Follow Islam or turn to Atheism?

You haven't read the quran yet, but you're thinking about becoming a Muslim? Becoming a Muslim is a serious thing . . . once you turn that way, fellow Muslims are commanded to kill you if you turn back. It's called shirk. The quran isn't that long. Read it. Oh, and whatever you may believe, the quran is clearly intended to be taken as a literal historical and spiritual record. The historical part is a matter of, well, history. It doesn't take a lot of research to discover that Muhammad became the largest real estate holder in the middle east by far through war and violent conquest. As a military man, he was a genius. As a con man, apparently unsurpassed. The combo of the two? Sheer dynamite. Don't start building this tower before you count the cost.