No, its testament to ignorance, prolonged cult-like brainwashing, and fear through the death and murder taboo attached to any criticism of it, not forgetting of course the tribal instincts that debase individuals to shilling for its barbarism and inanity.
Whilst your empty platitudes may be held in high-regard amongst the CEMB choir, anybody wishing to understand the nuanced and complex message of the quran, and how its message has shaped the lives of billions throughout the recent history of mankind, would do well to ignore you.
@hassan 1
Prince Spinoza,
I read The God Delusion a few years ago. It was my first experience of Richard Dawkins and it didn't leave a lasting impression. As far as I can remember, the basic thrust of his argument is as follows (please do correct me if I'm wrong)
(1) A God would be more complex than the universe, and therefore highly unlikely
(2) Evolution can account for all of life's complexity.
Neither argument is particularly compelling. Evolution doesn't explain the origin of life and no one can quite explain how the universe came into being.
The way his book is fawned over in some circles, I was expecting a literary and philosophical masterpiece to rank alongside the great works of the enlightenment scholars. Instead, he put forward hackneyed ideas which lacked originality and any real depth of scholarship. It wouldn't surprise me if he hasn't read a single religious book, but I suppose he would retort with some witty remark about fairy tales and pixy dust.
Yeah, but it didn't happen overnight, did it? Evolution by natural selection is actually a very elegant process. It's counter-intuitive, I grant you that, but once you understand it, quite plausible. It is based on a simple set of rules.
I didn't say I spend all my time searching for the truth (I haven't got all the time in the world!). I said if I bump into a claim that makes more sense and is interesting, and the evidence is stronger than my current belief about that area, I will change my mind.
It’s interesting that you would mention the phrase counter-intuitive. Your intuition – your fitrah – pushes you to believe in something fundamentally more meaningful. Yet your rational faculties (those same rational faculties you attribute to chance amalgamation of chemical reactions in the brain), lead you elswewhere. A fundamental belief in Islam, as I am sure you are aware, is that all people have an inclination towards Normality. Not normality in the sense as we moderns understand the word. To be Normal is not to blend in with the crowd, but to reach the perfect Adamic Ideal. To confom to your innermost disposition. This is Normality. This, I would suggest, is your intuition.