Islam and Other Traditions

Unitarianism | Islam

Unitarianism

Jonah and the Whale: The Agony and the Ecstasy of Shared Ministry, preached by Richard S. Gilbert, First Unitarian Church of Ithaca, New York (September 14, 2003). Starts with a humorous humorous skit, "Jonah and the Lord in the Belly of Life," and becomes a surprisingly strong plea for Unitarians to consider their faith more than a "hobby," and get down to effecting change. I love this description:

"I think of the story of the man at a Unitarian Universalist revival. He worked himself up into a frenzy—if you can believe it—and then said, "Use me, O Lord! Use me in an advisory capacity!'"

"Our Common Call," preached by the Rev. Henry Ticknor, Unitarian Universalist Church of the Shenandoah Valley (March 13, 2005). Ticknor[1] explores shared Unitarian values and beliefs:

"Just like Jonah and Isaiah, each of us is called to make a difference, to be an agent for the common good, to work for love and justice, peace and equality. Some, like Jonah, may have to be directed, kicking and screaming to realize our better selves."

"Why Ask?" preached by the Rev. Lisa Doege, First Unitarian Church, South Bend, IA (October 5, 2003). Doege explores "apologies," empty and meaningful, the Unitarian discomfort with "words such as repent, forgive, confess, and sin," and what might be gained from them.

"Turning Toward Nineveh" by Cecilia Kingman Miller, First Unitarian Church, Portland, OR (April 3, 2005). Miller starts her sermon with Carl Dennis' poem "Prophet" (discussed elsewhere). The sermon is largely concerned with the gathering danger to America (Conservatives), with Bill Moyers as proof text. She calls:

"Like Jonah, we must repent. Yes, even we progressive types—we have dwelt too long in complicity. We have lived in comfort, partaken of the pleasures of this society, been seduced by its entertainments, lulled to sleep by Trader Joe's and 'The Sopranos'—the modern equivalent of bread and circuses."

Jonah: the Story and The Sermon by Rev. Ronald Knapp, Minister Emeritus, First Unitarian Church of Omaha. Knapp takes a literary approach to the work:

"To read Jonah as history would be like someone a thousand years from now reading St. Exupery's "The Little Prince" or Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land and accepting or rejecting it on whether interstellar space travel was possible in those days. To read Jonah we have to think not in terms of history or fact, but in terms of literature and poetry. And in terms of satire. Jonah is, indeed, an outrageous book, but then it was meant to be!"

"What the book of Jonah is, is a literary attempt to espouse a philosophy of Universalism, to counteract the chauvinism of his day, by pointing out its absurdity and by lifting up the ideal of universal kinship. The author of the book of Jonah is, therefore, also a humanist because basic to his philosophy is a rejection of the superiority of Judaism, and the realization that our humanity is a more basic fact than our different religions, or our different races, or our different nationalities. We have a responsibility to each other, the author of the book of Jonah believes, that transcends the differences that divide us."

"Fleeing for Tarshish" preached by Rev. Douglas Taylor, Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Binghamton, NY (November 16, 2003).

"One of the lessons Jonah's story can offer us is to be careful what values we use to guide our choices. But also that it is never too late to change course."

"The Redemption of Jonah" preached by the Rev. Lee Bluemel, North Parish, Unitarian Universalist, North Andover, MA (Oct. 5, 2003). Three cheers for a sermon that compares Red Sox fans cheering for Roger Clemens with Jonah's failure to take joy in the repentance of Nineveh!

"Who, Me? The High Holy Days in Times of Terror" by Rev. Susan Ritchie (September 23, 2001), North Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Lewis Center, OH. Ritchie chalks up the still-smoking World Trade Center to various U.S. misdeeds, including arming the Afghans against the Soviets:

"During the Cold War we supplied the Afghanis with weapons, many of which they still have, and encouraged them to undertake military action against the far huger and better equipped Soviet Union. Why do they hate us? How could they not."

"What, Me Worry? Jonah in the 21st Century," preached by Charles Blustein Ortman, Unitarian Church of Montclair, Montclair, NJ (October 12, 2003), on making time to hear the inner voice.

Islam

Lengthy summary and expansion from Witness-Pioneer.

Wikipedia: Similarities between the Bible and the Qur'an, summarizes the two stories, noticing a few minor differences. This section at least has none of the usual Wikipedia point-scoring.

Islam 101: Summary with Koranic passages.

Shi'a retelling of the story (few differences). The containing site is highly political, but this is not.

Another Islamic summary.

Islam for Children retells the Koranic story. Also here and many other places on the web.

Shi'a discussion.

Longer children's version.

What was the sign of Jonah? by Ahmed Deedat. Muslim polemic against Christianity over the "three days" problem.