Is Islam a religion? What defines a religion? (ritual, salvation)

[Mr Spinkles]

Originally Posted by Vassal

No, Islam is not a religion, it's a political organization whose intent is to subjugate the entire world.

Can't it be both? "Christianity" has, at various times throughout history, been a cult, a religion, a political organization whose intent is to subjugate the entire world, and so on.

I think questions like "What is Islam" have to approached with caution. These are very difficult questions to answer because not all words have consistent meanings. It is possible for words to mean different things to different people. It is much easier to answer questions like "What is a parabola" or "What is a circle".

Words like "Islam" and "America" just don't have consistent, crystal clear definitions, like "parabola" or "circle".

In this sense, Islam is a religion of peace and a religion of violence, it's just a religion and it's just a political system and it's both, it's a cult and it's a way of life, it's art and history and legend, etc etc. It can be all of these things. It's essentially what people make of it.

I think questions such as "What is Islam" should not be answered with a quick, simple definition. Instead those questions should serve as the basis of a scholarly investigation of the contemporary, historical, religious, and political aspects of Islam. (Or America, or Christianity, etc.)

What Islam Actually Is

Q: I am a 16-year-old Christian fromTexas, US, and I was wondering if you could explain what Islam actually is.

A: Islam is the very nature of man. It is the religion and the path chosen by Almighty Allah for mankind so that they may gain happiness in this life and Paradise in the next life.

Islam is not a religion in the common and distorted sense, for it does not confine its scope to one's private life. It is a complete way of life and is present in every field of human existence. Islam provides guidance for all aspects of life—individual and social, material and moral, economic and political, legal and cultural, and national and international.

According to Islam, do people have the *legal* right to free speech? Can a person publicly express his/her belief that there is no God, or that there are many gods, or that people should not follow the Prophet, and not be thrown in prison or otherwise punished?

[Mestemia]

Religion is a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.

So yes, Islam is a religion.

[Sunstone]

**ADMIN POST**

Please cut out the sniping. If you feel a need to snipe at other members, find a different forum from RF to do it on.

[Terrywoodenpic]

I would say Islam is a religion, but it is not only a religion, as it extends to the total of how a life should be lived including Law, Justice and Government.
This is something not easily recognised by a Christian nor do thy welcome that it is so.

[Mestemia]

From the front page of Religious Forums:

We define religion as any specific system of belief and/or/without worship, often involving a code of ethics and a philosophy.

Again, I say that Islam is a religion.

[Bishka]

Originally Posted by rocka21

its funny how LDS get so upset when a "sarcastic" remark is made agaist them.

Because the remarks are made at us personally. This is made a man that has never even been on these forums.

[rojse]

I asked what all religions had in common was a while ago on this forum. We eventually came to a consensus that all religions include:

1. Prayers and meditations
2. A set of personal beliefs and commitments
3. A work of literature to believe in
4. A transformational quest for wholeness seeking a coherent,
integrated, and personal sense of cosmos and ethos
5. Faith and the need for money to promote that faith

Here is the thread where I asked that question, should you wish to go through the entire thread.
What do all Religions have in Common?

Hope this helps.

[Bishka]

Originally Posted by Vassal

No, Islam is not a religion, it's a political organization whose intent is to subjugate the entire world.

Great claims require great proof. If Islam is not a religion, then Christianity certainly is no either. Please, using the actual definition of religion please tell us how it is not a religion. No scriptures, just your opinion please.