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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ok, there's this, which doesn't seem to require death, although the afterlife will be bad: "Lo! those who disbelieve after their (profession of) belief, and afterward grow violent in disbelief: their repentance will not be accepted. And such are those who are astray. Lo! those who disbelieve, and die in disbelief, the (whole) earth full of gold would not be accepted from such an one if it were offered as a ransom (for his soul). Theirs will be a painful doom and they will have no helpers."  (Qur'an 3:90-91)
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OP here: I am putting my answers in bold face and right after your quoted Quranic material to make it easier for you to see my replies. I'm relying on the Yusuf Ali translation of the Quran. There are different translations, however. Islam is not viewed as an ethnic religion or a religion of sect. The best analogy I can come up with is that Islam is like the third book of a trilogy. And one can not go to immediately to that third book without first understanding and knowing the first two books. The first book is Judaism. The second book is Christianity. So if one is to be a Muslim, he must accept the important figures and prophets and messengers and principles of Judaism and Christianity also. He must then also accept the last messenger of God, which is Muhammad. Thus, to be a Muslim or to accept Islam, one must accept Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, Mary, and many other important figures such as the angels Gabriel and Michael, and lastly, also Muhammad. Islam is all encompassing this way. So in this particular verse, it is saying that when one embraces belief (meaning he once believed in God and these important figures of all three faiths) he should not later denounce his belief. Belief is a serious acceptance, not to be taken lightly and not something one can waffle back and forth about. If one denounces belief in the existence of God and his messengers, then God will not guide them. If, however, they repent and make amends (3:89), then God will accept their repentance and guide them again. If they accept belief and then reject it and keep going back and forth like this, or if they try to harm other believers then God will never guide them again no matter how much they repent. This is one of the reasons also why Muslims rarely convert to other faiths; their own faith is all encompassing as it requires the belief and acceptance of the most important figures in Christianity and Judaism already. 
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But there's also this: "They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them" (Qur'an 4:89)

[b]OP here again: The Quran doesn't tell a story in a beautiful, chronological order. Instead it refers to important events taking place at the time without actually discussing them in any depth at all. This is terribly confusing for nonMuslims and even for many Muslims. So this is why every passage can not be read literally and instead has to be read in context..in context of the time at which that passage was revealed and what exactly was happening at that time. For example, in 4:88 it says, "Why should ye be divided into two parties about the Hypocrites?" God is referring to an obvious difference of opinion between Muslims over some group of hypocrites. But who are these hypocrites? And what two parties is God talking about? It doesn't provide these details. God expects the reader of the Quran to not just read it as though he's reading a novel or story. He expects the reader to study it.  And to study it means one must also learn it's historical context too. Yes, it's a tall order but to avoid misinterpretations it is somewhat necessary, at least for these type of passages.  So to answer your question regarding 4:89 we have to go back a little. in 4:88, God is talking about a particular war (here i believe it's the Battle of Uhud) where some deserters caused a lot of trouble for the Muslims. Some Muslims wanted to kill the deserters. Others wanted to just leave them alone. The next couple of passages from God addresses how to actually address the problem of deserters. God says if those deserters have sought asylum with another tribe that you are on peaceful terms with, even if they choose not to fight your cause (Islam), then let them be (4:90). If they, however, turn against Muslims and try to cause harm or kill Muslims, then they are to be considered dangerous enemy. And in a time of war, it is not uncommon to kill one's enemy if the enemy is trying to kill one of your own. (4:89)

Some might think any recommendation for killing anyone goes against the very purpose of religion, which should be to foster peace and harmony between people. Islam says live in peace and harmony but if Muslims are at war with people who are trying to kill them, God give them the right to defend themselves. 
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And this: But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith; and We make the communications clear for a people who know. And if they break their oaths after their agreement and (openly) revile your religion, then fight the leaders of unbelief-- surely their oaths are nothing-- so that they may desist. (Qur'an 9:11-12)

[b]OP here: I'll answer this one a bit later! [/b]

I realize it's a bit unfair to ask you to interpret these.[/quote]

[b]OP here: I'm not an Islamic historian or any expert at all on the Quran. My knowledge is very limited. So I hope that my interpretations are correct and I hope these answer your questions. If they don't, however, feel free to ask more questions!
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