format_quote Originally Posted by
*charisma*
Hi and welcome to the forum!
I'm just wondering, if you believe that Muhammad is the final prophet, and you believe in One God, that is the basis of being a Muslim..
and you also reject a lot of the teachings of Christianity trying to follow a more pure christianity...so what is it about christianity that makes you stay, and what is it about islam that makes you reject it?
because in islam we believe in the bible and the torah, and we believe that christianity (and judaism) as it was revealed, was actually Islam before it was changed by the people. All the prophets preached the oneness of Allah and submission to Him. And it seems you are trying to follow a christianity before it was corrupted...which was actually islam.
It's a very good, important question.
I'm aware that some quotes from the Bible are being corrupted (for example quote about Trinity added to the Bible while translating from translated Bible from translated Bible from the original Bible). There are some mistakes (like Earth being an immobile flat disc), mathematical misinformations (various differences in numbers), different stories etc. And other many errors. Some of them can be repaired by the Qur'an and scientifical exploration and some never can be.
On the other hand, Islam is a different culture, different law, different reality. Everything is different. In Islam, Shariat creats the law. In the country which belongs to the European Union, national governments and European institutes creats the law. What's more, there are some things that for a Christian is normal, but from the point of Shariat is not acceptable.
There are some issues including myself. I can't write all my doubts, but I'll try to name for me, most important.
1. In a hadith, prophet Muhammad calls Muslims to kill all dogs, except guarding one, especially black dogs, called the devil one. If you kill a dog in European country, you will go to jail for that. What's more, I don't want to kill anything and it includes dogs. Furthermore, cats and dogs do similar things, cats have bacteria too. Both cats and dogs are not the clean one. Yet cats are being sacred by some Muslims. Not by every Muslim, but by some Muslims.
2. I've heared about hadith which prophet Muhammad says that angels does not visit anyone who have a dog in a house (and pictures), and a hadith which says one good deed is daily deducted for having a dog in a house. The problem is, in my case, it is the God who planned to have a dog, not I. The dog, which was rescued by someone else from a death by hunger, being tied next to the tree. I'm just only giving him a safety place, which is on the other hand not in compliance with Islamic Shariat. What about dog shelters? Full of dogs (no space for any new dog) and there, dogs are being threatened worse than in a house. My dog is a part of the family, not just a "pet".
3. Issues with performing Salat in places where polar day and polar night occurs. I don't have this issue in my country, but if I wanted to, for example, visit a Scandinavian country, especially on a north, I would not be able to perform Duhr and Asr without the sun and I would not be able to perform Fajr, Maghrib and Isha without the night. This same issue would occur during Ramadan.
4. There is no halal meat in my country. No animal is being killed with a ritual, in the name of Allah. Meat is important part of the diet (but not pork - I don't eat pork!). What should I do with meat?
5. Language barrier. I don't have a problem to speak Al-Fatiha opening Surah in Arabic as I mentioned before. But the problem appears when I try to memorize two sequences of Tashahud. Only middle part called Shahada, is easy to remember, but the rest is a blockade. Is it in compliance with Shariat to pause a Salat by searching on a phone how to speak Tashahud part and continue by reading it from a phone? I think it is not allowed to pause, that's why I asked you for a Christian-style praying.
6. I know no one Muslim. Everyone around me are Christians. If I have a question about Islam, no one won't answer me. I have just you, this Islamic Board, Youtube and blogs about Islam. I will not ask Christians who have some stereotypes about Muslims and Islam.
7. Can I swim on the beach? I know how to swim in 4 styles, but I can't swim with only one style - dolphin :D In Islam, there is a law for a women to cover everything but hands and face. So, walking on the beach without anything to cover legs and arms to show them for walking men is Haraam. But Haraam is also any activity which will pay an attention by others. So covering legs and arms on the beach is Haraam as well, when people with legs and arms uncovered, will point at the Muslim with almost all things covered and say "Look at that lady, she's so strange, so different". I'm not interested to have an attention by men. I just want to swim, just for seasonal activity.
What is it about Christianity that makes me stay? Well, I'm the person who does not like living with a mess. If I see one, I want to tidy up. The same thing occurs with the Bible. Despite of these mistakes and fabrications, there is a chance to tidy up this mess and: reject that which is fabricated (trinity) and apply these verses which are the original message from the God (no pork, no alcohol, no idols, no worshipping anything else, no stealing, no lies, no unnecessarily killing).
What about the Catholic Church? Well, actually, some priests raped and still are raping young children and the Church overall is hiding this knowledge from the public. Not every priest rapes children, some of priests are teaching very well about peace, obedience and tolerance. The Church on the other hand hailing the Trinity, making idols of Jesus Christ on a cross and idols and of Mary to pray to them. Is this a monotheistic religion? From my point of view - no. I don't need to go to Church to pray to the God while looking at the giant cross with Jesus Christ on the front of the Church. Which from a Catholic perspective I'm making a sin.
I just identify myself as a unitarian Christian.
Your answer is well apreciated. Thank you for your answer :)
May the Lord be with you.