I'm not sure how welcome I'll be on this forum - I'm an apostate. I've joined this forum partly to keep in touch with the cultural aspects of my Muslim heritage but also to explore current Muslim attitudes and opinions about leaving Islam.
Not sure what you mean by "attitudes" but some people leave Islam and many others enter the Family of Islam every day. Nothing new and nothing special.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to find their way. I was guided from Atheism to ISlam and nothing will ever change that.
Thanks for the warm welcome. In response to why I left Islam, it was a gradual process over several years.
I was born in England to a South Asian family. I was brought up as a Muslim I was a sincerely devout practising one up until my early 20s. During this time I gradually realised that the reason I was a Muslim and not a Christian or a Jew or Hindu, for that matter, was simply an accident of birth. I initially felt thankful for being born into what I considered to be the right religion but pondered about the incredible unfairness of the hellish fate that awaited non-Muslims simply because they were born into the wrong faith - decent people who were happy with their religions or lack thereof and had no logical reason to convert to Islam.
I was always uncomfortable with the idea of hell. I wouldn't want to inflict such barbaric eternal punishment on my worst enemies, let alone dear friends who happened to worship the wrong God(s).
I studied to become a doctor and adopted an evidence-based, scientific manner of thinking. The need for evidence to support what I believed made faith in any religion an impossibility.
I was a 'benign' atheist for many years, keeping my lack of belief quiet unless specifically asked. I understood the benefit of religious belief to many people's lives even though I no longer accepted the truth of it.
Salaam,
Who ever said that people of this or that religion will go to hell(It is up to Allah), its about your deeds at the end of the day-if you didnt know that this or that was haraam(forbiden) you wont get the sin for it.
Second off, RIGHT NOW--i have all the resources i need to look into almost ALL THE RELIGIONS and then base what is right and what is wrong, now if someone who is LAZY and does not want to investigate into Islam, or christianity or whatever, thats thier problem, and frankly if your being lazy about your ETERNAL AFTERLIFE, then thats your fault, period.
ALLAH SWT is the most forgiving!!!! ok you cant say who is going to hell or not. who ever said that you are born into the wrong religion and you go to hell, i mean PEOPLE CONVERT....becaue they are not being lazy and have found out errors in thier way of life.
now you might say what about sins that can not be forgiven SHIRK, well lets think of one shirk, claiming partners with God, aftagfirullah, now you claim God(s) and i think you assume that Hinduism claims that right? well in actual fact if you had studided the different religionns then you would know that in hinduism thier is one God--who has no images, now that shows that even some people within thier own religion dont know about thier own religion. watch Concept of God in major religions by Zakir Naikplus most of the respected religions belive in monothieism. so that shirk is ruled out.
look you say you was "I was always uncomfortable with the idea of hell." well think of this thier are people who disrespect God i mean look at this guy http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Jtxr...eature=channel this guys goes on and on, and you think he should go to Heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!! are you crazy.
dont want to ruin your welcome but thats my opinion, lol sorry if it sounded debatyyy.
Peace anways.
Salaam.
Another thing Brother, in islam it says in the Quran that every baby person is born muslim, and that it is thier parents who bring them up as into thier religion, which they are meant to well look up other religions question thier own religion, life is a test-you are well being tested if you are lazy lol,you can say we have done the first part, in which being muslim-that doesnt mean we get an advantage over others though.
Brother Ali don't forget. It is his free will. Allah has given us all a free will...
Surah 39:7
If ye are thankless, yet Allah is Independent of you, though He is not pleased with thanklessness for His bondmen; and if ye are thankful He is pleased therewith for you. No laden soul will bear another's load. Then unto your Lord is your return; and He will tell you what ye used to do. Lo! He knoweth what is in the breasts (of men).
"As to those who reject Faith it is the same to them Whether thou warn them or do not warn them; They will not believe. "Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing and on their eyes is a veil Great is the penalty they incur." [Qur’an 2:6-7]
Salaam.
Another thing Brother, in islam it says in the Quran that every baby person is born muslim, and that it is thier parents who bring them up as into thier religion, which they are meant to well look up other religions question thier own religion, life is a test-you are well being tested if you are lazy lol,you can say we have done the first part, in which being muslim-that doesnt mean we get an advantage over others though.
Hi Ali,
Thanks for your comments. I think that it's fair to say that only a tiny minority of people change their religions. By far the strongest predictor of one's religion is the religion of your parents. With all due respect, had you been born to Hindu parents, it is highly likely you would now be Hindu, despite knowing about other religions including Islam.
In coming to the conclusion that Islam is the true religion, how much research did you do into Buddhism, Candomble, Jainism, Mormonism, Paganism, Santeria, Shinto, Taoism, Unitarianism or Zoroastrianism before dismissing all of these as being false?
Indeed one should always question one's religion. That is what I did and that is why am no longer religious. I do however respect your absolute right to believe in your own religion and understand the benefit that you gain from these beliefs - after all I was in the same boat in the not too distant past.
hi,
i respect what you said, i did do research on religions lol,
but comeing to the religions you named, i mean why on the face of the earth should i even loook into religions which worship the fire like paganism. you can tell they are wrong, thier is no need to look into religions like shinto or zoro, or paganism, you should know they are wrong...
Peace, out i like your respect though.
Hi Softly, and welcome!
I just wanted to answer to what you said:
"I think that it's fair to say that only a tiny minority of people change their religions. "
Well actually, now more and more people are converting to Islam ...
why on the face of the earth should i even loook into religions which worship the fire like paganism. you can tell they are wrong, thier is no need to look into religions like shinto or zoro, or paganism, you should know they are wrong...
Peace, out i like your respect though.
Yup just like the Quran says:
"When truth is hurled against falsehood, falsehood perishes, for falsehood is by its nature, bound to perish." ~ Qur'an Surah al-Isra
And say: "Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish." [Qur'an 17:81]
happy with their religions or lack thereof and had no logical reason to convert to Islam.
Hi, Softly, lol forgot one other thing, you claim people being happy, i dont think its about what religions makes you the most happiests, its about what is right, and what religion is wrong.
e.g. religion X allows drinking, haveing sexual intercoure outside marriage, flirting with girls, doing what ever you want, then that will make the whole world happy wouldnt it; wouldnt you want to go to this religion.
its not about what makes you happy, if your religions allows you to drink alcohol and you like it. and you thikn to yourself, umm lets just stick to this religion as it makes me happy, then you are LAZY and IGNORANT and you know that.... (not directed towards softly afcoures). but you get what i mean.
its not about what makes you happy and enjoy its about what is right, and what is the solution for humanity
I'm not sure how welcome I'll be on this forum - I'm an apostate. I've joined this forum partly to keep in touch with the cultural aspects of my Muslim heritage but also to explore current Muslim attitudes and opinions about leaving Islam.
Thanks and peace to all,
Softly
Hi,
Hope you find it welcoming, I am unsure what you mean, do you want to leave Islam
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, lol sorry if it sounded debatyyy.
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