Thank you all for your responses.
I felt rather shocked recently when my pastor (a very good man indeed) told me that Christians (direct quote) "are not strict montheists." I'd been asking him about the trinity and saying it was a bit over my head.
The thing is, I truly love Jesus and believe that He was the Son of God (this does not mean that I believe He was the biological son of God, but a special creation, as was Adam... and I think that might be compatible with Islam, since you also believe that He was concieved specially, and born of a virgin.) So at the least, I know that we believe in a Jesus who was special, and different from other men. I also believe that Jesus, unlike Adam (also specially created) did not sin against God, and therefore retained that special relationship... that is to say a "sonship." He did not divorce His human nature from His father. Please understand that I'm not suggesting God is a father in a "human" sense, but that He is father in a relational sense. God loves us, as the Quraan says so beautifully, He is the all merciful, the all compassionate.
But I find it distressing to hear that God is not "One", when Jesus Himself said in response to questioning, "Hear Oh Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord is One, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your soul, and all your strength."
The idea of accidently offending God by worshipping Him wrongly really upsets me... I want to love Him with all my heart, and soul, and mind and strength. At the same time the idea of honouring Jesus less than He deserves as the special creation of God, son of a virgin, who will return in the end of the ages... that really upsets me. Because from a Christian point of view, He's the one who defeated death, who resisted sin, and who will be my advocate before the Great Judge when the last day comes.
Bear with me please, I've read the Quraan once, as a literary thing, before I was truly interested in Islam... now that I am interested, I've not got beyond the first Suraah, and keep re reading it. I know the Quraan is not a terribly long book, but I don't feel it's the kind of book that one should just read in one sitting.
I realise that I'll keep putting my foot in it, and answering the wrong way, asking the wrong questions, but I really do want to understand.
Oh... and I have read part of the second surah... enough to realise how dreadful a thing it is to be hung up on the etiquette of religion, without paying attention to the truth of it. (The children of Israel going on and on about what kind of heifer they should sacrifice, instead of just gladly doing what they were asked.) I want to be someone who just does what God asks, rather than picking on details and putting it off.
So anyone reading this who prays... could you pray that I ask the right questions, read all the scriptures (including Christian and Hebrew) well, and remain truly open to what God is saying? That I appreciate God's kindness and generosity and love, and respond in kind?
Thank you all again,
