From: minhaszt@ucunix.san.uc.edu (Zafar T Minhas)
Subject: Re: Dogmatism
Organization: University of Cincinnati
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 01:23:26 GMT

In response to mahin's well intentioned, but embryonic essay. I would like to 
say this about Bertrand Russell that maybe Mahin did not know, or maybe chose
to ignore. Russell stated that religion is not to be in the future of Europe,
however, if any religion is to survive, and survive in Europe into the 25th 
century and beyond, that religion will be Islam, the very reason is that Islam
has the flexibility and the dynamics that other religions do not have that it 
will survive and thrive in the Western World. Also in response to her embryonic
notion that religion is just the result of people needing certainty in their
lives, crap. It is the contention of amoral/anti-moral/atheistic people that
that is the reason for religion, however atheism, which is a philosophy of
convenience and the result of a lack of scientific understanding of the 
universe, tries to convince itself of its own validity not by the basis of
reason or logic, but by attacking the folly of religious people or certain
aspects of religion which seem to be non-sensical when taken out of the 
context of what the were meant for. In essence atheists are not sure of
what they believe in but attack theists for believing in God. This only shows
how uncertain they really are in what they stand for. in short atheists are
looking for a way out of morality but are not sure that if they are right
in what they stand for. atheists have never been able to disprove the 
existence of god, so there is no need to feel that what they are saying has
anything to do with reality in the first place.
culturally speaking atheism is a product of western thought. it has nothing to
do with any part of asia or africa, wherever atheists tried to put a foothold
in a place in asia or africa, they totally destroyed the countries, the track 
record is worse than the religious folks, religious people (muslims) of sudan 
threw the british out, religious people (muslims) of libya threw the italians 
out. it was a religious yugoslavian muslim who predicted the disintegration of 
yugoslavia and took up the precarious reigns of leadership (alijah 
izzetbegovic). in short, regardless of the problems people might have with one
aspect of religion their is no denying that religion at a historical level has 
given immeasurable social, economic, scientific benefit. atheism has given no
real benefits. as i was saying atheism is not a part in any way shape or form 
of the life in asia or africa, it never will be. those who tout atheism are out
of touch with their roots and their culture, they have lost themselves they
for all practical purposes don't know who they are (referring to those from
africa and asia).
The future is not going to be bright and rosy as kamran contends for the state
of iran or any other country. Religion is going to play an even more  important
role in the future their will be even more conflicts between the secular 
(atheistic) west and "christian" europe against the religious/islamic asia and 
africa and parts of europe.... you know what i'm getting at.

zafar
Newsgroups: soc.culture.iranian