Question on Islam.

[CharitableFaith]

**How is Islam the fastest growing religion? What do people see in Islam that attracts them more then Christianity? Are they now the worlds biggest religion and bigger than the Catholic Church?

God Bless**

 

[Augustine3]

Islam is the fastest growing religion because:

• Emphasis is placed in the Islamic community to have as many children as possible. While Muslims are having 4-6 children with multiple wives, the half of the rest of the world are having 2 kids per family while the other half are killing them with abortions.

• It’s much easier to follow a religion that promises carnal pleasures in the afterlife and following the simple belief of god being one person rather than the idea of one God of three person, the second person of the tri-une God has two natures divine/human. Which would be easier to believe?

I’m not sure about the current statistics whether the Catholic Church is still the largest religion in the world…

God bless,

 

[Calgar]

I’ve lived in a few muslim countries during my life. I’ll answer best I can.

1. Islam is “easier”. They are more concerned with what you say and do than with any real, internal change.
2. Fear. If you live in an area where you have to be a muslim to have any kind of legal, or community, standing (or to keep on breathing) you become a muslim.
3. Muslim is just a word to many of them. If you ask them if they are muslim they will say yes. Dig any deeper and you’ll find out it doesn’t go any further than that.
4. Birthrate. How many children could you have if you had three (or more) wives?

 

[arabic_catholic]

define the meaning of the world fastest religion ?

Is it by converting , or birth ? or based on the percentage ?

now you asked a big loaded question and I wish to comment on it

in my view , it’s a myth to say islam is growing by conversion in the west fastest than any other religion (at least by numbers) for example , I read that 20 , 000 people convert to islam in the US per year (75 % of them leave it in 5 years according to Dr. Ilyas Ba-Yunus) , but the Catholic Church for example gain 114,000 converts in the US per year . so by conversion islam is gaining converts , but so is mormonism and JW ( in fact , I believe those are having even more converts !) .

another thing I want to address is the rise of islam in Europe , it’s true that islam is growing there , but why ? because Europeans forgot to built families and ignore the church teachings , while Muslims didn’t become part of the culture and each islamic family bring many babies and mary between each other(or marrying native European and raising the kids as muslims) , that grow happen between the 1990s and the 2000s .

take france for example , in 2000 , there was 4,155,000 muslim in france , most of them were born muslims , only 40,000 were converts . the rest were immigrants or born from an immigrant father or mother(most likely north Africa ) , so it’s true that islam grow in france , but to say it’s grow (both in number and percentage) due to people attractive to it is not the case .

As for why islam seems attractive ,or even gaining converts

First because Christians don’t understand their faith , which leads them to not know how to answer muslims missionaries (who not only attack the bible, jesus divnity ,and the meaning of the cross but also use all the liberal literature against the bible (for example bart ehrman) to shake the Christians beliefs) or to explain basics fact like jesus divinity from the bible. and my country did very great job since the 80s to spread islam for it’s agenda .

Second because they see islam is so simple faith and the trinity is so complected , but in this case JW and Judaism is as attractive as islam , right ? so just because a person doesn’t understand the trinity it doesn’t make islam right .

Third , many christians doesn’t live the teachings of Christ and his church (at least in the apostate Christendom of our days) , muslims do live a morally life (at least from what they believe to be moral) , so for example they will tell you muslims don’t drink , don’t have sex , woman must dress Modesty while you Christians do that

Fourth , islam known from the Missionary , not from it’s books and arabic sources , I once quote a hadith from bukhari ( an authentic book about the sayings of muhammad) to a convert muslim , and he said to me that I am lying and this hadith is from shia islam (even though bukhari is a sunni book and have nothing to do with shiaism ) . so westerner muslims (born there , or converts) can’t read the materials in arabic , and put their trust in their shaikhs and imams . so those who convert have no idea about islam as a whole , they only see what the missionary want them to see , that’s way when people show them the bad islam , they will accuse as of islamphobe and lying because they have no clue what we are talking about !

Fifth , there is not a lot of works (in the west and in the middle east) which shows the origins of the quran , and islam for example , people don’t really know that many stories in the quran comes from fabrication books that date to the third to the 7th century , such as the infancy gospels or Pseudo-Matthew gospel. or even examining the claims about the kabba (the black cube) and knowing that pagan arabia already have similar practices , so this point is connected to number 4 in the sense that they just believe what the missionary will tell them , but not examining the data .

Finally , is Islam the biggest religion in the world ? no , is it bigger than the Catholic Church ? yes ,but the reason is (1) Protestants rather than putting all their effort to evangelizing muslims ,communist ,or even their own society. they wanted to have fast converts and have no headache so they went to south america !!! and(2) because Catholics don’t stick with the teachings of the Church and build families !

now imagine if south america was still catholic , and Europeans had babies , Catholic will be The world largest religion , but it’s not about Competition and numbers(which muslims love) , it’s about saving souls ,and islam is against christ divinity and cross (2peter 2:1-2)

 

[CopticChristian]

**How is Islam the fastest growing religion? What do people see in Islam that attracts them more then Christianity? Are they now the worlds biggest religion and bigger than the Catholic Church?

God Bless**

I believe that Islam is a cultural phenomen. People are born into it.

s1.zetaboards.com/Express_Yourself/topic/4310862/1/

Islam is not “growing faster” than other religion because people are making mass conversions, but because the birthrate among Muslims is much higher than it is among Christians and others, especially in the West. Kids can be raised to believe just about anything. And of the converts from ‘other religions’, only a tiny number were active believers. Almost all were people who didn’t have a faith to convert from, even if they claimed to be Christian, or another religion. And the women who marry into Islam represent a tiny percentage.

I have been told however have no personal experience that it is the most difficult belief system to leave once in.

 

[Bezant]

**How is Islam the fastest growing religion? What do people see in Islam that attracts them more then Christianity? Are they now the worlds biggest religion and bigger than the Catholic Church?

God Bless**

Well, it depends on how do you define “the biggest” or the “fastest growing” religion. Do you mean the religion with the highest conversion rate? Do you mean the religion with the highest birth rate? Do you mean the religion that has the most explosive growth in a relatively short amount of time?

It’s very difficult to study religious membership, and even more so when we talk about studying rates of conversion, particularly on the worldwide level. You can find very different numbers depending on outside factors influencing your respondents, and a study’s methodology, which can embrace certain factors, criteria and definitions while excluding others:

“There are a number of reasons why reliable data on conversions are hard to come by. Some national censuses ask people about their religion, but they do not directly ask whether people have converted to their present faith. A few cross-national surveys do contain questions about religious switching, but even in those surveys, it is difficult to assess whether more people leave Islam than enter the faith. In some countries, legal and social consequences make conversion difficult, and survey respondents may be reluctant to speak honestly about the topic. Additionally, for many Muslims, Islam is not just a religion but an ethnic or cultural identity that does not depend on whether a person actively practices the faith. This means that even nonpracticing or secular Muslims may still consider themselves, and be viewed by their neighbors, as Muslims. The limited information on conversion indicates that there is some movement both into and out of Islam but that there is no major net gain or loss.”

(pewforum.org/future-of-the-global-muslim-population-related-factors-conversion.aspx)

Meaning, keep in mind that the answer to your question, is very limited.

What seems clearer, however, is that conversion to Islam in Western countries more common than it was two or three generations ago, and certainly conversion to Islam is becoming a more important discussion in Western countries over the past decade.

I know a few converts to Islam, one of whom was ex-Catholic. Their common motivation seems to be the Quran’s message of one God (as opposed to a Trinity) and that Jesus is understood as a prophet rather than divine, as well as other Muslim principles (e.g., charity, modesty, community) and positive relationships with Muslims. I imagine people convert to Catholicism for similar reasons.

Calgar and Augustine3 offered very ignorant and inexcusably uncharitable explanations, particularly the accusation that adhering to Islam is “easier” than adhering to Christianity. The converts I know had to have tough discussions to their families, take up very difficult lifestyle choices – even when such choices interrupted their work/school schedules (e.g., the total fast during the month Ramadan meant not only that they couldn’t eat or drink during they day, but also they had to take odd hours for meals, shifts, etc.), even when such choices were difficult (e.g., wearing full-length clothing in the summer, not eating ) or drew ridicule and suspicion (e.g., name-calling, selective questioning/profiling). On top of all that, the general difficulty they had transitioning to a new religious community, starting their religious education from scratch, while rebuilding a new faith identity.

 

[jiqwe]

Second because they see islam is so simple faith and the trinity is so complected , but in this case JW and Judaism is as attractive as islam , right ? so just because a person doesn’t understand the trinity it doesn’t make islam right .http://www.interbankforex.info/g.gif

 

[Kouyate42]

This post is wrong, wrong and wrong again.

I’ve lived in a few muslim countries during my life. I’ll answer best I can.

1. Islam is “easier”. They are more concerned with what you say and do than with any real, internal change.

Wrong. Islam places great emphasis on action as well as words, and on the Last Day, a scroll will be read with the account of all my good and bad deeds, and this will decide whether I go to Jannah or Jahannum. (Heaven or Hell)
Islam teaches that for all good deeds, Allah will give appropriate rewards whilst here on earth too. Even the smallest good deed is rewarded.

1. Fear. If you live in an area where you have to be a muslim to have any kind of legal, or community, standing (or to keep on breathing) you become a muslim.

Again, this is wrong, as Islam teaches that there is no compulsion in religion and that you cannot be forced to convert to Islam or to practice it. One of the conditions of shahadah is full acceptance, which requires free choice.

1. Muslim is just a word to many of them. If you ask them if they are muslim they will say yes. Dig any deeper and you’ll find out it doesn’t go any further than that.

Again, this is wrong. Islam isn’t just something you do on Fridays. You can’t switch off being a Muslim at will. Islam is a complete lifestyle with rules on conduct in all aspects of a Muslim’s life from waking to sleeping, as well as religious rules and practices.

1. Birthrate. How many children could you have if you had three (or more) wives?

Again, this is a case of Western misunderstanding. Islam only permits more than one wife under strict circumstances. In countries with rules against polygamy, Muslim men generally only take one wife in respect of the country’s laws. Even where a country DOES allow polygamy, this is generally rare, as Islam requires several things of a man:

• He must give equal dowry to each wife. Bearing in mind that these dowries are VERY large in most cases, most men cannot afford this.
• He must treat each wife equally. Sounds easy but it isn’t, as this means that if you have sex with one wife, you must comply with any demand made of the others. Similarly, if you give something like a house or a car to a wife (or even something as small as a new scarf or some food), the other wives are to be given an equal thing. You cannot give one wife an expensive dress and the other a cheap second-hand one.
• Wives have the right to request, if she is the only wife of the man, that he does not marry another wive, as she has rights in Islam to request this and also has the rights to her husband.
• Simple cost. It costs a LOT of money to maintain several wives plus children and any staff (such as in Saudi Arabia where women must have drivers, and will often have maids), as well as houses and accomodation.
• Psychology. Many men could not cope with two or more wives and the pressures and burdens this places upon his mind.

 

[manualman]

Again, this is wrong, as Islam teaches that there is no compulsion in religion and that you cannot be forced to convert to Islam or to practice it. One of the conditions of shahadah is full acceptance, which requires free choice.

And is this injunction from the Mecca of Medinah period? Doesn’t one abrogate the other? Aren’t there later injunctions to put the infidels to the sword that abrogate the “no compulsion” statements? If not, doesn’t the Koran itself illustrate how Muhammed was a bad muslim in his warlike behavior?

No disrespect intended, I just have trouble reconciling contradictory things I hear. When I look at the culture of the Middle East, I have a hard time believing that it formed under 1,700 years of “no compulsion in religion” teachings.

 

[Kouyate42]

And is this injunction from the Mecca of Medinah period? Doesn’t one abrogate the other? Aren’t there later injunctions to put the infidels to the sword that abrogate the “no compulsion” statements? If not, doesn’t the Koran itself illustrate how Muhammed was a bad muslim in his warlike behavior?

No disrespect intended, I just have trouble reconciling contradictory things I hear. When I look at the culture of the Middle East, I have a hard time believing that it formed under 1,700 years of “no compulsion in religion” teachings.

Many countries have accepted Islam without a single sword or gun being used. Indonesia, China (yes, China has native Muslims) and Malaysia all did this.

Muhammad (saw) was merely defending himself against attack from pagan tribes who were intent on killing both him and the Muslim people who were following him. Islam only permits fighting in self-defence, and under strict rules.

 

[manualman]

Many countries have accepted Islam without a single sword or gun being used. Indonesia, China (yes, China has native Muslims) and Malaysia all did this.

Muhammad (saw) was merely defending himself against attack from pagan tribes who were intent on killing both him and the Muslim people who were following him. Islam only permits fighting in self-defence, and under strict rules.

I have no argument with your first paragraph.

I have no idea how you reconcile the second paragraph with the history of how Islam encountered and brutally conquered, then subjugated the Eastern Orthodox world (and still is to this day).

I suppose you’d have no objection to a new law in Europe that made muslims pay double the normal tax rate? That’s jizyah, baby. And I’d sure call it a rather blatant compulsion.

 

[johnnyjones]

It’s the fastest growing religion because until recently the US didn’t have such an influx of Middle Eastern immigrants. More mosques, more awareness, more accesability to conversion. They are also making strongholds in our colleges and universities which in turn has influence. There has also been a good number of new age seekers who took interest simply because Islam was “new” as well as wishy washy Christians who pounced on a new way to worship.

 

[Kouyate42]

I have no argument with your first paragraph.

I have no idea how you reconcile the second paragraph with the history of how Islam encountered and brutally conquered, then subjugated the Eastern Orthodox world (and still is to this day).

And you’re ignoring the countries where Islamic and Christian populations have, until recently, lived happily in peace.

suppose you’d have no objection to a new law in Europe that made muslims pay double the normal tax rate? That’s jizyah, baby. And I’d sure call it a rather blatant compulsion.

Slight problem: the amount paid in Muslim countries by Muslims paying zakat and the non-Muslims paying jizyah is EQUAL. No-one pays more than the other.

And I should point out that in addition to paying normal British taxes, I also pay compulsory zakat and also additional optional sums of money to various causes and charities/groups of my choosing. Many Muslims do this also. In short, I’m paying probably more than a lot of non-Muslims anyway.

Plus, such a move as you propose would be highly illegal, as it acts as a form of religious discrimination.

 

[Kouyate42]

It’s the fastest growing religion because until recently the US didn’t have such an influx of Middle Eastern immigrants. More mosques, more awareness, more accesability to conversion. They are also making strongholds in our colleges and universities which in turn has influence. There has also been a good number of new age seekers who took interest simply because Islam was “new” as well as wishy washy Christians who pounced on a new way to worship.

I would disagree with this to an extent. The internet has brought with it a massive increase in the accessibility of information, and with this people can access religious information. Ditto the large and ever increasing access to English-;language resources on Islam and books. You don’t have to have ever met a Muslim, you don’t need to have visited a Muslim country or even a mosque, but you can still convert and practice Islam.

OK, fair enough that most people will have actually met a Muslim or visited a Muslim mosque/country. But I’d argue that the free access to information on Islam also plays its role.

 

[Augustine3]

Calgar and Augustine3 offered very ignorant and inexcusably uncharitable explanations, particularly the accusation that adhering to Islam is “easier” than adhering to Christianity.

Excuse me since you’re so upright, did you even bother to ask me why I even stated my reasons in the first place or do you presume to judge at face value?

I am Lebanese, I have conversed extensively with Muslims for years in fact I have many Muslim friends so I advise you not to make rash judgements like that.

God bless,

 

[manualman]

And you’re ignoring the countries where Islamic and Christian populations have, until recently, lived happily in peace.

I’m always open to education, so please name some of these countries (preferably ones where muslims aren’t a vulnerably small minority). As an American, the few muslims I tend to meet are by definition minority residents and not in a position to be particularly aggressive about their faith. It would be a helpful gut check for me to have examples of places where muslims are both the majority and christians live next door without worry of being killed or harassed. This would help to check my increasingly pessimisstic view of Islam’s contribution to global human peace and prosperity. Thanks for your patience.

 

[Kouyate42]

I’m always open to education, so please name some of these countries (preferably ones where muslims aren’t a vulnerably small minority). As an American, the few muslims I tend to meet are by definition minority residents and not in a position to be particularly aggressive about their faith. It would be a helpful gut check for me to have examples of places where muslims are both the majority and christians live next door without worry of being killed or harassed. This would help to check my increasingly pessimisstic view of Islam’s contribution to global human peace and prosperity. Thanks for your patience.

Indonesia has a relatively large Catholic minority population (something like 9% of the population) and has many mosques and churches side-by-side.

Iran also affords legal protection and representation of Jews and Christians as being ‘People of the Book’. Iran has also some Jewish and Christian politicians and senior government members.

Azerbaijan also has a significant population of both Jews and Christians, and its move towards secularism ensures that anti-Semitic and anti-Christian attacks rarely happen. There are Orthodox, Catholic, Coptic and other Christian churches in this country.

Egypt has a long history of peaceful Coptic Christianity which largely existed without problem until recently.

Lebanon also has a largely peaceful existence between Muslims and Christians/Jewish people. Politically power is equal between the Islamic and Christian population and Christians hold major power including in the Army.

Syria has also a significant Syriac Christian Church, and given that there is no religious restriction in this country, Christianity has continued to survive peacefully there, present events not withstanding. Possibly the one restrition is that the President of Syria must be a Muslim as per the Syrian constitution.

In Syria in particular, there are Christian/Catholic schools, and Christian Syrians are given the day off to attend church, even though Sunday is a working day in Syrian culture.

 

[johnnyjones]

I would disagree with this to an extent. The internet has brought with it a massive increase in the accessibility of information, and with this people can access religious information. Ditto the large and ever increasing access to English-;language resources on Islam and books. You don’t have to have ever met a Muslim, you don’t need to have visited a Muslim country or even a mosque, but you can still convert and practice Islam.

OK, fair enough that most people will have actually met a Muslim or visited a Muslim mosque/country. But I’d argue that the free access to information on Islam also plays its role.

I would like to know the stats on how many people have converted to Islam based on the internet. Theres nothing like a "boots on the ground’ approach to motivate people in the ways I outlined. I never mentioned visiting a Muslim country. Islam physically came here and permeated the traditional Judeo-Chrstian worship style with a new system.

 

[Kouyate42]

I would like to know the stats on how many people have converted to Islam based on the internet. Theres nothing like a "boots on the ground’ approach to motivate people in the ways I outlined. I never mentioned visiting a Muslim country. Islam physically came here and permeated the traditional Judeo-Chrstian worship style with a new system.

Coming at this from the other side, as someone who wishes to practice Islam fully, you have to understand that from the Islamic point of view, what the religion of Islam teaches is NOT new, but in fact the natural, first religion and the true religion of Adam, Eve, Abraham, Moses, Lot and Jesus as well as the Arabic prophets including the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). Islam actually accepts the Torah and Gospels to be valid revelations from God, albeit corrupted ones. Qur’an is the final revelation of these, not the only revelation.

 

[johnnyjones]

Coming at this from the other side, as someone who wishes to practice Islam fully, you have to understand that from the Islamic point of view, what the religion of Islam teaches is NOT new, but in fact the natural, first religion and the true religion of Adam, Eve, Abraham, Moses, Lot and Jesus as well as the Arabic prophets including the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). Islam actually accepts the Torah and Gospels to be valid revelations from God, albeit corrupted ones. Qur’an is the final revelation of these, not the only revelation.

What if the attributes of the Islamic God are different than that of the Hebrew God? And of course you know the huge differences between Islam and Christianity’s understanding of Jesus.

If Islam is a “final revelation” why do not Islam and Christinaity have the same Jesus?