I am talking about religion in general and Islam in particular.
I agree with Babar Sahib’s comments that majority of religious people, as compared to atheists, are just followers. The majority of these followers are either non-practicing or they are only culturally associated with the religion. They participate only on major religious occasions. And for vast majority of these the religious analysis we are involved in, is waste of time. The religion is neither central to their life nor it is a hindrance in their progress of modern life. But nevertheless, even this small cultural association with religion is an important part of their whole being. They have spent their growing years learning large part of their morals of life from religion. Although they could have learned morals solely from other sources also, but the reality is they learned mostly from religious culture. They have precious childhood memories of celebrating religious holidays- who could forget the fireworks of shab-e-barat, excitement of Chand Raat and impatiently waiting for the sunrise of Eid day to wear the new clothes, shining shoes, exchange gifts and go for Eid prayer holding father’s hand.
The religion itself may not be central to most of these peoples’ life, but it is an important part of their wholesome being and growing up years and their precious memories are essential ingredients, and not mistaken years.
Mr. Garry Gutting writes in NYT on “Being Catholic”
“I read “self-respect” as respect for what are (to borrow the title of the philosopher Charles Taylor’s great book) the “sources of the self.” These are the sources nurturing the values that define an individual’s life. For me, there are two such sources. One is the Enlightenment, where I’m particularly inspired by Voltaire, Hume and the founders of the American republic. The other is the Catholic Church, in which I was baptized as an infant, raised by Catholic parents, and educated for 8 years of elementary school by Ursuline nuns and for 12 more years by Jesuits. For me to deny either of these sources would be to deny something central to my moral being.”
As I mentioned before, for vast majority of these people, the critical religious analysis is either waste of time or irrelevant, religion is not hindrance in their modern life, religion is not central to their life but growing up years are important part of their life. Considering all this, for this majority conversion to atheism is nothing more than an academic exercise, at a cost of losing part of self being. I am sure my atheist friends has valid individual reasons for conversion, but I am talking about the majority Babar Sahib has referred to.
Using high I.Q. is no guarantee for correct decision. Thinking purely mathematically, for vast majority I have referred to above, it is better to believe in God as mentioned in Mirza Sahib’s posted article” Existence Of God”- Pascal’s wager (if you do not know whether there is a God, it is better to believe or assume that there is a God rather than not).
Fayyaz Sheikh
