[Faith-Talk] List Messages from Mustafa

[BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER]

It seems to me that you are using a broad brush to put us all in a certain 
disliked category, be we Americans or Christians or whatever class of infidels 
you think we are.  This list is not for discussing Trump and whatever you or we 
may think of him.  We blind people in the United States do not all live on 
government assistance.  Not all Americans are racists.  I also think that it is 
disingenuous in the extreme to say that you don't instigate hatred with any of 
your threads, or that you haven't been disrespectful or hateful to anyone on 
this list, or to say that we have been disrespectful to you.  No one here has 
called you a terrorist or anything of the sort.  It would be easier to dialogue 
with you if you would at least own your part of the discourse.  If you were to 
be removed from this list, it would not be because of your theological opinion. 
Freedom of speech is not freedom to be disrespectful and to spread vicious 
lies.

No matter where we are from or what we believe, I think every problem we have 
as individuals or a society is due to one thing: a heart problem.  Do we love 
and serve God first and foremost above all else, and do we share the love of 
God with our neighbors, friends, and enemies to the best of our ability.  That 
is not always easy to do, and I don't think we all do it well.  Some of us 
don't do it at all.  But you will know us by our fruits.  A good tree doesn't 
bear bad fruit, and a bad tree doesn't bear good fruit.  I do not decide what 
is good or bad, by the way.

I once heard a sermon that I thought was particularly helpful.  I think it was 
called what's in your cup.  Say your heart is a cup of coffee or whatever. 
When you are upset or angry or jostled in some way, whatever is in your cup 
spills out and sloshes all over you and others.  Is it loving, patient, kind, 
etc., or is it caustic, bitter, angry, or hateful?  I think that is a good 
thing to ponder as individuals.  If there is something undesirable in our cup, 
we know what to do about it.

 I have a test I try to apply before I speak.  I am not always successful, but 
I try to keep this in mind.  Is what I say true?  Is it helpful?  Is it 
edifying to God?  If it doesn't pass those three criteria, then I should keep 
my mouth shut.  If I think my friend is ugly, it may be true, but it is likely 
not helpful or edifying.

It might also be helpful if you do not cross post messages to this list meant 
for others who are not on this list.

I don't think anyone here is asking you to abandon your religion.  I think some 
of your ideas about the United States or the people who live here are erroneous 
at best and misinformed at worst.  But actually, this discussion is off topic 
for this list also.  I think we would like to hear why and how you chose Islam, 
and how and where you get your information as a blind person.  How does being a 
Moslem inform your life's purpose?  Do you read the Quran in Braille, or access 
it in some other way?  How do you travel to a mosque, and how far is it from 
where you live?  Do the people with whom you worship respect you as a blind 
Moslem?  If you have a problem with anyone in your faith community regarding 
your blindness, how do you solve it?  If your blindness is not an issue, that's 
great, and we would love to hear about that, too.  Can you discuss such things 
without being defensive and hateful?  We shall see.

  You must know that not all Christians believe the same things exactly, and I 
am sure the same thing is true of other religions.  There are some 
denominations of Christianity or any other religion you can name that are more 
liberal or more conservative than others.  People interpret things differently. 
We do not know all of the truth from our earthly perspective, and we never 
will.  When we meet God, we will see and know more clearly.  Until then, we 
must labor under whatever misinterpretations or misconceptions or lack of 
understanding we all have as finite flawed human beings on this earth.

May God bless you on your journey.  Joy