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!
He was protecting what was His. That was His Father's house remember.
It is amazing that Christian "apologetics" are taking this tack; it seems they can no longer provide good reasons why people should become Christians, instead they are attacking other faiths.
Robert Morey - the source of this "Moon God" crap - is angry with lots of folks. In addition to Muslims, this bigot has written vile screeds against Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Wiccans, Free Masons, and just about everyone else who does not adhere to his constipated world view. I'll bet this tight-ass hates Halloween, too.
As you point out, Christians who attack the historical roots of other religions are playing with fire.
There's no such place in the Bible as Matthew v. 43-48. You forgot to tell me the chapter.
What a shame there's none here that can prove what you say. I wonder why. It's easy to hype up someone who not in attendance. When they actually show up, it's usually a case of disappointment :^)
He taught self-responsibility, receiving God's blessings, unatheism, etc. He had nothing in common with a Communist.
In other words, you wouldn't know Jesus if he walked up to you on the street. You'd probably think him an Arab, and thusly a terrorist.
He was ruddy complected, like an Irishman. He wouldn't have been mistaken for an Arab.
So it's OK to initiate force to "protect" what's ours without waiting for a first strike from our enemies according to Libertarian philosophy?
I am not God and so it doesn't matter to me that much what you believe. It is written that there will be those who will burn in the lake of fire. If you want to be one of those, have a nice trip. I am here defending against the ignorant who choose to atttack in a public forum. If you want to believe in Elmer the tree god, go ahead but if you're going to attack me and my kind while you do it, there's going to be some rebuttle.
And this information came from????
You spelled it wrong. It's Son God.
Christians believe Jesus is sweet, the light, the truth and the way, the Prince of Peace, the heart of mercy, full of grace, the Christ.
Muhammad was a warrior messenger of Allah, a man, a prophet, judging and threatening and killing others.
Jesus's only violent act was to turn the tables of the thieves in the Temple. (Can a Christian scholar tell why Jesus chose to do this in this manner?)
Christians value all life whereas outside the confines of their religion, culture and law, Muslims don't.
Islam means "submission", "obedience" to everyone, else they are infidels and must be punished, apparently by physical death or mutilation.
Christianity encourages obedience to God, obedience to His commandments, a belief in Christ and awareness of one's own sinfulness, else one loses one's soul. But not necessarily must one lose their physical life on Earth.
As a scientific scholar, I can live and prosper among Christians, not so under Islam. The Islamic culture I think I would find stifling. And since I have the opportunity under Christianity to improve life, to make it more healthy and prosperous, then necessarily it must be attractive to everyone, including Muslims which brings me to butt heads with Islamic fundamentalists; therein lies a root of war. To justify their insanity, they call attention to trashy elements of Western culture, but they murder their own without what we consider due process and justice.
So yes people do reflect their cultural upbringing but Western principles will prevail unless these terrorist elements of Muslim culture are free to act out their insanity with biological and nuclear weapons.
Sgs 5:10 My beloved [is] white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
And besides that, Adam was ruddy, David was ruddy, the Nazerites were ruddy. The family of Adam (and Jesus) is a caucasion family.
I love Halloween! Those disembodied spirits are imteresting.
You said we would think he was a Commie. I don't think many on Free Republic would think Jesus was a Commie because he has nothing in common with a Commie. If you don't think we would think He was a Commie, don't say we would.
In the gospels I read, there's no photographs of Jesus. Can you steer me to the photos you have, or is absurdity one of the skills you employ in your debates?
See above post. If you would read the bible with some intelligence it would become plain that the family of Adam is a white family. Nothing against any other race, it's just that there had to be a family for Jesus and Adam's was the one.
Lemingly, as in the Democrat faith's indoctrination of youth?
You can't really mean this. Most of the prayers prayed by Muslims are probably things like "God, preserve the health of my family". You WANT God to deny those prayers because those Muslims have some incorrect ideas about him?
Of course not...I was thinking more of ones like "Allah, grant death to all Americans"...you know, stuff like that.
Next time I'll include cutesie little "sarcasm off" tags for the benefit of those who aren't the brightest bulbs in the firmament....(sigh).
Sure was, dude.
Am I getting a whiff of "Identity" here?
Whatchoo talkin 'bout, Willis?
I KNEW I caught a whiff of the vile stench of "Christian" Identity!
For those who are unfamiliar with this twisted, perverted interpretation of Christian scriptures, Identity maintains:
-- Adam was a White Man; the non-white races are the "beasts of the field," sub-human and without souls.
-- Satan seduced Eve in the garden of Eden. That union produced Cain, who mated with the "beasts of the field" and these offspring became the Jews, who are literally the spawn of Satan.
-- That White Europeans are the true Israelites.
-- The crucifixion was an elaborate consiracy concocted by Satan and carried out by his spawn, the Jews.
-- That Armageddon will be the final race war between "Racial Israel" and the Jews and non-white races.
Identity themes have been adopted by both neo-nazi and klukker groups.
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