Rather disturbing story on PBS the other night

I did not see the entire show. The subject was the introduction Islam into the inner city to both Hispnainc and Blacks.

This Hispanic fellow produced a rap CD to help get the attention of potential converts.

He appealed to his subjects' sense of oppression and that, "It is not that "turn the other cheek" stuff like Martin Luther King was peddling. If somebody is going to hit me, I am going to fight them."

I think one of the main tactics for spreading Islam is enhancing the chip on the shoulder.

for those who think of themselves as victims. Not much different than all the Wiccans and Asatruans and neo-pagans, who feel like society "oppresses" them and then reject its major institutions--the church, the family, democracy. Chip on the shoulder is right.

say, I have been told more than once I am a Muslim, by a Muslim.

Since I believe in a line of Spiritual Teachers, Not culminating in Christ but continuing through him.

That fits their beliefs pretty well other than not holding Muhammad any higher or lower has irked one or two.
Guess I could be a Sufi if I 'had' to.

So, the kids being shown wouldn't bother me as long as the playing field for learning is equal.

I think the moderate parts of the Religion are no different from any other, well perhaps a bit more conservative than us, that has been a sticking point.
It is the extremist groups that are the problem, are they a draw to inner city kids?

If so that is probably dangerous, but any religion can cause that, we all are aware of this.
Maybe the gangs would embrace sharia law, it might cut down on violence.

(Just a random thought.....)

Maybe he thinks you are a Muslim becasue, when you are with him you stress that you don't believe in the divinity of Christ.

The idea of a line of spritiual teachers is not the core of Islam. Muslims have a very clear definition of God's nature. He is everywhere and IS NOT incarnated in anything. These are two teaching that you don't share.

Yes, it is radical Islam. It is being taught in the prisons and brought to the inner city. The recent attempt to blow up a Synagouge in Brooklyn, acquire surface to air missles to shoot down a jet and, the murder of a young army recruiter were all perptrated by folks who converted to this form of Islam.

I said in my original post, the selling feature of this brand Islam is that the subject has been oppressed, filling them with hate for America.

You should watch the PBS special when it comes on.

...I am afraid that I might have been a bit of dink in my last post.

I don't mean to tell you what you do or do not believe.

You do realize if you went to Teharan and explained your beliefs as posted on AN they would eat you for lunch, don't you?

What you and I have in common is what I call moving toward God and, you call the Way.

taken at this end stihl!

To be clear, I do believe in the Divinity of Christ, I just think it extents to all Souls as well.
The difference with Christ is that he shows the perfect example of Complete Awareness, our
Oneness with God.

You are correct that a line of Spiritual Teachers does not fit their mold, but a line of prophets does.
Thus at that point it could be terminology and why I said 'perhaps' a Sufi.

Another point is that I beleive in 1 God which would be common ground, BUT I also see a Hierarchy
of God , Spiritual Energy and Spiritual Master as parts of the complete God head (I.E a trinity),
This would be a point of contention.

Also, I do not hold Muhammad as truly in the line of Teachers, I think if he was at any point, it was lost
behind the lust for power and control. These items would be my downfall in their belief.

I agree with you on our common path, Truth is any action that advances one towards God.
So for me, if one is living the 2 Commandments and/or the Golden Rule, that is forward advancement.

I to believe in the potential divinity of the soul. I believe we can at sometime join God again and become like Him. I believe that we have a connection to God that no other thing in Creation enjoys (the vibrations of God).

It almost seems like a matter of symantics whether we are talking about the Holy Spirit as an entity that adds to the sum known as God or whether it is trait of God. I know what my Faith Professes so, it is a matter I put my head down on and proceed forward.

One thing Mohamed did profess was an objective morality (the Tao).

Now as for Truth. I think Truth is of the upmost improtance because it has been my desire for it that has driven me on.

But, in my view, Truth is not so much an action as it is an object. There is no Truth in the physical universe. Even the "Law of Gravity" is subject to the conditions and place where its effects are predicted. We have facts that are true yet, facts are not Truth.

The only Truth I have found so far is God and what our limitation are as men.