Friday, March 10, 2006
Discussion
Right now, I'm sitting in an Islamic meeting discussing the important, critical issues that have impacted their thoughts on a daily basis. My own thoughts interact and collide with theirs.
Here are some of the ideas that they've discussed. But first, the background of this group is a perspective of perennially secular Muslims, in California.
These are a group of children to adults.
*
Someone said that if I were a Muslim and changed to a Christian, my persona would not change. My self would not change.
Tradition causes rifts in the religion of Islam. At times, we acquire traditional customs into Islam and at times we integrate Islam into culture.
The Quran depends on how you read it; who wants to use it how. One person wants one thing , the other wants another.
You can't just read the Quran and say that "so and so is going to happen if I do this"; instead, you have to take the experiences that you've had and then reflect by reading the Quran.
Reading the Quran can change the direction of your life; it can affect your goals, change them.
Don't look at the Quran like a historical document; look at it as a guideline to life. A lifestyle.
History repeats itself, and reading the Quran can shine light on the future by knowing what happened before.
For Taliban, Islam is a goal, not reaching God. They would kill to abide by the rules, but wouldn't know how to make sense of those rules outside of their own immediate environment.
Islam is a vessel, not a rule.
Islam means three things; proof of your worship, your acts of islam, and your thoughts
The most simplest thing in the Quran, or the most detailed, are the simple verses in it. God says, "I made the fly" so, how come a god this big isn't embarassed to admit that he made such a primitive creature? He is so gracious.
Humans can't do anything compared to god. They still haven't been able to make DNA or cells.
....
Here are some of the ideas that they've discussed. But first, the background of this group is a perspective of perennially secular Muslims, in California.
These are a group of children to adults.
*
Someone said that if I were a Muslim and changed to a Christian, my persona would not change. My self would not change.
Tradition causes rifts in the religion of Islam. At times, we acquire traditional customs into Islam and at times we integrate Islam into culture.
The Quran depends on how you read it; who wants to use it how. One person wants one thing , the other wants another.
You can't just read the Quran and say that "so and so is going to happen if I do this"; instead, you have to take the experiences that you've had and then reflect by reading the Quran.
Reading the Quran can change the direction of your life; it can affect your goals, change them.
Don't look at the Quran like a historical document; look at it as a guideline to life. A lifestyle.
History repeats itself, and reading the Quran can shine light on the future by knowing what happened before.
For Taliban, Islam is a goal, not reaching God. They would kill to abide by the rules, but wouldn't know how to make sense of those rules outside of their own immediate environment.
Islam is a vessel, not a rule.
Islam means three things; proof of your worship, your acts of islam, and your thoughts
The most simplest thing in the Quran, or the most detailed, are the simple verses in it. God says, "I made the fly" so, how come a god this big isn't embarassed to admit that he made such a primitive creature? He is so gracious.
Humans can't do anything compared to god. They still haven't been able to make DNA or cells.
....
