir convinced him that his incestuous marriage was cursed. The divorce from Catharine of Aragon and marriage to Ann Bolyn led to his break with Rome. Catherine gave birth to Mary (known as Bloody Mary for persecuting Protestants). Ann gave birth to Elizabeth, who favored the Protestant leanings of her country and her father. Elizabeth’s fabled reign, immediate after Bloody Mary’s, was especially tolerant of religion. Scholarship flourished. England was relatively free, prosperous, and stable. Shakespeare wrote his sonnets and plays, all of them imbued with classical learning.
Queen Elizabeth was finally forced to have her cousin Mary Queen of Scots executed for high treason. However, Mary’s son, James VI of Scotland, became James I of England and Scotland, the first of the Stuart kings. One author said of the Stuarts, “They left an indelible bad impression on England (Trevelyan, 1996.).” James I, Charles I, Charles II, and James II all plotted to make England Roman Catholic again. This led to two important developments:
1. Parliament gained influence and the throne lost power, giving English citizens more rights and freedom.
2. Protestants tired of the strains of religious tension (such as the Catholic plot to blow up Parliament) and headed for America.
America – Haven for Religious Freedom
The founding of America by educated English citizens during this period made the earliest citizens completely opposed to the rule of the Church by any monarch. They also arrived with a sense of Parliament having powers over and above that of any king. The American Revolution focused on the rights of man established by the Creator. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
The Founders were well aware of the decline of Rome because Edward Gibbons published his sensational Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in 1776. They looked to the Roman Republic and the earlier Athenian democracy as the ideals of government. When they established their tiny little schools in America - Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, William and Mary College – they taught their students Latin, Greek, and the elements of a classical education.
Greek Revival – 1900s
Greek learning underwent a revival at the turn of the century, 1900, when Greek fraternities and sororities were started to promote Greek learning, not toga parties. Greek and Roman scholarship were considered the foundation of a sound education. Until a few decades ago, all high school students who wanted to apply for college were told, “You must have two years of Latin or the good schools will not want you.”
Our present culture may not care much for classical scholarship, but Athens and Rome still weigh heavily in our history, literature, and art. When people visit Washington DC, they see Greek and Roman temples, homage to our classical past.
References
Barr, S. (1961). The will of Zeus: A history of Greece. New York: Delta.
Fox, R. L. (2003). Alexander the great. London: The Folio Society.
Norwich, J. J. (1997). A short history of Byzantium. New York: Vintage .
Trevelyan, G. M. (1996). England under the Stuarts. London: The Folio Society.
Byzantium:
The Forgotten Christian Empire
The Forgotten Christian Empire
Byzantium – The Forgotten Eastern Roman Empire
Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.
The Western Roman Empire began to decline rapidly after Alaric’s sack of Rome in 410 AD. The sack was not so terrible as everyone imagines. The shock to the civilized world came from Roman citizens no longer willing or able to defend the capital of Eternal Rome. Western Christianity had its bishop in Rome, so Christians were tempted to think God had abandoned His own headquarters. Augustine of Hippo wrote his classic City of God to argue that the true City of God is invisible, eternal, and built on the foundations of Christ, not man.
Roman civil officials began to abandon their posts and the Western Empire began to disintegrate into the countries we know as Europe in the coming centuries. In contrast, the Eastern Roman Empire grew in power and importance as the trading center of Europe, Asia, and Africa. This forgotten empire was already in existence before Constantine refashioned his New Rome about 300 AD.
Constantine was a military and political genius. He began his rise in England, with a famous general as a father. He fought his way to Rome to become one of the rulers and then consolidated his power until he alone ruled the entire empire, from England to the outskirts of India. However, he did not like the City of Rome and spent little time there. He made his new city in Byzantium and the building project became Constantinople. He rebuilt it almost overnight, importing Roman nobility with generous bribes of land and fortune. The City of Rome was largely pagan, but Constantine made his new city Christian.
Constantine was baptized as a Christian before his death. He considered himself Equal to the Apostles. His self-fashioned title became a job description of most emperors who followed him (except Julian the Apostate, who tried to reverse trends back to paganism). The Byzantine emperors were highly educated and the Eastern Empire followed their example in literacy and religious devotion. Although the Bishop of Rome tried to emphasize its power over all churches, the Archbishop of Constantinople led Eastern Orthodoxy. There were periods of cooperation but also extended times of mutual excommunication and warfare.
Constantinople was ideally situated for trade between Asia and Europe, with land routes in both directions and access to the Mediterranean Sea. The city also had abundant fresh water, fish, and natural defenses. The city became incredibly wealthy from trade. When Islam grew after the death of Mohammed in 632 AD, Constantinople served as a buffer between Islamic expansion and Europe. Although Byzantium worked with the Ottoman (Moslem) Empire, renting its warriors when needed, the city also tempted the Islamic leaders to capture it, for its wealth and religious symbolism.
Islam whittled away at Byzantium for centuries until Constantinople became a dispirited island in the midst of Moslem forts and armies. Finally the city fell on May 29, 1453, a day of doom still remembered throughout Eastern Orthodoxy. For the Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, and other Eastern rites, Constantinople was their religious capital and treasure-house of religious icons, including the True Cross.
Byzantium continued as a Christian empire for eleven centuries, a remarkable achievement. The empire was highly educated and skilled in the arts. They preserved the New Testament in the original Greek and the archives of classical literature. The Moslems often transmitted these masterpieces to Europe, but the main center of learning was Constantinople and other Byzantine cities.
Militarily, the Eastern Empire was not appreciated until it fell. Then the Islamic armies moved on Europe and extended their rule into Europe until 1683, when they were turned back for good at Vienna. The Ottoman Empire peaked after its capture of Constantinople, but the disintegration of their rule was slow, like that of Rome and Byzantium. The Ottoman Empire became the “sick old man” of Europe before World War I and exists today only as Turkey. Constantinople became Istanbul because the victors transformed the Greek for “into the city” as Istanbul.
Some contributions of the Byzantine Empire are:
1. They kept the Islamic armies at bay when Europe was young and weak.
2. They hosted the successful First Crusade, which took Jerusalem back from Islam and established a Christian kingdom there for some years.
3. They were the religious and cultural center of the world for more than a thousand years.
4. They served as a central point for world trade.
No one can do justice to this empire in a few pages, or even in a few volumes. However, we should remember that the last emperor of Byzantium died fighting for his city, his country, his culture. His name was also Constantine.
Western Religion Today
Religion Today
Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.
The three Western religions have enormous influence in America today. All three are undergoing vast changes and conflicts. These changes and conflicts relate to our changing society as well as the relationships among the three religions.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are adopting to or reacting against American culture at this time. In all three groups there are tendencies to blend in with the culture or to establish a separate identity opposing the culture.
Jews have assimilated so well into America that many people are astonished to learn that many celebrities, writers, and sports stars are Jewish. However, there are also enclaves of Jews, especially in metropolitan areas, where the traditional dress and customs of Jews single them out among the population. Wearing the yarmulka is not so remarkable, since many Jewish men wear the yarmulka in urban areas. What startles the casual observer are the full beards of the men, their large hats, and their exotic customs.
Likewise, Christianity was a primary reason for establishing America as a “city set on a hill.” Protestantism and Catholicism became so entwined in our culture that politicians cultivate the religious leaders of both groups. Many large denominations have joined the Roman Catholic Church in providing professional lobbyists in Washington DC. However, reactionaries have established their own areas where the problems of American culture are resisted as much as possible. Although religious motivation is mixed with political ideology, it is fair to say that Protestant separatism is rooted in their approach to the Scriptures.
Islam can assimilate into other cultures but it can also react against a host country in a Holy War, a jihad. Even if the vast majority of Islamic adherents are peaceful and industrious, a small percentage of the 500 million Muslims world-wide can disrupt the world economy and destroy the world’s peace. Added to this explosive mixture is the fact that some Jewish leaders are equally bellicose about Islam. Therefore, a small minority in each religion can keep the tensions going indefinitely. Several trends in Islam are unique, compared to Christianity and Judaism. The Moslems are growing through their birthrate and through conversion. Moreover, Muslims take their religion seriously and pack the local mosques while Jews and Christians remain away. The combination of population pressure and religious zeal is bound to be explosive in the coming decades.
From a doctrinal standpoint, American Christianity is moving in two directions at once. The old established denominations have clergy and theologians who may as well be Unitarians. They do not teach the divinity of Christ, the Virgin Birth of Christ, or His actual resurrection. Instead, they make everything “symbolic” and mythological. These mainline denominations are quite intent on changing American standards of social justice but have little interest in the official confessions of their denominations. At the same time many former members of established churches are founding their own congregations and church groups to re-establish what was once taught. The old established denominations are moving toward merger into one big denomination. The newly independent congregations are looking for fellowship among like-minded Christians.
The Catholic situation needs to be addressed separately. The same trends are clear in the Roman Catholic Church, but it is impossible to be Roman Catholic outside of the institution. Therefore, it is convenient to have groups within the visible church to lobby for this doctrine or that, for this social action idea or for another. Roman Catholicism is so extensive that almost any set of doctrines can find a common ground among the various interest groups (Assumption of Joseph movement, Marian societies, liberal social action, Opus Dei, religious orders, etc).
Discussion Questions
1. Will Islam accommodate itself peacefully in America or will the trends toward jihad continue?
2. What can Israel do to relieve tensions with Islam?
3. What did you learn most about during this course?
Islam
Islam
Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D.
Islam is the last of the three Western religions to form, so its basic tenets reflect Judaism and Christianity to some extent. Islam shares some features with Judaism and Christianity:
1. Islam is a historic religion rather than a mythical religion, so it matters the key figures actually lived.
2. Islam has a clear concept of law, giving its followers guidelines for daily life and worship.
3. Islam is a religion of the Book – the Koran. The scriptures of Islam are clearly defined, coming from one source, the prophet Mohammed.
People often think of Islam as being invented by the prophet Mohammed, but it would be more responsible to view the religion as a reform of Bedouin polytheism, adopting many of the existing terms and traditions.
The Prophet Mohammed
The prophet Mohammed had an unusual childhood, his father dead before he was born in 570, his mother dying when he was a young child, his grandfather passing on when the boy still needed a family. His uncles introduced him to trading, and he learned rapidly about camel caravans. In Mecca, Mohammed was considered a dreamer and looked down upon for his lack of wealth, position, and military prowess. These attitudes greatly influenced future events.
Mohammed met and married a wealthy woman 15 years his senior. His marriage hurt him in the eyes of his contemporaries, but it gave Mohammed his first chance to make a mark in the world of trade, where he was successful in managing his wife’s business. He began to have visions and announced that he was the prophet of God, appointed by Gabriel. Most people dismissed him as a crank or a mental case, but he began to draw a group of followers around himself, starting with his wife and relatives.
Most people think that Mohammed did not write down his visions but recited them to his followers, who wrote them down and codified them in the Koran. Mohammed was skillful in his use of the Arabic style of poetry, but he was probably scorned for being unable to write. Poets and storytellers vied with each other for the esteem of the public. Mohammed had many rivals in this popular culture.
Tensions built up in Mecca, especially after the death of Mohammed’s first wife. Her family stopped protecting Mohammed, so it was wise for him to leave the city. He settled in Medina, making it the second holy city for Islam. From Medina Mohammed staged raids on the camel caravans of his rivals in Mecca, even during the holy season of Ramadan. Some of the first efforts were not successful, but they proved annoying to the Mecca merchants. Mohammed surprisingly defeated the Mecca army sent to destroy him and his followers. Mecca then capitulated to Mohammed and accepted his rule. After Mohammed’s death in 632 there was another attempt to sweep Islam from the country. Instead, Islamic forces won the day and began an expansion that took Jerusalem a few years later, then grew until Constantinople fell in 1453. Vienna itself was threatened in 1530.
Islamic military might was so great during the Reformation that it helped establish the Lutheran Church in Germany. Charles V, the Catholic ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, wanted to destroy Luther and the Reformation in Germany. However, he was so busy fighting the Islamic armies that the Lutherans and other Protestants were able to establish their teaching, churches, and colleges.
Bedouin Religion before Mohammed
The moon-god Allah already existed before Mohammed declared him to be the only god. The Kaaba shrine was already established in Mecca. The Kaaba is probably a meteorite. They were worshiped in ancient times as sacred objects. Mohammed’s innovation was to denounce the many deities worshiped at the Kaaba. At one point he allowed for the daughters of Allah (who were especially venerated) in the Koran, but those verses were removed later and called “The Satanic Verses.” That is the origin of the controversial book by Salmon Rushie.
The practice of walking around the Kaaba was well established before Mohammed. The circumambulation is still one of the features of the pilgrimage (Hadj) today. The pilgrimage is an obligation of Islamic men, earning them the right to add Hadj to their names. This led to one of the more interesting episodes in Arizona history. The government tried to create a camel corps in Arizona, bringing several herds over with a native driver. His name was Hadj-Ali, so he was nicknamed Hi Jolly. The monument to Hi Jolly can be found on the border of Arizona and California, in Quartzite, a town that seems to have been imported from Arabia.
The Five Pillars of Islam
Pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The other four are:
1. Imam – Faith in the One God.
2. Salah – Prayer five times a day.
3. Zakah – Charity.
4. Sawm – Fasting during Ramadan.
Islam is relatively easy to study and to teach, because the basic doctrines are codified and relatively standard. One can even get on the Internet and calculate his Zakah obligation for the year, based on income, animal herds, 401k plans, and property.
Some will claim that Islam has no priesthood, but in fact the religious leaders of Islam are also political leaders as well. Although the influence of Islam varies in each country, no other world religion is so closely tied with political rule in so many areas.
Discussion Questions
1. What are you learning new about Islam this week? How is this helping your understanding?
2. Which of the Five Pillars of Islam is the most mysterious to you? Pretend you are teaching the class in person. Which pillar would make you study more.
3. Explain what is most interesting to you about the life of Mohammed?
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