Posted on 10/23/2001 8:39:39 AM PDT by spycatcher
Pre-Islamic Arabia's religion was one of superstition. Belief in jinns (genies), curse casting, magic stones, totems was the norm - and it was against this background that Allah arose. Although the Quran is claimed to be a heavenly writing with no earthly source, evidence of these very sorts of cultural influence is found in such places as Suras 55, 72, 113 and 114.
Animism, the belief that spirits inhabit rocks, trees and other elements was also very commonplace. Some of these stones were venerated and used as a focal point for the worship of a particular tribal god. No surprise, Muhammad's family had just such a stone for their own tribe - a black stone, in fact, that they kept at the Kabah (where the tribal idols were set up). The pagan rites of bowing toward Mecca, making a pilgrimage to the Kabah, running around it seven times, kissing it, then running to the river to throw stones at the devil all found there way into Islamic practice.
The final piece of the puzzle was in found in the religion of the Sabeans, an astral religion that worshipped the moon god and planned their religious rites around the lunar calendar. One such rite was fasting from crescent moon to crescent moon, a practice which would also be adopted by Muhammad.
If these things were not present before Muhammad received them from Allah (who himself is the moon god of Muhammad's tribe), why did Muhammad not have to explain what those words meant in the Quran? How would people have known who Allah was? ( or: what a jinn was? what the Kabah was? what the word Islam meant? etc.). Even the word "Islam" which many believe to mean "submission" was not an original word. In Arabic it was a secular term that denoted the strength and bravery of a desert warrior (a definition that accurately reflects the war-like tribes that founded Islam with bloodshed).
The Moon God
"Allah" is from the compound Arabic word "al-ilah" or in english "the god". Allah was known before Muhammad's time without a doubt. His name has been found in pre-islamic writings and other archeological finds. At the Kabah in Mecca over 350 gods were worshipped, but it was built especially for the chief deity - the moon god. Allah was the personal title of the moon god. Allah was married to the sun goddess. They produced three daughters, whose worship Muhammad would later make the mistake of condoning. The crescent moon symbol of Arabia came from this god.
Muhammad's family revered this particular god, and it is this idol that Muhammad declared to be the only true god. So, Allah - far from being the revealed God of the Bible as Muhammad would have us believe - is nothing more than an amplified pagan idol. Muhammad did not re-make the pagan god, he simply removed the lower deities from the rites of worship. That is why he never had to explain who Allah was. By definition, an idol converted in the 7th century into a new god cannot be the sama God revealed thousands of years earlier to Biblical prophets!
That's OWK's general claim for religious fanaticism, ain't it?
The soikumstanse of birth???lol
I was hoping you'd get it. Actually he does have a point, but he keeps leaving out one nasty but important detail. In this country, if you choose to chuck the religion you were taught, the most you risk is pi$$ing off your parents. Over there in allaland, you might literally lose your head. A small but important detail when attempting to establish the moral equivalency of religions outside the context of how they relate to political power structures. Of course if you miss it, you can always underline.
"If there was no God, man would invent him" Voltare - #133 -
--------------------------------
" If there were no OWK, Jim Rob would invent him."
LOL...
Oh boy, Bible quotes. Now I am really convinced.
I'm not exactly sure of what you're supposed to be convinced -- because it seems that you're saying one thing -- while the quote was meant for another thing.
You see, I said (in reference to the quote) --
God, Himself makes it abundantly clear what the situation is between the Jews and the Christians.
Now, the issue was raised about "God" between the Jews and Christians. The quote was meant to clarify that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the one which was spoken about here -- and thus, in that context -- it provides proof that the same God is being spoken about. They both are referring to exactly the same God.
That's the reason for the quote -- in this particular context. And you see..., no matter whether someone would actually believe the Bible -- it does provide evidence that we're talking about the same God.
And so, it would be easy to prove that we aren't talking about the god of Islam (because of the way they identify that god). In addition, it wouldn't work for any other god of some other religion (i.e., one outside of Christianity or Judaism).
You seem more concerned with some other issue -- of whether you want to believe the content of the Bible -- rather than the comparison of the "God" involved -- between other religions.
LOL Should we look for a hard or soft landing?
Okay, if you still can't see the difference, try the analogy of a dictatorship (Islam) and a democracy (Christianity). Islam teaches that apostates, (Moslems who decide to leave the faith) are to be killed. See if you can find that in the Bible.
Nope, it's not When Christians worship the God of Abraham they are worshiping a promitive Volcano and Storm God from the Sinai, Yahwah. There is also plenty of evidence left in the bible of this fact. It is a standard doctrine in Comparative religion.
So9
Have you ever considered you might be to blame for that? You and Richard Gere should get to work channeling more positive energy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.