Hello everyone! I realize it’s been a month. Sorry.
What have I been up to? Welp, I’ve decided to give some installments into the life of Nate, which I will do over the next couple of weeks, in a series (oooooo, a series!) of posts called “Know Your Faith”. To start these things off, I wanted to share about my experiences with Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs, not Mormons).
The following thoughts are based on my reading and interaction with actual, real people who are Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses. I do not profess to be an expert in Islamic or JW theology, I am only writing in regards to what I have experienced in countless hours of conversation and personal study. I would love to hear from anyone—Muslim, JW, or the average Joe or Jane—who might have anything to add or subtract. That said, on with the reflection.
Looking back over the last two or three years, I’ve noticed a trend: I always look to find and meet with Muslim men, and the JWs always seem to find and meet with me. Muslims are strict monotheists (maybe even more so than the Jews, given the focus on the transcendence of God). On the other hand, the JWs, who believe Yahweh (a.k.a., Jehovah), the Almighty, Eternal God and Jesus are two distinct gods (Jesus, in fact, being the first creation of Yahweh), and the Holy Spirit is the active force of God in the world, are bi- or polytheist, depending on how far your want to take the interpretation. Both faiths have a certain “gnosis”—knowledge—to them. That is, there are certain “things you need to know/do/say” to be “on the up and up” or “down low” or “in”. For the Muslims, it’s the Shahadah: “La ilaha illa Allah, Mohammad Rasul Allah” (There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God). Just saying this makes you a Muslims, and therefore, “in” (granted, there’s the five Pilars, but as I said, I’m going off the conversations I’ve had). The JWs on the other hand, are preoccupied with orthodoxy, or “right worship/praise”. This includes the “orthodox” of The Almighty Yahweh, and, separately, Jesus, His only begotten Son, who died for our sins, was raised by Yahweh, and is now seated at “His right hand” (read here that Yahweh and Jesus are to be worshiped/adored in separate senses, because they are separate entities).
There’s a lot more in all of this than I can possibly write right now. But why am I writing about this anyway? What’s the big deal?
1. I have a tremendous amount of respect and love for Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses. For Muslims, they have an unshakable, untiring understanding of their faith and their world. God (“Allah” is just the Arabic word for God) created everything and everyone, and is the only thing worthy of worship and sacrifice. Every Muslim I have ever spoken to, whether they practice faithfully, or barely practice their faith will say to their dying breath, “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad Rasul Allah.” Many Christians I know and interact with are not this firm in their faith, or confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, much less their devotion to the Triune God. For the JWs, I know few people who are as studious, meticulous and well versed in Scripture, and who are so thoroughly convicted about what they believe is the correct interpretation of Scripture. It is awe-inspiring to watch my one of JW friends, Enrique, recite verse after verse, and cite scholar after scholar (most are Protestant, Evangelical scholars), knowledge that has come from a lifetime of devotion to Jehovah and His Holy Scriptures.
2. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,” (Proverbs 27:17). Let me be very clear. I am an orthodox/catholic/protestant/evangelical Christian. I believe in the One God, who is revealed in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How then, is it, that Muslims and JWs sharpen me? First of all, both of these faiths drive me deep into Scripture, prayer, and the heart of God. They make me examine thoroughly my own beliefs and experiences, and help me to articulate what I believe, read, and know to be Truth. They both push me into the history and tradition of the Church; the good, the bad, and the ugly history and tradition of the Church. And they are both quickly growing presences in the vacuum created by the failed “institutional church”. To quote Jack Nicholson from the movie “As Good as it Gets”, Muslims and JWs, “Make me want to be a better man.” They challenge me to be a man versed in Scripture, guided by the Spirit in everything that I say and do. They keep me on my toes, keep me fit, and keep me sharp.
3. This is the reality all over the world. If we as Trinitarian Christians cannot keep up, do not wrestle with and incarnate our faith, and sit around like bumps on a log, what will happen? If we don’t know how to respond to the Muslim religion or the Jehovah’s Witness heresy, or fumble our words when speaking to real people who are Muslims or JWs, what will happen?
Know your faith. Know our faith. The faith of our fathers and mothers. “We are not alone, we did not begin here.”
I’ll write more soon.
Grace and Peace,
Nate
