Comments for A Fils for Your Thoughts http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com Where Ideas are Valued.. and Evaluated Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:56:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 Comment on Understanding Islam: Is Islam a Divine Religion? by Haider http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/blog/2008/07/26/understanding-islam-is-islam-a-divine-religion/#comment-1395 Haider Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:20:56 +0000 http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/?p=102#comment-1395 Seth, please bear in mind that Islam is open to a great deal of interpretation. The purpose of the book I'm writing is to define an objective criteria for the interpretation of Islam. We cannot determine the Islamic perspective on violence, reason, faith, morality, etc. if we do not know how to interpret Islam correctly. You said that belief in Allah as the only God, and Muhammad as his prophet is the first pillar of Islam. This doesn't mean that you must accept this on faith. To become a Muslim, you must be convinced that these two tenets are true. But how do you reach such a conviction? Does Islam accept the approach: "I believe in Allah as the only God, and Muhammad as His prophet, because my parents say so"? It doesn't. Therefore, these two beliefs are not the starting point, and should not be accepted on faith. Maybe I still haven't made the purpose of the book clear, so I should be writing more posts to help clarify the direction I'm going in. The issue you raised about believing in a deity doesn't fit the subject of the book, and I'm going to have postpone commenting on the subject for another (series of) posts. ------------ Saleem (hotconflict), thank you for your visit. I agree with you that many people comment on Islam without having an understanding of it. But I think this is more applicable about Muslims than any other group. For one thing, Muslims are following claims and assumptions more than developing a proper understanding of their religion. I will deal with this issue in greater detail in the book. Apart from the fact that stating that Islam is "the" divine faith is a claim that needs to be qualified with evidence (to even state that it is "a" divine faith requires evidence as well!), when I refer to "Islam" here, I am referring to the religion associated with Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him and his family). Mind you, stating that "the articles of faith for a Muslim are the same from the time of Adam to the end of days" is also a claim that needs to be proved. And while Westerners can try to make Islam seem alien, there *are* irrational beliefs being promoted by Muslims that do not seem sensible to a Western mind, and aren't shared by other religions. Seth, please bear in mind that Islam is open to a great deal of interpretation. The purpose of the book I’m writing is to define an objective criteria for the interpretation of Islam. We cannot determine the Islamic perspective on violence, reason, faith, morality, etc. if we do not know how to interpret Islam correctly.

You said that belief in Allah as the only God, and Muhammad as his prophet is the first pillar of Islam. This doesn’t mean that you must accept this on faith. To become a Muslim, you must be convinced that these two tenets are true. But how do you reach such a conviction? Does Islam accept the approach: “I believe in Allah as the only God, and Muhammad as His prophet, because my parents say so”? It doesn’t. Therefore, these two beliefs are not the starting point, and should not be accepted on faith.

Maybe I still haven’t made the purpose of the book clear, so I should be writing more posts to help clarify the direction I’m going in.

The issue you raised about believing in a deity doesn’t fit the subject of the book, and I’m going to have postpone commenting on the subject for another (series of) posts.

————

Saleem (hotconflict), thank you for your visit.

I agree with you that many people comment on Islam without having an understanding of it. But I think this is more applicable about Muslims than any other group.

For one thing, Muslims are following claims and assumptions more than developing a proper understanding of their religion. I will deal with this issue in greater detail in the book.

Apart from the fact that stating that Islam is “the” divine faith is a claim that needs to be qualified with evidence (to even state that it is “a” divine faith requires evidence as well!), when I refer to “Islam” here, I am referring to the religion associated with Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him and his family).

Mind you, stating that “the articles of faith for a Muslim are the same from the time of Adam to the end of days” is also a claim that needs to be proved.

And while Westerners can try to make Islam seem alien, there *are* irrational beliefs being promoted by Muslims that do not seem sensible to a Western mind, and aren’t shared by other religions.

]]> Comment on The Ethics of Death by Haider http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/blog/2008/08/28/the-ethics-of-death/#comment-1394 Haider Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:13:04 +0000 http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/?p=24#comment-1394 Salah: Thanks :) Seth: Ok, I have a confession to make! I read half the book, then read the book, For the New Intellectual (with the speech)! I was reading her novel at the same time as I was trying to get my head around her philosophy, so I kept reading the non-fiction books, as well. As for concern for the after-life, I'll be writing a post on that soon. In any case, I don't think the after-life should be used to determine what is and isn't moral, and certainly not to overlook the earthly consequences of our actions. Skinnybumblebee: I don't believe morality is fluid, but it can be flexible, based on the circumstances one lives in. However, morality is related to human nature, and not to time. As long as human beings share similar traits throughout the span of history and in different parts of the world, they will (or should) share a similar moral code. I believe that morality should be objective. It should be based on reality, and not on shallow opinions, ignorance or whims. Therefore, we can judge our inherited moral codes by determining how compatible they are with reality. And I certainly agree that people should live according to their personal convictions, but this doesn't mean that people should form their moral code based on personal whims. Even if you don't harm anyone *else* you will be the first victim of an irrational, subjective moral code. Salah: Thanks :)

Seth: Ok, I have a confession to make!

I read half the book, then read the book, For the New Intellectual (with the speech)! I was reading her novel at the same time as I was trying to get my head around her philosophy, so I kept reading the non-fiction books, as well.

As for concern for the after-life, I’ll be writing a post on that soon. In any case, I don’t think the after-life should be used to determine what is and isn’t moral, and certainly not to overlook the earthly consequences of our actions.

Skinnybumblebee: I don’t believe morality is fluid, but it can be flexible, based on the circumstances one lives in. However, morality is related to human nature, and not to time. As long as human beings share similar traits throughout the span of history and in different parts of the world, they will (or should) share a similar moral code.

I believe that morality should be objective. It should be based on reality, and not on shallow opinions, ignorance or whims. Therefore, we can judge our inherited moral codes by determining how compatible they are with reality.

And I certainly agree that people should live according to their personal convictions, but this doesn’t mean that people should form their moral code based on personal whims. Even if you don’t harm anyone *else* you will be the first victim of an irrational, subjective moral code.

]]> Comment on The Ethics of Death by Skinnybumblebee http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/blog/2008/08/28/the-ethics-of-death/#comment-1393 Skinnybumblebee Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:42:40 +0000 http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/?p=24#comment-1393 Morality is a system of ideas like everything else they change sure we still abide by things from the past but how sure are we that they are correct? I agree on the preachers though no One should be voiceing out their ideas in such ways Thats why everyone should live by Their own standrads as long as they are not harming anyone ofcourse... Morality is a system of ideas like everything else they change
sure we still abide by things from the past but how sure
are we that they are correct?

I agree on the preachers though no
One should be voiceing out their ideas in such ways
Thats why everyone should live by
Their own standrads as long as they are not harming anyone ofcourse…

]]> Comment on The Ethics of Death by Seth http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/blog/2008/08/28/the-ethics-of-death/#comment-1386 Seth Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:14:27 +0000 http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/?p=24#comment-1386 You are reading her novels now? Bravo, Haider! They are even better than the non-fiction. Sometimes it's interesting for me to contemplate that the volumes of her work, essays and novels and playwrights, all spring from a very basic assumption: A is A. Sometimes I think scientists forget this basic tenet of all reason. To think they are still trying to find an 'elegant, simple' equation to explain all of existence, and it's been there for thousands of years. Anyways (sorry to go on my Ayn Rand admiration stint), if morality is to be geared towards the physical world, to what extent should the living be concerned with the 'after life?' You are reading her novels now? Bravo, Haider! They are even better than the non-fiction. Sometimes it’s interesting for me to contemplate that the volumes of her work, essays and novels and playwrights, all spring from a very basic assumption: A is A. Sometimes I think scientists forget this basic tenet of all reason. To think they are still trying to find an ‘elegant, simple’ equation to explain all of existence, and it’s been there for thousands of years.

Anyways (sorry to go on my Ayn Rand admiration stint), if morality is to be geared towards the physical world, to what extent should the living be concerned with the ‘after life?’

]]> Comment on Understanding Islam: Is Islam a Divine Religion? by hotconflict http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/blog/2008/07/26/understanding-islam-is-islam-a-divine-religion/#comment-1383 hotconflict Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:06:56 +0000 http://www.afilsforyourthoughts.com/?p=102#comment-1383 It is always strange to me how so many people make comments about Islam, yet it is clear that they have absolutely no understanding of the faith. Islam is not "A" divine faith...it is "The" divine faith. Islam is the name of the faith that Allah has thought all the messengers. The articles of faith for a Muslim are the same from the time of Adam to the end of days. There is a lot of westerners who are trying to make Islam out to be so different and alien to other faiths. Check out this website that directly deals with some of the misconceptions about Islam using stories and Ppop-Culture. http://www.hotconflict.com It is always strange to me how so many people make comments about Islam, yet it is clear that they have absolutely no understanding of the faith.

Islam is not “A” divine faith…it is “The” divine faith.
Islam is the name of the faith that Allah has thought all the messengers.

The articles of faith for a Muslim are the same from the time of Adam to the end of days.

There is a lot of westerners who are trying to make Islam out to be so different and alien to other faiths.
Check out this website that directly deals with some of the misconceptions about Islam using stories and Ppop-Culture.

http://www.hotconflict.com

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