Islam Vs. Christianity

U see, this is the bueaty of human interaction isnt it...

how we see the same issue from exactlly opposite sides of the continum is just facinating...

i respect ur openion, and respectfully disagree:)

at the end of the day, every human bieng ( in my openion ) needs to do whatever it is that makes them peacfull INSIDE...

if u feel this way, then u r on the rit track for urself..

i feel i m on the right track for me..

have a good one..

http://hasous.spaces.live.com

"missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security build." Anwar Sadat

Hussanmf, personally I think people who follow religion are the lazy ones. You have a bunch of rules given to you and you follow them blindly, rather then think about your actions and rationalize them. Religion is for people who are too scared to think for themselves.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

but I think the young man is still formulating his ideas and doing his research. He's unsure of lots of facts at the moment. Hope he continues his study, though.

Perhaps I should invite him to this QL thread! :D

http://www.selfgrowth.com/artman2/publish/spiritual_articles/What_are_Some_Key_Similarities_between_Christianity_and_Islam_-_Updated_printer.html

knowing the suffering of the poor is but 1 reason we fast ..

there are many other reasons..

prime amongst which is total obedience to God..

all through the year , we strive to stay away from what God has prohibited us from, be it certain foods and drinks and sex with strangers etc...

in ramadan, its a higher form of obedience, signaling the total surrender of a muslim 2 God;s will...

We stay away from these things that God allowed for us all year round..food , drink, sex with spouses etc...

another wisdom of fasting s knowing that our material needs are overrated..

when u find how capable u r to survive on 1 meal a day, no sex , no water, for 1 complete month, its then easier for u for the rest of the year to know and practice bieng modest and not over indulging in all these material things...and in essence, contoling them instead of having them control u ..

these reasons are not limited to rich ppl, poor ppl can also indulge in whatever is available to them...

therfore fasting is something everyone does..

also from my point of view, the muslim fast is the world;s best diet to detox and regain chemical balance inside the body...

it also helps the body get revived by focusing all the body;s energy on healing ailments with the absence of food and drink in the system, which in normal days consume the better part of the body;s energy...

Mohammad preached that all ailments of the body are a result of what we put in our mouths...a theory now indorced ( 1400 years later) by most alternative medecine practisionists, hence the new found obsession with vitamins and minerals and low carb diets:)

http://hasous.spaces.live.com

"missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security build." Anwar Sadat

Religion is only for rich ppl??? be rich or poor religion for all is same. Jarhead

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IF RAMADAN IS FASTING TO KNOW THE DIFFICULTIES AND SUFFERINGS OF THE POOR, THEN DO THE POOR HAVE TO FAST AS WELL ?

NO, SERIOUSLY I HAVE NO IDEA

.. to err is human; to forgive is divine.

(not sure where that saying comes from, but it makes sense)

IS a divine force!!

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this is not personal(against u ), its just my openion about ur " school of though"

i think ppl who believe in a devine force but not in any specific religion are smart and lazy:)

smart bec no human with half a brain ( in my openion ) can ignore the fact that there is a greater force beyond all of us..

lazy bec they dont want 2 bother themselves with the discrepancies in any religion...

in my mind, the mental battle with the loop holes in religion are exactlly the proof of faith and belief in the devine...

thats just my openion though

http://hasous.spaces.live.com

"missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security build." Anwar Sadat

1) When I say God I mean a divine force, not the God of the holy books. I use the word "God" because it's easier for people to understand.

2) I believe that God sends everyone messages, not just certain people. I have no doubt that Mohammed or Jesus were divinely inspired or enlightened for their time, but I do not believe what they wrote is specifically the word of God. I believe it is very enlightening philosophy's for THEIR TIME, not something to live or die by now. I do not believe that ANYONE is or ever will be a direct conduit for God's words. IT speaks to us all in our own way. Some ignore, others don't.

3) I don't believe in any Holy book. I don't disagree that their are some great opinions and rules to live by in them, and I don't doubt their genius, but I don't agree with everything they say and I don't believe they are the words of God. Just some very smart men.

4) Umm yes. Not everyone has the courage to post controversial topics on this site. I don't particularly care. So if you want me to post something and not say who told me to, then I would be happy to.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

“I never said I didn't believe in God, what I said is that there is no evidence to prove the existence of God. The only thing the Quran proves is the existence of Mohammed.

I don't believe any of those miracles happened. I believe in God but not in religion or the people who created it. Also if you read my opening statements, I didn't write this for me, but for another QLer who is too shy.”

I have 4 questions for you to help me understand your ideology:

1.People did not believe what all prophets were saying, but seeing the miracles of those prophets helped lots of them start considering the messages/religions that those prophets were talking about. Now can you tell me how have you come to be convinced of & believe in God when you don’t believe in any of His words, messages, miracles, holy books, religions, prophets/messengers?

2.Believing in something/someone means you believe in the whole entity of that something/someone. How can you believe in some leader/hero, yet tell that leader/hero that I don’t believe that you have sent me a letter by a messenger, I don’t believe that the words in that letter is yours, I don’t believe that the messenger was sent by you, and I think that the messenger has written the letter himself & that he is talking about himself?

3.Is it only the Quran you don’t believe in, or is it all the holy books?

4.Since you don’t believe in religions but you have ONLY started this thread on behalf of a “too shy” friend, does that mean that if you didn’t believe in some issue (capital sentence, holocausts, abortion…etc), you would still help a “too shy” friend by posting a thread on his/her behalf to discuss the positives & negatives of this issue and see what are the opinions of the people who are with or against this issue?

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HussanF I don't believe any of those miracles happened. I believe in God but not in religion or the people who created it. Also if you read my opening statements, I didn't write this for me, but for another QLer who is too shy. :D

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

It means a lot coming from you. We consider you as part of our family now and you know you can count on us on anything. I mean it :-)

All these religious topics are making me quite determined to attend a midnight mass (if there is one) this Christmas! :P

I do agree with you. I find it all very interesting and it gets me googling for information I would never have bothered to research before.

Remember, my formative years were spent as a Convent Schoolgirl and generally speaking, in those days, you were discouraged from questioning anything about your Faith. Probably because whoever was teaching you the Catechism on that particular day didn't know the answers either! :D :D

Anyway, suffice to say I find all this debate on QL very health (usually!) and extremely educational.

I don't see any craziness at all! On the contrary! Everyone's input is being fair & useful to read! It opens your eyes & mind to new things & you can have the wisdom to compare & choose what best fits you.

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I know you didn't mean to pass judgement. I just wanted to clarify that part about the parents.

living in the 21st Century AD sometimes isn't it.

Cavemen must have had the same bickers and wars over their Gods too.

It's crazy and what's more the craziness is MAN made! No wonder we had to have Prophets and Bhuddas etc to try and straighten us all out and even they seem to have failed :(

off course we can let religion make our lives easier,,,but humans cant seen to miss a chance to bicker and figh and differ amongst themselves and try to come out as the best in everything:)

In the quran, the message of Mohammad was " You have ur religion, and i have mine":)

so in a sense, u r a prophet,u just mirrored the words of God 1400 years gao:)

have a good one

http://hasous.spaces.live.com

"missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security build." Anwar Sadat

its not just mohammad then,,its mohammad and all those who came bef him...

i m sure u d agree that if someone can accept that moses split the red sea, and jesus can walk on water, it would be absurd for that same person to say that it is impossible that mohammad assended to the heavens!

if u accept it to be plausable that moses split the sea and jesus walked on water i mean...

so as far as u r conecerned, u r questioning the whole idea of FAITh in god period..

therfore, a debate about islam vs christianity is not what u want to be doing:)

later

http://hasous.spaces.live.com

"missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security build." Anwar Sadat

Hussanmf, I have no doubt that Mohammed really did think he was talking to God. It's whether or not he actually was that's up for debate.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

Ramadan Kareem

Islam confirmed and overode previous revelations i.e Islam abrogated previous scriptures we are told about in the Quran such as as the torah, psalms, etc.

Allah (swt) mentions some of the previous messengers and prophets by name in the Quran and muslims must beleive in them. One cannot be a muslim and deny any part of the Quran or the decisive hadith (known as the successive hadith: Mutawatirah in arabic). Allah (swt) says; "O you who believe, do believe in Allah, his messenger and the book that he has sent upon his messenger and the book he has sent before and he who disbelieves in Allah, his angels, his books, his messengers and in the last day, he has gone far astray.” [4-136],

Islam came for all of mankind: Allah (swt) says, "We have not sent you but as a mercy to mankind" (TMQ Al-Anbiya 21:107)

Other messengers such as Moses (pbuh) or Jesus (pbuh) came for a specific people and time.

Allah (swt) condemns the jews and christians and others for distorting previous scriptures and making man into God or ascribing fatherhood to Allah like the christians do or the killing of prophets by the jews. God also condemns idol worship in all its forms. Allah says; "They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their priests to be their lords besides Allâh" (9:31)

Furthermore Allah orders the christians and jews to leave their belief and embrace Islam. Islam came to guide mankind after mankind went astray. Islam is the final revelation from the Creator to his creation and Islam is the only acceptable Deen (belief system, way of life etc) to God. Allah (swt) says; "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islâm, it will NEVER be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers. [86] How shall Allâh guide a people who disbelieved after their belief and after they bore witness that the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) is true and after clear proofs had come unto them? And Allâh guides not the people who are Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrongdoers). [87] They are those whose recompense is that on them (rests) the Curse of Allâh, of the angels, and of all mankind. [88] They will abide therein (Hell). Neither will their torment be lightened, nor will it be delayed or postponed (for a while)"(Qur’an 3:85-88)

Muhammed (saw) said; "By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, there is no-one of this Ummah, Jew or Christian, who hears of me then dies without believing in that with which I have been sent, but he will be one of the people of Hell." (Sahih Muslim, 153).

Not to mention the clear text in the Quran when Allah (swt) says " Today I have perfected your religion for you, and have completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." ( 3:19)

This is with respect to Islam being the final message to mankind and the order for mankind to follow Islam. However muslims cannot force non-muslims to embrace Islam. There is no compulsion in religion but we make clear the consequences for denying the truth and rejecting it.

As for the truthfulness of Islam then we have to look at the fundamentals of Islam known as its creed or Aqeedah in which muslims have absolute conviction in through the intellectual proofs. We as muslims do not base our belief on faith or hearsay. Rather we are ordered to have conviction in the belief through the intellectual proofs. Thus a muslims can prove god exists, That the Quran is the speech of the creator and that Muhammed (saw) is the messenger of God.

No other ideology or religion can intellectually prove that what they follow is genuine because they cannot prove it intellectually thus they resort to having 'faith' in their beliefs or resort to emotion to comfort the contradictions their minds cannot accept. Thus christians cannot prove what they call the bible is revelation considering there are so many verions of it or that trinity is the same as one i.e 1 equals 3 and 3 equals 1, or the jews can prove the torah is the word or god. The same goes for the hindus, budhists, etc

Islam on the other hands conforms to mans nature and reason consents to its foundation. More to follow on what the intellectual proofs are for the foundation of the Islamic belief.

The fact the christians dont believe in Mohammad simply because he came after jesus is exactlly the point i made in my earlier post.

In the same manner the jews refused the messiah..christians refused mohammad...

In my openion, its all an issue of prestiege..

Like u said , if christians were to believe in mohammad, they would all be muslims..

and that would be a bad thing because??

because mohammad teaches different concepts than jesus!? NO

Becauses mohammad asked christians to CONVERT to something TOTALLY different than what they believe in??( like worshiping mohamad himslef, or the stones in Mekkah?) NO

That is exactlly the whole point..

In my view, its all foolish pride that prevents believers in juadism and christianity to accept and embrace islam as NOTHING MORE THAN THE NATURAL CONTINUATION of their own religion..which is exactlly what Mohammad and the quran clearly stipulated..

What do u think it means when the quran says that If a person DOESNT NOTTTTTTT believe in jesus and moses, the bilble and the torah, in addition to mohammad and the quran, His faith would be null and void..

Look at it this way ppl...

Mohammad was a man who was largely influencial and was able to establish an entire EMPIRE based solely on his own efforts..

why if he was faking or making up something new, did he not preach to people to worship HIM! or to worship something he created himself..

why bother make a strong unbreakable bond between the religion he preached, and religions of OTHER PEOPLES and of OTHER TIMES!!!

If not because the religionhe preached was merely a continuation of what came before him, why would he have bothered in the 1st place???

Someone else was discussing that the mekkah society was predominantely christian and jewish at the time of Mohammad, and that is inaccurate..

To our knowledge, there was but 1 christian residng in mekkah at the time, and he ( ironically enough) was the cousine of Mohammad;s wife, and he was the one who proclaimed to mohammad that he is the new prophet of the times based on his readings of biblical scriptures..

Which again is a very important simbolic jesture, that one religion is passing on the torsh if u will to the other in the spirit of harmony and cooperation, not animosity and conflict...

Here is a mind teaser..

If mohammad indeed is no prophet, and he made the whole thing up..

Why would he bother making up a story about him bieng scared out of his whitts and shivering and shaking ( upon recieving the revelation), and why would he then seek knowledge and refuge at the hands of a christian man!!!

Is that not COUNTER productive if he was making it up??

and also.look at it in historical context..

who would the tough macho arabs beleiev, a man who gets scared and shivers from fear ..or a tough man who cares who is more macho than all of em???

why bother then tell a story about him bieng scared that lasts for eternity??

wouldnt that make him look " bad" if he was making the whole thing up??

Think about it...

http://hasous.spaces.live.com

"missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security build." Anwar Sadat

ROFL. You've got an awesome sense of humour DG. :D

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

Being a 500 pound man I always found it hard to get boyfriends. Although being as how I was living in San Francisco this always slightly puzzled me...

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Love is the answer...

"I am the judge of no-one" .... Except her ex-boyfriends who she calls fossils. LOL. :D (I'm going to be laughing about that one for a long long time)

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

That's true Bajesus. I didn't write what I meant properly. I was referring to parents who themselves have no faith so they do not pass on a faith to their children.

Mash'Allah, your parents sound like really good people :)

I agree, one does not have the right to judge one's fellow man about their faith or absence thereof.

I am the judge of no-one. _______________________________________________________

Love is the answer...

Without having read this long thread all the way through, I would just like to add my view on the subject, just my point of view (it works for me):

There is one God/Allah who has these many houses, 1 being of Islam faith (not the building itself, LOL), one being Christian, another Jewish, another Catholic, etc, etc. Each of these 'houses' believe in this One God (although labelled differently), and each has their own house rules according to their understanding of the requirements of God (be it via the Bible, Quran, whatever)..., merely for the sake of self, others, to respect each other and also God, and to learn of the love of God, and to put into practise His/Her teachings in their own life, i.e. be an example to mankind. Love and respect of these 'other houses' (also loved dearly by God) are to be accepted and respected.

Teachers and prophets, like Jesus and Mohammed, were here to help show the people the way. There were many prophets came to earth, Elijah being another. We should not be so arrogant as to argue who came first, and who is the best. We are all alike in the eyes of God. These men were messengers for the word. 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God...' (Genesis)

When Jesus said, 'Follow me' he meant to say, "you see me as the Son of God, but understand that you come from the same place, therefore recognise this same godliness in yourself."

“He that loves not, knows not God, for God is love.” – 1 John 4:8

maybe surrounding also.. more effective

not everything we want and do is our decision..

"Did you study these in government schools? Evolutionary biology? Philosophy? Sociology? Earth sciences? Cosmology? Anthropology? World history?"

-Out of those we only had Philosophy in Islam and history in the islamic world and the way we appraoched any subject is through route memorization....usually before exams.

@ DG- my parents are the most god-fearing muslims I know and they're constatly trying to instill in me the same qualities. Rarely does a day go by without them reminding me to pray(they're doing that as we speak!), to read the quran, to recite dua...etc it's not my parent's "fault" that I who I am. So I disagree with you that it "has a lot to do with their parents" because frankly I don't think there's anything more they could do. Furthermore, it's noone's place to judge others by their beliefs, or lack thereof.

I think one thing I would like to tell parents out there that no matter how hard you try raising your kids ( and my parents did a superb job of that!) you can't control the outcome because, like you, they will grow up to be adults who can think for themsleves and who will be able to decide for themselves.

Gypsy, it's my innocence. Pure of thought ;)

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Love is the answer...

wud be interested if someone can keep a seminar or 2 hour table talk on islam and sceince.

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yah. and here in qatar. or in saudi arabia or iran. i dont believe it is islam they are following. or the thing a jew cant enter here or a qatari convert, it is not islam.

and jews.. jews are not always defining themselves as jews. they may call themselves turkish and they may be jews indeed.there are many cyrpto jews all over the world. so there are probably more jews than u guess.

which says fossils have been found which contradicts theory of evolution.. i dont beleive that we are evolved from monkeys..(except for the fact that some of us have bosses who are still raw monkeys and god knows when they will 'evolve' themselves into humans)

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U wont be a muslim if u have a muslim name or being born to muslim parents. to be a muslim, u need to pray five times a day and follow the life that islam asks a man to live. u cant say that u cant be a muslim in this modern age. islam lays out certain rules for everything in life. there wont be any religion which says each and everything in detail of wat all u do in ur day to day life. u have prayers before u sleep, u have prayers wen u wak up. u have certain rules regarding ur money. u are allowed to eat certian things and some things are banned to eat. u have no right to war with other nations unless they call war upon u and even if u go for war, u cannot destroy the trees, water sources or harm any woman,child, public property or elder poeple. islam praches peace. if someone makes war in the name of islam, he will have to suffer himself for the loss he has brought.

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You never said that you believed the creation story in genesis literally...I must have mentally made that leap, and I do apologise.

I'm just very curious how someone who believes the creation story literally would reconcile it with the theory of evolution....I have never met anyone who could do so without saying fossils are fabricated....perhaps someone on this thread can.

Lol Gypsy on your ex B/fs comment.

Stay safe all.

Perfection does not exist. The question therefore, is: what level of imperfection are we willing to settle for?

quran was revealed in a ramadan month 1400 years ago.

it says about the past and the future.

it says about sense and science.

it says that how man and woman wer created.

it is Gods own words. read translation and you will understand that no man can write this. there were three books revealed by God before quran. they wer injeel, thaurath, saboor. but humans have edited them and made laws into them which favour them. but since past 1400 years, quran hasnt changed. Allah has mentioned it in Quran that he will protect it.

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Once religion gets into the hands of human beings it's in the hands of the wrong people.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

Christianity is based on 'Love and forgiveness' . But the rules and teachings in Islam is very strict and tough especially to sinners. Islam is a great religion but now its in the hand of wrong people.

Believe everything, Trust nothing . . .

In response to some comments posted above-

In my opinion-

* Trinity is like a flame = gas / light / energy

* I’m not sure but during the era of prophet Mohamed, people of Mecca were predominantly Jew or Christians and considered themselves descendants of Abraham. He (one of them) didn’t deny these religions, instead furthered it.

* In every religion, early sects discredit later developed/ breakaway sects. Like Jews vs Christians vs Muslims, Catholic vs protestant, Sunni vs Shia vs Bohra

* It is not uncommon that some children put their demands to their father through the mother or ask for her recommendation, which he grants sometimes even if unwilling.

* Nowadays Muslims also in south Asia have started praying to many dead Fakirs/ Peers for mediation.

* Most follow a religion for being born as one. They aren’t radically religious unless provoked by people with hidden agenda.

* “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” Karl Marx

I know some Jews too. but they won't say like hindus or christians that they are jews. just want to know officially are they allowed to live here.

Gypsy, may be the Qatari QLs knows very well about it ;)

Believe everything, Trust nothing . . .

MZ, I know some Jews who work here, so they are allowed in the country. I'm not sure what happens if a Qatari wants to convert, never heard of a case where it happened.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

I have 2 questions. more later !!

1. what happened to a Qatari citizen (or any GCC national)'converted' to another religion?

2. Do Jews can work here even if their passport is not from Israel? ( I think some countries mentioning the religion in the passport. may be I am wrong)

Believe everything, Trust nothing . . .

i can tell somethings i recognised in christianity different from islam..

in islam u dont have to belong a church. u dont have to marry in church( ok ok mosque:) ) u dont have to pay for ur funeral. u may not visit mosque every friday. and priest there will still make ur funeral:)

and yea u dont need a mosque or priest or noone to contact with god. u can just pray whenever,wherever u want.

these are better parts of islam for me..

and christianity. it is also for me not like a religion but a system or way of living. like some of u are improving ur religion frequently. like updating the system:) some of u not but many of u. depending on church i think. so it may be good in some way. but seems not like serious as a religion and not coming from god.

"having spent some time dating fossils myself."

ROFL...DG! That's no way to talk about your ex boyfriends!!!

(Kidding Kidding, couldn't resist)

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

RR, I have no idea what Allah looks like...but I have faith that I'll find out one day.

No, I don't believe that all fossils are fabricated having spent some time dating fossils myself.

At no point did I say that I was a literal believer in the creation or not. I said 'one could believe that...'

I was being discursive.

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Love is the answer...

With regard to some comments posted above-

* Hindus do eat beef in south India but not in north where they believe that cow is akin to mother for her milk being consumed by humans.

* Pagan believes in many gods as gendered personification of different attributes of one Supreme e.g. wisdom, beauty, power. Whereas Christians/ Muslims believe that God has appointed different cherubs, angels, genie with certain duties to look after the welfare of his creation. Holy books say Satan is one fallen angel with super powers who was once the dearest to God.Shouldn’t he have extinguished him?

Just really curious....as a literal believer in the creation story....what is your take on evolution?

If god created man in his image...does that mean god's skull looks like a chromagnum man's skull (or astrolopithicus, or whatever is the oldest)? Or do you believe all fossils are fabricated?

I'm just curious, as most believers I know either take the creation story more symbolicly than literally (and these are people who usually beilev in god, but shun organized religions and don't believe in the holy books word for word...like Gypsy for instance), OR they simply discount scientific thoeries entirely as lies and argue that the holy books are literally the words of god, and mankind could not possibly know more than god.

Stay safe all.

Perfection does not exist. The question therefore, is: what level of imperfection are we willing to settle for?

Or one could believe that God/Allah created man, not the other way round. That's where the faith part comes in.

Allah created Adam and Eve. They then told their offspring about the fact that Allah had created them and all the other things that Allah had done.

This got passed down the years and centuries. The faith was passed on based on the original account of what had happened to Adam and Eve..eventually not everyone believed this account of the creation of mankind.

I know now religion is so compicated in that everyone wants to give their opinion...what to believe, what to say, what to wear, how to behave, etc.

But if you pare it all back to the beginning, Allah created man and woman to multiply and enjoy the paradise He had created for them. To stay pure and loving and enjoy all that they had been given. That simple.

It's us humans who have changed the world by the way we have inhabited it. We were given free will and look what we have done to and in the world...good and bad things I think... _______________________________________________________

Love is the answer...

sorry mind doing 10 things at the mo. i meant religious debate

Quote " one man's religion is another man's cult"

Can I just congratulate people who are participating in this thread on a really nice, clam, reasonable dialogue! This is great, nobody is insulting and everyone is just discussing their beliefs. YAY!!!! :D

Ok, going back over the last 85 posts:

-Christians do not believe that Jesus is God and if they do they've got the wrong end of the stick, he was God's son and messenger (a representative for God on Earth, but NOT God itself).

-I would love to discuss Buddhism and Hindu, but I know very little about the first and absolutely nothing about the latter, so if someone here wants to enlighten us, please feel free. :D

-Christians don't believe Muhammed was a prophet, because he came after Jesus. It's not really an insult, more a fact that if we believed Muhammed was a prophet we would have all converted to Islam...right?

-Regarding atheism. I've wrestled with whether or not I believe in God since I was a little girl, simply because I recognized organized religion to be a load of crap at an early age (IMHO), during my teens and early twenties I resoutly believed that if you shun religion you don't believe in God. As I've gotten older I've realized that there is simply too much in this world, and too many things that have happened in my life, to completely discount the idea of a higher being or a higher purpose. Frankly since I've come back to the belief that everything happens for a reason and there is a higher being I've felt a great deal more inner peace. That being said I still think organized religion is a pile of crap.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

I am joining pretty late, but want to add my opinion.

I think Adey has it close to right...imho, God did not make man....it was man who made God.

Ever since the dawn of time, people have feared what they do not understand...if it rained they got scared...so they invented a god of rain sitting on a cloud hurling thunder bolts....now that we know why and how it rains, their beliefs seem rather silly.

I think religion exists to ease mankind's fears about what we do not understand yet (or may never understand)....example: what comes after death?

The difference between religions stems from the regions they come from (with the variety of cultures around the world, it is not surprising the sheer number of religions there are....most people may adhere to 2 or 3 main ones, but there are literally hundreds the world over!)...that's where the differences come from.

As for their similarities, they all try and ease our fears about what we do not understand and try and teach morality....this is reinforced by the fact that the "main" religions teach the ten comandments...which themselves come from Hamurabi's come from centuries before God sent his prophets, but I digress.

The other main similarity is they teach you to be close minded....they ALL seem to have this "we are right and everyone else is wrong" attitude....which again given the sheer number of religions out there begs to be labeled the height of arrogance.

Which is right? None in my opinion...but to each his own....at the end of the day, you have to find what works for "you"....just try and be tolerant and recognize that we each have the right to whatever belief system helps us live better.

I was born a christian, but am no longer a believer...My opinion may be in the vast minority, but that is what I have come to "believe".

Please do not send me hate messages....I again reiterate that we are all entitled to our opinions...though I must say I was expecting much more flaming on this thread....you should all be proud of the way you have conducted yourselves....its very hard to keep a civilized debate about religion civil...well done all.

Stay safe everyone.

Perfection does not exist. The question therefore, is: what level of imperfection are we willing to settle for?

Whoa...back up there...Adey, you said that babies are born with no faith. In your opinion maybe.

In my opinion babies are born with absolute faith...when I looked into the eyes of my babies I saw Allah in them. My pure little angels...sent from Allah to make my life a gazillion times better in every way! What a gift. And what a resonsibility I am charged with...to have been given pure little lives to nurture.

To me, there's no way that babies are born with no faith.

Some as they grow, I guess lose some of their faith along lifes path. And that has a lot to do with their parents. _______________________________________________________

Love is the answer...

I have a lot of respect for all religions...

It was said..."WE WERE BORN FREE BUT LIVE IN CHAINS"...which I feel is very much true....every body is sensible enough to judge right from wrong...but I don't understand why do people still do weird stuff...But I guess NOBODY knows it either...

One thing is Christians consider Jesus as the son of God...I always wonder why do they not approach God directly but through Jesus...

I don't in any way intend to hurt or harm any feelings...its just what I always think and wanted to ask and thanx to this forum..I can with due respect.

Mustangboy.

My last thought for the night.

Islamic studies- yes, christian, jewish, hindu, buddist? Did you study these in government schools? Evolutionary biology? Philosophy? Sociology? Earth sciences? Cosmology? Anthropology? World history?

Comparative study helps forge links between all these subjects till you find the kernels of truth. Studying just ONE subject, no matter what it is, makes you blinkered.

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

Islam is fond of saying that it does not impose religion on anyone, but as you pointed out on your reflections about school days, it does impose it on everyone born in an Islamic society.

It backfired on me also, could never take it seriously since the age of 6 when I was told about Noah's Ark - I mean really!!!! At the age of 6 I figured it was a load of BS. ha ha

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

I think all those years I spent in Govt school being taught islamic studies backfired! I mean how am I supposed to actually like the subject if I'm constantly being lectured on "how to be a proper muslim" by a bunch of ignorant religious freaks who still think the world is flat and drink camel pee?! ok they didn't go that far but you get my drift!

You're almost there. eg "this probably doesn't make any sense to you and neither does it to me"

As the saying goes 'Reason to religion is like sunlight to a vampire' lol

You are an atheist like me. I just believe in one less god than you. he he

'it is what it is and I can't help the way I feel....' With all due respect bejesus, read, study and think with reason and don't rely on woolly feelings.

Peace

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

But I don't think the issue is as simple as it sounds ie either black or white....at least not for me....by not being religious I meant I haven't fully embraced islam in practice....but I wouldn't convert to any other religion because I think islam is the only way to go....this probably doesn't make any sense to you and neither does it to me but it is what it is and I can't help the way I feel....maybe I'm agnostic?

"I do believe in Allah and Islam as the chosen religion and that on judgement day I will be held accountable for my actions!"

Then that makes you religious bejesus.

You seem to want it both ways. If you believe in Islam then you should believe all of, it or none of it, surely?

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

I've sent you a PM -a funny!

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

I might not be religious....not necessarily spitirtual either....but I do believe in Allah and Islam as the chosen religion and that on judgement day I will be held accountable for my actions! just my random opinion...

yeah read it about a year ago.

It was on sale here in Virgin when it first opened, it either sold out really quickly OR it was removed.

There is plenty of freedom OF religion but very little freedom FROM religion.

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

Santa Month!

All peoples of Qatar MUST wear red Robes and a long stick on white beard when out in public. Failure to do so shows disrespect to Jauntie's religious beliefs and you may be incarcerated.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is to be sung at 3.17 & 23 sec PM by everyone no matter what you are doing.

The holy book (the Snowman) will be receited on waking.

Bars are only allowed to serve Advocha & lemonade during the month of Santa.

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

Have you read any Dawkins? 'The God Delusion' is brilliantly argued. He was a great friend of Douglas Adams.

***********

"There's this thing called being so open-minded your brains drop out". - Richard Dawkins

honestly I'm on your side. However, did you just say Santa doesn't exist???

I know he does, cos I got a letter from Greenland and my parents can't afford all those presents.

(oh boy did they laugh themselves sick when I announced THAT one to all and sundry at the age of **)

There is faith and irrational faith.

All children are born without faith - I wonder where they get it from? Where did there parents, teachers, priests etc get it from?

"gotta think something up" exactly my point! lol

Why do you need god to "keep us going"?

You would laugh at an adult who still believed in Santa wouldn't you? You can believe what you want BUT its the enormous power that religion has over ALL of us that is the problem. Imagine the US government run and implementing laws with a view that Santa is real and in Saudi they counter with a theocracy revolving around the tooth fairy.

Now replace these with what we call god.

Do you see it now?

Power over all of us due to irrational faith with not a shred of evidence. If you want to believe in Santa or the Tooth Fairy... fine .. but don't run a world and tell people what to do based on these myths.

Oh that felt good!!! lol

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

it's called 'faith'

You either got it, or you haven't - simple or that. Doesn't matter what or any religion one follows it's all about a believe in something. Could be a believe that when you pop your clogs that's IT - could be belief in reincarnation.

It's a belief in something ANYTHING which keeps us mortals going.

Can't just sit around 'wondering' what happens after you die, can you ... gotta think up something reasonable - it's only human

Yeah u r right indeed Hindus dont have a hundred gods its only the forms that are many but the one is only one.....

By the way why does one have to reach the extreme ends between the two faiths Take the middle course ie preach Hinduism

Besides Extremisim is present in every faith isnt it? I feel christianity is excessively liberal today the Pope is blasting Europe for not having enough kids at the same time the muslims are bonded with religion

Learn to be neo liberal

No not being patronising, genuinely interested.

It's just that in every other walk of life we wouldn't have faith in anything without the slightest tangible evidence.

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

No, of course not, no offence taken, it's a healthy debate...but are you being patronising? I do not feel that I am being deluded. It's a question of faith for everyone and what they believe in. I have respect for everyone's opinion.

I'm the eternal optimist and have faith that there is an even better life for everyone after this one on earth.

On that happy note I must bid all a goodnight. It's way past my bedtime as I have a ton of work for tomorrow as well as getting my little angels off to school.

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Love is the answer...

with greatest of respect, I believe in lots of things... not nothing...and believe it or not I am very tolerant, nice, peaceful and productive member of society. I just need proof of a deity, and nowhere in human history is there such proof.

A belief in the after life does not make it necessarily so. There are hundreds of gods, they cant all be right. What if there is a deity and an afterlife and you get there and have been glorifying the wrong one? This is the dilemma that all religions face.

delusion is very hard to break free from, its had thousands of years to infect the human mind, I realise its difficult to break the bubble and see from the outside.

No offense meant and I hope none taken.

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

and so you should, J, nothing should be by force...I totally disagree with killing people for changing their belief. Allah gave us the ability to choose after all...if you believe that then you will believe you are answerable to Him for your life on earth.

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Love is the answer...

I was brought up to believe in the hereafter and I hope it's there and I will meet my parents and so on in Heaven BUT whilst on this earth I wish to have to right, as I have, to believe that or not.

I probably wouldn't even have that in my mind to this DAY if it wasn't for my Catholic upbringing, but I still have the option to think what I like without fear of retribution.

just cos you feel like being yourself?

I mean to say, there is such a thing as 'freedom of thought' and I do find it wrong that a person isn't allowed that freedom. I'm not saying they should make a song and dance about it, and make waves, but ...

Back to my 'I'm ME' - no one else is ME. If I don't want to practice the religion I was brought up with, that is up to ME.

I don't expect to be stoned for changing my mind or beheaded for disagreeing. As far as I'm concerned that type of behaviour went out with the Ark.

And YES there were crusades and nasty people around who purported to be Christian, but we don't go around these days inflicting archaic and draconian laws on people.

Christianity was based on forgiveness:

'Our Father who art in Heaven, forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us' and all that.

Adey, that is your opinion...some would say that rather than the 'stuff of human fantasy', it is the 'stuff of faith.

I'd much rather believe in something than nothing!...a wonderful peaceful spiritual journey on Earth with Allah with the promise of an infinitely better hereafter....or....nothing...hmmm...difficult choice...not!

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Love is the answer...

In Afghanistan they were killed or court marshal was ordered for them even some of them were stoned. About the Egyptian and his wife still no news about them what happened to them. they were i guess seeking help from EU. his wife wrote some letter as far i remember not sure.

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Islam, IMHO, is more closely related to Judaism than Christianity, but all 3 come from the same root.

The, by far, largest single similarity between all 3 (and every other theist belief system) is that their adherents are subject to the greatest mass historical, cultural, social and in some cases political delusion ever foisted on the human race and intellect.

The priestly caste/class have always had enormous power and religion is the only thing that holds this all together.

That is not to say that all religious teachings are bad, they often hold truths about society that developed long before our 'modern' religions appeared. It is easy to see early Man's need for explanations as to the world around him. However all religions need to be held accountable for the horrors they have brought to the world.

So to sum up, religions have some good but their time of control on the human mind is now beginning to unravel, take what you want from them (and I often do) but the idea of some intelligent, omnipotent, omnipresent creator is the stuff of human fantasy.

I don't go to mythical places with strange men.

-- Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

Judism was already there when Moses was born. its Moses who got them place to leave and there after they started worshipping to a Golden cow. And you know this well Israel is the one and only nation that was blessed with everything by Allah but still they betrayed.

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Threats from public and the verdict from court can be death too by stoning or get them hung. They never convert just stop practicing thats all atheist.

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hussamf, I really enjoyed reading your comments. Very well written brother!

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Love is the answer...

Agree with DaRuDe that Islam is the first and the last. Adam was created by Allah. Judaism started way after Adam (with Moses/Judah?...help on this someone) and Christianity started after the death of Jesus who was brought up as a Jew. So when people convert to Islam I believe they actually revert back to Islam. _______________________________________________________

Love is the answer...

A Muslim under islamic Law cant convert and yea if he does he has to face punishment under islamic law. alot of case have come around in India,Afghanistan and recently there was one in Eygpt too about month ago it was on newspaper too.

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That was one of the nicest explanations of how Islam came about. I'm serious!

It is a lovely thought - Islam encompassed all the beliefs of Judaism and Christianity and took them on board along the way. I love it. I just wish everyone could see it your way.

I'm so smiling here, really and sighing.

P.S. If it's of any interest I reckon we are all right!

P.P.S. How come we aren't all Buddhists?

P.P.P.S Why aren't we discussing why we aren't all Buddhists or Hindu?

P.P.P.P.S Why is it always Christianity and Islam???

Let me correct you here Islam was the First and is the Last .

Religion on this earth. Adam PBUH was Muslim.

I do reat always in newspaper this much number converted to islam. why i never see this much number converted to Christianity. After 9/11 i saw a huge number in millions i guess who converted to Islam.

What was that a Fear or Practice ?? or they reall had intentions thet one day they will convert??

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Being Muslims, does not allow or entitle us to say that Christians are following a modified Bible. This is a purely Cristian issue

What's fair is fair.

The issue about non-believers came to surface when in the eraly 90s, there had been an attempt to start a dialogue between Christians and Muslims. At that time somebody raised this issue (how would the some Churches have a dialogue with non-believers?), or it could be the opposite (why to have dialogue with Chruches that consider us Muslims as non believers).

Then there has been sort of compromise or "political" solution and the dialogue commenced.

1) What are the fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity?

In my openion, there is only 1 fundemental difference between Christianity and Islam..

That difference is " What is Jesus?"

Is he God/son of God..or is he a messenger of God like those before him ( Moses, Abraham, u name it)

In my own understanding, All three devine religions are Universal and coinciding in thier message.

It appears to me, that every religion seems to try to Hold on to whatever it is that makes them " More special" than the others to justify bieng members of that particular religion.

Thats why in my openion, the Jews are hung up of the notion of " God;s choosen people", and the christians are hung up on the notion that jesus is the son of God, and muslims are hung up on the issue of bieng the last and the final religion...

2) What are the fundamental similarities?

Almost every aspect of the two religions is simillar..

The main pillar is the same..God is supreme, is the only diety worthy of worship, be good and kind to your fellow creatures on earth ( humans, animals, and plants), Be loving, be generous, and live a good life on earth ( in following the 10 commandments as Gipsy noted) so u can escape hell fire and be rewarded with everlasting paradise.

3)Which one is right?

None of the 3 devine religions is wrong, and in my view point it is both absurd and silly to claim otherwise.

The sourse of all 3 religions is the same( God), and therfore the message is the same..

The differences we now see between them is ( in my view point) man made, and CERTAINLY not GOD MADE...

Bieng more specific, in my view point ( and by saying this i in NO WAY am trying to offend believers of christianity), The early scholars of christianity in fear of loosing thier " privilledge status" as the NEW " choosen people" created the notion of the devinity of Jesus to insure followers and prospective followers will find this " something extra" that distincts christianity from Juadism, and therfore inusre the sustainability of the new religion...

In my view point, Jesus never claimed to be God or the son of God or any other form of devine for that matter ( a confirmed truth by some of christianitie's most reputable scholars..Read keren Armestrong;s " a history of God" for details)

so the bottom line is, if we exclude the issue of the divinty of jesus, christianity and islam are one and the same...

why do i follow whichever one it is you follow?(Islam)

I am a follower and believer in islam not because i DO NOT believe in christianity and Juadism..but because i DO!

I follow Islam because Islam is the ONLY religion of the 3 that endorses and accepts the other 2 as an integral part of the faith.

Juadism never accepted christianity ( till today), and Christianity never accepted islam ( till today)..

Islam from the " get go" was very clear that Islam is a faith that is NOT COMPLETE untill and unless a muslim believe in Jesus and moses, the bible and the torah( old testiment)

In my view point, God was mercifull towards the human kind, and therefore sent man kind his message in parts.

In the same way we learn the same topics in school, then university, then in hiegher education , but with increasing levels of complexity and detail( corrosponding to our increased awareness and growing mental capacity to understand more complex issues) , God also sent us his message in stages..

Juadism was very simple , straigh forward, and laying down the basics, There is only one God worth worshiping..Worship him, and observe these 10 simple rules in the process ( the 10 commandments)

Christianity came with a more sophisticated message that incorprated to the above mentioned notions like unconditional love, forgivness, and " My kingdom is not of this world" to adress the increasing materialistic take the Jews were putting on the religion.

Islam came to build on both established pillars , and to provide an extra wealth of details covering every single aspect of human life , from eating and drinking and sex, to ethics of warfare ,to inheritance and human rights and the universality of God's message...

So in saying i m a muslim, i am also professing to being jewish and christian( or so i believe)..

The way i see it, Islam is the continuation, is the PHD of religion if christianity is a Masters degree and juadism is a bachelor's degree...

So why do i follow islam..Because i d much rather be a PHD holder, than bieng a masters degree holder or a bachelor's degree holder..

I know( and believe to be true) all what the masters degree grad and the bachelor's degree grad know and believe, and i have a bit extra...( excluding the bits where my religion is dubbed null and void off course hehe, and also excluding the divinity of jesus christ who is a central figure in muslim belief)..

Enjoy:)

http://hasous.spaces.live.com

"missiles, warships and nuclear weapons cannot establish security. Instead they destroy what peace and security build." Anwar Sadat

That may be what some think PA, but it does not lessen our respect for them in terms of having a shared history and a belief in Allah.

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Love is the answer...

few days back I saw in the gulf times that 55 Vietnamese converted to Islam. I was a big news. I don't believe these people keep their new faith once they go out of the country. It seems Islam is encouraging more people to join the faith without the right teaching. Of course Christians too. As far as I know the people joining Christianity ( one who starts believe Jesus as the Son of God, not just a Christian by name or tradition) will keep their faith till the end.

Believe everything, Trust nothing . . .

But KH, to be honest, I have never been in a community which didn't accept mutual ecumenical ideas, and therefore was never in a situation where anyone ever said they didn't recognise Mohamed as a prophet.

I guess it may be different in your home country or maybe I just haven't got involved with people who discuss religion as after dinner sport.

Probably just as well, otherwise I could turn into a really ugly person! :P

Because I have heared lots of muslims consider the Christians as the "lost people" because they are following a "modified bible".

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Not at all, J, Muslims have (or should have) great respect for Christianity and Judaism and their pepople. Muslims consider them 'People of the Book', with a shared history and a belief in the same God ie Allah.

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Love is the answer...

It is very normal to believe in "prior" religions. It is in our books. Who ever says the opposite is trying to create problems between religions. Some true believes have been diverted gradually for some reason. But if we folow our book - the holly Quran - and Hadeeth, Christians have always been refered to as "Ansar" (supporters) and "the People of the 'holly' Book".

Unfortunately, some Churches did not recognize Mohammad PBUH as a prophet

As long as I've lived I ALWAYS understood that it was ME who was the infidel in the (your) eyes of Islam ... as in *I* am the unbeliever.

I've never heard it said the other way around. :D

which is ironic KH as Muslims consider Christians to be believers in Allah.

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Love is the answer...

It's in my wallet. I also have a Novena booklet of the Mother of Perpetual Help also and a Rosary in the inside pocket of my bag.

Sorry I did not go through the responses. But here is my input.

1. We are not in a good position to tell the differences and similarities. However, what I know is that the most difference is about the way each religion look at Jesus.

2. Nothing wrong in being a good Christian or a good Muslim. Each follow his holly book which is sacred.

3. We usually do not select our religion. We inherit from our parents. Few decide later to convert for some reason.

Finally, one important thing to highlight is that many Churches consider Muslims as non-believers. Think this comment will trigger a new debate. You might not know about this fact in the west. Few know about it in our area.

Peace

Rather like mulahs, priests also have they own different opinions.

It's all a case of interpretation.

And I believe in ME :o)

OH and in case vaticancity.com is watching what I'm saying, it is purely my own thoughts, OK? I still have a photograph my hub took of me in St Peter's in Rome and I'm shrouded in a shaft of light from a window - looks like I'm being 'zapped'! *shuddering here*

DaRuDe, I will tell you why Christians here fasting. I have seen many Christians around me fasting during these days. answer is simple. Its the best chance for reduce their fat ;)

If they get a visa to Saudi, they will go to see Mecca also

Don't know its kind of insult or not to Islam

Believe everything, Trust nothing . . .

I was discussing with a priest once. I told him exactly what you just said that since God has blown his soul/spirit inside us, then we are all, not only Jesus, are children of God. He assured me that I was wrong & that Jesus is the physical/clonned son of God, and that being clonned, makes Him also God. This is the idea of Trinity!

Mind you, I am NOT saying that Christians are mistaken in their Trinity. Everyone is entitled to their opinion!

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Because I was taught Jesus was the Son of God (like I said we all are) and was God's representative on earth. NOT "God on Earth" - simply a representative and as such trying to lead people in the right ways of living.

I'm sure we can find a few good men/women in this day and age who have tried to do the same. Probably they have also said they were acting in 'the name of God' - but in reality it's just a good person attempting to stem wrong doing amongst society.

J, I have spoken to some who have told me that is what they believe (that Jesus is divine and the Son of God and God on earth)...your belief is interesting...must look more into it...

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Love is the answer...

Isn't it called Deja Vu? Not sure if it goes as far as previous lives, but, hey! who are we to know ..

muhahahaha

Don't know where that misconception came from.

Jauntie,

Very strange, believe me I am not laughing. You know, sometimes it feels as if I had been to this place earlier or I have gone through this situation earlier....Have you ever gone through this strange experience?...Whats this exactly? or the brain chemicals again playing a major role in it too?

Well, off off off to dining table.....Bye finally!!!

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Christians believe Jesus died on the Cross for their sins and that he was the son of God (as in ALL of us are children of God - if there is one). He was a good MAN.

Jesus was a prophet and I think St Paul actually was the one to 'spread the word of God' after the death of Jesus.

Mohammed picked up 'the sword' and furthered that belief, but he was rather more political than Jesus was.

Jauntie, but Christians believe that Jesus IS God AND the son of God. Mohammed (pbuh) was a prophet, not Allah as well. This is a very clear difference. In Islam Jesus was a prophet, a man.

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Love is the answer...

Few other members recently were very quick about religious talk and respect why are they not joining in now??? Even Mrs. who was very much curious to know If Doha Airport is muslim?

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I have often ONE strange flashback where I think something happened to me in a previous life (don't laugh). Just a weird feeling and nothing to do with a yearn to come back and reincarnate and have more life.

I believe we humans are like nature and as a plant dies, so it's seed is sown to grow another.

Azi? You won't believe this, but my husband has a picture of the late Pope John Paul in our living room.

My husband is rather more pious that I am :/

I'd like to answer gypsy's 4th Question: "And why do you follow whichever one it is you follow?"

I grew up under the care of my grandmother who was a pious Catholic. The ancestral house was filled with icons of saints and we do/practice religious acts/activities (pray the rosary, novenas etc). The practice, belief, virtues and ideals were inculcated since childhood so it was meant that the next generations in the family will follow suit.

That was the idea i was made to believe in.

But as I age, I meet people, go to different places/countries and those ideologies change.

I may not be that religious now as I was before...but I do believe in GOD, the Holy Trinity, and Mama Mary...and my FAITH never wavers

My views only to the topic itself...

Jauntie,

What would you like to be in your reincarnation? We believe there are around 8.4 millions of lives you have to pass thru before being reincarnated as a Human being....So I can't answer what would I be in my reincarnation....LOL

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I've never googled religion so much in my LIFE as since I found QL. I guess that's a good thing :D

Now I dunno what I am !

Apart from ME ! and ME is what I am now and ME is what I will be if I go into an after life.

You were also part of those 2 topics right. damn they really went too long

VOTE to STOP INSULTING RELIGIONS

&

on RELIGOUS posting in QL

both by Samawy and Saud_SDk was the runner.

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I hate religious discussions

Phew....*sweating a lot after googling a lot about religion* ...seriously never cared about religion....just a silent lazy follower...LOL...It came naturally you know?

Well of late, I was following CRICKET religiously...so I think this is exactly the perfect time to leave this thread and catch on the Party spirit!!!!!

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because it's IN the media at the moment, and for all the wrong reasons

Dont you think we are missing our top most members here Saud_SDK and Samawy.

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What are the fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity?

Not a lot, except in Christianity we had a lot of Saints who were considered Martyrs but I don't think they actually committed voluntary suicide and didn't take others with them in order to achieve that status.

What are the fundamental similarities?

We both agree Jesus was a prophet. Mohammed came later and got political about it.

Which one is right?

They both could be if we got rid of the fundamentalists on both sides and stuck to what is good for the people!

And why do you follow whichever one it is you follow?

Cos I was born into a Catholic family and I consider that was my upbringing and, having grown out of that, I would be as likely to convert to any other as fly in the air.

PS I get very afraid when I walk into Churches!

that much after islam??? dont you think its kinda insulting a religion??

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Just came back...BIG SQUASHY WARM hug to Jauntie...:)

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Love is the answer...

will actually realize that most religions are basically the same & they all call for respecting other religions. I don't think that practicing certain rituals of a certain religion is considered a difference if we are believing in A god & repecting each other.

I think the most dangerous & ugly thing about religion is when it is used as a weapon in the hands of politicians & trying to impose it on others. Let the people follow & do the religion they believe in & don't make it a tool & a rule. Don't make western women cover their heads (Saudi) and don't ban muslim girls from covering their heads (France). Don't be so conservative to the limit of suffocating the people, and don't be so deprived of morals & ethics to the limit of legalizing the marriage of 2 males (or 2 females)

I dont think that a muslim-christian couple would feel any difference between them as long as their (different) religions are teaching them to love & respect the other, and be true believers!

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Read The topic Clearly its not about women marriages covering. we are done with those topics long ago.

So just stick to the topic.

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Jauntie,

You really have confused the ME inside of me...LOL!!!!! Well, the soul is not = your brain, because brain dies, ever heard a term 'Brain Dead'? Onthe other hand soul is the unification of one's sense of identity and is immortal. well, such things are only said and heard....after all nobody knows what really happens after death. All those 'near death experiences' are nothing but the reaction of chemicals which brain produces in near death situations...ooops a little hijack!!!!

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I can eat anything (except men) .But depends upon mood,time etc etc.I started to eat meat since my child hood.I dont hate anything.

"Drink Beer Save Water"

Dont give up so easily say it out what ever is in ur knowlegde.

the Topic is VS religion means who are at their best. and being from that same religion are well enough at it with ur good deeds.

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please?

I'm a bit lost, here too :/

guys have to talk about this? You know where would we end ...

As if you never have eaten a chicken. guess its also an animal.

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I'm no theologian

My comment was that the 10 Commandments made sense when they were posted in whatever was the 'local tablet' of that era.

Not a bad guideline as a few Golden Rules go and I imagine they still stand fast today - and lots break them.

A good idea at the time.

Which religion prefer to eat animal ? IF not, why we r eating such type of innocent animal ? Or religion is only for human ?

"Drink Beer Save Water"

I don't know Jauntie. These laws weren't really unprecedented, the Greeks, Romans and Mesopotamians had advanced laws codes (as did the Egyptians and countless other societies at that time). Really the 10 commandments are those laws boiled down to there most fundamental. Killing leads to killing, stealing leads to killing, coveting thy neighbours wife leads to killing, therefore you shouldn't do those things.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

am not cleared with ur points at all. are we talking or is the topic about who is Muslim and Allah or who is Moses and Christian???

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why can't the World be sorted out over a cup of cha. There's so many other things going on around the globe.

Burma, Africa, God know where else - always something. And here we all are living in Qatar wondering about our religions.

Gimme a hug

> the 10 Commandments were a good idea - yes?

We probably could agree, if they actually meant anything. Immediately after receiving the commandments, Moses slaughtered thousands of Israelites who were worshiping idols. That either means that idol worship carries a death penalty, or it means the commandment against killing only applies to true believers. Not many Christian denominations would subscribe to either interpretation.

Who taught them the 10 Commandments? It must have been so unruly in those biblical days that people in that era to be scared of GOD to actually lead a decent life!

Religious dictates are a way of controlling people. It's sociology. It works sometimes!

The basic difference between Islam and Christianity is that Christians believe that Jesus is the divine son of God whereas Muslims believe that Jesus is a human prophet like all the other prophets were human.

Muslims pray to Allah (and maintain the name Allah as 'God'can be applied to many things). Christians pray to Jesus as well as God and some Christians pray to Christian saints.

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Love is the answer...

I was fed info depending on which religion I was born into

took a while to be ME

PM is muslim and she is participating. And Christians do pray to God and give thanks to Jesus for his sacrifices.

And Jauntie, I do think the vast majority of people in the world do follow the ten commandments without even thinking about them. I mean, there are exceptions of course, but for the most part people do try not to lie, cheat, steal and kill.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

Now we are talking about a person's 'SOUL'. That is what we all have, 'OURSELF' .. aka soul

This is something I do believe in, but I don't think of it as a 'god' within me. It's just me.

No one else is ME. I am ME. ME is ME

so what does that make ME

apart from the other ME who has been fed loads of different types of information during my life

It means I'm 'ME' originally

And my ME is my SOUL

soul = my brain, I guess

I still dont see any muslim member participating in this thread??

Jauntie agree on what?? Well you say Jesus is son of God whom do you really pray to??? why is Mary involved in the prayers some times?

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Oooops I am little wrong with the figure, Its actually 330 millions. And why 330 millions of Gods, here is an interesting explanation

Hindu religion is often labeled as a religion of 330 million gods. This misunderstanding arises when people fail to grasp the symbolism of the Hindu pantheon. According to the Hindu scriptures, living beings are not apart from God, since He lives in each and every one of them in the form of atman (BG 10.39). Thus each living being is a unique manifestation of God. In ancient times it was believed that there were 330 million living beings. This gave rise to the idea of 330 million deities or gods. Actually, this vast number of gods could not have been possibly worshipped, since 330 million names could not have been designed for them. The number 330 million was simply used to give a symbolic expression to the fundamental Hindu doctrine that God lives in the hearts of all living beings.

This is quick copy-paste from me to answer Darude!!!!

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The 10 Commandments were a good idea - yes?

That's good

So how come we, none of us, adhere to such sensible, logical rules set down by our ancestors???

For all I know there wasn't any Moses, but for sure those Golden Rules were the ultimate in 'sensible'.

I don't know about Buddhism or Hinduism or lots of religions, but surely those 10 Rules of Life are the same? They are the basic rules for civilised society.

OK I know I'm now 30 posts down the line - I had to pee!

I always think of Buddhism as more of a way of life rather then a religious belief. I believe you can be Buddhist and Christian or Buddhist and Muslim.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

darude i could'nt care less to be involved in this topic. personally i think religion is for each man something close to his or her own heart

oops got guests..... will catch up with you guys later

do it right - the first time!

Injinuity ,

1. Why dont hindu's eat yummy beef?

According to Hindu religion Cow is a holy animal thats why they don't eat Beef i.e. Cow's meat. (but Muslims hate Pig thats why they don't eat Pork, Pork is Haram according to them, Please clarify, I may be wrong. Beef or pork, yummy or not I don't know as I don't eat either oof this)

2. Why do hindus have a 1000 gods?

To Tell you the exact number of Gods..its 360 Million , still Hindus believe that God is One. HE only exists in different forms. According to Hindu mythology all these Gods reside in Cows Body and thats the reason why Cow is considered as holy animal.

3. Do buddhists believe in god?

They believe in Dhamm preached by Buddha the great! They are also having like 10 commandments thing.

4. Is buddha god?

Buddha is an awtaar of God I think, Don't know exactly, Would like to know truly.

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The only religious laws Christians follow are the Ten Commandments, which personally I believe cover all the major issues, in fact they are the basis of most of the worlds law codes. Deuteronomy just gets too nit picky and weird. I mean, I'm sorry, I really don't see why plowing a feild with a donky and an ox is a hell worthy offence!

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

you got it jauntie... a bear hugging one lol

do it right - the first time!

coolquietman... hehehheee... that would be me.... ;-)

" Winning is not everything, it is the only thing. Second place goes to the first loser " - Jinu Johnson

either be a part of discussion or DONT BE.

QUESTION to you i still didnot get my answer why do you have 1000s of GODs ??? is it that one listen to you and the other betrays you and still you go find the best one who will look after you???

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In Christianity, Trinity is the doctrine that God is one being who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a mutual indwelling of three persons (not to be confused by "person"): the Father, the Son (incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth), and the Holy Spirit.

Crazy Frog

:(

Darude,

If you are a muslim, you got good knowledge of christianity... this knowledge, is it for making you look smart on forums, or is it reading on account of not anything else better to do..

if you are a christian, why are you questioning your own religion, as I said, faith is unconditional belief in ones religion...

" Winning is not everything, it is the only thing. Second place goes to the first loser " - Jinu Johnson

Similarities:

monotheism

Differences:

Almost all Christians ignore almost all of the laws of their spiritual text, dismissing the covenant made with Moses in favour of "one god, love everyone".

Most (all?) Muslims try to follow the rules laid down by their spiritual text.

sinned this topic is for 'confused' people lol

if you are so sure then you really shouldnt be here!!!

lol

do it right - the first time!

it's very personal. But I also think if a kid is brought up in a certain religion then it takes a long time to get a focus on what's going on around them in religious terms. Other beliefs etc

God is supreme, the son is a messenger and a...(trying to think of right word)...lesson for us all. The Holy Spirit...is (remembers she hasn't been to church since she was 12 lol).

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

relax dude , you're just being too simplistic :) Religious stuff is important in Humans life . none could deny that :)

Crazy Frog

I was brought up with them and I still don't understand - gonna cry now

who onearth is jinu johnson!!!

do it right - the first time!

i would like to answer your question....

What are the fundamental differences between Islam and Christianity?

answer:fundamenetal differences...they follow different code of text, muslim koran, christians bible.

What are the fundamental similarities?

answer: as far from what i know, they both believe that Jesus is a prophet like but they dont believe that He is Gd fr them Allah is God or whatever i am not so certain about their belief about that .

Which one is right? And why do you follow whichever one it is you follow?

answer:Christianity is the only one true religion, not just based on what the Jesus of history tells but based what Jesus of truth about life and power is all about.

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who is supreme then?? the son got a father and the father was also son of some one?? why do you have to count them?? whats left behind Holy Spirit???

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amen to that jauntie

" Winning is not everything, it is the only thing. Second place goes to the first loser " - Jinu Johnson

whenever I post I'm about 10 posts too late !!!!

However, I really don't see there's any big deal about anyone having a different religion to anyone else. I mean, what the HECK does it matter if one person believes one thing, and another believes another thing.

WE WERE ALL BORN AND WE WILL ALL DIE

FULL STOP

FINITO - HALLAS - END - DEAD - GONE - CIAO - ADIOS - DUST TO DUST - MAYBE AN AFTER LIFE (YEAH) - STOP BREATHING - HERE NO MORE - GONE - ETC ETC

Why worry about who believes in different things or Gods - Jeez it's all so pathetic it makes me feel suicidal - truly it does.

zzzzzzzzzzzzz.......!

do it right - the first time!

If I were to fast it would be for the life experience, same as when I went to Mass at the Vatican, prayed at a Buddhist temple, or if I ever (fingers crossed) get to experience Hajj. More anthropolgical interest then religious or even spiritual. I don't see anything wrong with that.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

Can some one explain that to me plz???

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And myself, I believe in Spirituality not in Religion.

I don't know which religion is right and which is wrong, but I know that arguing which religion is right and which is wrong is definitely WRONG.

I think some people who have expressed the wish to fast with their Muslim friends wanted to 'bond' in some way.

PM: I find it murky too, cos I don't believe in 'spooks' but I DO go with Moses and the 10 Commandments, which really don't tell anyone to do anything wrong, do they? :D

Islam has Moses and those Commandments too?

I'm not too awake here lol

well, Fasting is great, health benefits are proved scientifically. However, I don't think you are perceiving fasting as just an act of not eating/drinking all day. Fasting is much deeper than that. Fasting is a lesson of patience . Just give it a try: you will probably feel more nervous and ready to burst in rage at any moment of the day. Especially for those who are addicted to smoking/ coffee...etc. Fasting is a lesson of charity and mutual help. Once you feel hungry, you certainly think about those who suffers around the world. Humans usually do not value things before they lose them. You give no importance to time untill you have none. When u have an exam or something to submit within a deadline, then you start giving time its right value. The same could be said about Food and Water. As long as you have plenty of them both, you never think these things are precious for all humans.

Crazy Frog

There are two important aspects of any religion - the spiritual aspect and the social aspect. Christianity and Islam differ radically on the social aspect. Christianity (and in fact many other religions of the world like Buddhism, Hinduism etc.) affect your spiritual life only. It means you can live in any country with differing socio-legal systems and still practice Christianity. But Islam changes your social life too. It is very difficult to practice Islam in a country that has a socio-legal code that is incompatible with Islam. Countries like India in fact have a dual socio-legal code (one for Islam and the other for the rest) to let people follow Islam. This affects Islam in a way that it finds itself difficult to spread out, whereas Christianity easily spreads.

i love this topic.

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But Matty what if a Qatari colleague wanted to attend Christmas Mass just to see?

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

faith is in ones heart.. i feel so sorry for these muslims who show off as if they are gods little angels... same thing for us christians,,, you should hear the hallelujas belted out during mass only to forget it the second you are out of church... a true believer is not insecure irrespective of what others say about their faith.. a true believer does not question...

" Winning is not everything, it is the only thing. Second place goes to the first loser " - Jinu Johnson

Im with Darude here....well sort of....i think its hypocritical for non muslims to fast. What reasons are you doing it for? Its not showing respect as far as i can see. You wouldnt expect a Qatari colleague to go to midnight Mass at Christmas or Baptise their new born child if they were living in your own country. My work collegues ( all Qatari) know i dont fast, but they also know im considerate enough not to sit at work filling my face and drinking water all day. Im not a muslim, they know it, I know it. Its not a problem if youre respectful and honest. Its all about consideration and tolerance.

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I'd love to do Hajj, but they won't let me go to Mekkah. :(

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

Why dont they practice Hajj too the?? Zakat = Charity ok i appreciate that alot coz i have seen Christians do beat muslims on this one. Prayer ok we do 5 times a day u do 1t once a week right. still ur 1 pray teaches you alot more then US.

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..."And why do you follow whichever one it is you follow?

I follow my Mum ... she was Catholic, so I was brought up as one .. doesn't mean to say I still practice as one, but Christianity is what I follow because "that's why".

Christians should practice Lent for 40 days before Easter, which is giving up certain things, but not all food. However I can understand some peoples desire to fast during Ramadan even if they aren't Muslim. I'm tempted (but I know how cranky I am without food :P) as a spiritual test, even if I don't believe the teachings. Many religions preach the benefits of fasting.

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

Plz don't be that shallow , elaborate further than simple relegious practice such as fasting :)

Crazy Frog

do you believe in trinity?? if you do then who is the supreme?? who was bhudda where did bhudda come from?? well if i sit now and pray May it rains and the very next moment of couple of hours it rains does that make me bhudda too???

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That's what I live by too Frog. Seems to be the basis of almost all religions and the only message worth remembering (in my opinion). And yes injinuity someone is going to come along and hijack this thread. Actually I hope they will, it's been a bit dull lately. Let's just keep the insults personal and not against religion. :P

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

What kind of fasting is that do it the pure way dont touch anything eat or drink at all. or should i say cant i laugh on that father in church who is more like crying then praying???

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1. Why dont hindu's eat yummy beef?

2. Why do hindus have a 1000 gods?

3. Do buddhists believe in god?

4. Is buddha god?

P.s some jerk will come around and hijack the topic and leave this exercise meaningless....

Well, it's quite easy to start talking about : which is which ? Which one is right ? I don't think anyone on here or elsewhere could answer such questions objectively. I personally think there is no religion better than the other one. There are different on the level of their historical background and their origins. However, both religions are urging people to believe in ONE God. Both religions encourage people to be right , not to hurt each others and to give. Giving , donating.... as far as I'm concerned those are some of the key words in both religions. On the other hand , I would say, Religion is just a regulator of life, and the whole thing can be sunmmarised in one simple sentence: Do not do to others what you don't like others to do to you . This is the nameless relegion of mine :)

Crazy Frog

Is there something wrong with Christians fasting during Ramadan?

"I fight with love and I laugh with rage, you have to live light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change." Ani Difranco

Why are the Christians fasting in this month??? Showing then can copy well? well they cant. like if i say I go to Church on sunday and start laughin to what they are doing in there. WONT THAT BE AN INSULT.

Well i have been many times to church on that same day always while hundreds of ppl are offering their prayers i kept silent showed some respect. but whats with this ramadan i never get it??

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