Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Politics and Religion
Ramadan for Christians: what do our holy books really say?

Ramadan for Christians: what do our holy books really say?

Last updated on: April 15, 2021 at 7:18 pm by Kathryn Shihadah

Ramadan for Christians: what do our holy books really say? 2021-04-15T19:18:48-04:00 Kathryn Shihadah

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

During the course of Ramadan, many Muslims read or listen to the whole Qur’an. Here’s how it works – I observed it while living in the Middle East and in the States: many mosques host a tarawiyyeh, a time when the imam (spiritual leader of the congregation) reads aloud from the Qur’an each evening after iftar (the sunset meal that breaks the all-day fast).

It’s planned out so that by the end of the month, the participants will have made their way through the entire book (the whole Qur’an is shorter than our New Testament).

Imagine having a full tummy at last after a long, grueling day of fasting – and then sitting quietly without falling asleep while someone reads to you for a couple of hours. That’s jihad, baby! But what a great discipline, and a great reminder of what a life of faith is about. (Read my whole series on Ramadan for Christians here.)

holy book

“Quran 2” by Themeplus is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Holy books

It amazes me when Christians presume to know what is in the Qur’an. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the words, “the Qur’an says it’s ok to kill Christians,” or “the Qur’an is all about violence.” Really? Are you sure?

And is the Bible nonviolent? Have you read Exodus? Massacre, poisonous snakes, drowning, plagues. How about Joshua? Massacre, massacre, massacre. We have explanations for these violent passages – and Muslims have explanations for theirs.

We need to stop thinking we know someone else’s holy book better than they do.

And we could stand to get more familiar with our own holy book.

There are lots of things in the New Testament – in the very words of Jesus – that we don’t even know are there!

I went to Sunday School every Sunday of my childhood, and Christian schools from kindergarten through college – and no one ever, ever taught some basic truths that were right in front of us. I’ll tell you about two of them today (I’ve written about them before, here and here).

The Good Samaritan

We’ve all heard the parable of the Good Samaritan, and we were taught that Jesus wants us to be good neighbors. But we were also taught that the only thing that really matters is that before we die, we say a combination of words like, “Please come into my heart and forgive my sins.” Ultimately that’s all that matters.

But is that really what the Good Samaritan is about?

Here’s something I skipped over for more than half a century of Bible reading: before the parable, someone asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” After the parable, Jesus says, “Go and do likewise” – i.e. “and that’s how to inherit eternal life.”

To put it another way, Jesus said, “You want to inherit eternal life? Ok, live like that Samaritan. Those other guys from the story – the ones who practice your religion – are getting it wrong.”

Or more simply: “Eternal life is not about theology. It’s about love.”

What I’m getting at is that faith in God is not a formula. We Christians (not all of us, but many) have turned it into a formula, contrary to Scripture.

Binary thinking – “my way or the highway” – ignores what God really desires, which is love. Bottom line:

Sometimes, perhaps, people of another faith might be closer to the will of God than people of our own faith.

Sheep and goats

Next stop: the parable of the sheep and goats. Remember? To the sheep, Jesus says, “take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

Who were the sheep? Who inherited the kingdom? The ones who asked Jesus to be Lord of their lives? That’s not what it says.

The ones who cared for “the least of these” inherited the kingdom.

Not the ones who knew the most about sheep, not the ones who memorized the names of all the sheep, or had never made a sheep-related mistake. The ones who loved others.

We have changed Jesus’ message to, “Those who have lived good lives and believed in God will be put on one side and have a place in Heaven,” or “Every unbeliever longs for the food of the Word and the clothing of salvation. Jesus wants us to preach the Gospel. Period.”

That’s not what Jesus said. That’s what we say. I’ll have more examples like this in the coming days. (Are you subscribed to my newsletter?)

I know Jesus said other things like, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” Here’s what I’m getting at: sometimes he said, “I am the Way” and other times he said, “care for the least of these.” The Bible does not give us one single procedure for all people for all time. Finding God is not a straight line or a series of boxes to be checked.

And as the Good Samaritan teaches us – if we dare to learn it – it’s not about rightness or knowledge, but love. Some of the most loving people I know are Muslims, and some of the most hateful I know are Christians.

MORE POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO READ:

Do you know God’s will for you, or just assume you know?

Evangelicals and progressives: let’s dialogue about Jesus and poverty

Dear Conservative Christians: the world is complex and nuanced

“Wait, the Bible says THAT?” Faith that catches Jesus’ attention

FEATURED IMAGE: “Quran 2” by Themeplus is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Previous Post

April 14, 2021

Ramadan for Christians: a few words about Muslim prayer

Next Post

April 16, 2021 Ramadan for Christians: the "feasting" part

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion becoming progressive christmas exvangelical Gaza family injustice interfaith islam Palestine and Israel parable politics Ramadan rohr sexual orientation ten commandments Uncategorized upside-down bible women

Select a Month October 2026 July 2026 May 2026 April 2026 September 2025 August 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz