Posted on 08/20/2006 2:57:35 PM PDT by Meletus
The seventh Imam thing is a totaly different sec. It's part of a Shia cult spin off which developed in the 12th century.
Most of Islams basic religion is found in Ishaqs hadith,which is the oldest and ONLY record of Muhammads life and sayings. It's preserved (and bad stuff edited out) by the writtings of Tabari and Hisham, and further edited years later by Bukhari and his student, Muslim. All other, more modern writings are edited, modified, abrogated etc.
Islam is a syncretist religion, like Mormonism and a number of other odd heresies. Its founder had a "vision" that incorporated certain things from the religions found in his environment: practices from his own paganism, including the name of his god and the black rock with its vagina-shaped fertility symbol in Mecca; Levitical law from the Jews, along with the concept of a religiously dominated state (although Mo was a theocrat and Judaism had never been a theocracy, strictly speaking) coupled with a bit of OT conquest talk that the Jews had long understood as symbolic; and the Christian concept of a non-racial, non-geographical, non-bloodlinked religion that grew through proselytism.
Granted, his idea of proselytism was based upon the sword and force and violence, totally opposed to Christianity. But essentially, he was a syncretist who just happened to come along at the right time in the right place, when the Roman Empire had fallen, the Church was weakened by the Arian heresy, and there was no one to oppose him. It would be like having L. Ron Hubbard take over the US.
You have to be carefull about that stuff. There is a flaw with his thoery, and that is, he assumes, and takes the word of muslim scolars that the Koran was a written book in Arabic during mohammads time.
This isn't true. Arabic wasn't a written language during Mohammads time. Syriac was the local language during mohammads time, with Arabic just developing verbally, and also differently among the nomadic bedoin tribes in the region. He bases his theory on the earliest known written arabic which didn't appear for another 400 years after Mohammad. There are also many Islamic myths/tales, the validity of which he doesn't take into account. This is a work in progress and early conclusions shouldn't be drawn just yet. Note that the information on link you provide is
already a couple years old and not updated.
Mo didn't exist.
btttt
Islam has often been considered a Christian heresy and often been considered a Jewish heresy. Basically, it was a syncretist creation of its pagan founder, who revised it a couple of times with convenient visions when it wasn't getting him what he wanted (more booty). Islam is a cult, creating its own closed world with its own delirious and irrational standards, behaviors and society, just like the cult in California where all those nuts killed themselves after filling their pockets with quarters to call home from outer space.
But Islam was a cult that happened to come along at a time when the world was ripe for cults and there was no authority left in that geographical region strong enough to stifle it at birth. This is one of the very good reasons that the Church exercises authority in matters of faith. Had the Church stamped out Islam many centuries ago, it would have been to the benefit of us all. This shows the importance of objective truth and the value of authority.
I second that. As a matter of fact, I got my first lessons on Islam on 5 years ago next month.
It should be I got my first lessons on Islam 5 years ago next month.
Oh, he existed, make no mistake about that.
Also make no mistake, that one of the final surahs, or commands he made (or rather, was "handed down" to him from the Koran) was that it is commanded that after the conclusion of the holy months, Muslims should recommence the war against all mankind (Surah IX)-"Accordingly when the Sacred Months are past, then slay the Polytheists wherever ye find them, and take them and besiege them and lay wait for them with every ambuscade.(means of warfare).
Let no Islamic apologist try tell you it means something else, because it can't.
Interesting link in post #47. Did the Vatican have a hand in creating Islam?
bookmarked
Many have believed for a long time now, that Islam is actually a Christian heresy. Nothing new here. This guy could be just trying to sell books with an old story with a revised thesis. I guess I just don't like the title, because I know about the self hate that Europeans have for the West. I'm afraid Christianity will be blamed for Islamic fanaticism. And that would be really wrong.
I'm bookmarking this thread.
Don't cults normally self implode after a few years?
Thank you very much for the work. Arguably a top post of the year... or whatever hyperbolic label one would put on a post with more gravity than most.
After 450 years, the Vatican ran out of space to bury the dead so Pope Urban called a Crusade so we could steal some more land for burial plots so we could over-charge the families of martyrs. It was mor of the same old, same old.
It's all so esy when you just take the time to break it all down
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