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Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

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Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever occurred to you that it might be the other way around? There was always one monotheistic religion and God, but then things got sidetracked and people started making stuff up. Also, Moon is relevant in Islam, as a calendar and timekeeping, nothing to be worshipped. Also, All Monotheistic Religions have had fasting (the 3 big ones that survived so far) but again, the worst enemy of the people is their own…

> There was always one monotheistic religion and God, but then things got sidetracked and people started making stuff up. We know for a fact that this is false. For example, the Egyptians were building the pyramids and worshipping their gods at least a thousand year before any known monotheistic religion. The native people of Australia have even older polytheistic religions.

The ancient Egyptians were spectacularly insular and xenophobic, though. If anyone was going to make up their own belief system, probably out of spite, it's them.

What evidence there is specifically in this case suggests that the monotheistic middle eastern religions were derived from the evolution of a polytheistic belief system into a monotheistic one via a stopping-off point that acknowledged multiple deities, but consistently only worshipped one of them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelites and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh are worth a read, and there are several references to multiple gods in the Old Testament, often in the PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE OTHER GODS BEHIND THE CURTAIN sense rather than as direct callouts, as you'd expect.

So unless we might mean that the sidetracking happened before the archaeological record of Canaanite polytheism starts, it's not really tenable as a suggestion.

I do not say this to devalue or challenge anyone's beliefs today; just that ignoring facts has a tendency not to go well. The moral and personal value of religious belief need not, to my mind, lean on historical record for its validity.

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#95
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hate to be that guy, but that's not at all what Islam says about why fasting was prescribed, and it's actually super clear about the purpose. I mean this is pretty basic, so I don't know why I keep hearing that same old line. "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may develop God-consciousness." https://quran.com/2/183

I am not a religious scholar, but wouldn't God-consciousness include having empathy for all beings? I would partially define being enlightened as being able to experience everything in creation.

I'm not a religious scholar either, but if we're discussing what Islam says is the purpose of fasting, then yeah it couldn't be clearer in that verse. If you want to derive a sense of compassion for all beings from the idea of God-consciousness/piety/taqwa, then yeah you may have a point that it is a secondary effect of fasting, but Arabic has adequate expressiveness to cater for that if that was the prime motive, so I disagree that that is the central reason for fasting.

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#96
post #77

I am a bit confused: are we going to get more similar posts (which is tangent to some proselytism, under the premise of well wishing?) for each and every religious faith major event around the globe? I am saying this as a former believer (and holding no grudge), definitely aware of the fine line between sharing and pushing cultural items, and balancing the two rather equally in a diverse team. EDIT: actually, it's a…

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Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#97

It seems like there is a geographical bound on practicing (Orthodox?) Muslims. I imagine past 66.5 degrees of latitude, someone fasting would probably die due to the fact that the sun will never rise for a month. Has there been any debate or clarification on how Muslims living in complete darkness are to practice? Edit: sun will never set/living in 24 hour sunlight. The fasting time is during daylight hours.

Yes there is two main opinions for scholars. The first one is obvious, people in this place follow the fasting time of the nearest place that have sound sunrise/sunset times. The other is to follow the fasting times of mecca.

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#98
I was unaware until this year that it was based on when the moon was _sighted_, not just on a conventional lunar calendar. This leads to very short notice public holidays in a couple of countries AIUI.

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#99

It seems like there is a geographical bound on practicing (Orthodox?) Muslims. I imagine past 66.5 degrees of latitude, someone fasting would probably die due to the fact that the sun will never rise for a month. Has there been any debate or clarification on how Muslims living in complete darkness are to practice? Edit: sun will never set/living in 24 hour sunlight. The fasting time is during daylight hours.

I can't read the full article, but The Atlantic has covered it: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/07/ho...

I know in Space astronauts are told to follow the timezone of where they are from

Re: Tell HN: Eid Mubarak

#100
post #67

I have new neighbors who are Muslim, how would I wish them happy Eid Mubarak? Like a card or something? I barely know them they’re new, but want them to feel welcome, think they might be the only Muslim neighbors

Just saying the word "Happy Eid Mubarak" alone is okay.

Technical note: "Happy Eid Mubarak" is a phrase is a bit like "Happy Merry Christmas", since "Eid Mubarak" translates as "Blessed Eid".

"Eid Mubarak" is fine as is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Fitr#General_rituals

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