The Holiday Season

Most “miracles” do not bear scientific scrutiny well, which is why over such a long time, organized religions have tried to downplay education in general and education that stimulates questioning minds, in particular. Organized religions derive their strength from the weight of the status quo and from the constantly replenishing and vastly higher number of minds that would always take the more convenient route of following what is prescribed rather than question it and experiment with the new.

Azra: What is your point? Why do you restrict to monotheistic religions? All religions demand an unquestioning faith assured by self-sacrifice.

My parents and teachers taught me what to believe when I was a child, I questioned it when I was a young man, I don't believe those things now that I'm close to 40, maybe in a few years as my health goes downhill I'll "get religion" again. What good is religion unless it changes (for the better) the way I behave?

I am not expert in Budhdhism. But it does not depend upon miracle or word of God. They don't kill animal to please god (I am not sure what kind of God needs animal life to be pleased).

Re: # 4

"They don't kill animal to please god (I am not sure what kind of God needs animal life to be pleased)..."

What about the god that needs human life (of mushriques, kafirs and mujahideens) to be pleased....

Also, Buddhism is nastika and does not assert the existence and interference of a God..........
questions of god are avayaktanis........

"As the story goes, God appeared in a dream to Ibrahim and told him to sacrifice his son Isma'il. Ibrahim and Isma'il set off to Mina for the sacrifice. Mother tells the boy that as the Prophet went with his only child, the devil attempted to persuade Ibrahim to disobey God and not to sacrifice his beloved son. But Ibrahim stayed true to God, and drove the devil away. As Ibrahim prepared to kill his son God stopped him and gave him a sheep to sacrifice instead."

I think the story was that Abrahim actually killed his son........and the son was made alive again........so a father killing his son as sacrifice for the blood thirsty God of Abrahim.......

Eid ul adha is the commemoration of the sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim(pbuh). This sacrifice shows a very significant dimension of religious epistemology. Not only does it explodes the idea of the 'ethical interpretation of religion' it also shows that religion itself is not a 'moral philosophy' .On the other hand moralities are dependent on the basic tenets of religion. According to religious epistemology ,God is the source of all moralities. Moralities are there only to play a role of guidance for the person involved in the religious activity. According to the glorious Quran development of perception plays a very important role in intellectual and spirtual development of a man. Religious moralities show you the path in the complexity and illusion of appearance to comprehend the reality beyond that. A religious person has always in veiw that commitment to those guidance and will of God. He reaches to the point where he starts comprehending the hitherto unreaveled meaning of the religious language which no lexicographical meaning could possibly reveal. Prophet Ibrahim(pbuh) reamaind and patient and commited despite his natural love for his son. It shows that real 'momin' has got to see everything with perspective of the will of God. There is a saying of the Holy prophet muhammed(pbuh) '' be ware of the wisdom of the man of faith because he sees with the light of Allah''. At that point you remain patient and commited to the guidance. The sheep that was sent by God simbolizes the ''reality'' which is beyond the illusion of appearance. This shows that the 'Truth' can be found only by following the commands of the God. People who interpret religion and scripture suited to their ''oon''(a generic term for kanjroon, madroon ,secularoon and liberaloon....courtsy echoboom) inclinations are the worst of the losers and they are decieved by the illusion of the appearance.

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Not only does it explodes the idea of the 'ethical interpretation of religion' it also shows that religion itself is not a 'moral philosophy' .
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Well, glad we got that out of the way. Most religions are power-based cults and have little to do with "moral philosophy". The rest of "philosophers" bakwaas is a complicated way of saying - no matter, this god gibberish still makes sense somehow.

Abraham was a particularly disgusting individual, an intemperate fanatic and all-around hater, its no surprise that cults that celebrate him have been amongst the most violent throughout history.

Re: # 9 piss mishra

I have been absent from chowk for some time aur tum jaisaon ko aapni auqaat bhool gai? kis nay kholi hai tum logon ki muhaar? Anyhow... i am encouraged by your enraged response. i am back beta... FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS..all you kanjroon..madroons...secularoon, hamidoon, hindooon and arjuoon on chowk.

Re: # 9
Mishra: Do you think Abraham possessed a flowing beard which became fashionable to his followers ? Or is it because there were no barbers in the desert?
Kanmath

Party not Piety is what is behind these holidays

Thus, e.g. christmas carried over from pre-christian times - and was associated basically the day when the poor in London (e.g.) would be let in (even if unwillingly) in rich men's homes to party and booze till the next day.

Puritans (under Cromwell) banned christmas (anything that made people happy being considered sinful), and it was allowed as a holiday only after the puritans lost power on popular demands by the new king. the puritans in the US banned it too.

same thing for hannukah (jewish imitation of christmas) and kwanza (black imitation of christmas) and eid (muslim excuse to kill and eat bezabaan animals calling this gluttony a "sacrifice")!!

Hypocrisy - they name is religious customs!!

Please also note the abusive language which passes for 'philosophers' language in certain religions.

Re: # 13

"According to religious epistemology ,God is the source of all moralities."

LOL........Sorry I would give you a zero in your epistemology paper.........what a joke....

Two guys standed on a desert island.. will soon develop a system of co-existence and morals...god couldn't do that if he tried.

philo, welcome back. Impeccably put. At least, forces us to confront the fact that nothing like universal morality exists.

Kaal