People Need to Read to Worship God

Unfortunately I can read and am therefore sure it was Izac that nearly got the chop.
I am a TEFL teacher and very keen to teach and help in a francophone african country. Will be grateful for any suggestions

Gadget from has written 916 comments

Again, I will say,
"People need to read to worship God."

I did not pay much attention to the name, I have studied enough language to know that names take a punishment due to Transliteration. Maybe I could say, I thought the name was "Lost in Transliteration."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transliteration

There are two stories, I was reading from the Islamic version of the story of Abraham, whereby,

MUSLIM VERSION:
"Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma'il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha

CHRISTIAN VERSION:
Isaac is offered up...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac

There appears to be two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, Isaac is the Christian son believed to almost get sacrificed and Ishmael is the Islamic son, there were maybe two sons.

Bottom line is it would be easy to just simplify religion or allow people to interpret without reading.

Unfortunately not all people will read, instead they continue to believe then always know, and there is no need to read.

The writing you do increases my limited world view. I can already read. Your travels help me understand. You decrease my fear of the unknown and show me beautiful people from places I never knew existed. I adore your efforts!

Hi Andy,
Soy yo,Robert .Did you get my follow up list of good places to stay for a month or 3?
IN the old testement in Genesis, Abraham and sara are barren. that is Sara cant have kids. She tells him okay, spend the night with my faithful hand maiden Hagar and see if you can conceive an heir.He does they do the kid is called Ishmael(here is the rub...Ishmael is technically Abrahams FIRST BORN SON!)
Later when sara is like 90 they get a visit from an angel who tells her she will be getting pregnant soon. She laughs and says it isnt possible. Angel says anything is possible for god. She and Abraham have a son he is called Isaac.
Now Sara is jealous of Hagar and Ishmael and she makes Abraham cast them out in the wilderness. He caves and out they go. First night things are looking quite grim. An angel appears to Hagar and tells her god knows she is cool. God tells her (through the angel) that she and the boy will survive and his progeny will be more numerous than the stars in the sky! Ishmael is considered to be the father of all the Arab Peoples. Muhammed the Profet of Islam is said to be his direct descendent a great grandson as it were.
The muslims say that when god told Abraham to sacrifice his first born son he took Ishmael up there. The Jews and subsequently the christians, say it was Isaac. The Muslims (arabs) claim THEY inherit the covenant god made with Abraham since the first born always inherits. The Jews say Isaac´s progeny inherits because Ishmael is a bastard and doesnt get shit. This has led to 1600 years of stupid wars and bloodshed.
Thought you might like to know.
Peace out
Robeart
PS I am in Uruguay it is quite nice but too expensive to be a good option for the 1 to 3 month thing. a place called El Diablo Tranquilo however woud make an EXCELLENT hobo hideout especially during slow season between February and December

Pato from has written 56 comments

People want their lives to be complicated, we are programed to seek out stimulation where we can find it -- and if it is not right in front of us, we create it. Why else do the more primitive, further removed, societies on the planet have the tendency to also be the most catty? People need to exercise their minds, or they will start creating their own stimulation. Reading helps to do this. A writer publishes that which stimulates their mind, and readers pick up on it and take it to another place, think about it, start a conversation.

The human drama is one of the continuous search for mental stimulation. I travel to do this.

There is a reason why old people talk about the weather.

Asiabill from has written 258 comments

Sounds like you have been busy writing outside of your blog entries and somehow being more intraspective than usual. Sounds like Africa is a unique part of an amzing world which you help bring to your readers. I think BLIND FAITH is more a factor in worship and following any religion than reading as whether a person is literate or not and receives such content verbally or by reading the "leap of faith" needs to be made, surrendering one's SELF to a higher being. Yesterday, for the first ime in ages I had a short conversation with a pilot from south Texas in the jacuzzi here in Kauai who was Christian and a member of a small protestant "Vineyard" church after I mention religion like insurance companies and governments intend to instill and spread FEAR among the human race for each of their own private agendas. Off to Maui this morning but looking forward to your next entry.

Isn't it amazing that there is a connection between Christianity and Islam and a connection (the Essenes) between Christianity and the Jewish faith? I think all religions are similar in many ways and that God loves every soul on this earth totally and completely. I think all the competition between religions is because people are so insecure most want to believe they have superior traits and they want these special things to be noticed by God when God has nothing but unconditional love for them all in the first place. If we could all comprehend this reality we could just go about the business of loving one another. Of course, there wouldn't be the money in it that there is in war.

I am in Egypt right now and was invited to a village for the Eid feast. They went to prayer and came home and sacrified the goat and had the feast and they fed me chicken, because I don't eat red meat. It was a rare experience few westerners will ever have and I always remind myself to be greatful because it's somewhat inconvenient to stay in the village. I am after all a spoiled American.
Nancy

Gadget from has written 916 comments

A religion allows a person who is a nobody to be a somebody with the least amount of work. The Islamic relgion does this the best.

has written 51 comments

"The Way to see by Faith, is to shut the Eye of Reason"
- Benjamin Franklin

"Faith is believing what you know ain't so"
- Mark Twain

The story that Robert told is the one that I've been told as well. When I lived in the Dominican Republic, I met a Jewish Dominican whose family had moved there during WW2 to escape the Nazis. I asked him one day what the big problem is between Jews and Muslims, offering that I thought it was the annexation of Palestine by Israel.

He then explained that it goes way back to Abraham and Sarah as Robert was explaining. To the Jews (and Christians who put stock in the Old Testament), Abraham wanted children so badly that he defied God's order to have faith and wait for him to provide a son for him and Sarah and hence the birth of Ishmael was not only illegitimate but a grievous act of infidelity against God. The Muslims believe differently and think that Ishmael was the legitimate child of Abraham and the first child of the Arab nation.

It totally blew my mind.

I think these fundamental interpretations of that tale have nothing at all to do with spiritual values and is exploited by warmongers to incite old tribal hatreds to sell lots of weapons. The whole thing is ridiculous.

Keep up the great work on your site!

Asiabill from has written 258 comments

"religion allows a person who is a nobody to be a somebody with the least amount of work" is one of the BEST ONE LINERS I have ever heard. BRAVO! Andy I'll be using this one in the future during conversational exchanges of thoughts and attitudes. The more I travel in recent months the more I notice feelings and experiences which are new and unique even though I've traveled since the summer after high school. It's a SMALL WORLD but can be a VERY LONELY WORLD traveling alone to new areas without knowing anyone such realizations are helping me relate to the 1000s of guests passing through our Manila location each year. Just like the idea there's someone special for everyone also applies to social interaction and reminds me of the book, "The Celestine Prophecy" about all living "beings" including plant and animal life as well as humanity being involved in a 24 / 7 exchange of energy.

The words "nobody" and "somebody" you used are well chosen rather more abrasive words like "haves" and "have nots" or "losers" which my wife and I use only between ourselves in private and never in public. Political correctness is so rampant worldwide it seems nobody can "think out loud" any more without being labeled and explore issues and philosophies through open minded conversations with other human beings. So keep those thoughts of your coming as sharing them with others is one way of giving them life. Who knows maybe sometime in the future you will be talking with someone and they will use your own words to describe their opinions!

hotspringfreak from has written 53 comments

‘Philosophy is the writing on a cereal box
Religion is the smile on the face of a dog
Im not aware of too many things
I know what i know
If you know what i mean’