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(Recollections of a convert to Islam)<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When I was a child, growing up in the sixties and seventies just a few blocks away from the notorious Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, I was surrounded by the hippie movement. It was a “turn on, tune in, drop out” age of sexual freedom, cultural revolution and social recklessness.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Happily, I was never caught up in the hippie movement, but being so close to it, I could not help but observe its development. One thing I clearly remember is how many hippies were labeled “Jesus freaks.” As I surf my childhood memories, nearly four decades later, this euphemism strikes me as having been decidedly peculiar. These hippies were considered “Jesus freaks” because they dressed as Jesus did, grew their hair as he did, renounced materialism as he did, and propagated devotion to God, peace, charity and communal love.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Now, many whom embarked upon this path fell into hallucinogenic drug use and wanton sexual proclivities\u2014practices which are far from the example of Jesus\u2014but this is not why these hippies were called Jesus freaks. Rather, they were called Jesus freaks for their long hair, loose clothing, asceticism, communal unity and passivism, all a result of their effort to live like Jesus. The House of Love and Prayer, located nearby in the avenues, was a collecting point for many of these well-meaning souls, and the title of the institution reflected their focus in life.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Looking back, what seems strange to me now is not that people would wish to embody Jesus’ values, but that others would criticize them for it. What seems even stranger is that few Christians, in the modern day, match this profile. Indeed, what seemed most<\/em> strange to me, prior to my conversion to Islam, is that Muslims seemed to embody Jesus’ values better than Christians.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now, that assertion requires an explanation, and it goes like this: To begin with, both Christianity and Islam consider Jesus to have been a prophet of their religion. However, whereas Jesus’ teachings have been lost from the creed and practices of most Christians (see my article, Where is the “Christ” in “Christianity?”<\/em>), these same teachings are respected and evident in Islam.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Let us look at some examples.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Appearance<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Manners<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Religious Practices<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Practices of Worship<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Matters of Creed<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In short, Muslims appear to be the “Jesus freaks” of modern day, if by that expression we mean those who live by God’s laws and Jesus’ example.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Carmichael notes, \u201c\u2026 for a whole generation after Jesus\u2019 death his followers were pious Jews and proud of it, had attracted into their fold members of the professional religious classes, and did not deviate even from the burdensome ceremonial laws.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One wonders what happened between the practices of the first generation of Jesus’ followers and the Christians of modern day. At the same time, we have to respect the fact that Muslims exemplify Jesus’ teachings more than Christians do. Furthermore, we should remember that the Old Testament foretold three prophets to follow. John the Baptist and Jesus Christ were numbers one and two, and Jesus Christ himself predicted the third and last. Hence, both Old and New Testaments speak of a final prophet, and we would be amiss if we didn’t consider that final prophet to be Muhammad, and the final revelation to be that of Islam.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2007 Laurence B. Brown<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Permission granted for free and unrestricted reproduction if reproduced in entirety without omissions, additions or alterations.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A graduate of Cornell University, Brown University Medical School and George Washington University Hospital residency program, Laurence B. Brown is an ophthalmic surgeon, a retired Air Force officer, and the medical director and chief ophthalmologist of a major eye center. He is also an ordained interfaith minister with a doctorate in divinity and a PhD in religion, and the author of a number of books of comparative religion and reality-based fiction. His works can be found on his website, www.LevelTruth.com.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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