Questions of Religion

[Ghaleon]

As it appears that there are many different religions/ world views
represented at the hookah forum I was thinking we could use this thread
to ask any questions we might have about another religion.

this thread should not turn into a debate about which religion/world
view is right or wrong; it's a place to ask questions.  If you
want a debate start another thread.

Whether you have a question or not, it would be nice if you would leave
a post that describes the more basic principles of your religion (and
your sect within that religion) so that we know exactly which groups
are represented.  Again, this thread is for the productive
communication of questions and answers, not for debate.

So I'll start.  I'm a Christian, and more specifically, I'm
anglican.  Anglicanism was the church of the reformation in
England and has often been viewed as the 'half way house' between
Protestantism and Catholocism.   It maintains lots of
the tradition of the catholic church, but rejects the papal authority
(the highest on our heirarchy is arch bishop).

I'm excited to hear your replies.

[Ghaleon]

I've got a question for any Muslims out there:

I've always wondered why we never see any apologetic texts, deffending
the views of Islam in the States.  It's impossible to walk through
a book store over here without coming across some new book that tries
to provide a rational basis for the Christian faith.  Furthermore
the Christian tradition is full of philosophers and theologians
attempting to prove it's truth.

From the little that I understand of Islam, it has
an intellectual tradition that is far more rich, and a belief system
that is much more intricate, than that of Christianity.  Why don't
we see any books defending the rational grounds of Islam?  Do they
not exist?  or do they just not get translated?

[bigbishop]

Hey that's awesome-I'm anglican too.  I belong to AMiA, Anglican Mission in America.  It's actually a rwandan and southeast asian mission to america instead of the other way around. I don't know if youve heard of it or not.
I used to be episcopalian, but since the international episc. church went retarded and tried to effectivly rewrite the bible, or i should say "re-edit", by taking out anything that doesn't make homosexuals comfortable, and depending on which leader you talk to, anything that had to do with the holy spirit at all.
so sucks to them

[[LB]]

If you wanna great read- for anybody try this book:[b]The End of Faith[/b]by Sam Harris
[img]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y126/SillySnare/0393035158.jpg[/img]It might change the way you look at religion [b]ESPECIALLY [/b]if you are a [b]MODERATELY RELIGIOUS PERSON[/b]

[[LB]]

the man is a neurlogist and is able to associate alot of religious thought with science- at the same time disproving religion anywhere he can- hes about as smart as they get i suggest next time one of you are in a book store just pick it up and read the first couple pages.

[Soup]

cool, [l_b], I've been looking around for some books like this for some time.  I'll be checking this one out.

[IsraelEnigma]

im a jew, specifically a folower of Bet Yosef, ie Sepharic Rite

[HookahCaterpillar]

Im supposed to be jewish thought I dont really follow any religon. I am
not agnostic or athiest but its just I dont know what to believe. I
took a religon course one time in high school and when studying
hinduism I was absolutely obsessed. I started reading the (sp.?)
bagavad gita and listening to alot of hindu music. Im not planning on
converting to any religon but i think hinduism is the most interesting
religon out there along with buddhism. I collect laughing buddha
statues and i thought i would be interested in buddhism but when
studying buddhism I realized i do not believe in there philosophy at
all. In my opinion its very contradictory. You must end all desires
then you will reach englightenment....Now my opinion is the DESIRE to
end all desires is a desire in itself so its impossible to end all
desires. 

[Yacub Kopi]

Hello, I am Muslim, Sunni, but I do follow a lot of Sufi Thought,
Friend Ghaleon asked,
[quote name='Ghaleon']I've got a question for any Muslims out there:I've always wondered why we never see any apologetic texts, deffending the views of Islam in the States.  It's impossible to walk through a book store over here without coming across some new book that tries to provide a rational basis for the Christian faith.  Furthermore the Christian tradition is full of philosophers and theologians attempting to prove it's truth.From the little that I understand of Islam, it has an intellectual tradition that is far more rich, and a belief system that is much more intricate, than that of Christianity.  Why don't we see any books defending the rational grounds of Islam?  Do they not exist?  or do they just not get translated?[/quote]
There are a lot of books and papers on this.  But you must remember a few things.  Most Muslims write in non-English language.  Such as Malay, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and others.  Also American book stores will not carry a lot of these books because most of them are in other languages and I doubt there is a high demand for them in the States, and the book store is trying to make money.  If you want to find books on these issues you might stop by a mosque in your area, or if you have a university there see if you can find a Muslim Student Assocation, they might be able to help you find the information you are looking for.
Hope this helps,
 

[Ghaleon]

thanks Yacub,
That certainly does help.  And, as I just arrived in Istanbul, i'm probably in the right place to find a mosque.
But how should I go about asking?  Are there any times when it would be inapropriate to enter a mosque?  Is there anything that I should keep in mind before I head over?
 
Thanks again
 
Ghaleon

[Yacub Kopi]

Ghaleon,
Yes, Istanbul is a good place to find a mosque (remember if you ask a local person where one is the Arabic word is Majid and not Mosque).
I would not go on a Friday Noon Prayer because it will be very busy then, it is like the Christian Sunday or the Jewish Saturday.  If you are just wanting to see it or see the prayers and such?  I know Istanbul has some older mosque turned into Museums.  You can always go to one of those places if you are just wishing to see how a Mosque look like.  If you are wanting to see Muslims pray and learn about Islam, I would ask someone you know or a person who works for the hotel you are at and ask where a nice size Mosque is at and what are the prayer times.  Showing up for Afternoon Prayer (ASR) or Sunset Prayer (Maghrib) would be your best time to find people not in a great hurry and can chat with you about the faith.  Also, dress modestly, (no shorts, no cut offs, no Tank tops {i heard they are called wife beaters}) Remember you need to take off your shoes before you go into the Mosque.
Hope you enjoy your time there and please tell us all about any Hookah cafe you go to and post pictures I would love to see.
Your friend,
 

[Ravon and The Doctor]

Since the war in Iraq (part 2- the junior years) has been going on a lot of news feeds in Britain talk about Muslim religious sects almost as if they are militant idiots all of whom are hell bent on dominating the country (and others) and that seems daft to me and exceptionally pointless so could someone explain what the difference is between Sufi, Sunni and Shi'ite [sp?] and why the difference is so important that it affects politics in the Middle East?

[Lakemonster]

Im a Christian myself, very much a Protestant.
I'd particularly have questions for any one following Zoroastrianism.

[Alqoshnia]

Im not a muslim but know a fairly good amount of the history of middle-east and Islam. The real dispute between them is more politics than the religion itself. Basically Sunnis believed Mohammed appointed Abu-Bakr (Mohammed's father-in-law and closest companion), right before he died, to be his successor. Abu-Bakr was the first caliph and Sunnis believed that they should go with the caliph system. Shi'is believe that Mohammeds cousin (Ali) should have been his successor immediately after Mohammed's death, because he was the first convert to Islam and also his son-in-law. Ali does become leader later on but only supported by Shi'is. Shi'is went along with the imam system, in which Ali's successor was his son, then grandson, and so on. It goes up to 11 imams and now Shi'is still believe the 12th imam is still out there somewhere. Sufism are not too political but more of "hippie" type muslim, in that they perceive Islam in more of a mysticism. They just live strictly by the Quran not too much of who should be in succession. Hopefully you get my explanation. Sorry if I rambled on and on, but you asked for it!

[Ravon and The Doctor]

So the Sunni's have caliph priests, the Shi's have Imam priests and the uproar is all about whose priests should run the society?

[nuschultz]

I actually went online to the Universal Life Church (ulc.org) and became an ordained reverend.  I did it as a laugh at first, since I am not really a religious person, but my friends and I were talking one night (around the hookah no less) about how technology has changed our lives (we are all computer geeks).  Since then, we have been calling ourselves the "Monks of Machina", and they have dubbed me the "Priest".  Just something humerous.

[Sonthert]

My father joined the ULC in 1959 or 1960, a few years after it was founded. I joined too. 

[nuschultz]

Do you do anything actively?

[Sonthert]

There was a time when there were three things people didn't do, being as they were polite. THey didn't discuss politics, religion or baseball. Well, OK, the first two were the most important...I fail to see how we have been transformed into a country where people can freely accost you about religion. As a nontheist, I think religion is asinine and a waste of time. Given my chance to exercise my own faith, I do so without pomp or ritual. So, I guess, no, I don't. We can appreciate all the things that religions say and have in common and use those too...

[Ghaleon]

[quote name='Tangiers']There was a time when there were three things people didn't do, being as they were polite. THey didn't discuss politics, religion or baseball.[/quote]
When and where, exactly, are you talking about here? 
[quote name='Tangiers']I fail to see how we have been transformed into a country where people can freely accost you about religion. As a nontheist, I think religion is asinine and a waste of time.[/quote]
And what do you think accosting someone of their religion consists of?  I'm curious to hear a deffinition of this which does not include calling all religious activity asinine...

[Sonthert]

[quote name='Ghaleon'][quote name='Tangiers']There was a time when there were three things people didn't do, being as they were polite. THey didn't discuss politics, religion or baseball.[/quote]
When and where, exactly, are you talking about here? Oh 30 years ago or so and dating back to the founding of this country.[quote name='Tangiers']I fail to see how we have been transformed into a country where people can freely accost you about religion. As a nontheist, I think religion is asinine and a waste of time.[/quote]
And what do you think accosting someone of their religion consists of?  I'm curious to hear a deffinition of this which does not include calling all religious activity asinine...[/quote]When people come up to you and try to tell you about their church, come to your house and try to demonstrate how their religion is the best in the world or when the media and government leaders talk about a god that an overwhelming majority of the world don't believe in, that is being accosted.If I came to you and/or a complete stranger and said "So, did you and your girlfriend have sex last night?" "Oh, me and my girlfriend like doggie style, you should try it. Its really great. " Would that be considered treading on private ground? Of course it would be. How about, in addition to marching, gay people during gay pride went around trying to get people to try gay sex? I am not gay, I don't find anything wrong with it, but on the other hand, I don't want you telling me intimate details of how you prefer it to my way of life. How is religion different? It should be a personal and private matter and thats how many people of the world treat it, not flaunting it, recruiting for it or othrwise jamming it down people's throats who otherwise felt it to be an offensive subject.

[Brocktologist]

[quote]When people come up to you and try to tell you about their church, come to your house and try to demonstrate how their religion is the best in the world or when the media and government leaders talk about a god that an overwhelming majority of the world don't believe in, that is being accosted.If I came to you and/or a complete stranger and said "So, did you and your girlfriend have sex last night?" "Oh, me and my girlfriend like doggie style, you should try it. Its really great. " Would that be considered treading on private ground? Of course it would be. How about, in addition to marching, gay people during gay pride went around trying to get people to try gay sex? I am not gay, I don't find anything wrong with it, but on the other hand, I don't want you telling me intimate details of how you prefer it to my way of life. How is religion different? It should be a personal and private matter and thats how many people of the world treat it, not flaunting it, recruiting for it or othrwise jamming it down people's throats who otherwise felt it to be an offensive subject.[/quote]I completely agree, in a sense.  Although I don't follow a specific religion, I think it is very important to be a part of on both spiritual and informational levels.  Most of the time I do keep to myself about my beliefs, but then again there are those times when people ask about it...so I talk.