No way....I need to brush up on my Islam...maybe I should read their theological texts.  i've only read the Qur'an, so my knowledge is a little limited.  Sorry about the typo, I had a midterm in which I had to use Qumran  
I would write more, but i'm so dumbfounded by what you said that I can't. ÂÂ
How practiced is this "abrogation" ?? Is it a mainline theological thing, or is it just an interpretation? ÂÂ
The Koran was authored by Muhammed over several decades. (His authorship is shown by certain verses; see Appendix below). When he started out having visions he preached peace and harmony. And he was persecuted. He fled to Medina, gained in power and his 'revelations' became more violent. When his followers pointed out that there was inconsistancy within his revleations he came up with the idea of 'abrogation' which he explained that al-lah had given him a 'better' revelation than what they had previously... this means that latter verses that contradict earlier verses superseed them. Thus you need to know when the verses were revelaed; and the Koran is not ordered based on this, but rather on the lengths of the chapters.
Most Moslem apologists quote "There is no compulsion in religion" as a sign that the Koran is a peaceful book (ignoring that the Koran also calls for the death of anyone who converts from Islam)
Muhammed spends much time talking of hate and war and violence.
"As for those who are slain in the cause of God, He will not allow their works to perish. ... He will admit them to the Paradise He has made known to them." (47:8 )
"Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the hereafter, fight for the cause of God; whether he dies or triumphs, We shall richly reward him. ... The true believers fight for the cause of God, but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan ..." (4:74,76)
"The believers who stay at home (apart from those that suffer a grave impediment) are not the equals of those who fight for the cause of God with their goods and their persons. God has given those that fight with their goods and their persons a higher rank than those who stay at home ..." (4:95,96)
"Slay the idolaters wherever you find them. ... lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way ..." (9:5)
"Those that make war against God and His apostle and spread disorder in the land shall be put to death or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides, or be banished from the land. They shall be held up to shame in this world and sternly punished in the hereafter: except those that repent before you reduce them ..." (5:34,35)
"Make war on them until idolatry shall cease and God’s religion shall reign supreme" (8:39)
"Prophet, rouse the faithful to arms. If there are twenty steadfast men among you, they shall vanquish two hundred; and if there are a hundred, they shall rout a thousand unbelievers, for they are devoid of understanding." (8:65)
"Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given ... and do not embrace the true Faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued." (9:29)
"Allah's Apostle (Muhammed) said, 'Know that Paradise is under the shades of swords.'"
(Hadith, Sahih Bukhari 4:52:73)
"Allah's Apostle (Muhammed) said, 'The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him.'"
(Hadith, Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 177)
"The Prophet (Muhammed) said: 'When the slave runs away from his master, his prayer is not accepted; he is an infidel.'"
(Hadith No. Muslim 32)
"The Prophet (Muhammed) said: 'Then go to the persons who do not join the congregational prayer and order their homes to be burnt...'"
(Hadith No. Muslim 234)
"Narrated 'Abdullah: Allah's Apostle (Muhammed) said, 'The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims.'"
(Hadith, Sahih Bukhari 9:83:17)
"The Prophet (Muhammad) said: 'Do not stone the adulteress who is pregnant until she has had her child.' After the birth she was put into a ditch up to her chest and the Prophet commanded them to stone her. Khalid came forward with a stone which he threw at her head, and there spurted blood on the face of Khalid and he cursed her. The gentle Prophet prayed over her and she was buried."
(Hadith No. Muslim 682)
"Bani An-Nadir and Bani Quraiza fought, so the Prophet (Muhammad) exiled Bani An-Nadir and allowed Bani Quraiza to remain at their places. He then killed their men and distributed their women, children and property among the Muslims, but some of them came to the Prophet and he granted them safety, and they embraced Islam. He exiled all the Jews from Medina. They were the Jews of Bani Qainuqa', the tribe of 'Abdullah bin Salam and the Jews of Bani Haritha and all the other Jews of Medina."
(Hadith, Sahih Bukhari 5:59:362)
"Narrated Anas: 'Some people from the tribe of 'Ukl came to the Prophet (Muhammed) and embraced Islam. The climate of Medina did not suit them, so the Prophet ordered them to go to the camels of charity and to drink, their milk and urine. They did so, and after they had recovered from their ailment (became healthy) they turned renegades (reverted from Islam) and killed the shepherd of the camels and took the camels away. The Prophet sent (some people) in their pursuit and so they were (caught and) brought, and the Prophet ordered that their hands and legs should be cut off and that their eyes should be branded with heated pieces of iron, and that their cut hands and legs should not be cauterized, till they die.'"
(Hadith, Sahih Bukhari 8:82:794)
AppendixThe Koran is supposed to be the unaltered words of their god al-lah.
"According to Muslim belief, the Koran is the eternal, unaltered Word of God, which has remained the same for 14 centuries."
http://www.geocities.com/islampencereleri3/querying_the_koran.htm"For the first time in history, we have a built-in proof that a scripture (Quran) is the unaltered, original and complete word of God. A proof that is verifiable by anyone"
http://www.angelfire.com/az2/submission/proof.htmlThey believe it's never been altered and is word for word what their god actually said. This is refuted by the Koran itself which has Muhammed adding his own voice to it.
Some people have raised on other posts issues such as the incompleteness of the Koran (Hadith refer to Suras that don't exist in the Koran).
I am interested in the authorship of the Koran; it is claimed by some to be only the word-for-word utterances of al-lah
The very beginning of the Koran states...
1      In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
2      All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).
3      The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
4      The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)
5      You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).
6      Guide us to the Straight Way
7      The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).
Clearly these are the words of Muhammed, speaking to and about Al-lah, they are not the words of al-lah.
6:114  ÂÂ
"Shall I seek a judge other than Allah while it is He Who has sent down unto you the Book (The Qur'an), explained in detail." Those unto whom We gave the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] know that it is revealed from your Lord in truth. So be not you of those who doubt.
These too, are the words of Muhammed.
Even more clear, is where Muhammed names himself…
6: 101  He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How can He have children when He has no wife? He created all things and He is the All-Knower of everything .
102    Such is Allah, your Lord! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Creator of all things. So worship Him (Alone), and He is the Wakil (Trustee, Disposer of affairs, Guardian, etc.) over all things.
103    No vision can grasp Him, but His Grasp is over all vision. He is the Most Subtle and Courteous, WellAcquainted with all things.
104    Verily, proofs have come to you from your Lord, so whosoever sees, will do so for (the good of) his ownself, and whosoever blinds himself, will do so to his own harm,
and I (Muhammad ) am not a watcher over you. Note here the word (Muhammed) is placed there by the Moslems
http://www.quraan.com/index.aspx?tabindex=1&tabid=27&bid=6Not, by me. Another verse also has Muhammed ….
51: 50  So flee to Allah (from His Torment to His Mercy Islamic Monotheism), verily, I (Muhammad ) am a plain warner to you from Him.
Obviously Muhammed forgot that he’s not meant to be the author of the Koran.
He gets even more confused when it’s angels now narrating…
37: 161 So, verily you (pagans) and those whom you worship (idols).
162    Cannot lead astray [turn away from Him (Allah) anyone of the believers],
163    Except those who are predestined to burn in Hell!
164    There is not one of us (angels) but has his known place (or position);
165    Verily, we (angels), we stand in rows for the prayers (as you Muslims stand in rows for your prayers);
166    Verily, we (angels), we are they who glorify (Allah's Praises i.e. perform prayers).
Muhammed is the author of the Koran, and occasionally he forgot that he wasn’t supposed to be, but he made a few slip-ups.