peace

Interesting news from Israel, concerning the Carmel fire: Police have taken two Druze brothers in for questioning. According to Ynet news, the boys’ relatives are enraged over the issue… one saying this:

The police have excuses. They have nothing to do and are trying to evade responsibility for the fire. I am certain that the detainees will be released soon, as there is no proof that they caused the fire. We will work to prove that they’re innocent.

Any way you cut it, the entire episode is a tragedy, one that is hopefully coming to an end. Reports of arson at other locations is a sign of how awful it is to witness division: Hate, greed, murder, and envy are not suffering any scarcity on Planet Earth.

Who, though, are the Druze? Here is what I found out, from an article by Dr. Naim Aridi:

The Druze consider their faith to incorporate all three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity

The Druze reckon that ceremony and ritual have caused too much turmoil in the world; therefore, they have “no fixed daily liturgy, no defined holy days, and no pilgrimage obligations. The Druze perform their spiritual reckoning with God at all times, and consequently need no special days of fasting or atonement.”

The Druze accept no converts–either you are born Druze or you aren’t. No new members are accepted. Why? When the religion was first revealed (ca. 1000 A.D.) everyone was invited to join. Since (according to Druze belief) “everyone alive today is the reincarnation of someone who lived at that time, there is no reason to allow them to join today.”

How about them apples? More about Druze culture is reflected in their primary creed:

Speaking the truth (instead of prayer)
Supporting your brethren (instead of charity)
Abandoning the old creeds (instead of fasting)
Purification from heresy (instead of pilgrimage)
Accepting the unity of God
Submitting to the will of God (instead of holy war)

Top it off with no pork, no tobacco, and no alcohol and you’ve got a primer in Druze. For more insight, check out the article by Dr. Aridi:

Shalom to all… and a very, merry Christmas.

I‘m beginning to think that the DPRK is a lot like Disney World–a place where reality is suspended the moment you enter.

Or maybe it’s more like a UFO convention,–anyone who does enter has already embarked on an out-of-this-world exploration.

The truth is that I’m a lot like you: I don’t know what to think for sure. The rhetoric, allegations and activities just seem to get more bizarre as we go. From the recent claim that DPRK scientists have developed nuclear fusion, to threats of turning Seoul into a “sea of fire”, to the idea that Aijalon Mahli Gomes has attempted suicide, the hits just keep coming. If the subject matter was not so grim, one would think that the Central News Agency is like a global Saturday Night Live. Incredible stuff.

Here’s the announcement concerning Aijalon: [Read more…] about Park, Gomes, DPRK: So Bizarre