Thank you Cousin Muhammad

Submitted by Robert Roberg (United States), Aug 7, 2007 at 17:14

Hi Muhammad,

thank you for telling me about your quest for the Creator. Isa said our families will be our worst enemies. I too inherited a religion. I was born a Catholic. I prayed to the Trinity and Mary and many saints. But something was wrong. My Family told me that I should fight and kill people if my government called me. Isa said we were to love our enemies and so I began to question my family and the Catholic church.

I was called into the army in 1969 but after several weeks of military training I knew I was following the way of death and not the way Isa taught. I deserted the army and fled to Mexico. I began studying the Bible and found it confusing. So many stories in the Old Testament were about wars. The New Testament was also confusing because Isa said Allah does not want sacrifice, but the Apostles talk all about how Isa was the perfect sacrifice. Isa said the way to eternal law was to obey his teaching, but the Apostles say it is only by faith.

While in Mexico I decided to make a pilgrimage to Israel and found that not many nice people were living there. Everyone was rude and in a hurry and carrying guns.

I decided to journey to India to learn about Zen and mediation. I taveled through Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan. I did not find nice people there either. People were hostile and very uneducated and living like cavemen. I expected to find spiritual people in India, but found people worshipping many idols taking many drugs and not nice.

While meditating in India a question kept coming to my mind. How do the many religions say sins are removed? In India it was all about offering sacrifices.

Ppardon my ignorance Muhammad, but as I read the Quran it seemed that we are at the Mercy of Allah the merciful, but we cannot be sure until the judgment day which way he will vote.

The Jews had a system of animal sacrifices, but since the destruction of their temple, have no way for sin removal.

The Catholics have a ritual where you confess your sins to the priest and he forgives you. None of these mehtods seemed very satisfactory.

Then I read Isa say repent, fix your past evil deeds as much as possible and forgive others. If you forgive others Allah will forgive you.

This seemed to me the best answer and I returned to America to follow Isa. Every town in America has about 50 competing churches telling us that they have the right way to follow Isa. I visted all 50. To me there was a big problem. They all taught ,like the Catholic church, that we must go to war when our country calls. Finally after several years I joined a Mennonite church because they say if you love your enemies you can not harm them or go to war against them.

I was very happy there for many years until I began seeing in the Bible that there is only one creator. Nowhere does Isa ever claim to be the Creator.

I had to part ways with the Mennonites and now for several years do not go to any churches, but I still follow Isa and love everyone I meet. I have a copy of the Quaran and I read it. But I am put off by the many commands to go to war, so I doubt that I can ever follow the prophet Muhammad.

Peace your cousin

Robert Roberg

Gainesville FL

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