My Islamic teacher did not teach hell as a threat, but they taught hell as a consequence. They did not say "you will go to hell if you are not walk on this path". What they taught was "if you walk on the right path, you will go to heaven. If you walk on the wrong path, you will go to hell".I would be curious to hear from Muslims on this topic. Do some mosques seem more to "lead with love" and other seem to "threaten hellfire"?
Just look at the Westboro Baptist Church. Christian hearts, indeed.
And the threat of eternal hell has never scared me, it just seemed manipulative.
There are better ways to get a message across than threatening someone.
Even though I understand that most religions have a hell of some sort,
I'd be much more inclined to a religion that shows me the goodness of its teachings.
Taqwa is not just "fear" but rather "reverential fear". A state of awareness/consciousness.
To be able to reach a state of ihsan one must have taqwa.
What is ihsan? It is "excellence".
Described in a hadith as "To worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you cannot achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is seeing you."
Is this not a state of awareness? How can someone achieve this state if they do not have taqwa?
So the talk of Imams scaring people with Hell. It is to remind people to be aware.
I agree.
I hope you don't think the Westboro Baptist Church is representative of Christianity on the whole though.![]()
No, I completely understand. Every religion has that one group that no one really wants to acknowledge.
I would go as far as saying every group has that one (or more) section(s) they would rather not associate themselves with.
;D
Sad but true. Usually those are the people on the more extreme ends of the spectrum.Haha, you're undoubtedly right. But, unfortunately, these smaller groups are much louder and get more press and recognition, painting all the normal people n a poor light.
Sad but true. Usually those are the people on the more extreme ends of the spectrum.
On a more serious note, I think that's the reason why 'the rest' should never stop speaking out against those amongst their groups which do wrong and cause problems.
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