Obviously this being a site which promotes Islam I would assume our non-muslim guests are at least acquainted with some knowledge on Islam so I won't go into detail. But I'd like for us to focus on the world's largest faith: Christianity. Being a former Christian myself I can share some experiences of my past which actually helped me develope my belief as a Muslim. I felt in my past I had a different theological background even as I was growing up. Although I went to church, very often I fell asleep only to be awake when the pastor would jump up and down yelling "PRAISE JESUS!"

But like most religions being a Baptist Christian was not only a faith, but a congregation which most African-Americans belong to. It was a faith that not only praised Jesus, but also was a faith which united people of color under a common goal, unity in faith. The spiritual message appealed to me for a while, but as I grew older and more into intellectual things I began to evolve into a different mindset which allowe dme to constructively criticize my own faith.

Unlike most of the experiences I've read here the transition to Islam was quite easy actually because my family accepted me regardless. But perhaps one thing I retain from once being a Christian is the love I have for Christians. Some  Christians are perhaps some of the most altruistic people that I've ever met. A lot of them are motivated by the spiritual unity in God and a lot of them, much like Muslims do things in order to please God. Although my philosophies on acting upon altruism is different, I am much appreciative of the many Christians whom I've discussed with.

Even through proseltyzing many Christians intentions are actually good even in the illusion that they believe that their tenents will save humanity. Call it what you want, but even in that illusion alone it is important to see the goodness in the act. The fact that many strangers on the street who preach the gospel try so hard to 'save the souls' is amazing. However you do have those who are of the minority who do the exat same action but do it in a manner of control or what we would call religious fundamentalist.

Some Muslims believe most Christians commit shirk. In actuality the message in Christianity is one and the same as in Islam. The love of God. Jesus in the Bible reiterates an old prayer that Jews have been saying even today:

Hear O' Israel!

The Lord your God is One,

Love the Lord with all your heart and soul and with your mind!

Ameen...

Jesus in the Bible said that, that is greatest command of all, greater than any command sent by God.Christians iun the time of Jesus followed such a law and some Christians of today still follow such a law. Muslims of today still follow that 2,500 year-old law which was sent to Muhammad which is still followed today. I would hope Muslims and Christians reflect on that law and the spiritual binding it has between Muslims and Christians.

Our differences may be apparent, but just like all other differences we understand and acknowledge with clarity that these differences along are what distinguishes our faith and how we practice, but the most important thing which can bridge this gap is the understanding that there is only One GOD. We believe in this One GOD that, GOD is the supreme and the ultimate judge. We also believe that this Artisan is the ruler over the universe and that nothing exceeds GOD or is compared to GOD. I would hope under this alone we can be unified.

Excellant post bro Israfil "We believe in this One GOD that, GOD is the supreme and the ultimate judge. We also believe that this Artisan is the ruler over the universe and that nothing exceeds GOD or is compared to GOD. I would hope under this alone we can be unified."

I must say Amen!

Assalamu Alaikum!

I would just like to add here that if you study any religion even today ( when most of the holy books have been corrupted ), there are still some resources left that teach us that there is only one God.

Apply logic here. There can be only one Creator. It is not possible that one creator created a Christian and then another Creator created a Muslim.

Jazak Allah Khair.

Peace

Ameen Brother AhmadJoyia!

Brother/Sister Peacemaker, forgive me if I do not know your gender and may call you on or the other by mistake! I believe when we read the Biblical text even the text of the Torah it is hard to deny most of what is said in the Torah especially, and even some parts of the New Testament. Although we do not except the latter as the Gospels of Jesus we can appreciate some of its value nonetheless because it stiull validates monotheism.

Assalamu Alaikum!

Brother Israfil, I am brother. Jazak Allah Khair

Peace

It appears to me that saying that Islam is a religion of Peace is similar to saying that a Lion will not attack if he is not hungry. The many countries of the Middle east which were Christian and Jewish to begin with, became Islamic by reason of warfare. When the Muslim horde was victorious, the inhabitants were given three choices i.e. Die, become Muslims, or admit to inferiority and pay the monthly tax. Many accepted Islam in order to save their lives, and Muhammed foungt some terrible battles, and massacred many members of these tribes when they tried to change back. Also, paying the tax did not work well either. There are NO Christians left in Arabia, and in the other couhtries where Sharia'h is in place, thier lives are one of misery, their daughters are targets as concubines and slaves, and they have NO legal recourse. Who is trying to fool whom, here?

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Sigh* Obviously  the individual who had posted adverse remarks is obviously notcoming to the discussion with some positive imput so I need not to address him/her. Brother David great post brother. The one thing we should look at (which is the one thing that matters most) is the Oneness of God and his love of creation...

DavidC wrote: Incidentally, for my Muslim friends who just love to pick my Bible apart, Matthew 5:22 is an excellent example of how the Bible has been edited. The King James verson adds the text "without a just cause", a phrase not in the original scripture and one reason so many churches reject the King James version. I guess the clerics on King Jimmy's payroll were afraid of the King's anger - justified or not!

david - can you point out exactly where artscholbe called someone foolish?  i am finding it very hard to pinpoint a reason for the mini-sermon you delivered for his benefit.  of course i may have missed something totally obvious

as for your gratuitous remarks (quoted above) they are an even bigger mystery.  let us assume, for the sake of argument, that the translators of the authorised version made a mistake (easily done, after all), for you then to go on and accuse them of "editing" (a deliberate act) because james was paying them to do so, is an absolute disgrace.  interesting that you have offered nothing to substantiate this slander.  but that wont stop your friends lapping it up

DavidC wrote: Incidentally, for my Muslim friends who just love to pick my Bible apart, Matthew 5:22 is an excellent example of how the Bible has been edited. The King James verson adds the text "without a just cause", a phrase not in the original scripture and one reason so many churches reject the King James version. I guess the clerics on King Jimmy's payroll were afraid of the King's anger - justified or not!

My dear bro DavidC, once in a life time, I did try to find my faith outside the influence of Islam. During that time, and still now, I came across reading the Bible, as being the book of largest religious community on earth. It was exactly this fear among others, a factor of so much uncertainity in the contents of the book, that I couldn't stand on it for a long. How can I observe certain commandments of the book, which may sometimes later, found to be spurious. This was making me skeptic rather than an honest believer in God. Since then I am happy that I am a Muslim, embracing not only Islam but the faith of Moses as well as Jesus. Quran provides me the strength in my conviction of being on the right path. The conviction, not only through faith but through human intellect as well.

fredifreeloader wrote: israfil - what do you mean by the oneness of God, and what do you mean by his love of creation, do you mean his love of the act of creation, or his love of what he created?  or both?

Fred....

There is Only One God as there is only One sun that we orbit around as there is only one planet earth in our Solar System..As Jesus said God is ONE. Simple math brother, there is simply One artisan that is the Creator of everything we see and hear. I will not bring trinity to this issue because trinity in what my statements here does not apply as I am mainly saying that as Jesus said and as Muhammad said God is ONE. what I meant for his love for creation I mean FOR not of....As GOD love his creation, all of it. Whether it is humans or animal. We can see this type of love from our autonomous nervous system that all animals share.

When we are not thinking our heart beats. We do not contro, it but it controls itself. It beats because its functions are to pump blood to circulate through our body. the fact that we are designed to be alive and functional is love in itself. This type of love cannot be shared by a mother or father. This is what I mean....

fredifreeloader wrote: sorry israfil, but youre still not clear here.  you originally talked of Gods love of creation, then you said you meant his love for, not of, (whats the difference?)and then you said God loves his creation, all of it.  but then you introduce a stipulation in "whether it is humans or animal", indicating you are excluding non-human, non-animal elements.  could we have a clear statement, please, as to what you view as being the object of Gods love, and what the nature of his love is?

Fred you are looking too deep into one word that I am using interchangably because whether God has a "love for" or "love of" the meaning is that he is not only the governor of the universe but also the caretaker of the universe, and its inhabitants. I believe I've noted the particulars in my last post on what that means. When I stated "whether humans or animals" is a statement which is symbolic for his love for all creation "whether big or small" "whether bird or lizard" "whether the moon or sun" all things that exist within the universe he has love for.