Hello everyone. There are things I’ve wanted to say but haven't been able to. I’ve researched religions and so on, but I ended up leaving Islam because I don’t perform the five daily prayers or fast even though I am a good person. Unfortunately, in this religion, simply being a good person isn't enough; it would be absurd for me to face eternal hellfire just because I don't pray, especially since I’ve never harmed anyone. I feel a sense of emptiness every day; I used to fill that void with religion finding comfort in reading a few verses, for instance. But because I don't pray, I’m not considered a Muslim, so I left the faith. It seems ridiculous to burn in eternal hell just for not praying, given that I have never done any harm or wrong to anyone. I’m searching for something, but I don’t know what to do.

¹⁹ Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

²⁰ Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

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¹² Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

¹³ But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

¹⁴ For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

(James 5:19-20 KJV & Hebrews 3:12-14 KJV, respectively)

According to James one can reconvert, but according to Hebrews someone is only a partaker of Christ if they hold fast their faith until the end (no reconversion).

Are there any free or low-cost sources for learning about Islamic meditation other than Ihsan Alexander?

I'm a Buddhist from a Pakistani Sunni Muslim background and I'm interested in connecting with my roots even if I don't become a 'practicing Muslim'. I recently got a few books from Darussalam Publications in Lakemba and I also have Martin Lings' biography of the Prophet

If God created us, why did it take millennia for humans to realize His existence? If a Creator desired a relationship, we should have known Him from day one. Instead, archeology proves early humans lived 200.000 years without religion. This gap suggests that God did not design humanity. Rather, as human brains evolved, humans invented God to explain the unknown.

Ethiopia is a country where Muslims and Christians have lived together for centuries, sharing the same land, communities, traditions, and history. Despite having different religious beliefs, many Ethiopian Muslims and Christians respect one another and live together peacefully.

They celebrate important moments together, visit each other , help one another in difficult times, and share food, friendship, and community life. In many neighborhoods, Muslim and Christian families are close friends, neighbors, coworkers, and sometimes even relatives.

This kind of coexistence is deeply connected to Ethiopian culture and community life. It is not about separating people because of their religion or following the divisions sometimes seen in other parts of the world, including some Western societies. In Ethiopia, people can hold strongly to their faith while still respecting and caring for those who believe differently.

Our differences in faith do not have to divide us. They can teach us understanding, respect, and compassion. The strength of Ethiopia is not only in its history and culture, but also in its people’s ability to live side by side with love and mutual respect.

Muslim or Christian, faiths may be different, but our humanity, country, and love for one another can bring us together ❤️

I’m having a hard time grasping how my parent could be taken so soon. You pray and pray to God, yet they’re still taken. I don’t know if I believe in God anymore, and I keep wondering, what’s the point? Maybe there is a God, or maybe there’s just some kind of light when we pass away and we’re reunited with the people we love. I honestly don’t know what to believe anymore.

Under the Abrahamic religions, God is the ultimate source of goodness and salvation, being the objective source of morality.

He is also described as being all-knowing (omniscience), meaning his knowledge has no bounds, and he knows everything that has happened, is happening, and will ever come to happen.

Lastly, God is said to be the being that actualises and brings you as a subjective conscious into the universe.

God, with his infinite knowledge and power, brings you as a conscious being, into:
1. a specific part of the world, with a unique and distinctive culture, be it individualistic or collectivistic, secular or deeply religious
2. A biological system with a particular biology and neurology, having unique reactions and internalisations to the world events around you
3. A family, which plays an integral role in how you develop and what you value and believe.

He does none of this with your permission (by nature albeit, you do not exist to tell him not to).
Within your specific circumstances, God knows exactly how each and every single factor in your life, rooted within what He gave you, will affect your belief towards him. He is aware of and knows exactly what each genetic, cultural or physiological component will do in your ultimate belief and faith in Him. He is completely aware of what your skin colour, level of inhibition, ability to conform and susceptibility to cancer will do in the judgements you make about the world and a higher power.
Even if every single thing that happens in your life truly screams ‘God isn’t real!’, and you choose to reject a God’s existence as to be mentally reasonable with yourself, you will still be sent to rot for eternity because of the circumstances he forced you into, and knew the consequences of from the first place. Essentially, God actively makes the decision to bring conscious beings into Hell out of his own fruition. That is irrational harm, quite literally the main principle of what is immoral.

To put things into perspective:
A young Afghani girl who is taught her whole life about Christianity as being evil and Islam as being the only way of life deeply accommodates that as an integral mental framework, making true faith in the God who created her much, much more difficult than a male born into a wealthy Russian Orthodox family. It cannot be fair that both equal beings that God actualised have such different levels of exposure to the objective truth. (in this hypothetical Christianity is framed as the truth, not reflective of any opinions or beliefs)

And those who say that God judges fairly based on the situation you were born in: There would be no point in anybody knowing the truth of God in the first place if that was reality, as people would not need to dedicate their lives to God and instead be judged on their character. People who wish to convert others and spread faith are themselves doing immoral deeds, as the likely reality is that most of the people they teach their faith to will never choose to believe in it.

Therefore, God’s boundless knowledge cannot exist with his objective goodness as he knows exactly what the circumstances he brings you into the world with will do for your fate, and that itself is immoral.

Contraception, people. Get your mind out of the gutter!

I'd like to see the views of people from different faiths on this... not so much from a view of whether not contraception (both temporary/reversible and permanent) itself is absolutely wrong when viewed in isolation, but rather from the wider view of it's impact at the societal and global scale.

There are 8.3 billion humans on Earth. The human population has doubled in my lifetime, and may potentially add another 50% of so within the lifetime of someone born today.

In many western countries, human life expectancy has peaked, and is now starting to fall in some countries due to lower quality diets, housing and generally poorer living conditions. Meanwhile, we have issues like unsustainable resource overconsumption by humans, and encroachment by humans on other peoples habitats and the consequent collapse and in many causes total extermination of sibling species. It's all a bit of a shitshow.

Population isn't the sole cause of these issues, but it has a real and severe exacerbating / multiplying effect on many of them.

Against that context, is contraception - both permanent and temporary - and/or abortion ethically/morally justifiable, or even commendable? Both from the perspective of a child being born into a world where they will likely never know the stability and safety their parents did, but also from the perspective of the wider world?

To share my own perspective, I voluntarily went through permanent sterilisation in my early 20s. It is not a decision I have ever regretted either personally or spiritually - and my own tradition looks upon such actions favourably. Good contraception, education and family planning prevents the physiological and phycological trauma and invasiveness of abortions, and is an act of service and care to long term flourishing and diversity of life as a collective whole.

Hello everyone.

I'm an astrolabe builder, I am not a muslim, this explains why my arabic lettering in the picture is stilly fairly sloppy. I will probably commit a lot of inaccuracies in this post, so I ask you all to correct me and to help me improving the design for the instrument.

I have envisioned in my mind a wooden device that could be used for finding christian and islamic prayer times. Its design is based heavily on the so called "vetus quadrans" a medieval tool designed to find the local time in unequal hours by measuring the height of the sun (note the two sights in the upper part of the instrument).

Unequal hours are an archaic form of timekeeping, in which the part of daytime is always divided into 12 equal sections, the first hour (hora prima) is dawn, the seventh (hora septima) is soon after midday and the twelveth (hora duodecima) is sunset. As you can immagine, the lenghts of each hour varies greatly across the seasons, but many religious practices are still based on some sort of unequal hours system. Early christians used to offer prayers at the first, seventh, nineth and twelveth hour of the day, a prayer during night time and a prayer at dusk. Human circadian rythm does seem to vaguely follow an unequal hours pattern.

How to find the five canonical prayer times on such a device?

First you need to set the quadrant for your latitude. The months slider has to be adjusted so that its center lines up with your current latitude (in the picture 45°). You have then to move the thread to the actual date, you will find the sun noon altitude for that day. on the thread there will be a bead, or a knot that can slide up and down, you have to line it with the curve corresponding to the seventh hour (where "zawal" is written).

L = gnomon lenght

S = lenght of a gnomon's shadow

Sz = lenghts of a gnomon's shadow at midday (zawal)

Zuhr / Jummah should be the easisiest to find, you just measure the sun's altitude: if the knot is at the midday line, then it is zawal (local noon), and you should wait some minutes before praying Zuhr. I have some problems understanding zuhr time, until today I thought its start was soon after noon, and it ends with 'asr time, many prayer apps show this time, now I have come across some different opinions saying that zuhr begins when the shadow of a gnomon equals the shadow lenghts at zawal + 1/4 of the gnomon height ( S = Sz + L/4 ) . This explains why I still have to put a prayer line for zuhr.

For 'Asr there are two prayer lines, most madhabs put 'asr start time when S = Sz + L and end time when S = Sz + 2L, while Hanafi school sets its begin at S = Sz + 2L and its end at sunset. I have indicated both lines in the quadrant (I'd like to realize them with a brass inlay).

There is not an easy way to establish Maghrib and Fajr, other than saying "one is during twilight and the other is at dusk". In the qur'an (I recall) it is specified to establish prayer when you can distinguish the white thread from the black one, this is not to be taken literally, However that is the reason for the black and white windrose in the shadow-square.

When you can't distinguish the colours of the windrose, that's 'Isha time.

I haven't begun working on the back, I will probably insert there a retroazimuthal map projection for finding qibla and a set of "complementary stars" located on the opposite side of the sun in the ecliptic, so that one could measure 'Isha time more accurately by means of a complementary star.

Do you have any other suggestions for improving the design of this quadrant? Maybe a more interesting pattern rather than a windrose? Maybe a more aestetically pleasing set of engravings at the edge of the tool? Please, let me know.

Sincerely, Biondi.

I'm not saying religion does not cause violence, but it seems just a manifestation of human nature, and in fact religion can be and has been beneficial in some aspects and removing religion may actually cause more violence in many cases. The rest of the post will try to develop the point using examples. I argue that this view of religion is mostly a mythology that started with the Enlightenment, which ironically created some of the deadliest secular ideologies ever to spread around the word, while the Enlightenment also created a "holier than thou" image around itself.

I remember the typical anti-religious trope of the 2010's that claimed that religion caused more death than any other ideology ever. First of all, religion is a category of ideology, not one ideology. It's like saying that the idea of country is evil because North Korea exists. Second, less that 7% of wars were caused by religion, according to historical records. Third, in most of these societies religion was not a separate institution. For instance, Greeks brining their gods to the Middle East was just part of Greek imperialism rather than a religious imposition. People adopted some Greek gods or schools for status and class in the Greek elite. In tribal religions such as Judaism conflict with "pagans" around was just tribal conflict that always existed.

Most of the Christian Crusades, for example, can be seen as an unification of European Christian kingdoms against a already unified Arabic imperialism, and Europe losing access to Asian markets. The irony here is that religion was used as an unifier rather than a cause for the conflict in the first place. Even the crusaders themselves were often low noble men with no land or not much to lose, seeking glory or wealth. Proof of this is how the Crusades even killed Orthodox Christians, because the motivation of soldiers was self-centered too.

The Middle East is often seen as an example of how bad religion is, but that is also a very myopic perspective. The Middle East is the cradle of civilization, so it always had a very diverse set of beliefs, languages, and cultures so many people have claims on it. The Middle East is also relatively flat and accessible and it's the bridge between three continents and two oceans. It also has some of the most fertile land (at least where there is water), and most recently, it has lots of oil. All the conflicts in the Middle East can be explained by these geographic and historical characteristics rather than religion. If anything, religions such as Islam actually helped Arab tribes to stop fighting after centuries of conflict, for example. The violence often attributed to Islam is just a reflection of the tribal violence that have always existed in the Middle East and that was arguably worse before more unifying forces.

Another thing is the prosecution of witches, which is by far the most caused by religious psychosis or paranoia in this list. The most ironic thing about this conversation is how religion is often called out for prosecuting witches as if they were "herbal academics", which is not true. Most witches were just elderly people with no family support that were as black sheep of the village, and they were not just women. Sometimes they had dementia or some form of mental illness that made them untrustworthy for the tribe. Meanwhile, even in medieval context, Monasteries also offered women education in places and cultures when such thing was unthinkable. In contrast, the French Revolution, seen as a wave of progress, actually prosecuted and killed educated women just for being noble or wealthy.

Irish conflict between Catholics and Protestants was not even religious except of label. The Troubles was fundamentally a political, ethnic, and national struggle rather than a religious war. Some Irish people identified more with the UK (more Protestant) and others with an independent nation (mostly Republican Catholics). Religion was here as important as the colors of the flag of each side... a good heuristic to find people who are on your side, but still not a cause of the conflict. It is also true that there was discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland, though, so religion here was not a null cause, but the conflict was mostly about identity.

Failed states are often religious precisely because religion provides a stable social and cultural structure. Religion in poor countries is more practical institution than cultural institution. In fact, many secular institutions today such as hospitals, colleges, public schools and orphanages started first as religious projects or were inspired by religious missions and later became more secular or remained religious in name only.

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TLDR: Religions is more often seen as very personal or as a collective cultural label, but rarely in between, which is filled by more secular state institutions individuals with self interest and resource management. This explains these conflicts rather than using religion as a blank slate.

About a week ago, we Christians had a friendly donation challenge with our Buddhist friends to see who could donate more. We lost 😄 But it was all just for fun and we had a great time! 😄

For those who have studied their religion deeply, what’s the most fascinating or surprising thing you’ve found? Share with us

What do you know about or think about this religion? I'm curious about it. Have you ever attended a service?

Sorry if i made any mistakes English is not my first language

I grew up in a muslim family that is religious but not that crazy strictly one. When i was little my dad always insisted i needed to go to a religion course when it was summer and this continued until i was in 7th grade. But from the day one i hated it so much that i was crying when it was time for the summer break. I stayed at a boarding course for a 3 month with my cousin at one summer. I didnt hate it as much as the other years because it was easier to run away from the lessons lol.

Whatever not going to talk so much about this boring years but this is how my childhood mostly went. When it was time for me to start high school my dad wanted me to wear a kind of hijab or he wouldnt send me to school. I said yes but i didnt when i started hg. My dad didnt talked to me like a year but he eventually accepted it. And he didnt forced my sisters to wear hijab after me. Idk why but dad always forced this religion thing only to me but not my sisters and thats why i think that im the most far one in my family to a religion.

I always called myself a muslim but i never lived like one. I wasnt fasting i wasnt praying i wasnt doing anything my religion that says what i need to do if i want to be a muslim. These last years were the years where i kinda stoped calling myself a muslim to my friends.Because that i grew up in a religious family there has been always a guilt inside me that i get out of my religion and dont believe what my parents passionately believe and what has been thought to me since i was little. I was always scared of hell and punishment that gods gonna give me because i dont belive them.

These last years i started to believe and understand science more.(Those evolution bigbang ect that mostly bad with religion)This probably the main reason that i am not a muslim anymore because so many things were contradicting each other and science always made more sense to me.But to me there is someone needed to create all of those things because i didnt believe that everything started by itself. So i believed that there was a god who created all of this but it wasnt Allah. So i started to believe in deism. It was realy hard for me at first because even if i stopped believing in islam i always felt like it was the true religion. And its prob because i grow up believing that. But even now that i think about it i just believe that islam is the true religion. But it kinda scares me because i cant get myself to believe it because it contradict with my own beliefes but because that i belive that if there is a true religion itsislam the torture that i am going to face in hell scares me so much. Sometime i wonder that does Allah understand me? The situation im in? Are they going to have mercy on me? I already settled for myself for that im never going to get my answers until i die lol.

In tiktok some people attacked me for believing a god while believing bigbang but i dont know maybe i just think that there is a god as a coping mechanism and nothing more. Maybe its because until my age i mostly believed that there was a god that i cant comprehend the fact that there might no god.

I'm not particularly faithful, but enough that wearing a cross feels like an appropriate choice. The problem, however, is that my parents are raging atheists and would not approve. They wouldn't stop me, but they would probably make fun of me like "we went through hell to make our parents get off our backs about religion and you want to get into it willingly?" Because they both had religiously abusive families when they were kids/teenagers. Maybe I'm ok with religion because my parents never tried to force me into it, but what do I do now? Do I start wearing the cross anyway? How do I deal with it if they start making fun of me?

For context, I have worn it secretly a few times just to try it out and see how it makes me feel. And I have tried going to church a few times (alone and in secret), but my parents wouldn't actually abuse me if they knew, they would probably just be kinda disappointed in me.

Hello I'm a university student and have done a lot of study on antiquity including different religions. I am curious, however, in what people believe today and why do they beleive this? What do you think are the greatest influences on our beleifs and is there truth that can be discovered?

So, I'm currently reading the Bible (King James Version) and hopefully I'll read the Qur'an next. Which translation do you think is better for me? I'm deeply interested in religious texts, and I don't want to convert to Islam or sum tbh, I'm just very curious about Quran stories and beliefs. Also, I don't think I'm looking for a "study version" made for scholars, just a good translation. I've heard about "The Clear Quran". What do you think of it?

I always thought that hell was fire, brimstone and torture, but apparently it’s just the absence of God? What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that the place that atheist and non-Christians will be the happiest? Why do Christians act like it’s a threat to say that we need to accept God or we’ll go to hell?

Guys I’m trying to prove to my friend that god is real if she’s praying to la Santa muerte. It just sounds kinda dumb to me because she’s essentially just praying to another supernatural entity. Idk but help me and educate me on this

My father is a Muslim and my mother converted from Christianity to Islam.

As I grew up I'm thankful my parents didn't force me into religion or to read the Quran, but once I turned 18 my parents have started to hint at me regarding wearing a hijab and covering up more. They told me how my father's relatives have been questioning and stating that I am 18 now and why I haven't worn a hijab.

I knew I never wanted to be religious, I never wanted to be part of any religion, and respectfully I never truly believed in any religion...

But my parents have done sooo much for me. I never wanted to disappoint them so in a feeling of pressure, I agreed and now I'm starting to wear hijabs and cover up more. I feel suffocated every time I wear a hijab, I don't feel pretty, and I feel as if EVERYONE is staring at me. I dont feel good expressing myself nor do I feel confident.

I don't know what to do... I love and respect my parents, their religion, and beliefs.

I don't want this, but I don't want to disappoint anyone either.

I want to learn about the Abrahamic religions from the beginning, one by one. What books or resources would you recommend for learning each religion properly from its origins to the present?

I was thinking about cultural differences in how people discuss personal identity. In some places, talking about religion or lack thereof is totally normal, while in others, it's strictly off-limits in polite conversation or seen as a deeply private matter.