I am so lost...
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LOL!! attacking the person RT you need to read your Quran!! LOL!!
How did I attack you? You ARE in dream land if in some kind of ironic-contradicting lying way, you are trying to tell me the Quran agrees with the Gospels belief on Jesus is GOD which is pure lies and no scripture to back up such a claim.
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Oh boy aren't you in dream land Is a stupid statment attacking me and not saying anything about the fact that I wrote.
Did I say that the Quran says that Jesus is GOD? NOPE LOL!!
Oh you must have missed the smiley face ) )
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The best advice I feel I could give you is to start praying. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking God to help us feel closer to him. And I've found the more I pray, the more I am able to feel that connection.
It just takes time. Be willing to ask god to guide you, and be willing to keep asking until it happens.
Even if you are unsure about how to pray... for now, just concentrate on praying whenever you can, however you are comfortable doing so. It is (in my opinion) better to just do it than not do it because you're unsure if you're doing it right. God willing, that part of it will come later.
For now though, just pray, about everything. Ask for Gods help when you need it, ask to become closer to him, and especially thank god. For everything, be it something big or something as small as a beautiful day outside. I can't explain the ways that recognizing and thanking God for all of the little things has made my life better.
Don't give up. One day, God willing, you will have the confusion wiped away and you will know for sure.
Peace and have a lovely day.
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Oh, dear. I?ve heard it said that some Abrahamic monotheists are in reality polytheists, because they imagine that there is something other than God ? for example human beings ? and that life is a test, God having created us so that He could reward us if we toed the line, and punish us if we didn?t. To what end, the sceptics ask?
The logic goes that such a God is modelled on a projection of the human ego, because this is how we deal with one another. He?s a gigantic ?man in the sky? who just happens to be a lot more powerful than we are, but thinks pretty much the same ? that He can only get us to do what He wants through manipulation by threat of punishment or hope for reward.
It is said that God is nearer than the jugular vein, or put another way, that the kingdom is within. That our true nature is godly; we are all sparks of the divine, all His sons and daughters. Does conventional religion sometimes lead us away from God rather than closer to Him? Does it matter to Him that we belong to different creeds or precisely how we conceive of Him, or, are we all expressions of God, all ways for him to explore Himself? Here?s one hadith (one of the few I personally think could be genuine), purportedly the words of God , that may be relevant
?I was a hidden treasure that loved to be known. So I created creation so that I could be known.?
If you have a more Christian ear, listen to Gerard Manley Hopkins from his sonnet, As kingfishers catch fire
I say more the just man justices;
keeps grace that keeps all his goings graces;
acts in God?s eye what in God?s eye he is?
Christ?for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
to the Father through the features of men?s faces.By the way, for me, both these examples hint at one possible meaning of the Trinity. Not three gods in one, but different aspects of the one God ? God as creator (i.e. father); God as explorer of Himself (i.e. son) through His countless manifestations; and God as the inspirational principle that brings joy of recognition whenever He (through the son) returns to Himself (i.e. holy spirit). Creative - exploring (?playful?) - inspirational. If God can have ninety-nine attributes, surely we can?t begrudge Him three?
Would God have any more interest in punishing us than he would Himself? As human beings, we tend to think in terms of reward and punishment. Our phenomenal existence is an adventure in time, and sometimes it has a flavour we call ?painful?. Never more so, perhaps, than when our body dies, and along with it ego (or nafs). Maybe then we can see more clearly how we spent most of our lives trying to separate ourselves from Him, trying to set ourselves up as partners to Him.
If there is ?punishment?, perhaps it will come from our own bitter realisation of this mistake. Maybe, as the Buddhists and Hindus have it, we will have to come back and try over again until finally we manage to ?die before we die? or be ?born again of the Holy spirit?; that is, discover our true nature while still alive. Then when we die, we won?t have to come back, because our final judgement of ourselves will be favourable but perhaps some do come back, to help others escape the cycle of death and rebirth. Some think Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha are conspicuous examples of such, though there may have been less famous ones.
The answer to your question may be that we don?t have to believe anything about God, nor ?worship? Him in the conventional sense of the term. To be near to God, maybe we only have to follow our true nature, obey what our innermost heart tells us. That could be what prayer is, what worship is ? being consciously aware of what we already are and always have been. Our indoctrination from birth, which includes much that conventional religion has to say, could be what gets in the way, stops us seeing the truth, that we are all one. Certainly, not seeing ourselves this way seems to have led to much animosity between faiths and sects within faiths, and we all know that has resulted in death and suffering for millions upon millions.
Does God love us because he loves Himself? Once we know who we really are, can God then take the greatest joy in His self-discovery through us? Is the true meaning of submission not to kow-tow to the man in the sky, but, on coming to know what we are, to realise there is nothing we could possibly do, or want to do, that would not be in accord with His will? Are our ?sins? in reality just mistakes that conventional religion encourages rather than discourages?
Perhaps one day, even if briefly and to only a small degree, we may experience a connection with God. Perhaps then we will understand, for the first time, why it is sometimes so difficult to connect through conventional religion. As Rabia of Basra said
"O Allah! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell,
and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.
But if I worship You for Your Own sake,
grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.?It seems to me that much of the wisdom of the Bible, Qur?an, and other scriptures, is in those four lines. Some readers here may detect that I lean towards Sufism, even though I am a Christian. But I don?t want to denigrate all conventional religion. It seems to me that in Islam, the best of the sects is the God alone one though I?m a little dubious about the validity of 19 in the Qur?an. But their humanity shines through even if in places they lack understanding of Christianity (which, to be fair, can be said of many Christians! -)). Speaking of which, for my money one of the soundest Christian sects is the Quakers, though I myself was brought up a Catholic. That was a dark age ago...
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It is not neccessary to feel God. Feelings can be illusive at times. I think what you are really seeking is a relationship to God. Islam does not provide the link to the Holy Spirit that Christianity does. However that doesn't mean there aren't ways to form that link through Islam, only that the link is more tenuous. Allah nailed this down for Mohammed by telling him that he just needed to hear and obey as Abraham did. That sounds simple but it takes faith to call upon God to speak to you and faith to believe that He will. To further complicate things, people have been known to hear the voice of the devil instead. How can you tell the difference? Jesus said that the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) would remind you of all things that He said. Therefore all things should be in harmony with scripture.
From your background you don't need to develop an antipathy to all things Jewish that Arabs tend to have. You can have the best of both worlds. The only caution I would throw in would be not to antagonize your husband if he has an antipathy to Jewish things. Jas 48 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
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I don't know what to believe about God. I was raised in a non-religious Catholic family and I never had much of a sense that there was a Jesus/God. I never believed in Christianity and wasn't too shy about it... It was when I was introduced to Islam that I began to think that there might be a God. I think it was just the way that Muslims are dedicated to God, and how clear the religion was/seemed (I realize now that it's quite complicated to figure it all out).
But what I'm still struggling with is "feeling" God. I see some people really feeling that they want to worship God and want to please God. They feel a love for God. I don't have any of these feelings towards God. I am amazed by a lot of things in life and I think that there must be some sort of all-controlling "force", but does that mean it wants to be worshipped?
I really don't know what to think about it all... And I want to find this connection to God that so many people have. It's like having some sort of reason for life... But I don't feel it...
Any ideas/thoughts?Peace,
Respectfully.I know how you feel.
I feel that The Exalted God The Most Powerful is constantly watching me and observing me and He knows what i'm planning.
That is how i feel the presence of God.
There are times when i want to break small rules from The Quran and i also come up with the perfect excuse when i stand before The Exalted God, The Judge. But then i say, no, wait, if i can think of breaking the Quranic law, if i can think of an excuse to say it to The Exalted God The Most Powerful, then i should be thinking about a solution for my problem, right?The Exalted God The Most Merciful does not need us, nor our prayers, nor anything or anyone else, right?
So, why do we pray, fast, why can't we steal from the rich and give it to the poor?
Why do i have to wait for marriage to have sexual intercourse when sex inside of the marriage is the same as it is outside?Here's what i think all that is about obediance to God. All that The Exalted God The AllMighty wants us to do, is to obey Him, be He Glorified. he just wants us to obey so that we can prosper, so that we can move on to the next sphere of life, God willing.
Eventually, you will get to where you want, God willing.
The only catch here is what do you want? Do you want to feel the presence of God? Then ask God to give it to you.
Do you want to be a better believer, stronger? Well, ask God and He will give that.
Ask God and He will give it to you.Glory be to our God.
Peace. -
I don't know what to believe about God. I was raised in a non-religious Catholic family and I never had much of a sense that there was a Jesus/God. I never believed in Christianity and wasn't too shy about it... It was when I was introduced to Islam that I began to think that there might be a God. I think it was just the way that Muslims are dedicated to God, and how clear the religion was/seemed (I realize now that it's quite complicated to figure it all out).
But what I'm still struggling with is "feeling" God. I see some people really feeling that they want to worship God and want to please God. They feel a love for God. I don't have any of these feelings towards God. I am amazed by a lot of things in life and I think that there must be some sort of all-controlling "force", but does that mean it wants to be worshipped?
I really don't know what to think about it all... And I want to find this connection to God that so many people have. It's like having some sort of reason for life... But I don't feel it...
Any ideas/thoughts?
It's a good thing you don't have that feeling, in my opinion.
Have faith in morality and humanity. Have faith in the truth (god is the ultimate truth). Have faith that doing the right thing (as opposed to what is easy or what benefits you) will pay off sooner or later.
That's all that matters, really.
And if there really is a just god, he'll understand.
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Thanks for all the replies. Lobster, you wrote basically what I actually feel. That the most important thing is to focus on being good, following what I know is good, staying away from what I know is bad. And I do feel that if there's a God, he will understand. But this sentence shows that I'm not even fully convinced there is a God. My situation has improved since I first started the thread, however, and I think I do have some sort of connextion with God.
I focus on following these innate feelings as a way to submit to God right now (as I always did, but in an even more active way). But I want more. This is what I have figured out is truth, but I want to know more. I still need to figure out if I believe in the Qur'an as the word of God. If I do, then it's something I will need to use as a guide in addition to my innate feelings. And I could only become closer to God. If not, then at least this will have been eliminated from my life. It's quite a journey.
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Hi brother I am a born again Christian. most of the cathlics I know do not go to church as cathosism is a cult that prays to the saints in Heaven when Jesus said "Nobody comes to the Father but by Me" we are all sinners brother each and everyone of us. I sin we all do. my sins today was swearing, calling people names and yes I am going to have to go and repent but living life as a Christian is not easy unless you have the Holy Spirit living inside you. Brother Jesus is very real even the muslims believe in Yeshua. But not in the same way as we do, you see brother God is a Holy God and will not let sin enter Heaven, so that means hell is the only place for us. But since Jesus died in our place and payed the ultamate sacrefice on the cross all we have to do is accept Him and repent of any sin. we must repent each day becasue we never know when our last breath will be. and brother I have noticed when you take your eyes of Jesus satan gets a foothold and temps you in everyway possible and without Jesus in your life and keeping your eyes on Him you will stumble. Jesus when He walked the earth and performed many miracles relied on His Father to help Him though everything that is why you always saw Jesus in prayer to God. we need to do the same brother. there is lots of things that can distract you in life such as the computor, the tv phone others around you, but whatever it is we must all make time with God. I might not pray like 5 times a day like the muslims but when I have prayed to God I have had tears and I had joy but as soon as I take my eyes of God I land in trouble. You see bro God wants us to include Him in everything we do. Jesus loves you the Father loves you. Hang in there brother becasue we are living in the end times and Jesus is coming back soon to Judge the world and to rule over it with an Iron Skeptor from Jerusalem. satan will be locked up for the mellenium yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and all his demons too but bro after the 1000 years there will be a new Heaven and a new earth. God is going to destroy this world with fire after the rule of King Jesus. I cannot wait. I want to be with Him now but I am not ready yet, there is still things I need to repent from and I need to spend more time with Him. God bless you mate. Leanne
