The Qu'ran is a beautiful book full of simple truths, and the overall point is intelligent- the belief in a singular God. But I do not feel the Qu'ran is the "ultimate book written by the last true prophet" although I truly cherish the notion of "no god but God", which is something solid to grab onto.
I also can't help but point out that Muhammed himself was illiterate and it was his followers who wrote scraps of his words on whatever they could, only to be haphazardly collected after his death and condensed into its current form- the end-result of a hundred like-minded people collaborating on a "perfect book". (Anything proofread 100 times over is going to be near-perfect.)
God- or Allah, as the Qu'ran says he likes to be called is God- He is the singular entity responsible for everything. Everyone else is second to Allah (God). I can live with that concept.
To cite the Jews, we may still hear from one Messiah yet- someone to sort it all out for us and present us with one coherent, logical system of beliefs that all can agree to.
I believe we have a greater spiritual acceptance to undertake.
One can argue that God evolves as man evolves- pinholes in the curtain of night become galaxies and potions become medicines as man becomes more objectively aware of cause and effect. What will God be a thousand years from now?
One of the great disappointments for me as a child turning into a man is believing in a book full of miracles while living in a world where there are no miracles... I cling to Fatima. Today we see Jesus in a pancake and worship that pancake- whatever happened to raising the dead?
Would we be able to realize a prophet if he presented himself as such? And how would we know- through miracles? What if Jesus Christ came back tomorrow and all he saw was a world full of self-absorbed people in religious combat with each other over whose god is the best God?
What if the next prophet comes along and starts spouting new dogma- would we pay attention???
I also can't help but point out that Muhammed himself was illiterate and it was his followers who wrote scraps of his words on whatever they could, only to be haphazardly collected after his death and condensed into its current form- the end-result of a hundred like-minded people collaborating on a "perfect book". (Anything proofread 100 times over is going to be near-perfect.)
God- or Allah, as the Qu'ran says he likes to be called is God- He is the singular entity responsible for everything. Everyone else is second to Allah (God). I can live with that concept.
To cite the Jews, we may still hear from one Messiah yet- someone to sort it all out for us and present us with one coherent, logical system of beliefs that all can agree to.
I believe we have a greater spiritual acceptance to undertake.
One can argue that God evolves as man evolves- pinholes in the curtain of night become galaxies and potions become medicines as man becomes more objectively aware of cause and effect. What will God be a thousand years from now?
One of the great disappointments for me as a child turning into a man is believing in a book full of miracles while living in a world where there are no miracles... I cling to Fatima. Today we see Jesus in a pancake and worship that pancake- whatever happened to raising the dead?
Would we be able to realize a prophet if he presented himself as such? And how would we know- through miracles? What if Jesus Christ came back tomorrow and all he saw was a world full of self-absorbed people in religious combat with each other over whose god is the best God?
What if the next prophet comes along and starts spouting new dogma- would we pay attention???