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Jesus is the only way to God in heaven..there is no other way...The devil is here to steal, kill and destroy..Jesus says believe in me
While I personally believe this to be true, it has no bearing on what the OP is asking for. It is posts like yours that give atheists on this forum the firepower to call Christians ignorant, self-centered, and small minded.
I think this is a good thread, and I would like to see some of those that follow Islam to give some input. Everything on this forum seems to revolve around Christians and seculars trying to shoot each other down. There are other threads you can Bible-Thump on. Let a good thread BE a good thread.
Islam has several qualities that aided its success. Like most universalizing religions it promises to go beyond ethnic or tribal identity to place the believer as part of a wider community. However by encouraging a hajj it does this a bit more by encouraging believers to actually experience something beyond their respective worlds and really see the racial/ethnic diversity of the faith. Also Islam is prefaced largely on a single book that basically is a single book. It is not a compilation written over centuries. (Although it might be a compilation of one century of works, but that's a controversial idea) It is a religion where entering it is relatively easy, you just make a sincere profession of faith, and leaving is relatively difficult. In many areas it is relatively practical talking about hygiene or what not. By lacking original sin it may have had an advantage in places with high infant mortality. By allowing, but not requiring, polygamy it had an advantage in societies that practiced polygamy. Islam also encourages charity and education. Many animistic kingdoms in West Africa would nevertheless have "court Muslims" because Muslims were educated and had good trade contacts. Over time some of these "court Muslims" could gain influence and even convert the court.
Where Islam tended to be at a disadvantage is expanding into societies that had no government or cities as such. Muhammad, among other things, was a diplomat and a leader of a city. So certain anarchic "primitive" societies, like the Igbo or Dogon or whatever, tended to favor Christianity over Islam when the options were presented to them. (In some cases the societies I mean stuck to their old religions, but what I mean is that when they converted they went for Christianity rather than Islam) Christianity had more experience with societies with poorly formed or non-existent cities going back to the ancient Irish.
Although the main reason for Islamic growth in our era is a matter of birth and fertility rates. I believe that in many Islamic societies childbirth is still very important in a woman gaining respect or esteem. Also women are less likely to work outside the home than in Christian nations. In terms of conversions I believe Christianity is doing "better" than Islam.
Still as I've indicated Islam has some positive qualities. Although many of the qualities I've mentioned as helping it grow are not really qualities I deem as per-se positive. The main positives to me I suppose are its values of charity, prayer, ethnic solidarity (ideally anyway, obviously places like Sudan bely this), and health. As a part of history Islam also did a great deal to spread literacy in the world, maintain Greek knowledge, and connect the West to the East.
Still for me Islam is in some ways too much a product of politics, diplomacy, and military to be entirely "accessible." Some of the more mystic Sufi forms are interesting, but not enough so. That being said most Muslims are fine and there's a good deal of cultural variety among Muslims. For example the Minangkabau give women a place that is very unlike the image of Muslim societies, but I'm pretty sure they are Muslim.
Don't know about how Christian would think. I suppose atheists would think: If there were even more Muslims in the world, the idea of creating a pan-Islamic nation across euro-asia continent would be even more plausible by more people in the world. Jihadists would be more like world politicians.
Yes. It can. There are millions of people that believe if they get married in a temple, wear their magic underwear and be good people that they can have their own planets to make babies for all eternity....but we don't think mormonism is a valid religion, do we?
Your own religion calls the non-muslim an infidel, and commands them to be killed, doesn't it?
Yet your religion believes in talking animals, the entire earth being flooded, angels, demons, talking donkeys, "magic", people ascending into the sky, that animals that copulate before striped poles will have striped offspring......I could go on.
If so many people follow Islam, can it be as imperfect as Christians say?
Hummmmmm, any belief system that hinges its' tenets on mythological beings is in trouble before they get out of the gate. I think this is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.
the Holy Qur'an in arabic means the recitation. It quotes all of the prophets from adam on. the Holy Qur'an is very misunderstood i will leave some quotes for you... oh and as for prophet Muhammad peace be upon him... the black box thing in mecca that we all face when we pray was where abraham built the first house of god. there were pagan symbology and the prophet spoke out. his family was killed and he was driven into the desert for 30 day and eventually into medina. he preached peace and submission to the will of god(which is what islam means in arabic. muslim is one who submits to god) then went back to Mecca and killed NO ONE. he only wished to remove the false idols from the most sacred of places in all of monotheism. Muhammed was an honest merchant not a warlord.
first quote about the great jeha'd(the true jeha'd) chapter 22 verse 78-79 of the holy qur'an "oh ye who believe, bow down and prostrate yourself in Prayer, and worship your Lord, and work righteousness that you may prosper. Strive in the cause of Allah(Arabic translation al-the , lah-God) a perfect striving, for He has exalted you and has laid no hardship upon you in the matter of religion. Follow the faith of your father Abraham(Peace be upon him). Allah has named you Muslims in this book and also in previos books, so that the Messenger may be witness over mankind. Then observe Prayer, and pay the Zakat(it is required charity to the less fortunate. It's apart of the five pillars of Islam.), and hold fast to Allah. He is your Master; an excellent Master and an excellent helper" That is jeha'd. better of yourself in the name of Allah. The inner Jeha'd. fighting is only permitted in defenses. Allah says in chapter 25 verse 62 "The true servants of the Gracious one are thosd who walk upon the earth with humility and when they are accosted by the ignorant ones, their response is Peace."
may god bless you in finding your truths in life. if you have more questions i will do my best to answer them!
Last edited by onelone0ne; 05-05-2010 at 05:40 AM..
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