Thought for Sunday, November 16, 2014: Misreading the Written Word

“In a language as idiomatically stressed as English, opportunities for misreadings are bound to arise. By a mere backward movement of stress, a verb can become a noun, an act a thing. To refuse, to insist on saying no to what you believe is wrong, becomes at a stroke refuse, an insurmountable pile of garbage.” 

-- Ian McEwan, "Amsterdam"

Have you ever read something in a novel and found you had to go back to read it again because it didn't make sense the first time around?  Sometimes it's due to a confusing sentence on the author's part; at times it's due to a preconception on our part as to what we thought was meant due to our limited points of reference.  But, this is a novel, not a presentation of information for argument or a debate.  

Someone commented on a monastery newsletter article, about Islam, quoting the Qur'an twelve times.  When one quotes it is a difficult task not to take what is quoted out of context.  Just about every quote was.  Not only out of context but many also seemed to be, for the most part, paraphrased and reinterpreted.  Without going through the entire list, I'll use the just one as an example:

"Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them."

Koran 2:191

First of all, even my spell-check is trying to correct "Koran" to "Qur'an."  Second of all the quote is only the first half of the first sentence and incorrect in any case.

"And slay them wherever you catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque, unless they fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them.  Such is the reward of those who suppress faith."

Now it seems to read more like the old philosophy of an eye for an eye.  But let's go one more step and look at the surah prior to this one, 2:190, in order to get some context:

"Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God does not love transgressors." 

Whoa!  Now wait a minute.  So this is all dealing with someone who has started some fighting against Islam.  Now we have context.

I use Islam as my example because of common misconceptions we all harbor about this "peaceful" religion.  We have these misconceptions because we believe what we read without going into the documents ourselves and putting it proper context.  Where Islam is concerned I would recommend everyone consider Surah 2:190 when discussing radical Islam.  "...but do not transgress limits; for God does not love transgressors."  Terrorists transgress limits set by God constantly.  My question is, does this make them Muslims or heretics?  

My point, however, is that our misconceptions generally come from piss poor reporting by news agencies, quotes that are taken out of context, quotes that are misquoted, and our own innate gullibility to believe everything we read or are told without doing our own due diligence so we can separate the truth and fact from all the smoke and mirrors of personal and political agendas.

Let's go back, now, to the opening quote from McEwan where he discusses "refuse."  Did you understand it to begin with?  Did you catch the two different meanings of the word, or was it confusing?  He tells you, right there, what each meaning is, yet some completely miss the point.

This Sunday, consider not believing everything you read just because you base your faith in it on misplaced trust.  Before you get into the "braying contest with a jackass," consider doing your own due diligence.  Find out the truth.  We all fall from grace, some of us more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

"And you will know the truth, and that truth will set you free."

John 8:32

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor