Hi all, I really appreciate participating in your forum and will start my posting with a new information discovered in the United States and would like to have your comments on the declared phenomenon.

The Scientific Miracles:

I’m not a religious but astonished to know that Quran contains unbelievable scientific facts discovered just in the last century.

This is really amazing.

· Astronomy!
· Mountains!
· Human Embryology!
· Oceans And Seas!
· The Movement Of Clouds!
· The Cerebrum!
· The Shape Of The Earth!
· The Expansion Of The Universe!
· The Sensory Characteristic Of The Skin!
· Formation Of Iron!
· The Lowest Part On The Face Of The Earth!
· The Sequence Of Day And Night!
· The Snow Age!
· New Diseases!
· Cnn Top Ten Discoveries Of 1998

You can find more info of the Scientists Declaration on the following site:
http://www.islampedia.com/ijaz/Html/..._All/Index.htm

Scientists Declaration

· Keith L.Moore
· E. Marshall Johnson
· T.V.N. Persaud
· Joe Leigh Simpson
· Gerald C. Goeringer
· Alfred Kroner
· Yushidi Kusan
· Professor Armstrong
· William Hay
· Durja Rao
· Professor Siaveda
· Tejatat Tejasen
· Dr. Maurice Bucaille

http://islamicity.com/science/
http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch1-1.htm

Maybe because of these scientific miracles Islam becomes the fastest-growing religion in America and in the world? Although religion is no longer dominates everyday life in Western society.

A NATION CHALLENGED: AMERICAN MUSLIMS; Islam Attracts Converts By the Thousand, Drawn Before and After Attacks
By JODI WILGOREN
Source: The New York Times: October 22, 2001, Monday
Section: National Desk

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/3016/fastest.htm

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." Hillary Rodman Clinton, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3

Famous people are affected too:

Singer "Cat Stevens" Hear his story as told him
http://www.islamtomorrow.net/converts/yusuf_islam.htm

haha ah man

From what I've heard from different friends of mine who have converted to Islam, there are a few main reasons for most conversions.

1. Islam is a religious lifestyle, not just a quick Sunday morning church visit and a label. Although some Christians do pray before each meal and spend much time with their Bible, etc.many don't in the USA. Islam is something that can't be shunted into a few spare hours. You pray five times a day. Your dress code is affected; even your food choices are explained in the Qur'an. Many converts like it because they feel actively involved and as if they are truly religious.

2. For women, it is a big and welcome change from the "in your face" sexuality of western culture. Women are not required by the Qur'an to veil. They are required to dress modestly and it is *recommended* that they cover their hair. However, most do veil and some go farther with niquab (the face screen) or other traditional clothes. Women dressed like this consider themselves marked as religious women, not easy dates. They don't get hit on. No one gawks at their bodies. They are clearly off limits sexually and many that I personally know say it is liberating not to have to conform to western standards of sexy dress, makeup and spending so much time and money on appearance. You buy a five-dollar hijab, put your hair in a ponytail and cover, wear long skirt and a tunic shirt -you're set.

3. Islam is also growing because many people are not satisfied with Christianity. They feel it is too liberal, too fluid and changes for the culture. Islam on the other hand is more rigid and does not as a whole allow much for modern changes and the whims of society. Many like it because they feel other religions have loose standards.

That's what I got from the new Muslimah's group at Yahoo, Islamway women's board and a few other friends of mine. Stats taken by many college groups say that women convert 4 times more often then men.

1. surely there are better things to do than pray for five hours, eat restrictive food, and give up living with anything that isn't listed in a book...why not be a monk, they get long dark robes and have to maintain vows of silence...and nuns to get a headcovering and modest clothing too...

2. how boring, and who says anything about having to conform to standards western society..if people feel they need a god and religion to allow them to stray from the pack?

3. i'll stick with paganism...after all, it would seem if people are converting in that mass of numbers, it'll soon become as commercial as any of them, i can just have more fun celebrating many gods, rather than hiding from life...come to think of it i have seen a larger number of muslims represented in television shows...are they still allowed to beat, maim or murder women who do not behave according to the book?

this would have really done better in religion...

moved from offtopic and the more offensive posts were deleted

This is why muslim nations are shitholes that wouldn't have any progress at all if it weren't for westerners going there to get the oil. You can't accomplish much as a society when you spend that much time on your knees.

The veil is also good for covering bruises from when they are diciplined by their husbands. The rest of that snappy ensemble is great to hide a bomb under.

This explains it. It doesn't allow for "modern changes". That's why you have to go back 1000 years to find progress from the arab world.

If you people wanted to have your sick little wife-beaters cult and leave everyone else alone, that would be fine with me. Problem is, Islam doesn't do that. When you move into an area, you take it over in every way. If a Muslim wants to change religions, they can be killed for it. You people disgust me.

Fortunately, some of us aren't afflicted with the sickness of political correctness, and are willing to call a spade a spade. When the war comes, and don't tell me your fucked up cult isn't preparing for it, you are going to lose. I'd rather leave a scorched earth than let Islam take over.

Yes, although this bull shit artist won't ever admit it. When women are raped, it's the victim who is blamed. Her family can perform an "honor killing" to restore the family pride. That's the victim being murdered, not the rapist. Islam is the sickest, most vile religion that has ever existed.

Just ignore him

Yes, this goes on quite a bit in Afghanistan and other Muslim countries. Oftentimes the woman is burned to death simply because of suspicions that she's been seen with a man.

However, this is a gross misinterpretation of Islam. These cases normally occur in small villages and outlying rural areas, away from major centers of law enforcement. According to Islamic law, a woman suspected of infidelity must be brought to trial and be found guilty before any punishment is meted out. These men, in accordance with petty, self-indulgent religious leaders are actually breaking the laws they claim to uphold. It's more of a cultural problem than a religious one. It isn't the first time in history that backwoods, uneducated dickwads have committed atrocities in the name of religion.

It happens in Palestine all the time.

Oops, for Salem14's benefit I meant to call it Judea, not Palestine.

I don't outbid on Islam. Islam a brilliant religion by itself and doesn't need any preaching or missionary work or me.

I really don’t like misunderstanding of my intentions in this post .It is not an assault on Christianity or any other religion. It is indispensable for me to look for the truth and study comparative religion because if I would like to know whether a religion is true or false, I should not depend on my emotions, feelings, or traditions. Rather, I should depend on my reason and intellect. When God sent the prophets, He supported them with miracles and evidences, which proved that they were truly prophets, send by God and that the religion they came with was true.

We cay say there are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path to God. How can one determine which one is correct or if, in fact, all are correct? The method by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identify the central object of worship to which they call, directly or indirectly. Can we either claim that all men are Gods or that specific men were God or that nature is God or that God is a figment of man's imagination.
It may be argued that all religions teach good things so why should it matter which one we follow. I made some searching and I couldn’t find a sharp answer but I found something interesting stated in the Koran:
Creation-worship is the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts the very purpose of his creation. Man was created to worship Allah alone, consequently, the worship of creation, which is the essence of idolatry, is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of idolatry has sealed his fate in the next life. This is not an opinion, but a revealed fact stated by Allah in his final revelation to man

"Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whom so ever He wishes"(Soorah An- Nisaa 4:48 and 116)

Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles to the religion of India. He did not claim to be God nor did he suggest to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet, today most Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have taken him to be God and prostrate to idols made in their perception of his likeness.

God revealed a holy book to Jesus called the Injeel, some parts of which may be still available in the teachings of God to Jesus in the New Testament. But this does not mean that the Bible we have today because it is not the original scriptures that were revealed by God. They underwent alterations, additions, and omissions. This was also said by the Committee charged with revising The Holy Bible (Revised Standard Version). This Committee consisted of thirty-two scholars who served as members of the Committee. They secured the review and counsel of an Advisory Board of fifty representatives of the co-operating denominations. The Committee said in the Preface to The Holy Bible (Revised Standard Version), p. iv, “Sometimes it is evident that the text has suffered in transmission, but none of the versions provides a satisfactory restoration. Here we can only follow the best judgment of competent scholars as to the most probable reconstruction of the original text.
The Committee also said in the Preface, p. vii, Notes are added which indicate significant variations, additions, or omissions in the ancient authorities (Mt 9.34; Mk 3.16; 7.4; Lk 24.32, 51, etc.).

My question is do we believe in the information declared in the following sites or not:

THE REAL STORY OF MARY
http://geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/3001/storyofmary.htm

THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS
http://sultan.org/articles/Jesus.html

Who Was Jesus According to Jesus?
http://www.islaminfo.com

IS THE BIBLE GODS WORD?
http://www.jamaat.net/bible/Bible1-3.html

Women in Christianity and Islam
http://www.beconvinced.com/women/CH_IS.htm

The Bible - A Closer Look!
http://www.todayislam.com/bible.htm

Blah blah blah.

I'm an atheist. I don't care what the old musty books of Islam and Christianity say. I'm looking at the behavior of the modern follower. Christianity doesn't infringe on personal freedom, Islam does. There is nothing like the western concept of freedom in any place where muslims are the majority, and the western idea of freedom is SUPERIOR to the backwards tyranical culture of the muslim. Fuck cultural relativism, I have no problem making that kind of value judgement.

As I said before, if Islamists just wanted to do their thing in the west and leave everyone else alone, it wouldn't be so bad, but there is a historical trend that muslims impose their will, through law with brutal punishment, on non-muslims when they take over a new area.

It's a great irony that the idea of religious freedom, invented by Christian men of the West, is what allows muslims to exist in the West, and there's nothing like it in any muslim nation.

Yeah, right. The only reason that Christianity doesn't infringe on personal freedom in America is because our country isn't founded on Christian law. If it was, we'd be as bad, if not worse, than Muslim nations around the world.

Islam is frequently misunderstood and may even seem exotic in some parts of today's world. Perhaps this is because religion no longer dominates everyday life in Western society; whereas, for Muslims, Islam is life. Muslims make no artificial division between the secular and the sacred.

For quite some time Islam was thought of as some "Eastern" religion, but with the increasing number of Muslims living in the West, Islam is gradually being perceived as a global faith. Muslims are not thought of as strangers with unusual practices, but are being welcomed as part of the mosaic of life in the West. In many cases, Islam is not just viewed as an acceptable religion, but as a desired way of living.

Whoever kills a soul, unless for a soul, or for corruption done in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one, it is as if he had saved mankind entirely [Qur'an 5:32]

You've got to be kidding me. Show me a Christian nation where people get stoned in the street. Show me a christian nation where women are considered property.

read this article:
Iran cancels music concerts under hard-line pressure

Show me where that happens in christian nations! At worst, you get a few bible thumpers carrying protest signs if there's a concert that offends them.

I am continually amazed at the christian bashers on this board. Everything you bitch about christianity for is 100 times worse in Islam.

I understand. Don't fucking doubt that.

salem14,

it's hard enough being Christian here.... being an Islam evangelist is asking to get your head ripped off here. i am will try to be open-minded yet on the offense though... i know what it's like on here.

i have an initial question for you....

how can you trust a religion that's concepts and source come from ONE mere man who claims no divinity, but supposedly had divine, prophetic insight? a man who didn't know if his insights were demonic or Godly until he asked his wife (and the Qur'an does look at women as lower men; for one the 'paradise' is supposedly a orgy of virginal women - how is that a 'paradise' for women and children?). Seems very contradictory..... Plus Islam makes some of it's success on saying how corrupted and changed the Bible is while (whether you think it's original information is true or not) has been PROVEN to be over 99% unchanged and the Old Testament we have today is IDENTICAL to the one Jesus held in his hand. Plus that whole Judas died on the cross instead of Jesus sounds completely random and unfounded...

i have more to argue, but i don't want to overload you (i, for example, hate when people hand me a thousand out of context Bible quotes at once trying to prove Christianity is wrong)...