Hello Everyone/F(R)IEND(S)
My goal is to discuss Islam in more detail. I have seen a few threads that frankly are stupid since they typically spiral into insulting, derogatory, or ignorant comments about Muslims/Islam. If your goal is to post that you think Islam is rooted in hatred please GO AWAY and do not post. I am interested in learning/debating/understanding Islam and not in reading conjecture.
AVICENNA A.D. pointed out some errors and misconceptions of mine with regards to Islam–thanks for your insight AVI, now on to the details: I am familiar with Islam’s rejection of anthropomorphication; however, I have always struggled to understand the logic behind this. Could someone with knowlege of Islamic traditions/beliefs please answer a few questions or provide some corrections?
To start below is a short narrative of how I developed my understanding/beliefs on Islam:
Islam is a religion with its formation beginning around 1500 years ago. Allow me to present you with this short story: The protagonist finds that his people are under severe persecution and are in danger of losing their land, their way of life, and their very existence is also in danger. The protagonist must unite his people under one cause and aid them to focus. The protagonist needs to give his people what they need most: hope + direction. Unity is important because his people are, in actuality, tribes that are held together by various beliefs. So, the protagonist decides to start a religion that will accomplish his aims.
The protagonist chooses to base his foundation on a religion that many tribe members respect, honor, believe. This religion, namely Judaism, also has credibility and birthed a very successful branch–Christianity. Now, since it is the Christians that are, very much the persecuters, they cannot accept this religion–especially since by now (circa 600 C.E.) Christianity has so many hypocrites, false prophets, and false doctrines. The protagonist is a righteous man and develops his notion of god interspersed with some of the Christian notions and Jewish notions.
The result is Islam which will accomplish the aims of the protagonist:
b[/b] The protagonist’s vision of god is furthered and he truly believes that god is glorified
b[/b] The religion has near instant credibility since it is based on the Abrahamic traditions.
b[/b] The notions of god that that protagonists has developed will allow his people to pick and choose which doctrines found in the gospels and the Torah will actually benefit his people.
b[/b] Unites his people under one cause which as we is a strength.
b[/b] The religion takes advantage (just as all religions do) of the zealots and the fact that mankind is willing to justify ANYTHING for their notion of god–which benefits the early followers.
b[/b] The religion will lead his people to freedom.
Now, there is nothing wrong with the above… Christianity has done it and Judaism did it way before either religion, and nearly all religions stem from the notion of god–a creation of mankind’s primitive mind–which stands to reason that all religions will borrow from each other the great ideas that develop/further the notion of god.
Below is AVICENNA’s post, in relevant part:
Is my narrative completely inaccurate? If so, please explain. If only partially inaccurate, please detail.
Now, how has Islam chosen which doctrines or “mistakes” are unreliable?
Do Muslim scholars truly believe that the Qu’ran (is it spelled Qur’an?) is in the precise form that the Prophet Muhammad (spelled Mohammed?) recited to the early followers? How has the veracity of this been challenged/proven?
As an outsider looking in, it seems pretty arbitrary to choose and accept only the teachings that prove and/or do not challenge the notion of god developed by the Prophet Muhammad? Note: I believe this applies to all religions, primarily Christianity.
Although I understand that Islam does not accept god as man how do Muslims explain the possibly valid scriptures from the Torah? Wouldn’t one, as a logical person, agree that there are instances in the Torah where it is intimated that god was as a man? Think of Jacob wrestling with a man all night concluded by Jacob saying he saw god face to face where the man/god gave Jacob his new name of Israel (Genesis 32) or the story of Abraham and Sarah and the three men/god (Genesis 18 ). These would be pretty significant changes. Essentially, does Islam propose that the Jews screwed up or made up these stories? If so, do you question the method?
Islam denies that man was created with the charectiristics of god? Namely: the concepts of free will, choice, the capacity for good, et al? I am not talking about the physical, just the spiritual… Please expand.