Society & Culture - 6 December 2007

so often, i here some form of pascal's wager being asked by christians to atheists. it makes me wonder. is this a natural thought that just pops into the average christian's mind? or is it a question that they were asked by some other christian? it seems all to common of a question to just be coincidental. to those who have asked this question, not realizing it's been asked thousands of times over, was this just a natural idea that occured to you, or were you presented with it by another christian?

for those who don't know what i'm talking about yet. pascal's wager refers to the christian argument, where choosing to believe in god is the best choice. the reasoning goes, if i believe and i'm right, i get to go to heaven. if i believe and i'm wrong, nothing happens to me. if i don't believe and i'm right nothing happens. however, if i don't believe and i'm wrong, i go to hell. the argument begins to fall apart however when you consider both may be wrong...

2007-12-06 07:29:05 · 18 answers · asked by just curious (A.A.A.A.) 5 in Religion & Spirituality

In Elementary school it seemed like we gave everybody a little gift for X-mas. There were only 1 or 2 teachers she had. How about High School teachers? My daughter has a teacher for every subject, plus clubs. Do we give them all a gift? Or is it not common anymore in high school to give everybody a gift. What do you do, how do you handle gift giving to teachers????

2007-12-06 07:27:15 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Christmas

2007-12-06 07:27:03 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

2007-12-06 07:25:55 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

2007-12-06 07:25:38 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

A PA atheist group that's tried for years to prevent public religious displays at Christmas, has tried a new tactic

The Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia wants to put up its own holiday display. The group's display is entitled "The Tree of Knowledge" and it will feature a 15ft evergreen with copies of book covers as "ornaments." Some of the book covers will include the Bible, the Quran, "Ethics Without God," "Why I Am Not a Christian," & "Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism."
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While I'm thrilled they want to do something more productive than trying to prevent us celebrating Christmas ....couldn't they have found a different name. This seems to me as a direct reference to the Bible where Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge.

Another thing that's bugging me is why Christmas. Can't they leave this time of year to the 85% of Americans who believe in God for celebrating Christmas. Why now can't they get their own time when nothing else is going on ?

2007-12-06 07:24:46 · 31 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

2007-12-06 07:24:44 · 22 answers · asked by ? 6 in Religion & Spirituality

"It was, of course, a lie...I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly."

2007-12-06 07:24:40 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

That Society and the Laws recognize you have the same rights of Man and Woman in Holy Matrimony?

Do you care that GOD does not bless your union? that no where in Scripture can you have a religious ceremony uniting a same sex couple in Holy Matrimony?

So is what you want is for Society to recognize a Holy Union because you know GOD does not?

If you do think that somehwere in scripture you could use a verse any verse for GOD to bless a Same Sex Union in Holy Matrimony
What scripture or verse would that be?

2007-12-06 07:23:17 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

"I said there are no gods, full-stop. You said that you don't BELIEVE that there are any gods. Well, you sir, are a godamn SOB liar!!!!"

*tosses grendade*

2007-12-06 07:22:25 · 6 answers · asked by Brandon's been a dirty Hore 5 in Religion & Spirituality

Let's just say that there is an Adam for every Eve, and an Eve for every Adam on this planet. Once God makes a man, he's gotta make a woman, so he pulls out the rib and makes a woman, and sends them out into the world connected by an invisible string that only he can break. Let's just say that through twists and turns these two just may find eachother.

Aww... isn't it truly poetic?
So, who's 'rib' are you?

2007-12-06 07:21:31 · 6 answers · asked by Tiger 2 in Religion & Spirituality

And do you prefer them scary or a nicer-humane version?

I prefer werewolves out of the two because they are more interesting. I like them because they're a sign of pity and a sign of damnation. Sort of like a human--to be pitied and damned.

Vampires are a close second too and I prefer them scary like Anne Rice's vampires.

2007-12-06 07:21:15 · 19 answers · asked by ? 6 in Mythology & Folklore

Bismillah al rahman alrahim

Muslim scholars do not speak in one voice on this subject. Some claim that the Prophet (s) is sinless or infallible ONLY in the delivery of Allah's message. Other than that, he (s), just like others, sins and makes mistakes in many things.

This faction of scholers base their opinion on the traditions narrated in their books about how the Prophet falls asleep and forgets the prayer time, and even forgets to perform the necessary ablution (Wudu) for prayer . Furthermore, they claim that he used to sit with Aisha umm almuminin and watch a dance with music . They also claim that he (s) was affected by a magical spell that caused severe episodes of hallucination on his part. These are but a FEW of the most heinous of acts that these "scholars" attribute to the Mercy to Mankind, the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (s).

Note that according to other Muslim scholers, these traditions are NOT authentic, nor do they constitute ANY truth whatsoever. Again, these traditions were inserted into their books by the Umayad, among others, to justify their own corruption and insolence. For when the Prophet (s) sins so heinously as they depict him (s) in the above traditions, we can no longer blame Uthman, or Muawiyah, or Yazid, or Amr Ibn al-Aas, among others, when they sin. It is to their advantage to portray the Prophet (s) as a man who listens to music and watches a dance with his wife, to justify the dancing and the music that was (and still is) rampant in their palaces.

The current state of the Ummah is NOT because a few of us aren't praying or fasting,; it is because some people have CHANGED and MUTILATED the religion of Allah (SWT) to satisfy their lusts, just like the Christians and Jews did. That's exactly what we have fallen into. We sin, then we say: so what -- the Prophet (s) himself was a sinner! Purified be the prophets and messengers of Allah (SWT) from being of such a sinful nature! By Allah, to say such a thing is more of an insult to Allah, than it is to the prophet and messengers. Because when we assert that Allah sends forth sinful men, we are claiming that Allah (SWT) Himself approves of sin; or why, then, would he send forth a sinful man? Yet, on the other hand, Allah (SWT) forbids us from doing evil! What kind of twisted logic is this? Exalted be Allah (SWT) from such an insult!

The prophets and messengers of Allah, with NO exception, are sinless and infallible, even before they became prophets and messengers. For instance, although Prophet Muhammad (s) became Messenger at the age of forty, i assert that even in the first forty years of his life, he was sinless and infallible -- an assertion that history attests to as well.

It is indeed frustrating to conceive of a human being who is NOT sinful. So, let us first define the concept of infallibility:

According to the scholar Muhammad Jawad Mughniyah , in his book "al-Islam Wa al-'Aql -- Islam and Reason," the concept of Ismah (Infallibility) is very often misunderstood. What we mean by that concept is that a prophet, by virtue of his prophethood, has a pure soul. As the Quran states:

"...the (human) soul certainly incites evil, UNLESS my lord do bestow His Mercy... (12:53)"
Clearly Allah (SWT) has made an exception (by using the term "UNLESS") to the human soul that incites evil. We can understand, based on Shi'ite philosophy, that the attachment of the soul (Nafs) to being is that of a relationship of control and administration. Therefore, the soul may incite evil; but the individual has the freedom and the authority to reject that invitation to evil. If the individual accepts the invitation to evil, he becomes accountable for that evil which he commits. This is a very simplified explanation, but it serves the purpose.

Now, the prophets or the messengers, are among the exception as Allah (SWT) has indicated. That is, there is something in the soul of these virtuous HUMANS that precludes the incitement of evil, and as such they never commit it. Their virtue is so high that they never even think of committing a sin. It is NOT that if a prophet or a messenger wanted to commit a sin, he can't; rather, it is that "Mercy," mentioned in the above verse, that is bestowed upon him from Allah (SWT) that precludes him from doing so. As such, he is sinless and infallible even though they have full ability of committing any kind of sin.

When Satan refused to prostrate to Adam, He was driven away and became an accursed one. Quran states that thereupon Satan said:

15:39
He said: My Lord, Because You has sent me astray, verily I shall adorn the path of error for them on the earth, and shall deceive them all.
15:40
Except those of them who are Your perfectly devoted Servants.
15:41
(Allah) said: "This (Way of My sincere servants) is indeed a Way that leads straight to Me.
15:42
Lo! as for My slaves, you have NO way into them except the wrong-doers who follow you.
15:43
And verily for all such people, hell is the promised place.

It is clear from the above conversation that Allah has promised that Satan has NO WAY into His sincere Servants, and only wrong-doers will follow the Satan. Thus the Sincere Servants of Allah are not wrong-doers and shall not be deceived. Also Allah confirms that the Path of His Sincere Servants is a path which leads straight to Him. All these facts prove that the Sincere Servants of Allah never fall into the trap of Satan, and as such they are infallible, due to Allah's Mercy.

One side remark here is that there is no mention of "prophet" or "messenger" in the above verses. In other words, the "perfectly devoted Servants" who are infallible are not necessarily "prophets" or "messengers". The issue of the infallibility of the Imams will be discussed in a separate article, however.


(((The Quran Speaks About the Prophets)))


First, it would be of help to take a look at the commandment of obeying the messenger, to see how all-encompassing and all-pervading this commandment is, and how great the authority of the messenger of Allah is. Allah states in Quran:

"And we did not send any messenger, unless he should be obeyed by Allah's authority." (Quran 4:64)
The prophet or the messenger of God is to be obeyed and followed; the followers ARE NOT EXPECTED TO CHECK EVERY ORDER OF THE PROPHET to decide what is to be obeyed and what is not to be obeyed. There is no way to check his commands, because he himself gave us all the rules and divine laws in the form of Scripture and his traditions (sayings/actions/satisfactions). If we become suspicious to some of the actions of the prophet, this suspicion can cause all his commands and laws that he has already conveyed to go under question. This shows that the prophets and messengers were free from error and sin; otherwise Allah would not have ordered people to obey them UNCONDITIONALLY.

There are many verses in which Allah commands us to obey the prophet:

"O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and do not burn your deeds (by disobeying him)." (Quran 47:33)
Allah, Exalted, also states:

"Whoever obeys the Messenger, he indeed obeys Allah." (Quran 4:80)
In the above verses as well as many other verses of the Quran, obedience of Allah has become synonymous with the obedience of the prophets. Such assertion would have been impossible if the prophets were not infallible (Ma'soom). Now, note the following verse:

"....and obey not from among them a sinner or an ungrateful one." (Quran 76:24)
The picture is complete! "The prophets are to be obeyed," and "the sinners are NOT to be obeyed." The only conclusion is that the prophets were NOT sinners or wrong-doers. In other words, they were infallible (Ma'soom) and sinless.

Looking specially at the Holy Prophet of Islam, Allah tells us:

"And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and from whatever he forbids you, keep back." (Quran 59:7)
This is another indication that WHATEVER the Prophet (PBUH&HF) offered must be accepted unconditionally and with no doubt. This means that the permission or prohibition of the Holy Prophet was always in accordance with the will of Allah and was always favored by Him. It proves that the Holy Prophet was protected (Ma'soom). No one can be so sure about the commands of a man who is not infallible.

Now, if the Prophet (PBUH&HF) was a sinner as some people falsely allege, then how can Allah (SWT) order us to accept that which could be sinful? Fear Allah (SWT) in your reasoning. For those who argue that the above verse is specific ONLY to religious injunctions, and the Prophet (s) is sinless in that matter only, I would say such assertion is baseless. This is a basic rule that to the time that there is no exclusion or condition or particularization has been mentioned in conjunction with a text of Quran, it covers all aspects. Second, EVERYTHING the Prophet (s) spoke had something to do with Allah (SWT) and His religion; then how can you claim that Allah (SWT) is making a separation? Haven't you heard what Aisha said when she was asked about the Prophet's behavior? She said: "His life was the Quran, especially the first ten verses of the Chapter al-Noor, the Light." Now, if the Prophet's (PBUH&HF) life was the Quran verbatim, how can he (PBUH&HF) be a sinner? That means that the Quran is full of sinful things! Exalted be Allah (SWT) from revealing such a book!!! There is another verse in which Allah said:

"(O prophet) tell (people) If you really love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins." (Quran 3:31)
Here the love of Allah is made contingent on following the orders of the Prophet of Islam. Both sides of love are included in it. If you love Allah follow the Prophet; if you follow the Prophet, Allah will love you. Does it not show that the Prophet was absolutely free from any type of blemish?

Not only the orders of the Prophet, but also all his decisions are protected from error for Allah said to his Prophet:

But no by thy Lord! They can have no (real) Faith until they make thee judge in ALL disputes between them and find in their souls no resistance against thy decisions but accept them with the fullest conviction. (Quran 4:65)
If ALL the decisions of the Prophet should be accepted unconditionally, then the Prophet should be protected from error in ALL his decisions.

Beside his actions and his decisions, even any single word of his speeches was the Commands of Allah. Almighty states in the Quran:

53:1
By the Star when it sets,
53:2
Your companion (i.e., Prophet) does not err/wander, nor is he deceived
53:3
Nor does he speak out of his desire;
53:4
It is no less than a revelation that is revealed.
53:5

The Mighty in Power has taught him.

The above verses not only proves that the Prophet did not err or sin, but also testifies that all his speeches were revelation (either directly or indirectly). These verses unequivocally clears the Messenger of Allah (s) from EVER saying ANYTHING of his (s) own desire. That includes his (s) tradition and the Quran. For those who argue otherwise, don't forget that the tradition is used in ANY interpretation of the Quran; and in matters of Jurisprudence (Fiqh), as well as in other areas. If the tradition is corrupt because you claim that the Prophet (s) is a sinner (May Allah forgive us!!!), then the interpretation of the Quran is also corrupt!!! Fear Allah (SWT) in your reasoning! For those who claim that the Prophet (s) is sinless in the delivery of the Message of Allah (SWT), and that includes the Hadith, then you have already admitted what the Shia say!!! It is unanimously agreed that the Sunnah of the Prophet covers the Prophet's sayings, actions, and thought/satisfaction. Since the Sunnah are reflections of the Prophet's actions, he (s) is then sinless in the actions as well.

Allah also said:

"Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate? And removed from thee thy burden? That which weighed down thy back? And exalted the esteem (in which) thou (art held)?..." (Quran 94:1-4)

I will not personally comment on the above verse, but here's what Abdullah Yusuf Ali, translator of the Quran, has to say in his footnotes to the verse:

"(This is also) the prayer of Moses (asking for the expansion of the breast). The breast is symbolically the seat of knowledge and the highest feelings of love and affection, the treasure-house in which are stored the jewels of that quality of human character which approaches nearest to the divine. The holy Prophet's human nature had been PURIFIED, EXPANDED, and ELEVATED, so that he became a Mercy to all Creation. Such a nature could afford to ignore the lower motives of ordinary humanity which caused shameful attacks to be made on him. Its strength and courage could also bear the burden of the galling work which it had to do in DENOUNCING SIN, SUBDUING IT, and protecting Allah's (SWT) creatures from its oppression.

It is indeed a grievous and galling burden for a man to fight single- handed against sin. But Allah sends HIS GRACE and aid, and THAT BURDEN IS REMOVED, or converted into joy and triumph in the service of the One True God.
The Prophet's virtues, the magnanimity of his character, and his love for mankind were fully recognized in his lifetime, and his name stands highest among the heroic leaders of mankind. The phrase used here is more comprehensive in meaning that used for various prophets..."
[End of quote from A. Yusuf Ali]

Do I need to say more? Let us see if Allah said any more:

"It is He who has sent His Messenger with the GUIDANCE and the Religion of Truth..." (Quran 9:33)
"And the unbelievers say: Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord? But thou art truly a warner and for EVERY nation there exists a GUIDE." (Quran 13:7)

A Messenger, who rehearses to you the Signs of Allah containing clear explanations, in order to lead forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of Darkness into Light." (Quran 65:11)

The above verses of Quran testify that the Prophet Muhammad (s) was a Guide sent to lead forth people from the depths of Darkness into Light. (65:11) And that he (s) is a warner (27:91) and one of the guides for people. (13:7). Sin is darkness, and as such, how can the Prophet was sent to move people from darkness into light when he himself is sitting in the darkness?! May Allah protect us from slandering His Prophet (s).

Similarly Quran informs us that the Prophet has come to us to sanctify and cleanse us and to teach us wisdom:

As We have sent unto you a messenger from among you who recites unto you Our revelations and cleanses you, and teaches you the Scripture and wisdom, and teaches you that which you knew not. (Quran 2:151)

Allah did bestow a great favor unto the believers when He sent among them an Messenger from among themselves reciting unto them the Signs of Allah sanctifying them and teaching them the Scripture and Wisdom while before that they had been in manifest error. (Quran 3:164)

See also Quran 2:129, 62:2 which also testify that one of the missions of the Prophet (s) was to cleanse the true believers. Then how could a prophet purify others of wrong-doings if he himself were not pure? How could Allah send an impure and sinful person to cleanse others? How could a man teach others wisdom if he had no wisdom to distinguish right from wrong; or worst still, if he had no willpower to resist from doing wrong? The Prophet was to teach people the Book of Allah; this means that he KNEW the Commandment of Allah. He was to purify them and teach them wisdom. This means he himself had wisdom and purity.

Witness to the perfection of his character is found in Quran where Allah states:

"And most certainly you are on sublime morality (exalted standard of character)." (Quran 68:4)
A man committing mistakes does not deserve such compliments. All these verses clearly prove two things:

1. The authority of the Holy Prophet upon the believers was unlimited and all-comprehensive. Any order given by him, under any condition, in any place, at any time, was to be obeyed unconditionally.

2. Supreme authority was given to him because he was Infallible, sinless (Ma'soom) and free from all types of errors and sins. Otherwise, Allah would not have ordered us to obey him with no questioning or doubt.


Do you still think our prophet Muhammad (s) is fallible?

2007-12-06 07:20:50 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Ramadan

I know you guys will never give up hope either which is kind of inspirational..but sad considering it will never happen because he's dead.

2007-12-06 07:19:12 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

Would you kill yourself? Or would you live out the remainder of your life alone?

2007-12-06 07:18:50 · 3 answers · asked by meeting in the aisle 3 in Other - Society & Culture

but deep inside still carry a torch for someone long ago . Do you belive that person was your one and only true love?

2007-12-06 07:18:24 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Senior Citizens

I mean, really. Where in the bible does it say "Thou shalt call yourselves Christians"? Why is this such a hot topic for the anti's? Who. Cares. What. We. Consider. Ourselves? My personal feelings on the subject is if Christians are such an exclusive group that they don't allow people who worship Christ in because they worship Christ, then i don't want to be one.

"*gasp* Oh no she didn't!"

Oh yes I did. I don't want to be a Christian if I have to be likened to some of the "Traditional Christians" I know. And the Jews and TBC don't have a problem with it, why should we?

So why is the "Christian" label so important to you guys? Anyone. I've seen people from all faiths ask this, including atheists, which baffles my mind, but story for another day....

Would Jesus sit here and bicker about who is or isn't his follower? Read Mark 9:38-41.
On that note, isn't the point of being a "Christian" to be more "Christlike"?

2007-12-06 07:16:59 · 19 answers · asked by Princess Ninja 7 in Religion & Spirituality

People were put on this planet about 6000 years ago...

Its in the Bible, see http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%203:23-38;&version=31;

Also in Genesis the ages of many of those people & when they had children are clearly recorded...

Anyway, we know people were placed on the earth not long ago... so... can we atleast get on Wikipedia and start taking down all this science & history mumbo-jumbo, for example

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumer

After Wikipedia has been cleansed... don't stop! Grab your friends, everyone help, lets clean up!

2007-12-06 07:16:56 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

...If you're not close enough to visit them.

2007-12-06 07:15:43 · 26 answers · asked by Cori 3 in Christmas

2007-12-06 07:15:22 · 2 answers · asked by Dawn D 1 in Religion & Spirituality

Keep in mind that I am in 7th grade, and I am not rolling in dough...

2007-12-06 07:14:47 · 3 answers · asked by Mattie 2 in Christmas

No right or wrong answers here - just curious about your thoughts. Thanks.

2007-12-06 07:14:41 · 32 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

and how does it work?

2007-12-06 07:14:11 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

These are meant to be funny, I mean, thought provoking. Oh, heck, just please answer

1. Do bald men wash their heads with soap or shampoo?

2. What color hair do they put on a bald person's driver's license?

2007-12-06 07:13:41 · 15 answers · asked by Lady G 6 in Senior Citizens

2007-12-06 07:12:54 · 32 answers · asked by Anonymous in Senior Citizens

1620 the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth with their Bibles and a conviction derived from those Bibles of establishing a new nation. The Bible was not the King James Version.

The king of England, the Geneva Bible was outspokenly anti-Roman Catholic, Rome was still persecuting Protestants in the sixteenth century. Keep in mind that the English translators were exiles from a nation that was returning to the Catholic faith under a queen who was burning Protestants at the stake. The anti-Roman Catholic sentiment is most evident in the Book of Revelation: "The beast that cometh out of the bottomless pit (Rev. 11:7) is the Pope, which hath his power out of hell and cometh thence." In the end, the Geneva Bible was replaced by the King James Version, but not before it helped to settle America.
Calvin's view that God reigns everywhere and over all things led him to develop the biblical idea that man can serve God in every area of life - church, civil government, education, art, music

2007-12-06 07:12:17 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Religion & Spirituality

If you are giving a gift card...give cash instead or a cheque. something that the person would have an option of using elsewhere.
When it comes to Holiday gifts and people literally exchanging gift cards these days it seems ludicrious ..."jimmy gives Jane a $30 gift card to the GAP and Jane amazingly enough gave a $35 gift gard to Jimmy for the gas station! YOOHOO isnt that the true spirit of giving....

why dont they each buy themselves a present and get together for eggnog around the fireplace to talk about it. It would save two trips to the mall soley spent to buy the darn gift cards.
Buy a real present..make a present or go home!!!

2007-12-06 07:11:27 · 15 answers · asked by Tamara K 2 in Christmas

2007-12-06 07:10:51 · 16 answers · asked by rayb1214 7 in Mythology & Folklore

Why is this?

2007-12-06 07:10:42 · 31 answers · asked by Poppy 4 in Christmas

...and will it hold a special place in your heart because it was
the...FIRST.

2007-12-06 07:09:15 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Senior Citizens