I finished _The Road to Mecca_ by Muhammad Asad, a once Austrian Jew who converted to Islam in the 1920's, and really enjoyed it. If I were the type of person who could choose a faith, and believe in it..I think it's now my favorite Abrahamic  religion. Although, I haven't read the Quran and I could be completely off not understanding what Islam is about.

The main difference that the author points out, and which I find quite fascinating, is that Christianity has always been about the after life, the secural life is of no real concern [apparently it is now] (read writings of Saints), but in Islam the Secular matters just as much as the Spiritual. In fact, Knowledge and the attainment of that knowledge is one of the greatest virtues of the religion. The teachings also taught sexual equality (from this book..I can't verify), although this is rarely followed today..or ever was.

I just didn't really no much about Islam...at all... until I read the book. I still don't know much about it.

However, in the book King Saud has slaves and such... so no religion is perfect.

Anythoughts on Islam? What intrigues you about the youngest Abrahamic religion? Or is my perception totally negative?

Please...no islamofascism stuff, or global jihad stuff. The only reason I think these things are so intertwined with Islam, is because Islam, by nature, is so intertwined into the secular life of its practitioners.

 I'm really just talking about it's strengths over other religions and its weakness.

I don't believe in Islam, so i would only have negative things to say about it.

Do you know why they wear turbins first of all?

I'm no atheist but I find religion the source of a lot of problems with the world today, I don't believe that you have to worship God because you already are if you do good to others and follow his techings...

same god different interpretation. That is all

It's barbaric. Read their holy verses. Just like all the other Abrahamic religions, its roots are steeped in blood. And bloody stupid things. For every quote giving us a sense that it's a religion of peace, another quote throws it off its pedestal and back into the mess with the others.

But that's the beauty of Christianity.

What is this short, unjust and flawed life compared to an eternal life in joy and harmony!

I'll check out some of the violent verses online. I got a lot of homework since school started up again :(

@coolestguyever I thought they were called kufiyas (sorry on the spelling) and that hindus wore turbans mainly because hair is something they only show in private with family. I didn't think it was required for muslim men to cover their heads, I thought it was a tradition based on their environment...

@slimebeast .. my point with what I was saying is that, following the doctrines which would be...let's say more tolerable in this life. I know the beauty of Christianity is that it has an afterlife....but to get there the idea seemed to be to reject this life. That's what I thought was different about Islam because it also has that same conceptualization of the afterlife.

@lightbleeder Well the whole teachings thing is what the debate is in religion. The definition of doing 'good' has different implications in all three abrahamic religions.

Christianity is not just about getting to Heaven. It is about living a righteous life, doing unto others, and much more.

@ halogamer: I'm pretty familiar with christianity (Catholiciscm). What I meant was the foundational religious doctrines and not what the religions have evolved or changed into.

Usually when I refer to Christianity I mean the teachings of the Bible and the early Catholic church. I don't want to discuss the liberalization of Christianity becasue it has definitely changed forms over the years. For example the acceptance of material wealth, covetousness and pride. From what I remember of my Catechism days...those go against pretty important tenets.

Of course religion has always changed to remain palatable society.

Imagine if priests were demanding that one sold all his/her worldly goods and lived the eremetic lifestyle to be delivered salvation...it wouldn't work. Originally though, this was done.

That's basically what I meant is the infancy of these religions.

you guys do know that all religion was created by humans right?