[Faith-Talk] List Messages from Mustafa

Fri Dec 6 21:29:01 UTC 2019

Good Afternoon,
Honestly said, I am sick and tired of the America bashing.  I came to
America as I have more opportunities here than I had where I came from.  I
am retired now and unable to work full time.  I am, therefore, doing
volunteer work with political organizations to make their websites totally
accessible to the blind.  If I have a chand I will encourage Churches to do
the same.  I probably have another 30 good years in this life.  I may have
had opportunities that other people may not have.  I am doing my best to
help younger blind people, so, they, too, can work and have a fulfilled
life.  This is my contribution.  I know that I have many faults.  I still
believe that: By their deeds you shall know them.

Best Regards,

Marianne

-----Original Message-----
From: Faith-Talk [mailto:faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER via Faith-Talk
Sent: Friday, December 6, 2019 11:46 AM
To: 'Faith-talk, for the discussion of Blindness in faith and religion'
<faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER <breslauerj at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Faith-Talk] List Messages from Mustafa

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

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