[I even have 5 links!]
The class blog site didn’t work and I was disappointed. I think that people forgot about it because they didn’t get involved in the first place. I posted my questions, but only 1 or 2 people signed up and most didn’t get answered. No one else really posted questions on there so I could help them, either. That should probably be a bigger deal next year.
I have to say that even though I don’t like doing blogs, I think that they have helped me with my writing skills. Plus, when I looked over all the blog posts I’d done this year, I had a sense of accomplishment. At the beginning of the year, I was just learning how to work Blogger, and now I’ve got it down.
I liked how the videos expanded much more than the book and were actually interesting. They went with the subjects we were learning and added a bit of change to the class (as well as the humor. Your stories can be a little interesting, shall we say,] too. It made me laugh.) Our other classes don’t really show us videos. (Unless it’s just a cartoon when we have a sub.)
Something else that I like about the time we have in class is the discussions. Stopping the video and explaining it helps me get notes that I can use on blogs. Going through and dissecting the chapter helps me understand it better, too. Both the videos and the book can be unclear in what they mean to someone who is just learning it, but when you explain, it all makes more sense.
I think that one of my favorite parts of the class was when we would talk about what was happening in the world recently. I think that when we say “history,” a lot of us think “ancient.” What we don’t realize is that we are making history every day and the people who should know about it best are the people living at that time. That’s how we get writings passed down to us from ancient cultures-people understand what is going on and write it down.
Overall, I think that it was a great class and almost everything went well.
P.S. The gummy bears WILL get revenge. They are marching to unite.
In the meantime, enjoy!!! :) :) :)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Hey, I know some of these people!!! :) And Mr. Lockwood, here's a note on my hw
Mr. Lockwood: Don't forget to check your early box! 3 of my assignments are in there. :)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Comparing and Contrasting the 5 Pillars of Islam and Christianity
Any Bible verses listed can be looked up here.
1. Shahadah: Worship God (Allah) alone. (Islam)
This is “the Muslim profession of faith: ‘There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.’… It must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, aloud, correctly, and purposively, with a full understanding of its meaning and with an assent of the heart.” (source) However, most Muslims say this prayer everyday.
Christians must also believe that there is only one God. However, we do not consider one prophet to be the best out of all of them. The closest Christians come to the Muslim profession of faith is when we pray to accept Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior. However, we do not have to accept Him into our hearts every day, but only once. He stays in and doesn’t leave. (Hebrews 13:5)
2. Salah: Pray 5 times a day. (Islam)
“Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life.” (source) A usual prayer goes like this: “Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe!, The compassionate, the Merciful, King of the Day of Judgment!. You alone we worship, and to you alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have favored, not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.” (source) Muslims saying the prayers kneel on their prayer rugs, facing Mecca. If they are already in Mecca, they face the Kabbah. Some Muslims even build their houses to face Mecca!
Christians do not have a designated number of times a day they should pray, but 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray continually.” We can pray anywhere, also. (Psalms 139: 1-16.) Matthew 6: 5-14 also gives us a guideline of how we should pray. However, we do not have to kneel or face a certain location since our prayers go to heaven. Christians usually attend church on a regular basis, also. While Muslims attend church on Fridays, most Christians attend on Sunday or Saturday night. However, the day attended is not a major difference.
3. Zakah: Give regularly to charity. (Islam)
“Zakah is to be paid once a year on savings at the rate of two and a half percent. This rate applies to cash, bank savings and gold and silver jewelry. The rate of cattle and agricultural produce is different. Payment of Zakah is a form of worship and its main importance lies in the fact that it fosters in us the qualities of sacrifice and rids us of selfishness and greed.” (source)
Christians are to give to charity secretly, not to announce it and promote themselves as generous. (Matthew 6: 1-4) Leviticus 27: 30-34 tells us that the Israelites were to give 1/10 of their earnings, as is what we do today. Our mindsets should be that since God gave us everything we have, we should be willing to give back 10% (and more.)
4. Sawm: Fast for 30 days during the period of Ramadan. (The holy month of Islam.) (Islam)
“When the night comes, people wait for a signal marking the end of Sawm for that specific day. This is marked by a gunshot…calling from the mosques; and in modern times, through TV and radio. The first thing all Muslims do is drink some water, then a traditional meal called iftar is eaten, where eating together with other people is considered very important. During the iftar, streets are totally empty, and all families are gathered in the houses.” (source) If a Muslim breaks the fast one day, he must make up for that day after Sawm.
Matthew 6: 16-18 tells us that we are to fast in secret and not tell the world that we are doing it to show how “righteous” we are. Fasting is for God alone and no one else. We are to do it quietly and try not to let it show to anyone. We do not have a certain time when all Christians do it, but those who follow the tradition of Lent do it from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
5. Hajj: Make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life. (Islam)
The Muslim must be pure before Allah, then he says a prayer. The pilgrim enters the Holy Mosque at Mecca, right foot first, and recites the prayer… [Then] the pilgrim performs the tawaf. This is a counter-clockwise procession which circles” (source) the Kabah, (meaning ‘the cube,’) a black box built by Abraham and Ishmael. (Thompson) “Followers of Islam who cannot go on a Hajj because of ill health or lack of money are excused from the obligation." (source)
This is probably the biggest difference between the 5 pillars of Islam and Christianity. Christians do not have to make a trip anywhere in order to complete their salvation. We believe that Christ alone is our way to heaven. God is perfectly just and knows that we all deserve to die for our sins. However, He is also a God of mercy, so He sent His perfect Son to take the punishment for us. Jesus came down to earth and willingly gave up His life on the cross, where He bore our sins. However, in 3 days He rose from the dead, something only God can do. If we accept Him into our hearts as our Savior, we will go to heaven to be with Him for all eternity. It is through Christ alone that we are saved from our sin, not by anything that we can do. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Richards)
Works Cited
Islam-NBC News Video
Richards, Lawrence O. The New Adventure Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: ZondervanPublishingHouse. 1989.
Thompson, Linwood. High School Level—World History: The Fertile Crescent to the American Revolution-The Rise of Islam. Chantily, VA. 1997
Muslims bowing in prayer
A Christian praying
1. Shahadah: Worship God (Allah) alone. (Islam)
This is “the Muslim profession of faith: ‘There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.’… It must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, aloud, correctly, and purposively, with a full understanding of its meaning and with an assent of the heart.” (source) However, most Muslims say this prayer everyday.
Christians must also believe that there is only one God. However, we do not consider one prophet to be the best out of all of them. The closest Christians come to the Muslim profession of faith is when we pray to accept Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior. However, we do not have to accept Him into our hearts every day, but only once. He stays in and doesn’t leave. (Hebrews 13:5)
2. Salah: Pray 5 times a day. (Islam)
“Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life.” (source) A usual prayer goes like this: “Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe!, The compassionate, the Merciful, King of the Day of Judgment!. You alone we worship, and to you alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have favored, not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.” (source) Muslims saying the prayers kneel on their prayer rugs, facing Mecca. If they are already in Mecca, they face the Kabbah. Some Muslims even build their houses to face Mecca!
Christians do not have a designated number of times a day they should pray, but 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray continually.” We can pray anywhere, also. (Psalms 139: 1-16.) Matthew 6: 5-14 also gives us a guideline of how we should pray. However, we do not have to kneel or face a certain location since our prayers go to heaven. Christians usually attend church on a regular basis, also. While Muslims attend church on Fridays, most Christians attend on Sunday or Saturday night. However, the day attended is not a major difference.
3. Zakah: Give regularly to charity. (Islam)
“Zakah is to be paid once a year on savings at the rate of two and a half percent. This rate applies to cash, bank savings and gold and silver jewelry. The rate of cattle and agricultural produce is different. Payment of Zakah is a form of worship and its main importance lies in the fact that it fosters in us the qualities of sacrifice and rids us of selfishness and greed.” (source)
Christians are to give to charity secretly, not to announce it and promote themselves as generous. (Matthew 6: 1-4) Leviticus 27: 30-34 tells us that the Israelites were to give 1/10 of their earnings, as is what we do today. Our mindsets should be that since God gave us everything we have, we should be willing to give back 10% (and more.)
4. Sawm: Fast for 30 days during the period of Ramadan. (The holy month of Islam.) (Islam)
“When the night comes, people wait for a signal marking the end of Sawm for that specific day. This is marked by a gunshot…calling from the mosques; and in modern times, through TV and radio. The first thing all Muslims do is drink some water, then a traditional meal called iftar is eaten, where eating together with other people is considered very important. During the iftar, streets are totally empty, and all families are gathered in the houses.” (source) If a Muslim breaks the fast one day, he must make up for that day after Sawm.
Matthew 6: 16-18 tells us that we are to fast in secret and not tell the world that we are doing it to show how “righteous” we are. Fasting is for God alone and no one else. We are to do it quietly and try not to let it show to anyone. We do not have a certain time when all Christians do it, but those who follow the tradition of Lent do it from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
5. Hajj: Make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life. (Islam)
The Muslim must be pure before Allah, then he says a prayer. The pilgrim enters the Holy Mosque at Mecca, right foot first, and recites the prayer… [Then] the pilgrim performs the tawaf. This is a counter-clockwise procession which circles” (source) the Kabah, (meaning ‘the cube,’) a black box built by Abraham and Ishmael. (Thompson) “Followers of Islam who cannot go on a Hajj because of ill health or lack of money are excused from the obligation." (source)
This is probably the biggest difference between the 5 pillars of Islam and Christianity. Christians do not have to make a trip anywhere in order to complete their salvation. We believe that Christ alone is our way to heaven. God is perfectly just and knows that we all deserve to die for our sins. However, He is also a God of mercy, so He sent His perfect Son to take the punishment for us. Jesus came down to earth and willingly gave up His life on the cross, where He bore our sins. However, in 3 days He rose from the dead, something only God can do. If we accept Him into our hearts as our Savior, we will go to heaven to be with Him for all eternity. It is through Christ alone that we are saved from our sin, not by anything that we can do. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Richards)
Works Cited
Islam-NBC News Video
Richards, Lawrence O. The New Adventure Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: ZondervanPublishingHouse. 1989.
Thompson, Linwood. High School Level—World History: The Fertile Crescent to the American Revolution-The Rise of Islam. Chantily, VA. 1997
Muslims bowing in prayer
A Christian praying
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Muslim Conquest of Byzantium
Note: THIS BLOG POST IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY! Please do not post any comments (except my teacher) on this post. My instructions are to not reply to them. Thank you!
Note 2 my teacher: I had a really hard time finding information on this subject... Was it just me? :(
“The Byzantine defeat at the battle of Yarmuk in 636 led to the loss of Syria, rapidly followed by Egypt and other North African possessions.” (source)
“The Byzantine Empire was the wedge that separated the Islamic world from the West and was in a vulnerable middle position. Although the Byzantines managed to survive the initial attacks of the Muslims… they always had to worry about new invasions.” (source) “The patriarchal caliphs and later the Umayyad caliphs… really had their sights on Byzantine territory—in fact, the conquest of Byzantium itself.” (source)
“Ghazis, or Muslim holy warriors, launched numerous raids on Byzantine territory throughout the century and successfully internationalized their anti-Byzantine struggle by drawing in other peoples to join in the “defensive” effort to hold earlier Muslim conquests and keep Byzantium hemmed into easily assaulted frontiers.” (source)
“The century opened with a…Muslim success: the Arab sack of the second city of Byzantium, Thessalonica, on July 29, 903, enslaving 30,000 Christians. In 931, Muslim raiding parties reached as far as Ankuriya (modern Ankara), deep in Byzantine territory, and took thousands more Christians captive.” (source)
This early spread of Islam was under the principle of “jihad.” If a Muslim (meaning “submitter”) died for Allah, he would go straight to paradise. The interesting part is that Muhammad actually taught “tolerance” of Christianity and Judaism as long as they paid a tax, but that rule kind of faded away later and the violence got worse. (Thompson, Video)
Works Cited
Thompson, Linwood. High School Level—World History: The Fertile Crescent to The American Revolution-The Rise of Islam. Chantily, VA. 1997
Video we just watched in class on Islam by the Library Series
Note 2 my teacher: I had a really hard time finding information on this subject... Was it just me? :(
“The Byzantine defeat at the battle of Yarmuk in 636 led to the loss of Syria, rapidly followed by Egypt and other North African possessions.” (source)
“The Byzantine Empire was the wedge that separated the Islamic world from the West and was in a vulnerable middle position. Although the Byzantines managed to survive the initial attacks of the Muslims… they always had to worry about new invasions.” (source) “The patriarchal caliphs and later the Umayyad caliphs… really had their sights on Byzantine territory—in fact, the conquest of Byzantium itself.” (source)
“Ghazis, or Muslim holy warriors, launched numerous raids on Byzantine territory throughout the century and successfully internationalized their anti-Byzantine struggle by drawing in other peoples to join in the “defensive” effort to hold earlier Muslim conquests and keep Byzantium hemmed into easily assaulted frontiers.” (source)
“The century opened with a…Muslim success: the Arab sack of the second city of Byzantium, Thessalonica, on July 29, 903, enslaving 30,000 Christians. In 931, Muslim raiding parties reached as far as Ankuriya (modern Ankara), deep in Byzantine territory, and took thousands more Christians captive.” (source)
This early spread of Islam was under the principle of “jihad.” If a Muslim (meaning “submitter”) died for Allah, he would go straight to paradise. The interesting part is that Muhammad actually taught “tolerance” of Christianity and Judaism as long as they paid a tax, but that rule kind of faded away later and the violence got worse. (Thompson, Video)
Works Cited
Thompson, Linwood. High School Level—World History: The Fertile Crescent to The American Revolution-The Rise of Islam. Chantily, VA. 1997
Video we just watched in class on Islam by the Library Series
Saturday, May 3, 2008
The differences between the Shi'a and Sunni sects of Islam
Note: THIS BLOG POST IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY! Please do not post any comments (except my teacher) on this post. My instructions are to not reply to them. Thank you!
“The division between Shi’a and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the prophet's companions, that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. This is what was done, and the Prophet Muhammad's close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr, [also Muhammad’s father-in-law,] became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation.... On the other hand, some Muslims share the belief that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet's own family, among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself. The Shi’a Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali.” (source) “The word ‘Sunni’ in Arabic comes from a word meaning ‘one who follows the traditions of the Prophet.’” (source) The word “Shi’a” derived from “Shiat Ali,” meaning “party of Ali.” (source, Thompson)
“Shia Muslims believe that the Imam [prayer leader and elder of mosque] is sinless by nature, and that his authority is infallible as it comes directly from God. Therefore, Shia Muslims often venerate the Imams as saints and perform pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of divine intercession. Sunni Muslims counter that there is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders, and certainly no basis for the veneration or intercession of saints. Sunni Muslims contend that leadership of the community is not a birthright, but a trust that is earned and which may be given or taken away by the people themselves.” (source)
Another difference is that “Sunnis generally go to mosques; Shiites go to Husseineyyahs. A Husseineyyah is, for all intents and purposes, a mosque where, in addition to the usual prayers and services, additional services are performed in mourning of the Imam Hussein (Imam Ali's son and Prophet Muhammad's grandson who is buried in Kerbala and who is much revered by most Muslims but particularly by Shiites for his heroic stand for what he believed in, in the face of certain death. In an uneven battle, he and all 72 of his extended family were massacred.)” (source)
Some other facts are that Sunni are allowed to conceal their faith under certain circumstances for self-protection. This is emphasized for the Shi’a. The Shi’a also “tend to combine prayers, sometimes worshipping three times per day instead of five” (source) like the Sunni. “Shia Islam also permits muttah - fixed-term temporary marriage - which is now banned by the Sunnis.” (source) The Sunni are found in most Muslim countries, but the Shi’a are mostly found in Iraq, Iran, and Yemen. Sunni take up most of the Muslim population with 90%, and Shi’a only 10%. About 1.1 billion people worldwide currently believe in Islam. That’s about the population of India! (source, Islam)
There are some differences between the Sunni and Shi’a, but they both have the same foundations for their beliefs, like the 5 pillars of Islam, the Koran, and the words and ways of the prophet Muhammad. They like to refer to themselves generally as “Muslims” and don’t like to emphasize that they are separated. I personally think that the main difference between the two is the argument of who was to be the leader after Muhammad died.
Works Cited
Islam-NBC News
Thompson, Linwood. High School Level—World History: The Fertile Crescent to The American Revolution-The Rise of Islam. Chantily, VA. 1997
Muhammad teaching
“The division between Shi’a and Sunni dates back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad, and the question of who was to take over the leadership of the Muslim nation. Sunni Muslims agree with the position taken by many of the prophet's companions, that the new leader should be elected from among those capable of the job. This is what was done, and the Prophet Muhammad's close friend and advisor, Abu Bakr, [also Muhammad’s father-in-law,] became the first Caliph of the Islamic nation.... On the other hand, some Muslims share the belief that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet's own family, among those specifically appointed by him, or among Imams appointed by God Himself. The Shi’a Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali.” (source) “The word ‘Sunni’ in Arabic comes from a word meaning ‘one who follows the traditions of the Prophet.’” (source) The word “Shi’a” derived from “Shiat Ali,” meaning “party of Ali.” (source, Thompson)
“Shia Muslims believe that the Imam [prayer leader and elder of mosque] is sinless by nature, and that his authority is infallible as it comes directly from God. Therefore, Shia Muslims often venerate the Imams as saints and perform pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of divine intercession. Sunni Muslims counter that there is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders, and certainly no basis for the veneration or intercession of saints. Sunni Muslims contend that leadership of the community is not a birthright, but a trust that is earned and which may be given or taken away by the people themselves.” (source)
Another difference is that “Sunnis generally go to mosques; Shiites go to Husseineyyahs. A Husseineyyah is, for all intents and purposes, a mosque where, in addition to the usual prayers and services, additional services are performed in mourning of the Imam Hussein (Imam Ali's son and Prophet Muhammad's grandson who is buried in Kerbala and who is much revered by most Muslims but particularly by Shiites for his heroic stand for what he believed in, in the face of certain death. In an uneven battle, he and all 72 of his extended family were massacred.)” (source)
Some other facts are that Sunni are allowed to conceal their faith under certain circumstances for self-protection. This is emphasized for the Shi’a. The Shi’a also “tend to combine prayers, sometimes worshipping three times per day instead of five” (source) like the Sunni. “Shia Islam also permits muttah - fixed-term temporary marriage - which is now banned by the Sunnis.” (source) The Sunni are found in most Muslim countries, but the Shi’a are mostly found in Iraq, Iran, and Yemen. Sunni take up most of the Muslim population with 90%, and Shi’a only 10%. About 1.1 billion people worldwide currently believe in Islam. That’s about the population of India! (source, Islam)
There are some differences between the Sunni and Shi’a, but they both have the same foundations for their beliefs, like the 5 pillars of Islam, the Koran, and the words and ways of the prophet Muhammad. They like to refer to themselves generally as “Muslims” and don’t like to emphasize that they are separated. I personally think that the main difference between the two is the argument of who was to be the leader after Muhammad died.
Works Cited
Islam-NBC News
Thompson, Linwood. High School Level—World History: The Fertile Crescent to The American Revolution-The Rise of Islam. Chantily, VA. 1997
Muhammad teaching
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