Muslims and the Islam Religion 2016-12

I am not a Muslim, but as a Christian I still do relate to their religion in some ways. I do not believe in all the thoughts that Muslims have and in return they do not believe in many of the things I believe in with Christianity. Regardless, we can exist together, but only if we try to do so……..

That being said, let me just say I do have a feeling of tolerance with what Islam is all about. Tolerance to tolerate, or put up with, conditionally, also to suggest a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices are different from others is a definition that I read. I can live with that word and do so. I was told that I should respect instead of just tolerate Islam, but I do not think I want to do that. Respect is earned and there is nothing that has been done for me that is part of the equation regarding Islam. So I will have tolerance toward those of this faith, and I would hope Muslims can understand this thought process.

There is too much history of Christianity and Islam that I do not want to get into right now. I do feel that if I was a Muslim, I would be concerned as to how the radical, non-moderate Muslims are projecting the thoughts to others about Islam. This means the extremist Muslims that do the horrible actions they do in the name of their faith.  I also believe that Reformist Islamists are a possible way to make the world better in its thinking and actions.

If they would want me to convert to Islam, they are not doing a decent and good job of showing how the religion works. I could get into the history of the time of Mohammad, but will NOT do so now.  I believe that other Muslims have to step up and do a number of things today. And, they will still NOT convert me to Islam; period……

The leaders of Islam in the form of the Ayatollah’s, Imams, Mufti and other religious leaders of the Islam faith, have to decide what they should do to improve the negative feelings of people not of the Islam faith. This may very well be impossible to do for many reasons. Again, reform the Islamic thinking!!!

That being said, I have also read that this may be impossible with the beliefs that Muslims have overall. For instance, I had a problem with trying to understand the thinking of the radical Muslims as stated in the paragraph about radical Muslims. They may NOT look at themselves as radical, or as terrorists, but instead, as true believers that are following the dictates of the founder of their religion. Does this mean killing, kidnapping, etc.? To them, maybe that is so. If this is so, then is the religion of Islam NOT one of peace and love, but instead war and hate? I hope not….. And I still think there is hope for the future with Islam having a key role in changing the thought process of the radicals.

When President Bush declared a war on terror and against terrorism, he did so with no great plan of how we would win that war and, in reality, we are not. You cannot win a war against terrorism. We cannot win a war against the Muslim followers that believe they are right and doing godly things in the name of their god, Allah; just is not going to happen. This group may be able to be curbed to a degree, but winning against those having ideological beliefs that they hold, will be difficult to accomplish.

I have read an article from the Baramas Group that goes into much detail (too much, actually) about various countries that have certain laws on the books about the Islam religion and the state. They do not separate church (mosque) and state, but have a faith based Islamic government. This presents many problems for not only Muslims, but non-Muslims that live there. Sharia law was not a Mohammad idea, but involved later after his death and this needs reformed also.

The countries are Saudi Arabia, that does this, and many of the countries in African and the Far East are also part of this believing atmosphere. I would not want to live in these countries because of this belief system. I would not really know how to react or instead behave there. I guess my living in a country that has religious freedom is where I belong. Even here in the U.S. we have religious freedom, but there is intolerance of other religious that still has an undercurrent here in the U.S. A fact of life!

The radical Muslims that are terrorizing the world are, in a way, on a Crusade of their own. Some decry the Christians for actions taken around 1100 to 1300 AD, whereas the Christians used religion as a means to do many things “in the name of God”. So, in essence, the Muslims that terrorize, are doing so, and many yell “All ahu  Akbar,  or God is Great” , during the course of their dastardly acts. In effect, these radicals are doing the exact same thing as the Medieval Crusaders.

The Islam followers were not really called Muslims then, but instead, Saracen’s. This term was used in the medieval era and was in regard to those living in desert areas in and near the Roman province of Arabia. This word is interesting and I encourage those reading this to look the word up.

Until we as a world, not a country, decide that those that do things in the name of God, are wrong and then when and if we unite as a whole to, NOT COMBAT, but instead seek out those that do the things they do and THEN talk, discuss, rationalize and try to convince them that the old archaic ways of thought, that many of their religious leaders promote, are incorrect for today— we MIGHT make inroads to having a more peaceful co-existence. After reading this long last sentence, I have my doubts that this would work……

Den Betts