Nation of Islam Beliefs vs. Mainstream Islam

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

The Nation of Islam beliefs are significantly different from those held by mainstream Muslims. Here is a brief overview.

Nation of Islam

“We believe that Allah (God) appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July, 1930; the long-awaited 'Messiah' of the Christians and the "Mahdi" of the Muslims (NOI Web site).”

Mainstream Islam

God has never taken human form.

Nation of Islam

“The Master was preaching this Great Truth of salvation when He met a man named Elijah Poole in Detroit, Michigan. He chose him to be His Divine Representative in continuing this most difficult task of bringing truth and light to His lost and found people. For 3 1/2 years He taught and trained the Honorable Elijah Muhammad night and day into the profound Secret Wisdom of the Reality of God, which included the hidden knowledge of the original people who were the first founders of civilization of our Planet and who had a full knowledge of the Universal Order of Things from the beginning of the Divine Creation (NOI Web site).”

Mainstream Islam

Muhammad was the last prophet of God. “God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through Gabriel,” states Islamicity.com.

Nation of Islam

Originally, all people were black and followed Islam. The center of their world was Mecca. Dr. Yacub, a troublemaker exiled from Mecca, created white people. Whites were destined to persecute blacks until the appearance of Master W.F. Muhammad. Through his messenger Elijah Muhammad, God would provide knowledge to free blacks from their oppression. (The National Review)

White people are a race of devils. “Is it wrong to attribute a predisposition to wheat before it comes up out of the ground? Wheat's characteristics and nature make it wheat. It differs from barley because of its nature. Wheat perpetuates its own characteristics just as the white race does. White people are born devils by nature. They don't become so by deeds. If you never put popcorn in a skillet, it would still be popcorn. Put the heat to it, it will pop. (Malcolm X, Playboy interview, May 1963, pre-conversion to mainstream Islam)”

Mainstream Islam

God created man from a single man and woman. Quran, Yusuf Ali translation, Chapter 4:1: ‘ O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence Allah, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.”

Nation of Islam

“We believe in the resurrection of the dead--not in physical resurrection--but in mental resurrection. We believe that the so-called Negroes are most in need of mental resurrection; therefore they will be resurrected first. (NOI Web site)”

Mainstream Islam

“I do call to witness the Resurrection Day. (Quran 71:1)”

“Has not He, (the same), the power to give life to the dead? (Quran 71:40)”

“If any do deeds of righteousness--be they male or female--and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them. Quran 4:124)”

Islamicity.com, "What Do Muslims Believe?"
Nation of Islam, The Muslim Program
Nation of Islam, history
Beliefnet, Nation of Islam beliefs
Findarticles.com, National Review story, 1994
Malcolm-X.org, Playboy interview

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Farrakhan’s Baggage: What’s All the Fuss?

Minister Louis Farrakhan's portrait from The Final Call, a Nation of Islam publication.

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

Nation of Islam (NOI) leader Louis Farrakhan acknowledges that he has baggage. But after his Millions More March, he enjoys more mainstream popularity among African-Americans than ever.

The Urban League, NAACP, Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton supported the Millions More rally, as did celebrities Will Smith, P. Diddy, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Russell Simmons, and Kanye West.

Just before his Oct. 15 Washington, D.C., rally, Farrakhan appeared on Tavis Smiley’s PBS talk show.

Smiley asked: “… How do you respond to people who say … how can y'all rally around Louis Farrakhan?”

The NOI leader responded, in part: “Today, the condition of the masses of the black and the brown and the poor is such that in my heart, I knew we had to do something about this, so I'm making the call on the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March. … I … have made that call, in spite of the baggage that I carry and our disagreements as human beings. ... So I believe, in spite of what they [his critics] say, I would remind them that Jesus said, ‘You can tell a tree by the fruit it bears.’ And if the message is good, the messenger can't be bad.”

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A Kinder, Gentler Louis Farrakhan?

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

Ten years after the Million Man March drew massive crowds to the Mall in Washington, D.C., Nation of Islam (NOI) leader Minister Louis Farrakhan returned to the nation’s capital on Sunday (Oct. 16) to promote his Millions More Movement, CNN reported. This time, men, women, and children of all races were invited.

Farrakhan, a 72-year-old cancer survivor, is trying portraying himself as a unifier. His stated aim is to build a political movement targeted at African-Americans, Native Americans, other people of color, and poor people of all races. The Chicago Tribune quoted Farrakhan as stating: "If we don't make the movement inclusive, then we minimize the potential of leveraging the power of black, brown, red and poor."

No crowd estimates were offered, but the gathering was described as smaller than the Million Man March, which drew between 600,000 and 1 million people, CNN reported.

Farrakhan has a loyal core of support in the Nation of Islam and broader popularity among many African-Americans. U.S. Rep. Mel Watts, D-N.C., singer Erykah Badu, and the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were among the speakers at his rally, CNN said. The socially conservative Farrakhan had even agreed to allow gay activist Keith Boykin of the National Black Justice Coalition to take the platform during the 12-hour event, the Advocate (a gay magazine) reported. But at the last moment, Boykin was barred from speaking, sparking anger among gays gathered for the event, the New Standard reported.

But Farrakhan's true purpose remains enigmatic.

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How Much More Can U.S. Catholics Take?

Cardinal Roger Mahony, above, has been head of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for 20 years.

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor

The never-ending story of children and teens abused by priests and other church officials has opened yet another revolting chapter. This time, it’s Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest.

The archdiocese released summaries of personnel records that show it allowed at least eight priests who had been the targets of complaints to remain in active ministry and in contact with children, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday (Oct. 12).

One case involved Father Richard Henry. During the Eighties, the archdiocese received three complaints about Henry, including one from a nun. The sister, who served Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, reported in 1988 that Henry “was partial to boys,” the Times stated.

When that report was made, Cardinal Roger Mahony, the current head of the archdiocese, had been in his post for three years. Henry was allowed to seek therapy and continue in ministry. After a sheriff’s department investigation, Henry pleaded no contest in 1991 to four counts of lewd contact with a child. He served three years behind bars, the Times reported.

The archdiocese faces more than 560 lawsuits from people who allege they were sexually abused as minors. At least 245 clerics are involved. The archdiocese had previously put the number at 219. Seven priests who have been the target of complaints are still in active ministry.

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Seasons of Faith and Fasting

What are the spiritual benefits of self-denial? Below are various religious perspectives on fasting.
“The ABCs of Yom Kippur”
“No Time Like Ramadan Time”
An Eastern Orthodox Christian perspective by Metropolitan Maximos
Hinduism and fasting
A Mormon view: “The Blessings of a Proper Fast”
Buddhism and fasting
Who fasts and when?
Beliefnet.com

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Healing With Animals

By Jan Fredericks, M.A., L.P.C.

Animals and people have always shared a special relationship with each other. With the increase of information concerning animals and their ability to heal people psychologically, spiritually and physically, we are becoming more aware of our relationship with all animals in our society.

To understand our culture and how it affects our thinking and values, we need to look at our original relationship with animals. The Creator made all living beings with nefesh chayah, Hebrew for living soul. ( I believe all animals will live eternally.) God gave us dominion over animals, which theologians interpret as being good stewards with compassion. In its context, all life lived in harmony (see Genesis 1:26), and we were made in God's image. All life (human and animal) was also given a plant-based diet (see Genesis 1:29-31a). In Genesis chapter 2:18-19, after God said, “It is not right that the man should be alone,” animals were created. Woman was made as the suitable helper for man and all lived together in harmony.

But, after sin entered the world, the animal/human relationship suffered greatly and has sped on a downward spiral to where we are today. We became desensitized and have failed to restore the harmonious relationship we once had. After the flood, God caused animals to fear man (Genesis 9:2) and Old Testament laws were made to teach compassion for animals. (Article continues.)

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Gays Said to Dominate Seminaries

In two 2002 articles, Phil Brennan of Newsmax.com writes that gay men dominate many seminaries and that homosexual activity between students is widespread. As a result, orthodox Catholics are driven away.

Good Men

Homosexual Culture

In a 2004 article, Michael S. Rose writes about a scandal at an Austrian seminary, where a rector and student openly made out at a party. Using a small digital camera, a Polish priest recorded the inappropriate behavior. A subsequent investigation revealed that seminary computers had been used to download 40,000 pornographic pictures. The images included pedophilia and beastiality.

The Catholic Church's Abu Ghraib

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Does Barring Gay Priests Solve Abuse Problem?

By Lisa Haddock
NJ Faith Forum Editor
(Copyright Lisa Haddock, 2005; please cite my name, blog, and sources if quoting.)

Does keeping gay men out of seminaries solve the sexual-abuse crisis the Catholic Church is facing? The short answer is no, but the reasons are more complex. They deserve a lengthy discussion.

The scandal that broke in 2002 is no doubt driving this attempted purge, which is based on a 1961 Vatican pronouncement.

“Advancement to religious vows and ordination should be barred to those who are afflicted with evil tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty [sex between men and boys], since for them the common life and the priestly ministry would constitute serious dangers,” the Vatican’s Congregation for Religious wrote. This document, “Careful Selection and Training of Candidates for the States of Perfection and Sacred Orders,” is part of Canon Law Digest 5.

In response to the scandal, the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops commissioned a study; experts found that 81 percent of victims sexually abused by priests were boys, Catholic News Service reported. This percentage, as I will discuss later, is more than double the typical rate for boy victims.

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