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The Benefits of Islam

Sorry for the late response. Christmas kind of got in the way.

I went to your Wikipedia article. It's been about 15 years since I read Balyuzi. He did mention that caravan raiding was a common practice throughout the Arabian peninsula. But I don't recall that was the reason for the Meccans to attack the Medinins. But it could have been even though I believe Balyuzi framed the attacks mostly as a religious battle. Maybe religion was used as a pretext to eliminate some business competition.

As for no more Jews in Medina, Balyuzi said that religion in those days with the Arabs was somewhat fickle. Mohammed managed to convert many Medinin Jews, Christians, and idolators to his way.

Here's an interesting read. It's long.


Arabia since the 7th century
Arabian and Islamic expansion




Muhammad was born in 570 of the Hāshimite (Banū Hāshim) branch of the noble house of ʿAbd Manāf; though orphaned at an early age and, in consequence, with little influence, he never lacked protection by his clan. Marriage to a wealthy widow improved his position as a merchant, but he began to make his mark in Mecca by preaching the oneness of Allah. Rejected by the Quraysh lords, Muhammad sought affiliation with other tribes; he was unsuccessful until he managed to negotiate a pact with the tribal chiefs of Medina, whereby he obtained their protection and became theocratic head and arbiter of the Medinan tribal confederation (ummah). Those Quraysh who joined him there were known as muhājirūn (refugees or emigrants), while his Medinan allies were called anṣār (supporters). The Muslim era dates from the Hijrah (Hegira)—Muhammad’s move to Medina in 622 ce. (For more detail about the life of Muhammad and the rise of Islam, see Islam; Islamic world.)

After Muhammad’s entry into Mecca the tribes linked with Quraysh came to negotiate with him and to accept Islam; this meant little more than giving up their local deities and worshiping Allah alone. They had to pay the tax, but this was not novel because the tribal chiefs had already been taxed to protect the Meccan ḥaram.

Many tribesmen probably waited to join the winner. Doubtless they cared little for Islam—many tried to break away (the so-called apostasy) on Muhammad’s death.


Islam, however, was destined for a world role. Under Muhammad’s successors the expansionist urge of the tribes, temporarily united around the nucleus of the two sacred enclaves, coincided with the weakness of Byzantium and Sāsānian Persia.
Tribes summoned to the banners of Islam launched a career of conquest that promised to satisfy the mandate of their new faith as well as the desire for booty and lands. With families and flocks, they left the peninsula. Population movements of such magnitude affected all of Arabia; in Hadhramaut they possibly caused neglect of irrigation works, resulting in erosion of fertile lands. In Oman, too, when Arab tribes evicted the Persian ruling class, its complex irrigation system seems to have suffered severely. Many Omani Arabs about the mid-7th century left for Basra (in Iraq) and formed the influential Azd group there. Arabian Islam replaced Persian influence in the Bahrain district and Al-Ḥasā province in the northeast, and in Yemen.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Arabia/Arabia-since-the-7th-century
 
Monotheism.

Islam is the only monotheistic religion, and it was the first monotheistic religion.

Neither Jews nor christians are monotheists.

Jews and christians are monaltrists. Monaltry is the worship of one god to the exclusion of all other gods.


Do you mean monolatry?





And, according to the Old and New Testaments, there really are other gods.
The Old Testament clearly states in no uncertain terms that other gods exist, and some of those gods are specifically identified by name.

No. That's not accurate.

There are other "gods," in the sense that people were worshipping animals, idols, etc.., But just because they worshipped these FALSE gods, that doesn't mean they are indeed true gods.

That point was made by God when He mocked the gods of Pharaoh (and He brought the plagues as a challenge and evidence that the gods that was worshipped by Pharaoh were useless and nothing at all).
 
In fact, this verse says otherwise:

Isaiah 44:6 English Standard Version (ESV)

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god."

Isaiah tends to have been written later than the books in the Torah. There is a definite change in attitudes between the Torah and the later parts. For example, they mention Asherera , who was the consort of Yahweh in the religion of Phoenicia. The attitude shifted over time from 'We worship our god over all other gods' to 'the other gods are false gods', to 'there is only one God'. It took a few centuries.
 
I've never heard this claim before. Can you give examples?

You should try reading the texts. They do have value, mythologically, historically, sociologically, psychologically, and even medically.

Today we know that many virus mutate in swine and become transmissible to humans. That's not true of sheep or goats. That's probably why there's a prohibition on pork. If you're going to eat pork, then you'll need herds of swine, and with herds of swine, you risk the possibility of viral plagues.

In fact, this verse says otherwise:

Isaiah 44:6 English Standard Version (ESV)

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god."

No. That's not accurate.

There are other "gods," in the sense that people were worshipping animals, idols, etc.., But just because they worshipped these FALSE gods, that doesn't mean they are indeed true gods.

I'm not talking about animals or idols. Both the Old and New Testament reference other gods. The Old Testament makes reference to Moloch, Dagon and others, while the New Testament only references Greek and Roman gods.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, let us make man in our image.

Genesis 3:22 And the Lord God said, Behold, then man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.

Genesis 11:7 Let us go down, and there confound their language.


"Us" is other gods. The Hebrews ripped those stories from other older cultures in which other gods were involved and incorporated them in an abbreviated way in their texts.

The "us" in Genesis 1:26 is specifically Ninmah, Enki and Ningishiddza, who created humans, but not in one day. According to the texts, it took a few thousand years to get humans right.

The "us" in Genesis 3:22 is Enlil and Enki. According to the original texts, Enki wanted to give knowledge to the humans he created, and Enlil forbade it. Enki went behind his back and did it anyway. That's the source of the Garden of Eden story. The serpent in the Garden of Eden is Enki. Both Enki and his son Ningishiddza were represented by two snakes intertwined on a cross, what you know to day as the caduceus: the symbol for the medical profession.

Joshua 24:2 Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

Terah lived in the city of Ur, which was the principle city of the god Ninurta and Terah was a priest that the temple there. When Terah, and his son and daughter Abram (Abraham) and Serai (Sarah) go to a city in Haran, that city also happened to be the principle city of Ninurta, except in the Hurrian and Hittite languages he was called Teshub.

Abram later married Serai That was his half-sister, same father, different mothers.

Psalm 86:8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord.

It's unfortunate we don't have the Book of the Wars of Yahweh, because he fights other gods in those wars.

Jeremiah 10:11 The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.

For all cultures, there were gods of Heaven, gods of Earth, and gods of Heaven & Earth. Gods were mortal and could die. They could be permanently injured, too.

Joshua 24:14 Fear the Lord ... and put away the gods which your fathers served.

All cultures, including the Hebrews were polytheistic. After millennium, the cultures shifted to henotheism, which means they recognized a pantheon, but elevated one god above the others.

Later, the Amorites, who people incorrectly refer to as Babylonians, shifted to monolatry, when they adopted Marduk as their national god, and worshipped him to the exclusion of all other gods.

The Hebrews later followed suit, adopting Yahweh out of a pantheon that included El, Ba'al, El Elyon, El Berith, El Shaddai, Mot, Suf, Lothan, Dagon, Kothar, Yahweh and Ashera.

That's actually the Ugarit pantheon, but that's not even remotely shocking.

That point was made by God when He mocked the gods of Pharaoh (and He brought the plagues as a challenge and evidence that the gods that was worshipped by Pharaoh were useless and nothing at all).

That would be relevant if the Hebrews were actually in Egypt, but they weren't.

Do you mean monolatry?

There are spelling variations.
 
I'm not talking about animals or idols. Both the Old and New Testament reference other gods. The Old Testament makes reference to Moloch, Dagon and others, while the New Testament only references Greek and Roman gods.

.....referenced as in making it clear so that all others were/are FALSE gods!

Isaiah 45:5
I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me,


Isaiah 43:10
“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.


Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.


1 Cor 10
No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.


Judges 10:6
The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him.


John 1:18
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.


Romans 1:25
Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.







Genesis 1:26 And God said, let us make man in our image.

Genesis 3:22 And the Lord God said, Behold, then man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.

Genesis 11:7 Let us go down, and there confound their language.


"Us" is other gods. The Hebrews ripped those stories from other older cultures in which other gods were involved and incorporated them in an abbreviated way in their texts.

The "us" in Genesis 1:26 is specifically Ninmah, Enki and Ningishiddza, who created humans, but not in one day. According to the texts, it took a few thousand years to get humans right.

The "us" in Genesis 3:22 is Enlil and Enki. According to the original texts, Enki wanted to give knowledge to the humans he created, and Enlil forbade it. Enki went behind his back and did it anyway. That's the source of the Garden of Eden story. The serpent in the Garden of Eden is Enki. Both Enki and his son Ningishiddza were represented by two snakes intertwined on a cross, what you know to day as the caduceus: the symbol for the medical profession.

Lol. If we try to interpret "us" your way - you still got it wrong. "LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE..."
That would mean that all the gods you mean by the usage of "us," would be humans! So - you're saying we're all gods!

You're confused. Your source gives you conflicting messages.




Joshua 24:2 Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

Terah lived in the city of Ur, which was the principle city of the god Ninurta and Terah was a priest that the temple there. When Terah, and his son and daughter Abram (Abraham) and Serai (Sarah) go to a city in Haran, that city also happened to be the principle city of Ninurta, except in the Hurrian and Hittite languages he was called Teshub.

Abram later married Serai That was his half-sister, same father, different mothers.

Psalm 86:8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord.

It's unfortunate we don't have the Book of the Wars of Yahweh, because he fights other gods in those wars.


They refer to false gods that people came up with!

Only Books that God want to impart to us as the truth, are the ones that made it to the Bible.



continuation ....(too long)......
 
Originally Posted by Mircea View Post

Jeremiah 10:11 The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.

For all cultures, there were gods of Heaven, gods of Earth, and gods of Heaven & Earth. Gods were mortal and could die. They could be permanently injured, too.

Joshua 24:14 Fear the Lord ... and put away the gods which your fathers served.

All cultures, including the Hebrews were polytheistic. After millennium, the cultures shifted to henotheism, which means they recognized a pantheon, but elevated one god above the others.

Later, the Amorites, who people incorrectly refer to as Babylonians, shifted to monolatry, when they adopted Marduk as their national god, and worshipped him to the exclusion of all other gods.

The Hebrews later followed suit, adopting Yahweh out of a pantheon that included El, Ba'al, El Elyon, El Berith, El Shaddai, Mot, Suf, Lothan, Dagon, Kothar, Yahweh and Ashera.

That's actually the Ugarit pantheon, but that's not even remotely shocking.



That would be relevant if the Hebrews were actually in Egypt, but they weren't.

There are spelling variations.


They're all referring to false gods that people have come up with to worship! They refer to them as "gods" in the Scriptures.........because that's how the people called them. the people referred to them as gods.
That's all. Nothing special to them.
Nothing unlike someone today who'd be praying to a tree in his backyard, and calling it his god.


These false gods can't even do anything to save themselves, let alone help the people who worship them......because being mere creatures themselves, they're just as helpless as the people.

Demons were the fallen angels - therefore, also created by God.
Why do you think demons were fearful of Jesus Christ? Why did they follow His command? Even Satan followed his command! It's also indicated that Satan needs permission from God (as with Job).
Because they're just mere creations! They know the Authority of Christ/God.



Matthew 8
Jesus Restores Two Demon-Possessed Men

28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.
31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.




Like the people - the idols were carried off as captives, too!
There are no other gods - in the sense that you mean. Your interpretation is wrong, since you'd taken the usage of "gods" out of context.

How many times does God have to say it? To make His point?



Isaiah 46
Gods of Babylon

46 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low;
their idols are borne by beasts of burden.[a]
The images that are carried about are burdensome,
a burden for the weary.
2
They stoop and bow down together;
unable to rescue the burden,
they themselves go off into captivity.


3
“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob,
all the remnant of the people of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since your birth,
and have carried since you were born.
4
Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

5
“With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?
6
Some pour out gold from their bags
and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god,
and they bow down and worship it.
7
They lift it to their shoulders and carry it;
they set it up in its place, and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.
Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer;
it cannot save them from their troubles.

8
“Remember this, keep it in mind,
take it to heart, you rebels.
9
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.

10
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
 
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