The MENA "Let's discuss religion and our own personal belief" thread

[doodlebugg 10]

The God is the same God that spoke Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and all the old testament prophets. Muslims believe that too. So do Jews. I don't think that just because Jews and Muslims don't believe that Jesus was God that that means we all worship a different God. I mean... we all believed in the same God up until that point... it's not like he split up into 3 separate gods just to fit each religion.

(not trying to offend... jut making a point....)

food for thought: If we all believed in the same God up until that point... then what God did everyone start believing in after that point? Because God changes not, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He was and is and forever will be. And honestly, it seems to me that people try to make "God" fit into each religion. Instead of finding out truth of Who God is.

If the part in bold is true then why would your trinity be any different than the jewish God?

The Bible does clearly states that Jesus was crucified.

And yet not one of the authors of the four gospels witnessed the crucifixion.

[sara..... 371]

The God is the same God that spoke Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and all the old testament prophets. Muslims believe that too. So do Jews. I don't think that just because Jews and Muslims don't believe that Jesus was God that that means we all worship a different God. I mean... we all believed in the same God up until that point... it's not like he split up into 3 separate gods just to fit each religion.

(not trying to offend... jut making a point....)

food for thought: If we all believed in the same God up until that point... then what God did everyone start believing in after that point? Because God changes not, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He was and is and forever will be. And honestly, it seems to me that people try to make "God" fit into each religion. Instead of finding out truth of Who God is.

hmm well maybe the point is what ever each person believes to be the truth is just that for that person the truth, it really does not matter if i agree with u or u agree with me because ultimately we all research what we want to find that corresponds with what we our self believe to be the truth for example i could show u so so many things that show im right and u can find so so many things that prove ur right.

we just all need to get along and respect each others right to believe differently

sara

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

hmm well maybe the point is what ever each person believes to be the truth is just that for that person the truth, it really does not matter if i agree with u or u agree with me because ultimately we all research what we want to find that corresponds with what we our self believe to be the truth for example i could show u so so many things that show im right and u can find so so many things that prove ur right.

we just all need to get along and respect each others right to believe differently

sara

I believe in this thread topic we have all gotten along and respected each others right to believe differently. We have all stated opinions, shared beliefs and asked questions.

[sara..... 371]

ur right we have, i hope that u did not think i was aiming that at u, i add that and have done so pretty often when talking on this thread to remind people that maybe just reading it and sees a topic they would like to jump on that we are talking and discussing with respect to each other.

sort of a reminder to anyone so that they stop and think before jumping. a form of peace keeping before anything gets heated

sara

I believe in this thread topic we have all gotten along and respected each others right to believe differently. We have all stated opinions, shared beliefs and asked questions.

[merijan 0]

I agree we all need to respect each other. And if I hated Christians I would not love my mom,father, brothers etc. However I do disagree with the statement that we as Muslims believe in a different God. Because we believe in God who created the world, we beleive he created Adam we beleive there was Abraham, Moses, Noah, we cant be Muslim if we dont beleive in Jesus . However we dont beleive him to be God or Son of God.

One other thing is that there are differences in Christian bellief as well because the Church I grew up in never said Jesus was God but he was God's Son. So that is confussing to me because we were never taught he was God. We were taught the Trinity wich is God, the Son, and the holy spirit .

Just some thoughts I wanted to share.

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

I agree we all need to respect each other. And if I hated Christians I would not love my mom,father, brothers etc. However I do disagree with the statement that we as Muslims believe in a different God. Because we believe in God who created the world, we beleive he created Adam we beleive there was Abraham, Moses, Noah, we cant be Muslim if we dont beleive in Jesus . However we dont beleive him to be God or Son of God.

One other thing is that there are differences in Christian bellief as well because the Church I grew up in never said Jesus was God but he was God's Son. So that is confussing to me because we were never taught he was God. We were taught the Trinity wich is God, the Son, and the holy spirit .

Just some thoughts I wanted to share.

No one is assuming you hate anyone, no one is hating on anyone either. Certainly not I, as I have muslim family, christian family, and jewish family. Im well rounded in that aspect, but I have my own beliefs that I believe strongly about. I personally think there is alot of people in all religions that dont study enough to find out what they really believe or what is truth.

[sara..... 371]

I agree we all need to respect each other. And if I hated Christians I would not love my mom,father, brothers etc. However I do disagree with the statement that we as Muslims believe in a different God. Because we believe in God who created the world, we beleive he created Adam we beleive there was Abraham, Moses, Noah, we cant be Muslim if we dont beleive in Jesus . However we dont beleive him to be God or Son of God.

One other thing is that there are differences in Christian bellief as well because the Church I grew up in never said Jesus was God but he was God's Son. So that is confussing to me because we were never taught he was God. We were taught the Trinity wich is God, the Son, and the holy spirit .

Just some thoughts I wanted to share.

wow im so glad u shared that! see as a Muslim i have never felt comfortable just going up to a Christian and asking what they believe in.

so what ever im learning about Christians is coming from this thread as i said before i have read the bible as well as our quran, but it does not mean i understand the bible.

sara

[merijan 0]

I agree we all need to respect each other. And if I hated Christians I would not love my mom,father, brothers etc. However I do disagree with the statement that we as Muslims believe in a different God. Because we believe in God who created the world, we beleive he created Adam we beleive there was Abraham, Moses, Noah, we cant be Muslim if we dont beleive in Jesus . However we dont beleive him to be God or Son of God.

One other thing is that there are differences in Christian bellief as well because the Church I grew up in never said Jesus was God but he was God's Son. So that is confussing to me because we were never taught he was God. We were taught the Trinity wich is God, the Son, and the holy spirit .

Just some thoughts I wanted to share.

No one is assuming you hate anyone, no one is hating on anyone either. Certainly not I, as I have muslim family, christian family, and jewish family. Im well rounded in that aspect, but I have my own beliefs that I believe strongly about. I personally think there is alot of people in all religions that dont study enough to find out what they really believe or what is truth.

I agree with you. And I do agree alot of people dont study enough to find out the truth. And I am glad I did study alot that is what brought me to Islam. I think having different bleifs in people you love makes you more tolerant and respectfull to others.

[merijan 0]

I agree we all need to respect each other. And if I hated Christians I would not love my mom,father, brothers etc. However I do disagree with the statement that we as Muslims believe in a different God. Because we believe in God who created the world, we beleive he created Adam we beleive there was Abraham, Moses, Noah, we cant be Muslim if we dont beleive in Jesus . However we dont beleive him to be God or Son of God.

One other thing is that there are differences in Christian bellief as well because the Church I grew up in never said Jesus was God but he was God's Son. So that is confussing to me because we were never taught he was God. We were taught the Trinity wich is God, the Son, and the holy spirit .

Just some thoughts I wanted to share.

wow im so glad u shared that! see as a Muslim i have never felt comfortable just going up to a Christian and asking what they believe in.

so what ever im learning about Christians is coming from this thread as i said before i have read the bible as well as our quran, but it does not mean i understand the bible.

sara

Certainly there are so many things we should understand and learn from each other.

I was raised in a real Christian family. My father was a teacher, minister, elder my brothers were booth involed. My oldest is now a minister for a small congregation. My mother taught classes and I did as well. I went to a Christian college and studied alot about the Bible. So my journey to Islam was not so quick and easy. And even after I became Muslim I had many times of weakness.

Because the media fills us with so many misconceptions, becaus people who have political and hate filled desires give the world a false impression of Islam, we have to defend it all the time. But there are many cases where that is put aside and people of faith work together , however thats never shown on tv or the news.

[sara..... 371]

I agree we all need to respect each other. And if I hated Christians I would not love my mom,father, brothers etc. However I do disagree with the statement that we as Muslims believe in a different God. Because we believe in God who created the world, we beleive he created Adam we beleive there was Abraham, Moses, Noah, we cant be Muslim if we dont beleive in Jesus . However we dont beleive him to be God or Son of God.

One other thing is that there are differences in Christian bellief as well because the Church I grew up in never said Jesus was God but he was God's Son. So that is confussing to me because we were never taught he was God. We were taught the Trinity wich is God, the Son, and the holy spirit .

Just some thoughts I wanted to share.

wow im so glad u shared that! see as a Muslim i have never felt comfortable just going up to a Christian and asking what they believe in.

so what ever im learning about Christians is coming from this thread as i said before i have read the bible as well as our quran, but it does not mean i understand the bible.

sara

Certainly there are so many things we should understand and learn from each other.

I was raised in a real Christian family. My father was a teacher, minister, elder my brothers were booth involed. My oldest is now a minister for a small congregation. My mother taught classes and I did as well. I went to a Christian college and studied alot about the Bible. So my journey to Islam was not so quick and easy. And even after I became Muslim I had many times of weakness.

Because the media fills us with so many misconceptions, becaus people who have political and hate filled desires give the world a false impression of Islam, we have to defend it all the time. But there are many cases where that is put aside and people of faith work together , however thats never shown on tv or the news.

i hope im not side tracking the thread but i wanted to add that ur right about the news or tv, also there is the fact that so many say well if Islam is so peaceful why dont they stand up and talk against the terrorist, its not that we dont stand up and say terrorism goes against Islam, its that its not news worthy its not sensational, so it is very low key compared to the news they sell talking about the austerities

sara

[childress_london 3]

Many people are too gullilble and believe everything they see in the media. If it's on CNN it must be truth! I think most of us here know this not to be so. Always do your own research for the real truth. As for religion, I think everyone searches for what is the real truth. I was raised Catholic until I read the New Testament for myself at around age 12 and my interpretation did not agree with the Catholic church. This really opened up my eyes and since I have searched for a church or a religion that agrees with what I believe, and sometimes I'm not sure what I believe because there are so many unanswered questions. It seems like most religions and their rituals and rules were created by man and not God. However, this in itself (rules and rituals) has a practical psychological reason for many people, even if they may not be from God, but based more on cultural or pagan practices. That's why I am interested in learning about all religions, beliefs and non beliefs that people may have. It's all very interesting when you put it all together.

[sara..... 371]

Many people are too gullilble and believe everything they see in the media. If it's on CNN it must be truth! I think most of us here know this not to be so. Always do your own research for the real truth. As for religion, I think everyone searches for what is the real truth. I was raised Catholic until I read the New Testament for myself at around age 12 and my interpretation did not agree with the Catholic church. This really opened up my eyes and since I have searched for a church or a religion that agrees with what I believe, and sometimes I'm not sure what I believe because there are so many unanswered questions. It seems like most religions and their rituals and rules were created by man and not God. However, this in itself (rules and rituals) has a practical psychological reason for many people, even if they may not be from God, but based more on cultural or pagan practices. That's why I am interested in learning about all religions, beliefs and non beliefs that people may have. It's all very interesting when you put it all together.

i agree its very interesting

sara

[sandinista! 1,816]

And yet not one of the authors of the four gospels witnessed the crucifixion.

why is this significant though? i don't recall there being any human witnesses to prophet muhammad being visited by gabriel at mt. hira either, but that in no way changes my absolute belief that it happened. his wife khadija was not there when it happened, but believed his account unequivocally. my decision to no longer believe the accounts of the crucifixion as told in the bible weren't based on suddenly finding out the gospel writers weren't there. i'd known that for years, and had continued to still believe that account long after i knew they weren't eyewitnesses. my religious beliefs aren't the product of trivial physical details. i guess i'm not understanding why they are brought up.

[HLM 1]

Leyla- I understand if you're frustrated then you care and you really are searching for the truth; I think that's really good and clever. Is it hard? yes; but why not? I mean if God created everything and made everything around you and IN you; isn't He worthy of looking for? or looking for His path? God promised to be found; if He was looked for. Take it easy on yourself and let it naturally happen while you keep that connection you have with God....if you get somewhere in the end you will be veryyyyy grateful and if you didn't I'm sure you will at least be at peace that you did all you can for it. I never heard anyone have it easy... whatever he/she was looking for; there must be a struggle or it wouldn't be worth at all in my opinion. Struggle teaches you the worth of what you're looking for; so when you have it never ever take it for granted and by the way that's not only about religion that's about anything in life. I honestly believe that's OK we're different and there are so many beliefs I mean I never expected humans to be robots and we all follow one thing whatever it is! What kind of life would that be? I think it's more normal and natural that we are different and believe in different things and even argue about it; which is in my opinion is very healthy...The only time I would hate it is when violence takes place other than that we should be enjoying this and learning as much as we can.

[venusfire503 54]

About this different or same God part of the conversation.... my sister brought that up, too. Here's how I look at it. Not to put myself in God's place AT ALL, but just for simplicity's sake of explanation - if someone wanted to ask who I am, they would get different answers from different people. My children would say I'm mommy, and probably mention something about how old I am, or whatever. My husband would say I'm his wife, and talk about something completely different. My ex would say... well, you get the idea. My parents would call me daughter and I'd be young to them. Now, all the people who were asked would see something different, they'd all have different 'names' for me, and they probably wouldn't agree exactly on who/what/how I am. Some might say I'm a simple, boring person, and others might say I'm lots of fun and have an interesting personality. Now, I'm not trying to say that any religion tries to say anything bad about God (with whatever name they give Him) - just trying to explain it with my inadequate words and experience. Just pointing out that it's possible (and I believe) that we DO all believe in the same (real) God, but see Him in different ways. Not to start an argument, but how do we really know that any of us are right? Maybe we all have it wrong. Either way, just because some think He's 'one' and some believe He's a 'trinity' doesn't mean it's not the same God. I don't change depending on other's perception of me. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this very well, but I hope you all understand what I'm trying to say.

I guess this is why I can't really link myself to a religion. I was raised Catholic, but haven't been to church in years. I DO believe there is ONE God, but as far as which 'details' I believe... not so sure. Does He consist of three 'parts', however you want to define them? I'm not sure. Is Jesus His son, a prophet, just a really good person or spirit, or what? Again, not sure. I tend to agree with the point someone brought up about how the Holy Books have been written/interpreted/copied/passed down etc by humans. Not to trivialize the subject, but I'm sure you've all played that game where people whisper a phrase down the line and the last person says it out loud and it's compared to what the first person said. I think that basically we all believe in doing the right thing, treating each other nicely, being honest, etc.

I'll be honest, too - even though I don't know that God cares if I eat meat on Fridays during Lent, I still don't do it. I've observed Ramadan with my husband since we met, and I don't know that God wants us to necessarily do that, either. Maybe I'm just being extra careful. For now, I'll just listen to and think about what others say, and do the best that I can.

Oh, and I didn't decide to question the Christian faith because of my husband - it happened earlier than when I met him. I also don't intend to convert to anything either. Unless something changes in the future, I just don't identify with any religion enough to become part of it.

I sincerely hope I didn't upset or offend anyone. I apologize if I did - it was not my intent.

venusfire