abu_rashid wrote on Apr 30
th, 2011 at 3:44pm:
Time,
Quote:Protestantism took the power away from the clergy and gave it over to 'the people'.
It is also a pertinent point that Christianity's cultivation of truthfulness lead to its own decline.
This just highlights the vast differences between Islam & Christianity then doesn't it.
Islam from day one shunned the idea of clergy,...
Abu,
What a blatant misrepresentation of what Allah says, in the Koran.
The Koran has very specific things to say about the authority of moslem clerics.
The Koran
very explicitly, instructs believers to follow the instruction and guidance of their clerics, without question.
For a moslem, his faith, his very 'goodness', is entirely dependent upon, absolute obedience to Allah,
and to the clerics -
as a slave of Allah.
"
We sent not a messenger, but to be obeyed..........they ['believers'] can have no (real) Faith, until they make thee judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against Thy decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction."
Koran 4.64, 65
abu_rashid wrote on Apr 30
th, 2011 at 3:44pm:
......[ISLAM] insisted the people themselves be knowledgeable about their religion.
Abu,
What a blatant misrepresentation of what Allah says, in the Koran.
ISLAM promotes itself [to non-moslems], through its adherents, by claiming that ISLAM is a honourable and beneficial philosophy for mankind.
But ISLAM's adherents insist that no one, either inside ISLAM [moslems], or outside ISLAM [non-moslems], must be allowed to critically examine ISLAM, and its tenets and precepts.
Indeed, within ISLAMIC jurisdictions, critics of ISLAM are often summarily killed, for their 'crime' of 'insulting' [the 'peace' of] ISLAM.
If ISLAM truly is a honourable and beneficial philosophy to mankind, why is critical examination of ISLAM always met with violence by its adherents???
One of the essential differences between 'Western' culture, and ISLAM, is that we have embraced self criticism.
But, ISLAM never has.
And ISLAM
never, ever, will, embrace self criticism.
The Koran, ISLAM's primary foundation texts actually forbids 'self examination' of ISLAM, by moslems...
"
O ye who believe! Ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble.....
Some people before you did ask such questions, and on that account lost their faith."
Koran 5.101, 102