When I was a Christian I often heard people say that Christianity is a inclusive religion. I guess what they meant by that is that anyone can become a Christian. You don’t have to be born into Christianity or undergo a rigorous training program before you can call yourself Christian. But that’s not entirely true. Allah (which actually is just Arabic for “God”) is exactly how He is presented in the Qur’an and the ahadith [...]
A newborn baby operates on instinct. She doesn’t decide when she cries or sleeps. He’s at the mercy of the adults in his life to make all his decisions for him. But as she grows older, she becomes increasingly independent. And part of that independence is learning to make your own decisions. The good parent teaches his child to make decisions wisely and responsibly. This can seem like an overwhelming task because making decisions isn’t [...]
I haven’t been around much lately because I was studying for the GRE (Graduate Record Exam®) I had to take for grad school. I took it on September 26th and now I’m trying to get back into my writing. I’m also trying to get back into my faith. Because the truth is, while I was focusing on the GRE, I lost my focus on everything else. I have trouble switching from one activity to another, [...]
My mom was a musical fan and I often heard the song “Summertime” playing on her stereo during my childhood. The first line goes, “Summertime, and the living is easy.” But I have to tell you: I don’t feel that way about summer. Especially the last two years since I’ve been a Muslim. For one thing, dressing modestly is hot! And I don’t mean that in the “attractive” or “sexy” sense. I dread going out [...]
I’m going to a memorial service this morning for my old Girl Scout troop leader. She was also my mother’s best friend and her daughters and my sister and I are the same age and were close friends when we were growing up. I haven’t seen the older daughter, the one my age, for thirty years. I didn’t even know her married name until I saw it in the obituary. I’m looking forward to seeing [...]
After I left my third husband, he became interested in a very traditional form of Christianity and started going to a new church. He lectured me on several occasions about how I couldn’t call myself a Christian because I had left our marriage. But by the time our divorce became final, he was already dating the woman he would later marry and was much happier with his new life. I, on the other hand, was [...]
I felt totally welcome at the new church and within a year my husband and I were very active there. We started an adult Bible study class, organized Easter breakfasts and went to church every Sunday. I even became a lay speaker and preached a few sermons in the church. I felt like I’d come a long way and I was grateful to God for leading me back to Him.
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