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I like it better than the last one

It's good, but I don't see the need with the discussion thread

It's not going to go anywhere good, just lock it now.

[smeeprocket]

Why shouldn't God be involved in everything? If I believed in a God who wasn't involved in anything I was involved in, I'm not sure I would carry on believing in them.

It's impossible to rule anything out. It is worth noting that I am, after all, in this discussion.

Hmm, I was going to ask why God would value one football team over another, but I think the larger question is: do you believe in free will?

[Arx]

Free will is a very weird concept. I actually don't understand it well enough to say whether or not I believe in it.

[smeeprocket]

Free will is a very weird concept. I actually don't understand it well enough to say whether or not I believe in it.

btw, thank you for adding that little detail about yourself previously, it helps to remember the people I'm talking to are real and not just posts on a forum.

[chaoticag]

Hmm, might regret this, but I'll go ahead and sign up as a former Muslim/now atheist.

[Arx]

Hmm, might regret this, but I'll go ahead and sign up as a former Muslim/now atheist.

If you shoot 4mask a PM, it'll make his life easier.

[smeeprocket]

Hmm, might regret this, but I'll go ahead and sign up as a former Muslim/now atheist.

can I ask you questions even if you are not on the list, or is that against the rules because there is soooo much I want to know about Islam.

[chaoticag]

Already did, but he also mentioned I could mention it here. Thanks for the warning anyway.

Hmm, might regret this, but I'll go ahead and sign up as a former Muslim/now atheist.

can I ask you questions even if you are not on the list, or is that against the rules because there is soooo much I want to know about Islam.

Feel free to do so. I did send a pm to be added on the list, rule number one allows it.

[smeeprocket]

Already did, but he also mentioned I could mention it here. Thanks for the warning anyway.

Hmm, might regret this, but I'll go ahead and sign up as a former Muslim/now atheist.

can I ask you questions even if you are not on the list, or is that against the rules because there is soooo much I want to know about Islam.

Feel free to do so. I did send a pm to be added on the list, rule number one allows it.

I don't even know where to start, I just want to know more about Islam, really. You don't hear a lot of good things in the US, it gets vilified hardcore.

[chaoticag]

Well, alright. I frankly have no idea where to start with describing Islam myself. You can go ahead and ask me whether something you've been told is true or not, or maybe somewhere in between?

I will at least say this though, it's generally never a good idea to judge people by their holy texts, it doesn't give a functional understanding of their values or beliefs in a vacuum. I'll also only be able to answer things from a Sunni perspective, though most of the time I was a Muslim I was vaguely aware that there were different sects. Lastly, I'm a little rusty on the specifics in a lot of cases, don't ask me exactly what it means for something to be considered halal meat, I'll break down when I get to the specific bans there.

[smeeprocket]

What are the differences between the Sunni and Shiite exactly?

[TD1]

chaoticag

What aspect of Islam/religion caused you to lose your belief?

[4maskwolf]

Okay, OP updated with list of people and two additional rules (the primary of which hasn't been run afoul of yet).

[chaoticag]

What are the differences between the Sunni and Shiite exactly?

Well, they're considered the two major branches of Islam, though there are more. The Ibadi branch was the first, though, well, they're pretty secretive from what I understand.

Anyway, the Sunni Shiite split happened during the Rightly guided Caliphate period of Islam, following the death of the Prophet Mohammed. At it's core it was whether Mohammed's Nephew Ali was fit to rule the newly formed Islamic Empire, due to his blood relation with the Prophet Mohammed. Sunnis thought he was not suited to do so, while the Shiite's supported his bid for Caliph. So far, it's a pretty political thing.

Think of it as the split between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Initially political, but it had ramifications as far as Spiritual and Religious matters later down the line. Now, there's only one Quran between all Islamic branches, however, the book of Haddith, the recorded sayings of the prophet Mohammed, differs between the sects, though they share similarities. That's about the Cliff notes version.

[chaoticag]

chaoticag

What aspect of Islam/religion caused you to lose your belief?

Hmm. This is a real tough one, since it was kinda two things. For one, and this is going to sound stupid, what kicked me off questioning was someone saying whether I really believed. The second was I couldn't reconcile a forgiving loving god with one that maintains a hell. I think that sorta stuff is pretty basic deconversion stuff though.

[smeeprocket]

chaoticag

What are, at least some of, the actual views on women in the Quran? Like I don't know what exactly to ask but in Western society, the news, media, etc makes it sound awful, but I know Muslim feminists and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. (Not closely, or I would ask them.)