Peace Good Logic

1 - As you wish.
2 - I am open to the possibility that God exists, but I don't claim to have evidence of it. I just don't believe that an almighty God would choose to communicate with mankind in such a mediocre fashion.
3 - For one thing let's take a look at the tale of Dhul-Qarnayn in chapter 18. It says he found the place of the setting sun - a muddy spring. And the place of the rising of the sun - where people had no shelter against it. It's obvious that this was written with the concept that the earth was flat, and he had actually traveled to the ends of the earth.
It has been argued that he saw it setting on a muddy spring on the horizon; but if that is so what is the significance of this? Why was it worth putting in the Quran if it is just his perception? Anyone can see the sun setting on the horizon without having the need to travel anywhere.
And then he goes on to trap Gog and Magog by building a wall between 2 mountains using iron and copper. So where is this wall now? How come no one has seen a giant steel wall built between 2 mountains, with people travelling all over the world with ease, and satellites taking pictures of the entire earth?
4 - You're right I have no evidence of who wrote it. But I don't believe a divine book would be so poorly written.

Why do the people at free minds seem to be so confident that the Quran only approach is definitely the correct way of thinking? Has it occurred to you that the Quran itself might have been compromised?

I myself was raised a traditional sunni muslim. I wasn't until several years ago that I decided that I should do my own research on Islam instead of relying on the sheikhs as there was so many conflicting arguments. I started reading the sunnah, and while I found a lot of it irrational of little significance, I initially kept reading in hopes that there would be some wisdom that would make it worthwhile. Failing at that, I looked into the background info on the hadith collections and its authors and like many of you, I found the arguments against the hadith compelling.

It was then that I turned to the Quran and the Quran only forums such as free minds. I read through a lot of posts and discussions, and even gave my own feedback in some discussions; but eventually it started to feel like even this is a facade. It seems to me like the people on these forums are grasping at straws, because Quran is their last line of defense in saying that Islam is still the only remaining authentic religion.

Just like with the hadith, I have read the Quran carefully. I gave it the benefit of the doubt. I hoped that there was some wisdom to be found that would make it all worthwhile. But no. The Quran does not seem to be anything special, and I don't think that if God wanted to send a message to mankind, this would be what he left us with.

Most of the Quran is spent praising God himself and reminding you of his power, and threatening you with the punishment you will receive if you don't believe it and follow it. There is no chronological order of events, and there is so much repetition that it is enough to make the reader lose track. The rest is some vague references to some things that might have happened, or some things that might happen in future. It is these that people are so eager to connect to real occurrences and claim that the Quran predicted it. And of course there are the references to things that are observed in nature that are labeled as scientific miracles.

When any of the things in the Quran are proven wrong, it is the go to response that it is "an incorrect translation" or it "has a deeper meaning that we don't understand because we have not been enlightened by God".

I don't know if Muhammad wrote the Quran, or some other people wrote it after his death and spread it around using his name as an influence; but to me the Quran doesn't seem to be anything of a divine nature. It seems like a book written by men while trying to sound mystical and giving a false sense of enlightenment.

I don't know why the people here feel the need to keep defending the Quran. If it is all that it claims to be, its own content should be enough proof of what it's worth.