Reflecting..
So I’ve had this blog for a while (over two years now), and I’ve written a lot about my views on religion, giving insight on my upbringing and my complicated relationship with Islam. Lately I haven’t been posting much, mainly just updates, and I haven’t written about religion in quite some time. While I don’t want to be known as “Chickpea, the ex-Muslim,” my lack of faith does somewhat define who I am and how I live my life.
I don’t want to make any promises, but hopefully I will write a post about my views of late, and how that affects my life (relationship with my parents, etc). My semester will be over on April 30th, and my first final is May 5th, so I don’t know if I will have the time to write a very detailed series of posts, but I will try my best to at least reflect on my so called journey from Islam, and how things have been for me in the past two years.
Bear with me, ladies & gents!
April 30th, 2009 at 13:23
Happy end of the semester to you! I really have enjoyed reading your take on life, please don’t stop!
May 5th, 2009 at 02:37
I look forward to it sweetie… meanwhile these arduous journeys are so frustrating aren’t they?
May 24th, 2009 at 09:06
I can understand your situation. I’ve lost my religion too. Not because of love, but because there’s just not enough proof that it is genuinely from a omnipotent and omniscient Creator. What really bothers me about religion is that all of them are cryptic in nature. Why would it be so difficult for such a Creator to provide beyond proof beyond reasonable doubt that a certain religion is the true one intended for humans? Evidence so strong that an overwhelming majority of people would have no option but to accept it as being the truth. Instead all that you have are some verses which may suggest that it may be froma a Creator and other verses which makes you doubt it. The tactic is instead to play on people’s fear of death, and the fact that you can never find out what waits out “there” after death (if anything), and to scare them (i.e., mind control) into believing by promising of eternal damnation in this utterly despondent place called “hell” and salvation for the believers in another unimaginbaly pleasureable place called “heaven.” I believe far in the future of humanity, irrefutable evidence will appear that exposes all religions as nothing more than a mass mind control mechanism.
Be strong girl. Take comfort in knowing that no matter how long you learn a particular religion, even if you devote your entire life to it, if you are honest and willing to step out of the “mind control” box, you will see that you’ll never be able to prove that it ias being the truth (if so, surely then you would be able to convince almost everyone to embrace this religion). In Islam for example apostates like yourself would be sentenced to death if you do not repent and re-embrace Islam three days after you renounce it (usually this law is valid under the condition that you make your apostasy be known publicly). The usual apologetic reasoning for this is that if apostasy is not punished in a severe way, it may cause unrest in the umma and threatens the survival of the religion, especially in the early days of Islam. But of course this is such a silly argument that only the noncritical would be willing to accept it. For what reason would it matter if Islam vanishes from this planet? In particular, how would it matter to the Creator? The Creator can just destroy the entire universe and not be at any loss whatsoever. Such an argument is so anthropocentric and gives such importance to humans as to undermine the whole emphasis on the oneness and greatness of the Creator (i.e., tawhid).
June 4th, 2009 at 12:41
I look forward to it! it would be interesting to take stock and see where we find ourselves now..
good luck with finals!
x
July 8th, 2009 at 07:23
Chickpea,
Long time no see! It’s good to check in with you and it’s good knowing you’re doing well in law school. Way to go! I hope things are going well in other areas too. I’m looking forward to the posts you speak of about religion. I’m in similar straits as you with mine, but we knew that.
Take great care of yourself.