Megan Mulls It Over

+JMJ

I found out yesterday that singer Zayn Malik has caused quite a stir by revealing that he does not consider himself a Muslim. This was a crushing blow to some of his fans because he previously spoke positively about his Muslim upbringing. Many on the Web are saying that he “left Islam,” but I have chosen not to use that construction, because I have heard nothing that indicates that he ever claimed to be a practicing Muslim. In fact, just last year he said regarding his faith, “…I’m not currently practicing but I was raised in the Islamic faith, so it will always be with me, and I identify a lot with the culture…I don’t want to be defined by my religion…”

Here’s a thought: if you “don’t want to be defined by” your religion, it’s time for you to find a better religion.

Several articles I saw classified the reaction of many of Malik’s Muslim fans as “disappointment.” Fun fact: if he were a celebrity who had rejected Christianity, this reaction would be referred to as “butthurt.” And any Christians who criticized him would probably be called “intolerant bigots” or worse. And Malik would be praised for “breaking free of his shackles.”

So what exactly is Malik’s religion? Well, he has “a spiritual belief” that “there is a god.” But he doesn’t believe in Hell. How convenient. And the article that I link to above says, “…Malik said he simply believes in being a good person.” I am sure that that is music to many ears, including some in my own Church. It is very fashionable nowadays, even among self-professed Christians, to knock “organized religion.” Here’s the problem with that:

Organized religion tells you how to be a good person.

This does not mean that all religions have an equally good understanding of what it means to be a good person. But it does mean that without organized religion, a person creates his or her own moral code, and very often that code is pretty much “You do you!”

And if your god’s motto is “You do you!” your god is YOU.

(Note: The line above was inspired by one from Catholic author and motivational speaker Chris Stefanick: “If your god lets you do whatever you want, your god is you.”)

It is regrettable that Malik is apparently in spiritual freefall. But I have to say that I like his willingness to be honest about his beliefs. There are way too many in my Church who call themselves Catholic and openly reject Church teachings. I would have a lot more respect for Father James Martin, SJ, if he took a page from Malik’s book and said, “I cannot accept the Catholic Church’s teachings on certain matters. So I am leaving the Church.” (I would also find it very refreshing if more Zionist “secular Jews” were more willing to admit that without the Covenant, their arguments sound kinda like “A god I don’t believe in gave this land to my ancestors, so GTFO!”)

Now let’s look in a little more depth at the reactions of Malik’s fans. Some girls were heartbroken. One hijab-wearing fan tweeted that she “was fully convinced that i was gonna end up marrying zayn malik and now he isn’t a muslim anymore…” Outward signs of religiosity aren’t always an indicator of interior devotion, and the hijab is often as political as it is religious. Nevertheless, I am going to assume for the sake of argument that this young lady is an observant Muslim.

And I am going to tell her that she needs to raise her standards.

Despite her rose-colored glasses regarding Malik’s character, I really love that this tweeter was so open about the fact that a potential suitor’s religion is (presumably) a deal breaker for her. I believe that religion is a woefully under-appreciated and under-employed deal breaker. Consider: if religion isn’t a deal breaker for you, your religion isn’t that important to you. And if it’s not that important to you, why is it your religion?

Some tweeters weren’t surprised at Malik’s revelation because, as alluded to above, he has openly engaged in some very worldly behavior. One person tweeted, “i’m honestly surprised you all didn’t see this coming like why are you shocked lmao.” And “Rolex” got even more specific, saying that he or she wasn’t surprised because Malik has “been drinking, partying and dating for years and expressed zero Islamic sentiment ever about anything.”

And if you are a conservative Christian who wants to snicker at Rolex for his or her “puritanical” views on dating, I hope you will reconsider. I think it’s pretty likely that “dating” in this context is a euphemism for “fornicating.” It’s quite possible that Rolex equates dating with fornication, but even if that’s the case, I really don’t like it when conservative (or so I thought) Christians imply that non-violent Muslims are “backwards” simply because they are opposed to sexual immorality. Side rant over.

Most disheartening to me were the reactions of those Internet peeps who said some variation of “Zayn Malik’s religion is none of your business. Why does it matter that he doesn’t share your beliefs?”

First of all, Malik made his religious beliefs a fair topic of public discussion the moment that he brought them up in public. Second of all, devout Muslims and devout Christians do not have a “You have your truth, I have mine” approach to religion. Islam and Christianity are the only major theistic religions that believe in universal evangelization. That’s one of the main reasons that they’ve butted heads ever since Islam hit the scene.

And Islam seems to have the upper hand at the moment, largely due to the fact that so much of Europe is dominated by “soft” Christianity.

Soft Christianity is no match for Islam, unless you’re talking about soft “Muhammad was a feminist” Islam, in which case the two are BFFs. But soft Christianity can’t compete with peaceful-but-orthodox Islam, and it definitely can’t compete with violent Islam. It can’t compete with that name-misappropriating cult that is the Nation of Islam either. I am convinced that soft Christianity is one of the main reasons that so many men in prison fall under the Nation’s spell. A religion that turns the other cheek but never turns over some tables is a hard sell.

Islam and the Nation of Islam will always be attractive to disaffected young men because Islam fights back. It often fights back in horrific ways, but if we’re being honest, soft Christianity has also led to a whole lot of death, particularly if we include spiritual death in our definition of death. I am not suggesting that we go back to persecuting or executing heretics.

I am suggesting, though, that we remember that offending the Lord Jesus Christ is worse than offending the sensibilities of any other human (including ourselves).

And as the first of two final thoughts, I would like to talk a little more about that “Muhammad was a feminist” bit. Whenever I hear that, my reaction is a very odd combination of: 1) “Wait, which Muhammad are we talking about?” 2) “That explains a lot.” and 3) “Why are you insulting your Prophet?” (For those who are intrigued or confused by No. 2, I will likely talk more about that in a future post(s). One of my working theories about Muhammad is that he allowed himself to be somewhat of a “kept man” with his first wife, which led to the pendulum swinging in the opposite direction – and him kinda losing it – after her death.)

And as the final thought, I would like to mention that I have heard the phrase “Jesus was a feminist.” When it is said by a theological liberal, I’ll typically just shake my head and move on. But if you are a theological conservative who says that (and that does happen), let me share this PSA with you:

I think I understand why you are saying that. And your premises aren’t false. But your conclusion is making me want a safe space. Like yesterday.

Verso l’alto,
Megan