Questions from a person who is trying to find a religion that suits them.

Hello, I'm am a teenager who is trying to find is way spiritually in life.

My parents are Christian, as it is the primary religion of African Americans is the United States. I believe that they have raised me to have Christian beliefs as well. However, I have come to believe personally that people of color (especially black people) should not be Christian. This belief is based on the fact that Christianity has been spread by force through out the world and that whites have used their religion to exploit numerous groups of people e.g. LGBTQ, blacks, Jews, Muslim people, women.

In the process of forming this belief, I have been studying Islam, as the rules & practices seem to make sense and that it has a large following from people of color. I also have Muslim friends, and the way they hold themselves seems to be a lot better that people I know who follow different religions. They are also kinder than people of other religions I know. I was once invited to a place of Muslim worship to speak on the crisis in Sudan. The people were very welcoming.

In the midst of my "research" of the religion, I have come up with questions about interpreting the holy text of Islam and the "Halal" &"Haram" rules.

1. When purchasing meat, do I have to go to a specific store inorder to buy it (because of the animal sacrifice rule)?

2. I am a firm believer that people should be able to date whoever they want to date or marry whoever they want to marry (as long as they are 2 adult people). Will my belief in this conflict with the "no homosexuality" rule?

3. Is fornication just outright wrong, or is it fornication but to the extent of prostitution or overwhelming lust that is bad? Do I have to follow the rule literally, or may I have my own interpretation of it?

4. Would there be any special I would have to go for the prescribed prayers? What happens if my school "won't allow" me to pray? What happens if I miss one?

5. I know that during Ramadan, eating/ drinking is prohibited. Does this count for a person playing a sport? What happens if they need water?

6. I've heard that "dating" is prohibited. Is that true? My interpretation of this is that dating as in hooking up with multiple people with in a few years would be bad. Is dating to marry allowed?

7. Are there set days of the week that I would have to go to a place of worship?

8. How strict are these Haram and halal rules? What happens if I do something that is considered Haram? Is Haram objective or is it interpreted by everybody differently?

Thank you.

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