So a Muslim approached my son

Ok, I have a very jaded view of muslims in general; chalk that up my experience(s) in Iraq and Afghanistan. My advice...................
2 to the chest 1 to the head next time he is approached. Off my soapbox.

 

Question #1. Do YOU believe Islam is a religion of Peace. If so, I guess you have nothing to worry about.
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This Lady is pretty informed. Listen to her and see if she can give you some insight.
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I personally think you have a problem that needs immediate correction with the truth. Good Luck. Tac

 

You have good taste DW.

 

I don't know if I should be amused or alarmed by people who can read so much into a conversation they did not hear, based on a second hand account by someone who did not hear it either. The "cut-and-paste commandos" then expertly proceed to produce cherry-picked quotes from Islamic scripture to support their positions. It's so comforting to have so many Islamic scholars on this forum to set everyone straight.

By the way, anyone can pick through the Bible or any other sacred text and come up with evidence to support anything. It's done all the time. Those who trash on other faiths are often not very confident in their own.

As I alluded to in my previous post, this is more about a parent who left a kid without a church and then gets upset when he starts shopping around for one on his own than it is about the evil Muslims. No one, besides me, has called out that detail.

 

I left my kid without a church? So are you saying you can only worship in four walls? We once had morning service on a boat with a monk. No building, no formality, just people and a Bible. He wasn't shopping, he was approached.

 

Be it Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Scientology, or Pastafarianism....recruiters...ahem.....evangelists, will do the soft sell on the good, warm fluffy feel good stuff that presents what they are packaging in the most appealing way....Why would they go to to any lengths in explaining and describing all the unappetising, unappealing crap that comes with the "good stuff"....

Developing a healthy, evidence based skeptical spirit of enquiry when evaluating the truth claims of any metaphysical explanation for the natural world is worth encouraging.... It was only when I started actually reading the Christian Testaments for myself, instead of just relying on what was selectively quoted from the pulpit, that my eyes were opened. I still read and refer to the Bible regularly (mostly for reference purposes), even though it is much less interesting than The Iliad or The Odyssey.

Your son is an adult, Moto....his choices to make and to experience the consequences that follow from exercising them....I am doubtful that strong arming him into the nearest Christian Church; Catholic, denominational, non-denominational or otherwise will be very productive...it may actually be counter productive. Keep the channels of communication between your son and yourself honest and open. It could have been worse...your son could have had a conversation with a street epistemologist....

 

You said yourself you left your last church and were "lost sheep". I'm taking that to mean you are not involved with a faith community in any meaningful way. I'm not going to put words in your mouth, so feel free to set me straight if I'm wrong on that.

Whether he was approached or was actively "shopping" is parsing words. He is open to the idea of Islam. How he came upon the idea is irrelevant.

I'm not trying to flame on you as a parent. I'm just reinforcing what I said last time: If there is no faith foundation at home, don't be so shocked if he goes and builds his own.

 

You are seriously posting this? wow, she is looking for solutions not blame.... what kind of person are you that you go right to blame?

When you raise kids to think for themselves, they don't always make choices we agree with. But I would rather have people around me who can think for themselves, even if I don't agree with them, than someone who wants to dictate choices and make everyone around them a sheep.

The good new in this particular case is that he is talking to his Mother and she is looking for how to discuss this with him and guide his thoughts in such a way that he can see the partial truths and/or lies that are being told to him. She isn't trying to indoctrinate him into 'only going to church' or 'avoiding all muslims'

I'm going to stop here because I could really go off on this kind of 'blame the parent and indoctrinate your children rather than teach them to think for themselves' parenting style.

 

Just don't loose your head....

 

@Ganado-When you ask for advice, you open yourself up to ANSWERS, not just the kind you want. It is what it is, and I personally don't think that their points are wrong, just, a little harsh sounding due to the feeling behind them.

I really do not have a lot of advice for you. I have been involved with a lot of situations where doing an action (taking them around to churches) helped, and at least an equal number where they ran the person off "further into darkness". Equally on the just leaving them to figure it out for themselves.
Me, my children would know how bad Islam is, I would have given them the empirical data, and I would remind them that just because some of them are good people does not mean that Islam is good, more like that the "good" Islamist are just bad at practicing their religion. Islamist call Islam the "religion of peace" to Westerners, but it is actually called "The Religion of the FINAL Peace", because Islam will conquer all of the others.

I wish you the best.

 

Jim Beam may not be as hoighty-toighty, but he has never led me astray

 

One does not have to have a relationship with a "faith community" to have a relationship with God or a "faith foundation" at home.

Let's not forget what Matthew had to say about judging folks...

 

there is a vast difference between
opinions 'you should have done XYZ' and
solutions 'try this...'

there were some really good solutions on here, the links to the Quran quotes, the point made about violence in a historical context of the bible and violence as an ongoing project as is written in the Quran, as well as, 'trust your son' those are solutions not based in blame and shame. blame and shame are appropriate sometimes but not in this case.

Tevin's comments were based on the past, blame the parent and teach people to be sheep orientation, not a present solution.... so they were completely out of line. (and hey, that is just my opinion)

 

I understand the not being part of organized religion bit. My family are not either. We are Christians, believe in God and his teachings. We do not think you have to go to church to worship. We pray at home and have bible study at home. It is great family time to spend together and it allows us to address any questions they might have
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

 

Ensure your son tells the hajji that he already has a girlfriend.


As far as going to a church...pretty overrated for the most part. Church (pe se) can be useful - in conjunction with your taking the lead - instilling a sense of ethics in young children and provide some solid examples of 'good intentions'. Otherwise, I prefer to hang out with folks that have honest jobs.

BTW I'm not condemning all the preachers out there, just the slugs like Jim and Tammy Baker, et al.

 

my sons safety is my number one job and THE most important concern in my life. period. with all the crap where isis recruiting young kids to go murder and blow themselves up, i wouldnt be surprised if that bastard was trying to coax your son. if it were my son i would tell him that everything that guy said was BS (which IMO it was.YMMV) and to never speak to him again. thats my .02

 

Something well worth remembering ALWAYS!

and why so many tell you never surrender... unless you wish to be a slave or later executed in a horrible painful manner...

is this... it's called Taqiyya and it means you may lie to and deceive non-believers and to further the prophets religion...


Taqiyya: Deception and Lying in Islam

How Taqiyya Alters Islam's Rules of War: Defeating Jihadist Terrorism

Articles: The Taqiyya Factor

Taqiyya: Islamic doctrine of deceit to defend and promote Islam - Islamic Evil Simplified - Coming to Grips with the Islamic Threat

Lies about Islamic Taqiyya (Dissimulation)

further their book requires of them to NEVER take a non-believer as a friend!

remember ya can read it all for yourself... but the hadith you choose will give you slightly different opinions...

depends greatly on the imam that wrote it...