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In reply to the discussion: It's not just Trump: Islamophobia in America is spiraling out of control [View all]politicman
(710 posts)Your last point is totally correct, anyone can do as you say and claim they have a religion.
But that's because religion is nothing more than a belief. Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and any other religion is nothing but a belief. No one denies this, it is a fact that a religion is nothing but a belief.
I think that being a Muslim will get me into heaven when I die, but I have no proof to convince you of this so it is nothing more than a belief that I hold, one that I hold strongly but albeit a belief, a faith in a higher power.
And as religions are simply just beliefs and having faith in something that cannot ever be proved to others, then it naturally follows that each individual with pick and choose which rules and which interpretations he/she thinks are appropriate to get to the afterlife.
How do you think religions have split off into having different sects within them. A Sunni can have a certain interpretation of the Koran that he believes will get him into heaven, and a Shiite can have a totally different interpretation of the Koran that he think will get him into heaven.
I being a Sunni complete believe that the Sunni interpretation is correct and a Shiite completely believes that his interpretation is correct, but only one of us can be correct while the other is committing blasphemy.
This even extends to the same sect, there are many different interpretations within the same sect, but everyone has a core belief that their interpretation is correct and they are following the words of God, etc.