Archive for the ‘Druze’ Category
Druze Resources
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011Druze
Sunday, July 3rd, 2011The Druze who commonly refer to themselves as the Ahl al-Tawhid or al-Muwaḥḥidūn al Dururz are like most religions who make claims of exclusivity as being the only pure religion and yet this concept is a duplicity to the ideologies of their faith. This movement declares originality and yet its identity was borrowed from various Eastern and Western philosophies/religions making it an eclectic group which has homogenized the elements of other world views by which otherwise it wouldn’t of survived its conception. This lack of uniqueness gives it a personality crisis as it was birthed by foreign influences in defining its supposed reality. So for Druzism to make claims as being the ultimate truth by melding all of these borrowed doctrines is just nonsensical. If the structure is built upon the foundations of its parental predecessors then it is just as weak or faulty as these other faiths.
Again Druzism claims to be authentic and yet it is a mixture of Islam, Gnosticism, Judaism, Hinduism, Platonism, and Zoroastrianism and for this more recent 11th century religion to assert that these other faiths are later or impure in representing incomplete imitations is ironically a statement which definably describes their own religious view or position.
Additionally the hypocrisy that goes along with this movement comes by making such claims of eliteness in sacrificing their principles to accommodate the dominant cultural religious beliefs of their residence which is referred to as Taqiya or dissimulation. This betrayal is blasphemous after taking a position of absolute submission and resignation to God’s divine will whether it be in secret or in public. This is a denial of the very values they endorse such as honesty, loyalty, filial piety, altruism and patriotic sacrifice.
This compromise may be a reactionary response to escape persecution, the likes of which they have been guilty of committing themselves in times past, but a faith that is not worth suffering for is a faith that is not worth living for. To publicly deny the faith through secretiveness is to openly renounce God.
Also the irony to this religious philosophy is that they believe in the divine unity of all mankind but they do not allow for proselytism or outsiders to join in the knowledge of their supposed truth. This is a contradiction in which they don’t even allow for marrying outside of the faith in order to propagate their beliefs towards a cooperation in obtaining this unity towards the universal intelligence or divine essence known as al-Aqui al-Kulli of which only a fraction of the Druze population take seriously anyway.
If the Druze are supposed to be the remnant and the bearers or receptacles of truth then why is there only a minority of about 20% which share these deep religious affections? If the Druze are the chosen as being a selective or privileged group then what advantage is there to being ethically identified with these people if you are considered a juhhal or a secular/ignorant Druze?
To narrow it further there is an inner sanctum for only certain individuals who have access to particular religious texts such as the Kitab Al Hikma or Rasahl al-Hikma. So what hope is there for those who are not the Uqqal or the Ajawid and are left out of this inner circle that has access to these sources?
Consequently I am skeptical that this religion is able to preserve its supposed truth as this world continually becomes more cosmopolitan. Therefore it is unlikely that this sect will even survive and may even become extinct due to its own limitations.
In moving on there is also the issue as related to the eastern philosophy of reincarnation and yet I have already addressed this belief system in one of my other posts as related to the religion of Hinduism. I also included another link that you might find interesting as it contains a video of people that have been interviewed in sharing their stories about being revived after having a near death or clinical death experience.
jesusandjews.com/wordpress/2010/02/16/hinduism-and-reincarnation/
In addition to this there is another controversial issue in which al-Hakim, who is a more contemporary figure, shares a striking resemblance to the person and work of Jesus when it comes to the matters of an end time event of restoring all things unto a golden age.
However, Jesus has not waited to manifest His glory in some future utopian age but has promised that today is the day of salvation and that as believers in Him that we can now partake of the heavenly gift of eternal life in the here and now. So for those who trust in Him for salvation He has given them the precious gift of the Holy Spirit as a guarantor of their soul and who serves as a sign of reassurance that they are united permanently with God.
In conclusion you may be one of those who have failed the religious requirements of your group or perhaps you feel as if you can not live up to the expectations and rigors of your society and in closing I would like to leave you with an invitation from Jesus who has shouldered the burden of religious shortcomings.
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Excerpts taken “From Handbook of World Religions, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission”