WHY CHRISTIANS REJECT THE KAABA.

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 Kent wrote:

Back to Topic. 

Christians are not so homogenous that it's correct to assume "Christians reject the Kaaba."

Most Christians don't know much about the history of the Kaaba or Islam, so their reaction is more a shrug of indifference than a rejection. Then there are those Christians who don't reject the Kaaba, but may feel the Kaabah 'rejects' Christians... no non-Muslim is allowed to approach within miles, though I & others like me would love to see it and it's black stone, respectfully, like I value my visits to a Hindu temple to learn about the faith and attempt to understand and appreciate the beliefs of others while clarifying and testing my own. 

The accusation that the Kaaba is an Idol and Muslims idolators seems an odd one for we Christians to make.  Jews had their Holy Place and relics (the Jerusalem Temple,  Holy of Holies & Ark), and no Old or New Testament prophet including Jesus ever called their worship idolatry. Even Protestant Christians, who have criticized Catholic Christians for their religious statues & relics (last summer I saw Prague's church of the Infant Baby Jesus and Budapest's severed arm of Saint Stephen), yes, even we 'Bible-only' Christians don't call the Jews' Holy Place and relics Idols. And one recent offshoot of classical Christianity, Mormonism, even has their own Holy Temple in Salt Lake City, which non-Mormons aren't allowed to enter! Sound familiar?

Idolatry is such a slippery concept. To most Christians, it would be hard to find a world religion with more 'idols' than Hinduism. Yet the Hindus I know take great pains to tell me their numerous images and statutes of gods aren't 'idols'... their prostration and prayers are not really to the stone & metal, but to the spiritual beings 'behind' the visible forms that help them focus on the god beyond the image. This kind of denial really gets me thinking about the Bible's and Quran's prohibition against making and worshipping idols... were the people back then just not sophisticated enough to see beyond the physical object, like the Hindus say they do? Or is there something else going on? Could it be that the image that 'helps' one perceive God also serves to limit one's appreciation of God? Perhaps any physical representation of the Almighty cannot help but to diversify and diminish the Absolute. Maybe the sin in Idolatry is 'missing the mark,' or missing out on the unique greatness of the one, true God.

Do I, as a Christian, 'reject' the Kaaba? No, and I don't see the acts of Muslim reverence in Haadj as idolatry. They are rituals like the Christian's Baptism or 'Lord's Supper' which help the believer remember & connect with the invisible God.

Peace.

Kent, 
I welcome you here at the forum and hope we all will learn from each other. 
We as individuals will have different understanding and interpretation of  things. In a result we may have as many understandings or versions of the same thing as number of people, each one pleasing themselves as they wished as well as agreeing with others on totally opposing views. 

Our Creator would not have guided us by sending prophets and books, if that was His plan. It seems very clear from Old, New (Bible) and the Final Testaments (the Quran) that God has always sent His word of guidance for people and some set of rules to be followed. God has always warned people if they will ignore or reject His commands there will be  consequence. With His guidance along with abilities given to us by Him, we are to follow the right course by separating and avoiding the wrong, and figuring out the right and following and holding on to it. Why is that, because He has told us that He will hold us accountable for our intentions and actions. 
As far as the kaaba, yes it is a Holy place, very important. This, according to Islamic teachings is the first ever house of worship built on earth. God's prophets has visited, built and maintained it. It is what it is, house of worship to our Creator. And a special place to visit on the footsteps of prophet Mohammed , Abraham and more (pbut). Does that make it an idol? No, because it is not a representation of any prophets nor any living thing of land, sea or air.
On the other hand Greek, Roman, Hindu or Catholic  erection and worship of statues or representations of living things, whether be elephant, monkey, human or part human like creature, and of those who have lived before on the earth is clearly idol worship. When you have a representation of someone or similar to one who has ever lived on earth
for adoration, bow/kneel down to and worship to, you have stepped into paganism in some form and nothing less.

Hasan

Edited by honeto - 27 January 2010 at 9:56am