Just to let everyone know, I am not out at all to hurt them with my arguments. Any impression that I am comes from a misunderstanding, since myself and others have had their lives go in different directions. We're not going to agree on some things, surely, but that doesn't mean we should ignore each other's points. I read all this thread and I do agree that religion benefits people. But there are points brought up that I don't agree with, and so that is why I have and will debate them, which is staying on the topic of "Religious Views".
Before I do debate them, I'll list thirteen attributes which the scholars of Islam determined from the Qur'an, Muhammad's sayings and logic do befit God:
1. Existence - There is no doubt in God's existence, since every doing needs a doer, and thus this universe needs a Creator (God). God's existence is without a place, since that which has a place is in need of a place, and that which is in need is weak.
2. Oneness - God is One, not in the context of numbers, since numbers can be divided, but in the context that He is without a partner in Godhood, which is bringing things from the state of non-existence to the state of existence (the definition of creation). If someone claims there are two Gods, say one of these "Gods" wants me dead, and one wants me alive. I can't be alive and dead at the same time, and so the will of one of these "Gods" is not fulfilled, making that "God" weak, and thus not God. If the two "Gods" agree that they want me alive, they
need the permission of the other to have their will fulfilled. Same logic applies for three, four, 1500, etc., "Gods".
3. Eternal - God's existence is without a beginning, since that which has a beginning is in need of someone to give it that beginning. He has always existed. All other than God, that is, all creations, have a beginning, given to them by God.
4. Everlasting - God's existence is without an end, since that which can possibly terminate is weak. All of God's attributes are Eternal and Everlasting, since that which has a created attribute must itself be created.
5. Non-Neediness of Others - God does not need anything, and everything needs God. God is without a beginning, and so without a so-called "God above God". The One who has always existed, and Who created everything, certainly does not need anything. He existed without any of the creations, so why would He suddenly need any of the creations? The sound mind does not accept that the Creator is in need of anything.
Related to this attribute is that God does not change. That which changes either increases or decreases in something. If it increases, it was imperfect to start. If it decreases, it clearly is not perfect. Since God is perfect in the true sense of the word, He thus is clear of change, an attribute of the creations. Who changes the creations? God.
6. Non-Resemblance to the Creations - God does not resemble any of the creations in any way, because that which resembles something can have happen to it what can happen to what resembles it. To say God resembles the creation is to say God is in need of something, which is false, and so He is clear of resembling any of His creation in any way.
7. Power - God has Power over everything. Nothing is difficult for Him. God's Power is not in relation to the impossible. This means that if someone were to ask, "Does God have the power to have a son?", the correct answer would not be "yes" or "no", since "yes" attributes to Him neediness and "no" attributes to Him weakness. The logical and correct answer to such a question is, "God's Power is not in relation to the impossible." Impossible is what the sound mind cannot accept, such as the Creator having a place, son, hands, face, shape, etc.
8. Will - Whatever God wills to be shall be, and whatever He does not will to be shall not be. If we, creations, will something, such as to wake up at 6am every morning, we may not get up at that time a certain morning. It is possible for our will to not be fulfilled, but God being perfect, His Will is always fulfilled. It says in the Qur'an what means, "You do not will for anything except for what God Willed [in Eternity] for you to will". One may wish to go to China, but if God did not Will for him to go to China, he will not go to China. One may wish to kill himself, but if God did not Will for him to kill himself, but instead to keep himself alive and be appreciative of what he has, the man would avoid suicide and be appreciative of what he has. Everything happens by the Will of God.
One sins because God willed for him to sin, and one avoids sinning because God willed for him to avoid sinning. God is the Creator of both good and evil, but ordered the good and forbade the evil. The one who does good earns reward, and the accountable (sane, pubescent and has heard the call of Islam - no one is God but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God - in a language they understand) one who does evil deserves punishment. Nothing adds to or takes away from God. As Muhammad said, "If everyone was as evil as Satan, and did as many sins as him, nothing would be taken away from God."
9. Speech - God has Speech without a sound, language or letter, which are all created things. The Torah [in Hebrew], Bible [in Syriac] and Qur'an [in Arabic] are all
expressions of the Eternal, Everlasting Speech of God. (For example, the word "fire" is an expression of fire. By touching the word "fire" I do not get burned, despite it expressing something that normally burns that which touches it. Muslims do not worship the letters A, L, L, A and H, but rather the perfect Self of Allah.) They are all in languages so that humans can understand from them what God ordered them to do, and forbade them to do. On the Day of Judgment, everyone will hear the Eternal, Everlasting Speech of God, and understand from it how they spent their lives, either in obedience to their Creator, or in disobedience. As I stated in an earlier post, since nothing is difficult for God, He can make His creations hear His Eternal, Everlasting Speech.
10. Knowledge - God has Eternal, Everlasting Knowledge of everything. He knows what happened in the past, what happens in the present, what will happen in the future, what does not happen, and if something had happened differently had He willed for it to happen differently, how it would have happened. Nothing is hidden or concealed from God. Time does not elapse on God, since time is a creation, associated with change, and God does not change.
11. Hearing - God Hears everything without an ear or other instrument. No sound or silence is hidden from Him.
12. Sight - God Sees everything without an eye or other instrument. No visibility or invisibility is hidden from Him.
13. Life - God has Life unlike ours, in that it is Eternal and Everlasting, and not of flesh, blood, soul, spirit, etc. We are in need of God to give us the life we have, which will end. God's Life, which He certainly has since that which is dead is weak, has no beginning, and no end.
Now with those thirteen attributes listed and explained, I will address some of your points.
I have nothing against Muslims, and I have nothing against Jafar for being a Muslim. My issue was when he was talking as if it's a natural law that Islam is superior to all the other religions. Have a sense of humility and accept other people's beliefs, even if you don't agree with them.
Every Muslim in this world other than myself would have been just as adamant about their religion as I was in that post, and will continue to be. It's part of the belief. Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, etc., all contradict Islam in some way, so I can't accept them.
You won't see me seeking to cause harm to non-Muslims. I won't punch them, kick them, throw rocks at them, none of that. I will wish the best for them, and treat them kindly, but I will not accept what claims God is weak in any way. Attributing God with a son (Christianity), rejecting the prophethood of two of His best messengers, Jesus and Muhammad (Judaism), and saying a "part of God" is in everything (Hinduism) all are claims that God is weak, which I cannot accept.
I love Jesus greatly. The one who does not love him is not a Muslim, since Jesus himself is a Muslim. His first words were, "I am a slave of God." He did not teach that he was the "Son of God", but then some people began changing the Injil (Arabic for Bible) to include among truths illogical claims. One part which was deleted by these changers was that Jesus mentioned that a prophet named Ahmad would come after him, and be the last and best of the prophets! Muslims like myself believe that Jesus did not die; it says in the Qur'an and in Muhammad's sayings that a student, who was given by God the likeness of Jesus, was killed in his place, while Jesus was raised to the skies, and will return sometime soon from now to bring peace to the world, and kill the Antichrist, who was met and talked to by one of Muhammad's companions about 1400 years ago. The Antichrist, a man, will come, falsely claim prophethood and then Godhood, and cause great destruction and corruption worldwide. His reign will be ended when Jesus returns to kill him, and the world will be at peace for several decades under Jesus as ruler, using the Qur'an and Muhammad's saying as Law. All prophets knew about Muhammad, and took a vow to follow him should he appear in their time. Jesus, after living on Earth for 40 years after his return, will die and be buried beside Muhammad in Medina, Arabia.
I also love Moses, also a Muslim, and Muhammad, and the other 123,997 prophets, all Muslims, whom God sent to humanity to guide humans to beneficial behaviour and the leaving out of what is harmful. But I do not exaggerate my love for any creation by falsely claiming that it is truly perfect, which means free of need, when all creations are in need of their Creator.
This is one of my biggest problems with all faiths that worship the Judeo-Christian-Islamic deity. In all the ways they describe God, he/she/it comes off as a terrible entity.
It is impossible for God to be terrible or injust, because the definition of injustice is managing the property of someone else in a way they do not accept. God created everything, so He owns everything. He does with His creation what He wills, and He is not to be questioned about it. Those who were endowed with, among many other blessings, free will are responsible for using it in obedience to God, and will be questioned after their death on how they used that free will.
Any good parent wouldn't want their children to worship them. Admire, yes. But worship, no. They also wouldn't want their children to think they could never be better than them, they'd want their children to surpass them. Every time I hear people complaining about someone 'playing god' I cringe, because that's exactly what God would want.
Point is, whenever I hear a passage about the Almighty, I think of him/her/it as a parent and judge accordingly.
God is not a parent. To be a parent, someone has to have a child. To have a child, someone has to have a body. God is without a body, since that which has a body is in need of that body. So yes, I agree that any good parent does not want to be worshiped by their children, but God is not a parent. He is the Creator of parents, and of the children of these parents, but He does not need anything, and so does not need people. By applying the parent-child metaphor to God and His creation one calls God weak, and that doesn't make sense. God ordered humans to worship Him, and He being truly perfect and the creator of all we have, is deserving of worship. The person who gets something good should be grateful to God and be humble, and the person who gets a hardship should be grateful to God and be patient, and if he is, he will be rewarded for that gratitude and patience.
Also, please know clearly that just because I do not accept some of your beliefs does not mean I do not respect you as people, and I do wish for you good. We all have the beliefs and opinions God Willed in Eternity for us to have. I accept that beliefs which go against Islam exist, but I do not accept those beliefs, and that is what makes me Muslim.