(Part 3) Top products from r/exmuslim

> thus the onus of proof to prove this falls upon you [to show that monotheistic Yahwehism/Allahism is a fallacy].

Accepted.

Against your claim of monotheistic Yahwehism/Allahism, the essential and absolute foundation of Islam, I presented an argument that Monotheistic Allahism/monotheistic Yahwehism, using the very precedents utilized by Muhammad, is a fallacious position as the physical archeological and linguistic anthropological evidence of revealed and holy scripture of cultures/societies/religions that preceded and became that of the early Israelites shows the worship of Yahweh originated initial in a highly polytheistic pantheon with an evolution/progression from a polytheism to a henotheism to, finally after thousands of years, to a full monotheism. This evaluation can be can be traced and correlated, to a high degree of reliability and confidence, with the changing man-made military and political position of Yahweh's adherents attempting to gain influence and control over their enemies. To show (via the burden of proof) that "There is no God but Allah," you will have to present evidence/an argument that refutes this argument.

Argument against monotheistic Yahwehism/Allahism

The most foundational and essential belief in Islam, and in all the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), is that Yahweh/YHWH/YHVH, God, or Allah, is that "God/Allah" exists and there is the only one true revealed God (monotheism) - or monotheistic Yahwehism. As this is also the core of the Tanakh (Judaism), Bible (Christianity), and Qur'an/Koran (Islam); questions concerning the source of, and the validity of, this monotheistic Deity belief would raise significant doubt as to the Holy Book's validity as the word of God/Yahweh/Allah and to the very foundation of these belief systems. These core scriptural documents also establish the precept and precedent accepting predecessor society/culture holy scripture and documentation of revealed Yahwehism and integrating and propagating core attributes and beliefs (though with some variation and conflict with peripherals). Yet, within the Holy Scriptures of predecessor Babylonian, Ugarit and Canaanite, and early Israelite religions/societies/cultures, the evidence points to the evolution and growth in the belief of the monothesitic Yahweh Deity from a polytheistic foundation of the El [El Elyon] (the Father God/God Most High) God pantheon. Yahweh (one of many sons of El) was a subordinate fertility/rain/warrior local desert God whom, through a process of convergence, differentiation and displacement (synthesis and syncretism), was elevated from polytheism to henotheism (a monolatry for Yahweh; Yahweh is in charge, there are other Gods to worship) to an aggressive monolatrist polytheistic belief (Yahweh is the most important God, there exists other Gods but worship of these other Gods is to be actively rejected) to, finally, a monotheistic belief system (there is and, somehow, always has been, only Yahweh) as documented in the revealed holy scriptures of these religions and cultures that directly influenced and/or became the Biblical Israelites.

For ones edification, here are some physical archeological and linguistic anthropological evidential sources documenting the development and growth of monotheistic Yahwehism/Allahism from a historical polytheistic foundation of revealed holy scripture to the monotheism of early Biblical Israelites:

• [The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel](http://www.amazon.com/The-Early-History-God-Biblical/dp/080283972X) by Mark Smith<br />

• The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts by Mark S. Smith
  
• A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong
  
• The Religion of Ancient Israel (Library of Ancient Israel) by Patrick D. Miller
  
• Religions of Ancient Israel: A Synthesis of Parallactic Approaches by Ziony Zevit
  
  Traces of the foundational polytheistic (many many gods, El is in charge) belief, and it's evolution into a man-driven politically and militarily motivated monolatry for Yahweh (Yahweh is in charge, acknowledgement of other gods) to monotheistic Yahwehism (where Yahweh is and, somehow, always been the one and only god “There is no god but Allah”/“You shall have no other gods before Me"), litter the Torah and Old Testament of the Bible which survived editing and redaction. To a lesser extent (as it is based upon already redacted material and with better editing/explicit rationalizations already included) the New Testament and Qur'an also show linkages to this foundational polytheistic belief. Given that the tradition of monotheistic Yahwehism is the essential foundation of the Abrahamic Religions, this falsehood propagates to any/all doctrine/dogma/claims based upon this foundation - rendering these religions, at best, demonstratively invalid; and nominally, morally and culturally reprehensible.
  
  With the dubious claim of monotheistic Yahwehism that the Abrahamic God is based upon, and that serves as the most essential foundation of the Tanakh/Bible/Qur'an narrative, then any claim that the Tanakh/Bible/Qur'an is valid as a source for any "truth" or "knowledge" concerning Yahweh/Allah, and, Jesus the Christ, is at best, highly questionable and suspect, and nominally, completely "non-truthful."
  
  To continue, what evidence is there that the Prophet Muḥammad () was even aware of the origin story of worship Yahweh/Allah that predates the information available to the local contemporary Jews and Christians? What sayings (direct Qur'an or first person strong Hadith) are directly attributable to the Prophet Muhammad that demonstrate that the Prophet was even aware of the Holy Scriptures of predecessor Babylonian, Ugarit and Canaanite, and/or early Israelite religions/societies/cultures depicting Yahweh in a polytheistic pantheon as a subordinate deity? From my investigations, the Prophet Muhammad was ignorant of the politically and militarily motivated synthesis and syncretism of the El Elyon polytheistic pantheon into a henotheism (a monolatry for Yahweh; Yahweh is in charge, there are other Gods to worship) to an aggressive monolatrist polytheistic belief (Yahweh is the most important God, there exists other Gods but worship of these other Gods is to be actively rejected) to, finally, a monotheistic belief system (there is and, somehow, always has been, only Yahweh), where the later (the monotheistic Yahwehism of Judaism as presented within the Pentateuch/Old Testament) appears to be foundation upon which was revealed to Muhammad via the intermediary Angel Gabriel/Jibra'il. The argument that the essential monotheistic Yahwehism was somehow corrupted by adherents to The Majestic, The Supreme, The Creator Allah/Yahweh, and then somehow corrected at a later date, seems to better fit an apologetic stance formulated post-Prophet to attempt to explain the discovery of knowledge concerning the origin story of Yahwehism adherence rather than any knowledge the Prophet Muhammad had/received/documented.
  
  Finally, Islamic presuppositional apologetics, as based upon the revelations of Gabriel/Jibra'il via the Prophet (), and having the position of monotheistic Yahwehism as the source/author of knowledge and the absolute standard for facts/logic/reason/science/morality/etc., is shown to also be invalid as a result of the fully dependent, essential, and foundational tenet of monotheistic Yahwehism having been shown to be fallacious, fundamentally flawed and refuted. To argue against, or refute, the position of the fallacy of monotheistic Yahwehism, and to support of presuppositional apologetics, the burden of proof is upon the adherent to yahweh/Allah to provide credible evidence or proof of the existence of monotheistic Yahweh Deity against the presuppositional position of the null hypothesis {that supernatural deities do not exist} as exemplified by the agnostic atheist baseline position, and against the argument against monotheistic Yahwehism via Yahweh's Allah's polytheistic origin narratives as exemplified by the gnostic atheist held position that was presented above against monotheistic Yahwehism.
  
  [character limit reached - to be continued]
  

To add another dimension to /u/franlyfran's "joke gift" idea. Is it possible to think of shows, scenes, sketches, stand-up specials, skits and stuff you like that involve the toy in question? And then to say that you and this "friend's" shared appreciation for [insert thing] provided the context for which it would be sort of funny but not sexual, for the "friend" to give you such a gift.

This idea only came to me because a friend of mine gave me this book on animal homosexuality, a friend with which I share such a bond (which is a love of all things Gervais) that makes it OK! Although, as nosy as my mother is too, she's yet to find it!

Hope it works out.

Not in any orifice.

I had visions of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. And other awesome experiences like when I was driving with someone, I was reading this book. I looked up and saw a peacock walking along the road. My friend and I were astonished (and we drive this road every week to this day and have not seen it since). I turned the page of the book and landed on the page with an illustration of a peacock which is the symbol of Nur Muhammad (Sufis have a vast teaching on the Light of Muhammad, where it originates, how the Prophetic lineage carried it, etc.). So I talked to some Sufis I met online and they helped me find my way to the Path.

And I love Jesus and Mary, upon them be peace, than ever before. And also mystics like Hildegard Von Bingen and Saint Francis are my mentors in many ways. Their writings inspire me.

So the main problem is that these arguments are just bullshit. Islam isn't true. None of the apologetics are correct, it's all just a way that people rationalize an irrational belief to themselves and sanitize its flaws for others.

> The first argument was that Islam is misinterpreted by the majority of Muslims, because the Quran is being taken literally and out of context.

Bruv, that's what the Qur'an tells you to do. This is the Book about which there is no doubt and such. It is correct that not every verse can be taken at face value -- for example, most of the "kill the disbelievers" verses actually do have "but also seek terms of peace" clauses nearby, and where they don't, it's an honest reading of the text to say that they were speaking only to specific battles conducted in Muhammad's lifetime. For the most part, though, the Qur'an intends itself to be read literally.

> The second was that there are many laws that cannot be practiced in a modern society (i.e. cutting hands of thieves, killing apostates, women's testimonial's being half of a man), and that they were only meant for their time.

Total bullshit. The cutting hands verse is followed immediately by "and if you don't actually use this, you are a disbeliever". The occasion of revelation for the "those who don't judge by what Allah has revealed" verses was a time when the Jews decided to "adapt to the times" by not stoning adulterers anymore. Muhammad got mad at them for not taking the Torah literally enough and made them stone her. That story is in Muslim (previous reference) and in Bukhari. Also, 'Umar says that he fears a day when Muslims will quit stoning. Hell yes, Muslims are supposed to support that stuff, according to the Qur'an and the sunnah. Unambiguously.

> The third argument was that the Quran has been preserved and we still have a full copy of the first ever Quran, and it's the same as a modern Quran with the exception of the addition of diacritics.

Not really. There was disagreement between Abu Bakr and 'Umar about whether the Qur'an should be collected at all. Muhammad himself used to forget some verses, so it's unlikely that the verbal transmission of Qur'an (and hadith, for that matter) was as solid as Muslims would like to think. There were many differences among the early copies, so 'Uthman fixed it by standardizing to one language and burning the rest of them. Perhaps the Arabic Qur'an hasn't changed since then, but it's most unlikely that that revision was actually exact.

> The fourth arguments was that the Quran had many scientific facts that could never have been realized by people back then (i.e. water gives life to beings, the earth is round), and this proves that the Quran was written by something divine.

This is the bullest of all the shit. The Qur'an also says that God uses shooting stars to fight space demons. Mountains don't keep the earth from shaking, they are just the earth lumping up when the plates collide -- Muhammad's people thought the earth was flat (like a carpet!) so it needed mountains to keep it from blowing away. While there's not a smoking gun of a scientific statement that's like... only wrong, these "scientific miracles" are always super vague, and if God wanted to prove Himself correct, He could have.

None of these scientific statements were unknown at the time -- they were either (1) immediately observable (2) repeated from the knowledge of ancient Greeks or (3) "written in" by later people. Like "oh man, the Qur'an says iron was 'sent down!' And iron can only come from nuclear fusion in stars! It's a miracle!" Nah. They didn't know about nuclear fusion.

If you think about how a man who did believe in a flat earth with the sun revolving around it would explain things... He'd explain things the way they're explained in the Qur'an. This guy breaks it down pretty well -- I started it at a point where he discusses a hysterical pair of commentaries on the "rising-place of the sun" verse.

> The fifth argument was the Quran was written in such a way that no way a human (the prophet specifically, since he was illiterate) could have done it, only a modern computer would have been able to make in its structure.

This is really dumb. First off, poetry battles between illiterates was like. A big thing that the Arabs of the time did around campfires and stuff. Think about how much beautiful gospel music (and lyrics) was written by American slaves during the 1800's.

Even then, any author's style is mostly inimitable, and these stylistic fingerprints are fairly precise. This is how biblical scholars have cast doubt on the authorship of books of the bible traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul. So whether the Qur'an was written by God or Muhammad, it would be hard to convincingly reconstruct its style...

...Not to mention that this is such a subjective claim. What the hell does it mean to "produce something like" the Qur'an? What would it mean to produce something like Shakespeare? Who would measure it?

This is an untestable hypothesis, and can't be given real consideration. Either way, I've roundly disproved this claim with my own construction.

Also... I'd argue that William Faulkner's writings show a brilliance of composition far beyond that of the Qur'an. House of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski, is also a masterpiece of form far more sophisticated than the Qur'an.

Like yeah... The Qur'an has poetic bits, interesting arguments, some chunks of good moral teaching, but... Overall, it just doesn't get the Nobel Prize for literature. Thousands of people have memorized the Qur'an, either because they were forced to or because they thought it would get them mad pussy in heaven. How many more thousands have memorized Shakespeare's works purely because they thought it was well-written and interesting? I like Abdullah Sameer's reflection on this.

You asked for everything really, but here is a selection I personally like that is more focused on the biography of Muhammad.

For Muslim books on the biography of the Prophet, I highly recommend:

A Biography of the Prophet of Islam: In the Light of the Original Sources, an Analytical Study

In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

On the more academic side of his life and following centuries, I recommend:

Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction

Hadith: Muhammad's Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World

In God's Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire

The Death of a Prophet: The End of Muhammad's Life and the Beginnings of Islam

For the four best primary sources of his biography translated into English:

The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi

The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya

The Life of Muhammad

The Expeditions: An Early Biography of Muhammad

>Scott Atran's work

I don't know it, but an evolutionary theory of religion is possible. Religion is possible to understand like a complex behavior helping successfull reproduction in various ways. We can interpret it like religion is related to some abillities of brain developed in the process of evolution. There is for example the book How God Changes Your Brain suggesting there are some "prepared" structures in our brain for "religion" (my simplification, the book is intersting, but the useful content can be shortened in a short article). You can see on history of Islam that a religion can serve as a very powerfull system supporting reproduction and expansion.

I might be downvoted but forget the philosophy part; that is mostly subjective and they are like two sophisticated twitter trolls are discussing a never ending topic. don't waste your time by pondering on such fruitless texts .

However, if you really want to read some philosopher, my pick would be "bertrand russell", who was also an expert mathematician , especially the book of "Religion and Science" is right for your taste : https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Science-Bertrand-Russell/dp/0195115511 his other books are worth reading as well.

as for science books, just pick any richard dawkins book and continue immersing them . but if you lack scientific background, I would advise "magic of reality" : https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Reality-Know-Whats-Really/dp/1451675046 I can assure you that your perception of the world will totally change in a scientific way. this book is targeted for all people from 7 to 70, and although I have a science degree I learnt a lot from it. the language of the book is simple, yet quite effective.


also, you should watch richard dawkins's documentaries, I learnt a lot watching them, they are just as beneficial as his books; here, "root of all evil" is my favorite one:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVy-0E1x620 (part 1)
  
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nAos1M-_Ts (part 2)
  
  
  
  I repeat, stay away from philosophy books, they will suck your passion and you will have left disappointed after reading their vague, and subjective, never-ending discussions. instead, lean towards science books written by atheist authors, they already cover enough philosophy when need arises. besides, these books are much more concrete than the abstract philosophy books.

Indeed, my friend. I've started using the term quite frequently ever since I read this awesome book http://amzn.to/NpBd1u which was brilliant. Also, I'm a DRM-stripper and can give you the .mobi file if you'd like a free read.

To add to Imtiaz's post, if you're interested in learning about this phenomenon at length I strongly encourage you to read this book (which I can lend you if you have an Amazon account)

I am sure that there are local resources to get counseling and help with anxiety. How about at your school? Also, check out books at your library or online. For example this one. I am also sure there are plenty of online resources about overcoming anxiety. Just reach out, don't give up and work on it. Things will get better.

i know a professor and she did give this multiple book series for history a pass, the author is not an orientalist as well, the Venture of Islam:

https://www.amazon.com/Venture-Islam-Classical-Age/dp/0226346838/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523804477&sr=8-1&keywords=the+venture+of+islam&dpID=51KRFoNyv9L&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Quran.com you can read, also see the text and listen as well.

Oh, a friend also used this when researching religions:


https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Religions-Plus-Huston-Smith/dp/0061660183/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523804928&sr=8-1&keywords=huston+smith+world%27s+religions

I believe that is Abraham your neighbor who you are referring to. Be nice please >.> why not suggest him to read this book instead; https://www.amazon.com/Psycho-Cybernetics-Deluxe-Original-Classic-Guide/dp/0143111884/

Lol mn zw!! w ze:

https://www.amazon.com/Textbook-Syrian-Semitic-Inscriptions-Phoenician/dp/0198131992/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1480922228&sr=8-3&keywords=syrian+inscriptions

ank a7bt hsefer gdol:

https://www.reddit.com/r/lebanon/comments/5argu4/canaanite_phoenician_in_arabic/

https://www.reddit.com/r/lebanon/comments/5b5rpd/canaanite_names_arabic_lexical_ordering/

The truth of Christianity depends on the historicity of the permanent resurrection Jesus. Did you already investigate the arguments in favor of his resurrection?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay_Db4RwZ_M

http://www.bethinking.org/did-jesus-rise-from-the-dead

http://www.bethinking.org/resurrection

https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Eyewitnesses-Gospels-Eyewitness-Testimony/dp/0802863906/

https://www.amazon.com/Case-Resurrection-Jesus-Gary-Habermas/dp/0825427886/

https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Case-Christianity-Homicide-Detective-Investigates/dp/1434704696/

https://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-Investigation/dp/0310339308/

I dont expect you to become Hirsi Ali overnight, you finally came out for the first time, however I'm not sure how you expect things to change if you are not willing to discuss your beliefs in front of everyone. That is exactly what should happen or at least what should be allowed to happen. I am reading a book at the moment called 40 days and 40 nights, its the documentation of an American courtcase regarding teaching evolution at schools. You got to understand that people like you had to make a stand for science or their kids would end up being taught the same bullshit. Is your teacher not asking you if you could perhaps help teach these other students some other perspectives? The (Age of) Enlightenment only happened because people stood up for their beliefs and shared them to the world, especially in universities.

Yes, and if the child grows up and decides he doesn't want to be Muslim. If a child grows up in the west they can say I am no longer a Muslim but they will be Jewish (may or may not practice religion). Check out this story of a Pakistani woman who traced her roots to her Jewish grandmother and embraced that identity.

https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Foreign-Memoir-Sadia-Shepard/dp/0143115774

You should read this book.