Mutual Influence of the Metaphysical and Physical

By: Ziauddin Ahmed

Family of the Heart - DIALOGUE & DISCUSSIONS 

Dear Farzana Sahiba,

 

Please forgive me but I am having some misgivings with some of the statements that you have made in your post 22. For my own information and better understanding of your intellectually stimulating thoughts (as Khalid Sahib has put it so kindly and admiringly in his post 26), I would like to ask a few questions from what is copied below from the said post:

 

 

 You wrote:

 

Belief in a monotheistic god would be akin to belief in a personal god and would qualify as irrational simply by creating the irresolvable paradox of evil, along with creating a host of other anomalies. The greatest challenge to the existence of a monotheistic god is a moral one in my opinion. If God is the source of everything then he is the source of evil as well. I for one do not buy these glib explanations about mankind being put here for some grand cosmic purpose.

 

 

Please note that both questions 1 and 2 go together hand in hand, you may, if you wish, lump your response as one answer dealing with both.

 

You are saying that belief in a monotheistic god is irrational.

Q1: What is your definition of rational or rationality which is missing in this belief according to your assertion? [note, I expect your definition for rationality would be universal enough to apply to both, question 1 and 2]

 

Q2: Would it be rational, if the concept of god/God is totally removed from the human belief system and we assume that:  here we are, the universe got created, and then some how the humans got created along with animals and vegetation and then due to some spontaneous chemical action we have life?  I realize, what I have described briefly in two lines, others have written big, thick books of theories on the subject of how life may have started etc. But question is: do you think the explanation of godless universe is better qualified to be considered rational in spite of the fact that this explanation is not without flaws or missing links to over come doubts? If so, why?

 

Q3: Is god/God a source of every thing, including human behaviour and actions, hence the source of evil? Is that what you believe in?

 

Q4: In case you do not buy the glib explanation that mankind was put here for some grand cosmic purpose, what would be your explanation and what do you mean by cosmic purpose?

 

Javed I. Chaudry

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