S
Stephen0
Guest
Having lived in the Far East, I developed an interest in the paradox and its power. I quess certain aspects of Taoism rubbed off on this old Catholic. Therefore, I ended up looking at life and thought in a different manner than I did before living in the Orient.
After 9/11, because of potential repercussions, I decided to take a closer look at the Moslem world and found that paradox is alive and well even here.
Case in point: When I lived in the Phillipines, I learned about the Spanish efforts to subdue the Moslem northern thrust into this land. Unfortunately, the Spanish didn’t seem too successful in stopping the depredations of the Moros. They found themselves in much the same predicament as we now find ourselves in Iraq, with officials being killed, buildings being blown up and the assassinations of civilians. Many of the Moslems were heaven bound on Jihad against these infidels and nothing could stop them. However, when the Americans arrived and ran into the Moro welcoming tactics, they were able to stop what the Spanish never could by using the Moslem faith against itself. At that time Gen. Henson was at wits end until he discovered a inherent Moro weakness that had gone unnoticed by the Spanish. So having caught eight terrorist in the act, he had a trial and having found them guilty pronounced their death sentence for the next day. These were brave men who now knew that heaven was their reward. The next morning, they were marched out to be tied to eight post. However there were seven in a row and the eighth was posted facing them. There they stood proudly defiant, that was until Gen. Henson had a hog brought out and proceeded to slaughter it and then smear the seven with the blood and fat from the pig. Almost instantly, what was bravery and bravado turned into dread and then panic as the seven began to beg for their lives. Unfortunately, for them the general had found out that the Moslems believe that if they are tainted with pork and die that they will go to hell. So, they stood there all day long until evening when the firing squad ended this agony. Henson then told the eighth terrified member that he would be set free and told to go back home and tell his kinsmen what would happen to them if they were caught trying to forment trouble. All Moro terrorist activity came to an abrupt end in less that three weeks due to the the spreading of this warning.
That lesson comes from history, but what does it have to do with the Moslem faith and how does paradox inter the equation? Answer: There seems to be an ingrained weakness built into this belief system, which leaves me with two options. First, either Allah, permitted a devout follower to go to hell in obeying the Koran by dying after being tainted with pork. (Think of the Moslem warriors who died in battle against Crusaders who oiled their weapons to preserve them with pork fat). Or didn’t Allah know that he would loose a follower if that follower became tainted with pork? If the rational is that I misinterpret this belief then I would answer that in real life examples of a living faith, that the Moslem nations of south-east Asia understood this otherwise and ended any progress that they could achieve due to a “cultural understanding” they believed caused by pork. Is this problem still relevant today? My understanding is that bullets tipped with lard have the same effect now as in times past. So, why would I even consider to want to become a Moslem if my future outlook between heaven and hell included this possible outcome. Besides I would much prefer, the wisdom of experiencing a profound love even for my enemy than just a feeling of obedience and submission to a higher power. Long live love and paradox.
After 9/11, because of potential repercussions, I decided to take a closer look at the Moslem world and found that paradox is alive and well even here.
Case in point: When I lived in the Phillipines, I learned about the Spanish efforts to subdue the Moslem northern thrust into this land. Unfortunately, the Spanish didn’t seem too successful in stopping the depredations of the Moros. They found themselves in much the same predicament as we now find ourselves in Iraq, with officials being killed, buildings being blown up and the assassinations of civilians. Many of the Moslems were heaven bound on Jihad against these infidels and nothing could stop them. However, when the Americans arrived and ran into the Moro welcoming tactics, they were able to stop what the Spanish never could by using the Moslem faith against itself. At that time Gen. Henson was at wits end until he discovered a inherent Moro weakness that had gone unnoticed by the Spanish. So having caught eight terrorist in the act, he had a trial and having found them guilty pronounced their death sentence for the next day. These were brave men who now knew that heaven was their reward. The next morning, they were marched out to be tied to eight post. However there were seven in a row and the eighth was posted facing them. There they stood proudly defiant, that was until Gen. Henson had a hog brought out and proceeded to slaughter it and then smear the seven with the blood and fat from the pig. Almost instantly, what was bravery and bravado turned into dread and then panic as the seven began to beg for their lives. Unfortunately, for them the general had found out that the Moslems believe that if they are tainted with pork and die that they will go to hell. So, they stood there all day long until evening when the firing squad ended this agony. Henson then told the eighth terrified member that he would be set free and told to go back home and tell his kinsmen what would happen to them if they were caught trying to forment trouble. All Moro terrorist activity came to an abrupt end in less that three weeks due to the the spreading of this warning.
That lesson comes from history, but what does it have to do with the Moslem faith and how does paradox inter the equation? Answer: There seems to be an ingrained weakness built into this belief system, which leaves me with two options. First, either Allah, permitted a devout follower to go to hell in obeying the Koran by dying after being tainted with pork. (Think of the Moslem warriors who died in battle against Crusaders who oiled their weapons to preserve them with pork fat). Or didn’t Allah know that he would loose a follower if that follower became tainted with pork? If the rational is that I misinterpret this belief then I would answer that in real life examples of a living faith, that the Moslem nations of south-east Asia understood this otherwise and ended any progress that they could achieve due to a “cultural understanding” they believed caused by pork. Is this problem still relevant today? My understanding is that bullets tipped with lard have the same effect now as in times past. So, why would I even consider to want to become a Moslem if my future outlook between heaven and hell included this possible outcome. Besides I would much prefer, the wisdom of experiencing a profound love even for my enemy than just a feeling of obedience and submission to a higher power. Long live love and paradox.
