To all Christian Members: Have you studied the Koran and the teachings of Islam?

[Smilin]

This survey is for those who claim the Christian faith.

Since reading some incorrect statements concerning the faith of Islam, I'm curious to find out how many Christians in the forum are familiar with at least the basic beliefs of the religion.

Please answer yes or no, and provide comments as you see fit for all to learn by.  I must insist on no personal attacks.  This is simply a poll for all to learn by.

 

[ZiSunka]

I have had a copy of the koran for several years, but I confess that I didn't really read it until last September. I was very surprised by what I read. I had always believed that islam and Christianity were closely related, and that islam was a religion of peace. After reading the koran and doing some online study at places like islam.com, I discovered that islam doesn't mean "peace," nor does it teach peace--it means "submission" and teaches that peace can only come after all people have submitted to allah.

 

[seebs]

I think the poll needs a "sortof" answer.

 

[LouisBooth]

Yuppers

 

[feral]

i'm not a christian...but i grew up attending church and my family is very into the religion. we weren't allowed to explore other beliefs when i was little, but last year i did some extensive exploration of islam for a school project. it's much different then i thought and less exotic and "weird". a lot of the ideas seem christian, and some of the stories are similiar. the teaching sounds a lot like the old testament. i do think islam is for peace, but hasn't been practiced that way. yes, some of the qur'an sounds wacky but so does the bible...read literally, especially the ot. generally speaking...some followers are corrupt, not the basis of the faith...

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

Yep, got books shelves of books here detailing everything to do with Islam and I'm living it now 24/7

From reading about Islam I've concluded that although the religion on the face of it looks fair and good the reality is quite the opposite if you're not a Muslim. For example, if I lived in Saudi then my husband would have sole parental rights over our baby (because I am non Muslim), he'd be able to hold my passport to where I couldn't leave, I'd be beaten (or jailed) if I tried to witness about my faith to a Muslim. If my baby got older and decided to become baptised she would have to be smuggled out of a Muslim country or else face death. If my husband died and no one in his family were Muslim (including his child) then his estate would be split amongst the nearest mosque, I'd be homeless.

These are just a few things where I have serious reservations about the religion from what I've read. Oh yeah, that and the fact that some of the additional teachings are clearly anti-Jewish & Christian.

God bless

 

[RaptureTicketHolder]

Yes, Ive studied portions of it. Much like Mormonism, there is more to it then meets the eye.

 

[Arnold_Philips]

I have a Qu'ran I received for free from the Islamic Society of Houston. I've flipped through various times. Nothing in depth. I do not consider myself any authority on Islam.

 

[feral]

Yep, got books shelves of books here detailing everything to do with Islam and I'm living it now 24/7

From reading about Islam I've concluded that although the religion on the face of it looks fair and good the reality is quite the opposite if you're not a Muslim. For example, if I lived in Saudi then my husband would have sole parental rights over our baby (because I am non Muslim), he'd be able to hold my passport to where I couldn't leave, I'd be beaten (or jailed) if I tried to witness about my faith to a Muslim. If my baby got older and decided to become baptised she would have to be smuggled out of a Muslim country or else face death. If my husband died and no one in his family were Muslim (including his child) then his estate would be split amongst the nearest mosque, I'd be homeless.

These are just a few things where I have serious reservations about the religion from what I've read. Oh yeah, that and the fact that some of the additional teachings are clearly anti-Jewish & Christian.

God bless

in my opinion, most of the bad things that happen to women in islamic countries are not based on islam, but tradition. many of the governments are corrupt, or do things based on tradition, not religion. however, you're right about some of the sharia laws being bad. i don't think they are realistic or appropriate, but then again i disagree with many u.s. laws and the government too. i have heard of terrible things happening in islamic countries (betty mahmoody's "not without my daughter" book is one) but i have also heard great things. i know islamic women who have always lived in the u.s. or canada, or britain, who feel the religion is valid and good, even wonderful. they are happy, which makes me think that islam is fine, but some middle eastern traditions aren't...

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

i know islamic women who have always lived in the u.s. or canada, or britain, who feel the religion is valid and good, even wonderful. they are happy, which makes me think that islam is fine, but some middle eastern traditions aren't...

Hi Feral,

I agree with what you said about the injustices done in Islamic countries to Muslim women being more a part of tradition than the religion. This is because their treatment contradicts the laws outlined within the Sha'ria. But it is a serious raw deal to be non-Muslim and living within an Islamic household having spoken with people in similar circumstances as my own as well as children from such households too. I have found that the ones where things run smoothly tend to be ones where the religion is not practiced 'by the Book'. Whereas the ones where the non-Muslim gets a raw deal are households where the Hadeeths and the Quran are followed strictly. Which makes me draw the conclusion that the oppression has to be religiously based and not solely as a result of cultural traditions.

God bless

 

[vajradhara]

Yep, got books shelves of books here detailing everything to do with Islam and I'm living it now 24/7

From reading about Islam I've concluded that although the religion on the face of it looks fair and good the reality is quite the opposite if you're not a Muslim. For example, if I lived in Saudi then my husband would have sole parental rights over our baby (because I am non Muslim), he'd be able to hold my passport to where I couldn't leave, I'd be beaten (or jailed) if I tried to witness about my faith to a Muslim. If my baby got older and decided to become baptised she would have to be smuggled out of a Muslim country or else face death. If my husband died and no one in his family were Muslim (including his child) then his estate would be split amongst the nearest mosque, I'd be homeless.

These are just a few things where I have serious reservations about the religion from what I've read. Oh yeah, that and the fact that some of the additional teachings are clearly anti-Jewish & Christian.

God bless

Namaste lotus petal,

please keep in mind that what you are referring to is a Saudi cutlural thing, not an Islamic thing, the Qur'an has no information regarding passports and so forth

 

[oneiric]

Yes, I have studied all of the major religions.

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

Namaste lotus petal,

please keep in mind that what you are referring to is a Saudi cutlural thing, not an Islamic thing, the Qur'an has no information regarding passports and so forth

Hi Vajradhara,

I beg to differ. Where it is not a cultural thing stems from the Hadeeths. A sunni Muslim follows both the Quran and Sunnah which includes the Hadeeths. Within Sha'ria Law marriage between a Muslim male and a Christian woman (Ahl al-Kitab) whilst permitted is not recommended. Certain schools of thought accept such marriages because the companions of Muhammed (Sahabah) and their followers (Tabiun) had Christian/Jewish wives as outlined in the texts addressing the practices of the companions of Muhammed. The advice given by some schools of thought was that the commpanions and their followers had 'exemplary characters and their lives were full of piety' such that they were able to "keep the wives under proper control so that their children were not influenced by their mothers' religion" (Doi, A R I , 1984)

You will appreciate that when such advice is applied to today, then things such as e.g. passport confiscation is merely a way for a Muslim to follow the practices of the Prophet and his companions. Thus it is not necessarily a cultural thing.

God bless

 

[vajradhara]

Hi Vajradhara,

I beg to differ. Where it is not a cultural thing stems from the Hadeeths. A sunni Muslim follows both the Quran and Sunnah which includes the Hadeeths. Within Sha'ria Law marriage between a Muslim male and a Christian woman (Ahl al-Kitab) whilst permitted is not recommended. Certain schools of thought accept such marriages because the companions of Muhammed (Sahabah) and their followers (Tabiun) had Christian/Jewish wives as outlined in the texts addressing the practices of the companions of Muhammed. The advice given by some schools of thought was that the commpanions and their followers had 'exemplary characters and their lives were full of piety' such that they were able to "keep the wives under proper control so that their children were not influenced by their mothers' religion" (Doi, A R I , 1984)

You will appreciate that when such advice is applied to today, then things such as e.g. passport confiscation is merely a way for a Muslim to follow the practices of the Prophet and his companions. Thus it is not necessarily a cultural thing.

God bless

Namaste lotus petal,

thank you for the post.

AHadith is generally accepted provided that the authenticity of the Hadith is confirmed.... i'm sure you're aware of the entire science behind evaluating Hadith, so there's no need to go into it here. It should be noted, however, that there is some difference of opinion in regards to the Hadith itself and it's use as a valid method of understanding the Qur'an. Generally speaking, if you confine your source to the Qur'an and the Sunnah you will not be off course... but i suspect that this disucssion can get quite technical and really not of much interest to the non-Muslims on this board.

I absolutely think that is a cultural issue.. for other Muslim nations do not practice these same types of behaivor. it just so happens, do to the happenstance of the circumstance, that Islam can be construed to support the cultural morays that currently exist, wether in Saudi Arabia or Libya or the Phillipenes. usually what happens is that the parts of the Holy Text that support the current cultural morays are emphasized and the ones that don't are de-emphasized.

 

[sojeru]

i have a copy of al-qur'an
my friends (many moslems) have spoken with me, sharing many many many things about their belief.

Most of the time i said nothing, not wanting to harm them (their feelings toward their religion)
and sometimes we would debate.

I learned alot from them, each of them. And my knowledge of islam also became more concrete by them confirming what i had previously known.

I say, if you want to learn something in its true state. learn from the people that believe it!
but not only them, also from all sides- a light will shed on the truth of the religion.

shalom u'bracha

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

I absolutely think that is a cultural issue.. for other Muslim nations do not practice these same types of behaivor. it just so happens, do to the happenstance of the circumstance, that Islam can be construed to support the cultural morays that currently exist, wether in Saudi Arabia or Libya or the Phillipenes. usually what happens is that the parts of the Holy Text that support the current cultural morays are emphasized and the ones that don't are de-emphasized.

Hi Vajradhara,

Thank you also for your reply, it is a refreshing change to see posts such as yours

I agree with your first paragraph - getting into the validity of the Hadeeths nations go off is a whole different ball-game especially to other readers here

You do raise a good point in your second paragraph and I completely respect that. Being mindful of those nations that mainly abide by the Quran and Sunnah, one can argue that any deviance away from these texts by other countries, could account for why there are more moderate countries under Islamic rule and more extreme countries (like pre-war Afganistan). My point of view though is that of all the religions in the world such countries are more greatly influenced by the Quran and Sunnah than for example the Bible. Their whole infrastructure and laws are based on these texts. The examples I outlined, are from what is considered to be 'strong' hadeeths and I was under the impression that since Saudi was home to the Sunni sect of Islam that their Laws would more closely adhere/be based upon the Sha'ria method of Law and not so much on cultural influences. I could however be wrong.

Anyway, I do understand where you're coming from though.

May God bless you with peace and joy today.

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

I say, if you want to learn something in its true state. learn from the people that believe it!
but not only them, also from all sides- a light will shed on the truth of the religion.

Hi Sojeru,

Hope you are well!

I agree. I have learnt so much from the friends and loved ones I know who are Muslims in terms of how seriously they take their belief and how much more seriously I needed to take mine. But also reading other sources helps to see the religion in its entirety.

The Lord bless you

 

[saad]

in my opinion, most of the bad things that happen to women in islamic countries are not based on islam, but tradition. many of the governments are corrupt, or do things based on tradition, not religion. however, you're right about some of the sharia laws being bad. i don't think they are realistic or appropriate, but then again i disagree with many u.s. laws and the government too. i have heard of terrible things happening in islamic countries (betty mahmoody's "not without my daughter" book is one) but i have also heard great things. i know islamic women who have always lived in the u.s. or canada, or britain, who feel the religion is valid and good, even wonderful. they are happy, which makes me think that islam is fine, but some middle eastern traditions aren't...

BINGO! wow, someone who actually knows something, first time i read a statement like this from a non-muslim that is actualy true.

 

[Wolseley]

My copy of the Qu'ran is the N.J. Dawood English translation with parallel Arabic text. I do not read Arabic, so this was necessary. I have read it through.

vajradhara: Namaste. Kyah tum Angreze bol sakte ho?

 

[Hank]

My two cents.

Yes Moslems are very religious, but have little time to think outside their many customs and traditions. If you repeat doctrines over and over with prayer rites you are one with the doctrine unable to step back and contemplate what you are actually praying about.

Confronted by guys like me, they do not wish to entertain fallacies written in the Koran. Either I am an infidel or heretic, something to be avoided. Or the best answer to date: I speak not Arabic thus I won't understand. Like god invented German so I misunderstand the Koran.

It does not matter how much I know about the Koran.