stevevw
inquisitive
I asked you what you would think of Jesus had you been raised to be a Muslim?
Are you saying that what you think now is what someone else has told you to think?
no what i am saying is that what we know now is what others have taught us. accumulated knowledge. our thinking is influenced by this. if you are uneducated then you dont know and your thinking will be limited. you may not know all the factors so thinking for yourself is limited. so any ability to weight up the circumstances is limited to what you are aware of. that's why some will accept what we would think is not right because they dont know any different. knowledge/education is power. this is different from the truth which can be more universal like killing is wrong no matter who you are and what you know. being able to think for yourself is a privileged that some dont get in countries where there is say a dictatorship. in the army or in some situations you dont get to think for yourself as others have decided that this is the way it will be. you may disagree but you still have to abide. we are lucky in the western world that we have the education and freedom to think for ourselves. but sometimes people will say that if you have faith then you somehow lose your ability to think for yourself. this can be true but that's not just religion this is a trait that happens to people. a young person will not always think for themselves. they are told what to do sometimes. if you belong to any group you will be influenced sometimes and go along with it. if you choose to vote for a particular political party you may be influenced by their propaganda. you may be influenced by a sales man who has a good spiel and gets you to buy their products. even subliminal affects have an influence whether we know it or not. happens all the time we are human and are not robots. i think you are trying to say that religious people seem to not think for themselves but that is a broad statement and it is a presumption. many Christians are scientists or successful business people who hold the same ability to think as anyone else. in fact some studies show that if you are religious you are more successful or have better health. cults can influence people to the point they are brain washed but that is different to a faith in god that promotes a full life and doesn't restrict your mind. the confusion comes when faith requires that you abide by a certain way of living that to some may seem like your giving up something and not living in the real world. in a way faith is like that as it says that this world is a small portion of what is eternity so some will see that everything preoccupied with the here and now is not as important. this doesn't mean they cop out of life just means the emphasis is not as strong.
the same question can be asked about being raised as a catholic in Ireland or a Jehovah witness. like i said these are religions like footy clubs that people belong to. everyone is influenced by their environment whether it be religion or politics or culture. they tell you how to think and behave.
i dont fully understand the Muslim religion but i believe there is a lot similarities with the christian belief in that some of the prophets such as Abraham and Moses are acknowledged. Jesus is also acknowledged as a great prophet. where it differs is that Mohammad is seal of all the prophets and the final prophet. they believe that they are all Muslims because they submitted to god. Muslims believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that has been revealed before through many
prophets including Abraham, Moses, Ishmael and Jesus. Muslims also believe that these previous messages and revelations have been partially changed and corrupted over time and that the Qur'an is the final unaltered revelation from God (The Final Testament). there are similarities between Islam, Judaism and Christianity all having the same prophets.
Mohammad was born around 570ad and received the quaran over a 23 period during the 6th century. they believe the quaran cannot be interpreted and attempts to have corrupted it. it can only be understood in its inspired form. there is little historical evidence for Muhammad and there is little information about the movement pre Muhammad. Islam acknowledges Jesus as a prophet and friend of god. some say that all three religions Judaism, Islam and Christianity have the same god but different interpretations.
if i was brought up in a Muslim country then i guess i would be a Muslim just as if i was brought up in Russia i would be a communist. Christ in the new testament states that he is the only one true god and god above all others, no other religion states this. Muhammad doesn't say this in fact the true deity of Islam is the quaran itself not a person. the bible talks about the word being preached through out the world and the end will not come until everyone has had a chance to hear the message of salvation. a true Muslim is a good person and preaches peace but at the extreme end it has been interpreted as using violence to promote their cause. the western world believe in the bible and it has influenced the world like no other.
but Islam is no different to many other versions of belief including the many that are within the so called christian section such as Catholics, Mormons and Jehovah witnesses. they all base their beliefs on the bible but have interpreted it in various ways. most of the time the interpretation has moved away from the bible and added other beliefs and teachings. the bible itself talks about this as many will come in my name saying they are the one. in fact in the last days it talks about there being only a small amount of believers left as many fall away. it also talks about Christians being persecuted in the end times and we are beginning to see this with some extreme Islamist persecuting and executing Christians.
Last edited:
Upvote
0