I am doubting my faith - need guidance/advice.

So he's mocking me, and drawing me on, and will torture me on the Big Day Up....but at the same time, I will be lead to the "truth" by him. Have I got that right?

Allah guides those who make an effort and are after the Truth, not those who mock the believers and intend on committing sins (evil).

I am, and always have been, seeking the truth, and all the evidence so far points AWAY from your "Truth". So does that count? Or am I supposed to at least pretend to adopt your fantasy version of reality first, then he will guide me?

Why will He guide you when you deny Him?

If I didn't ...WHY WOULD HE NEED TO?

God does not depend on us, rather it is we who depend on Him.

OK, let me re-phrase.

If I need to have faith before he leads me to have faith , what would be the point of him leading me to faith?

"To know The Truth of {insert preferred deity}, you must have faith. Without faith, you cannot have faith, and unless you have faith, you will not have faith. If you do not have faith, you cannot know the truth of {insert preferred deity}."

The point, is to live a morally good life and thus by abiding what Allah commanded and leave what He has forbidden. Of course it is a sacrifice and struggle, but in return you are entitled to eternal Paradise which is better than this life (World) and everything that is in it.

Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best of what they did. (Qur'an, 16:97)

Exactly Timber,

Raul-7 (sigh...)

Perhaps the greatest crime of any religion is that it elevates the words of one human being far above that of another.

Raul, are you capable of reading and understanding words OTHER than those in Islamic texts? Are all words that don't reflect or agree with those texts automatically mistrusted? Do you have so little faith in your self that you have no faith in other human beings?

What I find most interesting, Eori, is that my brother, a fundamentalist minister, has the very same cognitive operandi and authoritarian foundation for his argumentation. He and Raul-7 are like carbon copies of each other, except that one says God instead of Allah and Jesus linstead of Mohammed. Their heavens and Hells sound identical, and the ways you get admitted to them (moral compliance and belief) are the same. As far as I'm concerned, if I were of a fundamentalist cast, there would be no way-other than the presssures from my social community--to decide which to follow. Gasp!

Ditto.

My signiture.

faith or belief in a god or gods is a personal choice yes? just the same as whether or not to eat meat. there may be influences from outsiders in both cases but ultimately it's down to your personal choice. now i don't go around judging and insulting vegetarians for not eating meat, so why should anybody judge or insult anybody for what they believe in. there may or may not be a god and there may or may not be a correct way to live your life. in the end, it is your life so live it as you see fit. if islam provides you with a good life and a solid faith and something to live for, who am i to attempt to take that away? just the same as Christianity works for me. atheism may work for others. is there a god? what is the truth? these could be the most important questions you can ask. but maybe we'll never know the truth, there are infinite theories which are always evolving and changing and showing things in a new light, but it all comes down to opinion. are you a meat eater or a vegetarian? beliver or atheist? whatever suites you.

You have it exactly right. Whatever one believes in, it is simply an opinion. No one really knows, for sure. The problem is where not only individuals, but entire religions and nations go to war, torture, kill and injure people who don't believe as they do. Even if they don't go that far, there are people who will deprive others of their liberties, based solely on the tenets of their religious beliefs.

If a certain belief "floats your boat", I say go for it. As long as one realizes that their beliefs are merely opinions, and don't attempt to force these beliefs on others, I see no problem with it. As far as I am concerned, I may not respect a person's beliefs, but I respect their right to hold those beliefs, as long as their beliefs do not interfere with my life.

no you are a deviant muslim. You are muslim, I am muslim, muslims are muslims, its just that you and obviously I have failed to accept Mohammed and are therefore destined for hell. Thats what they believe, and many other religions believe they are exclusively true as well. Merry Christmas RP

What Phoenix said; I agree with 100 percent.

Interesting post steve.

Rockpie,
I think you've generally got it right. However, if someone comes looking for a fight, I'll give them one. If someone challenges my beliefs, I'll challenge theirs. Also if someone makes a (non-fundamentalistic) statement that I disagree with, I will challenge them and ask them questions. If the discussion becomes an argument I will stop commenting.

aperson, if someone gives me a non-fundamentalistic critique I will try to understand them and give my considered response. I will very likely learn something in the exchange. But when I receive fundamentalist critiques I tend not to respond. Not enough time for that.

Well, I just broke that rule in an exchange with Real Life. Strange that he should have chosen that name...so ironical.

If they answer my questions well then most of the time I do end up agreeing with them and learning something, however, many people don't...

Eorl,
I have studied comparative religions and done research before I became a Muslim, so I have an understanding of other religion, and also faith in other people - Otherwise I wouldn't be here trying to talk to you people!!
Of course all texts that contradict the final message of God should be mistrusted that goes without saying really.

Timber,
If you feel it makes you feel better about yourself to laugh at me thats fine, im not on here to make you like me or to have the last laugh, it is to convey the message of peace and harmony and of submitting to God the way he has ordained. You and others may laugh thinking (or like me for a long time) that the truth as it is too hard to accept, but you are not hurting me, rather you are hurting yourself. But you just don't know it. i was happy and had a wonderful life before Islam, and my life no doubt has become harder since I reverted to Islam, but I am much happier now than I ever was as a disbeliever. Once the truth is accepted, your heart is opened up and you see things in a completley new light. you begin to contemplate life more and its meanings. I feel sad and it hurts me to see so many people in error. As a command from God, we should spread this wonderful message as far as possible
Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest of the great)

Steve, you were almost right but the correct context of your quote should have included "accept Muhammed's (pbuh) message"
- I.e Worship one God - the way he has prescribed for his creation, the same way all the prophets from
Adam the "Chosen of Allah",
Noah (Nuh), the "Prophet of Allah",
Moses (Musa), the "Converser with Allah",
Abraham (Ibrahim), the "Friend of Allah",
Ishmael (Isma'il), the "Sacrifice of Allah",
Jesus (Isa), the "Word of Allah" and the "Spirit of Allah".
Isaac (Ishaq),
Jacob (Ya'qub),
David (Dawud),
Solomon (Sulaiman),
Elijah,
Elisha,
Jonah (Yunus),
John the Baptist (Yahya),
Zechariah (Zakariya), father of John the Baptist.
down to of course Muhammed may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all.
Even the Bible tells of the prophets "Falling on their faces" in worship yet Islam is the only religion to Worship on this way in which God has commanded.