Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.12.2004, Side 20

What do you consider proof of God’s
existence, or do you operate on faith alone?
Many people have tried to prove - or
disprove - the existence of God, but in the
end it all comes down to a matter of faith.
For me, I receive proof on a personal level.
My life changed for the better when I first
believed in God’s existence. I think it works
the same way for others.
Is it possible for otherwise good people who
don’t believe in God to go to Paradise?
This is just my personal view, but I think
we all go to Heaven, even bad people. I
find it strange that there’s the belief that
only people who believe in Jesus Christ
go to Heaven. If the only reason why
someone would follow His teachings is to
go to Heaven, then that takes away the real
purpose of following the teachings.
Should Scripture be interpreted literally,
allegorically or both? If both, how does one
decide what to take at face value and what
to consider “open for interpretation”?
While the church exists for that purpose,
I think that we always have to have an
open discussion about what’s written
there. I don’t believe in a strictly literal
Bible. The reason why I think the church’s
teachings always keep changing is that the
knowledge of a thousand years ago is of
course different than what we know today.
As humankind develops, we have to look at
the Bible through this knowledge. Only the
main message - the words of Jesus Christ
- remain unchanging.
One example I can give you of this is
homosexuals and marriage. A long time
ago marriage only meant a union between
a man and a woman. Now times are
changing. If there is love between two
people, it’s more valuable than some
formula.
If God is all powerful and all good, why do
bad things happen?
I think that this adjective we apply to God,
“almighty,” is one of the things we use to
describe Godness. It’s sort of our wish to
God that He’ll always protect us. But on the
contrary, I don’t believe that God is looking
down on us, controlling things, working as
some great protector. I once knew an Italian
priest who was supposed to get on a train
one day but for some reason didn’t make
it. That day, that train was blown up by a
terrorist’s bomb. The priest told me God
had protected him. I think this is a shabby
thought; what about the other people on
the train? Were they less deserving of
God’s protection? We pray that God will
protect us. It’s our natural feeling. Disasters
can happen to anyone and we don’t know
why, but the disasters remind us that life is
valuable. We go on living.
Is there only “one true faith” or are there
many? If there is only one, how do we know
which one that is?
I don’t think that there’s any fixed
conclusion. I became Christian in Japan. I
have respect for Buddhism, the faith of my
parents, but Christianity fit my own reality.
If the question is, is there one faith for me,
just one and no other, I’d say Christianity
is 100% for me. Others can say the same
about their faiths. If a Christian born in
Iceland discovered the Buddhist faith and
it fits his reality, how can I compare which
faith is true or not true?
Is violence in God’s name ever justified?
No. Unfortunately, there are fanatics in all
religions who use God as the purpose of
their actions.
Why is it that bad people tend to enjoy
great earthly success, while good people
tend to live meagre existences?
The Bible makes it very clear: no one can
take property to Heaven. I pity those who
don’t see the real value in life. I think it’s
really tragic.
Should children be raised in a faith, or
should it be left to them to decide as adults
what, if any, faith they will follow?
Parents try to give their best to their
children, teach them how to behave and
have respect. I pray with my kids. I try to
make them understand how I respect my
faith. When they start to think more on
their own, they might think differently. It’s
their decision; not mine. My parents were
Buddhist and I became Christian. Kids
should choose what’s best for themselves.
What do you consider proof of God’s
existence, or do you operate on faith alone?
“God does not sign his sunsets,” someone
said, but still the whole world does in a way
witness the existence of God, the beauty
of creation, the wonders of life, the joy of
love. The eyes of faith see od’s signs, or
signature, or footsteps if we put it that way,
and I believe.
Is it possible for otherwise good people who
don’t believe in God to go to Paradise?
Paradise is to be in the presence of God
and enjoying Him forever. I believe in God
who’s limitless in His love and mercy. The
only thing He cannot do is to force anyone
to be with Him.
Should Scripture be interpreted literally,
allegorically or both? If both, how does one
decide what to take at face value and what
to consider “open for interpretation”?
The Bible is not cut in stone, it is a
collection of texts from different periods,
containing the story of God and humans.
The different parts of the Bible interpret
each other. The word of God is not just the
letters of the written word, it is to be read
and heard by body, soul and spirit. Reading
or listening to the word requires an open
heart to the voice of God who speaks
through the texts.
If God is all powerful and all good, why do
bad things happen?
The world is a fallen world where sin and
death are “on the loose”. God has in Christ
saved the world from sin and death and
has in various ways healed and helped us
to overcome it, leading the world to the
perfection where sin and death are no
more and every tear is wiped from our eyes,
except the tears of joy and happiness (ok,
–ed).
Why is it that bad people tend to enjoy
great earthly success, while
good people tend to live meagre existences?
That is a tough question. In the Bible, Job
for instance struggled with
that. His answer is to trust in God and his
blessings. One thing is for
sure, God’s blessing is not evident in
material things.
Should children be raised in a faith, or
should it be left to them to decide as adults
what, if any, faith they will follow?
In a similar way as the mother´s language,
which is fundamental to the development of
language skill and understanding, teaching
children to pray and respect that which is
holy is an invaluable foundation of their
spiritual maturity.
No child can be raised in a spiritual vacuum.
Do we decide our ultimate fate, or has God
already done that for us?
Even though we have a free will and can in
numerous ways decide on which way to go,
life does often lead us into unexpected paths
and unknown territories. This is one of the
great mysteries of life. I believe in God as I
have learned to know Him in Jesus Christ. I
love Him and put my hope in Him.I respect
other peoples’ faith and know that God has
many ways to reach His children.
Is violence in God’s name ever justified?
No.
Who do you think God sided with during
the teacher’s strike?
God sides with truth, love and justice. I
believe that was found on both sides.
What do you consider proof of God’s
existence, or do you operate on faith alone?
I consider myself proof of God’s existence. I
look in the mirror, see eyes, ears, a tongue.
In examining myself, I see that there was
a power that created me; God. It can’t be
anything else.
Is it possible for otherwise good people who
don’t believe in God to go to Paradise?
Nobody knows who’s going to Paradise
except God. I think that if you are a good
person, you believe in one God already, you
believe in something higher than yourself.
But of course this question is all in God’s
hands.
Should Scripture be interpreted literally,
allegorically or both? If both, how does one
decide what to take at face value and what
to consider “open for interpretation”?
In Islam, we know that the Koran is exactly
what Mohammed brought us from God, so
we follow it literally. Of course the Koran
doesn’t cover every single aspect of life,
but it gives us guidelines to work from.
For example, the Koran tells us we have to
wash before prayer. However, if there’s no
water around, we just make the motions of
washing.
If God is all powerful and all good, why do
bad things happen?
God wants us to do good things. If we were
supposed to be like angels, we wouldn’t be
human. God created sin and goodness, and
gave us a mind to decide for ourselves. As
for things like natural disasters, death is no
big deal. We are practically born knowing
that we will die someday. Maybe these
things happen just to remind us that there
is a creator who has this power.
Is there only “one true faith” or are there
many? If there is only one, how do we know
which one that is?
For me, I have complete belief in my faith.
A Christian has complete belief in his faith.
But we believe in one God, and that one
day we’ll go back to him. That’s what makes
us one. In the end, of course, only God
knows which faith is the “right” one.
Why is it that bad people tend to enjoy
great earthly success, while good people
tend to live meagre existences?
These people who think only about material
success are only concentrating on one thing
so of course they’re going to be good at
it. But a good person, he’s thinking about
helping the less fortunate, being good to his
neighbor, and this costs something.
Should children be raised in a faith, or
should it be left to them to decide as adults
what, if any, faith they will follow?
I think that children should be raised in
a faith, but I think that they should have
knowledge of other faiths as well. When
they get old enough, they can decide for
themselves which religion they want to
follow.
Do we decide our ultimate fate, or has God
already done that for us?
I think we decide our fate. God gave us
the power to make our own decisions, to
use our minds and follow the right path. In
Islam we believe that we are representatives
of God on earth, and you can’t be a good
representative without a mind of your own.
Is violence in God’s name ever justified?
Never. I think all religions teach that we are
all one people of one soul. To use religion
to justify violence degrades God. God is
mercy and love, otherwise He wouldn’t be
God. But the problem is, there are people
who believe that they have the same power
as God and can decide who to punish,
who’s good and bad, and we have a name
for these people. We call them fanatics.
Toshiki Toma
Lutheran Minister, councelor to
immigrants
Karl Sigurbjörnsson
Bishop of Iceland
Salmann Tamimi
chairman of the Icelandic Muslim
Association.
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