Well, my intermediate (high school) exams- final year- are finally over and now I can continue, on this forum, right from the point where I left a month or so before.
Firstly, I would like to start with some of Harv's comments. Here is one of them:
I(yasir)said:
On the other hand, we know that there is no meaningful purpose to our existence (or atleast I think that way).
Harv's response:
"Be careful of using the word 'know' when referencing metaphysical concepts. I think what you mean to say is that you cannot reconcile the meaning found in God with the meaning you find in science, therefore you elect to reject the 'meaningful life' sponsored by most religions. The question is why? To reject meaning of one's life in the manner that theism provides, would require a great deal of conviction on certain matters. I say that because theistic meaning is quite intense given the nearly universal belief in a Deity witnessed around the world. Given the society in which you live Yasir, the conviction on your part to reject that meaning must even be more so. You live in a society and family history that fosters a great deal of love for the theistic ideals, whereas in Russia where Alexander had lived, they did not. You can understand an individual like Alex whose society was constructed around the elimination of meaning found in religion and replacing it with meaning found in a communist society.
At basis, there must be some 'facts' that you consider as sufficient to counteract all of these other pressures for you to believe in theistic meaning. I would like to know what you think those are. I wonder if you have really considered the reasons to reject the interpretation that you've elected."
I have been thinking from a while how to put forward some of the basic reasons that underly my negation of the acceptance of religious concepts.
Infact, I am very excited to post something good, interesting and important in the forthcoming days in this regard.
(Note: what follows in this post is not concerned with my response to harv's comments given above.)
But, for the moment, I just want some comments on this:
There is no way out of Islam once you have either entered it or you have taken birth in a Muslim family. Any Muslim who wants to convert to some other religion is not allowed to do so by Shariah (Islamic Law). Any disobedience in this regard leads to nothing but the murder(or killing or whatever one would call it) of that very person. Such a person is labelled as a "Murtid" and is simply deprived of life.
Nevertheless, Islam is not "that" intolerant of the activity of the conversion as one might imagine. Murtid is given a few days to re-think over his decision.......
It is another thing that if he persists in his views, the protectors or the imposers of Shariah are left with nothing but the act of killing of the Murtid!!!
Moreover, if someone converts to agnosticism or athiesm or the likes of it, he is not even given that opportunity to re-think.
Personally, I have no idea how to make sense out of this seemingly barbaric and horrible act. That is why, I need some comments here.
I would like all those, who think that religion has some future in the human society, to respond to this. I just want to know how you people (Harv, Yanniru and others) feel about all this.
Naturally, to me, it is quite a disgusting thought. Whenever I come across it, I face a really bad feeling about all this religion stuff.
Let us see what are the comments of you people on this.
Plus, according to more than one estimates, more people convert to Islam than to anyother religion in the world annually. Comments needed on this too.
Waiting eagerly for replies,
Yasir. |