Islamic Studies

Master of Islamic Studies Final Essay

By: Rev. Cynthia Ewing

I was definitely interested in this class when it was offered. It came at the perfect time. I was working with a Muslim male and wanted to understand how to work and communicate with him better. I was raised in a Christian household and taught all of our current belief systems of the time. As in any Christian household we were not taught about any other religion.

When I first started this class I wasn’t sure what to expect. I found it very enlightening. The Islamic views are very close to how I was raised. It includes all of the teachings of the Old Testament in the bible. However where it differs is in the New Testament. They do not believe in the resurrection and call Jesus a great leader and teacher. Their main authority is Mohammed, one of Gods various messengers.

He was an illiterate man who was given the word of God to pass on to his people. It was very important that he was illiterate for he communicated God’s message to the people.

The Quran is different from the Christian bible. It is not considered a bible at all for Muslims. It is the Quran. If one thinks the Bible is hard to read and understand, the Quran is even worse. There seems to be no unified story to the manuscript. Islamists believe that God has revealed himself in the Quran not a story like the bible carries.

I have heard on TV about different Islamic sects like the Sunnis and the Shi’ites. There has been such violence in the world between these two sects all over a difference of views. The Shi’ites follow the teachings of Muhammad’s son-in-law and daughter, Ali and Fatima. Since they were not in the direct line of decendency of the prophet, many problems arose. This difference has separated the two sects.

We all are fighting against evil in whatever shape or form it may take. Muslims call this jihad. Currently we think of jihad as a holy war, a war about beliefs that has led to many deaths. They do not even know themselves clearly what determines a jihad and what is genuine. Why should there be so much fighting if we all believe in a common God? I think too much blood has been spilled over personal beliefs.

Although some of the beliefs of Islam are very similar to my own and others are not, I believe I still have a lot to learn before I understand this religion. I have definitely enjoyed this class and is sad that it was canceled. It strove very hard to give a good account on such a giant topic. I think we all need to learn about other religions to help us understand people as well as ourselves. Thank you for the experience.

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The Universal Life Church Seminary is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, and Paganism.  We have two courses in Metaphysics, as well as courses in Mystical Christianity, Buddhism and Comparative Religion. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.