My faith is weak and I'm finding myself increasingly attracted to Islam...

[ElizabethGould]

I'm really hoping someone can offer advice on this...

Anyways, during my last year at uni (which would be in 2010) I found my faith increasingly under pressure and weakening, for what seemed to be no apparent reason at all. By graduation day I'd stopped attending church, university Christian Union meetings or indeed doing any sort of religious activity related to Christianity.

Now, to the stuff about Islam. I'd studied Islam as part of my Classical history and history of philosophy and medicine at university and as a result became VERY interested in Islam as a religion. I even learnt Arabic, read the Qur'an and began attending mosque.

Skip forward to now and I'm really struggling. I tried to throw religion and the Bible right out the window and become an atheist, but this seemed to create nothing more than a void, like I was missing something. I try time and time again to get back to the Bible but it seems completely and utterly pointless. In my head, I NEED God in some form.

Now, I'm finding myself increasingly attracted to Islam. The part of the city I live in is probably decently majority-Muslim. I see Muslims and deal with Muslims every day. And so with this I gave the Qur'an a re-read, partially to help me connect with my Muslim neighbors and understand them and their culture better. And to me at the moment, Islam answers all of my questions. The Qur'an as I'm reading it seems to blow the Christian system right out of the water.

I really don't know what to do. I've tried praying, talking to various people and pastors, reading counter-Islamic material, but it's only served to make me even more confused than ever.

Can anyone help me?

 

[TLSF]

My answer may not be completely objective…obviously

Stick with Christianity J

I can easily imagine why Islam is attracting you just by the mere fact that Islam is a large religion so obviously there must be something good about it.

This is my take on it: As a Christian one’s faith is always going to be tested … ALWAYS. As a former/indecisive Christian you will be familiar with the concept of the Devil … seems to me he wants your Soul. Be it by convincing you to be an atheist or a Muslim, he doesn’t really care.

Don’t think about it, feel it. Look into your heart and soul and you will find the answer your looking for (I am rooting for the Christian God).

Ek bid dat God jou onder sy vlerke sal vat en jou weer terug na Hom toe sal lei, eerlikwaar.

 

[Johnnz]

You need good information. Quite possibly church has nor addressed your developing intellectual concerns. The key issue though is Jesus and Mohamed. With one you have an empty tomb, the other a body inside a sacred tomb.

bethinking.org has good resources available online in the UK.

John
NZ

 

[ElizabethGould]

My answer may not be completely objective…obviously

Stick with Christianity J

I can easily imagine why Islam is attracting you just by the mere fact that Islam is a large religion so obviously there must be something good about it.

Islam doesn't attract me for that reason. I'd argue that the main attraction for me is that Islam is a very simple religion- things like the Trinity, blood atonement of Jesus, concept of original sin- these don't exist in Islam. Islam to my view seems much more realistic and possible that Christianity does. Islam's philosophy is one of personal responsibility for sin and right conduct for God, and for direct contact with God, something I desire.

This is my take on it: As a Christian one’s faith is always going to be tested … ALWAYS. As a former/indecisive Christian you will be familiar with the concept of the Devil … seems to me he wants your Soul. Be it by convincing you to be an atheist or a Muslim, he doesn’t really care.

Don’t think about it, feel it. Look into your heart and soul and you will find the answer your looking for (I am rooting for the Christian God).

Ek bid dat God jou onder sy vlerke sal vat en jou weer terug na Hom toe sal lei, eerlikwaar.

I really don't know any more....every time I try and find the truth out for myself to make a final decision, something comes up to throw me off-course. I keep returning to the Bible time and time again hoping and praying to find something in there that is going to answer me. Nothing.

But at the end of the day, I could recite the Nicene Creed a thousand times and swear on a stack of Bibles I believe every single word of it. I could attend church daily. But I'm not going to be able to force myself to believe in Christianity if I truly believe, hand on heart, that it is not the truth.

You need good information. Quite possibly church has nor addressed your developing intellectual concerns. The key issue though is Jesus and Mohamed. With one you have an empty tomb, the other a body inside a sacred tomb.

*link*has good resources available online in the UK.

John
NZ

Great link, thank you!

And yeah, I've tried a few different churches and so far, I've not found one I can really say has addressed my concerns. The closest I've come is in the Catholic church, but some doctrines (and I apologise in advance if you're Catholic) I cannot agree with under any circumstances.

 

[C-Man]

For the sake of argument, let's say Islam is true and Christianity is false.
You can spend your whole life, working really hard, doing good works, and spreading the word. But you don't really know what's going to happen. You might still go to Hell.
The thing that makes Islam attractive is that it's rooted in almost purely human ways of thinking. It's based upon the assumption that you can be good enough for God to consider you sinless and let you into Heaven. But that assumption alone reveals it to be a false doctrine. Even an athiest will tell you that no one is wholly good. That is the whole reason Jesus took our sins upon Himself. Otherwise, there would be no salvation of any kind.

 

[Everlasting33]

As a woman, how is Islam attractive in the least bit?

Have you read the entire Qur'an? Have you thought about the fact that the leading terrorist nations of this world are Islam dominant?

 

[prophecyistrue]

I'm really hoping someone can offer advice on this...

Anyways, during my last year at uni (which would be in 2010) I found my faith increasingly under pressure and weakening, for what seemed to be no apparent reason at all. By graduation day I'd stopped attending church, university Christian Union meetings or indeed doing any sort of religious activity related to Christianity.

Now, to the stuff about Islam. I'd studied Islam as part of my Classical history and history of philosophy and medicine at university and as a result became VERY interested in Islam as a religion. I even learnt Arabic, read the Qur'an and began attending mosque.

Skip forward to now and I'm really struggling. I tried to throw religion and the Bible right out the window and become an atheist, but this seemed to create nothing more than a void, like I was missing something. I try time and time again to get back to the Bible but it seems completely and utterly pointless. In my head, I NEED God in some form.

Now, I'm finding myself increasingly attracted to Islam. The part of the city I live in is probably decently majority-Muslim. I see Muslims and deal with Muslims every day. And so with this I gave the Qur'an a re-read, partially to help me connect with my Muslim neighbors and understand them and their culture better. And to me at the moment, Islam answers all of my questions. The Qur'an as I'm reading it seems to blow the Christian system right out of the water.

I really don't know what to do. I've tried praying, talking to various people and pastors, reading counter-Islamic material, but it's only served to make me even more confused than ever.

Can anyone help me?

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.........Allah is a path away from Jesus

 

[steve_bakr]

I'm really hoping someone can offer advice on this...

Anyways, during my last year at uni (which would be in 2010) I found my faith increasingly under pressure and weakening, for what seemed to be no apparent reason at all. By graduation day I'd stopped attending church, university Christian Union meetings or indeed doing any sort of religious activity related to Christianity.

Now, to the stuff about Islam. I'd studied Islam as part of my Classical history and history of philosophy and medicine at university and as a result became VERY interested in Islam as a religion. I even learnt Arabic, read the Qur'an and began attending mosque.

Skip forward to now and I'm really struggling. I tried to throw religion and the Bible right out the window and become an atheist, but this seemed to create nothing more than a void, like I was missing something. I try time and time again to get back to the Bible but it seems completely and utterly pointless. In my head, I NEED God in some form.

Now, I'm finding myself increasingly attracted to Islam. The part of the city I live in is probably decently majority-Muslim. I see Muslims and deal with Muslims every day. And so with this I gave the Qur'an a re-read, partially to help me connect with my Muslim neighbors and understand them and their culture better. And to me at the moment, Islam answers all of my questions. The Qur'an as I'm reading it seems to blow the Christian system right out of the water.

I really don't know what to do. I've tried praying, talking to various people and pastors, reading counter-Islamic material, but it's only served to make me even more confused than ever.

Can anyone help me?

I understand your attraction to Islam. I have studied it too and I still read the Quran in Arabic. I won't give you any anti-Islam statements, but I will express to you that I do believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. While I think there is intrinsically nothing wrong with studying Islam and having good relations with Muslims, I would suggest that you remain a Christian.

God Bless you

 

[ke1985]

From what I have seen of Islam, they treat the women poorly. Muslims who do not are not obeying the Qur'an.

 

[ElizabethGould]

From what I have seen of Islam, they treat the women poorly. Muslims who do not are not obeying the Qur'an.

Actually there is much emphasis in the Qur'an and Hadith on treating women and particularly wives and mothers with the greatest respect.

For the sake of argument, let's say Islam is true and Christianity is false.
You can spend your whole life, working really hard, doing good works, and spreading the word. But you don't really know what's going to happen. You might still go to Hell.
The thing that makes Islam attractive is that it's rooted in almost purely human ways of thinking. It's based upon the assumption that you can be good enough for God to consider you sinless and let you into Heaven. But that assumption alone reveals it to be a false doctrine. Even an athiest will tell you that no one is wholly good. That is the whole reason Jesus took our sins upon Himself. Otherwise, there would be no salvation of any kind.

From what I can tell, salvation in Islam is a matter of personal responsibility and personal discipline. One must align himself with the will of Allah, and those who love and accept Allah will be transformed to do so naturally, and for their spirit to develop in the way of Allah.
Also note two of the names of Allah: Al Rahman (The Most Merciful) and Al Rahim (The Especially Merciful). The Grace of Allah is highlighted especially in Islam- it is only due to the Grace of Allah that ANYONE (including the Prophet Muhammad!) is saved.

And to me this is a much more reasonable concept- let's say you forgive someone for some wrong they've done to you. You'd expect them to then think about their bad behavior, correct it and then avoid it in future, from their own conscience. I can't imagine a situation where you'd say to someone 'I forgive in advance all your wrongs towards me and your past ones' and then be expected to then just say nothing about all their future wrongdoing as this takes away the element of personal responsibility that person has in Islamic thought.

Islam teaches (as far as I'm aware) that there is a spiritual ledger in which our wrongdoings take away from our account, whilst good deeds, thoughts and words will add to the balance (such as prayer 5 times a day, charity and even kind words). It is whether our credit is outweighed by the debits on our part that is crucial.m

As a woman, how is Islam attractive in the least bit?

Have you read the entire Qur'an? Have you thought about the fact that the leading terrorist nations of this world are Islam dominant?

Terrorism is very much against Islamic principles on suicide, the treatment of other religious and cultural groups, and the rules on Islamic warfare.

As for the second bit of that, the majority of converts to Islam as far as I'm aware ARE women. There's much to be praised about the Islamic treatment of women. And yes, I've read the entire Qur'an in French, Bosnian and Arabic.

 

[steve_bakr]

Actually there is much emphasis in the Qur'an and Hadith on treating women and particularly wives and mothers with the greatest respect.

From what I can tell, salvation in Islam is a matter of personal responsibility and personal discipline. One must align himself with the will of Allah, and those who love and accept Allah will be transformed to do so naturally, and for their spirit to develop in the way of Allah.
Also note two of the names of Allah: Al Rahman (The Most Merciful) and Al Rahim (The Especially Merciful). The Grace of Allah is highlighted especially in Islam- it is only due to the Grace of Allah that ANYONE (including the Prophet Muhammad!) is saved.

And to me this is a much more reasonable concept- let's say you forgive someone for some wrong they've done to you. You'd expect them to then think about their bad behavior, correct it and then avoid it in future, from their own conscience. I can't imagine a situation where you'd say to someone 'I forgive in advance all your wrongs towards me and your past ones' and then be expected to then just say nothing about all their future wrongdoing as this takes away the element of personal responsibility that person has in Islamic thought.

Islam teaches (as far as I'm aware) that there is a spiritual ledger in which our wrongdoings take away from our account, whilst good deeds, thoughts and words will add to the balance (such as prayer 5 times a day, charity and even kind words). It is whether our credit is outweighed by the debits on our part that is crucial.m

Terrorism is very much against Islamic principles on suicide, the treatment of other religious and cultural groups, and the rules on Islamic warfare.

As for the second bit of that, the majority of converts to Islam as far as I'm aware ARE women. There's much to be praised about the Islamic treatment of women. And yes, I've read the entire Qur'an in French, Bosnian and Arabic.

Islam is attractive in its simplicity. I even tried it myself. In the end,.I chose Catholicism because I felt the need for the grace brought into the world by Jesus Christ and as expressed in the Catholic Church. I hope you choose that path also, but whichever path you choose, I wish the best for you.

Peace

 

[Everlasting33]

Terrorism is very much against Islamic principles on suicide, the treatment of other religious and cultural groups, and the rules on Islamic warfare.

As for the second bit of that, the majority of converts to Islam as far as I'm aware ARE women. There's much to be praised about the Islamic treatment of women. And yes, I've read the entire Qur'an in French, Bosnian and Arabic.

There are many passages in the Qur'an that promote violence against non-believers.

Can you describe to me the Islamic treatment of women? And how accurate is this description when you compare it to countries that are Islam dominant?

 

[TLSF]

My apologies for the delay in replying

Unfortunately I am not as clued up as you are on Islam, but it seems a great coincidence that there is someone (steve bakr) who has tried Islam as you have. I hope his insights have been valuable to you.

Islam is attractive in its simplicity. I even tried it myself. In the end,.I chose Catholicism because I felt the need for the grace brought into the world by Jesus Christ and as expressed in the Catholic Church. I hope you choose that path also, but whichever path you choose, I wish the best for you.

Peace

I really don't know any more....every time I try and find the truth out for myself to make a final decision, something comes up to throw me off-course. I keep returning to the Bible time and time again hoping and praying to find something in there that is going to answer me. Nothing.

Why do you keep returning to the Bible? (You need not answer this to me, but to yourself)

All I can say is silence your mind and listen to your heart.

God works through ordinary people ... like steve bakr and the others ...

I wish you well

P.S you better choose christianity

 

[ElizabethGould]

Islam is attractive in its simplicity. I even tried it myself. In the end,.I chose Catholicism because I felt the need for the grace brought into the world by Jesus Christ and as expressed in the Catholic Church. I hope you choose that path also, but whichever path you choose, I wish the best for you.

Peace

There's happy converts to Islam and happy ones who leave Islam. Whatever choice I make is up to me.

There are many passages in the Qur'an that promote violence against non-believers.

Can you describe to me the Islamic treatment of women? And how accurate is this description when you compare it to countries that are Islam dominant?

I could cite a thousand instances where non-believers have lived in peace with Muslims. Islamic rules on warfare and on things such as rule over non-Muslims is very strict in promoting peace.

As for the Islamic treatment of women, this is a hard one. It differs between different times in history, different countries and even different generations of Muslim women.

My apologies for the delay in replying

Unfortunately I am not as clued up as you are on Islam, but it seems a great coincidence that there is someone (steve bakr) who has tried Islam as you have. I hope his insights have been valuable to you.

I will read and study more. It's all I can do.

Why do you keep returning to the Bible? (You need not answer this to me, but to yourself)

All I can say is silence your mind and listen to your heart.

God works through ordinary people ... like steve bakr and the others ...

I wish you well

P.S you better choose christianity

I'll answer here to help me think this out.

Simple answer is that Christianity is all I have known most of my life. I went to two Church of England schools, spent most of my time right through until uni graduation within a Christian setting, going to Christian Union in uni, going to church since I was 8 etc.

I would like to think that there's some great spiritual awakening I'm going to get by reading the Bible, and that one day my faith will be restored, but in reality it's more a case that I've only really known Christianity my entire life and that I want something 'familiar'.

 

[linssue55]

I'm really hoping someone can offer advice on this...

Anyways, during my last year at uni (which would be in 2010) I found my faith increasingly under pressure and weakening, for what seemed to be no apparent reason at all. By graduation day I'd stopped attending church, university Christian Union meetings or indeed doing any sort of religious activity related to Christianity.

Now, to the stuff about Islam. I'd studied Islam as part of my Classical history and history of philosophy and medicine at university and as a result became VERY interested in Islam as a religion. I even learnt Arabic, read the Qur'an and began attending mosque.

Skip forward to now and I'm really struggling. I tried to throw religion and the Bible right out the window and become an atheist, but this seemed to create nothing more than a void, like I was missing something. I try time and time again to get back to the Bible but it seems completely and utterly pointless. In my head, I NEED God in some form.

Now, I'm finding myself increasingly attracted to Islam. The part of the city I live in is probably decently majority-Muslim. I see Muslims and deal with Muslims every day. And so with this I gave the Qur'an a re-read, partially to help me connect with my Muslim neighbors and understand them and their culture better. And to me at the moment, Islam answers all of my questions. The Qur'an as I'm reading it seems to blow the Christian system right out of the water.

I really don't know what to do. I've tried praying, talking to various people and pastors, reading counter-Islamic material, but it's only served to make me even more confused than ever.

Can anyone help me?

What? You are now a child of the "ONLY" living God. You NEED to learn about the Lord much, much more, or you wouldn't have these thoughts. God isn't neglecting you, you are neglecting Him. He has plans for you, for your life, I do HOPE you stay with the Lord. REMOVE yourself from what goes against the Lord, this is serious!


Distortions & Lies satan wants to Spread

The Devil has infiltrated the professed church with manmade traditions and false doctrines. The Bible prophesies of this "falling away". Today's Christians know the hellivision guide better than the Bible.

Psalm 97:10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil; He preserves the lives of His saints (the children of God), He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

Only when you start living holy can you know what true praise is. You can say with the Psalmist, "GREAT is the LORD and GREATLY to be praised, and his GREATNESS is unsearchable!" You will know what "Thank you, Jesus!" really means because you've seen the power of God to transform you from a sin-plagued wretch to a RIGHTEOUS son of the living God. You will be a living miracle. Know ye not that the Bible says, "As he is, so are we in this world," and in another place, we are to be "partakers of the divine nature"? Why is it so rare that we see a Christian manifesting forth the attributes of God?

When a Christian studies and obeys his Bible, he is free from the millions of distortions and lies told inside and outside of churches. He will walk in power--power to live right, talk right, think right, serve right, love right. Everything right comes from knowing the Word of God and walking in the power of the Holy Ghost. To be Bible-minded is to be Christ-minded. Nothing in the Christian life should be divorced from the Lord Jesus Christ and His word--whether washing dishes, soulwinning, working, studying, fellowshipping or sitting in a church pew.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but [only] one receives the prize? So run [your race] that you may lay hold [of the prize] and make it yours.

Hebrews 4:12 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

II Corinthians 10:3-5 3 For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, 5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),

Ephesians 6:12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

Resting in the hands, of the Lord.
Bob

Ephesians 1:2 May grace (God's unmerited favor) and spiritual peace [which means peace with God and harmony, unity, and undisturbedness] be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[Everlasting33]

I could cite a thousand instances where non-believers have lived in peace with Muslims. Islamic rules on warfare and on things such as rule over non-Muslims is very strict in promoting peace.

As for the Islamic treatment of women, this is a hard one. It differs between different times in history, different countries and even different generations of Muslim women.
.

Is Islam Intrinsically Violent? - Robert Spencer on FOX - YouTube

The Qur'an mandates war against non believers. Men will kill themselves and thousands to be a "martyr" and these Muslims actually obeyed. The peaceful muslims are the ones who ignore or look away from these verses.

The treatment of women has pretty much been the same in the middle east since the beginning of time. Do not support anything that the Muslims stand for. It is riddled with violence, especially toward women, and an overwhelming force of evil in the world.

 

[steve_bakr]

There's happy converts to Islam and happy ones who leave Islam. Whatever choice I make is up to me.

I could cite a thousand instances where non-believers have lived in peace with Muslims. Islamic rules on warfare and on things such as rule over non-Muslims is very strict in promoting peace.

As for the Islamic treatment of women, this is a hard one. It differs between different times in history, different countries and even different generations of Muslim women.

I will read and study more. It's all I can do.

I'll answer here to help me think this out.

Simple answer is that Christianity is all I have known most of my life. I went to two Church of England schools, spent most of my time right through until uni graduation within a Christian setting, going to Christian Union in uni, going to church since I was 8 etc.

I would like to think that there's some great spiritual awakening I'm going to get by reading the Bible, and that one day my faith will be restored, but in reality it's more a case that I've only really known Christianity my entire life and that I want something 'familiar'.

Of course the choice is yours, Elizabeth, I don't question that, but I do HOPE that you remain within Christianity. I enjoy reading the Quran in the Arabic and I enjoy Islamic Philosophy, but I discovered that it.is not God's will for me to be a Muslim for the reason that I need something that is lacking in Islam--GRACE. In the liturgical.Church, the Eucharist is the outward sign of that grace that is in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes there are dry periods in your journey of faith but we must rely on faith.during these.dry periods. God will come to you in a manner you may not have previously imagined.

Peace

 

[ElizabethGould]

Of course the choice is yours, Elizabeth, I don't question that, but I do HOPE that you remain within Christianity. I enjoy reading the Quran in the Arabic and I enjoy Islamic Philosophy, but I discovered that it.is not God's will for me to be a Muslim for the reason that I need something that is lacking in Islam--GRACE. In the liturgical.Church, the Eucharist is the outward sign of that grace that is in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I realize that Christianity seems old to you and.Islam is a novelty. Sometimes there are dry periods in your journey of faith but we must rely on faith.during these.dry periods. God will come to you in a manner you may not have previously imagined.

Peace

Hey

Problem is that for me the whole thing about grace is precisely what is turning me away: it makes no sense to me.

I've tried my hardest to keep with Christianity. I've looked at different denominations, different scholars, different methods of interpretation, all different levels of Christianity from the most liberal to the strictest....nothing seems to connect with me at all.

 

[steve_bakr]

Hey

Problem is that for me the whole thing about grace is precisely what is turning me away: it makes no sense to me.

I've tried my hardest to keep with Christianity. I've looked at different denominations, different scholars, different methods of interpretation, all different levels of Christianity from the most liberal to the strictest....nothing seems to connect with me at all.

Elizabeth, I will try to give a brief example of what I'm trying to say. If you study the sunnah--the sayings and examples of the.Prophet (PBUH)--you learn that the penalty for being caught in adultery is death by stoning. Whereas, an example.of.Grace would be the time when Jesus came upon the.scene of an adulteress who had been dragged out to the edge of town to be stoned. Jesus told her accusers, "Let the man who is without sin throw the first stone." After the crowd dispersed, Jesus.said to her, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more."

Peace

 

[Johnnz]

Hey

Problem is that for me the whole thing about grace is precisely what is turning me away: it makes no sense to me.

Why is that? Why does the Father showing love to his prodigal lost son make no sense. Surely it should bring great relief?

John
NZ