Why I think there is one right religion

[Agnostic75]

If a God exists, that does not necessarily mean that any religious book is true. That is a good starting point. Put the books under the test and see. If Quraan is the true word of God, you will feel that God is speaking to you. It sounds crazy, but try it.

Which parts of the Quran are you referring to?

Many intelligent people have studied the Quran, and have rejected it. Humans lived over 50,000 years ago, and none of them had the Quran to live by.

And I disagree about what you said. Being a Muslim or Christian is not about what you are born to, it is about if you believe in it and practice in it.

You are wrong since chance, and circumstance largely determine what people believe. For example, the odds are far higher that people who grow up in Iran, and have studied Islam, and other religions a lot will accept Islam instead of some other religion. In addition, the odds are far higher that people who grow up in the U.S., and have studied Islam, and other religions a lot will accept Christianity instead of some other religion. If all that mattered was an honest desire to find the truth, people who study all major religions would choose the same world view no matter where they lived, but that is not the case.

In the U.S., authors Kosmin and Lachman wrote a book that is titled "One Nation Under God." The provide lots of statistics that show that geography, race, ethnicity, gender, and age influence what people believe. For example, the book shows that people who live in the Western U.S. tend to be much more religious than people who live in the Northeast, and that women are much more likely to become theists than men are.

It would be very unreasonable for you to claim that you would have become a Muslim no matter where you grew up.

I do not believe that a God exists who condemns all homosexuality, and requires women to cover most of their bodies.

Bassam Khoury says that Islam is not a peaceful religion. He wrote an article about that topic at Is Islam a peace-loving religion?. Khoury speaks Arabic, and at Articles by Bassam Khoury, there are links to some other articles that he wrote.

 

[Sir Doom]

Well so if someone's opinion didn't take place, will that make him God?

I'm not sure what you are asking me here.

What is the definition of God for anyways I am interested in knowing

http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/3725460-post85.html

I've changed it slightly since then, but this should suffice.

 

[Sabour]

Have you ever studied humanity's history? Humans existed at least 50,000 years before Abraham.

So why was your God so unjust as to let all those people die without being able to read His scriptures?



Why not? Why won't you listen to me? I can listen to you even though I believe my opinion is right. We can't just shut our minds, you know. You can never learn about the right religion if you do that.


Actually God doesn't want to be found by us. That's a common mistake.



We are all prophets, I think.

The well-known difference between a Prophet and a Messenger is that a Messenger is one to whom a law is revealed and he is commanded to convey it, whilst a Prophet is one to whom a law is revealed but he is not commanded to convey it. But this distinction is not free of problems, because a Prophet is also commanded to call people, convey the Message and judge among the people.

So not every prophet received scriptures.

Well never mind about the listening part. I thought you were the one who wasn't listening. Sorry.

We have to see how Quran defines a Period (or Age).
When we look in to this in the light of whole Quran, we see every time a people's period comes to end, God reveals a new Book to guide them.

"To every [Ummah] people is a term appointed: when their term is reached, not an hour can they cause delay, nor (an hour) can they advance (it in anticipation)." Quran 7:34

According to this verse EVERY people (ummeh) has a period, therefore Ummeh of Islam also has a period.
Now the Question is how long was the Period of Ummeh of Islam. There are at least Two Hadithes, both indicates 1000 years:

The Prophet said, “If my (Ummah) Community keeps on the right, it is going to enjoy an age of one day, and if it becomes corrupt, it will have an age of half a day.” [Al-Munawī cites it in Fayd al-Qadīr from Shaykh Muhyī al-Dīn Ibn ‘Arabī.]


If you are Sunni and you are not sure the above Hadth is Authentic, Here is a Sahih Hadith:

Volume 9, Book 93, Number 624: (Also in Volume 9, Book 93, Number 559)
Narrated Ibn 'Umar:

Allah's Apostle said, "Your stay (in this world) in comparison to the stay of the nations preceding you, is like the period between 'Asr prayer and the sun set (in comparison to a whole day). The people of the Torah were given the Torah and they acted on it till midday and then they were unable to carry on. And they were given (a reward equal to) one Qirat each. Then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel and they acted on it till 'Asr Prayer and then they were unable to carry on, so they were given la reward equal to) one Qirat each. Then you were given the Qur'an and you acted on it till sunset, therefore you were given (a reward equal to) two Qirats each. On that, the people of the Scriptures said, 'These people (Muslims) did less work than we but they took a bigger reward.' Allah said (to them). 'Have I done any oppression to you as regards your rights?' They said, "No." Then Allah said, 'That is My Blessing which I grant to whomsoever I will.'




In Hadithes the 'relative' period of stay of people of Muhammad is explained in comparison to the duration of Christianity and Jews.


Muslims Period: equivalent to Afternoon till sunset
Christians period: equivalent to noon till afternoon
Jews Period: Equivalent to Sunset till noon

So, let's calculate Moslems period.

Christian period was about 600 years (From revelation of Jesus till Muhammad's)
Jews Period was about 1600 years (From Revelation of Moses till Jesus's)

Putting into equation:

sunrise till noon (Jews) = noon till afternoon (Christians) + afternoon till sunset (Muslims)

1600 years = 600 years + Period of stay of People of Muhammad

Period of Islam = 1600 - 600 = 1000 years.


Let me ask you this: Why Muslims do not keep the Sabath Law?

Where is the Sabath law mentioned in the Quraan ?

Actually I have verified the Hadith which is true. Even if the mathematical concept you provided is true, the numbers are not accurate. Where did you get the period of the jews from ? It is at least 2000 years.

And what about the period between the prophet Jesus peace be upon him and the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him?

Which parts of the Quran are you referring to?

Many intelligent people have studied the Quran, and have rejected it. Humans lived over 50,000 years ago, and none of them had the Quran to live by.



You are wrong since chance, and circumstance largely determine what people believe. For example, the odds are far higher that people who grow up in Iran, and have studied Islam, and other religions a lot will accept Islam instead of some other religion. In addition, the odds are far higher that people who grow up in the U.S., and have studied Islam, and other religions a lot will accept Christianity instead of some other religion. If all that mattered was an honest desire to find the truth, people who study all major religions would choose the same world view no matter where they lived, but that is not the case.

In the U.S., authors Kosmin and Lachman wrote a book that is titled "One Nation Under God." The provide lots of statistics that show that geography, race, ethnicity, gender, and age influence what people believe. For example, the book shows that people who live in the Western U.S. tend to be much more religious than people who live in the Northeast, and that women are much more likely to become theists than men are.

It would be very unreasonable for you to claim that you would have become a Muslim no matter where you grew up.

I do not believe that a God exists who condemns all homosexuality, and requires women to cover most of their bodies.

Bassam Khoury says that Islam is not a peaceful religion. He wrote an article about that topic at Is Islam a peace-loving religion?. Khoury speaks Arabic, and at Articles by Bassam Khoury, there are links to some other articles that he wrote.

I think I already answered to that

I was talking about the Quraan as a whole. But what do you mean by Which parts of the Quran are you referring to? I think I can help quoting some verses if you like.

And just like many intelligent people rejected the Quraan, many have also accepted it. Intelligence is not everything, some people read the Quraan with predetermined ideas and results. If you seek the truth you can see it bright and clear.

And about Islam, it is not just about faith, it is about faith and practicing. So if you're born a muslim this doesn't mean that you have a free ticket to paradise. If you refer to the Quraan, you will always see the word "and do rightous" or the word " and who do good deeds" following the word "those who believe". For that reason even one is born muslim and was convinced that islam is the truth, this is not enough. When you are true to yourself to search for God, you will surely be guided. God will not leave you if you began searching for him.

And I was born to a muslim family, but I wasn't a practicing muslim until one year back from now and I was asking my self the same question you asked me.

About homosexuality, what do you mean by condemns all homosexuality. Do you mean it should be okay to practice it? Or you meant that all homosexuals will go to hell?

I am sorry I didn't check the articles, do you want me to check them and get back to you ? Personally I prefer if you just tell me a summary about his claims.

And believe me once you start looking for God with all your heart, he will send you signs and you will find the way.

 

[Sabour]

I'm not sure what you are asking me here.



http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/3725460-post85.html

I've changed it slightly since then, but this should suffice.

If one god wanted for the sun to rise from the east, and the other wanted it to rise from the west. From where would the sun rise.

So there will be a winner and a loser. Will the loser still be called god?

 

[Sir Doom]

If one god wanted for the sun to rise from the east, and the other wanted it to rise from the west. From where would the sun rise.

The sun rises in the East. That's the obvious answer.

So there will be a winner and a loser. Will the loser still be called god?

As I said, that's between the Gods. Why do you think there will be a winner and a loser? What if they just compromise because that's a ridiculous triviality? What if there are 15 different Gods and they took a vote?

 

[Sabour]

Hmmmm.....

I think we have to work on the definition of god. I can't accept a god who undergoes a voting process.

My God runs everything.

 

[Sir Doom]

Hmmmm.....

I think we have to work on the definition of god. I can't accept a god who undergoes a voting process.

So don't. But I don't care what you accept. It has no bearing on what I accept. I am not interested in convincing you to believe what I do.

My God runs everything.

Mine does not. See how we are not believing in the same religion AT ALL?

 

[AmbiguousGuy]

The well-known difference between a Prophet and a Messenger is that a Messenger is one to whom a law is revealed and he is commanded to convey it, whilst a Prophet is one to whom a law is revealed but he is not commanded to convey it. But this distinction is not free of problems, because a Prophet is also commanded to call people, convey the Message and judge among the people.

I don't use the term 'Messenger' at all, but thanks for explaining how your religion defines the terms.

So not every prophet received scriptures.

I think every prophet creates scripture by writing and speaking.

Well never mind about the listening part. I thought you were the one who wasn't listening. Sorry.

Yes, it's the typical insult which a true believer throws around -- often without understanding that he is insulting people.

 

[InvestigateTruth]

Where is the Sabath law mentioned in the Quraan ?

In these verses:

And certainly you have known those among you who exceeded the limits of the Sabbath, so We said to them: Be (as) apes, despised and hated.

( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #65)

O you who have been given the Book! believe that which We have revealed, verifying what you have, before We alter faces then turn them on their backs, or curse them as We cursed the violaters of the Sabbath, and the command of Allah shall be executed.

( سورة النساء , An-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #47)

Actually I have verified the Hadith which is true. Even if the mathematical concept you provided is true, the numbers are not accurate. Where did you get the period of the jews from ? It is at least 2000 years.

I think to calculate the period of people of Moses, we need to calculate from when Revelation of Moses was completed to when Jesus receive His revelation at Age 30. There are Three opinions from scholars available, that shows when Moses lived:

Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BCE; Jerome gives 1592 BC, and Ussher 1619 BC.

Moses - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is also a Sahih hadith that the Prophet states 1700 years from Moses to Jesus:
How many years were there between Prophets?- islamqa.info

I am not sure if 1700 years that Muhammad stated is rounded up, or is exact. Also I am not sure if He meant between Revelation of Moses to birth of Christ, or between the revelation of the Two Prophets.

I have used 1600 years approximately.

And what about the period between the prophet Jesus peace be upon him and the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him?

Muhammad was born in 570AD, and received Revelation when He was 40 in year 610AD (610 years after Birth of Jesus). But Jesus received His revelation when He was 30 years old. Therefore the Period between Revelation of Jesus and Muhammad is 610-30 = 590 years.

Muhammad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So, 1000 years in the other Hadith is consistent with 1600 - 600. There are also two verses in Quran that states 1000 years, that It can be interpreted as the end of people of Islam.

 

[Badran]

I didn't say these beliefs sets your religion, I said they are part of the religion. And since there are major differences between religions there must be only one correct.

If you're just going to gloss over my post and basically restate what you already laid out in the OP, only more poorly, and basically not address anything i've said, then it's best to just not reply at all.

I can understand if there are just too many people to respond to, but in that case like i said, you don't need to respond to everyone if you're not properly up for it.

Are you seriously looking for answers for questions you posted?

Nope. Those weren't really questions. They were a list of things you did not account for in your OP, and actually needed to.

 

[Monk Of Reason]

I have often heard that why would our religion be wrong if we believe in God.

Well let me start by saying that every person has a religion. Even the one who says I don't belong to any religion.

Assume that you don't follow any religion, I will ask you four questions

If somebody came to kill you, do you think it is okay if you killed him? self defense?

Is it okay to have alcohol?

Is it okay to have drugs?

Is it okay to lie for a good reason?

Now I can make a thousand question in the list. The set of answers you provide for these questions is your religion. They form your beliefs by which you live your life.


Now before you give answers to these questions and adopt them in your life, it is your duty to search and see if God already handed you answers to these questions.


And since religions have major differences, there is only one true religion. Just like 1+1=2 ... You only have once right answer. And let's not forget that there are MAJOR difference between religions in the worshiping aspect. Not only in the do and donts.

So its our duty to search for this true religion that God gave us, and I firmly believe that God didn't leave each one of us to live by his standards.

Probably has been asked some time in the thread but...

Obviously the conflicting qualties of religions must mean that there is no logical way for them all to be correct. But it is also inversly possible that they are all incorrect and there is no "one true religion".

Why do you assume that there must be one?

As a follow up what is the reasons that support your belief that the one true religion is in fact Islam?

 

[Sabour]

I don't use the term 'Messenger' at all, but thanks for explaining how your religion defines the terms.



I think every prophet creates scripture by writing and speaking.



Yes, it's the typical insult which a true believer throws around -- often without understanding that he is insulting people.

Sorry if I insulted you I didn't mean to.

I think I haven't answered fully your previous question.

• And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghut." And among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers. Surat An-Nahl [16:36]

And We have already sent messengers before you. Among them are those [whose stories] We have related to you, and among them are those [whose stories] We have not related to you. And it was not for any messenger to bring a sign [or verse] except by permission of Allah . So when the command of Allah comes, it will be concluded in truth, and the falsifiers will thereupon lose [all]. Surat Ghafir [40:78]

There never was a people without a Warner having lived among them’ [35:24]

We would never visit our wrath (chastise any community) until We had sent a Messenger to give warning’ [17:15]

As for your question why there not any signs of the scriptures historically is that they were not preserved because there is no need to. They were meant for that age only.

And there are various hadiths talking about the number of prophets and messengers in Islam. There is not an exact number, but they are about 120 000 prophets and 315 messengers. Out of these, only 25 were mentioned in the Quraan.




MESSENGERS AND PROPHETS

God sent down prophets and messengers to all communities to guide them to the right path. Each of them preached Islam (ie submission to Allah) though the teaching may not be named as such then. And each of them will tell of the coming of a final Messenger, Muhammad Rasulullah .

Islam distinguishes between a Messenger or Rasul (رسو&#1604 and a Prophet or Nabi (نبي&#8206. A Messenger delivers a new religiouslaw (Syari'a) wheres a Prophet continues an old one. As such, while all Messengers are Prophets, not all Prophets are Messengers. All prophets are MEN.

In Islam, all Prophets preached Islam. It only makes sense as the One God will reveal the same fundamentals. This is mentioned in the Qur'an (42:13):
"The same religion has He established for you as that which He enjoined on Noah - the which We have sent by inspiration to thee - and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye should remain steadfast in religion, and make no divisions therein:..."

There are numerous prophets (remember, one was sent down to every community to ensure that all receive the Message, and thus cannot claim ignorance in the the Day of Judgement - it is only fair). Some reported numbers:

Prophets or Nabi: 124,000
Rasul: 313
Rasul mentioned in the Quran: 25
'Ulul 'Azmi (the Messengers of Strong Will): 5 (Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad)

The 25 Rasul mentioned in the Quran are:

1. Adam
2. Idris (Enoch)
3. Nuh (Noah)
4. Hud (Eber)
5. Saleh
6. Ibrahim (Abraham)
7. Lut (Lot)
8. Ismail (Ishmael)
9. Ishaq (Isaac)
10. Ya'akub (Jacob)
11. Yusuf (Joseph)
12. Ayub (Job)
13. Syu'aib
14. Musa (Moses)
15. Harun (Aaron)
16. Daud (David)
17. Sulaiman (Solomon)
18. Ilyas (Elijah)
19. Ilyasa' (Elisha)
20. Yunus (Jonah)
21. Zulkifli (Ezekiel)
22. Zakaria (Zachariah)
23. Yahya (John the Baptist)
24. Isa (Jesus)
25. Muhammad (referred to as Paracletos in the Bible - though Christians would refer Paracletos to the Holy Spirit+)

 

[Sabour]

In these verses:

And certainly you have known those among you who exceeded the limits of the Sabbath, so We said to them: Be (as) apes, despised and hated.

( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #65)

O you who have been given the Book! believe that which We have revealed, verifying what you have, before We alter faces then turn them on their backs, or curse them as We cursed the violaters of the Sabbath, and the command of Allah shall be executed.

( سورة النساء , An-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #47)





I think to calculate the period of people of Moses, we need to calculate from when Revelation of Moses was completed to when Jesus receive His revelation at Age 30. There are Three opinions from scholars available, that shows when Moses lived:

Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BCE; Jerome gives 1592 BC, and Ussher 1619 BC.

Moses - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is also a Sahih hadith that the Prophet states 1700 years from Moses to Jesus:
How many years were there between Prophets?- islamqa.info

I am not sure if 1700 years that Muhammad stated is rounded up, or is exact. Also I am not sure if He meant between Revelation of Moses to birth of Christ, or between the revelation of the Two Prophets.

I have used 1600 years approximately.



Muhammad was born in 570AD, and received Revelation when He was 40 in year 610AD (610 years after Birth of Jesus). But Jesus received His revelation when He was 30 years old. Therefore the Period between Revelation of Jesus and Muhammad is 610-30 = 590 years.

Muhammad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So, 1000 years in the other Hadith is consistent with 1600 - 600. There are also two verses in Quran that states 1000 years, that It can be interpreted as the end of people of Islam.

In the verse God is only telling up what they did so we won't do like them.

As for this verse
O you who have been given the Book! believe that which We have revealed, verifying what you have, before We alter faces then turn them on their backs, or curse them as We cursed the violaters of the Sabbath, and the command of Allah shall be executed.

O you who have been given the book: People who received scripture before

Which we have have revealed is the Quraan

Verifying what you have: It means that the Quraan confirms the injeel and the Torah.

It doesn't say we have to follow what the Torah says.

Now before we calculate the numbers, it is mentioned in the Quraan that Muhammad peace be upon him is the last prophet

(33:40)
Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets. And ever is Allah , of all things, Knowing.

So since there are no prophets coming, this means that there will be nothing added to the religion until the day of Judgement

 

[Sabour]

If you're just going to gloss over my post and basically restate what you already laid out in the OP, only more poorly, and basically not address anything i've said, then it's best to just not reply at all.

I can understand if there are just too many people to respond to, but in that case like i said, you don't need to respond to everyone if you're not properly up for it.



Nope. Those weren't really questions. They were a list of things you did not account for in your OP, and actually needed to.

I didn't mean to gloss around and restate, I mentioned that religions also cover major difference worshiping aspects in the OP but I guess I should have made it more clear.

Sorry for addressing nothing you said. You are right, I will approach answering in a different way.

About the questions yeah I think I should have putted them. You're absolutely right.

As pointed out, that would be based on an extremely broad and inclusive definition of religion, which unfortunately fails to capture some of the essential aspects of what constitutes a religion, and what makes them distinct from philosophy.



Sure.

Unless i felt i deserved to die and was okay with dying, or if i just felt i had enough out of life that i was not willing to kill another person to maintain mine.

Based on where i am right now though, i don't see those possibilities really occurring.



Sure, in reasonable quantities which would not make my mind absent in any possibly inappropriate circumstances or where i could be harmful to others, and where it's not harmful to me personally. Health wise or in any other way.



For certain reasons and under certain circumstances, sure.



It's okay to lie in some circumstances in my view, yes.



'Beliefs' is not necessarily the most accurate umbrella word to use in this case, as it addresses opinions and views of all kinds, some of which the word would not be particularly suitable for. That and again as pointed out, beliefs don't necessitate a religious stance.



I think first i might need to search and see quite a few other things. For example:

1) See if i should believe a god(s) exists at all.

2) See if i should believe any such god would have answers to my questions, and would be willing to share them.

3) See if i should believe for such answers to take precedence over mine.

4) See what i should believe about the method such god would use in conveying these answers.

5) See if i should believe any of the above was necessarily my duty rather than something i was just curious about.



That assumes that there is a religion that is true in it's entirety (at all). It could just be that each of those religions contain some bits of truth and some bits of falsehood, with varying degrees, for example. Or they could all be wrong, for another.

Okay I didn't mean that you have to answer these. But my point is that religion already covers these aspects and give you answers to them. So if says I don't have any religion, I just have beliefs. As if he is saying that I created a religion but without worshiping.

And your questions are definitely a good start for one to search for a religion.

As for the last line, As far as I am concerned, I would completely not look into a religion if something was untrue, no matter how insignificant it was. It is either entirely true, or entirely false

 

[Sabour]

Probably has been asked some time in the thread but...

Obviously the conflicting qualties of religions must mean that there is no logical way for them all to be correct. But it is also inversly possible that they are all incorrect and there is no "one true religion".

Why do you assume that there must be one?

As a follow up what is the reasons that support your belief that the one true religion is in fact Islam?

Because I believe that God would never send us into this world so that we would live according to our desires and standards.

And I believe there is a purpose to our existence and this life is not everything.

If you're interested, this video answers your question

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1qjvyF59c8

 

[fantome profane]

Because I believe that God would never send us into this world so that we would live according to our desires and standards.

And I believe there is a purpose to our existence and this life is not everything.

You believe it because you believe it.

 

[Sabour]

You believe it because you believe it.

No. I believe it based on proofs.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Obviously the conflicting qualties of religions must mean that there is no logical way for them all to be correct. But it is also inversly possible that they are all incorrect and there is no "one true religion".

Why do you assume that there must be one?

Because I believe that God would never send us into this world so that we would live according to our desires and standards.

And I believe there is a purpose to our existence and this life is not everything.

Salaam, my friend.

It seems to me that to say:

There is purpose and Allah is invested in humanity,

therefore, there must be one true religion and that religion is Islam.​

is to say little more than "I believe because I believe."

There is nothing wrong with it as a statement of faith, but is hardly rises to the level of argument. And, of course, it could be said with equal effect by advocates of any number of competing religions.

 

[AmbiguousGuy]

Sorry if I insulted you I didn't mean to.

Yes, I know that you didn't mean to do it, but do you understand how you did it?

You've come to a place full of religious seekers, serious people who have spent their lives searching for God or Truth or whatever.

And you tell us that if we will only be honest, we will discover the same God as you have discovered.

So you say we are not honest. We are not open to the Truth.

It's pretty insulting, especially when you consider that most of us can show you things about God and Truth which haven't even occurred to you yet.

 

[Sabour]

Salaam, my friend.

It seems to me that to say:

There is purpose and Allah is invested in humanity,

therefore, there must be one true religion and that religion is Islam.​

is to say little more than "I believe because I believe."

There is nothing wrong with it as a statement of faith, but is hardly rises to the level of argument. And, of course, it could be said with equal effect by advocates of any number of competing religions.

W Alykoum as-salam

So let me talk about proofs.

When did we know that Mountains are like stakes ?

78:7 And the mountains as stakes?

When did we know about orbits?

21:33 And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming.

When did we know that all living things come from water?

21:30 Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?


There are still many scientific miracles. I think these would prove that Quraan is the true world of God.