Classroom talking points

1. Faith is not blind.
2. God is not random.
3. Scripture has to be read with intelligence.
4. The world's religions seek truth and hold to it as they see it; Catholics understand that the heart of wisdom is within Jesus' teachings, preserved and protected by their Tradition.

Now this is another piece of the puzzle

Remnants of a pre-Islamic monastery have been discovered in U.A.E.  It appears that for at least a time it existed contemporaneously with the nascent Islamic communities in the region.  This is very valuable for those who are concerned with periods of religious co-existence, when they occur.

Sermon on the Mount video

Church inaugurated in 2006:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wZzPXuNl1g

Muslims and Jews

In preparing for the next Asian Cultures class, I took some time to troll the Islamic religious web--not the radicals, but those who seek to educate about mainstream Islam. Almost all include a list of the prophets, up to "the seal of the Prophets," Muhammad (PBUH). It seems that one conclusion is inescapable from the theological standpoint: Muslims need Jews. The Qur'an says so. The radical Islamists must eventually realize this because, ultimately, to seek to destroy the Jews--even the "Zionist entity"--means to seek to cut off some critical parts of heritage, historical memory, and theological foundation.