Intersecting
  • Learn
  • Ask
  • About
  • Study

Evelyne Reisacher On How Fear Blurs Our Vision Of Islam

1/7/2016

0 Comments

 
The holidays threw me out of the habit of writing, but I promise to have regular posts again soon. In the meantime, watch this video from Evelyne Reisacher. I studied under her during my M.A., and she became one of my favorite professors for her compassion and insight.

Dr. Reisacher is professor of Islamic studies and intercultural relations, and this video (from an evangelical conference) is a must-watch for Christians concerned about the future of Christian/Muslim relations, Islam and the West, or Muslims in America... especially this election season.

Evelyne Reisacher


Read More
0 Comments

Terror in Paris: What Do We Do Now?

11/14/2015

2 Comments

 
Picture
I hate to admit it, but the people linking Daesh with the end of the world are right. Not in the way they imagine, of course—yesterday's violence is not a sign of the apocalypse or the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy (unless you count Lamech ).
 
These attacks mark the end of the world only for those whose sense of peace and security is now forever altered, for those who will never feel safe in a concert hall again, for those whose loved ones will never return, and most of all, for those whose lives were tragically cut short.
 
For the victims of these attacks, the world has already ended. The safe, modern Paris they once inhabited is gone. Carefree nights strolling along the Seine, eating and drinking at the bistros and nightclubs will be replaced by anxious meals at home. Concerts that once provided entertainment and a sense of escape will now trigger only flashbacks. Happy dreams will be replaced by nightmares. Some will even move away from the city, returning to small town life with a haunted look in their eyes.
 
They now exist in a different world, a world where nothing is safe, a world already inhabited by every rape victim, every domestic abuse survivor, every combat veteran, every innocent child whose cries were stifled, every person traumatized and scarred by violence.
 
But while their world has ended,
 
                                          …ours has not

Read More
2 Comments

What You Need To Know About The Syrian Refugee Crisis

9/23/2015

0 Comments

 
In the dark about the Syrian refugee crisis? Here's a short video explaining how it started and what it means:

Read More
0 Comments

Islam and the West, Part 2 (and why you really don't need to be afraid)

8/22/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Muslims linking arms to protect a Christian worship service in Pakistan, 2013.
Islam has been forging its way into our thinking since September 11, 2001, but as we reach another anniversary of that terrible day, I'm not convinced we understand this religion any better than we did fourteen years ago. Before the terrorist attacks, our national concept of Islam came from Hollywood films like Lawrence of Arabia and Indiana Jones. Islam seemed far away, mysterious and exotic when people thought about it at all, and most didn't think about it. Today, our perception of Islam is filtered by a media more likely to report the body count after a bloody explosion than a joint declaration from Muslim leaders condemning violence.

If headlines and book titles are to be believed, Islam is Daesh, Al Quaeda, radical terrorism, and the end of civilization. To be a Muslim is to be a suspect, a potential threat, a person set on destroying the West either by force or by a less violent (but no less sinister) immigration strategy. But is this the real Islam, the one that exists outside the parameters drawn by a nostalgic Hollywood, a partisan media, and popular understanding? With 1.5 billion adherents (according to PEW Research), the Muslim religion is the second largest religion in the world (Christianity is the largest). If it is a religion of violence, as many claim, why is violence and war on a steady global decline?

Read More
0 Comments

Islam and the West

8/4/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
It's been fourteen years since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, but tragically, many Americans are no closer to understanding Islam and the forces behind radicalization than they were before. Turn on the news, or check social media, and it often seems like the rhetoric is getting worse. Recently, critics of Islam garnered widespread popular support in the U.S. by advocating that we close our borders to all of the world's 1.5 billion Muslims. Others use polarizing language to call for fast military action to destroy all traces of radical Islam around the globe. 

Read More
0 Comments
    Intersecting is a blog that explores the connections between religion, philosophy, politics, film, psychology, science... and everything else

      Get alerted when a new post is available

    Subscribe

    Innovation is found at the intersection of ideas, concepts and cultures
     
              -The Medici Effect

    If the medicine is good, the disease will be cured. It is not necessary to know who prepared it, or where it came from
    ​           -Walpola Rahula

    When you water the root of the tree, that water naturally extends to every branch and every leaf and every flower on that tree. So when we actually find the origin of true pleasure, in feeling the infinite sweet love that God has for us, and in realizing our potential to love God, that love naturally extends to all living beings.
    -Radhanath Swami

    Archives

    August 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    Categories

    All
    Anthropology
    Art
    Barack Obama
    Bonhoeffer
    Book Review
    Buddhism
    Business
    Catholicism
    Christian
    Christianity
    Colonialism
    Communication
    Conflict Resolution
    Cycle Of Violence
    Death
    Economics
    End Times
    Epistemology
    Ethics
    God
    Immigration
    ISIS
    Islam
    Just Peacemaking
    Leadership
    Middle East
    Mindfulness
    Movies
    Music
    Muslims
    Netflix
    On Being
    Orthodoxy
    Peacemaking
    Philosophy
    Politics
    Psychology
    Purpose
    Quantum Mechanics
    Refugees
    Religion
    Science
    Spirituality
    Syria
    TEDtalks
    Theology
    Work

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.