Newby,
I apologize in advance. I may say some things you don't want to hear. I am going to tell you what's in my heart and am more concerned with being honest with you than I am with sparing your feelings. I'm going to open up to you and be very vulnerable in the process. You may despise me when I'm done, BUT I must say what I perceive to be the right thing.
Therefore, I'm going to go back to your original post. Also, before continuing on,[EJCC] has given you some really sensible advice. [Blackmail]has spoken from actual experience. I have spent time in a Muslim community and I'm telling you that he/she makes a lot of sense. I worked with Muslims in college, tutoring students from Morocco and I tell you that [Blackmail]speaks the truth. Just really consider that. In all of the Muslims I met during that time, only one of them had a compassionate heart and that one was an American girl from Indiana who had joined because she wanted to find a place where she "belonged". Pretty soon she was married, had three kids and felt like she was imprisoned. She eventually got a divorce and I haven't heard from her since. She was allowed a divorce because she was living in Indiana as opposed to a Muslim country. She was not treated well by other women in the community and nothing she could ever do could make her as "good" as them, because she was a White American. I don't know what became of her after her divorce. She started trying to promote Progressive Islam and Women's Rights and I became afraid for her safety to be quite honest with you. Just consider these things. Now, I want to go back to your original post and answer it, point by point. I may not give you the answer you want to hear, but will give you an honest answer. I will tell you my true opinion and I will also tell you that many people have done so on this post. You have been given several pieces of very sound advice.
You say:
I was raised Christian and have been a serious believer all of my life,
So,
Let me ask you, what do you mean by a serious believer?
And,
up until two years ago I have been questioning my faith,
What do you mean by questioning your faith?
Has God let you down? Or just a group of people who go to church?
When you say faith, are you referring to your belief in God? Or in Jesus? Or in the Bible? Or are you referring to what people call the structure of Christianity, organized religion?
I’m not trying to be nit-picky but I’m asking questions to help you filter through this and to help myself understand where you’re coming from.
but have not completely let go or ruled out that Christ was miraculous and the son of God.
Then you are not Muslim material. You cannot believe that Jesus was the anointed one who came to redeem us from spiritual slavery, because Islam teaches that he was a good teacher and that he did not have the power to break the yoke of spiritual slavery upon human lives. The same power that allowed him to break those bonds was the same power by which he raised the dead and healed the sick. That is WHY he did those things, to demonstrate why he had actually come into this world. Religion is humanity’s attempt to win God’s approval, no matter what name it wears. It is the belief that keeping rules and rituals makes one right with God. Rules and rituals can never make a person right with God. They only grant a false sense of security. Jesus came to set people FREE from religion’s laws.
One of the main reasons why I want to become Muslim, is because I feel like the Christian community has failed me and I am drawn to how disciplined Muslims are.
As a Christian, your trust should not be in a community of people who label themselves Christian, but rather in what Jesus accomplished through his death, burial and resurrection. Lots of people are called Christian, but that does not mean they actually have a relationship with God. For some, it’s merely a cultural thing or a political thing. If you have had a personal relationship with God through believing that the things Jesus said and did were true, then it is much harder to walk away. It would be like leaving your first love, because such a relationship is ruled by love, not the keeping of rules or the acceptance of a community or the way a community makes you ‘feel’. A relationship with God is not based on feelings but on trust, on belief that he is who he says he is. It’s built on faith and hope. And what someone else does, how they respond to us, should not affect our walk with God. As someone else pointed out, if you honestly think all Muslims are disciplined, spiritual and dedicated, you haven’t met many. They’re just like everybody else. Some of them are just going through the motions.
I think I would feel safe and covered by Islam.
Why?
Why would you need a “group†to make you feel safe and covered?
Why do you want to feel covered? If the power of the eternal God living inside your mortal body isn’t enough to make you feel covered then surely no religious institution can do the job.
I have done some reading. I am afraid that if I don't become part of a community that takes their life seriously.
It seems like you’re really saying that you want to be a part of something bigger than yourself, something that goes beyond the here and now. I suggest two things: praying and asking God to help you find your place in this world and also, start searching out people who are doing things, but above all, learn to be content in your own relationship with God. Spend time praying. Talk to him like he’s your best friend. And throw out all preconceived notions and read the Bible for yourself. Start in the New Testament. The writings of John are a great place.
Is my reasoning for considering becoming Muslim not good?
Bluntly and honestly, no, not according to this, they’re not.
Would I be unwelcomed for the concerns I mentioned, including the fact that I can't go as far as denouncing Christ?
Most likely. But don’t worry. Someone would come along and disciple you and help you “unbelieve†if you want it badly enough.
Okay, at this point, I'm going to read your response to my other post and answer it.
Also, please consider that when I respond to a post and put myself truly into it, it may take me two hours to craft exactly what I want to say, because I want to say something that is actually going to benefit you and not to waste your time. It's ultimately up to you what you choose, but do really think about and pray about the things that have been posted here on your behalf and realize that people who don't even know you, are actually showing you brotherly kindness in giving such concern to their responses.