Responding to Chain Emails #1: Can Muslims Be Good Americans?

Here is the text of a recent chain email I received, after which I offer the response I gave to the person who sent it to me.

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CAN MUSLIMS BE GOOD AMERICANS?

This is very interesting and we all need to read it from start to Finish and send it on to anyone who will read it. Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities. Can a good Muslim be a good American? This question was forwarded to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply:

Theologically - no. . . . Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon God of Arabia .

Religiously - no. . . Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)(Koran)

Scripturally - no. . . Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.

Geographically - no . Because his allegiance is to Mecca , to which he turns in prayer five times a day.

Socially - no. . . Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews .

Politically - no. . . Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America , the great Satan.

Domestically - no. . . Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34)

Intellectually - no. . Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.

Philosophically - no. . . Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran does not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.

Spiritually - no. . . Because when we declare 'one nation under God,' the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names.

Therefore, after much study and deliberation....

Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country. - - - They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and good Americans.

Call it what you wish it's still the truth. You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand. . ...

And Barack Hussein Obama, a Muslim, wants to be our President? You have GOT to be kidding! Wake up America !

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Barak is a member of the United Church of Christ, a Christian denomination. Obviously there are many Muslims who love America and function well in society. Remember: not all Islam is radical Islam! The description below only applies to the Al-Quaeda types, the freakishly radical.

Geographically, I'm not a good American either because I look to Heaven, not Washington, D.C., for my inspiration. And frankly, who says America is a Christian nation? Yes it was founded on Christian principles, but have we forgotten one of the key principles, the first amendment of the Bill of Rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

I do not recall the Constitution or the Bill of Rights specifically saying that America is a Christian nation. Perhaps I'm wrong. The first amendment gives freedom for Muslims (and Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, atheists, pagans, Wiccans, etc.) to live here, be citizens AND worship however they like. For there to be a law preventing their theological allegiance to Mecca would contradict the first amendment. So the first four items on his list are irrelevant. Most of the others are based on comparing Osama bin Laden with GI Joe and represent a version of Islam that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ACCEPT.
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I must admit, I often cringe at the emails sent my way that are supposed to inspire patriotism and attempt to flaunt Christianity as THE religion of America. It often comes across as blind embracing of all Republican policy and a confused hybrid of Christianity and patriotism which accuses you of heresy or treason should you question either. This doesn't make me a liberal (either politically or theologically); generally, I support the war and think it is actually working (to see why I refer you to my capable friend Jared). However, I do think there are people in this world who love Jesus and hate the war, who read their Bibles and yet disagree with President Bush. It's possible, so deal with it.

W. Oregon Sara Tucholsky first HR - ultimate sportsmanship

Grab some Kleenex for this one. It's great.

New Balance LOVE/Hate Anthem

A thoughtful friend flabbergastedly states the same thing every time I talk about running in an upcoming race: "I don't see why anyone would pay money to run on streets my tax dollars pay for" or something like that. It's a good question, and I've been thinking about why I run and why I actually pay money (the half marathon was not cheap, by the way) to run in a race when I can run anywhere and anytime I want to for FREE. Here are some of my reasons mixed with some of my followup questions for those who can't understand why:


1. Signing up for a race (which includes paying money) keeps me accountable: I had better train since I paid for the race.
2. It's motivating: I want to finish the race strongly, not wheezing and crawling on my hands and knees.
3. Having a deadline helps me to train on a schedule in a focused way that not having a deadline cannot accomplish. If there's no deadline, no distance goal, no time goal, then what am I running for?
4. Running for purely health reasons isn't enough for me. I would probably quit running if there were no other reason to run. Entering and paying to race is another reason to stick with it.
5. Why pay money to go to a gym when you can exercise (including resistance training) for FREE? Because it's a place to meet other lifters. Because you gain access to experts in the field. Because it keeps you accountable. Because it is encouraging to you as a lifter. Because it is helpful to know that other people are interested in the same thing as you. Because it is invigorating to go to a place where others are cheering for you and are interested in you doing your best. Now, substitute "runner" for "lifter."
6. Anything that's worth anything in life will cost you something. Running is worth a lot: there are many health benefits, it has a calming effect on your mind and body (after the run, that is), it's a place to achieve more than you thought possible. It costs you time, money (shoes and stuff), sweat, occasional pain, energy, and commitment, but it pays you back in joy, sense of accomplishment, visible results (more muscular legs and a thinner waist for starters), measurable results, and a new component to your identity, that of "runner."
7. When else do police block off streets just for you?
8. Because of the pre-race expo, where you can find all things running and meet and speak with experts in shoes, apparel, nutrition, injury prevention and treatment, etc. You don't meet these people on the street.
9. Because always training and never showcasing is boring.
10. How can you criticize it if you've never done it?
I mean these points in all gentleness and respect to my friend and anyone else who don't see running like runners do. Like many things in life, to experience it is much better than to simply witness it. Pro football is much more exciting at the stadium than on TV (this is especially true for baseball). Either way, the same thing happens; it's the experiencing of it in person that makes the difference. When you walk into the stadium, you think Wow, this place is incredible. I can feel the energy. It's like that at a race: you feel an energy, a sense of awe at the magnitude of the event, and a little bit of fear about the race itself that you just don't get running sidewalks by yourself.


For me personally (as you can see from the reasons above) it boils down to the intangibles. Yes, the health benefits are the same whether you run by yourself at the park or run in a race, but the emotional and experiential benefits cannot even be touched by always running by yourself in training mode.
I really like New Balance's new ad campaign for their running shoes. They have tapped into the mind of the runner and their relationship metaphor is spot on. The video posted here is one example.

Half Marathon Training Check-In: Mission Accomplished

Well, I did it. I ran the half marathon. In addition to the photos (I threw in a couple of pics of Heidi's 5k from Saturday) which speak for themselves, I offer you a few stats:

1. Miles Ran: 13.1

2. Time to Run 13.1 miles: 2 hours, 14 minutes, 5 seconds

3. Number of People who ran the half marathon: 7,353 (I placed 3,322nd)

4. Number of people I saw throwing up: 1 (only three miles in!)

5. Number of people I saw who looked like they were about to throw up or pass out: at least 2

6. Number of gel packs and Sport Beans packets I saw dropped on the road: about 50

7. Money I saw rolled up and dropped by someone: about $6

8. Number of times I've iced my knees in the last 8 hours: 6

Random Photos

Here are some interesting things I've seen recently:

This happy fella was my chicken sandwich from Chik-Fil-A. What's great is that I totally did not mean to make a smiley face with the honey mustard.

I made this miraculous likeness of the Blessed Virgin Mary during, of all things, Doctrine of God class. It's made from three twisted-together mini-York peppermint patty wrappers.

This is the sign currently displayed at the Burger King next to our apartment complex. Note the misspelled "Steakhouse" and the hand-drawn "R" in "Burgers."

Earthquake!

So there was an earthquake in Illinois this morning, a 5.2 magnitude quake that I felt this morning about a minute after I lay down to go to sleep. I was lying there when I felt a gentle rocking feeling from the bed, as if someone were at the end of it pushing and pulling for about fifteen seconds. It wasn't anything severe or intense, but it was enough to make me wonder What's going on here? The thought of an earthquake crossed my mind, but I didn't think there were any fault lines around here. My first candidate for an earthquake was the New Madrid Fault in southeast Missouri, the one that was supposed to be "the big one" like twenty years ago but hasn't done anything yet.

Did you feel it?

This is my second earthquake, but the first one I actually felt. The first was in India, when the Sumatra earthquake sent the tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people. We were sleeping when it was felt in India.

Thanks a lot, Skybus . . . Jerks.

I am committed to speaking at a week of high school camp this summer (where one Jarod Anderson is the dean), and I was all set to fly, round trip, from Columbus, OH, to Kansas City, for $90. How could I accomplish this feat? Skybus, a budget airline that offers really cheap tickets if you book way early.

The only problem now? Skybus announced yesterday that their last day of operations is today. Something about rising fuel costs, blah blah blah. Yeah - they're done, and they are encouraging customers like me who lost money to contact their credit card companies to apply for a refund. They won't even issue the refunds themselves!

So now I have to figure out how I'm going to get to Kansas City and back this June. I really don't want to cancel. So Jarod and Laura, this is probably news to you. We'll figure something out.