Muslims and "Circular Reasoning"

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Deuteronomy 13:
10 Stone him to death, because he tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
Seems limited to the nation of Israel here, not other nations.
12 If you hear it said about one of the towns **the LORD your God **is giving you to live in 13 that wicked men **have arisen among you **and have led the people of their town astray,
Again, it seems clear to me that it is speaking about those within the Jewish community only.
Deuteronomy 12
1 These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess—as long as you live in the land…5 But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. …29 The LORD your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, 30 and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” 31 You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
32 See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.
Seems both limited to a people and a time. Keep working your way back.
Deuteronomy 11
1 Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always. 2 Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; 3 the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country;…
Deuteronomy 9
5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
Deuteronomy 5
Moses summoned all Israel and said:
Hear, O Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them.
Deuteronomy 4
1 Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you.
Deuteronomy 3
18 I commanded you at that time: "The LORD your God has given you this land to take possession of it. But all your able-bodied men, armed for battle, must cross over ahead of your brother Israelites.
Does Israel mean all humans then?
Deuteronomy 2
9 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.”
Does that seem like kill everyone where ever you find them?
Deuteronomy 1
1 These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the Jordan
I think it’s pretty clear that it was limited to Israel, and that it was perpetual upon certain conditions being met by Israel.
 
Virtually every single quote that says “make war” is followed or follows a verse that says “only do this if you are attacked.” So no, I don’t agree with you that the Quran commands lots of violence.
Maybe you read a different Koran…but that would be contradicting Mohammedean idology in a one perfect koran with no errors anywhere in the world.

Let’s see:
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2)
190 And fight in the Way of Allah those who fight you, but transgress not the limits. Truly, Allah likes not the transgressors. (This Verse is the first one that was revealed in connection with Jihad, but it was supplemented by another (V.9:36)).
191 And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the sanctuary at Makkah), unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers.
192 But if they cease, then Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
193 And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allah) and (all and every kind of) worship is for Allah (Alone). But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zalimoon (the polytheists, and wrong-doers, etc.)
194 The sacred month is for the sacred month, and for the prohibited things, there is the Law of Equality (Qisas). Then whoever transgresses the prohibition against you, you transgress likewise against him. And fear Allah, and know that Allah is with Al-Muttaqoon (the pious - see V.2:2) .
195 And spend in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad of all kinds, etc.) and do not throw yourselves into destruction (by not spending your wealth in the Cause of Allah), and do good. Truly, Allah loves Al-Muhsinoon (the good-doers).
Not quite turn the other cheek kind of thing is it?
39 And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and polytheism: i.e. worshipping others besides Allah) and the religion (worship) will all be for Allah Alone (in the whole of the world). But if they cease (worshipping others besides Allah), then certainly, Allah is All-Seer of what they do.
40 And if they turn away, then know that Allah is your Maula (Patron, Lord, Protector and Supporter, etc.), (what) an Excellent Maula, and (what) an Excellent Helper!
41 And know that whatever of war-booty that you may gain, verily one-fifth (1/5th) of it is assigned to Allah, and to the Messenger, and to the near relatives (of the Messenger (Muhammad SAW)), (and also) the orphans, Al-Masakin (the poor) and the wayfarer, if you have believed in Allah and in that which We sent down to Our slave (Muhammad SAW) on the Day of criterion (between right and wrong), the Day when the two forces met (the battle of Badr) - And Allah is Able to do all things.
Mohamed gets 20% of all booty!!!

On and on and on…If not so violent…quote some good, peacefull verses that are clearly showing tolerance to non-Muslims. I’ll be surprised if you can find two (other than the no compulsion in religion verse).
 
ya Isa ya Isa, ezzayyak? 😃

what did you mean by your reply?
For one, and I am doing this right off the top of my head in a rush on of the scribes who transcribed the Quran for the prophet used to change things and then noticed that the prophet didn’t notice. He got a death sentence but I think it was reprieved because he was related to Uthman somehow (foster brother or something). If I am remembering correctly, he was one of the few under a death sentence at the conquest of mecca.

The thing is that as far as the challenge goes, all our information comes from muslim sources. We know, for instance of prophets appearing like Maslamah, known in Islamic literature as Musaylimah al-Kadhdhaab “Little Maslamah the Liar.” Gives an idea of the impartiality. We have no record of the Quran from non-muslim sources until around 700, ie. almost a century after it appeared (supposedly, as Mingana showed, the tradition can be dated later, to the court historian/traditionalist and propogandist al-Zuhri). Hence any takers for the challenge could be deleted out of the record, physically eliminated or both.
 
Hence any takers for the challenge could be deleted out of the record, physically eliminated or both.
that’s why i asked him to back up his claim that pagan arabs were not able to write as eloquently and i asked who the judge is. If the judge is a Muslim then : circular reasoning 😃
 
that’s why i asked him to back up his claim that pagan arabs were not able to write as eloquently and i asked who the judge is. If the judge is a Muslim then : circular reasoning 😃
Maybe the term show trial is more appropriate.
 
Verisimilitude,I have read the book, and I really do not find it that complicated to understand. Surah 9 in particular, is really not that controversial. I think perhaps your problem is that instead of reading the entire verse, you read a quote taken from a website.
BTW I first read the Quran in 1999 in an effort to find what/how God speaks to the many different peopel who say He spoke to them. I did this for other religions to include but not limited to Momons, JW, Hindu, Jewish authors… in my study that brought me back to the Church. I prefer books and have quite a few, using the internet only for quick reference and to save time typing the same thing over and over again. What do you think of Sura 72?

Also, after reading the Koran the first time all the way through, it didn’t make much sense to me becasue it’s structure is very unstructured, and 7th century life should be understood better to understand the writting of the period. I then bought another book about Mohamed to put the life of Mohamed into context so that the verses would make more sense. It did. My first and lasting impression was allah is not God, and Mohamed is no prophet. In late 2001 I picked up the Quran again to re-examine what I had been thinking and found another book to read about it. I then picked up another book.

Now, if you think these books are biased without having read them yourself at least do me the courtesy of reading the reviews before commenting on their veracity.

I could list others that I have read like the one I am reading now to help put into context the kinds of things I read if you like. There are many books by many authors about many subjects I am interested in, and far too many websites that are biased one way or another, but each offers an insight one way or other. I rarely stop at just one, but have only a limited amount of time and energy to do all the things I must do in life…as we all do. I’m not claiming to be a scholar, but just to note I am not completely un-informed about the subject.

For you to say something like Sura 9 is not controversial or too violent is funny in a sad way. Being a universalist of whatever sort you are does allow me however to better understand why you say what you say regardless of whether or not I agree with it.
 
Veri,

Let’s look at the part that you seem to ignore in your quotations from the Quran. The very first line of the Surah you cite is:
190 And fight in the Way of Allah those who fight you, but transgress not the limits. Truly, Allah likes not the transgressors.
I’m quite surprised by the fact that you are quick to read context into “Kill anyone who worships a different God”, but when you see this text telling Muslims not to fight anyone who hasn’t attacked them, you apparently ignore it.

It’s not turn the other cheek, but it’s not “kill everyone who doesn’t worship your God” either. I would say it’s more moderate than what was posted from the Bible-it says “fight only people who fight you”.
 
am not very interested in such arguments usally, but what does this verse mean:

Fight those who believe not in God nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by God and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. S. 9:29

Is it related to being attacked as well?
It might refer to the Roman and Persian empires, in their attempt to subjugate the Arabs.
 
Now, if you think these books are biased without having read them yourself at least do me the courtesy of reading the reviews before commenting on their veracity.
I am familiar with most of them, especially the Spencer piece. You do realize that none of what you cited is scholarship, and it is all polemics, right? With one exception, you cited mostly anti-Islam apologia. I commend you for wanting to read, but you don’t learn about other beliefs by reading tracts put out by non-scholars.

I mean, I can understand why people want to read polemics. But you can’t seriously argue that they give good factual accounts of the history. You should read peer reviewed, academic work if you want that. And that you apparently have not.

What you read there is the equivalent of reading John Hagee for information about the Catholic Church.
I’m not claiming to be a scholar, but just to note I am not completely un-informed about the subject.
I recognize you are not claiming to be a scholar, but the problem is that you have cited books that tell you zero about Islam, Muslim history, or Arab history. Reading polemics alone leaves you very nearly totally uninformed.
 
Veri,

Let’s look at the part that you seem to ignore in your quotations from the Quran.
It’s not ignored, it’s understood other than you take it to mean.
And fight in the Way of Allah those who fight you

Why do you take “those who fight you” as agressors attacking Islam without provocation? The great majority were attacked by Mohamed. The revelations were if nothing else, acurate transcripts of what Mohamed said for over 20 years. What happened in that 20+ year period is important because it produced the Quran.

Take the most pro-Mohammedean website or book you want that speaks about him and his un-matchable virtue and humble beginings when a (I believe) supernatural experience affected him. The spirit never identified itself and is not Gabriel which is obvious if you look. Mild opression by his town that turned him militaristic and then political dictator all in the name of God. What do you conclude? How many of the many battles are understood as being defensive and not offensive (stratigic and morally in my view)?

How is robbing a caravan “those who fight you”…if the resist?

What do you think the “Way of Allah” is in the first place?
, but transgress not the limits

What are the limits with respect to fighting? Is it different for Muslims than non-Mohammedeans or is every one considered equal?
I’m quite surprised by the fact that you are quick to read context into “Kill anyone who worships a different God”, but when you see this text telling Muslims not to fight anyone who hasn’t attacked them, you apparently ignore it.
I’m not too surprised you ignore the 800lb gorilla in the room. There is no happy medium here. Who attacked Mohamed? Who did Mohamed attack?

What was the Arabic traditions in the tme of Mohamed with regard to fighting before he conqured Mekka? He changed his society in ways that should shock you because he was the personal example. The once proud Arabic honor has been sullied just as the Persians and North Africans have lost their rich cultures to Islam.
It’s not turn the other cheek, but it’s not “kill everyone who doesn’t worship your God” either. I would say it’s more moderate than what was posted from the Bible-it says “fight only people who fight you”.
Don’t forget I am Catholic. I accept the OT having been fulfilled with a new and everlasting Covenant. I offered an explaination to the OT text you quoted as problematic for you. Take it or leave it, but it is plausible, and less irrational than your view.

Unlike the words of Mohamed:
Say, "Fighting therein is a great (transgression) but a greater (transgression) with Allah is to prevent mankind from following the Way of Allah, to disbelieve in Him, to prevent access to Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah), and to drive out its inhabitants, and Al-Fitnah is worse than killing.
Disbelief in allah is worse than killing. How do you square that at all?
 
This is truly obvious. Yes, I could not comment on your Gaelic poetry.

What’s controversial about that? How on earth does someone who doesn’t speak a particular language comment on the artfulness of poetry in said language?
So my claim then that my poetry is more profound, and finer than the Koran could not be contested by you!😛

You’ve just sunk one of the claims of Moslems regarding the Koran; to produce something like it.

You can’t produce anything like my poem!
 
I am familiar with most of them, especially the Spencer piece. You do realize that none of what you cited is scholarship, and it is all polemics, right? With one exception, you cited mostly anti-Islam apologia. I commend you for wanting to read, but you don’t learn about other beliefs by reading tracts put out by non-scholars.
I doubt you are. Calling it polemics is like calling me a racist. Glubb is not anti-Mohammedean, and if you did know his book you’d realize it’s a fair history overly respectful to Mohamed. Gabriel was a Muslim scholar, and is now a Christian one. Spencer’s book looks at Islamic history. Your weak dismissal is dismissed.
I mean, I can understand why people want to read polemics. But you can’t seriously argue that they give good factual accounts of the history. You should read peer reviewed, academic work if you want that. And that you apparently have not.
How smug do you want to be? List any history you want as they all work for me. Some things are just that simple…that obvious. Why does “your” Phd paper trump “mine”? This is neither grade school or Grad school- get over yourself and offer some rebuttal with substance.

Are you denying or justifying the theiving of caravans unprovoked? How about the raids on tribes before and after Mecca’s defeat by him until he died? The assassinations of poets who mocked him? Marrying his adopted son’s wife after manipulating their divorce?

Are these character traits you admire?
What you read there is the equivalent of reading John Hagee for information about the Catholic Church.
Thanks for the unqualified review. It’s my second history actually in the last decade. The author of this one isn’t Catholic. Something wrong about getting other views than the one one personally holds?
I recognize you are not claiming to be a scholar, but the problem is that you have cited books that tell you zero about Islam, Muslim history, or Arab history. Reading polemics alone leaves you very nearly totally uninformed.
You’re almost funny, but becoming rather dull.

Coming from a pro_universal: religion (n/a) ghost…if you have reasonable authority to make such judgemnets on either the reference material I cite, or my ability to describe my beliefs…step out into the light as it were and describe your own with reason and logic to support it otherwise keep your personal opinions to yourself.

Back on topic- your reasoning is circular as that of a Mohammedeans whether speaking about their faith or mine. I undesrstand now why you are reluctant to speak about your own.
 
Why do you take “those who fight you” as agressors attacking Islam without provocation?
Because that’s what it plainly says. You can come up with your own theories of warfare in the time of Muhammad if you want, but the text is there for you to read. I realize that you think that Robert Spencer and “Mark Gabriel” (Not his real name) are informing you about this, but as we covered, they are not.
What are the limits with respect to fighting? Is it different for Muslims than non-Mohammedeans or is every one considered equal?
They are quite clear: fight those who fight you, and don’t trangress limits in doing it. I don’t think that standard is very complicated or nuanced at all.

And in comparison to the Biblical verse, that’s pretty moderate.
He changed his society in ways that should shock you because he was the personal example. The once proud Arabic honor has been sullied just as the Persians and North Africans have lost their rich cultures to Islam.
I’m sorry, but there is no source you can find anywhere that paints a rosy picture of pre-Islam Arabia. It was a savage and brutal place-they degraded women, buried daughters alive, and killed each other indiscriminately. There’s really no debate to be had on this point: Arabia after Muhammad was a far, far better place to live.
. I accept the OT having been fulfilled with a new and everlasting Covenant. I offered an explaination to the OT text you quoted as problematic for you. Take it or leave it, but it is plausible, and less irrational than your view.
My view is only this: That you are quick to condemn the Quran for fairly moderate statements on warfare, and equally quick to excuse blatantly violent verses in the Bible. If you want your explanation of Bible verses commanding the killing of all who worship another God, you should be more willing to consider that a Muslim might have a point when he explains Surah 9 to mean specific conditions can lead to war.

But you don’t do that-you explain away biblical verses and then refuse to admit that any explaining can be done for Quranic ones.
Disbelief in allah is worse than killing. How do you square that at all?
??? I think perhaps you are confused by the word “Al Fitnah”.
 
I doubt you are. Calling it polemics is like calling me a racist. Glubb is not anti-Mohammedean, and if you did know his book you’d realize it’s a fair history overly respectful to Mohamed. Gabriel was a Muslim scholar, and is now a Christian one. Spencer’s book looks at Islamic history. Your weak dismissal is dismissed.
Well, where to start?

Notice in the piece you quoted “with one exception.” That exception would be Glubb.

Gabriel and Spencer are apologists, not scholars. We don’t even know who Gabriel is, much less that he is a “muslim scholar”. His work displays precisely no academic credentialing, is not peer reviewed, and is not used by any scholar I am aware of to substantiate anything. Spencer is uniformly condemned as a polemicist by experts in the field of Middle Eastern studies-and again, he is not a trained historian, but rather a Melkite reverend whose work is similarly not used by any institution, scholar, or anywhere in academia. It is not scholarly work.
Some things are just that simple…that obvious. Why does “your” Phd paper trump “mine”? This is neither grade school or Grad school- get over yourself and offer some rebuttal with substance.
Certainly you should be relying on works by scholars in the field of Arab history if you want information about Arab history. It isn’t a game, you’re right-it’s just common sense.
Are you denying or justifying the theiving of caravans unprovoked? How about the raids on tribes before and after Mecca’s defeat by him until he died? The assassinations of poets who mocked him? Marrying his adopted son’s wife after manipulating their divorce?
Are these character traits you admire?
Well, if you read only apologetics, you don’t get good information. So yes, I am disputing that your summary above constitutes anything remotely approaching an honest historical evaluation of what was going on during the man’s life.
if you have reasonable authority to make such judgemnets on either the reference material I cite, or my ability to describe my beliefs…step out into the light as it were and describe your own with reason and logic to support it otherwise keep your personal opinions to yourself.
You don’t need to take my word for it-look at the bios of Mark Gabriel and Robert Spencer. Then tell me what work they’ve done that is-

-Accepted as scholarly by any research or other organization with expertise in Arabian history

-Constitutes training in Arabic language, Ancient Arabic studies, or anything similar

-Regarded as even a decent attempt at an unbiased history by any scholar of any reputation whatsoever in the field of Arab studies.

Like I said, you don’t need to take my word. Just use some common sense-apologists are not good sources for unbiased information. If you look at who is writing what you’re reading, you will find no expertise, no credentials, and no evidence to suggest that either is a good source of information.
 
Well, where to start?
Being honest is a good place.
Certainly you should be relying on works by scholars in the field of Arab history if you want information about Arab history. It isn’t a game, you’re right-it’s just common sense.
And the reason you have failed to enlighten me as to your source of superior expertise is…?

Common sense, yes. Should we go to Germany and ask their view of their history or Iran? How about that of China and Japan- are they in agreement with each other about what the other did? What does the US admit to American Indians that you agree with, or Turkey and the Armenians? Russia tells a pretty good one. Whose truth are you believing? What are your thoughts on these authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John? Origen? Luther?

No. Your more eclectic than that I’d wager. http://icecube.umd.edu/pretz/images/danceguy.gif Such mystery.
So yes, I am disputing that your summary above constitutes anything remotely approaching an honest historical evaluation of what was going on during the man’s life.
Dispute it with anything other than your opinion.
Like I said, you don’t need to take my word. Just use some common sense-apologists are not good sources for unbiased information. If you look at who is writing what you’re reading, you will find no expertise, no credentials, and no evidence to suggest that either is a good source of information.
Forget the apologist for either altogether and just keep common sense. Your defense of Mohamed is curious and familiar. Is your ‘unbiased information’ secret?

My dad used to tell this joke when we (my siblings) were kids. He’d say a dog would walk up to this guy at the bus stop and start to raise its leg as if to pee on the mans leg. The guy in the joke would shoo the dog away with a kick, but my dad would demonstrate it by kicking us in the shin lightly. The joke was, the dog kept coming back to the guy and he kept kicking me in the leg…

Stop lifting your leg. Either pee or move on.
 
Being honest is a good place.
If you will tell me what you think I’m not being honest about, I will be happy to clarify.
And the reason you have failed to enlighten me as to your source of superior expertise is…?
I have not relied on any of my own expertise-what I did was point out that you did not use good sources for information on the subject. That doesn’t take expertise, it just takes common sense. People who do not speak the language, have no credentials in the subject matter, and who are writing apologetics pieces aren’t good sources for unbiased, accurate historical accounts. That is not controversial.

You do have to read Muslim writings to find out what Muslims believe. But you don’t have to rely on Muslims for historical work-there is very good scholarship out there for you to read. Unfortunatley, you will not find it in “Mark Gabriel” (not his real name) or Robert Spencer’s work.
Dispute it with anything other than your opinion.
That “Mark Gabriel” (not his real name) and Robert Spencer have absolutely zero credentials in ancient Arabic history, and are not recongized as authorities, is not my opinion. You can verify this for yourself by looking at their own biography pages.
Forget the apologist for either altogether and just keep common sense. Your defense of Mohamed is curious and familiar. Is your ‘unbiased information’ secret?
Like I said, no secret: the authors you cited are not experts on ancient Arabic history. One of them doesn’t even reveal his own identity-the other does not speak Arabic, has absolutely no training in the subject matter, and has been uniformly condemned by experts in the field as a polemicist and not a researcher. (He brags about this on his own bio page-see Spencer’s website for yourself.)

All jokes aside, the point I’m making now is fairly obvious: You cited sources of information which are in fact, not good sources at all. That’s no secret.

If you’re interested in good, scholarly work on the period, there is plenty. Here’s a good start from a Catholic university’s website: fordham.edu/halsall/islam/islamsbook.html
 
If you will tell me what you think I’m not being honest about, I will be happy to clarify.
Maybe because you are shown an objection that you make, that defeats your own side’s arguments and you just press on regardless.

You’ve shown how easily it is to circumvent the ‘test’ that the Koran has the most glorious poetry
 
Can you provide some objective criteria of what constitutes a sura? As claimed above, its neither poety nor prose, so I assume you can’t use those criteria.
‘Sura’ is the Arabic term commonly used to mean a chapter in the Qur’an.

The Qur’an has altogether 114 suras or chapters.
 
‘Sura’ is the Arabic term commonly used to mean a chapter in the Qur’an.

The Qur’an has altogether 114 suras or chapters.
Yes, I’m aware of that (btw its unclear where the term sura comes from).

But that’s like saying poetry has verses. We need the criteria of what identifies a sura as such (besides inclusion in the present muslim canon), the criteria of evaluating it (we have reams of this on Arabic poetry), etc.
 
Yes, I’m aware of that (btw its unclear where the term sura comes from).

But that’s like saying poetry has verses. We need the criteria of what identifies a sura as such (besides inclusion in the present muslim canon), the criteria of evaluating it (we have reams of this on Arabic poetry), etc.
There is absolutely nothing complicated about this challenge at all.

Just produce a Sura like that is found in the Qur’an – what is so difficult to understand about this challenge?

The pagan Arabs at the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) understood exactly what this challenge meant and it is because that they were unable to meet this challenge that many of them eventually became Muslims themselves… and NO, they were not coerced by any means into accepting Islam against their will.

002.256
**Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. **
 
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