Am I the Last One? Or Was I the Only One?
February 10th 2007 15:03
A religious zealot computer programmer (still student) of sorts who happens to blog. I think I’m the last, or the only one to have ever existed.
But why?
I have one idea why, but I actually can’t say because… well I don’t mean to sound bloody well ironic I can’t because of religious restrictions. Yes sir folks, I can’t go and mock other peoples beliefs whatever they choose to say about mine is up to them (and no, I can’t go on a jihad to kill them if they do that).
It’s this little clause in my religion, our Prophet told us we could not mock other peoples beliefs, that we had to respect what everyone believes, Atheist, Jewish, whatever-ish.
Back to the topic at hand, I think I’m one of the few, if not only religious zealot tech bloggers because technology (mainly the internet) inspires this ‘free thinking’ that seems to through some form of ‘rational reasoning’ make people believe that god is a scientific impossibility.
So doesn’t that leave me in this paradoxic void? That I say I can’t prove god exists through ‘rational reasoning’ but still believe? Especially since, through this very reasoning, pretty much all my peers have gone the route of being an Atheist I am either the one and only or I am one of the extremely few.
You might be thinking ‘gee, he was born into religion so he’s literally brainwashed’. I wasn’t born into a religion, I was born into a culture where religion was a bitter after taste some people dealt with while most completely ignored. I can tell you for sure I am not brainwashed or claim to be under the influence of some other worldly force in saying what I do. I don’t, for instance, get all peeved and upset when someone discovers a human skull that they believe proves evolution, what I do get peeved about is when religious fundamentalists get their undies in knots and call for the skull to be locked away from public viewing.
What reasoning do those people have? To me they don’t seem awful confident of their own beliefs if they are afraid of million year old skulls. I myself am not afraid of them, I hope they can be researched and proper discoveries are made about them. It would not be right by my religion to go and deprive humanity from knowledge, quite the opposite, it is seen as a great thing to know of the way the world works and to learn about it.
Of course such rash action by religious leaders causes followers to have weaknesses in their own beliefs in god. Since this sort of news gets around on the Internet much faster than other media Internet surfers can turn Atheists on the fly.
I don’t like debating religion; I’m not trying to go on a holy path of righteousness where I try to convert the masses. Put simply, if an individual wants my opinion they can come and ask me, I don’t mind answering to the best of my knowledge. I prefer that to people watching an Atheist read verses from the Quran out of context and try to lable me as a nutcase because of the contents of those individual verses.
What I have been doing is trying to explain why I probably am the only religious zealot technology blogger on the face of the planet, simply because I’m the religious guy who’s religion likes the idea of science and knowledge no matter how radical.
But why?
I have one idea why, but I actually can’t say because… well I don’t mean to sound bloody well ironic I can’t because of religious restrictions. Yes sir folks, I can’t go and mock other peoples beliefs whatever they choose to say about mine is up to them (and no, I can’t go on a jihad to kill them if they do that).
It’s this little clause in my religion, our Prophet told us we could not mock other peoples beliefs, that we had to respect what everyone believes, Atheist, Jewish, whatever-ish.
Back to the topic at hand, I think I’m one of the few, if not only religious zealot tech bloggers because technology (mainly the internet) inspires this ‘free thinking’ that seems to through some form of ‘rational reasoning’ make people believe that god is a scientific impossibility.
So doesn’t that leave me in this paradoxic void? That I say I can’t prove god exists through ‘rational reasoning’ but still believe? Especially since, through this very reasoning, pretty much all my peers have gone the route of being an Atheist I am either the one and only or I am one of the extremely few.
You might be thinking ‘gee, he was born into religion so he’s literally brainwashed’. I wasn’t born into a religion, I was born into a culture where religion was a bitter after taste some people dealt with while most completely ignored. I can tell you for sure I am not brainwashed or claim to be under the influence of some other worldly force in saying what I do. I don’t, for instance, get all peeved and upset when someone discovers a human skull that they believe proves evolution, what I do get peeved about is when religious fundamentalists get their undies in knots and call for the skull to be locked away from public viewing.
What reasoning do those people have? To me they don’t seem awful confident of their own beliefs if they are afraid of million year old skulls. I myself am not afraid of them, I hope they can be researched and proper discoveries are made about them. It would not be right by my religion to go and deprive humanity from knowledge, quite the opposite, it is seen as a great thing to know of the way the world works and to learn about it.
Of course such rash action by religious leaders causes followers to have weaknesses in their own beliefs in god. Since this sort of news gets around on the Internet much faster than other media Internet surfers can turn Atheists on the fly.
I don’t like debating religion; I’m not trying to go on a holy path of righteousness where I try to convert the masses. Put simply, if an individual wants my opinion they can come and ask me, I don’t mind answering to the best of my knowledge. I prefer that to people watching an Atheist read verses from the Quran out of context and try to lable me as a nutcase because of the contents of those individual verses.
What I have been doing is trying to explain why I probably am the only religious zealot technology blogger on the face of the planet, simply because I’m the religious guy who’s religion likes the idea of science and knowledge no matter how radical.
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Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
I was always taught that no matter how absurd you think other's beliefs are, or wether you believe them or not - you must have some respect for them. Unless of course these beliefs start to encroach upon you and your basic civil liberties.
The Catholic Church was mortified when they found out that decoding the Egyptian Rosetta Stone could prove that there were civilsations on Earth that dated back past the some 4000-odd years suggested in the Bible. They tried to gag the historians at work on it.
It's refreshing to hear your take, Ahmed, as it's one that I share. I was raised a Catholic, but science fascinates me, and - like yourself - I find it offensive to disregard information because it doesn't fit my belief system. I can see how my religious beliefs and my scientific knowledge can work together - why can't others?
Blind faith in religion or in science is dangerous. Science teaches us to observe and deduce in order to understand. Religion teaches us that sometimes we need to accept the fact that we don't understand.
A healthy balance is probably best!
Keep up the great blog.
Comment by Francis
Passionate Apathy
And far too few faiths don't feel threatened by science or rational thought. The modern world was made possible in large part by Islamic societies preservation of knowledge during Europe's Dark Ages- and in larger part by the developments and inventions of Islamic society. Just consider what we would have lost without something as simple as algebra.
Ahmed, one question I've wondered about: Islam calls its followers to pray several times per day; how does it accomodate professions like airline pilot or surgeon who can often be in a position where they can't disengage from their work for hours at a time?
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
@Francis, we do have to pray five times a day at designated times. It is enforced pretty hardly that these times of day we have to pray, no exceptions. Unless there are extraordinary circumstances. For instance if a person is travelling a great distance, such as an airline pilot, they have the right to delay their prayer until they land, even the passengers can do the same. Also they have a right to make it shorter because they are travelling. A surgeon can delay and pray another time if it is to the point that someones life is on the line then they have to as a matter of obligation not risk someones life for the sake of prayer.
There are a few other exceptions too, if your life is another reason, I can't remember the other ones (if there are any others).
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
I had an issue for a very long time with my faith, and really wasn't interested for a long while. It took me over a decade to come back to it somewhat, but still I cannot accept it in full. This is still an issue I'm working through, and I suspect will be for some time to come.
I guess, in truth, I hold a very much Christian set of beliefs, and having been raised a Catholic I identify with that faith more than other Christian faiths I have been exposed to.
It's a tricky one for me, but one that I have been wrestling with since I was a teenager, let alone now.
And I am curious - if you have the right to delay prayer if your life is in danger, how does that apply to an oppressive society with no tolerance of right to religion? If your faith places you in fear of your life each day, must you pray in secret? Is it acceptable in your faith to keep your faith concealed, or even to deny it in the face of a mortal threat? And is this something that is taught in the Quran or something that has come to be understood in the practice of Islam?
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
As for denying our faith due to life threatening issues, well it gets complicated, if I can deny it and still pray in secracy then it is allowed, but that doesn't mean I have to keep it a secret, I can be open with it if I was so inclined.
Where it came from, well partly from the Quran where I believe it states that if we live in a hostile environemnt we have ot leave it and go somewhere we can practice freely. There have been practical examples of it that further re-inforces this belief, such as the Muslims immigrating from Mecca to Medina in the face of oppression in Mecca.
Comment by yoda76
The Tube Blog
It is a sin to deny your faith, even though logic would suggest that doing so in order to live another day is more beneficial to the religion. But then suicide is also a sin.
Like I said - much to think through ;o)
Would you say Australia and the US with their fear of terrorism and now laws against sedition are heading towards such a state of religious oppression? Especially since your faith seems to be that most targeted by the current state of affairs?
Comment by Ahmed
Video Gamer Kids
Little Green Foosballs
PolyKicks
Australia and the US heading towards some sort of oppressive state is a little scary but I doubt it will happen to such an extreme that will cause me to have to move away from here. So long as I can pray five times a day and genearlly not be treated as a second class citizen I have no reason to leave or hide my faith. Despite what goes on in the media and despite what politicians like to say 99.99% of people are smarter than to believe any of the crap.
We'll probably end up on the same boat if it really comes to leaving an oppressive nation, because everyones being generally oppressed these days regardless of faith, terrorism is just the excuse to control everyone, not just Muslims.