THINKING OR SINKING?

Questionable differences between Christianity and Islam: the Question of Interpretation...Biblical and Qur'anic verses

For time immemorial,Man destroys to complicate while History reconstructs to indicate;circumstances misinterpret while objectivity scientifies.

Religion is a baffling mystery (in this 21st century society). "Religion is constantly in the making." Lobsang Rampa observed. Believers,all have for long sort of been pocketed. Members of the Intelligentsia,extend the message below to world estimable theologians!

-What religion is practiced in this century in its real sense?
-Are the Arabs that islamized the Sudanese and other peoples now being as Islamic as they are supposed to be?
-Is the Christian Europe that christianized many Africans and other peoples presently being as Christian as they are supposed to be?
Now,the last questions for theologians :

-Is religion genuinely for God,for gods,or for politics,or -yes!- for money?

-Do we really have religion or just some mystified set of religionized systems that covertly favor the authorities and their colleagues?

The questions above are ONLY meant to question the Question of Differences between Man and man;Man and Nature and the out-come of the relationship..

Well,though Bakano doesn't have the privilege to play the theologian here, consider the reasoning below based on my little,but guided experience.

WE,Human Beings,are not only relatives,but blood sisters and brothers of the same one and only family. If there exists some difference,then it's our being females and males,hence still sisters and brothers which still takes us back to square A.

Dear Intellectual Reader! Do you happen to respect the Scriptures: the Holy Bible and the Holy Qur'an? Well,check to see our being products of both Adam and Eve!

Even respectable Atheists would agree that,Man shares more similarities with his fellow humans than differences. Now,most of these so-called differences aren't natural,but artificial...created based on and due to certain conditions: positives and negatives;the latter comprises of selfishness, intolerance,racism, tribalism, barbarism...just damned infectious "isms" of the like! Now,supposed we weigh these similarities and the so-thought differences,on a scale of CIVILITY?

Genetically,according to the obstetrics professor,Derek Llewellyn-Jones (in his book,Every Woman),"human beings,so complex in their behavior,so different from their fellows,develop from a single fertilized cell."
The phrase above,"single fertilized cell," means the same type of cell throughout Man's history.

Based on the Professor's research,furthermore,it is the same amount and type of autosomes and two X chromosomes that combine to make a girl,all the females,dead and the living! The making of a boy,on the other hand,contains the same X chromosomes and Y chromosomes! This genetic fact remains so,irrespective of peoples' traditions,cultures,norms and values.

Beloved Christians! It is with due respect that I beg you in the Estimable Name of Christ,the Redeemer...

Dear Muslim Brethren! I ask you in the Glorified Names of Allah...

...to please say the difference between you and I and the rest of Human Beings!

Are Christianity and Islam not a stage? Didn't the former "appear" before the other,confirming of the latter? Is the latter not a product of the former?

Now,be CIVILIZED (coz it does take civility,of course)enough to intellectually go through the two Holy Books: the Bible and the Qur'an. Most of the chapters and verses;characters and themes;the do's and don'ts are more or less the same. Both Statements are believed to be God's Words. See?

Intellectuals!
The so-thought existing differences are more of interpretational,coz "the process of interpretation always leads to something else." Explained George Kwanashie (one of the ABU Historians BAKANO is privileged to be lectured by).

Even in the same religion,compare two or more interpreted versions of the Qur'an;or make an intellectual comparison between the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Holy Bible and at least two or more different versions of the Holy Text,like say,the American Standard Version (ASV).
I assure you you would see the indelibly bold differences the power of interpretation has made. These differences are more than just the use of personal pronouns "thee" for "you" or "thy" for "your," or the auxiliary verbs "art" for "are","shalt" for "shall",etcetera.

Intellectuals,when it comes to interpretation of whatsoever,you would see questionable PLUSES and MINUSES,ADDED and SUBTRACTED all in the same name of INTERPRETATION!

Now,would you take the trouble of checking Lobsang Rampa's work,CHAPTERS OF LIFE,page:207? I would like you to probe and prove the reality or otherwise of the fact above.
Dan Brown,in his book,The Da Vinci Code,has also shared his controversial perspective on the question of interpretation. Check it up!

But,why the references above? Such is an intellectual attempt to arouse your curiosity on the question of INTERPRETATION,Intellectuals.....coz it is this,among other questionable and baseless reasons that widen the artificially destroyed,but naturally bridgeable gaps between religions,particularly Christianity and Islam. It is this,among other facts that led and still leads to the emergence of conflicting divisions/sects which challenge the flourishing of global PEACE for the entire living organisms!

Just what is the term DIFFERENCE?

Personally,differences are,by inference,for reference purposes. But trust Bakano not,reason to realize.

Our home,this planet Earth,is an archive (call it a library if you like). Terms named continents,regions and nations,states and counties,languages and cultures,are all for REFERENCE PURPOSES without which the archive users would have it insufferably tough looking for one text or another. Such fixed terms become necessary,coz in every archive or library there always are shelves,carrying textbooks,bearing titles based on subjects,chronologically or alphabetically.

Now,Fellow Christian sisters and brothers,what do you make of 1 Peter 5:9 that when cautioning Man against the Satan,calls THE REST OF THE WORLD PEOPLE "your brotherhood"? Read the verse below:

"Resist him,steadfast in the faith knowing that same sufferings are experienced by YOUR BROTHERHOOD."

Muslim Brethren,do you remember Qur'an 7:27,which says:

"Oh children of Adam! Let not Satan deceive you,as he got YOUR PARENTS [Adam and Eve] out of paradise."

Did you note the above sentence and phrase? "OH CHILDREN OF ADAM!" and "...YOUR PARENTS [Adam and Eve]."

Intellectuals..just what's there in religion but PEACE and HARMONY? Just what is the reality in every genuine religion but OBEDIENCE and JUSTICE,CARE and KIND?
God! Hasn't religion been both PERSONALIZED and MYSTIFIED?

"I tell you," Bishop David Bakare observed,"even the blind can see the devil advancing to take over the world. Even the creation is under pressure."

But back to INTERPRETATION! Interpretational misunderstandings,
among other unfortunate factors,had played roles in the 16th century REFORMATION,leading to the emergence of sects (the Protestants,for example) in the Christendom for the first time in history. Same malice,among others,contributed to the avoidable,unnecessary bloodsheds within the respectable Faith.

Such was the case,among others furthermore,that led to division in Islam after the reigns of the four-rightly guided Caliphs(Abubakar,Aliyu,Umar, and Uthman) which saw not just the emergence of the Shiites,in particular,but the shameful bloodsheds in the peaceful Islam.

To cut it short,shouldn't we recognize and restore this natural sisterhood and brotherhood of the Human Race? Mustn't we be kind and friendly? Should the barbaric be ashamed of themselves! Even the so-called "animals" can be CARING,KIND and FRIENDLY. Think of that dog which is trained to guide the blind. I call him (yes,"HIM",not "IT",coz it's too HUMANE to be an "IT"),God's guide!

Well,each time I get graced to see "The Chosen",The Highly Esteemed that nature before him bows...that ONE,that crawls to toddle,then walks shuffle...Intellectuals, I never see an African or American,an Asian,European or an Arab;I do not see a toddler,a teenager,an adult or the aged,neither the poor nor the rich,leaders or the led,etcetera,coz all I 'see' is the PERFECT BEING called MAN;it is he the christened Adam,Bond,Bayajidda,Bush, Catherine,David,Enoch,Fleming, Garba,Hellen,John,,Leonardo, Mahatma,Obama,Oduduwa,Ojukwu, Patrick,Rabiu,Salim,Teresa,Umar, Victor,Walker,Malcolm,Zakari...you name HIM...coz all is there really is the feature,manKINDNESS!

By the way,Fellow Christian and Muslim Brethren,I'd like to give you the homework below:

LOVE:
1 Cor. 1:13
Rom. 13:8-10
Luke 10:27
1 John 4:48
Jude 21
Mat. 5:43-48
and Mat.22:39 etcetera

LANGUAGES
Qur'an 30:22,etcetera

FELLOWSHIP
Prov. 18:24
Prov. 27:19,etcetera

LIKENESS
Qur'an 3:59,etcetera


NEIGHBORLINESS
Qur'an 4:36,etcetera

ENDURANCE
James 5:10-11
Qur'an 95:5,etcetera

COMMUNITY/NATIVE
Qur'an 2:213
Qur'an 49:13,etcetera

FORGIVENESS
Eph. 4:31-32;
Mark 11:25-26;
1 John 1-9;etcetera

FORGIVENESS
Qur'an 28:54
Qur'an 41:34
Qur'an 23:96
Qur'an 3:134
Qur'an 42:40
Qur'an 39:53,etcetera

ONENESS
Gal. 3:28-29
Eph. 4:25
Prov. 22:2,etcetera

TOLERANCE
Gal. 6:2
Gal. 6:10
1 Cor. 6:7-8
2 Thes. 3:14,etcetera

PEACE
2 Cor. 13:11
James 3:18
2 Thes. 3:16,etcetera

COMPLETE THE REASONING YOURSELVES! JUST THINK! THINK FOR THE UNNECESSARILY STILL SUFFERING HUMANITY!
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(...written to right the wronged right,from BAKANO: the writer that writes to right wrongs,NOT to wrong right)
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(presented at British Council/Creative Writers' Forum,,Kano;
on November 24,2010;

and also at Manarat Private School,Danladi Nasidi Housing Estate,Kano,Nigeria;
on December 10,2010)
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(...yet another excerpt from BAKANO'S WORK:
-DO I THINK OR SINK?;
-BIBLICAL TREASURES;
-TREASURES FROM THE QUR'AN;
-WHO AM I?; and
-WHAT ANIMAL IS MAN?)
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Copy Right: 2013 BAKANO A.MURTALA
All Rights Reserved!
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Author's Note

PERSPECTIVELY ALL RIGHT,BUT OPEN TO INTELLLECTUAL CRITICISMS OF WHATSOEVER! ALL INTELLECTUALS ARE WELCOME,COZ LITERARY CRITICISMS ARE USEFUL CHECKS AND BALANCE DEVICES!