What is truly the greatest misconception about GOD?
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What do you think is truly the greatest misconception about God and why?
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Peace,
I remember I was washing up for prayer at my Theology college. In Holland, we have a Dutch Imam study to educate new Imams the Dutch culture. It is a very good moderate Sunni study and is very progressive. It rejects stoning and other controversial issues with Sunni interpretation, and so in my eyes it is a move into the right direction.
Anyways, one Imam walked up to me, very nice young man, Turkish, and he started, as they mostly do when seeing a blond white guy doing Wudhu; "Oh mashAllah I will do a dua for you that you may attain Jannah!".
I looked up and said; "As long as I hold on to the Book of Allah, I will indeed attain Jannah". He answered with "inshAllah", so I asked him if he doubted God's Promise. He was a bit baffled and didn't know what to say. Their view on God is as if He is a King with a bad mood, looking over everybody's shoulder, caring if bow in the correct way, demanding to be pleased, does what he wants, doesn't keep his promises, breaks all his rules, is irrational and so on.
In his mind, attaining Jannah depended on God's mood, not on the promise He had made in the Quran. His mind blocks the concept that Jannah is attainable through one's deeds guided by the Quran. It is the to easy for him, to simple, to much responsibility, rather keep on doing endless dua's.
This concept of God, one who breaks His own rules, promises, can be "angry" and so on. This view is one of the destructive reasons that destroyed and destroys Islam.
God is rational, works through His Laws, keeps His Promises, has no personal interest in Islam but just it to guide us to be in harmony with the Universe.
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The biggest misconception is the anthropomorphic concept of God who exists within time. Simple as that.
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http//homelessmanspeaks.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/god2-sistine_chapel.png
;D
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Peace to all,
Well said Arnold, i agree, funny that you posted that picture, thats the exact picture my wife just bought and is hanging in my kitchen, I told her I didnt like it because it depicts God as a hairy headed white guy, she of course got mad at me.
I think the biggest misconception is that we even have a conception of God. We may be able to determine his laws, his signs, his guidance but in the end , everything we think we know about who God actually is, is probably wrong.
Kurt
Kurt
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God is rational, works through His Laws, keeps His Promises, has no personal interest in Islam but just it to guide us to be in harmony with the Universe.
Oh really? Who says? You do, that's all. Yes, God thinks like you think he ought to. God thinks like you. One of my favorite phrases that I've ever heard was "it is easier for an elephant to fit into the swimming trunks of a rat then it is for God to fit into our descriptions of God".
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Oh really? Who says? You do, that's all. Yes, God thinks like you think he ought to. God thinks like you. One of my favorite phrases that I've ever heard was "it is easier for an elephant to fit into the swimming trunks of a rat then it is for God to fit into our descriptions of God".
Peace Arnold ;D
There is a big difference between how we SEE God and what He DOES. We can partially understand what He DOES, but indeed our God's Image will never be correct as He is beyond all visions and thoughts.
4823 This is God?s law that has been in force since older times. And you will never find any change in God?s laws.
515 Indeed, what you are promised, will come to pass.
2110 O Mankind! Now We have revealed to you a Book that is all about you and it will give you eminence. Will you not, then, use reason?
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Peace Arnold ;D
There is a big difference between how we SEE God and what He DOES. We can partially understand what He DOES, but indeed our God's Image will never be correct as He is beyond all visions and thoughts.
Well, this didn't answer the fact that you merely assume that surely God would think like you.
4823 This is God?s law that has been in force since older times. And you will never find any change in God?s laws.
That's just the Quran telling you that. The Quran reeks of a 7th century understanding of the cosmos, and obviously God does not misunderstand the cosmos
515 Indeed, what you are promised, will come to pass.
Yes, indeed. Why? Because I say so.
2110 O Mankind! Now We have revealed to you a Book that is all about you and it will give you eminence. Will you not, then, use reason?
Oh God, don't even get me started about reason. I do indeed use reason, which is why many things in the Quran are as holy as swiss cheese. Is it reasonable to think that meteorites chase anything, let alone the jinn? Come on. Clearly a 7th century understanding, but nobody wants to see what's right in front of their face because the repercussions are simply too much. If that book is the letter for letter dictation of God, then perhaps you can join me in the "what is the lowest heaven" thread I started. How do you ignore things like this?
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Peace Arnold,
That's just the Quran telling you that. The Quran reeks of a 7th century understanding of the cosmos, and obviously God does not misunderstand the cosmos...
Oh God, don't even get me started about reason. I do indeed use reason, which is why many things in the Quran are as holy as swiss cheese. Is it reasonable to think that meteorites chase anything, let alone the jinn? Come on. Clearly a 7th century understanding, but nobody wants to see what's right in front of their face because the repercussions are simply too much. If that book is the letter for letter dictation of God, then perhaps you can join me in the "what is the lowest heaven" thread I started. How do you ignore things like this?
If you don't believe the quran being the word of God, that's all well and good, but please keep the discussion within the topic of the thread. Let's not make this about whether quran is the word of God or not. There are plenty of threads for that, and you're welcome to start one in the appropriate section.Thank you. peace
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Peace Arnold,If you don't believe the quran being the word of God, that's all well and good, but please keep the discussion within the topic of the thread. Let's not make this about whether quran is the word of God or not. There are plenty of threads for that, and you're welcome to start one in the appropriate section.
Thank you. peace
The other arnold brought that up first, I was merely responding to what he said. Did you read his post?
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The greatest misconception is that we can conceive HIM. We onlyknow something of the cage we are in, bearing in mind that it is a wondrous cage, we may realise that we cannot fathom what it is not there being any cage. We just can't. All we can do is believe that our thirst for love will be quenched. That is our proof of something we cannot fathom.
Salaam