Questions about Islam

[Saint Frankenstein]

DAMN YOU INFIDELS!

Seriously though, last I recall Deidre is not all that willing to go back to Catholicism.
I apologize also because you have been gone for a very long time and you would obviously not be familiar with Dre-chan. Excuse my forgetful Franky-san

Oh. Well, I didn't know. I still would like my question answered. It's just kinda strange when more progressive sort of people want to ditch Christianity for Islam.

 

[Sha'irullah]

Oh. Well, I didn't know. I still would like my question answered. It's just kinda strange when more progressive sort of people want to ditch Christianity for Islam.

Well having gone from uber whacky liberal Christianity to Islam I will say that to this very day I prefer Islam.

Islam is simplistic. Structured, has a holier than thou feeling and is extremely satisfying on an intellectual level.
No saints, just god. Ritualistic and not happy go lucky. Community based and not church gathering based.
Islam just has elements about it that gives people meaning to their lives because of its conservative nature.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Well having gone from uber whacky liberal Christianity to Islam I will say that to this very day I prefer Islam.

Islam is simplistic. Structured, has a holier than thou feeling and is extremely satisfying on an intellectual level.
No saints, just god. Ritualistic and not happy go lucky. Community based and not church gathering based.
Islam just has elements about it that gives people meaning to their lives because of its conservative nature.

Well, those features can be found in other religions, too. But you would think a progressive person would be repelled by Islam.

 

[Sha'irullah]

Well, those features can be found in other religions, too. But you would think a progressive person would be repelled by Islam.

Noooo. Islamic equivalents are WAY different. Muslims are ranked as being the most religious in the world and this remains a fact.
Your average Islamic community is way different from your Hindu or Christian community and I have experienced them all. Islam sucks you in like vacuum cleaner sucking a marble

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Noooo. Islamic equivalents are WAY different. Muslims are ranked as being the most religious in the world and this remains a fact.
Your average Islamic community is way different from your Hindu or Christian community and I have experienced them all. Islam sucks you in like vacuum cleaner sucking a marble

I suppose I see what you mean. As the West moves more and more into its post-Christian phase, Islam is the next strongest option and it has not gone the defanging of secularism. It's also a very totalitarian belief system, no offense. There is no division between the sacred world and the profane/mundane world. It's a holistic way of life.

 

[Sha'irullah]

I suppose I see what you mean. As the West moves more and more into its post-Christian phase, Islam is the next strongest option and it has not gone the defanging of secularism. It's also a very totalitarian belief system, no offense. There is no division between the sacred world and the profane/mundane world. It's a holistic way of life.

Very true. Only exceptions are the liberal practices found in Turkey or South East Asia.
Overall though I love many aspects of it as long as the political and ethical elements are removed. I still do Islamic prayer as Dre knows. I still do very Muslimish things at times

 

[gsa]

Oh. Well, I didn't know. I still would like my question answered. It's just kinda strange when more progressive sort of people want to ditch Christianity for Islam.

A friend of a friend who was trained as a Catholic priest (he went through seminary and I think he was ordained) actually converted to Islam. What prompted it? Dating a Muslim man. Of all things!

I’ve certainly noticed that there are idiosyncratic paths into Islam. For what it is worth, I would much rather convert to Catholicism or Judaism, if forced to choose a traditional Abrahamic path.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

A friend of a friend who was trained as a Catholic priest (he went through seminary and I think he was ordained) actually converted to Islam. What prompted it? Dating a Muslim man. Of all things!

I’ve certainly noticed that there are idiosyncratic paths into Islam. For what it is worth, I would much rather convert to Catholicism or Judaism, if forced to choose a traditional Abrahamic path.

Wow, that's certainly a new one to me.

 

[gsa]

I suppose I see what you mean. As the West moves more and more into its post-Christian phase, Islam is the next strongest option and it has not gone the defanging of secularism. It's also a very totalitarian belief system, no offense. There is no division between the sacred world and the profane/mundane world. It's a holistic way of life.

I will disagree here. I do agree that Islam is very “holistic” as you say, in the sense of being totalizing. But I actually think that Buddhism and Hinduism are much more deeply rooted in the West, and they are just as demanding, albeit in different ways. They are also slightly more covert in that they can take root without necessarily being identified as a religious belief system.


How many people today practice mindfulness meditation, go to yoga classes and abstain from meat? These practices are even seamlessly integrated into corporate boardrooms and public educational institutions. Granted, they might not accept Buddhist dogma or have a guru, but they’re definitely going to be more receptive to Eastern philosophy and spirituality. And in these systems, there is no division between a private religious life and a secular public one, we just don’t recognize it as religious behavior because we expect certain rituals that it lacks.

 

[muhammad_isa]

I

Islam's prayers and teachings are beautiful to me..

And me
..and I became a Muslim around 40 years ago.

Hadith: If Almighty God wants to help somebody, He causes them to understand religious knowledge.

You are very fortunate. You are blessed doubly, strengthening your Christian belief/roots with that of Islam.

All praise is for The God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I will disagree here. I do agree that Islam is very “holistic” as you say, in the sense of being totalizing. But I actually think that Buddhism and Hinduism are much more deeply rooted in the West, and they are just as demanding, albeit in different ways. They are also slightly more covert in that they can take root without necessarily being identified as a religious belief system.


How many people today practice mindfulness meditation, go to yoga classes and abstain from meat? These practices are even seamlessly integrated into corporate boardrooms and public educational institutions. Granted, they might not accept Buddhist dogma or have a guru, but they’re definitely going to be more receptive to Eastern philosophy and spirituality. And in these systems, there is no division between a private religious life and a secular public one, we just don’t recognize it as religious behavior because we expect certain rituals that it lacks.

I see what you mean, but those mindfulness meditations and the form of yoga practiced widely in the West are very secularized. So I don't really count those as religious practices.

 

[LuisDantas]

What makes something "secularized", and why is that not a good thing?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

What makes something "secularized", and why is that not a good thing?

I mean that it's stripped from its religious framework and it's being used as just a general health or self-help thing.

Whether it's good or bad is a different topic.

 

[LuisDantas]

Now, this is something I can respect and agree with. Religious teachings do need a proper framework.

 

[JamesYaqub]

Oh hell. It is my experience with Islam all over again. This is why I left

We can praise or condemn religions, or their scriptures or origins, all day long but it is people that make them what they are or aren't. Example: Westboro Baptist Church. Westboro Baptist Church Home Page

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

We can praise or condemn religions, or their scriptures or origins, all day long but it is people that make them what they are or aren't. Example: Westboro Baptist Church. Westboro Baptist Church Home Page

That's not a good example of messed-up Christianity because they're essentially a tiny family cult based around Fred Phelps, who severely abused his children, which obviously screwed them up a ton. They're also pretty much universally despised.

 

[JamesYaqub]

That's not a good example of messed-up Christianity because they're essentially a tiny family cult based around Fred Phelps, who severely abused his children, which obviously screwed them up a ton. They're also pretty much universally despised.

I disagree.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I disagree.

Care to flesh that out a bit?

 

[nazz]

God is a superstition. Simple as that.

I don't share your erroneous opinion. Simple as that.

 

[Deidre]

Well having gone from uber whacky liberal Christianity to Islam I will say that to this very day I prefer Islam.

Islam is simplistic. Structured, has a holier than thou feeling and is extremely satisfying on an intellectual level.
No saints, just god. Ritualistic and not happy go lucky. Community based and not church gathering based.
Islam just has elements about it that gives people meaning to their lives because of its conservative nature.

Oh my gosh! Are you kidding me? I just got home and scrolled through the thread...and saw this and gasped. Lol This is exactly how I feel!

Add to that...that I like that Muhammed isn't believed to be divine. He was a man, who was enlightened and shared his path with others. And he was fallible, which makes him more understandable to me. I have my own opinions of Sharia law, and I will share them another time.

I just can't believe what you posted Sha... ^_^