Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God

Modern Religious Experience: Reflection #9: The Incarnation of God: "After viewing 'The Nativity Story', analyzing your chosen Christmas carol, and reading Philippians 2:1-7, reflect on the meaning of Christma..."

In the movie The Nativity Story, in the Christmas carol, and in Philippians 2: 1-7, Jesus is described as fully God who is incarnated as human. The Scriptures say that he is a good example that teaches us to live humbly, to care for others, and to create unity among people. He is also described as a lonely human servant who sacrificed himself for all people who would believe in him. The stories in the movie, The Nativity Story, describe how difficult Joseph and Mary’s life and their experience nearing the time of birth the Jesus were, the son of God. For a short moment, Joseph suspected Mary of being with another man, although she became pregnant with the baby Jesus by the Holy Spirit. However, without the faith between Mary and Joseph, Jesus could not have been incarnated. After the long period of struggle to move around the several cities and countries as a pregnant woman, Mary gave birth to the “human” Jesus. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the Persian astrologers were necessary to be the witness of the birth of God and recognizing that he is fully God.

        Silent night, holy night

        All is calm, all is bright

        Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

        Holy Infant so tender and mild

        Sleep in heavenly peace

        Sleep in heavenly peace

        Silent night, holy night, 

        Silent night, holy night!

        Shepherds quake at the sight

        Glories stream from heaven afar

        Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

        Christ, the Savior is born

        Christ, the Savior is born 

        Silent night, holy night

        Son of God, love's pure light

        Radiant beams from Thy holy face

        With the dawn of redeeming grace

        Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

        Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

In the Christmas song I chose, “Silent Night, Holy Night,” the lyrics create an image of Mary and the baby Jesus right next to each other after the baby’s birth and explain that night as holy. The song itself seems to be words from the people celebrating the birth of the Son of God. The song points out that the baby Jesus was sleeping in “heavenly peace” describing how “tender and mild” the baby can be. Also, Jesus is called “Christ the Savior” predicting the sacrifice and death of Jesus on the cross.

God born into a human body provides the comfort, equality, and love for all people since his human form demonstrates itself that he understands people’s suffering. God in the form of a human man would be appealing to a god wanting to relate to people on an equal level. He does not want to amaze people with his holy power and ability to destroy everything. He wants to show he has suffered all of the things that people have suffered, even from the time of a baby’s birth. Jesus comes to Earth not only as just human but also as a lowly servant of the people he will save. He does this however as fully God while in human form. In human form, he is less intimidating too.

The Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, and its Muhammad cartoon controversy of 2005 is a conflict between Western ideas of free speech and Islamic prohibition against pictorial images, especially of the prophet Muhammad. The cartoon depictions were first printed in Denmark with a picture representation of Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban. This caused much unpleasant tension first with the Muslims in Denmark and later lead to massive violence throughout the Middle-East and many European countries.

In the Muslim view, the reasons of their anger are that the bomb-shaped turban symbolizes the radical Muslim terrorists and their intolerance and that the picture of Muhammad is forbidden in Islamic belief. Some radical Muslims often fight against opposing forces with terrorism and violence. Because of those radicals, many people think of Islam as a religion that is itself violent and supports terrorism. This is the stereotype as if all Muslims are violent. Muslims argue that this is only a small part of all Muslims and that other countries should not criticize one’s most sacred beliefs. The drawing in a satirical cartoon of the holy figure, Muhammad, was the one of the causes of Muslim anger. Islam belief forbids pictorial depictions of holy figures in fear that they would lead to idol worship. Many Muslims believe that all pictorial depictions are bad. Many Muslim historical artifacts and temples, therefore, have geometric designs and virtually no human figure depictions. The critics of the Danish cartoons thought that connecting Muhammad to the radicals of Islam was a mockery to all Muslims.

The main reason for this cartoon from the Danish journalists was to show Muslim intolerance. The opposite Western opinion is that expressing one’s opinion is a basic human right that no one can give up or be criticized as having. In this different perspective, the satire cartoon on the Muslim prophet Muhammad can also be counted as free speech. By violating that freedom of speech, Muslims cannot cover over their faults and the violence committed, goes the Danish journalists’ argument. Expressing an opinion is not bad, a Western point of view can claim. Satire, in fact, on the issues of the day is common in the western world.

Religious conflicts seem not easily resolved, and the tension between the different religions grows stronger. The Muslim anger against the depictions of Muhammad was expressed through the boycott on European products and hate and violence toward European people living in Islamic countries. The conflict is proof to Muslims of Western ignorance of their religion, and to the West, the violent backlash against the cartoons is another proof of the violent nature of apparently many Muslims. The extremists of both sides seem to be at fault in this conflict, but the public sees the extremists rather than the majority of the people on either side.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/02/AR2006020202720.html

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=16434

http://www.imran.com/media/blog/2006/02/lets-make-new-cartoons-of-prophet.html. Islamic view