Open Minded with Christian Background
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Hello all.
I am here because I wish to find answers to my burning questions. I've tried Islam before, but never stuck with it just going back to Christianity (thanks to outside influences). However, I've never felt content with Christianity. Despite all the answers I've received, I still have questions.
I'm coming here to find out if there is any real connection between the Bible and the Qur'an.
Please give me reasons for why the Qur'an should be trusted. I'm not here to bad mouth or debate. I just sincerely want to know why you believe in the teachings of the Qur'an vs the teachings of the Bible.
Another question for those living in a Christian family (Christian parents, spouse, kids) and how you are able to live with them with little to no conflict?
And why does the Bible seem contradictory? I mean, this is where my questions seem to stem from. Everything I here is just an attempt to rationalize the obvious contradictions or errors, but none of them remain satisfying to my curious mind for long.
I thank you for all the help and support you are able to provide.
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And why does the Bible seem contradictory? I mean, this is where my questions seem to stem from. Everything I here is just an attempt to rationalize the obvious contradictions or errors, but none of them remain satisfying to my curious mind for long.
It can't help but being. It was compiled over thousands of years from texts from many authors who all disagreed with each other. The Jewish view on religion was changing even as the old testament was compiled, and few if any of the Christians who wrote the new testament and compiled it hundreds of years after the fact fully agreed with each other (modern Christianity is mostly based on Saul of tarsus, who by most historical accounts probably didn't agree on very much with Jesus at all, and never met him except- by his own claims- in his visions).
You can take this as a non-muslim perspective on the Quran (if you like) The Qur'an was made by one, in a short period of time- by all accounts a great philosopher and genius, both politically, creatively, etc. Whether he was inspired by Allah or not is debatable (it is mostly agreed that he was in Islam, except for maybe non-theistic interpretations), but regardless, stands as a much more complete and wholistic work that builds upon the theology of ancient Jews and some of the most original Christian sects which lived in the region.
The Qur'an, whether by god or man, can't help being more consistent than the Christian scripture (also note, that different churches even have vastly different versions of the Bible).
At least, that is my understanding. I'm not Mulism either, so others may have better explanations.
I'm new here too
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Hello all.
I am here because I wish to find answers to my burning questions. I've tried Islam before, but never stuck with it just going back to Christianity (thanks to outside influences). However, I've never felt content with Christianity. Despite all the answers I've received, I still have questions.
I'm coming here to find out if there is any real connection between the Bible and the Qur'an.
Please give me reasons for why the Qur'an should be trusted. I'm not here to bad mouth or debate. I just sincerely want to know why you believe in the teachings of the Qur'an vs the teachings of the Bible.
Another question for those living in a Christian family (Christian parents, spouse, kids) and how you are able to live with them with little to no conflict?
And why does the Bible seem contradictory? I mean, this is where my questions seem to stem from. Everything I here is just an attempt to rationalize the obvious contradictions or errors, but none of them remain satisfying to my curious mind for long.
I thank you for all the help and support you are able to provide.
Salaamun alayka and welcome to the forum handshake
RED For me it is because it is the only book I know where it said that it is revealed by The One who created everything what we see and what we don't see. And till this moment I could not find any reason in this book which makes me doubt about it's origin.
Salaam,
Bender -
So how would I go about being a Muslim in a Christian family? Do the two faiths mix?
Also, verses 221 and 222 sound more to me like the God of the old testament. Like a God of confidence, with no need of any help.
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Peace QuestioningFaith
Hello all.
I am here because I wish to find answers to my burning questions. I've tried Islam before, but never stuck with it just going back to Christianity (thanks to outside influences). However, I've never felt content with Christianity. Despite all the answers I've received, I still have questions.
Why one should switch from one religion to another, afterall it is man made
and not God created. Let us be righteous to the extent possible, and this
would help improving our discerning ability, for us to tread in the straight
path of ever increasing PEACE, which is everyone's dire need, easily.I'm coming here to find out if there is any real connection between the Bible and the Qur'an.
Please give me reasons for why the Qur'an should be trusted. I'm not here to bad mouth or debate. I just sincerely want to know why you believe in the teachings of the Qur'an vs the teachings of the Bible.
I hope in our to day to day life for our reference, we would prefer the
latest/recent, version/edition even for a human book/manual, whereas
for GOD's Script , which is a guide for our life, here and hereafter, why
there should be a need to look into, other than the latest book viz QURAN.Another question for those living in a Christian family (Christian parents, spouse, kids) and how you are able to live with them with little to no conflict?
For me, in a hindu family, by not forcing my views on others and accepting their good views, the conflict thinned out as the days passed by, by God's Grace.
And why does the Bible seem contradictory? I mean, this is where my questions seem to stem from. Everything I here is just an attempt to rationalize the obvious contradictions or errors, but none of them remain satisfying to my curious mind for long.
Unlike human, God's verses would not contradict and Bible is contradictory because of human intervention with insertions and removals, for us to go astray.
Bible is Exclusive of QURAN, whereas QURAN is Inclusive of Bible,Torah, and all Vedas since the origin of Mankind.
Regards
Balachandran
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Hello all.
Despite all the answers I've received, I still have questions.
Peace QuestioningFaith,
What is faith? Why should one question faith? Let's reflect on it....
Yes, as a human being we do have a lot of questions from time to time which we seek answers for.
When a question is born in our mind, we start looking for answer. We need to notice the thought which is raised as a question in our mind. We cannot see our thoughts or our mind, but we surely accept that there is mind and there are thoughts in our mind. Now the question is who put those thoughts/questions there? was it self-generated or somebody put it there. What is mind? who created mind?
I believe God created soul, mind, body and put life force in it. His communication to us is through our "vahi" - intuition, thoughts.
Shaitaan's communication is through evil, confusing thoughts. That is why there are conflicting thoughts in our mind.Secondly, when do I need a book to look for answers/guidance?
I am looking for external help instead of turning within (my mind) and waiting for answers, which will surely come just like how the questions came.ok, what if there are 2 contradicting thoughts as answer for a question. For eg., I want to speak the truth or I want to lie. For both there are consequences. Irrespective of the consequences, I will go ahead and speak the truth so that, it will make me feel peaceful.
So why should I feel peaceful. Because, with peace comes clarity and general well being. Is it not peace of mind that everyone is seeking after all and we get lost in the way.
So, for every question that is born in my mind, I am certain I will receive an answer through someone or some way. All I need is wait with patience and belief. So for me "believing that I will definitely be guided if I want to be in the right path" is faith. I need to seek this faith and patience from God, as He is the most Benevolent and only He can grant me this and more.
With God's permission, Angels - Gibrael and Michael, play a role in helping us to receive the answers and living by it.
Therefore, after receiving peace and clarity in my mind, when I read Quran (my religion is Hinduism) it helps my discerning ability a lot and i am guided closer to God in His straight path.
Gita
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Peace QuestioningFaith,
I come from a Christian background also and have had similar questions and thoughts when approaching Quran. You mention in the topic you are open minded and God shows us in Quran that he wants us to think for ourselves; a number of times imploring us to just look at the signs in nature and to think. To me this is an amazing prescription, to open your mind for yourself. Granted, when I first started reading Quran translations there were plenty of verses I didn't understand, as there are still many I don't understand to this day, but one thing I know for myself is that I have never read anything like it. No other book has caused me to question the mysteries of my own existence. At first, many of the translated verses seemed very stern fire and brimstone, not unlike previous revelations recorded in the Bible, but I'm at the conclusion the Quran is a message that diagnoses the condition of my heart and soul at the time I am reading it.
I recommend any newcomers to research and find a reputabley good translation of Quran in their language if they don't know quranic arabic. Also you may find the book Nineteen God's Signature in Nature and Scripture by Edip Yuksel very helpful. If you can't afford to order it online at amazon I'm sure he would be happy to send you the pdf version if you contact him 19.org
Hope you enjoy your stay here and welcome! -
Peace QuestioningFaith,
I come from a Christian background also and have had similar questions and thoughts when approaching Quran. You mention in the topic you are open minded and God shows us in Quran that he wants us to think for ourselves; a number of times imploring us to just look at the signs in nature and to think. To me this is an amazing prescription, to open your mind for yourself. Granted, when I first started reading Quran translations there were plenty of verses I didn't understand, as there are still many I don't understand to this day, but one thing I know for myself is that I have never read anything like it. No other book has caused me to question the mysteries of my own existence. At first, many of the translated verses seemed very stern fire and brimstone, not unlike previous revelations recorded in the Bible, but I'm at the conclusion the Quran is a message that diagnoses the condition of my heart and soul at the time I am reading it.
I recommend any newcomers to research and find a reputabley good translation of Quran in their language if they don't know quranic arabic. Also you may find the book Nineteen God's Signature in Nature and Scripture by Edip Yuksel very helpful. If you can't afford to order it online at amazon I'm sure he would be happy to send you the pdf version if you contact him 19.org
Hope you enjoy your stay here and welcome!Do you have a Christian spouse, girlfriend, or fianc?e? If so, how were you able to confront her about your questioning Christianity and finding Islam? What does she think?
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Peace dear newcomer,
Welcome to the forum. I have discussed the questions you ask several times on this forum, often very thoroughly. Of course we can never finish discussing something, there is always time for more discussion.
First of all, those who follow Christianity worship the same God as muslims. In fact Christians true title is muslim, or rather not being a title, but a way of living, to reach an inner peace within your soul that will lead to peace with your surroundings too.
It is never we vs. them, we are all muslims. The way of God is first of all to get into harmony with both yourself and your "neighbors" as Jesus allegedly put it. People have created religions which never existed, the sectarian 'Islam' never existed, it was not a "new" religion that came with Muhammad in the 7th century but the same religion which had been practiced since the time of Abraham and beyond. The same goes for those who call themselves Christians, that is not a new religion either but originates from the same family tree so to say.
Jesus never promoted something called Christianity but God's religion and his preaching was based on the Mosaic law. If you read between the lines you can see it was peacemaking, or islam if you want to use the Arabic/Aramic alternative. Jesus was a muslim, but not the muslim the sectarian Muslims wants to portray. They paint the religion black by changing it to something other than what it is.
All strange rituals and restrictions with halal/haram you see, they are most of them just man-made inventions. And they are enforced by religious zealots. Most are based on hearsay commonly known to have been recorded about 200 years after Muhammad lived.
I am sure the religion Muhammad proclaimed was was attached to the same teachings contained in the ancient Mosaic Law, but thanks to the extensive nature of Quran they were for the first time very articulated compared to the original tablets which contained the Mosaic Law. When I, personally, read the Quran I find the same religion that Jesus preaches in the New Testament and to some extent the Old Testament (although the OT seems to be gravely corrupted). Remember I only read the gospels of the NT, I do not acknowledge Paul's "teachings).
If you are completely detached from the religion preached by Islamic scholars and ulemas, then you will see that the islam in Quran is quite identical to the religion Jesus teaches in the gospel testimonies written by the followers of Jesus. Everything is centered around peacemaking and your development to be able to live in harmony with your "neighbors". God never authorized the man-made teachings of hadith, it is not the aim of His religion. The aim is what I mentioned, peacemaking, and the Quran is a set of guidelines rather than a military style Law book from a tyrannical God who wants to give us 50 prayers to God per day or how many stones we should use to wipe our ass when answering the call of nature.
There is no Sunnah of Muhammd, the Sunnah is God's way of living which is islam, or peacemaking. Muhammad lived the way He taught which was by the Quran and nothing else. If it was some rules he obeyed the most it was the Commandments which were on tablets many centuries before he came.
Your present trial now seems to be to see that Quran really is from God and that is contains no nonsense. Personally, I am sure the Quran was inspired to Muhammad and he wrote it down, the exact wordings of God and nothing of his own. If you see anything weird in Quran it has usually been poor interpretations. We have discussed the strange elements of islam on this forum such as wife beating or polygamy and we have a consensus that they are errors in the interpretation. You can most likely read Quran with a clear conscience.
God bless you
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Peace QuestioningFaith,
Before I met my wife it was listed in my interest section of my dating profile that I love reading the Quran and that my goal in life is to continue to strive for a spiritually rich lifestyle. During our courtship it was apparent to me that even though she was raised under the banner of Christianity, her and her family didn't have any objections to what I believe in. I just tried to be the polite respectful person that I want to be and I was accepted. Although my wife new I believed in the Quran I didn't feel I needed to sit and have a talk with her parents about my faith.
As far as having children one day God willing, my wife and I decided we won't attempt to spoon feed beliefs to our children like we were raised having to go to catechism every weekend. Of course I'd hope our kids will want to read Quran and use it as guidance but if I become a father I can only lead by example and offer them counsel grounded by Quran. -
Peace Open Minded.
welcome to this forum.I have no Christian background so I cannot answer your questions, but I suggest just buy or download Quran translation and reading it, keep praying to Allah so one day you will have the answers by God.