bismillah

>I suppose if you define Islam
>by the literal translation, "submission
>to God" then the argument
>could be made that Islam
>is natural. However if you're
>being at all pragmatic your
>definition of Islam would have
>to include the accompanying texts,
>practices, and dogma associated with
>Islam. After all, I consider
>myself in submission to Allah
>by the sheer fact that
>as an omnipotent and omniscient
>being and the creator of
>the world, Allah exerts significant
>control over my existence.

and you are, but your innerself isnt. your heart beats according to the design of Allah, your fingerprints are unique by the design of Allah, your brain serves as the center of your nervous system by the design of Allah.....and none of these things will ever differ without the will of Allah, b/c they dont have the option to do so. but your innerself does, and that how Allah created it. to choose between right and wrong, left and right, up and down, submission and non-submission.


>But no one would consider me
>a Muslim just by virtue
>of this "submission".

of course they wouldnt. the only thing that is arrogant enough not to be "submissive", is man. and only by free choice of "submission" would you be considered a muslim.


>By a more reasonable definition, Islam (and >all other religions) cannot be
>considered "natural". As human beings
>we are not born with
>any specific religious practices. We
>are instead socialized to conform
>to a certain religion, and
>anything we do that is
>considered religious is a learned
>behavior. This doesn't make religion
>less powerful, or imply that
>you can't differentiate between the
>relative "rightness" of different religions,
>but it does mean that
>non of them are natural.

contrair monfrair!
Allah says in the qur'an:
When thy Lord drew forth from the children of Adam-from their loins-their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): "Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?" They said: "Yea! We do testify!" (This), lest you should say on the day of judgement: "Of this we were never mindful": Or lest you should say: "Our fathers before us took false gods, but we are (their) descendants after them: will thou then destroy us because of the deeds of men who followed falsehood."

this statement alone is the proof that everyone that ever existed, exists, or will exist knows that their Lord is One. and this is the "natural way" that exists inside man. but he is forever denying it. thinking that a creation, instead of The Creator, can benefit him or harm him. thinking that a black cat can give him bad luck, but that The Creator of the cat is powerless! or that if a he breaks a mirror, he'll get bad luck for seven years! but where are the mirrors when somebody got a gun to your head. or a statue that was made by human hands, but as soon as you drop it, it cant even save itself from being broke! or the stars that shine at night, but where are they in the daytime! no light to show!


out

subhanakallahumma wabihamdihi ashhadu anlaa ilaha illa ant astaghfiruka waattuubu ilaika