Even though I put Shia and whatever, it's just for convention. In reality, I don't believe in labels and dividing on that.
I wrote this on another forum:
Titles mean a whole a lot but at the same time a whole lot of nothing.
Even Christian vs Jew vs Muslim is artificial division. I consider many people even Atheists to be submitters to God because they follow morality and goodness to their best of their ability.
I only consider disbelievers people who deny when it's so clear, clear as in they know it so plainly and beyond doubt, yet choose to trick themselves. Disbelief and Shirk is condemned in Quran in context of Mohammad (s) performing miracles and being accused of being lying sorcerer or a possessed one by demons that is taught.
Since Quran devoted so much to why miracles are signs from God and why the power from Mohammad there is directly from God and it's not acquired skill like other knowledges, I don't equate other humans as transgressors or disbelievers or non-submitters or arrogant or evil or oppressive, that I have no proof they are that.
Most people with respect to the proof of God and his religion, are what the Quran terms "musta'afeen", which means without the ability or power to deny the truth nor affirm it.
It's artificial, but since I want to describe who I primarily (though I read Kabala and gnostic works of Christians too) rely on, I say I believe in Mohammad and also believe had twelve Successors. This doesn't mean I'm not a follower of Christ nor that I'm less sincere to Moses nor that I can't make use of other people of other religions and learn from them.
Muslim has so many meanings, we don't even agree on what God is, let alone other things, so it's quite meaningless the title now.
And Quran titled us submitters, but so it call us believers, so did it call us followers, so did call us party of God, so did it call us friends of God. It called submission the religion, but also other names, like the rising religion, the human nature, the light of God, and called us Wilayah (which means the relationship God has with humans and Jinn including being their authority, leader, master, friend, helper, etc) and vice verse Wilayah (as in what role we have with respect to God) and called it Worshiping God as well.
Why submission stoke, it has to do with history. Submission in Quran is used primarily to emphasize, this is why you have to accept and obey the Messenger. Why we picked this title out of all titles, has to do with the authoritarian route we went.
Another title of the proper religion is being Rabiniyoon which means "knowledgeable devotees to God free from the vanities of this world". And there is other names like the ones who know, those who possess understanding, the people of insight, those who hear.
We aren't named Muslims nor Islam, we are titled that as a description among many. But now a days, if you don't testify to Mohammad, we say "you aren't a believer" when Quran categorically forbid that behavior "O you who believe, if you travel in the earth, never say you are not a believer, thus you were before till God..."
Why do we divide on color but not on how tall we are? Why do we divide on religion titles as opposed to other things like what morals you believe in?
Division is meaningless, I don't subscribe to it. Titles you get mixed with a bag of people, and than have to explain why you don't believe so much of what they believe. But what they believe is not what they thought through but they rely on other authorities over them.
And so I'd rather not play this title game. All titles are misconceptions more then they are truth about a people, but even if true about a people, are they true about the founding guides and teachings they claim to represent. That's what I'm finding out - and these divisions don't make sense to me.
Obviously dividing on this methodology, humans will not unite on truth nor love nor friendship.
Creed is important, but really, not worth dividing from other humans upon. Titles are just that, titles, and never define anyone or any group or reveal much about the teachings they hold on to nor do an iota justice to any real Messenger from God or Guidance of a book.
Mohammad and Ali and Abraham and Moses and Jesus and Noah and the Mahdi are neither Muslims nor Islam their religion, they are rather upright submitters to God who don't believe in division.
Islam is claimed to be their religion by Muslims, that doesn't mean anything really. It's a claim.
And if you are trying to figure out what they believe - that's endless growth, you never reach that. So there is no point of arguing and dividing on every issue, which is what Muslims did exactly with regards to. All sorts of titles under titles under titles, that divide and further divide.
We have to accept humans will misunderstand some of God's teachings, be forbearing, accept differences, and don't let labels divide us.
I think if anything is worth dividing on, it's in matters of justice and human rights. But we can't expect everyone to understand every matter of justice and human rights so as to divide on each difference. But why religion, why do we think God is so not forbearing and wants us to divide on every disputed matter of thing related to religion, I don't know. Seems some sinister spell is going on here "must be something in the water".