#stephenprothero

[nomeremortals]

[nomeremortals]

"The upcoming presidential visit to India could have provided the American people with an opportunity to avoid future deaths by religious illiteracy–to learn something about the differences between Islam (a product of 7th-century century Arabia) and Sikhism (a product of the Indian subcontinent of the 14th and 15th centuries). This is especially so since the current Indian president, Manmohan Singh, is a Sikh.

Unfortunately, Obama is letting this teachable moment pass by."

[nomeremortals]

[nomeremortals]

This is why I <3 Stephen Prothero.

"During a recent visit to Jerusalem, I spoke with a jewelry salesman who turned out to be a lifelong Sufi. When I asked him about the importance of the Five Pillars of Islam (the core practices that are said to constitute Islamic life), he shook his head “NO!” and insisted that real Islam could stand up perfectly straight without any of those Five Pillars.

Real Islam, he said (and by this he meant Sufism), is about experience, not Shariah (law). It is about a heart-and-soul connection between the individual believer and God—the sort of love that sets your whole being into dance."

[nomeremortals]