Finding myself.

So I was raised in a Muslim background. Tomorrow is meant to be the first time I go to a mosque for Friday prayers in god knows how long, and I'll be trying to find myself really. Reading anti religious posts on Reddit affected me and almost convinced me that religion wasn't real... that part I'm not fully decided on yet. I'm not anti or pro religion, I just wanna know what the truth is, and if none of the religions are true, so be it. Wanna know what you guys think.

Reply 1

honeybuns2k5

17

Original post by albayati

So I was raised in a Muslim background. Tomorrow is meant to be the first time I go to a mosque for Friday prayers in god knows how long, and I'll be trying to find myself really. Reading anti religious posts on Reddit affected me and almost convinced me that religion wasn't real... that part I'm not fully decided on yet. I'm not anti or pro religion, I just wanna know what the truth is, and if none of the religions are true, so be it. Wanna know what you guys think.

i personally love religion, my mum left Islam and dad is a radical atheist while she's agnostic. I'm very religious and always had traditional values

Reply 2

albayati

OP

14

Original post by honeybuns2k5

i personally love religion, my mum left Islam and dad is a radical atheist while she's agnostic. I'm very religious and always had traditional values

Whats your ethnic background?

Reply 3

honeybuns2k5

17

Original post by albayati

Whats your ethnic background?

pm me it's too specific lol

Reply 4

PilgrimOfTruth

17

Original post by albayati

So I was raised in a Muslim background. Tomorrow is meant to be the first time I go to a mosque for Friday prayers in god knows how long, and I'll be trying to find myself really. Reading anti religious posts on Reddit affected me and almost convinced me that religion wasn't real... that part I'm not fully decided on yet. I'm not anti or pro religion, I just wanna know what the truth is, and if none of the religions are true, so be it. Wanna know what you guys think.

Your innate intelligence and critical thinking is kicking in which is a very good thing. How you were raised should have nothing to do with what you think and believe. That's religious indoctrination which sadly many of us were subjected to by our parents and peers when we were in a vulnerable childhood state. Getting past that indoctrination is one of the hardest things many people will ever do, many never manage to get past it.

Mainstream religions will hand lead you down singular paths. Think of it like putting blinkers on a horse. They give you their creed, doctrine and tell you that other avenues of searching are not allowed or are wrong or bad etc. If you truly want to search for the truth, you must always have an open mind and never allow any religion to straight jacket you. I was in the same position. By searching without the shackles of religion I found that there was a common secret/truth running through all the mainstream religions which none of the religions tell their followers !

Seek and you WILL find

Reply 5

londonmyst

19

Original post by PilgrimOfTruth

Your innate intelligence and critical thinking is kicking in which is a very good thing. How you were raised should have nothing to do with what you think and believe. That's religious indoctrination which sadly many of us were subjected to by our parents and peers when we were in a vulnerable childhood state. Getting past that indoctrination is one of the hardest things many people will ever do, many never manage to get past it.

Mainstream religions will hand lead you down singular paths. Think of it like putting blinkers on a horse. They give you their creed, doctrine and tell you that other avenues of searching are not allowed or are wrong or bad etc. If you truly want to search for the truth, you must always have an open mind and never allow any religion to straight jacket you. I was in the same position. By searching without the shackles of religion I found that there was a common secret/truth running through all the mainstream religions which none of the religions tell their followers !

Seek and you WILL find

PRSOM

Reply 6

subbhy

18

Original post by albayati

So I was raised in a Muslim background. Tomorrow is meant to be the first time I go to a mosque for Friday prayers in god knows how long, and I'll be trying to find myself really. Reading anti religious posts on Reddit affected me and almost convinced me that religion wasn't real... that part I'm not fully decided on yet. I'm not anti or pro religion, I just wanna know what the truth is, and if none of the religions are true, so be it. Wanna know what you guys think.

I’m personally a Muslim and I think to get answers there’s no point asking on a forum what others think: all you will get is biased responses.

Read the translations of religious scriptures and choose for yourself. Visit some religious places of worship to help.

Hope this helps.

Reply 7

PilgrimOfTruth

17

Original post by subbhy

Read the translations of religious scriptures and choose for yourself.

I doubt there are any genuine translations of religious scriptures available to the public. What the mainstream religions offer tends to be highly edited, censored and doctored works to craft specific narratives. You might get a glimpse of a genuine work in the library of Alexandria and similar places.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 8

WADR

14

Original post by albayati

So I was raised in a Muslim background. Tomorrow is meant to be the first time I go to a mosque for Friday prayers in god knows how long, and I'll be trying to find myself really. Reading anti religious posts on Reddit affected me and almost convinced me that religion wasn't real... that part I'm not fully decided on yet. I'm not anti or pro religion, I just wanna know what the truth is, and if none of the religions are true, so be it. Wanna know what you guys think.

The thing about religion is they can't all be right, but they can all be wrong.
Even the most devoutly religious person is a disbeliever in the vast majority of beliefs, and can usually be quite rational about why all those other religions are wrong, but by some strange coincidence, they do not apply the same arguments to the religion they just happen to have been brought up to believe. Funny that.

Historian Stephen Henry Roberts summed it up when he wrote to a religious apologist: “I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”

Reply 9

WADR

14

Original post by subbhy

I’m personally a Muslim and I think to get answers there’s no point asking on a forum what others think: all you will get is biased responses.

Read the translations of religious scriptures and choose for yourself. Visit some religious places of worship to help.

Hope this helps.

What is it about Islamic scriptures that makes you think it is true?
And why do you think that in almost every case, non-Muslims can't see it?

Reply 10

subbhy

18

Original post by WADR

What is it about Islamic scriptures that makes you think it is true?
And why do you think that in almost every case, non-Muslims can't see it?

The teachings of Islam seem fair and credible, some have been proved scientifically.

Not entirely true. If you were to learn about Islam deeply without any preconceptions more likely than not you too will believe it to be true. Take the World Cup for example, the first time many had been exposed to Islamic teachings, it’s estimated that over 500 people converted to Islam even BEFORE the World Cup had officially begun. Non-Muslims can see it.

Here, look at this “A Dutch MP who was formerly a member of anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders far-right party has announced he has converted to Islam.
loram van Klaveren had denounced Islam as "a lie" and said "the Quran is poison" during his time as a politician for the Freedom Party (PVV). However, the 40-year-old has now said he had become a Muslim while writing what was intended to be an anti-Islam book.

"During that writing I came across more and more things that made my view on Islam falter," he told Dutch TV show NieuwLicht.”

Hope this answers your questions.

Reply 11

WADR

14

Original post by subbhy

The teachings of Islam seem fair and credible,

In what way "fair and credible", and in what context?

some have been proved scientifically.

Like what? I'm not aware of any "scientific" information in the Quran or hadith that was not already known at the time.

Not entirely true.

Remember that I said "in almost every case".

If you were to learn about Islam deeply without any preconceptions more likely than not you too will believe it to be true.

Not. I have studied Islam in depth for some time. It is clearly an invention of 7th century Arabs based largely on existing regional beliefs and customs.

Take the World Cup for example, the first time many had been exposed to Islamic teachings, it’s estimated that over 500 people converted to Islam even BEFORE the World Cup had officially begun. Non-Muslims can see it.

Seriously? Have you watched any of those videos? Do you really think those people on holiday, repeating some Arabic words that they don't understand, are actually converting to Islam? They were probably in the pub the next week, eating hot dogs and drinking beer, showing their mates photos of "that day I was a Muslim, lol". Some of them are little kids :rolleyes:

!

Here, look at this “A Dutch MP who was formerly a member of anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders far-right party has announced he has converted to Islam.
loram van Klaveren had denounced Islam as "a lie" and said "the Quran is poison" during his time as a politician for the Freedom Party (PVV). However, the 40-year-old has now said he had become a Muslim while writing what was intended to be an anti-Islam book.

"During that writing I came across more and more things that made my view on Islam falter," he told Dutch TV show NieuwLicht.”

Hope this answers your questions.

It is also the case that most converts do not "learn about Islam deeply" before converting. They are usually vulnerable people fed deliberately misleading and selective promotional material. To the vast majority of non-Muslims who read the Quran, it is not in the least bit convincing.
Also bear in mind that more people convert to other religions than to Islam, and the biggest shift is from religious to no religion - so does that make them also true, or truer?
And I'll see your Dutch MP and raise it with this long list of famous ex-Muslims. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_Muslims
What does that prove?

Reply 12

subbhy

18

Original post by WADR

It is also the case that most converts do not "learn about Islam deeply" before converting. They are usually vulnerable people fed deliberately misleading and selective promotional material. To the vast majority of non-Muslims who read the Quran, it is not in the least bit convincing.
Also bear in mind that more people convert to other religions than to Islam, and the biggest shift is from religious to no religion - so does that make them also true, or truer?
And I'll see your Dutch MP and raise it with this long list of famous ex-Muslims. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_former_Muslims
What does that prove?

The teachings are fair and credible. (Such as education being a command for both men and women, the no superiority of a white person over a black person).

As for the scientific information, check these out:

https://zamzam.com/blog/scientific-facts-in-quran/

https://www.kaheel7.com/eng/index.php/secrets-of-quran-a-sunnah/132-seven-scientific-facts-testify-that-mohamed-is-sincere

Remember that I said “without preconceptions”. It’s clear to me that you have some presuppositions that you are eager to maintain.

Excuse me? How dare you insinuate that people who have chosen to convert to a religion of their own accord “were probably in the pub the next week”? It’s disgusting of you to suggest this and deeply stereotypical without any firsthand knowledge. Have *you* watched any of those videos?

You just keep proving the fact that you’ve already got deeply ingrained preconceived ideas that lead you to jump to the conclusion that people who convert to Islam are “usually vulnerable people fed deliberately misleading and selective promotional material” as though Islam is a product being advertised.

Atheism is on the rise but Islam is the fastest growing religion. You could provide a much more extensive list for those who have converted to Islam and compare their reasons for the reasons of those that converted from Islam (one of those from the list was because of marriage).

Reply 13

Sorcerer's Storm

20

Well Islam definitely isn't true so you can cross that one off the list right now. In fact, I can't think of any God-based religion for which there is verifiable and measurable evidence concerning the deities and other supernatural facets. Just know that you don't need a dusty old book or scripture to be a good person and lead a meaningful life.

Reply 14

albayati

OP

14

Original post by Son of the Sea

Well Islam definitely isn't true so you can cross that one off the list right now. In fact, I can't think of any God-based religion for which there is verifiable and measurable evidence concerning the deities and other supernatural facets. Just know that you don't need a dusty old book or scripture to be a good person and lead a meaningful life.

You can't be sure about that, everyone has different beliefs, and it's not nice to disrespect them like that.

Reply 15

Sorcerer's Storm

20

Original post by albayati

You can't be sure about that, everyone has different beliefs, and it's not nice to disrespect them like that.

I can be and am sure about that. And in your OP you literally asked which religions are true and when I give an answer to that you get upset?? No ideology is inherently worthy of respect, the latter is earned, not demanded.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 16

cbreezyy_17

12

Original post by albayati

So I was raised in a Muslim background. Tomorrow is meant to be the first time I go to a mosque for Friday prayers in god knows how long, and I'll be trying to find myself really. Reading anti religious posts on Reddit affected me and almost convinced me that religion wasn't real... that part I'm not fully decided on yet. I'm not anti or pro religion, I just wanna know what the truth is, and if none of the religions are true, so be it. Wanna know what you guys think.

Hey I can confirm God does exist because u see all this demonic **** happening where there's ppl out there doing rituals n **** for whatever reasons. So clearly there's a "bad side" and if there's a bad side then there's definitely a good side cuz the universe has to be balanced the whole yin and yang bs. I kinda reached a lil end point where i was like idk what's real anymore and i went down the spiritual route it really opened my eyes. I believe that every religion has some truth in it. If u think about it this way it's just a rule book like school rules but for life. Don't steal, don't kill all that stuff it's rules we hv to follow to live a good n happy life. I believe all these different religions branched out from one religion which is why the rules r pretty much the same just in different wording. You could explore spirituality more by meditating for like 10 mins everyday in the mornings if ur up for it. It's great for really clearing ur mind and fixes up ur state of mind. It's where u sit crossed legged and breathe in and out and clear ur mind let the thoughts in ur head flow and just observe them without reacting to them and when u lose focus of ur breathe just come back to it. I meditated for like two weeks every morning and one thing i saw was i was much calmer when approaching stressful situations and the voice in my head was way more positive and my mind actually helped me try n solve the issue rather than doing it's normal waffling bs.You just feel happier n more connected and at peace. Ig there's no harm in trying it if ur up for it. U r connected to everything so if ur searching for answers don't look outside look within u and meditating can really help u connect w urself and find the answers ur looking for. I believe the point of life is to find ur purpose and it's to LIVE ur life and be happy and when i say that i mean like go out n explore like different places and stuff. Don't get too hooked up into the idea of earning money too much because nowadays it seems impossible to buy a nice house, car and stuff cuz the system is just so ****ed. But yea hope this helped.

Reply 17

NJA

20

Original post by albayati

So I was raised in a Muslim background. Tomorrow is meant to be the first time I go to a mosque for Friday prayers in god knows how long, and I'll be trying to find myself really. Reading anti religious posts on Reddit affected me and almost convinced me that religion wasn't real... that part I'm not fully decided on yet. I'm not anti or pro religion, I just wanna know what the truth is, and if none of the religions are true, so be it. Wanna know what you guys think.

People often say the right thing but they have already decided what they want to hear because they want to fit in with family or friends.
Some realise this is a dead end and if there is a God they just want the truth.

Personally I found the God of the bible, I hope you are open enough to visit a Church like the one he set up.
You can PM me if you want a recommendation.

Proverbs 18:2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.

2Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.