Perhaps people on the list can help: is the following a fair description of the nature of the Jewish/Christian God, and how it is different from the nature of the Moslem God?
And if so, are the fundamental political implications as described? Are more Moslems likely to believe in false conspiracies because of these beliefs than US Christians or Jews?
The only group you are likely to get consistent answers from would be the anti-religious groups, as you can probably see from some of the others who have already answered your email.
From within religious groups, it is probably going to vary to some
extent depending on the denomination and how orthodox or fundamentalist a group is.
From my own personal experience, I would say it's likely that the
majority of US Christians would agree that God is most likely to help those who need the most help, i.e. the downtrodden,the tired, the poor, the huddled masses (as the inscription onthe Statue of Liberty says). Certainly liberal churches and/or churches that are very active in social justice issues would say this is the case. This view of God is almost God as a troubleshooter, concerned with finding problems and fixing them.
The New Testament depicts Jesus speaking out against ostentatious religious practice, characterizing it as being hypocritical and saying that they already have their reward, and speaks for not letting "your left hand know what your right hand is doing....Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." So if you are humble and not ostentatious, you will be rewarded. Matthew, Chapter 6, is one example of this particular discussion. Also see Luke 14:11 and Luke 18:14, both of which say that those who humble themselves will be exalted, and those who exalt themselves will be humbled.
1 Peter 3:8 says, in part, "be compassionate and humble." James 4:10 says, "Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up." James 1:9 goes so far as to say, "The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position." The New Testament is full of examples like this.
But it is certainly not limited to the New Testament. Psalms is full of quotes like, "You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty," (Psalm 18:27) and "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way," (Psalm 25:9). Isaiah 29:19 says, "Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." 2 Samuel 22:28 says, "You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low." Even Moses is described as being humble in Numbers 12:3, "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth."
Divine humility is certainly consistent with the views and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. I can't speak for all Protestant viewpoints, but I know I've seen some Protestant churches that teach humility is an important trait and I've seen others that teach that wealth is a sign of God's favor and that certainly put no emphasis that I've been able to see on humility.
As far as the beliefs of Moslems, I know that there is some variety there as well. Not all Moslems believe quite the same way that fundamentalist Moslems in the Middle East believe, at least according to Moslems I've seen on television interview programs. But I've never heard this particular issue come up, so it's possible the views of the person you quote are in fact universal Moslem views.
As far as political implications are concerned, I don't know very many Americans, whether they are religious or not, that are particularly big fans of braggarts in the political arena. Desire for and appreciation of humility from political leaders in the US does not seem to be confined to religious people. The only folks that don't really seem to get this are some politicians themselves.
But this may be because humility is so ingrained in American culture in general. Not many people seem to be able to promote themselves without being completely obnoxious. As corporate communitions coach Peggy Klaus says in her book, _Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It_:
Promoting ourselves is not something we are taught to do. Even
today, we still tell children "Don't talk about yourself; people won't
like you." ...[S]o repelled are we by obnoxious braggers , many
people simply avoid talking about themselves. Two extremes. No
happy medium. The problem (and the solution!) lies in our inter-
personal communication skills. Not only are we uncertain about
_what_ to say about ourselves, we don't know _how_ to say it
with grace and impact in a way that's inviting to others.Maybe that's just a US thing; maybe it comes from the so-called "Protestant work ethic;" maybe it's a hold-over from the days of the Puritans. But that's how I see it working out in the USA. Others may have a much different perspective; I look forward to reading more in this thread.
Reggie Bautista YMMV Maru
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