Where can I get real answers?

Hello Eddy,

format_quote Originally Posted by Eddy

I grew up in a place where education is the main source to find answers.
Those sources are the schools we attend from 5 years old to the end of University in our twenties.
There is little or no education about how religions explain life and the universe therefore we don't see this universe the way a Muslim do.
For you is easy to see everything pointing to God, for us is easy to see everything pointing to natural evolution.
It is hard to go from one side to the other without some credible and tangible reasons if not facts.
Those examples you mentioned by "Charisma" were answered in an indirect response.
She stated some biological intricacies are hard to explain without the existence of God (a quick paraphrased version).I said, since I don't believe in God at the moment I can only believe those intricacies have to be explained by natural evolution but of course I cannot provide any details how that happens.

I understand what you mean regarding education. Evolution theory is taught to children regardless of what their faith is. Still, God has blessed the human being with intellect and natural disposition to realise His existence. The Qur'an calls mankind to use this intellect and reflect over this universe, and provides many reasons and arguments as to why we should believe. The case for God’s existence is straightforward, easy to comprehend and supported by logic and sound reasoning. It does not require any special training to arrive at the truth; the evidence and arguments are accessible to all people regardless of their level of education. Such is a manifestation of the wisdom and mercy of the Creator, who created the world so that He would be known.

The Quran cannot be the objective reason to believe Islam is true.
That is like me saying "I'm the fastest man on earth" How do I know? Because I say so.
The way I see it, the Quran is only the beginning but it has to be proven to be the word of Allah.
If you believe by faith then the problem is solved for you but those who didn't grow up withing a Muslim culture have a hard time believing even with a lot of effort.

Muslims argue that the Qur'an is an objective reason to believe Islam is true. We are not asking you to take our word for it, rather there are numerous evidences supporting this fact which can be appreciated by all people regardless of their religious background, culture, location or era.

Out of God's mercy and wisdom, He has sent Prophets to guide mankind and He has supported them with miracles and signs to prove their prophethood. The (main) miracle of the Final Messenger, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, is the Qur'an, which will remain a miracle for all generations no matter when or where they live. The Qur'an is set apart from all other books in that it cannot be rivalled or imitated.

During the time of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, the Arabs had reached the peak of eloquence and tribes would compete with each other to produce the most skilled and eloquent poet. Due to this pride that was prevalent among the Arabs, God revealed the Qur'an in an Arabic that was so eloquent that the Arabs could clearly see it was a miracle from their Creator. On top of this, God challenged them to bring forth anything similar to the Qur'an yet they themselves admitted that they could never match the Qur'an. This challenge has remained down throughout history, but not one person has been able to produce anything like it. If it were the word of a human being, some people would have been able to produce something like it or close to it. The eloquence and beauty of the Qur'an is so great that it is considered to be the ultimate authority and reference work for Arabic rhetoric, grammar and syntax, even by non-Muslim Arabs. Moreover, orientalists who have studied the Qur'an have acknowledged the literary excellence of the Qur'an.

The literary aspect of the Qur'an is perhaps the strongest and most apparent of its miraculous nature. But, there are many other facets from which the Qur'an is miraculous. For example:

- The stories and accounts of the nations and prophets of old, since the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had no recourse to such information.
- The predictions which occurred in the Qur'an and which later came true.
- The perfect belief of Monotheism - the attribution of all that befits God and the negation of all that does not befit Him, and the call of the Creator to the created to worship Him. All of this is not possible for a human to bring forth unless he was inspired by God.
- The laws that the Qur'an came with and the morals and conduct that it called for. All of this leads to the betterment of life in this world and in the Hereafter. The perfection of a set of laws that can be applied to any society at any time and place is humanly impossible, and the Law of Islam is the only example of such a set of laws.
- The fact that it has been protected and remained unchanged: every letter of it was transmitted by thousands from thousands down throughout history, and not one letter of it was altered. If any person tried to alter anything in it, or add something or take something away, then he would be exposed straight away, because God is the One Who has guaranteed to preserve the Qur'an, unlike the case with other divinely-revealed Books.
- The ease by which it is memorised, and this is known by experience and observance. Muslims everywhere memorise the Qur'an, many millions memorising the entire Qur'an from cover to cover, such that Huffaẓ (those who have memorised the entire Qur'an by heart) are ubiquitous within the Muslim community. It is not uncommon to find children as young as six or seven or younger who have completed their memorisation of the entire Qur'an. If all the books in the entire world were to be lost or destroyed, the Qur'an would still be recovered letter for letter as it is preserved in the hearts of so many millions. This is in contrast to all other religious books, for none of them are memorised like the Qur'an.
- The deep meanings that are present in it, and the fact that a reader never tires of reading the Qur'aan, no matter how many times he has heard it or read it. This is in contrast to any other book, since a person cannot read it more than a few times without it gelling monotonous and mundane.
- It is free from any shortcoming, error or contradiction, despite it having been revealed over a period of 23 years and in different circumstances. If the Qur'an were not the word of God, there would be some contradictions and shortcomings in it.
- The scientific facts in the Qur'an: although the Qur'an is not primarily devoted to a discussion of science, its references to subjects of a scientific nature conform exactly to modern science, and the Qur'an imparts knowledge that was unknown during the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. These descriptions are free from retroactive ideas that plagued humanity from the earliest of times.

I read a lot about Muhammad. The fact he was illiterate doesn't mean much in this case.
I don't need to know how to read or write if I'm just dictating verbally something I heard in the market.Whether he got the message from God or other sources is irrelevant and a waste of time doubting it.
The truth will eventually show itself.
The truth is what we look for.

The fact that he was illiterate is an evidence of his truthfulness. Before receiving revelation, he had no prior knowledge of religion or any previously sent Message. Revelation then came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with the Quran which mentioned most of the accounts found in the previous scriptures, telling us about these events in the greatest detail as if the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم witnessed them. It was not possible for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to come across this information in the detailed manner that is mentioned in the Qur'an. Moreover, it was prophecised in previous Scriptures that an unlettered Prophet would come, therefore some of the People of the Book saw that these prophecies applied in totality to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, which led them to embrace Islam.

There are numerous other evidences regarding the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم such that the unbiased researcher will be forced to conclude that he could only be receiving Revelation from God. Here follow some examples:


- Before becoming a Prophet, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was well-known to his own people for 40 years to be trustworthy and reliable, an honest man, a person of integrity, who did not lie. It was due to this reason they named him "Al-Ameen", or "The Trustworthy". The Qur'an therefore appealed to them to look at his life and try to understand. How could he tell lies against God, when he did not tell lies against human beings? One should also bear in mind the vast amount of teachings in Islam (including verses in the Qur'an) which condemn lying. See for example verse 10:17 ('Who does more wrong than those who fabricate lies against Allah or deny His revelations? Indeed, the wicked will never succeed.') Such verses strengthen Muhammad's صلى الله عليه وسلم claim to Prophethood because if he invented the Qur'an, he would be calling himself a criminal and calling for damnation upon himself. When he ascended the Mount of Safa and gathered many of the people, he said, 'If I inform you that cavalrymen are proceeding up the side of this mountain, will you believe me?' They replied, 'We have never experienced any lie from you.'

- An example of the honesty and integrity of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is when the sun eclipsed on the day that his son, Ibrahim, died. The people said that the sun had eclipsed because of the death of Ibrāhīm. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death or life (i.e., birth) of anyone. Rather, they are two of the signs of Allah, by which He instills fear in His slaves. When you see the eclipse, pray and invoke Allah.” Had the Prophet ﷺ been an imposter, this would have been the perfect opportunity to capitalize on such a credibility booster. These coinciding events opened an extremely convenient window for self-promotion, and yet, the Prophet ﷺ would not even let others interpret this as the skies being saddened for Ibrāhīm. Though hurting from the tragic loss, he ﷺ ascended the pulpit, dismissed the false interpretation, and established that eclipses follow nothing but the universal laws of God.

- The message that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم brought testifies to its truth. He brought a Sacred Law whose rulings are full of wisdom and benefit. He also brought teachings that elucidate the utmost refinement of ethics, behaviour and character. Consider the value of what he ﷺ preached, both in terms of its inherent quality and the breadth of its scope. It defined people’s relationships with their Maker, with those around them, even with animals and inanimate objects, and provided timeless wisdom about everything related to their individual or collective well-being. Then consider its consistency; the harmony of such a comprehensive corpus that addresses theology, personal conduct, interpersonal behavior, civil laws, foreign policies, ritual worship, and spiritual perceptions certainly classifies it as uniquely intriguing, if not miraculous. This becomes further evident when contrasted with other doctrines of religion and law that waned in the face of criticism and with the passage of time. The ongoing inability of human beings to devise an ageless system that confers equilibrium and holistic well-being makes us appreciate the message of the Final Prophet ﷺ all the more.

- All good qualities and virtues were perfected in him, something which no one else can attain except the Prophets whom God protected and guided. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was a perfect example of being upright, merciful, compassionate, truthful, brave, generous, distant from all evil character, and ascetic in all worldly matters, while striving solely for the reward of the Hereafter. Moreover, in all his actions and dealings, he was ever mindful and fearful of God. Despite enduring so much loss, pain and suffering, he persevered with hope and in fact became a fountain of mercy and empathy for people, animals and plants alike. Only God could have empowered him ﷺ to have compassion for the heartless, forgiveness for his enemies, and concern for the arrogant. Only God could have kept his heart grateful at times when others could not even be patient, and his heart merciful at times when others could not even be just.

- If one were to allege that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم claimed Prophethood for fame, glory and status, we would see that what actually occurred was the exact opposite. He was offered wealth and status in exchange for abandoning his call but he refused. For 13 years in Makkah, he and his followers faced torture (which led to the death of some of his followers), ridicule, sanctioning and ex-communication from society. The simple and austere lifestyle of the Prophet ﷺ is a major indication that his mission could not have been self-serving. Despite controlling all of Arabia by the end of his life and having thousands of followers, we find no luxury in any sphere of his life. Rather, we find in his apartment a straw mat that would leave marks on his side, and a hanging leather water skin from which he bathed. For months on end, no fire would be kindled for cooking in his home and his family had to be content with dates and water unless a Companion gifted them some milk.

- The triumphs that God gave him and the spread of the religion he preached, as well as the triumph of this religion over all existing religions in a short period of time. Had he been a liar, God would have humiliated and destroyed him as He did with those before him who falsely claimed Prophethood. He also received special protection and care from God, which kept him safe at times of crisis; if it were not for this protection he would most certainly have been doomed to destruction. None of this could have happened except to one who was truly sent by God.

- Several occasions presented themselves where he could have fabricated revelation. For example, after the first revelation came, people awaited to hear more, but the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not receive anything new for months. The Meccans began making fun of him, ‘His Lord has abandoned him!’ This continued until Chapter 93 was revealed. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم could have compiled something and presented it as the latest revelation to end the mockery, but he did not. Also, at one point during his Prophethood, some of the hypocrites accused his beloved wife Aisha of being unchaste. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم could have easily fabricated something to free her of blame, but he waited for many excruciating days, all spent in pain, mockery, and anguish, until revelation came from God freeing her from the accusation.

- On multiple occasions the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prophecised future events and each and every one of them came to pass, just as he ﷺ mentioned. These were pertaining to victory, the removal of the tyrannical kingdoms of Chosroes and Caesar, the establishment of the religion of Islam throughout the earth, signs pertaining to the Day of Judgement and so on.

Thanks for all your help and great links to get me going.

I hope this will be of some help to you. May God guide you to the truth, Aameen.

@Eddy do you question the existence of Allah, or are you looking for the correct religion?

format_quote Originally Posted by Eddy

In order to get to God you have to know the religion first. So far I'm skeptical.

This is why I'm asking. It's the other way around. You must know God exists first, then build from that point what the religion is. God is the foundation, not religion. That's how it worked for me. I won't sugarcoat this reality but belief in God is something you either have or you don't. When you don't have it, it's like there's a seal over your heart. It'd be the equivalent to you probably trying to convince me that fairies exist. The reality is, if you don't have that belief first, there's nothing tangible in this world that will convince you because this world is so imperfect, it'd be futile to use the things in this world as an example for someone who doesn't believe in them to be a logical example in the first place. Religion requires big picture thinking and questioning before going into details, and you're very much focused on details about something you don't believe in to begin with. It won't help me to know what fairies eat or what their role is in life if I don't believe in them anyway, esp if I already have an explanation for how the world works which fits my logic.

You know your questions will not help you believe but I think you're amused by asking them. You say you want something tangible, but actually what you're needing is the very opposite. You want to experience a miracle/trauma/out of world experience, something which shakes your logic and dismantles what you thought you knew.

For as long as I remember, I've believed in God. My parents weren't religious. So for me it was always innate, and the path to becoming a Muslim was easier because it was a matter of having my questions about life answered.

However, there are atheists who became Muslim or believe in God..how their souls opened to that I wouldn't know except that Allah lifted that veil on their hearts and belief pierced it one way or another. I'm sure the reason they became believers wouldn't be enough evidence for you either. That's why I won't sugarcoat that it's very much in Allah's hands and their journey towards Him. Each person is different. Like some people become Muslim while refuting Islam.
There's one thing which I know for sure, which is that you have to walk that journey sincerely.

format_quote Originally Posted by Eddy

I don't believe in "blind faith" so if that is the only reason people believe then I can conclude God doesn't exist and all religions are false.

How do you define blind faith?

Faith to me means hope..and hoping for something means first to have BELIEF in something before you can hope in it.

I have to believe in rain to have faith it will rain. Blind faith would be hoping it will rain but no evidence that the rain will ever come down. Either way I'd still need to believe that rain exists. Blind faith won't explain how people come to the conclusion that Allah exists. Blind faith has to do more with religion and practice. (e.g. when some christians believe they will still be saved even when they are doing the worst sins and the bible condemns the sins they do.)

Otherwise explain to me what you mean by blind faith?

format_quote Originally Posted by Eddy

Blind faith = accepting something without giving any thought to it. (or giving thought but not being fully convinced and hoping for the best).
Pure Faith is a result of your reflection, your choice.
Most Muslims and Christians are religious by "Blind Faith". They are born into a religious culture and are indoctrinated before they can decide if they believe or not.
By that time they can reason is too late, they already believe by following the herd or are too afraid to get out.
I was a believer as a Christian but when the time to reflect on my own came there was no pressure at all for me to leave the religion. others are not that lucky, specially Muslims.

And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided? 2:170

I don't know about Christians, but as Muslims, many of us HAVE TO reflect on our faith. There's no blind faith for the majority. Yes many Muslims are born into Islam (and actually believe every human is born Muslim), but because there are practices associated with Islam there's a point at which we all ask ourselves WHY. Praying 5x a day is not something that is easy for everyone, nor is staying away from the forbidden things while the society around you revels in it, so to live a life which looks somewhat restrictive, you cannot do it unless you reflect and choose to do it everyday and you must believe in it to practice it consistently. Now, again, I'm speaking about the general population of Muslims because I don't know every muslim. It's very difficult to practice things if you are following it blindly as a muslim. Plus our religion encourages questioning and knowledge and being aware/conscious when we are in a state of worship. And as you can see in the verse above, blind faith is not accepted just because we are "born" into Islam and our forefathers were Muslim. That means nothing to our Creator. You can't be Muslim and not really be a Muslim/be Muslim by name. Islam doesn't work like that.

Christians are very different because what I see from them is that they don't practice, and they still believe they will go to heaven in the end as long as their intentions are always good even if they're doing wrong, or as long as they are Christians. There are a lot of blatant inconsistencies in Christianity which christians accept. Islam doesn't put emphasis on just intentions or believes in being "saved" through jesus (pbuh). Logic and religion are not mutually exclusive in Islam.

Secondly the belief in Allah is very much innate and intuitive. Even if i decided not to practice, not to follow religion, I can't genuinely believe that God doesn't exist. I'd be agnostic. I believe there is something higher than all of us because there is in this world things which are bigger than us, more complex, and too complex to fathom. As humans we cannot give life to something which has never existed previously. we can never create another human being or creature. even with clones, you need the DNA of something which already exists, or we'd have to mimic the work of the original creator, but we ourselves do not have that capacity of originality nor the power to put life into something in that way. So no I can't look at this entire huge universe and beyond, and the small seemingly insignificant things which have no soul and say there's nothing bigger than I am and more to life. That would be sheer blindness. So yea at the very least even if not islam, i'd believe in a higher power.

@Eddy also i wonder what you consider your purpose in life to be as an atheist?

"I have been studying Islam for a few years now.
I don't know if that is going to lead me to Islam or push me away from it.
I have asked questions in all sort of Islamic sites and usually end up having discussions which end up by people stop the discussion or the site close the discussion or kick me out of the site.
At that point I assume I won the discussion and my initial suspicion was right to the point no one can no longer challenge me.
That could make me feel good but I would prefer to have the official Islamic word about what I'm asking.
The answer usually is: I should go to a scholar.
Now how do I do that online?Are there scholars answering questions to Muslims and non Muslims online?
Can you point me in that direction?"

Your last messages showed why they kicked you out of the sites.

Instead of trying to find answers...

It is apparent that there is a lot of hate and ego in you. You disrespect an altruistic woman trying to help you. Learn to be a gentleman.
You insult muslims hete with your speech.

Please learn how to communicate without at least apparent insults and hate.

I do not know why do others bother with you here, during Ramadan

Muslims should leave grudges and dispute even if they have right.

For me, starving muslims and non muslims out there are more important to spend time and money than on you.

We know our religion better than you. You need not to prove or disprove to us anything. It is up to you if you shall start practicing and maybe after a decade start to feel real succour as many other.

You can not learn from non professionals. You yourself can not be an university, college, K12 professor.

Maybe you should start if you get sincere in getting real answers by studying at Cambridge Muslim College or at Islamic studies.
Maybe after 2-3 diplomas you'll get to know the basics and if practicing start to feel succour.

A lot more learned than you know the truth, but do not practice, maybe because of inherited hate/upbringing. Maybe some are priests sitting and spreading hate and attacks, "out of love".
Maybe everyone other than some is damned to hell.
Maybe you do not know history, not even your sources, genocide of cathars, templars, crimes of crusades ("beautiful scene of muslim civilians blood to the knees", please find who wrote that), spanish genocide, collonisation crimes, inquisition, modern concentration camps etc.

Enough.

May Allah guide you.

Hello Eddy,

We do not usually entertain discussions that involve argumentation and unnecessary debate during the special month of Ramadhan. As the members here wanted to help you and answer your questions, it was allowed to remain open. I will offer a few brief points.

format_quote Originally Posted by Eddy

First of all, I never said Muhammad got his messages from the market, I said that I didn't need to read and write to tell stories I heard in the market (it's an analogy).
The same way I don't think it was relevant for Muhammad to read or write if he heard the messages (orally) and transmitted them also orally.
By the way Muhammad was illiterate but was also a very smart man. He was also very wise to the point they called him "the trustworthy one, if I'm not mistaken.
He was also very social and from an early age he traveled a lot so again I don't think being illiterate stopped him from being a leader and one of the most influential man in history.

It is not about oral versus written. It is about having access to information that could not be known to such a person. Muhammad Mohar Ali writes:

The orientalists emphasize the well-known facts of the Prophet's two journeys to Syria, once in company with his uncle when he was about twelve years of age, and again as leader of Khadijah's (r. a.) caravan when about twenty-five years of age. On both these occasions he is said to have come across a Christian monk, Bahira on the first occasion and Nestorius on the second...

...on the occasion of the reported meeting with Bahira the Prophet was a mere boy of about twelve and therefore unlikely to engage in any serious academic discussion. Nor could the nature of the journeys afford him any leisure to seek diversion in such educational exercise. If he had made any such educational contact, it would have not escaped unnoticed by the scores of others of the leading men of Makka who had accompanied him on both the occasions and many of whom subsequently opposed his mission...

Had Muhammad (p.b.h.) contacted during his trade journeys to Syria any Christian monk or layman for obtaining information or even for casual discussion, the Quraysh opponents, many of whom had accompanied him to Syria, would not have failed to make the most of it in their attack against him. That no such allegation was made by them is a decisive proof that he had not sought information about Christianity or Judaism from anyone in the course of his journeys to Syria. [Muhammad Mohar Ali, The Qur'an and the Orientalists, pp. 38-39]

Also note that the Qur'an continued to be revealed over twenty three years, during which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was receiving the revelation in different places and even while he was among his Companions. Also, he was answering direct questions raised later by the Jews. Putting all the information together, it will be clear to the unbiased researcher that such allegations can neither be supported by logical thinking nor historical fact.

So You're saying all Muslims reflect at some point and most of them remain Muslims?
What happens to those who don't remain Muslims?
Imagine your father has read all the following Hadith and he is a serious Muslim.
There are a lot more (hadith) but here there are a few:

Firstly, you should be directing your attention to the essential issues of faith instead of debating about secondary issues. You should study the reasons for why the Qur'an is the Word of God and that the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was His Final Messenger. Once a person recognises their authority, then naturally they will submit to whatever guidance and teachings conveyed by them. This is what sister charisma already mentioned earlier. Focus on the foundations and go from there.

As for your mentioning of Muslims leaving Islam, that is not because they have found rational evidence to disprove the religion, rather they are often people who have not understood Islam nor interacted with its values and principles. For some, the real purpose is to sow sedition; to discourage people from accepting Islam or staying in it. For others, it may simply be following their desires. So, this is an irrelevant issue to bring up in this thread. We have presented to you numerous evidences for why Islam is the truth, yet we see very little from you by way of response to these core issues. Instead, you are bringing polemical issues whose rebuttals can be found in numerous places on this forum and elsewhere. If this continues then we will be closing the thread for the month of Ramadhan.

format_quote Originally Posted by Eddy

A lot of Muslims don't understand what this means and the apologists take advantage.
The one speaking is Jesus and he is saying that IS NOT ENOUGH TO BELIEVE IN ME TO GO TO HEAVEN. ONLY THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN ME AND ALSO COMPLY WITH ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE FATHER WILL GO TO HEAVEN.
You see, it is not true that Christians just need to believe in Jesus to go to heaven.
A rapist, murderer, or any person who has commited crimes will go to hell even if he believes in jesus. Understood?

To be fair, I've also heard christians say this as well, but I've met many christians who say they are christians but do not practice, or are christians because their families are. I've met christians who were devout and very kind and I thought them to be Muslims actually. But even still if christians can go to hell, then what is the point of crucifixion and baptisms? And also what if a person doesn't do anything wrong, believes in god, but just doesn't believe in Jesus as god? prays etc. then shouldn't that person go to heaven too? lol idk it's mad confusing bro. I also noticed black people and white people worship in different churches too, and this segregation was always weird to me.

format_quote Originally Posted by Eddy

So You're saying all Muslims reflect at some point and most of them remain Muslims?
What happens to those who don't remain Muslims?
Imagine your father has read all the following Hadith and he is a serious Muslim.
There are a lot more (hadith) but here there are a few:

Let me put this in context for you: what would your dad do if you proudly killed an innocent child and you went and told him and then publicly announced it like you were proud of it? How would your society react? How would the law handle that?

See, Apostasy is worse than to kill an innocent person. They're both very major sins, but publicly and openly leaving Islam is worse, and under shariah law it is against the law to openly apostate.


Reason I'm using this example is so you understand the weight apostasy because to you it's not that big of a deal. But when I tell you that on the moral scale for muslims it's the worst, then maybe you can understand by comparing it to something which you'd consider as one of the worst crimes.

With that being said, on a day to day basis, these are very specific ahadith for very specific situations that Muslims do not jump on implementing. There's so much that would and should happen before that's ever even considered, plus it's only implementable under sharia law with a whole judicial system and NEVER for the parents to implement themselves.

format_quote Originally Posted by Eddy

Knowing this, would you dare to tell your father, "Father, with all due respect, I believe it's all false, Muhammad lied about the revelations and Islam is not real, I'm out of Islam, maybe I'll convert to Christianity, I hear they don't need to pray 5 times"

And then we have the problem of protecting the honor of your family. Would you dare to dishonor your family and your serious Muslim father?
Or maybe you would prefer to stay a Muslim and live another day?

Well me personally, i wouldn't do it that way, not because I'd get killed but because it's very disrespectful and I would gain nothing out of it. It's just common sense. The only reason i'd see that you'd tell your family is if you were going to do a complete 180 lifestyle and you wanted their support (which if you truly know their values and moral standards, what is your expectation?), or if you wanted to be convinced of islam again. But some people have families who wouldn't care, so to each their own regarding making that judgement call. *shrug*