i am more of an athiest, and during a trip to jordan i accepted an invitation from a muslim friend to attend an islamic study group. what i heard and experienced in there not only shocked me but made me realise how childish and foolish this study group was and off line muslims were when it comes to reality.
dont think for yourself, let the koran do the thinking was the norm.
when will the human race learn to think for themselves instead of making religious books and gods do the thinking for them?
2006-09-07 16:25:03 · 20 answers · asked by music 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes your right the muslim faith but dont put every other religion in with them!
2006-09-07 16:27:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
I am not an atheist, but I do agree with you 100%. I come across so many people now who won't live a normal life because of they're religion. I almost wonder sometimes that I being Catholic am not even considered Christian based on some of this nonsense I read especially on this board and the beliefs are so extreme, I would consider these people extremists! Some of these Christians on here almost turn me off to religion.
2006-09-08 00:16:27 · answer #2 · answered by beachdiva954 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Reminds me of Scientology. Like "no one is as smart as L. Ron Hubbard, you must believe only what he has written." Scary, but that is what they told me.
I doubt that all Muslims are that way. I've run into Christian cults that do that too. But that is why Christians call them cults. Because it's not really "let the holy word do the thinking for you" but "let our Great Leader's interpretation of the holy word do the thinking for you". They try to frighten and intimidate people into submission. Just another power trip.
Many times when I ask God a question, he first says "Think about it". Later He guides me by suggesting a different point of view to test my logic. I guess that is why the larger percentage of believers aren't members of an organized religion. They don't blindly hold on to the bible and get lead around by it, they instead, grab hold of Gods hand, look up into his face and enjoy the bible as though it was His journal.
2006-09-07 23:49:16 · answer #3 · answered by J Z 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There seems to be a thread of belief that mankind is inherently bad, and needs punishment and other forms of manipulation to be set right. IT makes no sense to me, as it has done more harm than good: Just look at the world! I am spiritual, but my philosophy is to allow the individual to experience life for themselves and make their own discoveries along the way. The USA was supposedly founded on separation of Church and State for that reason, so somewhere along the way, people catch on and then seem to revert to the old ways of thinking. Look how Bush got re-elected by using Christianity as a polarity, which was not even true. It just pleased the masses and justified more war and killing. Very scary.
2006-09-07 23:35:54 · answer #4 · answered by Cub6265 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I too find it shocking that people would rather believe books that are more than a 1000 years old. If those books were supported by current knowledge then it would make sense, but we have learned a great deal in the intervening years. The only logical conclusion is that the books only reflected the "wisdom" of their era, and no more.
2006-09-07 23:28:51 · answer #5 · answered by Jim L 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
It is sad that many intelligent people choose to stop thinking when they talk about religion, but please don't stereotype all muslims into this category. There are many reasonable muslims out there, just as there are reasonable people of all faiths.
For example, in "On Christian Doctrine", St. Augustine emphasizes that one should be well versed in the basic liberal arts disciplines in order to read the bible well. Similar prerequisites are emphasized by Muslim scholars.
2006-09-08 00:08:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The human race will learn to start thinking for themselves whenever reason has destroyed faith. As long as people accept faith as a means to knowing the truth we will always have one foot stuck in the dark ages.
"The man who does not do his own thinking is a slave, and is a traitor to himself and to his fellow-men." [Robert G. Ingersoll, "The Liberty of Man, Woman and Child" 1877]
"The real oppressor, enslaver, and corrupter of the people is the Bible. That book is the chain that binds, the dungeon that holds the clergy. That book spreads the pall of superstition over the colleges and schools. That book puts out the eyes of science, and makes honest investigation a crime. That book fills the world with bigotry, hypocrisy and fear." [_Some Mistakes of Moses_, Ingersoll's Works, Vol. 2 p. 43]
"Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will not investigate, and if you think it wrong, the church will investigate you." [Robert G. Ingersoll, "Individuality", 1873]
2006-09-07 23:33:20 · answer #7 · answered by AiW 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Well, let's set religion aside. Are you saying humans should aspire to complete, independent thought to make all decisions?
That type of nirvana is absolutely impossible. Nobody lives or makes decisions in a vaccuum, they are made within certain contexts of our individual lives.
Sounds like your issue is not with people thinking for themselves, but that they have made a decision for themselves you disagree with. Therefore, you cop out and chalk up the belief in religion to be people not "thinking for themselves".
If you are right, that there are people who choose to follow religious books and gods which "do the thinking for them", I think you also have to allow that there are things in your life that act identically as truth or experience "filters". They just don't happen to be religious.
Why not just be intellectually honest with yourself and say that you are biased against those who have religious beliefs? Then you wouldn't come off sounding like a little hypocritical whiner.
2006-09-07 23:35:43 · answer #8 · answered by You'll Never Outfox the Fox 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
God gave us brains to think with. He is the One who GAVE us choice. We are supposed to think, to question. Even the Bible tells us to question.
As far as "reality"....that term is more relative than you might think....
To me, human "reality" changes every time we discover something that we would have dreamed impossible before, but that God created and knew all along...other planets, other solar systems, cells, atoms, etc, etc.
I do believe, however, in some absolute Truths. Among these is God is real, His son came to be my Redeemer, and I will be with Him for eternity.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I do have them (thoughts). Why do people assume that if a person is a Christian, they are not thinkers? Try reading "The Case for Christ" By Lee Strobel. He investigated, was an unbeliever, and came to a realization. Unless you are afraid that reading might alter your "thinking".....
2006-09-07 23:35:36 · answer #9 · answered by shiba 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
God's wisdom is just a weeeeeeeeeee bit better than mine. I trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding. And guess what? He makes my paths straight.
God IS real. Therefore, believing in God does't seperate somebody from reality.
2006-09-08 00:06:40 · answer #10 · answered by Hank 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some of us have learned, but many never will have the courage to think for themselves. If it's not a religious book, it's a newspaper, a magazine or a TV telling the mindless what to think.
2006-09-07 23:29:40 · answer #11 · answered by miyuki & kyojin 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋