Islam should not pass off faith as fact

Friday, September 15, 2006 Islam should not pass off faith as fact It is interesting that Islam not just states what it declares are facts, but requires Muslims to believe in them. This is very sensible of Islam, because many things cannot directly be proved as facts to everyone. Life after death (as stated by Islam) has not yet occurred. Islam says it will occur and till then all we have to prove that it will occur is faith. If we are very deep in our faith, then it becomes as good as a fact for us. Why Islam calls for faith in what it says (about, for instance, life after death) is that thereby, by turning it into a fact for the faithful, it can have the necessary effect on the faithful that Islam wants. Science, on the other hand, does not call for any faith - at best it requires the scientist to be patient and await the results of tests which it says would prove such and such a thing. What I find disconcerting is that in Islam the faithful are trying to pass off as facts that which are merely in the realm of faith. Faith is something that concerns the individual. This Hinduism appears to have understood and that is why its religious culture is individualistic in nature. My contention is that Islam should be propagated without trying to pass off faith as fact. 9:07:19 AM Posted By Venu Gopal Comments (2) Musings Comments jj Friday, September 15, 2006 12:07:49 PM In semitic religions like islam and christianity eventhough the prophets had revelations, none of them seemed to have a face to face talk with god in their lifetimeRamakrishna paramahamsa declared that god can be seen and experienced by every one even while he is living on earthThe difference varies from person to person in the intensity with which the soul longs for the union with god rumplestiltskin Friday, September 15, 2006 3:50:43 PM Purnjanam is not cycle of Rebirth but life after death.The common word used for the Doctrine of Rebirth is ‘Punarjanam’. In Sanskrit Punar or Puna means ‘next time’ or ‘again’ and Janam means ‘life’. Therefore Punarjanam means next life or the life here after. It does not means coming to life again and again. Most of the reference for Punarjanam in the other Hindu Scriptures besides the Vedas if read keeping life hereafter in mind including the quotation of Bhagavad Gita and Upanishad it give us a concept of next life or life again but not life again and again. This concept of Rebirth again and again was developed later on after the vedic period to rationalize the indifferences found in different individuals at birth and different surrounding in which people live. Since the creator Almighty can not be unjust....to be continued