Religion & Spirituality - 26 March 2007

Examples:

"He is sovereign and almighty and holy...We are not."

"Prayer is energy deliberated from your heart. Good spirits get attracted to that energy, and bad spirits get away from it."

"We serve Him, and seek to do His will...unconditionally...whether we understand it or not. When we ask, according to His will, He will grant it."

"If you are hearnestly and sincerely seeking God, then you will find HIM."

God seems even less relevant when the language used to describe him comes from the days when they burned witches and the highest form of medical treatment involved leaches.

To what do you attribute the reversions to King James' English?

2007-03-26 11:01:06 · 22 answers · asked by NHBaritone 7

The following prophecies were never fulfilled:

A. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).

B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).

C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)

D. Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "God will be King over all the world -- on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9).

"Christians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming, but Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright, and no concept of a second coming exists."

http://www.aish.com/spirituality/philosophy/Why_Dont_Jews_Believe_In_Jesus$.asp

2007-03-26 11:00:22 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous

I hate all religions. I don't really hate all religious people, but I think they are foolish for believing in a god that no one can prove exists. Science can prove more of why miracles happen than what religion can. I have never belived in a god because I need proof to make me believe somthing, and there is no proof that God exists. I fear and despise religion of all forms, and I admire science. Science is the future, not religion. I view religion as hypocrisy. They say they give hope to many people, but they scare more people with their constant Apocalyptic predictions. I remember the fear I felt when I was a kid when I had to listen to all of their trash about how we had to follow all of these rules or else we'd go to hell and that the Apocalpse is near. I think all religion should be abolished, as it is the cause of many of the world's problems, and we'd be better of without it.

2007-03-26 10:59:54 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous

I like it, its a good thing. When I ask questions in other sections, hardly anyone answers them.

2007-03-26 10:59:16 · 17 answers · asked by ana_is_a_cat 4

2007-03-26 10:59:11 · 17 answers · asked by euro_girl 2

Do you think that if potiphar's wife had known that her story would have been known throughout history, she would have acted differently; or would she have gotten a tattoo on the small of her back and owned up to it.

If you're completely confused see Genesis chapter 39.

2007-03-26 10:58:50 · 4 answers · asked by www 2

so if god wrote the bible, how long did it take him to use spell checker because it wasnt invented back then. when spell checker was inventer was he like god damn i wish i would have thought of that, and then he destroyed louisianna?

wait thats right.....right?

2007-03-26 10:58:11 · 11 answers · asked by its not gay if... 2

2007-03-26 10:57:47 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous

In the days of old, when something was not understood, it was easy for one to say, "by God's hand" or "By the Grace of God"; but as mankind has progressed he has found many answers that have shown that not by a God but by other factors did these things seem to be confusing. In General, we men have blamed GOD for our worst lifes consequences and begged God for relief from our suffering. We men have reached as far as we can to try to convince God to behold man as intelligent and loving; but to what avail? To where we kill each other because we believe differently. It is a sad thing that we do "In The Name of God" when I believe it is actually US that sin upon one another because we try to force Gods hand! IF I DO This Surely God will come forth and show the world he is behind me! Do you Love God? Do you Love Life? Well Life needs Love, obviously God does not otherwise he wouldn't have us so confused living in agony and misery trying to figure him out. I Love Your Life so save me

2007-03-26 10:56:18 · 4 answers · asked by YippyYahQQ 1

2007-03-26 10:55:09 · 5 answers · asked by artventura_maruf 1

As enthralling as many present-day conversion stories may be, it is to the first converts to Islam, the Sahaba, that we should look for inspiration, writes American convert, Yahiya Emerick.

Many people have asked me lately how I came to Islam. It is not an unusual question for a convert to be asked. Every person who accepts Islam has a unique story and tale to tell. I remember getting one of the books filled with "convert stories" and being enthralled for days at the variety of experiences people have.

Many "born" Muslims, as they call themselves, take a great interest in such convert stories as well. It reaffirms their faith and strengthens their resolve. After all, if people are accepting Islam in droves today, even though Islam has been stigmatized in popular and secular culture all over the world, there must be a hidden value. Reading what others see in accepting the Islamic Way of Life reinforces our awareness of this value.

There is another valuable source of convert stories as well. A source which can have an even greater effect on your Eman and Taqwa than contemporary sources. I would recommend that people spend more time reading these stories than those of modern converts. This other source is the stories of the Sahaba (Companions of the Prophet).

Did you know that almost all of the Sahaba were converts to Islam? Every last one of them has a unique story and quite a few have suspense-filled adventures on their way to the truth. Sometimes when I read about one of them, I find parallels in my own journey to Islam. Other times I find myself amazed at the power of the human spirit to overcome even the most insurmountable obstacles.

My personal favorites among the Sahaba are Fatimah, Salman al Farsi, Abu Darda, Abu Dharr al Ghiffari, 'Umar, Mu'adh ibn Jabal and Umm Ammarah. (My wife holds the story of Julaybib close to her heart.) In my humble understanding, I feel every Muslim should make it a point to be familiar with the stories of at least ten of the Sahaba. Skim through a book of their biographies, pick a few that seem to interest you and then read in detail. Compare their examples. How did they interact with the Prophet and others? What lessons are there for our own lives today?

I sometimes find myself wishing that in study circles and Tarbiyya sessions that Muslims would move away from repeating the same worn-out old topics (lessons of the Hijrah, significance of Surah al 'Asr) and explore other, deeper themes that are more relevant. The struggles, achievements and trials of the Sahaba have a timeless relationship to what people face in every age.

Is it any wonder that the Blessed Prophet advised us to follow the example of his Sahaba and even Allah, Himself, praises the Sahaba in many places in the Qur'an. Today our children's heroes are basketball players, fashion models, singers and movie stars. People who do nothing important. All they are is entertainers. They teach nothing good in a real sense, they contribute nothing to society and all they do is present an example of a wild and wealthy lifestyle which makes our children want to duplicate it.

What of the Heroes of Islam? Time and time again I have seen Khatibs, lecturers and scholars mention the names of Sahaba and others to an audience which was filled with people who didn't know anything about those names. The speaker may feel flushed with pride mentioning those names, but his or her listeners don't know the deep implications and significance.

That's a whole other topic, of course: the gap between the scholars (who live in a dream world) and the masses of the Muslims (who are cut off from most Islamic knowledge). I'll save that for another column. Suffice it to say, by reading the stories of those who have accepted Islam, we ourselves can learn jewels of wisdom which can permeate our own experience and make us better Muslims.

Every parent, school and teacher must make certain that our children know at least ten Sahaba stories in a meaningful and relevant way. Then our children will look to the real giants of history as their heroes and born Muslims can get a sense of pride in their way of life that goes beyond, far beyond what stories those of us converts of today can tell.

Do I have any suggestions for you to begin? Of course, that's the whole reason I write this column month after month. I want improvement. Business as usual may be fine in a dilapidated Muslim country, but the Islamic movement is alive and kicking in America. I want to see it stabilize and become a permanent part of this nation's fabric.

As far as books to read for the stories of the Sahaba, there are three main sources I recommend: "The Beauty of the Righteous and Ranks of the Elite" (Akili) "The Companions of the Prophet" (Hamid) and "Hayatus Sahaba" (Kandhalvi). These three sources are available just about everywhere. If you don't know where to get them you can call a Muslim bookstore and they can send them to you. Here's a couple of phone numbers you can try: 1-800-337-4287 or 1-718-721-4246.

There you have it! The names of three great sources for learning and the numbers where to get them. It just doesn't get any better than this! After reading one or all of these books, choose ten Sahaba which you feel most drawn towards and then accept this further challenge. Sit down with some paper and a pen and write a short essay to yourself about what impresses you most about each Sahaba and what lessons you can draw for your own life.

Save those essays and read them again every few years or months as you need to. If you're feeling down or helpless or stressed you can center yourself by reading the examples of others who had even tougher struggles than us and who came through with flying colors. Let's not be like the people that Allah spoke about, the people who are like donkeys carrying piles of books. Let's apply our reading, make it meaningful for our lives and do something with it. Will you accept this challenge? I will.
http://www.islamfortoday.com/companions.htm

2007-03-26 10:54:18 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous

or a caverliar?

xxx

2007-03-26 10:52:58 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous

And tell you to "study the bible more" are you so afraid to admit contradictions exist? No religion is perfect, i admit but don't try to state contradictions DON'T exist when they clearly do. maybe you are just too afraid to accept them?

2007-03-26 10:51:20 · 32 answers · asked by Banana tree 4

If, in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no more death, why does the Bible say there WILL still be physical death in the New Heaven and New Earth (Isaiah 65:20, 66:24)?

2007-03-26 10:51:20 · 7 answers · asked by uiop b 3

If Jesus truly performed obvious miracles, why didn't everyone accept him?

2007-03-26 10:51:11 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous

...dont use halal slaughtered meat

2007-03-26 10:50:15 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous

Do you not know of the love of the FSM? I can't wait for my beer volcano and factory of strippers!

2007-03-26 10:49:41 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous

Since they have features of both genders, they are "allowed" to pick which gender they feel they most relate to. So they can say, "I FEEL female, I'll be a female."

My question is, why are they allowed to choose that, but other people are not? If a non-hermaphrodite male says "I feel female" he is considered as sinning by many Christians.

But who is to say that the hermaphrodite has chosen right, just because he/she has chosen on the basis of feeling?

In the case of the non-hermaphrodite male who feels like a female inside, he is said to have chosen wrong.

How would you ever know if the hermaphrodite has chosen wrong?

Might he/she be sinning and not even know it?

2007-03-26 10:49:32 · 13 answers · asked by Heron By The Sea 7

And why doens't god heal amputees
And why doesn't god just let us into heaven because he's all knowing and knows we can fall into sin
And why was the "New Testament" written and why don't we use the Old testament anymore!!??!?!?!??!?!?

2007-03-26 10:49:23 · 7 answers · asked by ry s 1

I submit that nowhere in the bible does it say the purpose of creating a woman was to make a wife for man!

2007-03-26 10:49:17 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

I dont want to give the details, just please...help.

2007-03-26 10:48:59 · 16 answers · asked by CM 3

My fellow man, my brother in this time, my heart beats now as does yours and we share the air of this world. Am I robing you of the breath you take because I need it as well? Why then does God allow us to fight one another when ALL of us want to find peace and happiness, to be cherished and Loved and to be Loved in return? Why does he keep us ignorant to who he is. As the world turns each day it comes closer to an end. To me, this end will not destroy life AS WE KNOW IT! Why would I want a God to come down and destroy this? I don't! I want to see mankind find the joy for life in his heart that I have without needing to rely on the evil creation of man called GOD!

2007-03-26 10:48:46 · 2 answers · asked by YippyYahQQ 1

Islam Hijacked
Rabbi Reuven Firestone, author of "Jihad: The Origin of Holy War in Islam" and Professor of Medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, offers his insights into the events of September 11.

The queries have come in steadily since the great increase in suicide bombings by Muslim Palestinians during the past year, but since Sept. 11, they have come virtually non-stop. "Does Islam condone suicide? Does Islam condone killing noncombatants? Does Islam teach that a martyr who enters heaven gets the pleasure of 70 virgins? Does Islam really teach the universal doctrine of ‘Islam or the sword?’ Does Islam hate Jews and Judaism?" or, "Does Islam fundamentally hate anyone and anything not Muslim or Islamic?"

Americans know almost nothing about Islam beyond what they pick up from films and novels and news reports (much of it erroneous). Israelis probably know even less, though many have the bad habit of claiming (with some swagger) that they know Muslims because they live with them. The truth of the matter is that Israelis don’t live with Muslims, hardly see them beyond what they see on their own televisions, and tend to have an extremely distorted view of Islam. We few who know something about Islam are bombarded with questions and asked for interviews, but given the hurry and the nature of media discourse, the short answers often confuse more than clarify.

Simplistic clarifications by so-called "Muslim scholars" often confuse the situation even more, because virtually any Muslim can claim to be a scholar and speak on behalf of Islam. From my own experience, many of them seem not to know what they are talking about.

So how do we arrive at the truth about Islam? Is it a fundamentally violent and hateful religion, as its detractors have claimed? Or is it a religion of compassion and reason, as its Muslim adherents insist? To answer this question, we must first look inward. How have its champions and its enemies characterized Judaism? We have suffered the abuse of religious character assassination by those who not only have hated us, but also by those who have feared us. Anyone who can read is able to find excerpts in translation from the Bible and from our Talmud and midrash that would curdle the blood of any innocent reader who doesn’t know the context of the citations. Our great King David arranged the murder of an innocent man because he lusted over the poor man’s wife (2 Samuel 11). Rabbis incinerate their opponents (Shabbat 34a, Sanhedrin 100a). The Torah even calls for mass extermination, for genocide of the native Canaanite inhabitants of the land (Deuteronomy 7). It is just as easy to find violent material in the Quran and in the second most important source of Islamic religious teaching: the Hadith literature (parallel to Oral Law in Judaism). It almost need not be said that one can just as well find material urging compassion for the needy, the poor, the homeless, the orphan and widow.

One of my criticisms of self-proclaimed pundits of Islam is that they do not cite their sources. Take a look at some of the key issues that lie at the core of the questions listed above.

About a week before the suicide massacres and destruction of the World Trade Center towers in New York, "60 Minutes" claimed to have interviewed a Palestinian working for and with suicide bombers intending to kill Israelis. Interviewed in Arabic, the English voice-over translation had the man claiming that a martyr who enters Paradise will enjoy the sexual pleasures of 70 or 72 virgin women.

A number of self-proclaimed Muslim scholars accused "60 Minutes" of distorting the transcript and demanded an apology. They claimed to have heard the original Arabic in spite of the loud English voice-over and emphatically stated that he said nothing of the sort. They even went further, to claim that Islam would never teach such a thing. This was clearly an attempt to avoid public embarrassment, but the truth is that according to Islamic lore and tradition, a male who enters heaven enters what we in the West would consider a hedonistic paradise full of physical and sensual pleasures. This is simply a fact. The origin of this view most certainly lies in the context of the extremely stark and difficult life of ancient Bedouin Arabia. Something as simple as the constant flow of water in a stream was considered miraculous, so it would be natural to imagine heaven as flowing with streams of water under the shade of huge trees.

But there are other delights as well, according to a Hadith in an authoritative collection called Sunan al-Tirmidhi, which would be on the shelves of any Muslim scholar. In my edition, published in Beirut, it can be found in a section called "The Book of Description of the Garden," chapter 23, titled "The least reward for the people of Heaven," Hadith number 2562. The Hadith reads literally as follows: "Sawda (Tirmidhi’s grandfather) reported that he heard from Abdullah, who received from Rishdin b. Sa’d, who in turn learned from Amr b. al-Harith, from Darraj, from Abul-Haytham, from Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, who received it from the Apostle of God [Muhammad]: The least [reward] for the people of Heaven is 80,000 servants and 72 wives, over which stands a dome of pearls, aquamarine and ruby, as [wide as the distance] between al-Jaabiyya and San’a." That these 72 wives are virgin is confirmed by Quran (55:74) and commentaries on that verse. Al-Jaabiyya was a suburb of Damascus, according to the famous 14th century commentator, Isma’il Ibn Kathir, so one personal jeweled dome would stretch the distance from Syria to Yemen, some 1,600 miles.

Was this tradition intended to be believed literally? Do Muslims believe it literally? Are they required to? This particular Hadith has technical weaknesses in its chain of transmitters and is therefore not considered impeccable, though it is listed in an authoritative collection. As a result, Muslims are not required to believe in it, though many inevitably do (but an even more respectable Hadith with virtually the same message can be found in Tirmidhi K. Fada’il al-Jihad 25:1663). I am sure that many believe that they will experience incredible physical pleasures when they enter heaven. I personally have no problem with that. Religions inevitably expect their adherents to believe things that would seem absurd to believers of other religions.

The more important question is, who is privileged to enter heaven according to Islam? Does a suicide bomber who kills innocent people merit entrance into heaven? The answer to this question would appear to be quite clear. Because Islam is a religious civilization that has been associated with political power for many centuries, its religious scholars have had the responsibility to deal with issues of state and with issues of war. Islam, therefore, has a lot to say on such issues. On the issue of suicide and harming innocents, Islam is unambiguous.

The four schools of Islamic law expressly forbid the harming of noncombatants. These include women, children, monks and hermits, the aged, blind and insane. In the most authoritative collection of Hadith, the Sahih al-Bukhari (The Book of Jihad, chapters 147-147, Hadiths 257-258), Muhammad expressly disapproves and then forbids the slaying of women and children. "A woman was found killed during one of the Apostle of God’s battles, so the Apostle of God forbade the killing of women and children." This message is found in a number of authoritative collections and has been formalized in the legal literature. Islam also expressly forbids suicide, the punishment for which is eternal reenactment of the act and revisitation of the pain. Sahih al-Bukhari (K. Jana’iz 82:445-446) has the following on the authority of the Prophet: "Whoever commits suicide with a piece of iron will be punished with the same piece of iron in Hell. Whoever commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in Hell [forever], and whoever commits suicide by stabbing shall keep on stabbing himself in Hell [forever]."

On the other hand, martyrdom in war for Islamic cause is praised extensively throughout the literature. The Quran teaches (3:169): "Do not consider those killed [while engaging] in God’s cause dead. Rather, they live with their Lord, who sustains them!" The Quranic idiom, "killed while engaging in God’s cause" is a reference to martyrdom for acting on being a Muslim, whether as a persecuted and powerless individual or as a warrior fighting for the expansion of the world of Islam. Perhaps the most compelling expression is composed of the idioms found in the most authoritative sources and attributed to the Prophet, "Paradise is [found] under the shade of swords," or "Paradise is under the gleam of swords" (Sahih Bukhari, Jihad, 22:73). Muhammad’s companion, Abu Hurayra, said that he heard the Prophet say: "By the One in Whose hands is my soul [i.e., by God], I would love to be martyred [while engaged] in God’s cause, then be resurrected, then martyred, then resurrected, then martyred, then resurrected, and then martyred" (Sahih Bukhari, Jihad 7:54). A Hadith in Sunan al-Tirmidhi states that in contrast to the suicide, the martyr does not even feel the pain of his death (Fada’il al-Jihad, 26:1663). He is also forgiven all his sins and has the right to intercede on behalf of his own family to enter Heaven.

So suicide is forbidden, killing of noncombatants is forbidden, but martyrdom is rewarded with entrance into heaven and, therefore, with great material rewards in the world to come. We are beginning to uncover the complexity of the problem. It rests to a great extent on interpretation and the authority of those who make the interpretations. One stable person’s definition of suicide may be interpreted as martyrdom by a fanatic. All these categories may be easily manipulated by fanatical, desperate, or evil people. A reasonable person’s obvious identification of innocent noncombatants may be categorized as Satan’s hordes by someone who is desperate and confused. Add to this the fact that most, though not all, suicide bombers are in desperate economic straits.

We need to add one more ingredient to an already complex soup, and this is the perception of the West (and the West includes Israel) among many Muslims who live in the Middle East. The West prides itself with having brought many gifts to the civilized world: tolerance, democracy, pluralism, freedom. To the natives of many parts of the world that were exploited by colonialism, imperialism and today’s "globalism," these noble contributions are meaningless. Many Muslims in the Middle East see them as no more than slogans that attempt to hide the true intent of the West: political and religious domination and economic exploitation.

To a poor peasant or middle-class urban dweller who suffers the loss of children to disease, lacks opportunities for improvement, and has a grim and downtrodden daily existence while watching TV-movie portrayals of Western wealth and decadence, it is not a stretch to conceive of the United States and Israel as the greater and lesser Satans.

Of course, local corrupt leadership often takes advantage of such sentiment in order to prop up its own crooked regimes. In fact, the secular leaders of Muslim countries have always tried to manipulate Islamic symbols and images in order to manipulate their populations. Add this also to our soup. Islam is a noble and compassionate religion, but like all good things, Islam may be cynically used and manipulated. Misguided people may also manipulate it in good faith.

The outrageously unstable political situation in the Middle East, the terrible economic situation, the lack of freedoms and lack of a tradition of open inquiry for the past six centuries all contribute to an environment of suspicion and bitterness.

Whom can you trust, if not God? But God has also been manipulated, and this is the saddest aspect of the complex we call the Middle East. God has been hijacked by terrorists. Islam is not the problem. Terrorism is the problem, and terrorists have hijacked both Islam and God.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This article appeared originally in The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, September 28, 2001
http://www.islamfortoday.com/firestone01.htm

2007-03-26 10:48:19 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous

What's logical about it? I'm not asking this in an insulting way by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just looking for some insight. Thanks. Let's just say that an Agnostic was looking to decide whether to stay Agnostic or become an Atheist. What would you tell that person to help them possibly make that decision? Respectful answers please.

2007-03-26 10:47:04 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-03-26 10:46:00 · 20 answers · asked by JayDee 2

In each case, they feel as though they have been taught and are fully versed. In each case, the result is the same. What's the difference? If there is none then why can't God do this for all of us and skip the painful lesson?

2007-03-26 10:45:21 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-03-26 10:45:14 · 32 answers · asked by Anonymous

God, like usually, talks to Bush. Yo George, today in Iraq 3Brazilian soldiers died.
Oh God but this is catastrophic, isn`t this the apocalypse?
But calm down George it`s not that bad after all. Yeah well, if you say so but God....How much is a brazilion?

2007-03-26 10:44:14 · 15 answers · asked by Sir Alex 6

Try it late at night when the divide between good and bad fragile. Try asking yahoo answers stuff and its like its possessed with hundreds,maybe thousands of lost souls all trying to give misleading advice.

Does the devil go on the internet?

2007-03-26 10:43:49 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous

OK, I have read the bible, almost the entire bible, excluding a few minor prophets I haven't finished yet.

Please!!! No rude comments trying to convince me to be a certain religion.

All I want to know is where the inconsistencies in the bible are! Just give me the book, chapter and verse and where it contradicts something else. Thanks!

2007-03-26 10:42:34 · 32 answers · asked by Julia 4