@EINS_Institute

I’m not especially close to Scripture, but I don’t disagree. This is an excellent way of putting it.

@xankarn I'm a Muslim--albeit one who began his study of theology as a Catholic. I'm also scientist. One of the things I've always tried to do in my social media presence is to speak across these traditions to highlight their synergy; to illustrate what the Parliament of the World's Religions found back in 1991: that humans innately recognize and agree on about 85% of what constitutes moral truth.

There is a creative force in the universe. I call it God; maybe you call it Physics, but we agree that it is there. There is evil in the world that takes delight in destruction of beauty and in the pain of others, and tries to lure us toward the way of selfishness that creates those outcomes. I call it the devil; Ash-Shaytan; maybe you call it human nature, but we agree that it is there.

And it's only the latter that wins when we get all argumentative about what to call them & how to follow the former, and start fighting EACH OTHER rather than uniting against the latter. If there's a God to CARE ABOUT IT at all, He's made it plain that He alone can judge with full justice whether each one of us "did it right" -- and only after we've breathed our last.

"To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;" (Qur'an 5:48)

@EINS_Institute

Thank you for writing such a thoughtful post. I feel silly starring this or leaving a thumbs up emoji.

I think you’re right about the importance of common ground and the unfortunate tendency of so many to zero in on and amplify the areas of divergence and difference.

At the same time, I observe people like Trump across a clear moral line. I wouldn’t call him the Devil or the Devil’s agent, but he embodies a moral void, which I consider ruinous to our shared humanity.

@xankarn Hes definitely not the devil--and as both an aspiring Islamic scholar AND AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, I dont believe hes the literal dajjal (basically the antichrist), either; i think we have a few more generations until the LITERAL end times, but im reasonably convinced they will kick off in earnest with a nuclear exchange between Israel and Iran.

Back on Xitter, though, I did once post a tongue-in-cheek "mathematical proof" that Donald Trump is the antichrist, based on being able to predict his moves by asking "What Would Jesus Do" and then forecasting THE OPPOSITE. 😅 And the #Donjjal just made too obvious a nickname for me to pass up!