Adapted from an earlier posting of mine at www.newageislam.com
I believe, it is healthy to understand one religion in the context of other religions; and so it is equally healthy to talk about religions in the context of atheism. This approach should not be regarded as means of rating these entities in terms of their superiority or inferiority.
Atheism for that reason should not be viewed an anti religious ideology to rob religion of it virtues. In fact atheism adds a new dimension to one’s faculty of critical thinking and reasoning – if one desires so.
Atheism is often regarded as devoid of spiritual values which are also not the case. There are no dogmas “Thou Shalt” or Thou Shalt Not” in atheism. Some do nurture spiritual values while some do not
Here is a recent article by the well known Atheist/Neuroscientist Sam Harris where his opening paragraphs starts by expressing his reverence to Jalaluddin Rumi
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/on-spiritual-truths
Atheists on Spirituality (Sam’s talk)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLIKAyzeIw4&feature=relmfu
Also, since Ashok Sharma commented “what about sects and religions which do not believe in the concept of God?”
Yes that is a legitimate question and I asked that question to Richard Dawkins when he was here at the Silicon Valley, California.
Part 1 is Dawkin’s Talk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8oixIeCxdo
Part 2 is the Q/A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcUO4jL315s
In part 2 at the counter reading of 7:06 one can hear my voice asking him the question that Ashok raised. Toward the end counter reading 21:33 there was another comment from someone among the audience which was even more elaborate than what Dawkins gave.
I have added Part 1 of Dawkins talk since here he does allude to mystical experience, and ecstasy as reported by many Sufis and Mystics. Dawkins refers to them as Einsteinian religion with which many atheists and agnostics relate to.
Comments are always welcomed. SR
Showing posts with label Religion and Philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religion and Philosophy. Show all posts
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thoroughness and Context regarding the Scripture
From Smiling Skeptic
Part 1 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM4Yqe0OUwE&feature=related
Part 2 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ0O_NdFbZs&feature=related
Part 3 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj-1swuv5-A&feature=related
Part 4 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzJLy8BdtZM&feature=related
Part 5 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmV2-RM33sA&feature=related
Part 1 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM4Yqe0OUwE&feature=related
Part 2 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ0O_NdFbZs&feature=related
Part 3 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj-1swuv5-A&feature=related
Part 4 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzJLy8BdtZM&feature=related
Part 5 of 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmV2-RM33sA&feature=related
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Religious beliefs
Everyone (almost everyone!) would agree that when it comes to religion, people will believe in most idiotic things as long as those are not about their own religion.
----Anonymous
----Anonymous
Monday, February 28, 2011
Translations of the Qur'an
Translations of the Qur'an from three different sources
http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/quran
http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/quran
Saturday, February 26, 2011
blasphemes: not only in Islam
Anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death.
THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLE MUST STONE HIM.
Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death -
(The Bible @Leviticus 24:16)
Girls of the Red Mosque - Pakistan
Girls of the Red Mosque - Pakistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4f89Jg-TnY&feature=rec-LGOUT-real_rn-1r-1-HM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4f89Jg-TnY&feature=rec-LGOUT-real_rn-1r-1-HM
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Is God willing to prevent evil?
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able, and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God."
- Epicurus
Is God willing to prevent evil?
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able, and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God."
- Epicurus
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Morality and atheism by Irfan Husain (DAWN)
Morality and atheism Irfan Husain (Feb 17)
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/12-morality-and-atheism-in-an-uncertain-world-720--bi-05
Here are some letters published in Dawn
Western values and us (Ali A. Rizvi Feb 21)
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/western-values-and-us-120
Liberal debate (Salamat Haqui Feb 25)i
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/liberal-debate-520
Morality and atheism (I.Z. Mankani, March 2)
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/morality-and-atheism-230
Morality and atheism (Syed Rizvi , March 4)
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/morality-and-atheism-430
The above article was also reproduced on NewAgeIslam
http://newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=2481
And here are the comments that appeared on theNewAgeIslam Website
Ghulam Mohiyuddin 2/24/2010 12:21:35 PM
This is indeed a very well written and thought provoking article. I am surprised however that Dawn had the courage to publish it.
Syed Rizvi 2/21/2010 11:48:33 PM
Moral action doesn't necessarily make one moral.
If a person acts morally because of reward/ punishment in the next world he/she is acting as a moral person with a self interest. Such morality cannot be seen as moral in the true meaning of the word.
A person who acts morally without any belief for reward/punishment in the next world is truly moral in my dictionary.
Syed Rizvi
San Jose. California
Sultan Shahin 2/21/2010 10:04:24 PM
Thanks Mr. Ashok Sharma for sharing this item with us: Atheist nations are more peaceful. I am a religious person and I found It most thought-provoking. I hope other readers too are provoked to reflect on this information.
Ashok Sharma 2/21/2010 9:39:13 PM
I found an article on the web which I wanted to share:
Atheist nations are more peaceful
The 2009 Global Peace Index has just been released. It's basically a ranking of how turbulent and warlike a country is.
They put it together by assessing 23 criteria, including foreign wars, internal conflicts, respect for human rights, the number of murders, the number of people in jail, the arms trade, and degrees of democracy (Guardian).
You can see a world map of peace at the Vision of Humanity website, and also take a look at country rankings for 2009, as well as earlier years.
New Zealand came top this year. Hmm, New Zealand is a pretty non-religious country. In fact, if you eyeball the rankings, the top few countries are all pretty non-religious.
What I've done in the figures here is to take data from the World Values Survey on the percentage of people in each country who say they are a committed atheist, and also on the percentage of people who say that they go to a religious service at least once a month.
Then I split the sample into two equal groups, based on their score on the Global Peace Index. The ones in the 'Peaceful' group are countries with a GPI score less than 1.8.
Sure enough, peaceful countries have more atheists and fewer regular worshippers. The difference is highly statistically significant (P=0.001 or less) - in other words it's real, not just a chance finding.
Now, there are several possible reasons for this. It could be that people living in turbulent countries turn to religion, or it could be that religion is not a good way to structure modern society. Or it could be that some other factor or combination of factors (democracy? free speech? education? government welfare?) generates citizens who are both peaceful and non-religious.
Whatever, it's another blow to the idea that secularization leads to social meltdown. Atheist countries are, in fact more peaceful.
Syed Rizvi (San Jose, CA) 2/21/2010 10:01:51 AM
I was pleasantly surprised to see a column on Morality and Atheism by Mr. Irfan Husain, in Dawn – a major paper published in Pakistan, which is considered a deeply religious country. Dawn was founded by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, called 'Father of the Nation', who himself was secular, with a secular aspiration for Pakistan. Unfortunately, soon after his death the political tide turned toward the Islamization of Pakistan, eventually producing the religious extremism we see today.
An article such as Mr. Irfan’s, where the free flow of ideas can be entertained and healthy dialogue between believers and non-believers can be sustained, is in my judgment a sign of a more wholesome and tolerant society of the kind Jinnah had in mind.
In the west, dialogue on Morality and Religion is not uncommon. For example, the recent interview with author Sam Harris on the subject of morality at TED (ww.ted.com), may interest some of the readers on this site. It may be found at:
http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/2010/02/12/sam-harris-picks-a-fight-with-god/
Syed Rizvi
San Jose, California
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/12-morality-and-atheism-in-an-uncertain-world-720--bi-05
Here are some letters published in Dawn
Western values and us (Ali A. Rizvi Feb 21)
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/western-values-and-us-120
Liberal debate (Salamat Haqui Feb 25)i
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/liberal-debate-520
Morality and atheism (I.Z. Mankani, March 2)
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/morality-and-atheism-230
Morality and atheism (Syed Rizvi , March 4)
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/morality-and-atheism-430
The above article was also reproduced on NewAgeIslam
http://newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=2481
And here are the comments that appeared on theNewAgeIslam Website
Ghulam Mohiyuddin 2/24/2010 12:21:35 PM
This is indeed a very well written and thought provoking article. I am surprised however that Dawn had the courage to publish it.
Syed Rizvi 2/21/2010 11:48:33 PM
Moral action doesn't necessarily make one moral.
If a person acts morally because of reward/ punishment in the next world he/she is acting as a moral person with a self interest. Such morality cannot be seen as moral in the true meaning of the word.
A person who acts morally without any belief for reward/punishment in the next world is truly moral in my dictionary.
Syed Rizvi
San Jose. California
Sultan Shahin 2/21/2010 10:04:24 PM
Thanks Mr. Ashok Sharma for sharing this item with us: Atheist nations are more peaceful. I am a religious person and I found It most thought-provoking. I hope other readers too are provoked to reflect on this information.
Ashok Sharma 2/21/2010 9:39:13 PM
I found an article on the web which I wanted to share:
Atheist nations are more peaceful
The 2009 Global Peace Index has just been released. It's basically a ranking of how turbulent and warlike a country is.
They put it together by assessing 23 criteria, including foreign wars, internal conflicts, respect for human rights, the number of murders, the number of people in jail, the arms trade, and degrees of democracy (Guardian).
You can see a world map of peace at the Vision of Humanity website, and also take a look at country rankings for 2009, as well as earlier years.
New Zealand came top this year. Hmm, New Zealand is a pretty non-religious country. In fact, if you eyeball the rankings, the top few countries are all pretty non-religious.
What I've done in the figures here is to take data from the World Values Survey on the percentage of people in each country who say they are a committed atheist, and also on the percentage of people who say that they go to a religious service at least once a month.
Then I split the sample into two equal groups, based on their score on the Global Peace Index. The ones in the 'Peaceful' group are countries with a GPI score less than 1.8.
Sure enough, peaceful countries have more atheists and fewer regular worshippers. The difference is highly statistically significant (P=0.001 or less) - in other words it's real, not just a chance finding.
Now, there are several possible reasons for this. It could be that people living in turbulent countries turn to religion, or it could be that religion is not a good way to structure modern society. Or it could be that some other factor or combination of factors (democracy? free speech? education? government welfare?) generates citizens who are both peaceful and non-religious.
Whatever, it's another blow to the idea that secularization leads to social meltdown. Atheist countries are, in fact more peaceful.
Syed Rizvi (San Jose, CA) 2/21/2010 10:01:51 AM
I was pleasantly surprised to see a column on Morality and Atheism by Mr. Irfan Husain, in Dawn – a major paper published in Pakistan, which is considered a deeply religious country. Dawn was founded by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, called 'Father of the Nation', who himself was secular, with a secular aspiration for Pakistan. Unfortunately, soon after his death the political tide turned toward the Islamization of Pakistan, eventually producing the religious extremism we see today.
An article such as Mr. Irfan’s, where the free flow of ideas can be entertained and healthy dialogue between believers and non-believers can be sustained, is in my judgment a sign of a more wholesome and tolerant society of the kind Jinnah had in mind.
In the west, dialogue on Morality and Religion is not uncommon. For example, the recent interview with author Sam Harris on the subject of morality at TED (ww.ted.com), may interest some of the readers on this site. It may be found at:
http://www.scpr.org/programs/patt-morrison/2010/02/12/sam-harris-picks-a-fight-with-god/
Syed Rizvi
San Jose, California
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
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