BACK TO ADVENTURE

Three or four months have been passed since I haven't the books which I bought last year... I must be very busy last year. Haven't even got a time to put more interesting thoughts in my blog here, or even pictures, videos, and reviews. Tsk... whatta busy term.

But this January, I forced myself to read something interesting again. New book to read. New adventure to explore. New knowledge to learn. And new things to be curious about.

Steve Berry's THE ALEXANDRIA LINK is the book that currently keeps me busy today, in addition of my teaching work, and other tasks in my organization. The book is fantastic. Steve writes like Dan Brown. I really wanted to finish the book in one day but sad to say, I have other things to worry about, and I already mentioned it here.

Another fact-based thriller, an excellent blend of fact and fiction, where the subject is about the mystery of the ancient and lost Library of Alexandria. One sources I've read somewhere in the internet mentioned that one critical response to the book is the portrayal of the Arab-Israeli War in 1948.

Many may have thought the same way as myself, that the Arab-Israeli War erupted because of politics. But, the book said... I'm wrong. Instead, it was a religious battle between Islam and Christianity (or maybe Judaism).

Here, read an excerpt from the book: "The conflict in the Middle East, between the Jews and Arabs is not a political battle, as many perceived. Instead it was a never-ending contest over the Word of God."

So, they're fighting over who really is the chosen nation of the Almighty--the true promised land. This ownership of the promised land (and probably the chosen nation of the Almighty) is traced back to Abraham.

Abram had his first born son to Hagar, not to his wife Sarai. His first born was named Ishmael. In the Koran, Abraham is known as Ibrahim while Ishmael as Isma'il, and it also made clear that Ibrahim and Isma'il raised the foundation of the House, which the book pointed out as the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine in Mecca.

Later, God changed Abram's name to Abraham and his wife Sarai to Sarah. In addition, his wife gave birth to Sarah's first born, the boy was named Isaac--who became Abraham's heir. The land of Canaan was promised to Isaac and to Abraham as well.

Isaac fathered Jacob, who later we knew by the name Israel. Later, he had twelve sons which became the twelve tribes of Israel. One of the twelve tribes directed us to David, then later to Christ.

Another excerpt from the book said: "Abraham is the father of all three of the world's main religions. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity trace their roots to him, though the story of his life differs in each. The entire conflict in the Middle East, which has endured for thousands of yers, is simply a debate over which account is correct, which religion is divine right to the land. The Arabs through Ismael. The Jews from Isaac. The Christians by Christ."

It's getting deeper or more easy to say, confusing... which God shall I kneel? Allah? Yahweh? or Christ?

Let me stop here dudes and dudettes... I haven't yet finished the book... But I'm starting to wonder if I am on the right track about the faith which I am holding now.

I'll just keep you updated of my progress and the thoughts I pondered in my reading.