mirror polishing

Submitted by Mohammed Waza Khiddif Id'ullah (Australia), Sep 18, 2015 at 07:07

"...If God wants the imam to go to the Hajj, then he should do it. If He wants me to pick my nose, then I should do that. In either case, what is "right", is to obey God; and what is "wrong" is to disobey Him. That ought to be obvious."

But to the imam - by not doing what they think God tells muslims should expect non-muslims to do - you're not following 'God' . (or their interpretation thereof. Just like they don't follow your interpretation. )

'...so if God wanted a man to become an imam in the first place, He certainly would want that imam to go to the Hajj. "

Why would God want anything of the sort? ;

"....but he would be doing what God called him to do..."

He would be acting out ideas programmed into him by his environment and generations of muslim belief, believing what he thinks his so-called scriptures mean - mixed together with his own misapprehensions, fears, expectations . J.and possibly several voces in his head.... just like mohammed, come to think of it.

to obey His commandments, and to believe the ones He has sent, who come in His name.

The commandments in the Koran, Gita, Bible....etc? Mohammed? Which ones in particular? Culturally biased choices!

" What if someone you loved were being threatened? Would you kill her assainlant, if need be, to protect her? I'd say it would be the decent thing to do."

I should have included that circumstance. Yes, I'd incapacitate somebody without hesitation. And if that led to the assailant's death - it certainly would not concern me in the moment. Afterwards I'd be more reflective and go through all the 'what-ifs' - but knowing they would be futile conjecture.

Uncle Sam wanted me to go kill Viet Cong, because they were committing the unpardonable offense of fighting for their courntry.

On the ground, they were also trying to kill Americans and anti-communist South Vietnamese - so it was either you or them

"I had a hard time with that idea, but over a million other Americans saw no problem with it..."

Given enough pharmaceuticals - you could probably rationalise anything!

"fully intent on killing peple who had never and would never hurt them? "

but those people were intent on killing Americans - and they did.

"...The time is coming, when Americans, Australians, and people of all nations will be called upon to attack Israel, thinking the Jews to be somehow as wicked as the Jihadi crazies who are executing innocent people point-blank with every coneivable weapon. .."

I do not know of anyone who thinks the Jews are crazy or have ever shown signs of executing innoent people. In fact most people I know think the Jews are showing an immense amount of restraint, carving out a modern oasis , surrounded by a desert of open hostility. . Events over the last few years have made us aware of just what the Jews have to deal with and who the real crazies are.

"...They will go after the Jews, thinking they are ridding the world of evil; and they will go after beievers such as me, thinking they are ridding the world of evil..."

That sounds like instructions coming straight out of the koran.

"I sense that the world is rather full of "born-again" experiences and other "Eureka!" moments. Sometimes they are life-changing, often for the good. A close friend of mine set himself on fire, thinking the Holy Spirit led him to do it. "

just like the aforementioned imam wanting to go to the hajj..... listening to voices in the head whispering instructions is fraught with danger.

"...Another close friend, convinced he had a "correct" understanding of God's will, ran off with a married woman and broke up two families."

Truth sets you free - it never instructs you to commit actions with disastrous consequences

I also once had an "inner experience",

Every experience is inner - we established this some time back! I think you mean to qualify this as 'deep inner experience' maybe? Or much deeper than 'normal' anyway.

which I usually refer to as my "interview with God". Here's how it transpired: While a teenager, my sister and I picked up the large, decorative bible on our coffee table and secretly read through Genesis and part of Exodus (We were Catholics, which in those days meant we did it secretly).

LOL! Didn't want to be seen as being interested?

, I took the car to a junk yard and got on the bus to look up a girlfriend on the other side of the US. In the Counterculture, this was "normal" behavior -- I suppose it was something like the Abos' "walkabout".

Frolicking along on the hippy trail.

" I did virtually nothing in those days, save be-bopping around the forest; "

We are given a life to enjoy, there's really no unstated requirement to be miserable - so be-bopping aroud the forest was entirely appropriate at the time no doubt. Of course, looking back - we could all have done things totally differently - or could we?

"... so gathered up mud and fallen timber, and proceeded to work on my lean-to."

Crikey!! Now that's real blackfella stuff - and this was before you came to Australia?

"...It was then, that I realized how futile it was to think I could even keep one commandment..."

Yes, funny isn't it - we can't even really trust ourselves - but still put faith in other people! Who logically we should but don't realise, are in the same predicament.

"... Now I had come to my "interview with God", in which I was "enlightened" to the fact that the Bible I had read months before was really the word of God, that God was real, and that Jesus was alive."

Well, as you'd know, everyone's steps to wholeness are initiated in different ways and occur in unexpected ways.

"..., Buddhists are still going around, trying to become Buddhas and attain to Nivana."

What happens before enlightenment - carry water and chop wood. What happens after enlightenment - carry water and chop wood.

Unfortunately you have to drop the 'seeking' , in a way. The thing to see is that trying to attain enlightenment is a delusion. The light is already there. All this 'trying' is ultimately taking you away from where you want to be. A baby doesn't try to laugh - ii just laughs. He/she just fllows his/her real nature. Buddhists would say that you should focus on removing inner defilements. Sort of like polishing a mirror to make light reflect more brightly.

All I've done is read the book and try to do what it says.

Th book is just a part of it - but yes, discipline is needed though not in a harsh way.

I don't live in any sort of ongoing "self-discovery".

That's a pity. There's a whole inner universe to discover.

"As I said, I have known people who imagined they were living in such a "self-discovery";

So how big was the sample? Were they imagining it? How could you know? Did they think you were imagining your experiences? How could they know?

but they only met with disasters and passed them on to others. That's why I'm agin' it."

Many disasters are self-created by deluded minds. And many people make the mistake of thinking they are clear when they are not and in fact jut under the thrall of their spiritual ego.

As I write this, there are eight more days until Fall here and Spring where you are.

Spring starts September 1 here - I don't think you wrote this 26 days ago! I can only think you guys must mark spring at the equinox then.

Drat!! The sun will stat coming up too early now and we'll go into Daylight Saving. And they forecast a bad El Nino - long, hot summer days, bushfires, drought.... nothing new there!

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