Who’s Your Daddy?

Can you believe all of this turmoil in the world right now? When is comes down to it we are all brothers and sisters are we not? Do we not all come from the same father and mother (spiritual speaking)? The fact of the matter is the biggest religious conflicts in the past centuries seem to be from three main religions that I would like to mention here…Judaism, Christianity and Islam. When you look at the bare roots of these religions they all pray to the same God, and come from the same father. This father I am talking about is of course the famous Abraham himself. I suppose we can just look at these religions and think ‘oh, it’s just like a couple rival siblings duking it out,’ but then there are major wars and countless deaths, unfortunately we must need take a closer look.

Abraham is basically the second most important person in all three religions, the first being Moses to Jews, Jesus to Christians, and Mohammed to Moslems. Yet of all the information we have of Abraham where are his writings? According to all these religions, prophets receive the word from on high and are then commanded to write, so we the populous can have the words of God. This is the method that God reveals his word and yet Abraham one of the most important historical figures does not have any writings…or does he? I have found the prophetic words written by Abraham that were translated in the mid 1800’s. They are profound and give huge incite to the big question of this legendary man. Now who’s your daddy?

Here is the online version of the Book of Abraham.

Here is the complete explanation of the Book of Abraham.

St. Paul’s Ruins in Macau

These ruins are clearly the center piece of this historic country. With the Portuguese landing here in the 1550’s they established a city and effective port of trade. Many years after the name evolved to Macau and it has been a point of intrigue ever since.

St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in 1620 and all that remain of this glorious structure is its magnificent stone façade and grand staircase. It was also the first Western college in the Far East serving astronomers and mathematicians. It is truly and place of history and peace.

Jyllands-Posten Muhammad Cartoons Controversy

Every day now for the past week I can’t seem to get away from the constant onslaught of news articles relating the protest by the Muslim world over the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed from a Danish newspaper. So I did my self some digging to find out just what the different parties involved has to say.

Have a look at the twelve cartoons that were published by the Danish newspaper. Also see them in The Brussels Journal.

First of all I would like to put my self in perspective. Although I am not a Muslim I have lived in many countries, and in particular for over 6 months in a 98% African Muslim society. I wore their clothes, grew a beard, studied their religion and culture, and gained respect from the religious leaders during my stay. I have also been involved in protesting and more recently participated in the WTO protest in Hong Kong. I am all for respecting others and more notably for freedom of expression.

There is certainly a lack of understanding on all sides. There is a very concise article entitled “Honourable Fellow Citizens of the Muslim World” written by the Danish newspaper that published these cartoon the Internetavisen Jyllands-Posten where they clearly apologize for their offending anyone and in the same note categorically state that this was part of an ongoing debate of how people felt of Islam. They furthermore have issued a direct appalling statement to the extra cartoons that they did not ever publish and would not ever publish because of their ethics stance. This leads me to believe that there are people at work adding fuel to the fire and new cartoons to the list. I wonder who these people are and what their goal in doing this might be? One article has called this The Cartoon Hoax.

There are countless Muslims scholars that condemn these riots and even a Lebanese Minister that has quit his job. Not to mention the mass amounts of damage to buildings and many deaths as a result. Is all this protesting really necessary? It seems to simply show the lack of respect and control that is having drastic ramifications on those who are not in any way involved. Peaceful demonstrations certainly have great impact on showing the world true feelings. If someone took my God (and I am very religious) and defamed and offended that sacredness I would certainly like to show my feelings…however when they involved killings of innocent people I think this is gone way to far. Allah will judge these people and give them their reward…the protesters and the cartoonists.

I give Islamic community a certain respect to speak out and express their feelings as the cartoons have been reprinted in more that 30 countries. They have a right to show disapproval and demand apologies. The simple difference I see is the lack of separation between state and religion in many parts of the Islamic world. While in the west we see cartoons of Bush for example which are morally degrading yet scream freedom of speech. If someone posted morally degrading cartoons about the Ayatollah would that person fear for their life?

Has not enough damage been done to innocent people to prove a point? I initially supported the respectful protest of Muslims and yet now all I see is disaster and lack of understanding…for it has been said that “God is a God of understanding.” I pray resolution to this challenging ordeal.

Race Against Time

How many times and how many people must say, “I am tired of the UN and of the many governments lack of help towards the epidemics of the word?” I continually hear and see people reach out for aid and lend a voice towards the challenges of humanity; from wars claiming democracy, from aids spreading its wings, to genocides like Rwanda, time continues to run out for those who need basics to survive. I am impressed also of people who do as much as they can and give as much as they are able, they will surely have their reward.

Here is a picture I took of my friend Irenee Rutema in a former Bosnian minefield. We had the unique opportunity to see the aftermath of mass genocide and the lasting ramifications of war. Irenee was fortunate to leave his own country of Rwanda before their genocide, and I found it ironic standing next to him in a differnt country with a similar outcome as his own. Whether killing for race or religion it is still the same…murder.

I urge you to listen to Stephen Lewis who is the UN secretary-General’s special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, and a commissioner of the World Health Organization’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health and director of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. He is speaking as part of the CBC’s Massey Lecture series.

Click on Race Against Time to listen to Stephen Lewis. He has also written a book by the same title.

Exploitation vs. Exploration (Angkor Wat and Cambodia)

The morning came as the sweat dripped down my cheek. The mosquito net seemed to show unseen portals for the little monsters as they buzzed in my ear. A dirty old cat laid outside the net snuggled up against my feet. Beside me, my brother breathed heavily the dusty Cambodian air. The city of Siem Reap bustled with tourists and Cambodians alike. This was a place of great history. A place where a people long past built great temples reaching skyward in a plea of acceptance from their gods; a place where mystery and culture became lost. It became a place of disregard; jungle engulfed these people covering them for millenia. One of the worst genocides happened here in the mid 70's when the communistic Khamar Rouge with tyrannical leader Pol Pot forced almost everyone into a farming state, dressed everyone in black pajamas, and rationed food for the masses. Death seemed the norm from starvation and murder, and was accepted under this regime. Land mines were and still are in many areas a thing of fear and abundance. Countless beggars with one or no legs comb the streets of Siem Reap holding their hats out in hopes to progress their small business venture...Begging. This is poverty and the 3rd world with all its challenges. The tourists seem to exploit this country for its beautiful Ankorean Temples and shrines in hopes to get the best look, picture, or feeling from this historical wonder. In turn the locals raise prices in hopes to suck anything they can from these rich obsessed westerners. Cambodia is a place of challenge, history, and beauty; a place where one must visit if they are to understand and see the realities of this world.

A Time and a Place

There is a time and a place for almost everything I am convinced.

A time to be here, a time to be there, and a time to stare,

A time to give and to get and a time to forget,

A time see and to feel and a time to be real,

A time to think and to wonder and a time to make a blunder,

A time to pee and to poo and a time to just be you,

A time to find and to make and a time to break,

A time to like and to love and a time to receive from above,

A time to learn and to teach and a time to preach,

A time to cry and to yearn and a time to earn,

A time to hug and to kiss and a time to miss.

Through all of these times there comes with them certain places. They are understandably places in time, or perhaps time in places. I am a wanderer, wandering across lands and worlds, seeing, feeling, touching, and being. I am a man. I have been perplexed by the lives of many to only at some distant time find their lives in myself. How far must I need to go, how long do I need to sow. At this moment I am trivial in my thinking of life. The times and places consume and presume themselves in a thought of good fortune. As for this time I will lose myself in the reality of Asia. I embark on the journey of TIME in a PLACE of dreams.

Inspired by Ecclesiastes 3:1-8