Choosing your Religion

[forgaveyourbrot]

Each person is born into a religious environment that is not of his/her own choice. From the very beginning of human existence in this world, they are assigned the religion of their family or the ideology of the state. By the time individuals reach their teens they usually accept the beliefs of their parents or those of their particular society.

However, when some people mature and are exposed to other beliefs and ideologies, they begin to question the validity of their own beliefs.

Some of them take a materialistic approach and become atheist. The strange thing about many athiests is that they claim to be following science. They claim that nothing proves the existence of a Creator. We say to those of our brethren in humanity, think about it. If you are walking in the snow or in a desert and you see some footprints one after another in twos you infer that there was someone who had walked through this place. Yet you didn't see that person. It was the organized set of footprints which made you sure that someone had walked through there. Anyone who has played scrabble knows you can't throw up the pieces and they land in a sentence much less a complex poem. The same thing goes for the universe. We see a vast system of complex organization, especially here on the Earth. Yet still some educated people agree to this fact, but disagree that there has to be a creator for there to be a creation. So where did everything come from?

The answer is in your heart and you know it. We ask you what makes your heart beat? If you go to your science book you will say electricity from your brain. Ok, where did that electricity come from? Are you plugged into something? How does your body know how to digest food? etc... etc... etc... Everything exists most intelligently designed by the command of the absolutely wise and merciful creator and sustainer.

Because the All-Knowing Creator knows that most people won't see this reality He sent His Prophets performing miracles to clearly prove their being sent by the only One who is in control of the laws of nature and can change them at will. These miracles were recorded throughout history.

Seekers of truth often reach a point of confusion upon realizing that believers of every religion, sect, ideology and philosophy all claim to have the one and only correct religion or ideology. For those who believe in God there are only three possibilities-

They are either all correct, all wrong, or only one is correct and the rest are misrepresenting God by the hands of man.

1- They cannot all be right since all religions are different from each other in their basic foundations including; who is God and what His nature is or what will happen after we die.

2- It can't be that they are all wrong. In the past, governments have failed us and haven't properly ruled by the message of God and much evidence of corruption in religion and scriptures have surfaced throughout the centuries. This reality led to atheism and the claim that everyone should individually decide who God is and how they relate to him (make up their own religion). The truth is that corruption in people or even scriptures doesn't negate God or His message. The reality is that Islam is the only religion in which all of its own scholars throughout history agree to the infallibility and absolute perfection of its own scripture.

Be sure, the Most Merciful God didn't leave us alone without any guidance to lighten our path and lead us back to Him. We lack the knowledge and wisdom to hold such a responsibility. Plus this would lead to spiritual division among man. And finally it would make God unjust, leaving us to figure out our own purpose in life, and then judging us upon our faith and works.

How then would we achieve this ultimate goal of pleasing our Creator?

3- The truth is only one of these religions can be the pure truth. The All Merciful God sent human Prophets among mankind to show us the way and to teach us how to believe and how to have a true relationship with our Almighty Creator. The responsibility of preserving the scripture from Prophet to Prophet and nation to nation was with the religious leaders. Indeed those scholars allowed the previous scriptures to be corrupted. All Muslims believe that God revealed the same religion to each Prophet. That was to worship God alone without assocating others with Him. This worship should be in accordance with the example of the Prophet. This religion is called Islam. With corruption of the scriptures, came the names and labels as well. Christianity has the more adherents than any other religion and there isn't one verse claimed to have been said by Jesus which mentions the name Chirstianity and neither does Jesus command them to be called Christians.

So, which religion is the right one and how can the seeker of truth know it? In beginning one's search for which religion is true, one should keep four things in mind:

First, God gave us the ability and intellect to make this crucial decision, hence it is our decision and we don't need our parents, family, or society to make it for us.

Second, God did not leave us to go astray without any guidance. Indeed, He sent us Prophets (pbut) with scriptures to show us the right path. The proof of this is in the various miracles performed by these Prophets (pbut) which have been recorded throughout time. These Prophets all claim to have been sent by God to teach us His will for us.

Third, seeking the true religion is the most important decision in one's life because our eternity depends on it.

Fourth, one can only make a fair rational decision about the true religion of God if emotions and prejudices, which often blind one to the truth, are put aside.

We would like to present Islam to you as an option. We would like you to consider the following characteristics about Islam in making your decision:

* Islam is consistent with logic and rational thinking.

* Islam opens the door for anyone to challenge its authenticity. It also provokes you and shows you how to challenge it, that you may achieve certainty in it.

* Islam provides the needed answers for all important and fundamental questions concerning God, the purpose of life, and the hereafter.

* Islam is supported by contemporary miracles and proofs. For example Islamic texts revealed 1,400 years ago are 100% compatible with recently established science. Read "The Bible, the Qur'an, and science" by Maurice Bucaille who accepted Islam after researching for this book.

* Islam combines the Hereafter with our daily lives and makes a strong bond between the two through our sense of accountability.

* Islam is more than a "religion" in common terminology. It truly is a comprehensive system of life with a detailed law and ethical system. It establishes systems for worship, family living, government, politics, education, economics and social relations.

* Islam is based on a firmly established system of law founded on authentic revealed texts which have been put under deep scrutiny. It is not based upon individuals' ideas, emotional attachments, or religious hierarchies which have no solid foundation in authentic revelation.

* Islam encourages people to seek knowledge and contribute to the world.

* Islam provides true equality, solving the age old problems of race and gender. Islam treats all believers as equal irrespective of race, gender, nationality, or social status.


source

http://www.thelastingmiracle.com/eng...spx?id=1&cat=1

[barney]

Hi.
This is my My second post on the forums and your's brings up several areas I would like to respond to.

I agree that the majority of people are indeed brought up in a religious environment, of which they have no choice. This holds true for Caltholics and Muslims especially, although in the "secular" west, non-Church Of England schools still have religious assembelys , Christmas plays and even prayers outside of R.E lessons. Speaking from the background of a person who attended non-religious schools, but had a Baptist Christian Mother, I agree wholeheartedly with your assertion that we follow society and parental guidence in our early religious teachings. Now , i beleive Religion is very much our relationship with a "Creator" or "Creators", and it indeed takes maturity in order to question the validity of our early conditioning. A relationship with a Creator would surely be nonsense, if all it required was aderhence to dogma and attendence of church/mosque and knowlage of the content of scripture.

Again I support your assertion of a higer entity,which , lacking any solid infomation on, we may assume is the creator and designer of the universe, or at least in my opinion, the facilitaror of all we know and all that we dont yet know. You put it very well that science has theorys of creation, but cannot answer some fundemental questions, which are illogically explained by chance.
So where indeed did everything come from?

To lay my cards out on the table, I personally do not agree that the Prophets can be proved to have come from this creator. The History of the world is today and has always been written and rewritten to suit the contempary situation of the times. An example: Musa approached Pharoeh as the Political leader of a slave revolt,(the jews) that had been growing in strength and power and was causing the then egyptian ruler no end of problems. The two races were very incompatible. The Jews worshipping a Deity unseen and intangible except by the prophets, The Egyptians worshiping a deity in the form of their Pharoeh, who's godhead passed to the next pharoeh even after death. It was naturally going to be one hot religious potato.:)
Moses warned, it is written, of plauges of locusts and floods and droughts. These came to pass and they are now incontravertable evidence of Miracles.

100 200 or 600 years in the future from now. lets say in the year 2130 AD. History books may well be written along the lines of. "And America was warned against its greed and materialism, yet they listened not to <insert french politicians name here> 's words and so it came to pass that the City of New orleans suffered a flood which cleansed their evil.

I would stress,To determine a act of God is a matter of faith, not a matter of history


Moving on to which religion is the correct one. you write:
They are either all correct, all wrong, or only one is correct and the rest are misrepresenting God by the hands of man.

And thats plainly true.

1- They cannot all be right. Well, If there was several competing deitys, then technically they could be , but I dont subscribe to that veiw myself.

2- It can't be that they are all wrong? Well...Why?
In the past, governments have failed us ..Yep, but thats Human fallibility and inability to yet make society work perfectly. Theres Governments out there which dont fail. Sure the Portugese Government might have let unemployment slip a little, but is that a failure that proves the abcence of a correct religion? Zimbabwawn Dictatorships may slaughter tens of thousands and torture and kill. Is that because they havnt the right Religion?

You wrote, "The reality is that Islam is the only religion in which all of its own scholars throughout history agree to the infallibility and absolute perfection of its own scripture".
This is correct. Muslims do not question the infallibility of their religion. The questioning of Christianity by Christians led unavoidably to the secular states that the west now has. But for nearly 1900 years, the Bible was considered to contain the word of God and that God was infallible. This is not something that is exclusive to Muslims. The Jehovas witnesses I had round my house last week considered their scriptures to be excactly the same. It's a truism of all religions, and the very reason why the religions of today and the past are in conflict. (although todays conflicts are more religiouse-social). The Interpretations of Quaranic verse are as wide as Bibalic verse or any other. Once you add in the interpretations of Hadiths or the Torah, you will find that although the word may be considered by beleivers to be infallible...what is the value of that when nobody from one church or mosque to another can agree on what the word actually means?

You Wrote. "Be sure, the Most Merciful God didn't leave us alone without any guidance to lighten our path and lead us back to Him."

To be sure of that would require initial faith in him. I consider , remarkably as it is taught, that the creator is/was all powerful and unknowable. So how can we unequivocally state that we are sure about something which we do not KNOW. Knowlage and faith, as I'm sure you agree are very seperate entitys.

Lots more to say, but my fingers are tired and i need a coffee.:D

Regards.

[forgaveyourbrot]

My Brother in Humanity,
I like your approach and am impressed with your concordance approach before finally concluding with your point of disagreement. To clarify a few points I would like to say-
on your point "To lay my cards out on the table, I personally do not agree that the Prophets can be proved to have come from this creator"
I would like to explain the difference between modern Judeo-Christian theology and permanent Islamic theology. Any intelligent reader or scholarly critic of the bible will tell you that this is a collection of scriptures which are in essence historical accounts written by men of the lives of the Judaic Prophets of God, while any reader or scholar critic of the Qur'an would definitely say that the Qur'an is One scripture which was composed in a manner unknown to the history of man. The order is not chronological and it is has no other theme except guidance (defining God and man's relationship to God and Man) So you will not find long lists of geneology or historical slip-ups at the hand of the (inspired) writers. Indeed each verse and each chapter is strategically placed carrying its own intrinsic wisdom in relation to the other verses around it. So when the Qur'an says (and the Qur'an differs with the bible on many historical matters correct its accounts in many places) this or that happened it is a fact becuase this is the literal word of God dictated by His angel Gabriel to Muhammad and there is no doubting that.

But of course to make such a point one has to prove that the Qur'an is the word of God. I will give you an example of the issue that you brought up-

The leader of Egypt in the time of Joseh was a king not a Pharoah as the system of Pharoah's had not developed yet in Egypt and this has been scientifically established so the Qur'an shinned in divinity over the bible's clear human made error on this point.

I'll give you another example- The Qur'an refers to the point at the Jordan Syrua Border on the tip of the dead sea as the lowest part of (al-Ard) ard can mean genrally land and it is more commonly used to mean the earth. Just as the english word earth which can me dirt or mud or it can mean the whole planet. You see the Qur'an say about the war of the Byzantine vs. Persia which took place at the same time as the revelation of the Qur'an "The Byzantines have been defeated in the "Adnaa" lowest of "al-Ard" the earth" (Qur'an- Rum 30:2-3). You see if you look in the non-Muslim history books you will see that this battle took place near the dead sea between Jordan and Syria. Now if you look up the lowest point of Land on the Earth by any reference you will find that it is the dead sea. How could this have been so clearly and accurately said in Arabic 13 centuries before anybody knew this fact unless the one speaking was God Himself who knows everything. This is one of many established scientific miracles that can be seen and experienced by mankind until the Day of Judgement (The Lasting Miracle) hence we don't need to rely on History to be a Muslim believing in the Prophets. The same God said with the royal "We" "It is We who have reveald this book and it is We who will protect it (from the corruption of man)."(al-hijr 15:9)

Like you, my fingers are tired and I have to go pray the mid-noon prayer. Hope this has helped.

[Woodrow]

The more I read this thread the more I feel it is a topic for comparative religion as it seems to be more of a debate and not a simple statement as to what Islam is.

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[forgaveyourbrot]

This article is not meant to inform one about Islam. It intends to open the eyes of someon who may be seeking the truth as to the possibility of Islam being the right religion. Then if you go to the next article of the website (www.thelastingmiracle.com) under the what is islam section you will find the clarity and simplicity you are looking for.
Jazakallah

[Skavau]

We say to those of our brethren in humanity, think about it. If you are walking in the snow or in a desert and you see some footprints one after another in twos you infer that there was someone who had walked through this place. Yet you didn't see that person. It was the organized set of footprints which made you sure that someone had walked through there.

Argument from design. I would imagine many theists themselves who advocate this argument would agree that this is never a good way to convince anyone but believers at all. Because it isn't a good argument.

Anyone who has played scrabble knows you can't throw up the pieces and they land in a sentence much less a complex poem. The same thing goes for the universe. We see a vast system of complex organization, especially here on the Earth.

Seeing organisation here on earth is your opinion from your observations, not many others.

Yet still some educated people agree to this fact, but disagree that there has to be a creator for there to be a creation. So where did everything come from?

No-one knows. Why do theists always assume the burden of proof is on those who are Atheists? Theists are the ones making the claim and yet too often they ask Atheists to prove everything. Where did it all come from? If X isn't true then why is Y such and such? The interesting part of Atheism is that the only claimant proposed is that God does not exist. That is it. Atheists do not need to assert an explanation for everything.

The answer is in your heart and you know it. We ask you what makes your heart beat? If you go to your science book you will say electricity from your brain. Ok, where did that electricity come from? Are you plugged into something? How does your body know how to digest food? etc... etc... etc... Everything exists most intelligently designed by the command of the absolutely wise and merciful creator and sustainer.

Because that is how the body has developed as millions of years of evolution.

Because the All-Knowing Creator knows that most people won't see this reality He sent His Prophets performing miracles to clearly prove their being sent by the only One who is in control of the laws of nature and can change them at will. These miracles were recorded throughout history.

I don't accept the concept of miracles, whether true or not. And which faith records these miracles? Many faiths proclaim miracles. Why should one automatically accept the Islamic assumption?

1- They cannot all be right since all religions are different from each other in their basic foundations including; who is God and what His nature is or what will happen after we die.

That makes sense. I agree.

It can't be that they are all wrong. In the past, governments have failed us and haven't properly ruled by the message of God and much evidence of corruption in religion and scriptures have surfaced throughout the centuries.

What does corruption have to do with all religions being labelled wrong?

This reality led to atheism and the claim that everyone should individually decide who God is and how they relate to him (make up their own religion).

No it didn't. And what is wrong with people asserting their own ideas of how they understand God?

The truth is that corruption in people or even scriptures doesn't negate God or His message. The reality is that Islam is the only religion in which all of its own scholars throughout history agree to the infallibility and absolute perfection of its own scripture.

No it isn't. There are differences within Islam. Just by observing this forum I can see that people disagree, be it on minor issues or larger ones.

Be sure, the Most Merciful God didn't leave us alone without any guidance to lighten our path and lead us back to Him. We lack the knowledge and wisdom to hold such a responsibility.

This is the hatred of humanity that I do not agree with and will never agree with on the basis I believe we are stronger than that.

Plus this would lead to spiritual division among man. And finally it would make God unjust, leaving us to figure out our own purpose in life, and then judging us upon our faith and works.

So it is more just for God to torture people for eternity for 'sins' that they commited in a lifetime? Is that proportionate punishment? Especially as I don't think not worshipping God and/or adhering to the scripture that God presents is necessary or punishable by torture.

How then would we achieve this ultimate goal of pleasing our Creator?

Why is that necessary?

The truth is only one of these religions can be the pure truth. The All Merciful God sent human Prophets among mankind to show us the way and to teach us how to believe and how to have a true relationship with our Almighty Creator. The responsibility of preserving the scripture from Prophet to Prophet and nation to nation was with the religious leaders. Indeed those scholars allowed the previous scriptures to be corrupted. All Muslims believe that God revealed the same religion to each Prophet. That was to worship God alone without assocating others with Him. This worship should be in accordance with the example of the Prophet. This religion is called Islam. With corruption of the scriptures, came the names and labels as well. Christianity has the more adherents than any other religion and there isn't one verse claimed to have been said by Jesus which mentions the name Chirstianity and neither does Jesus command them to be called Christians.

Rhetoric.

Third, seeking the true religion is the most important decision in one's life because our eternity depends on it.

So out of fear eh? What if someone didn't believe they had an existence outside of life?

* Islam is consistent with logic and rational thinking.

Not in my books. I've read that there are rather gruesome punishments in hell for listening to music and that it isn't recommended to listen to purely on the basis that it detracts you from God. Plus I see absolutely nothing wrong with the act of listening to music in the first place whatsoever. It is a morally neutral act.

I also despise disproportionate punishment and see nothing wrong with homosexuality.

* Islam opens the door for anyone to challenge its authenticity. It also provokes you and shows you how to challenge it, that you may achieve certainty in it.

So does ANY belief. You may challenge anything.

* Islam provides the needed answers for all important and fundamental questions concerning God, the purpose of life, and the hereafter.

I disagree. I don't see any motivation for adhering to a life centered around pleasing a God.

* Islam combines the Hereafter with our daily lives and makes a strong bond between the two through our sense of accountability.

Accountability is not limited within Islam.

* Islam is more than a "religion" in common terminology. It truly is a comprehensive system of life with a detailed law and ethical system. It establishes systems for worship, family living, government, politics, education, economics and social relations.

I'm secular.

This article is full of mainly rhetoric designed to enhance the status of Islam. It is better than a fair amount of articles I've read on hear which make swooping, unfair generalisations of Atheists in the argument. The points about Islam are also clearly not for someone who is an established Secular. Saying Islam is logical and fine to someone like me would not mean anything to me.

[Keltoi]

To make a shorter point, those who believe in the infallability of the Quran need no other "proof" than the statement itself, which would have no impact on the majority of practicing Christians. This is a problem that both religions have in trying to convince the other that their holy book is the "truth". Both believe their religious teaching to be "infallible". The only major difference in this back and forth is that Christians do not see the Bible as being "written" by God. Which is a reason why Christians aren't that concerned about things such as "101 Contradictions in the Bible" that many Muslims shoot around the internet all day long.

[barney]

I take the above posters point about wether this is the correct forum, and we could certainly move this to a more appropriate one.

My Brother in Humanity,
. To clarify a few points I would like to say-
on your point "To lay my cards out on the table, I personally do not agree that the Prophets can be proved to have come from this creator".

In addressing my beleif that the prophets cannot be proven to have carried the word of the creator you state that the Quran is not just a collection of scripture written by one person like the bible. Well the Quran was compiled in print from the collections of recitals of what Mohammed PBUH stated Allah had revealed. This as i'm sure you know, was gathered from scraps of parchment and carved on scapula well over a hundered years after Mohammed's PBUH death.
I am aware that in those days recital and repertition was the standard methodology of passing on infomation in a age and culture of illiteracy. I have no doubts that the hundreds of reciters gathered many parts of Mohammeds original words (as you say,revealed by allah) and that they were at that point word perfect.

If i was to transport myself back to the time of the Boer war 1902 AD and read a book over several years out loud to hundreds of people and these people were to re-read it to their familys, and years after when they had children and grandchildren the tradition continued, untill all accross England everyone was passing on the tens of thousands of words of text of my book over decade after decade. (bear with me..i'm getting to my point soon!:D ) Thousands of people all arguing over exactly what they heard.Then if i am able to come forward to 2007 and find that the collection is going to be printed. I would no doubt in my mind look at that book and wonder who had wrote it. Because it wouldnt look much like mine.

So when the Qur'an says (and the Qur'an differs with the bible on many historical matters correct its accounts in many places) this or that happened it is a fact becuase this is the literal word of God dictated by His angel Gabriel to Muhammad and there is no doubting that.

But of course to make such a point one has to prove that the Qur'an is the word of God. ]

If you have faith then indeed there is no doubting. I'm not a muslim so in looking for answers to these issues, doubt is certainly there untill convinced otherwise.

Two thoughts on this. The word King was written as King because the first Muslims diddnt know what the word "Pharoh" was. The obvious answer (to me) is to write KING. I call the leader of Tajikistan "Prime minister", but he could actually be a emperor for all I know. Mayby in a hundred years he or she might be a Elector-Count. You just use the system that you know.In this case King.
The Bible changes its terminology constantly to keep up with new infomation and to make sense to those it's being read to.

As to the lowest point of the land.
http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/k/koran...V0&byte=629383
[30.2] The Romans are vanquished,
[30.3] In a near land, and they, after being vanquished, shall overcome,

Hmm. Near & Lowest. It's a translation nightmare. I wish my arabic was better!

Regards

[Trumble]

Each person is born into a religious environment that is not of his/her own choice. From the very beginning of human existence in this world, they are assigned the religion of their family or the ideology of the state.

As this is the comparative religion forum, I'll just add that Buddhists (and, indeed Hindus and others) would disagree. Sort of. You are born not into an environment that you choose, true, but you are (re-)born into one that has been determined by your choices even if you cannot remember them. Of course, Buddhists do not consider such (re-)births "the beginning of human existence in this world".

With regard to that sentence, surely theists would believe that ultimately that assignment is made not by the family, or by the state, but by God?

[Woodrow]

I will say that Id do agree with this statement:

With regard to that sentence, surely theists would believe that ultimately that assignment is made not by the family, or by the state, but by God?

All things are done only through the will of Allah(swt) it is just our duty to accept and willing follow what is the path that He desires for us.