I disagree that Islam teaches a peaceful moralism - what fellowship does light have with darkness?Rob wrote:By and large, the Muslim people are peaceful and moral. It is true that you can use the Qur'an and Hadith to back this up. However, you can also use them to justify all kinds of terrible things and many do. It's a different situation entirely than things from the Old Testament where we can look into the context and historical background for insight. We can at least know what was written. What Dan said about the majority of early Qur'an texts being burned was true. This happened under the Caliph Uthman in 650 AD. In order to prevent pesky footnotes and different readings, he ordered all versions and writings to be gathered. From these he selected an official version and had the rest burned.
That being said, we can safely take the text at face value simply for the fact that other texts no longer exist. Until we can find many alternate manuscripts that describe how Aisha was actually 18 when they consummated their marriage, we can safely assume that the text as it is now is correct. If you try and say that we don't really know what the text says, then you may as well just throw the whole thing out.
If the Qur'an is truly the word of Allah, you'd think Allah would have guarded his word more carefully. (And understood Christian theology)
The Qur'an is not the word of Allah that existed forever in time (in Arabic). It is a view of the world from a 7th century man's understanding.
There are plenty of peaceful passages in the Qur'an. Muhammed was all about peace when Islam was the minority in Pagan polytheistic Mecca, but Islam is a political religion and cannot be rightly separated from government. The pattern with Islam is that once it becomes majority and in power, those violent passages take over.
I have a great deal of respect for the Muslim people. At least they understand their unworthiness before a Holy God. I pray that they come to a knowledge of Christ and cling to the cross. Islam is darkness.
Islam kills - Christianity loves... big difference.
Again the article quoted below sums it up very well.
-Six eye-opening things you might not have known about Islam from a top Shariah lawyer
Feb. 27, 2015 9:15am
Benjamin Weingarten
6 things not known about Islam
Recently we conducted an extensive interview with a former top Iranian Shariah lawyer and author of “Honor Killing: A Professional’s Guide to Sexual Relations and Ghayra Violence from the Islamic Sources,” Daniel Akbari, on the nature of Islam and Shariah law generally, and in particular its dictates regarding violence against women.
While reading Akbari’s book, we came across a passage describing six principles in Islam that we thought might be particularly eye-opening for readers. These include:
1-Koffar (unbelievers) do not have a right to know what Islam teaches.
2-It is sinful for Muslims to take non-Muslims as friends or protectors unless it is for the purpose of using the non-Muslims to accomplish the goals of Islam. It is not a sin if Muslims “make taqiyya” – use deception – to protect themselves or Islam.
3-Muslims must lie if it is the only way to achieve an obligatory goal of Islam, especially the maqasid al-sharia, the ultimate goal.
4-The most important goal Muslims must achieve is to spread deen, the worship of Allah through Islam.
5-It is sinful for Muslims to allow non-Muslims to look down on Muslims or Islam in any way.
6-Finally, the purpose of ghayra violence [up to and including honor killing] is to al-amr bi al-ma’ruf wa al-nahy ‘an al-munkar – to enjoin good and forbid evil as defined by the moral rules of sharia.
Muslims know that non-Muslims do not follow the moral rules of sharia, they follow the moral provisions of their religion or their law. Muslims also know non-Muslims do not understand the moral provisions of sharia, because understanding sharia moral provisions requires understanding the maqasid al-sharia, the goals of Islam.
It does not benefit Muslims to inform non-Muslims of the maqasid so they could understand sharia because the ultimate goal of Islam is to contain, subjugate and eliminate all other religions so that all people everywhere follow Islam. Revealing this goal would only increase opposition among the most wicked of all creatures, those who resist Islam.
It follows it is not in the interest of Muslims to reveal Islam’s connection to ghayra violence. To reveal this connection would alert non-Muslims to disparage Islam or Muslims and, at worst, might stimulate non-Muslims to resist Islam. The Muslims’ best course of action – the way that minimizes opposition to the spread of deen – is to deceive non-Muslims into believing Muslims follow the same moral ideas they follow. Only in that way will Islam not appear to threaten the moral and political order of koffar society.
Our conclusion is that deceiving non-Muslims about Islam’s connection to ghayra violence is obligatory, so non-Muslims will not perceive the difference between their morality and sharia and threaten the spread of deen. Good news again for our Muslim spokespeople! But of course, they knew this all the time. Now you do, too.
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