So let me ask you this question. Do you call yourself a Muslim or an atheist? If you consider yourself an atheist, I have no other questions.
To me this is a fairly short sighted view of responding to a valid question; ‘Why did the Turks follow and adopt a religion that was predominantly forced on to them by Arabs 1400 years ago? ‘
You do not have to be an atheist to respond to that. Many members here, will have their own take on the answer to
@Mis_TR_Like ’s question. I will try my interpretation here:
A lot of Turks were already in the domain of Arabian area of influence as mercenaries, when Arabs started to engulf Middle East . Then with the conquest of new territories where Turks were in abundance, they were transformed in to Islam mainly by force. Then with the help of Turkish converts, Islam was exported to Central Asian Turks. Due to similarities of single creator (
Yaradan &
Göktengri) in both beliefs and a more structured and organised single belief in Islam , Islam religion was chosen and adopted as a uniting factor by the nomadic Turks and their leaders.
All religions start as somewhat logical and philosophical understanding of who we are, where we are coming from and what is going to happen to us when we die, whilst teaching us to be good respectable beings. Religions give answers to this dilemma in an understandable and acceptable manner.
Then history shows us that they are manipulated to become tools of managing the masses in the way the rulers see fit. Religions are transformed in to a way of uniting different races and creed to finally segregate people in order to rule.
People like Mevlana, Budha, Hallac-ı Mansur, Jesus, Moses, Konfucius all taught religious beliefs in their simplest and purest way, to be good and told people;
not to do things if you don’t want the same to be done to yourself. But these teachings, over the centuries, were bastardised and manipulated by the rulers to their own advantages. Many sects and divisions were formed, even within the same religions.
You do not have to be an atheist or hater of religions to be able to see that as it is laid down in black and white in front of all to see and decide by themselves. One of the clearest teachings are in Turkic Tengrism. If investigated properly it explains a great deal about the basis of most other religions.
