Jihad! Death to the infidels!
Re: Islam, Christianity, and Malkionism
Various people have quibbled with my comparison of the above
three belief systems, and some have even (obliquely) attacked the
whole idea of comparing Malkionism and Islam. Let me correct a
couple of the less informed opinions with some simple statements
which anyone can verify with standard reference works such as,
frex, the Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions.
- The development of the doctrine of the Trinity divided the
early church from at least the time of Justin Martyr (d. 165),
who taught that Jesus was both God's own self-expression and a
being distinct from him, using a combination of New Testament and
Greek thought. This "Logos" theology contrasted with folks who
said that the three beings of the trinity were successive stages
in God's interaction with the world and those who said that Jesus
was God's adopted son.
- The doctrine of the Trinity continues to divide Christians
today. The Orthodox Churches reject the insertion of the word
"filioque" into the Nicene Creed ("the holy ghost ... proceedeth
from the Father _and_the_Son").
- Between Justin Martyr and the present day, various
entertaining takes on the Trinity have held sway over various
sized groups of people. (This can be verified by playing Credo!,
which is a lot more fun than standard reference works.)
- The fundamentals of Islam, as the adherents of that religion
came to view themselves as distinct from other monotheists, are
the revelation of the Koran to Muhammad, and the moral laws that
book provides (such as observing the Ramadan fast (Sura 2:139-
145), making the Hajj pilgrimage (Sura 3:90-92), and giving alms
(Sura 9:60, 57:18)).
What does all this dry scholarly stuff have to do with Glorantha?
Well, for one thing, these very ideas have filled millions of
people with pious emotions ranging from joy to hatred. Good RPG
possibilities there.
For another, note the lack of a Trinity in Malkionism and
its central importance in Christianity. Sure, the early
Christians also argued about church governance, monastic
practices, church-state relations, and the composition of the
canon, but the different sects we know from history are known for
their Trinitarian beliefs. Arianism, Monophysitism, etc., are
all labels that refer to beliefs about the three persons of God.
The gnostic denial of the Christ's physical body, the second
century emphasis on the holy spirit as redeemer--where is this in
Malkionism?
Malkionism is about a revelation from the Invisible God to a
prophet, who taught moral laws which are unfortunately subject to
differing interpretations. Sound familiar? And the central
confession of faith in Malkionism sounds a lot like the
"testimony" of Islam or (a little) the Shema Yisrael of Judaism,
not like the trinitarian confession of faith in most sects of
Christianity.
Sure, there are many question marks left to fill in.
Obviously, no Terran missionary religion tried to pigeonhole
people into a four-caste system. But when you're looking for an
analogue to build your vision on, you can look beyond familiar
Western Christianity.
Dogmatically,
Martin
King, by Grace of Orlanth, etc., of Holay, Saird, Tarsh, etc.
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: Fri 10 Oct 2003 - 01:34:11 EEST