On Tue, 11 Jan 2005 20:14:56 -0800, Rich Ater <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Gilberto:
> Shia and Sunni disagree about certain issues but I'm not
> persuaded that the issues are fundemnantal or essential.
> Well, you may
> be in a minority here. Sunni are killing Shi'a in India and they are
> persecuted in Saudi Arabia. Iraq is a whole other kettle of worms.
Gilberto:
In some neighborhoods, teenagers will kill one another because someone
is wearing a red bandana instead of a blue bandana (and vice versa in
certain other neighborhoods). This doesn't prove that bandana color is
a fundamental essential issue.
What I'm trying to say is that some groups of Shias (namely Zaydis) as
Shias, are still able to be ok with the fact that Abu Bakr was the
khalifa. On the other hand there are some Sunnis (especially from a
Sufi background) who have a very high regard for Ali and believe he
was correct in the disagreement with Muawiya and that Muawiya was
incorrect. What I'm trying to say is that there is room for some
middle ground.
Gilberto:
> If Bahais can try to
present the doctrines of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism,
> Zorastrianism,
etc. in a way which reconciles the apparent differences
> between them,
then narrowing the differences between Sunnis and Shias is a
> walk in
the park.
Rich:
I don't reconcile them. I say that there founders
> taught the same Faith, which has gone through a cosmic game of telephone
> over the decades, but that each has retained enough of the truth to
> recognize the next Prophet if they try. I also say that enough of their
> writings have gone down through the ages to make a credible interpretation
> of monotheism. I also believe that Muslims have gone through the same
> telephone game, I just don't think God minds as much as we do.
>
> There is not a consensus that he was infallible. Among Sunnis, no. The
> Shi'a I know all seem to think so.
> It is generally
thought that he was correct in his disagreement with
> Muawiya. And its
not like there is a sunni list floating around of "Imam
> Ali's top 10
mistakes". AS I said before, he could be considered a kind of
> saint
and might even be a Perfect Man.
Rich:
> You still are beating around the
> bush. Let me put it this way. The Shi'a and the Sunni do not accept Ali in
> the same way.
Ok. So what is the difference between saying that Ali was infallible
and saying that he was a Perfect Man?
Peace
Gilberto
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