It seems a regular practice on the island for a small group to get together and buy a cow to butcher-- after which they divide the spoils evenly among them.
This was a group of ten men (or ten families) that had formed a group to buy a small cow. A small cow can be bought for $400-$500. A large cow would run $700-$800. I'm not sure how much meat each would actually receive for their share of the cow.
This group of men happened to all be Muslim. This was fortuitous for me, as I had been looking for Muslims on the island I could talk to about their religion. I am currently reading the Koran for the second time (I just have a couple of chapters left), and have lots of questions. Unfortunately they do not have an official leader on the island (sounds a lot like our small group of Mormons); they have a formal leader on Saipan that comes to visit every few months. In the mean time they meet together weekly to study the Koran on their own.
The meat and bone is cut up into small squares about the size of your fist, then it is weighed and put in plastic bags. I assume that, as they are Muslims, they have a specific method of killing and preparing their meat-- in fact, like the Jews, they probably cannot eat meat that has not been properly prepared.The one I spoke with--and who could speak English a little-- was named something like Jamareel Hussein. They were very friendly and invited me to come worship with them anytime; although it was clear they would be hesitant to answer religious questions-- they simply study the Koran. If I wanted to ask questions, I would have to go to Saipan.
It is very difficult to get good meat here on Tinian, so this would be a great way to get what you wanted... although it was obvious that they were not professional butchers, separating the 'good' cuts of meat from the bad ones. They seemed to simply be cutting it all into as equal portions as possible, then weighing the meat for distribution.
2 comments:
do you think being a catholic, a christian, a muslim, or a morman really matters to God? Please answer back ASAP.
We are all children of God. I believe that the one thing of most importance to God is how we live our lives-- are we good people or bad people.
I believe that there is eternal truth, and I believe that the Mormon church has obtained more of that eternal truth than any other religion. The reason for this is that they continue to recieve truth and knowledge from God through modern revelation, and a modern Prophet.
However, that does not mean that other religions do not believe the truth--because they do. I just believe the Mormons have received more, or perhaps a more perfect understanding, of 'eternal truth'.
But with that said, in the end we will all be judged by our works--by what we actually do in this life. So, even if you are in the most perfect religion, and have gained the most perfect knowledge of God of anyone on earth, if you are not a good person, it won't matter.
On the other hand, you could be living in the most remote area of the earth, and know nothing about God or the gospel plan, but if you are a good person, you will receive all the blessings and opportunities that anyone else might have received.
This can happen because we don't go to directly to heaven to be judged-- that happens after we are resurrected. There is a time period between death and the resurrection, a time spent in the world of spirits. This is the same place Christ went between his death and resurrection. In that place, all who did not have the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel will be able to do so.
So this makes everyone ever born on earth equal! Because, whether in this life, or in the Spirit World, everyone will have the opportunity to hear and accept or reject the gospel message.
So, since everyone is a child of God, and everything being equal (everyone gets the same chance to hear and accept God's message), the only thing left is the judgment. And we are judged by our actions.
I hope that helps.
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