Cults- Islam

I apologize for the long periods between my posts. I will work on being more consistent.

I also would like to say that most of us write different than we speak. I am no different. At the same time, I do not think that is a good nor honest way of communicating with others. So, from this point on I will try to write exactly how I would speak of it at home.

I would like to say that since I've been a Christian I have always believed that the Islamic religion/belief system is a cult. Their religion is the very definition of a cult. So, I have not just determined this since 9/11, the World Trade Center bombing in the early 90's, Kobal Towers, or the Cole attack. My comments are in bold.

I will start with the five pillars (beliefs or tenets) of Islam:

1. Shahada- The Islamic proclamation that "There is no true God except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
I suppose that we could stop there and proclaim that this is cultic in its very foundation.

2. Salat- Prayer- Prayer involves confession of sins which begins with the purification of the body and ends with the purification of the soul. Prayer is performed five times a day. The first prayer is at dawn and the last at sunset. The names of the prayers are Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha. The Maghrib prayer is the sunset prayer. Isha is the prayer that is said after sunset. There is also a prayer that is said right after Fajr known as Shurooq.
To whom are they praying?

3. Saum- Fasting The month of Ramadan is the month of fasting in Islam. It is an act of worship where the faithful follower denies his own needs and seeks Allah. Usually, this fasting entails no drinking, eating during, or sexual relations during the daylight hours for the entire month of Ramadan.

4. Zakat- Almsgiving or Charity Charity given to the poor. It benefits the poor and it helps the giver by moving him towards more holiness and submission to Allah. Alms-giving is considered a form of worship to God.

5. Hajj- Pilgrimage This is the pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims, if they are able, are to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. It involves financial sacrifice and is an act of worship. Muslims must make the pilgrimage the first half of the last month of the lunar year.

Muslims claim that only the Quran is trustworthy and that the other scriptures have been compromised because we do not posses their original manuscripts. The Koran (Qur'an) is the inspired word of Allah given to people through the Prophet Muhammad and it supercedes all other scriptures before it including. It alone is inerrant and trustworthy as a revelation for today. It is unchanged from the beginning.

In reference to Jesus Muslims believe He was a very great prophet, second only to Muhammad. Jesus is not the son of God (9:30) and certainly is not divine (5:17, 75)) and he was not crucified (4:157). These references are in the Qur'an.

Salvation-If your good deeds exceed your bad deeds, and you believe in Allah, and sincerely repent of sins, you may go to heaven (3:135; 7:8-9; 21:47; 49:14; 66:8-9). There is an eternal hell for those who are not Muslims, not practicing and of the truth faith (3:77). These references are in the Qur'an.

About God in general... There is only one God (5:73; 112:1-4). God is called Allah by Muslims (5:73) Allah sees all things (40:20), is present everywhere (2:115; 7:7). Allah is the sole creator and sustainer of the universe (3:191). Allah is not a Trinity, but is one (5:73). Allah is all-knowing (2:268; 10:61) and all powerful (6:61-62). Allah created the heaven and earth (2:29; 6:1, 73; 25:61-62; 36:81; 46:33).
These references are in the Qur'an.

I feel that this is an open-shut case. To give more info would be wasting my time and yours. This belief system and the others previously mentioned are from Hell. This is not an unloving comment but the truth.