Loulou,
I trust Quran, I do, but not the flimsy interpretations of it. What I wrote is true. Ask yourself if it is sane for a deity to let someone burn in a fire with no ever changing condition but just torment a failure forever, does that sound like an intelligent god? In that case I am more intelligent, and also more merciful.
The more logical solution would either be to wipe their memory and place them once more in the environment of testing (i.e. here on Earth) or simply delete their souls as they are deemed failures. I would not deal with petty revenge which would not lead to anything productive.
And failing people bring their own doom because their deeds will mark (burn) their souls, but obviously the merciful god would allow a sudden change of heart and redemption, if the condition of that soul would change and the prospect eventually grew mindful enough to start changing.
Jafar has a point in saying idolatry of a "Holy book" for when people become completely absorbed in a text even though the words in it would stem from Rabb (God). People tend to more idolize the fact and condition, and interpretations, that it is a holy book than for what the scripture actually is, and they seem to blindly accept whatever is claimed to say including what I wrote previously, despite it going against sound logic.
When you revere an alleged interpretation of a scripture against logic and rationality you could say you idolize something. And if one cannot use their intelligence to dismantle that then they risk getting stuck in teachings that avail them nothing, which lets them miss essential parts of what they must do and why. And correct teachings which could be found in a proper interpretation of Quran can on top of that be found within elder and alternative writings of the past, so Quran is not the only source of information possible albeit properly interpreted Quran would be a complete manifest of the case we are here right now, our origin and what we are, and what must be done for salvation, e.g. a remedy and solution to the trapped condition within a primate called Homo sapiens.
You asked me whether I am A Muslim and I would answer that I am Muslim, but that is in the eye of the beholder of course although I would boldly say I am. What others say matters little and it is evident in what I do and say, for the one who can realize that. Muslim is a key condition for any test subject in this world and the word essentially says that one is sound, has a clarity of mind and body rather than imbalance where the body causes the soul to be enslaved in which the body usually is not kept sound and also causing its accompanying soul to be a terrible mess too.
It is good that you have been wise enough to not believe in the Hajj rituals despite that they are right in there in the sectarian interpretations of Quran, showing that you at least have a level of critical thinking. You must also realize that you might believe in a very worldly portrayal of Rabb too, in which the Rabb is degraded to the same level as a lowly human affected by their body Homo sapiens. This Rabb is not much different from the angry Pagan deities that fearful superstitious people have to desperately appease unless they bring doom over them. Rabb is much more advanced than this, a superior Being. The worldly portrayal is also a reason why many people are atheists because the so-called spiritual leaders cannot bring sound arguments that thinking souls will buy. That is a shame actually because atheism is not a solution, either, because it brings the attention off that this is a test environment and not to be indulged, and that you belong with an all-encompassing Rabb and the world just like a distraction, a contradiction or illusion.
Be well
Amenuel
If God's message (the Quran) works against your "sound" human logic, then perhaps it's not for you. The Quran is a complete message to be accepted as a whole. According to the Quran itself, you don't get to pick and choose.
"So do you believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part? Then what is the recompense for those who do that among you except disgrace in worldly life; and on the Day of Resurrection they will be sent back to the severest of punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do."
So you see, one either submits himself humbly to God's message by believing in it completely, or one simply turns his back on it for whatever reason. Perhaps for highly intelligent, introspective people such as yourself, believing in the Quran completely is the best test of your FAITH.
Amenuel, sometimes the hardest thing to see is what's right in front of us... Islam simply means submission. You either submit yourself completely (intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, etc.) to what God has revealed in the Quran or you don't. Again, ISLAM is the keyword here.
Please read the verse from the Quran below very carefully.
"To each of you We prescribed a law and a method.
Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation .
But to TEST you in what He has given you; so race to good.
To Allah is your return all together, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ."
Finally, remember that God created you. Whatever intelligence, logic, reason and rhyme you posses is engineered by God. You can never surpass him in any way, shape, or form. Our brains are so small and limited, we will never ever comprehend fully God's revelations to mankind. Not even close! God therefore made his messages really simple and easy for mankind. Good vs Evil. Heaven vs Hell. Earth and Sky. Night and Day. Sun and Moon. Punishment vs Rewards. I mean, God even references a simple little mosquito in one of the verses!
"Surely Allah is not ashamed to set forth any parable- that of a mosquito or any thing above that; then as for those who believe, they know that it is the truth from their Lord, and as for those who disbelieve, they say What is it that Allah means by this parable He causes many to err by it and many He leads aright by it! but He does not cause (any) to err by it except the transgressors,"
Assalamu Alaikum,
-Loulou
