Reflection #9 - The Incarnation of God

     In the movie, my christmas carol, and in the Bible, Jesus is described as a humble being that has come to Earth to save us from our sins.  They all say that he is the son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit.

The First Noel (Verse 4):

This star drew nigh to the northwest

O'er Bethlehem it took its rest

And there it did both Pause and stay

Right o'er the place where Jesus lay.

     This verse of "The First Noel"represents the part in which the star is shining brightly directly above the place where Jesus was born.  This star was used by the shepherds and the three kings to lead them to Jesus, the son of God.

     Mary was important in the story of the birth of Jesus because she was the mother of Jesus.  Perhaps even more significant is that she was a virgin, yet she conceived Jesus.  That, in itself, is a miracle.  Joseph was important to the story of the birth of Jesus because he was the father of Jesus.  He was crucial in helping Mary to travel all the way to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.  The shepherds were important in witnessing the birth of Jesus because they represented the lowest people of the social ladder.  The Persian astrologers were important in the birth of Jesus because they represented the highest of the social ladder.  Since they all bowed down to Jesus, they realized his greatness, which represented that someday, all people, rich and poor, would bow down to God.

     God coming to Earth as a baby is definitely a humbling experience.  To be an omnipotent God, and to choose to come to Earth, which was created by him, as a baby is symbolic of the fact that he has chosen to come to earth as the lowest of lows.  He chose to give up the glory that he had and become a "servant" (Philippians 2:7) of all.

Reflection #8 Islam: Two Perspectives

Islamic Viewpoint:
Christian woman gets death sentence for 'blasphemy'

Under the immense pressure from Muslim mobs outside, the court sentenced Aasya Bibi, a Pakistani Christian, to death for committing blasphemy against Allah and the prophet Muhammad.  Furthermore, a Rs300,000 fine was imposed on her.  Upon becoming sentenced, Bibi and her lawyer filed an appeal for the Lahore High Court for a repeal of the lower court's decision

Western Viewpoint:
Official: Pakistani Christian woman falsely accused of blasphemy

After a preliminary investigation into the case of Aasya Bibi, investigators have declared Bibi innocent and should be pardoned by the president.  The investigators found that the accusations were baseless, and Bibi says that the accusations were fabricated by a group of older women that don't like her.  Her death sentence has also enraged human rights activists around the world, who heavily criticize Pakistan's blasphemy law.

Compare and Contrast

The Islamic people seemed to view the situation as outrageous and seemed to jump to unjustifiable conclusions.  They realized the holiness of Allah and his prophet Muhammad, and were quick to condemn anyone who defiled them.  Since Bibi is a Christian, I believe Muslims were especially quick to judge and berate her.  I also noticed that Muslims viewed the blasphemy law as a necessary step to secure their religion from any criticisms or any other form of attack.  From the Western point of view, Bibi was seen as a Christian who unintentionally criticized Islam and their ways.  They also believe that she was falsely accused on 'baseless' claims.  Bibi also added that a group of women that didn't like her made up these claims.  The Islamic point of view did not even mention Bibi's opinion or her side of the story.  Finally, Westerners believe that the blasphemy law should be repealed by the government.  Indications in the comments below the story and in the actual CNN story point out that the blasphemy law has been used unjustly and is an unreasonable law with an uncalled for penalty, death.