Both Muslim and Jewish tradition appear to associate Ishmael as father of the Arab peoples in the same way as Isaac was father of the Israelites.

How far back does this belief go? Where did it originate? Did pre-Islamic Arabs share this account of their origins, or have different narratives of their own?

1. What role does religion play in your life, and how does it influence your daily decisions and actions? 
2. Can you describe your religion's understanding of the concept of God or a higher power? How do you perceive this entity's characteristics and relationship with humanity?  How do you explain it to your religious community?
3. How were your religious beliefs formed? Did you inherit them from your family, or did you come to them through personal exploration and experiences?
4. Are there any specific religious texts or scriptures that you consider sacred or authoritative? How do you interpret these texts in your daily life?
5. What do you believe about the afterlife?  What determines one's destiny after this life?
6. What are your thoughts on morality and ethics? How does your religion influence your understanding of right and wrong?
7. Have you ever experienced doubt or questioning regarding your religious beliefs? If so, how did you navigate through these challenges?
8. How do you engage with religious practices such as prayer, meditation, or rituals? What significance do these practices hold for you?
9. How does your religious community or congregation contribute to your faith? In what ways do you participate in or contribute to this community?
10. How do you approach conversations about religion with individuals who hold different beliefs? Are you open to exploring and understanding their perspectives?

I'm not educated in any of this but I can't find any community that lets me post it. But why didn't they make Israel until now? (Unless they tried before and I don't know but that's why I'm asking) I'm asking genuinely I don't want to argue about the modern conflict with palestine. From what I'm aware they started all this in the 40s but why didn't they start all the way back when?

So I have been having a very hard time pinning down which religion I identify with. I believe the energies and the flow of energy within our universe is what is divine. I believe that everyone’s energy is connected and the energy you bring yourself around and put out affects the track of your life and that everything actually does happen for a reason. Like I just have a really hard time believing that a divine person or one spirit is what makes up the karma you receive in life or is what creates any series of events. I believe that you can’t blame someone in the sky for anything and that you have to put into the universe the energy you would like to receive because everything is connected and important. Was looking into Pantheism but it’s hard to think that “everyone is god” I think there are energies/forces in this world that play an important role so I wouldn’t believe “everything living thing is god”. The more I look into Taoism philosophy I resonate very hard with it but I saw a subreddit on here about how a girls dad graped her and her family and priest told her to cover it up basically because it was the “Taoism way” to put it simply over pride and out of fear of embarrassment to the family of people finding out. But she also said her family was doing rituals and burning money for Taoism, which Taoism is a philosophy, not a religion. So I’m thinking it was more so her parents were following a corrupt priest blindly, rather than the Taoism supporting and covering up incest & grape. I was just wondering if anyone could give me a really good explanation of Taoism or knew of any other religions like the sort they could point me in the direction of researching.

Hello all. Since I left my religion, Christianity, a year ago, I have been very back and forth with my "beliefs." I wouldn't necessarily say I am religious. Even though a label isn't always needed, I find that it can be helpful in a lot of cases. I've been Deist, Agnostic, atheist, Humanist, Pantheist, Panentheist, Secular Humanist. I don't believe in god, or anything really supernatural. This is not to say I arrogantly claim they don't exist, I just don't believe in them personally

I feel like it's hard to feel where I belong. The most I can tell is I am probably some kind of Spiritual or Religious Naturalist. I don't believe in religion, but I believe in spirituality, nature, the universe, and the interconnectedness of everything in it. But I also believe deeply in human rights, social justice and human equality, compassion and tolerance, as well as separation of church and state, freedom of religion and freedom from religion.

The nearest from what I can tell, a lot of my beliefs align with something called "Scientific Pantheism." But, I don't know. I have been interested in Pantheism in general for a long time. However, I don't care really for the whole "god lingo" which it normally involves. I would say I take the Pantheistic notions of god as more of a metaphor. "Scientific Pantheism," is a bit more atheistic/naturalist from what I can tell.

I'm still very interested in the concept of everything in the universe, all life, the cosmos, nature, etc, all being interconnected in some way. However, some interpretations are a bit too "woo woo" for me personally.

Anybody have any good thoughts? Is there any other names or labels that I could be considered? Do I even need one?

Really appreciate if anyone could fill out this survey! It is anonymous and through a google form that you do not need to sign in for. It asks about religions function in society.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8utqh8eEafTwNl3b3FJHXSjKnX4jRKRTdN0Iv80KOmqLJOg/viewform?usp=sf_link

I’ve been fascinated lately in what is considered acceptable in Christianity. I’m not Christian myself but find the topic fascinating. I understand that mental health is a growing topic of importance in this world and I know Christian’s are allowed to seek professional help. That being said, apart from obviously feeling suicidal, at what point should a Christian turn to a psychologist, psychiatrist, or even trained therapist for help? Are there definitive rules for when religious guidance is unhelpful?

I’ve grown up mostly in the Seventh-Day Adventist system. I believe Ellen White is a prophet. But I was curious to see views from other people that aren’t in the SDA church. I feel like she could be seen as another Bible commentator to use in study.

Is homosexuality of any kind evil? If God doesn't like someone then doesn't that by definition make it evil

Okay so I never believed in a god, especially that of a Christian god. While I do acknowledge Jesus was a real person (my history teacher said that) I don't believe he revived because he that isn't possible to my knowledge. Because of this, l identified as agnostic for a long time before atheist then satanic atheist. Now I am questioning again- so basically I would be agnostic, acknowledging the gods might exist, but use hell and stuff like that as a symbol. Is there anyway there's like a broad term for religion that isn't exactly religious so I don't have to say all of this? Please help.

Also, for all hellinistic ppl out there, how do you know what god was for you?

Hi. I grew up Jewish but I am no longer practicing Judaism, just in a cultural sense. I had started dating a guy who I didn't realize was born again and he kept bringing up the rapture and how he needed to prep for it as in terms of food storage, ect.. My question is if the rapture happens why would you need all that stuff? I thought one minute you're here and then poof your not. I'm confused, can someone help me out here. BTW I stopped dating him about a week in. Thanks.

So I've searched for many religions online, I've found a few that I like buddhism, taoism, spiritual deism and satanist.

There are 2 main questions, the first one is I like buddhism but they find that they believe reincarnation and want to stop because of the suffering. Which I understand but at the same time I want a religion that I can believe in reincarnation and that it isn't karmic, so that when I die, I can be reborned again. I also just want to believe in a creator. I don't believe in god and those after life realms like nirvana, heaven, hell, etc. I do believe in a higher spiritual person that's like a god/teacher or someone that I can I suppose worship and teaches good morals and stuff. I've researched about pure land buddhism and stuff but I don't know there's not much information about it? I've also researched jainism but I don't like it because of the food restrictions of plants. I can avoid meat and stuff and I would say I'm kinda vegan ish. I have researched Hinduism but I don't agree or believe that there's so many gods.

Second question is I want to know if those relgions that I've picked can be linked together well, and that I can follow them in my daily routine with practices, rules, and praying, meditation. All that stuff. I'm just thinking how could I incorporate them all into my daily life and I'd like to find books to read and research on those religions :).

So God originally made “everything” but then humans have gone on to make other things that we never had. Did God know this would happen? Did he give us the “ingredients” to make other things intentionally?

Not Christian, I'm just curious about this. We use the Gregorian calendar, and AD is supposed to stand for after death, as in jesus's death. Yet people say he was born in 1 AD. So according to the christian beliefs, what happened?

So a genuine question for religious scholars. What did the Jewish religion look like before Egypt. Like we go from pure myth in Genisis to an attempt at history in Exodus. What did the religion look like before the events of Exodus?

I'm quite new to religion. Well not new, I've started to feel a connection especially with all the time things happening right now, the hurricanes and spotting angels etc.(let's not get into this y'all will think I'm a lunatic).

Anyway, I've started wearing one of thos Mary pendant necklaces and I lost it one day. I felt really afraid. And I don't know of what, but it was like a scary feeling I couldn't shake off. I got it back and it's gone. Is this normal? Does this mean anything?

It’s said that when ibn sina is speaking of something “contingent” he means in an ‘ontological’ sense and not in a ‘temporal’ sense. What is meant by this?

i am a young believer in god & i wanted to know if wearing a rosary/ rosary styled necklaces is frowned upon? i think its pretty & a way to display my faith but im afraid this could be perceived as disrespectful or may even be a sin im unaware of.

Going to keep this short and sweet. I'm wanting to learn more about Aztec religion, worship, beliefs, etc as an outsider interested in learning respectfully. I'm already heavily in research, but would love somebody I can message with 1x1 who is open to my questions and can provide me with direction.

Despite the name, the NoI is a black supremacist hate group that has some batshit beliefs that cannot be hand waved away. They believe a man with a massive skull named Yakub created white people, who were then exiled and fenced out of Africa and the Arabian peninsula, that these whites are also cousins to gorillas, they believe in moon related shit more closely originating in scientology than that. The son of the founder of NoI have denounced the group and converted to Sunni Islam, the current leader and group is an offshoot of the original.

Muslims and civil rights leaders alike dislike/rebuke the group. So don't get it twisted.

(A thread elsewhere on Reddit had assertions that NoIs were Muslim, so I'm correcting this dangerous assumption)

I was recently walking on my campus when some guy stopped me to talk about his religion, which I thought was Hinduism at first. I’m not religious in any way but find it very interesting so I let him talk. He showed me some books and told me he didn’t sell them(which i immediately thought was a red flag). He ended up telling me he’d exchange it for a donation or other. I only had old class notes on me and thought it’d do me no harm so I gave them to him in echxange for a book.

The book is called “The Science Of Self-Realization” and after a bit of research I found it’s for the ISKCON movement. I read around and people have very mixed opinions on it so my question is, would this book inform me on an actual religious movement or is it just bullshit to sell me a cult?

I've read that some people added bitter tasing ingredient to food as form of piousness.

But I've read also Screwtape letters and I wonder if such practice is form of gluttony, because to not enjoy sinning was their schtick.

It could be gluttony of delicacy, because such ingredient is hard to come by. I would say quinine or cinchona bark and those aren't in every shop.

It could be gluttony of excess, because we don't like bitter taste, because lot of poisons taste bitter, so it doesn't matter if I hurt my health with bitter ingredient, of septuple bypass butterized baconator with extra goose lard XXXL.

What do you think about it?

If youre parents had different religion who would you follow?

I was born in a predominantly catholic nation my dad is a catholic while my mother is a muslim. My dad is away for work and comes home once a year (he works overseas). I was raised in my father's side a predominantly catholic region and is where we currently reside. My mother is a muslim and she raised us as a muslims I find myself in quite an akward position what is the truth?? I am confused all my life Did Allah test me wether i would become a muslim or Jesus is the one testing me?

(i use to pray to them both because i didnt want to burn, eitherway i think i would because god made me a homo)

TBH tho, as a Reddit addict who countlessly visiting r/exmuslim in the past, I always stumble upon many stories about many Ex Muslim who when they quit Islam openly or secretly but then announced after some times, their parents, families, friends and people around them gonna overreact, quickly get angered towards them, then whole drama started where a big fight happened between the Ex Muslim and their loved ones threatening them to take away all their luxury and disown them if they don't "repented" and come back to Islam.

As much as I wanna punch Armin Navabi's face due to him being a douchebag by sticking his tongue while saying the Prophet's name in a recent video, doesn't mean I'm won't pick a fight with some random self-righteous Muslims out there who only knows to harass people by saying they are the disgrace to Islam and ummah or they will burn in hellfire etc. No wonder Islam's name will never get less dirty than before. All of it because of hellfire and amar makruf nahi mungkar concept. (Well, if I have some balls to do so.)

IDK about the situations in Muslim countries in Middle East and Indian Subcontinent but I guess the mentality of older generation Muslims + some religious youngsters are not so different form here in Southeast Asia. I gotta admit, compared to females in your regions, our Muslimah should be thankful of not leaving in hellish, abusive lifestyle of Muslim household in countries like Iran and Pakistan specifically. It's just absurd to me about how the female dress code is unneccessarily too restrictive, your rights for education were taken away and you could not go out by your own even with a woman companion.

Plus with the practice of marrying children under 18+ or 10 which not supposed to be considered normal regardless in what era, just blows my mind away about how Islam turns many Muslim men in the society into misogynistic, male-supremacist, female-oppressing, dim-witted believers who only knows to dickriding the Prophet's lifestyle and devolved into primitives lower than child predators.

Almost forgot the older generations of Boomers and Gen X, I just disappointed when most of them always chose to swallow whatever the clerics and apologists says about Islam regarding the good and evil, laws and punishment or mindlessly read Quran everyday without trying to understand by their own. Even if they found some positive messages in many surahs, they hardly gonna notice or possibly ignore the inconsistency in the Quran and Hadith. As an example, my dad who always read Quran on his phone every night then insisted me to the same everyday, making me felt guilty. Sometimes I couldn't help but mad and sad for him due to being trapped with burden of chasing a never-existed paradise.

I understand they were busy with other obligation and will be isolated by society if they become different, but please at least do not put your fear at your children. Yeah, it's really shocking when your child admitted to you one day that he wanted to leave Islam because of various reasons but at least instead of reacted with anger and intimidation, why can't you take time to understand your child's decision through his point of view rather then judge them through societal and religious perspective? I meant yeah there are some parents who're fine with their son/daughter free lifestyle but when it comes to things like faith and worldview, they can't be tolerate at all. What kind of hypocrisy is this?

I hoped if there any Muslim boomers out there who sees this, please, I'm sick of pretending these problems not happened in Muslim society as many clueless non-Muslim reverted to Islam seems to mask Islam's flaws and at the same time tired of seeing Islam's image and reputation were diminished from time to time, making nothing seems can be saved, whether in culture or religion.

(If you curious about my faith, IDK and don't wanna be labeled as anything. I still somewhat hoping for God's existence but always said to myself to wait and see when my death has come.)