In complement to the first post of this thread:
The Children of Israel by time, and after the death of Prophet Jacob their father and the death of Prophet Joseph son of Jacob, so by time, they fell in the idolatry and adopted the ways of the ancient Egyptians, one of such ways was the worship of the ox or the calf, which they loved very much.
Then because of such idolatry, they were punished by the slavery and subjection to Pharaoh, who was set against them to persecute and wrong them.
When they went out of Egypt in their exodus, they were obliged to this, because Pharaoh treated them as one entity, and because they were afflicted by an epidemic plague leading to the death of many of them in Egypt.
Then after crossing the Red Sea by the miracle of God, they came to a people devoting themselves to idols, and they asked Moses to make idols for them like those people.
This is in the Quran 7: 138-141, which mean:
138. And We took the Children of Israel across the sea
a, and they came to a people who were devoted to some idols which they had.
The [Children of Israel] said: "O Moses, make for us a god
b, even as they have gods
c." [Moses] said: "You are surely a people ignorant [about God and His might.]"
139. "Certainly, the work
d of these [idolaters] will lead to destruction
e, and all that they are doing is in vain
f."
140. [Moses] said: "Shall I seek for you a god other than God when He has favored you [with excess bounties and surplus] above all peoples of the world?"
141. And [remember] when We did save you from Pharaoh's folk, who treated you with the worst persecution
g, killing your sons and letting your women live; in that was a great trial for you from your Lord.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
a i.e. We made for them a road in it, and they crossed.
b Which we should worship.
c Which they worship.
d i.e. the idol worship.
e It means: they are going to be destroyed because of such act of theirs.
f They will not be rewarded for it, but will be punished and will lose.
g They deal with you like their dealing with those whom they punish.
The whole reading of a book centuries old and living by it is a waste of my time.
Secondly if God is god he or she knows what I need so why waste Gods time
or mine begging for a favor. All this is to create a societal ladder which I feel no
need to climb. Gods and Devils and witches and spirits and well it goes on and
on. Do you not realize its 2015 we are beyond that stuff now through education
superstition is one thing this is a time waster in my view
Besides someone told me once the Jews were the chosen people and another
told me God was actually Catholic so who do you believe?
damngrumpy, it is not waste of time; time is the life span or age: i.e. the years that man will spend in his life time. It is not waste of time: because this is the most important truth: to know God, and to know He is One without associate and to know that there is another spiritual life to which man will go, and that man has not been created haphazardly and in vain.
Your second point:"if God is god he or she knows what I need so why waste Gods time or mine begging for a favor."
The begging or praying of God is essential: because it indicates the certain belief that God is All-Hearing and All-Able to grant man his request.
Moreover, man should state his request ... because God will grant him his demand, and later on man should not deny that, and man should be grateful to God Most Gracious because He answered his prayer. So God will tell him: I have given you your request: like the provision, the position in community, the family, the beautiful wife, the nice children, the health the security, the electric sets , the cars , the money which I gave to you, and all your prayers I answered, when you prayed Me to do so and so, but you forgot and denied and did not show gratitude and were not thankful.
This is in the Quran 2: 187, which means:
[The reason for revealing the following aya:
[One of the companions of the Prophet asked him: "Is our Lord Near so that we can ask of Him in secret, or is He far so that we should cry out to Him?"
Therefore, this aya was revealed:]
187. And when My servants ask you [Mohammed] concerning Me, I am always Near
a;
I answer the prayer's prayer
when he prays to Me b.
So let them seek after My answer [by being obedient to Me]
c,
and let them believe in Me
d [and My Holy Names];
haply so they may be led aright
e.
…………………………………………………………………
a i.e. I hear the prayer's prayer as does the one near to them hear.
b i.e. I answer the prayer's prayer once he asks of Me, and I grant him his demand once he requests. And I do what is better for him: so that if his request is advantageous to him, I will offer to him what he wants; but if his demand is not beneficial to him, I shall postpone the answering of his request to another time.
c i.e. let them seek after My answer to their prayer and My good pleasure about them: by obeying My commands.
d i.e that I AM One, Generous, Most Merciful, All-Answering of the prayer, Most Forgiving and the other beautiful description and fair names.
e i.e. so that they may find the truth and be guided to it.
Besides someone told me once the Jews were the chosen people and another
told me God was actually Catholic so who do you believe?
Jews or the Children of Israel or Prophet Jacob's seed: they were the chosen people; God chose them in their time to worship Him alone without associate or peer or equal or son or parents.
But they betrayed the covenant and worshipped the idols, the calf in the time of Moses, the two calf statues made for them by Jeroboam son of Nabat, after the death of Solomon, then they worshipped the Baal, Astaroth, the Star Sirius ...etc.
God sent them many prophets and apostles to warn them of such idolatry, but they disobeyed them and even killed some of them, like Prophet Isaiah, John Baptist, Prophet Zachariah, and they tried to kill Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed, in stead of supporting them and helping them in their mission to guide people to worship God alone without partner.
Then God chose Jesus and his followers the first Christians as His chosen, but later on He refused them on account of their enthusiasm about the Christ and considering him as son of God, or one of three in Trinity or even considering him as God Himself.
Therefore, He refused them, then chose Mohammed and his followers to carry his monotheism to the world and nations, but later on some of them also changed and deviated and started to worship the graves of their imams and sheikhs.
In summary,
the chosen people are those who worship God alone, and devote themselves to worship Him exclusively without equal, or patron; on condition that they believe in all the prophets including Jesus and Mohammed, and should believe in all the heavenly books including the Gospel of Jesus and the Quran of Mohammed.
The Disagreement of the