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Calling all Muslims: I am considering becoming Muslim

Newbyagain

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I don't know if I would be welcome. I am very serious about this. Nobody has formally introduced me to the religion. I was raised Christian and have been a serious believer all of my life, up until two years ago I have been questioning my faith, but have not completely let go or ruled out that Christ was miraculous and the son of God. 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. I think I would feel safe and covered by Islam. I have done some reading. I am afraid that if I don't become part of a community that takes their life serious I am literally going to die. Is my reasoning for considering becoming Muslim not good? Would I be unwelcomed for the concerns I mentioned, including the fact that I can't go as far as denouncing Christ? If I would be welcome, then where should I start?
 

Bamboo

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Personally I think your suggestion that you will literally die if you're not part of an organized religion...well I understand your faith is valuable to you, and sometimes when things are hard in life the answer seems like "more faith". It can be hard to face uncertainty on your own.

Good luck with this. Just be aware that people can try and lead you astray and take advantage if you are so fearful.

I am not a Muslim but I know more than a few. I would be careful not to assume universal discipline across all individuals, many are not especially religious.

Could you find like minded Christians?

Do you believe Mohammed was a prophet?
 

Southern Kross

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I'm not a Muslim but I can tell you that Muslims don't believe that Jesus was the son of God. They do see him as miraculous and a very important prophet, but just not the last or most significant one (that being Mohammed). This aspect is not at all problematic, however the holy trinity is not consistent with Islam. From what I understand, to Muslims, God is indivisible. They believe God is One and cannot exist in the form of other beings, but that his presence is a part of everything and everyone.

Try reading this article on wikipedia about Tawhid (the doctrine which outlines "the Oneness of God")
 

Newbyagain

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Personally I think your suggestion that you will literally die if you're not part of an organized religion...well I understand your faith is valuable to you, and sometimes when things are hard in life the answer seems like "more faith". It can be hard to face uncertainty on your own.

Good luck with this. Just be aware that people can try and lead you astray and take advantage if you are so fearful.

I am not a Muslim but I know more than a few. I would be careful not to assume universal discipline across all individuals, many are not especially religious.

Could you find like minded Christians?

Do you believe Allah was a prophet?

Faith isn't the issue as much as the lack of community in Christianity. I feel there are hundreds of people around me at church and they say nice things and open the door for you, but push come to shove, people don't practice what they say they believe in. I am tired of being on my own in my virtues. So I guess my point is, my lack of faith in a sense comes from the lack of inspiration.

I can't find like-minded Christians. I have previously known many Muslims, so I know of course they are not all the same.

I haven't even read the Curan or talked to many Muslims about the religion, so how can I say I believe he was a prophet? Although, I thought Allah was God not a prophet.

And yes, I do believe I may die if I try to continue on with the Christian thing. I have been so hurt and the only way to move forward is to learn from the mistake, redeem myself, and truly commit to God. When I say truly, I mean I can't be in and out with Church, I have to be around people who have the same belief as me more often, in a place where the standards are cultivated and enforced.
 

EJCC

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Some things to think about:

1) The central tenets of Christianity have little, if anything, to do with the behavior of communities of Christians*; and
2) Shaping your core beliefs around the beliefs of the people who are a part of your community is... problematic.

If you need a different community, then find a different community. But does that mean you have to change your faith? Community is important, and faith is important, but they don't have to be the same -- nor do you have to force some kind of cognitive dissonance onto yourself in order to make them the same.

Moving on from that point: It looks like you've done a little bit of research already, but considering how seriously you seem to take religion, then that means this decision is very serious, which means it warrants as much research as you can possibly do. Impatience has no place here. Find every detail about everything you're curious about, regarding Christianity, Islam, and other religions. See what spiritual and moral values resonate most with you. After you've done some research and have formulated questions, use them to start discussions with the people of faith for whom you have the most respect.

*Many Christians try very hard to emulate Godly traits and to be Christlike, but let's be real: we're all human and we all make human mistakes. Your critique about practicing what you preach is a critique that you could accurately apply to every religious community on the planet.
 

Newbyagain

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Some things to think about:

1) The central tenets of Christianity have little, if anything, to do with the behavior of communities of Christians; and
2) Shaping your core beliefs around the beliefs of the people who are a part of your community is... problematic.

If you need a different community, then find a different community. But does that mean you have to change your faith? Community is important, and faith is important, but they don't have to be the same -- nor do you have to force some kind of cognitive dissonance onto yourself in order to make them the same.

Moving on from that point: It looks like you've done a little bit of research already, but considering how seriously you seem to take religion, then that means this decision is very serious, which means it warrants as much research as you can possibly do. Impatience has no place here. Find every detail about everything you're curious about, regarding Christianity, Islam, and other religions. See what spiritual and moral values resonate most with you. After you've done some research and have formulated questions, use them to start discussions with the people of faith for whom you have the most respect.

Thank you.

First you say switching religions over community issues is problematic, but then you say to switch based on values. That is sort of the same considering I would think most would expect you to switch based on the God you believe in. I do believe God sent Ishmael over to start Islam and for that in itself is enough to consider the religion wholesome and wanted by Christians' God. And back to the community thing, I believe that at least ninety percent of Christians do not practice what the Bible teaches and it makes me wonder that maybe it is due to a problem in the religion and if Islam is able to have such willing, dedicated followers, there must be something right about it.
 

Southern Kross

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Some things to think about:

1) The central tenets of Christianity have little, if anything, to do with the behavior of communities of Christians*; and
2) Shaping your core beliefs around the beliefs of the people who are a part of your community is... problematic.

If you need a different community, then find a different community. But does that mean you have to change your faith? Community is important, and faith is important, but they don't have to be the same -- nor do you have to force some kind of cognitive dissonance onto yourself in order to make them the same.
I agree with this, but there is a difference in how different religions or denominations practice which could be more appealing to some. Islam is a religion that focuses on actively engaging in religious thinking everyday. There is a consciousness about it, encouraged by set, regular (daily and yearly) religious ceremonies, which could be quite fulfilling. While, I'm not religious myself, when I lived and travelled around the Middle East, I found this a strikingly different aspect of both Judaism and Islam (in comparison to Christianity). I found it fascinating, though-provoking, and quite comforting just being around it. I could understand why people would be drawn to the structure and the consciousness of those religions.

However, there are denominations within Christianity, or individual churches and communities, that might provide similar benefits. I do agree that conversion is something that shouldn't be taken lightly and that your options should be thoroughly explored.
 

EJCC

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Thank you.

First you say switching religions over community issues is problematic, but then you say to switch based on values. That is sort of the same considering I would think most would expect you to switch based on the God you believe in.
I meant "values" in the vaguest possible sense. Not just morality, but spirituality -- and not focusing on one aspect of morality as if it is the only aspect of morality that's relevant -- which is what you seem to be doing now (unless I'm misunderstanding).
And back to the community thing, I believe that at least ninety percent of Christians do not practice what the Bible teaches and it makes me wonder that maybe it is due to a problem in the religion and if Islam is able to have such willing, dedicated followers, there must be something right about it.
On what basis are you making these universal declarations about Christians? And what are your standards for "practicing what the Bible teaches"? Like I said before, no one is capable of perfectly following any scripture. Humans are imperfect.

I can't emphasize enough, the importance of research in this. For example, the variations within both Christianity and Islam that [MENTION=5871]Southern Kross[/MENTION] mentioned. To be perfectly honest, I'm concerned that you're going to make this extremely important decision on gut instinct, lashing out angrily against your local Christian community by converting without thinking. I'm not afraid of you "not being saved", or something -- my personal theology is very liberal in that regard -- but I am concerned that you're too caught up in the heat of the moment to step back and analyze the various faiths as objectively as you can.
 

Mole

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Christianity, Voodoo and Islam entrance their followers so they no longer distinguish between imagination and reality.

Each religion uses similar techniques for entrancement, only differing in the details. Islam, for instance, entrances the followers through the repetitive reading of the Koran, sealed with the injunction that the Koran is the unalterable word of Allah.

However neither Christianity nor Voodoo teach the religious obligation of Holy War or Jihad.
 

Newbyagain

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I meant "values" in the vaguest possible sense. Not just morality, but spirituality -- and not focusing on one aspect of morality as if it is the only aspect of morality that's relevant -- which is what you seem to be doing now (unless I'm misunderstanding).

On what basis are you making these universal declarations about Christians? And what are your standards for "practicing what the Bible teaches"? Like I said before, no one is capable of perfectly following any scripture. Humans are imperfect.

I can't emphasize enough, the importance of research in this. For example, the variations within both Christianity and Islam that [MENTION=5871]Southern Kross[/MENTION] mentioned. To be perfectly honest, I'm concerned that you're going to make this extremely important decision on gut instinct, lashing out angrily against your local Christian community by converting without thinking. I'm not afraid of you "not being saved", or something -- my personal theology is very liberal in that regard -- but I am concerned that you're too caught up in the heat of the moment to step back and analyze the various faiths as objectively as you can.

Thanks for your concern. I am making this declaration for myself based on my own perception. I understand Christians in Muslim countries and those areas of the world do align with my values more, but beyond that, I still question how I feel about being Christian.

A few months ago if I did this, it would have been due to lashing out, but not anymore. I have come to this strong feeling telling me that the only way I will get better is to learn from my mistake and make some changes. Ghandi also said that is required in the healing process. I have thought and thought in so many angles about how to go about doing this and my answer keeps coming back to becoming Muslims. I am not on here to be judgmental and nasty about Christians. It's just that these judgements I have made are part of this whole issue.
 

Newbyagain

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Christianity, Voodoo and Islam entrance their followers so they no longer distinguish between imagination and reality.

Each religion uses similar techniques for entrancement, only differing in the details. Islam, for instance, entrances the followers through the repetitive reading of the Koran, sealed with the injunction that the Koran is the unalterable word of Allah.

However neither Christianity nor Voodoo teach the religious obligation of Holy War or Jihad.

I am not pushing my religion on you, so don't push your atheism and insults on to me. And clearly by your statement on Jihad, you don't know enough about Islam to comment.
 

Mole

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I am not pushing my religion on you, so don't push your atheism and insults on to me.

Personal insults are against the rules and I have not personally insulted you.

However we are free to criticise institutions on Typology Central. And I have critiqued the institutions of Christianity, Voodoo and Islam.

And any reading of the Koran and the Hadith will reveal the religious injunction to Holy War or Jihad.

I do understand you are offended by my critique of Islam. And indeed as I write, there are 57 Islamic nations attempting to make it an international crime to criticise Islam.
 

Southern Kross

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I am not pushing my religion on you, so don't push your atheism and insults on to me. And clearly by your statement on Jihad, you don't know enough about Islam to comment.
Just ignore him. He's extremely Islamophobic. You're not going to get a rational discussion with him on this subject.
 

Mole

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Just ignore him. He's extremely Islamophobic. You're not going to get a rational discussion with him on this subject.

To say I am islamophobic is a personal insult. And personal insults are against the rules and may lead to banning.
 

Newbyagain

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Personal insults are against the rules and I have not personally insulted you.

However we are free to criticise institutions on Typology Central. And I have critiqued the institutions of Christianity, Voodoo and Islam.

And any reading of the Koran and the Hadith will reveal the religious injunction to Holy War or Jihad.

I do understand you are offended by my critique of Islam. And indeed as I write, there are 57 Islamic nations attempting to make it an international crime to criticise Islam.

Okay, you made a statement claiming that these religions "entrance" their followers with "techniques." You don't see how the reader would think you are basically saying that religion is manipulative? You don't see the offense in that? Also keep in mind it is your opinion, which is also completely off topic. So if I didn't ask, and you refuse to see the unwelcoming response and the offense taken, yes that is also insulting.

And once again, I think you need to be more thoughtful of what you say. The Bible also has some hostile language, but without understanding Christianity, you can't go around saying Christianity teaches this or that, plus you have to consider there are different kinds of Christians who interpret the Bible differently. I know of many Muslims who strongly disagree with what has been going on with Jihad.
 

Mole

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Okay, you made a statement claiming that these religions "entrance" their followers with "techniques." You don't see how the reader would think you are basically saying that religion is manipulative? You don't see the offense in that?

Yes, I can see that you are offended by my criticism of the institution of Islam on Typology Central.

However we are free to criticise institutions on Typology Central, even if those who identify with those institutions find it offensive.

However personal insults are against the rules and may lead to banning.
 

Newbyagain

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Yes, I can see that you are offended by my criticism of the institution of Islam on Typology Central.

However we are free to criticise institutions on Typology Central, even if those who identify with those institutions find it offensive.

However personal insults are against the rules and may lead to banning.

Off topic still.
 

Rasofy

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How do you feel about multiple wives?
 
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