Morally speaking, is Saudi Arabia any better than the Islamic State? The Islamic State is our enemy, and deservedly so. They use Islam as justification for violence. The violence is meant to silence their critics, and to intimidate the masses. Saudi Arabia is our ally. They are set to execute 14 men for attending a pro-democracy rally. The youngest of the group, Mujtaba’a al-Sweikat, was only 17 when he was arrested at an airport in his homeland, on his way to study at Western Michigan University. He never got there. Instead, he was tried and sentenced to death for attending a rally. He is set to be executed for exercising political speech. What is the difference between ISIS and Saudi Arabia? Why are we allied with one and against the other? Do they not represent the same form of evil?
Tag Archives: Christianity
Progress in Three Paragraphs
When free versions are available, why did I pay good money for this translation of the Quran? Some of the value is in the English-language translation itself. But much of the book is commentary from experts on Islam. I paid for that. Initially, I made a good faith effort to read the entire book, page by page. But by the time I made it through the introduction, through the first surah and into the second, I realized that the commentary was bogging me down. Most of this book consists of commentary. For now, it distracts me from my purpose.
So I have spent the week reading the Quran, but focusing on Mohammed’s words exclusively. It is slow but rewarding work. I take the time to copy passages into my journal so that I can better argue with the ideas themselves. When I read, I argue. If I don’t argue, I am not engaged. The fact that I am arguing much with the Quran means that I am very engaged by what it says. When I get to the end of the 114th surah, I will have the basis for my for the article I am writing. I won’t be done. But I will be on my way.
I want to explain why I cannot embrace Islam. Idealogical differences motivate me. More than a quarter century ago, I left the Catholic church. My reasons for rejecting Christianity were just as valid then as they are now. But they apply equally well to Islam. I am convinced more than ever that religion misrepresents God.
The Next Step
Religion is my endless fascination. I have studied it throughout my life. I am convinced that God is not what religion teaches us He is. This is why I have decided to write. God is something other than how we have traditionally imagined him.
My evidence lies in an argument I am composing. I am analyzing Christian and Islamic theology within the context of logic. The Christian half of my analysis is completed. But because I am not Muslim, I needed better knowledge of the subject of Islam. So I bought the Kindle version of The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary, by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Caner K. Dagli, Maria Massi Dakake, Joseph E.B. Lumbard, and Mohammed Rustom.
I have been taking notes as I read the book. My argument develops out of this exercise. Work this week has been good.
ISIS
Last night I dozed to sleep listening to the radio. At one point, the voice behind the microphone expressed thoughts and prayers for the people of Nice, France. That was my first realization that ISIS had reared its blasphemous face again. What is ISIS? A collective for moral zombies. They have surrendered their minds to a blasphemous interpretation of Islam. They have surrendered their souls to an anti-human ideology. Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel left this earth as a mass murderer for an evil illusion. He does not deserve a grave. He has already claimed his place on the trash heap of wasted lives.
Sincere Prayers
To the people of Nice, France. I am an atheist. People of all faiths should be willing to unite spiritually at times like this.
Shh. Shh. Writer at work.
The blog has not gone.
Quiet. Writer. Preoccupied.
My creative periods come in spurts, between bouts of symptoms.
My book is my focus. I am writing my calling card.
In this moment, between symptoms, I can be intensely productive.
I am on disability. But, I no longer believe my condition should hold me back.
My book, if she sells, will be evidence I can earn my own keep.
Silence is the foundation on which all noise is built.
Sacred Space.
Within, I work.
Among Atheists.
I am.
Slow poke. No child prodigy.
Finally. Let go.
Around, About.
The age of thirty.
Fading. My thinking,
Changed.
From reality.
Through story.
Into illusion.
Some Thoughts…. I need to get out of my head before I can share my views on God.
I have received multiple invites to watch today’s debate between Bill Nye, The Science Guy, and Ken Ham.
One of the hams on stage is a creationist. The other will represent evolution. In a theatrical form.
Symbolically, we get to choose. Which one is right?
But, I won’t tune in, until it has cured a few weeks, on a hook in the meat closet. Away from the flies.
Right now I don’t want to watch it at all. Because, I know which side is right.
Neither! The reason we have these silly debates is because we aren’t able to move beyond our differences. I want to talk about how we can.
*****
I have been waiting for the right moment to elevate the content of my blog. Today seems perfect, for a couple reasons.
One. I am more lucid to-day, than any other, these past couple weeks. And when I am lucid, my thoughts drift to the big questions we all struggle with. God, or no. Life, and the before-after sandwich we call the spiritual. And, consciousness.
Also. Two.
There’s a reason for switching my voice, that allows me to discuss why my voice has changed. It’s not puberty! Just so no one is confused.
Voices change with thoughts.
The Ham-Nye debate somehow represents my own thoughts, and my blog. How opportune!
So onwards from here. Some days I will share my thoughts about God. Others, I will think about the mind. And still others, I will pull lint from my navel. But, it’s all related. Trust me.
At least now, hopefully I can launch directly into discussions of my beliefs about God, without feeling self-conscious doing so.
*****
You may have noticed that my writing often seems focused on ordinary things. The useless riffraff, left from otherwise forgettable days. And, yet, today, I am switching to the topics of God, and death, and understanding. Even if, only my own.
But, my ordinary days are always related to the special, now that I pay attention. I write about the ordinary so that I can draw on those experiences when discussing the extra-ordinary. So, when you read about my day shopping for a wheel chair, or another spent dealing with the insurance company that cut off my disability payments, it’s because my ordinary experiences have some meaning for me. And, I want to convey meaning through my writing. But, I can only do so through the trial and error of everyday attempts.
I want you to see me for who I am. I am sometimes neurotic. And, I guess that makes me human. And if you can see me as human, then you can read my thoughts without being offended. And believe me. Some of my thoughts will offend. It’s why I don’t discuss them lightly.
*****
Here are some rules that might help clarify my posts regarding God, and no gods, and religion. My first on the topic, but by no means, my last.
- I reserve the right to offend. I’m not trying to offend. It’s just inevitable, if I am to express myself clearly.
- You reserve the right to be offended. Just know, I’m not doing it, like a comedian. Whether you thump a bible, or got rid of yours long ago, my views might offend you. Or worse, turn you off. But, I don’t want anyone to think I am making anyone else the butt of a joke. I may discuss a certain belief, and then tweak it to get a point across. Once you feel that point, you might get what I am saying. Sometimes offending each other is the only way we can communicate.
- You reserve the right to offend me. If I am wrong, please tell me. I want to know, because I want to grow. And I typically have to be dragged, kicking and scratching against the friction of my offended feelings.
- We respect each other as human beings. The golden rule doesn’t belong to any one set of beliefs. I believe religious people can be rational. I also believe that atheists can be irrational. But, sanity is our common right. We will never arrive. But, it is possible to imagine how we will all be viewed one day by the survivors.
*****
I believe we can only understand properly through other points-of-view. This is not a place where one of us is right and the others are wrong. Common understanding comes through mutual understanding. We each embody something the other needs. And truth is never perceived directly. Nor is it claimed as a battlefield prize.
This blog is not where you capitulate to me, or visa versa, unless one of us is seriously wrong. This blog is where believers and atheists are welcome to commune. I do believe a common understanding is possible, and that belief vs. non-belief is the wrong way to approach the subject.
Sure, it’s necessary for some people from each persuasion to duke it. But, that’s only because they symbolize what we all struggle with. And their fight is the topic of our discussion. It’s the human way to understand.
The monkey way. The tribal way.
At least, it’s my way.
The Atheist Who Believes in God 