“If this religion is true, why is the Muslim world in the state it is in? The decline feels like evidence.”
The observation is accurate and the inference is not, and it helps to hold those apart. The decline is real. Muslim thinkers have said…
Intellectual
Reason, theodicy, philosophy.
“I studied Islam in school for years. I know it well. That is exactly why I cannot accept it.”
Take the claim seriously, because it is usually made sincerely, and then test it the way any claim should be tested. Years in a…
“Muslims cannot even agree with each other. There are dozens of sects, each saying the others are wrong. How can any of it be true?”
The frustration behind this is usually real and rarely abstract. Someone was told their practice was wrong, or watched two people who both claimed…
“I cannot follow a religion that keeps producing terrorists and calls itself merciful.”
The objection has weight, and it should not be waved away with a slogan. Start with what the text says. Qur'an 5:32 states that…
“I asked my teacher whether we just have to believe without knowing if any of it is true. He said yes.”
A bad answer from a teacher is a bad answer from a teacher. It is not the position of the tradition, and it deserves…