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The Big Questions (part 1 of 3): Who Made Us?
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Description: Islamic answers to the first of some of the “Big Questions” in Life all humans inevitably ask, Who Made Us?
By Laurence B. Brown, MD
Published on 05 Mar 2007 - Last modified on 29 Mar 2011
Viewed: 25405 (daily average: 14) - Rating: 4.6 out of 5 - Rated by: 18
Printed: 1273 - Emailed: 100 - Commented on: 2
Category: Articles
> Beliefs of Islam
> The Purpose of Life
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_001.jpg) At some point in our lives, everybody asks the big
questions: “Who made us,” and “Why are we here?”
So who did make us? Most of us have been brought
up more on science than religion, and to believe in the Big Bang and evolution
more than God. But which makes more sense? And is there any reason why the
theories of science and creationism cannot coexist?
The Big Bang may explain the origin of the universe, but
it doesn’t explain the origin of the primordial dust cloud. This dust cloud
(which, according to the theory, drew together, compacted and then exploded)
had to come from somewhere. After all, it contained enough matter to form not
just our galaxy, but the billion other galaxies in the known universe. So
where did that come form? Who, or what, created the primordial dust
cloud?
Similarly, evolution may explain the fossil record, but
it falls far short of explaining the quintessential essence of human life—the
soul. We all have one. We feel its presence, we speak of its existence and at
times pray for its salvation. But only the religious can explain where it came
from. The theory of natural selection can explain many of the material aspects
of living things, but it fails to explain the human soul.
Furthermore, anyone who studies the complexities of life
and the universe cannot help but witness the signature of the Creator.
Whether or not people recognize these signs is another matter—as the old
saying goes, denial isn’t just a river in Egypt. (Get it? Denial, spelled “de
Nile” … the river Ni … oh, never mind.) The point is that if we see a painting,
we know there is a painter. If we see a sculpture, we know there’s a sculptor;
a pot, a potter. So when we view creation, shouldn’t we know there’s a
Creator?
The concept that the universe exploded and then
developed in balanced perfection through random events and natural selection is
little different from the proposal that, by dropping bombs into a junkyard,
sooner or later one of them will blow everything together into a perfect
Mercedes.
If there is one thing we know for certain, it is that
without a controlling influence, all systems degenerate into chaos. The
theories of the Big Bang and evolution propose the exact opposite, however—that
chaos fostered perfection. Would it not be more reasonable to conclude that
the Big Bang and evolution were controlled events? Controlled, that is, by the
Creator?
The Bedouin of Arabia tell the tale of a nomad finding
an exquisite palace at an oasis in the middle of an otherwise barren desert. When
he asks how it was built, the owner tells him it was formed by the forces of
nature. The wind shaped the rocks and blew them to the edge of this oasis, and
then tumbled them together into the shape of the palace. Then it blew sand and
rain into the cracks to cement them together. Next, it blew strands of sheep’s
wool together into rugs and tapestries, stray wood together into furniture,
doors, windowsills and trim, and positioned them in the palace at just the
right locations. Lightning strikes melted sand into sheets of glass and
blasted them into the window-frames, and smelted black sand into steel and
shaped it into the fence and gate with perfect alignment and symmetry. The
process took billions of years and only happened at this one place on
earth—purely through coincidence.
When we finish rolling our eyes, we get the point. Obviously,
the palace was built by design, not by happenstance. To what (or more to the
point, to Whom), then, should we attribute the origin of items of infinitely
greater complexity, such as our universe and ourselves?
Another argument to dismiss the concept of Creationism focuses
upon what people perceive to be the imperfections of creation. These are the “How
can there be a God if such-and-such happened?” arguments. The issue under
discussion could be anything from a natural disaster to birth defects, from
genocide to grandma’s cancer. That’s not the point. The point is that denying
God based upon what we perceive to be injustices of life presumes that a divine
being would not have designed our lives to be anything other than perfect, and
would have established justice on Earth.
Hmm … is there no other option?
We can just as easily propose that God did not design
life on Earth to be paradise, but rather a test, the punishment or rewards of
which are to be had in the next life, which is where God establishes His
ultimate justice. In support of this concept we can well ask who suffered more
injustices in their worldly lives than God’s favorites, which is to say the
prophets? And who do we expect to occupy the highest stations in paradise, if
not those who maintain true faith in the face of worldly adversity? So
suffering in this worldly life does not necessarily translate into God’s
disfavor, and a blissful worldly life does not necessarily translate into
beatitude in the hereafter.
I would hope that, by this line of reasoning, we can
agree upon the answer to the first “big question.” Who made us? Can we agree
that if we are creation, God is the Creator?
If we can’t agree on this point, there probably isn’t
much point in continuing. However, for those who do agree, let’s move
on to “big question” number two—why are we here? What, in other words, is the
purpose of life?
Copyright © 2007
Dr. Laurence B. Brown; used by permission.
Dr. Brown is the
author of The Eighth Scroll, described by North Carolina State Senator
Larry Shaw as, “Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code. The
Eighth Scroll is a breath-holding, white-knuckled, can’t-put-down thriller
that challenges Western views of humanity, history and religion. Bar
none, the best book in its class!” Dr. Brown is also the author of three
scholastic books of comparative religion, MisGod’ed, God’ed, and Bearing
True Witness (Dar-us-Salam). His books and articles can be found on his
websites, www.EighthScroll.com and www.LevelTruth.com, and are available for
purchase through www.Amazon.com.
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The Big Questions (part 2 of 3): The Purpose of Life
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Description: Islamic answers to the second of some of the “Big Questions” in Life all humans inevitably ask, Why are We Here?
By Laurence B. Brown, MD
Published on 12 Mar 2007 - Last modified on 22 Feb 2009
Viewed: 29858 (daily average: 17) - Rating: 4 out of 5 - Rated by: 26
Printed: 943 - Emailed: 35 - Commented on: 1
Category: Articles
> Beliefs of Islam
> The Purpose of Life
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_001.jpg) The first of the two big questions in life is, “Who made
us?” We addressed that question in the previous article and (hopefully) settled
upon “God” as the answer. As we are creation, God is the Creator.
Now, let us turn to the second “big question,” which is,
“Why are we here?”
Well, why are we here? To amass fame and fortune?
To make music and babies? To be the richest man or woman in the graveyard
for, as we are jokingly told, “He who dies with the most toys wins?”
No, there must be more to life than that, so let’s think
about this. To begin with, look around you. Unless you live in a cave, you
are surrounded by things we humans have made with our own hands. Now, why did
we make those things? The answer, of course, is that we make things to perform
some specific function for us. In short, we make things to serve us. So by
extension, why did God make us, if not to serve Him?
If we acknowledge our Creator, and that He created
humankind to serve Him, the next question is, “How? How do we serve Him?” No
doubt, this question is best answered by the One who made us. If He created us
to serve Him, then He expects us to function in a particular manner, if we are
to achieve our purpose. But how can we know what that manner is? How can we
know what God expects from us?
Well, consider this: God gave us light, by which we can
find our way. Even at night, we have the moon for light and the stars for
navigation. God gave other animals guidance systems best suited for their
conditions and needs. Migrating birds can navigate, even on overcast days, by how
light is polarized as it passes through the clouds. Whales migrate by “reading”
the Earth’s magnetic fields. Salmon return from the open ocean to spawn at the
exact spot of their birth by smell, if that can be imagined. Fish sense
distant movements through pressure receptors that line their bodies. Bats and
blind river dolphins “see” by sonar. Certain marine organisms (the electric
eel being a high-voltage example) generate and “read” magnetic fields, allowing
them to “see” in muddy waters, or in the blackness of ocean depths. Insects
communicate by pheromones. Plants sense sunlight and grow towards it
(phototrophism); their roots sense gravity and grow into the earth
(geotrophism). In short, God has gifted every element of His creation with
guidance. Can we seriously believe he would not give us guidance on the one
most important aspect of our existence, namely our raison d’etre—our
reason for being? That he would not give us the tools by which to achieve
salvation?
And would this guidance not be . . . revelation?
Think of it this way: Every product has specifications
and rules. For more complex products, whose specifications and rules are not
intuitive, we rely upon owner’s manuals. These manuals are written by the one
who knows the product best, which is to say the manufacturer. A typical owner’s
manual begins with warnings about improper use and the hazardous consequences
thereof, moves on to a description of how to use the product properly and the
benefits to be gained thereby, and provides product specifications and a
troubleshooting guide whereby we can correct product malfunctions.
Now, how is that different from revelation?
Revelation tells us what to do, what not to do and why,
tells us what God expects of us, and shows us how to correct our deficiencies.
Revelation is the ultimate user’s manual, provided as guidance to the one who
will use us—ourselves.
In the world we know, products that meet or exceed
specifications are considered successes whereas those that don’t are … hmm …
let’s think about this. Any product that fails to meet factory specifications
is either repaired or, if hopeless, recycled. In other words, destroyed. Ouch.
Suddenly this discussion turns scary-serious. Because in this discussion, we
are the product—the product of creation.
But let’s pause for a moment and consider how we
interact with the various items that fill our lives. As long as they do what
we want, we’re happy with them. But when they fail us, we get rid of them. Some
are returned to the store, some donated to charity, but eventually they all end
up in the garbage, which gets … buried or burned. Similarly, an
underperforming employee gets … fired. Now, stop for a minute and think about
that word. Where did that euphemism for the punishment due to an
underperformer come from? Hmm … the person who believes the lessons of this
life translate into lessons about religion could have a field day with this.
But that doesn’t mean these analogies are invalid. Just
the opposite, we should remember that both Old and New Testaments are filled
with analogies, and Jesus Christ taught using parables.
So perhaps we had better take this seriously.
No, I stand corrected. Most definitely we should
take this seriously. Nobody ever considered the difference between heavenly
delights and the tortures of hellfire a laughing matter.
Copyright © 2007
Dr. Laurence B. Brown; used by permission.
Dr. Brown is the
author of The Eighth Scroll, described by North Carolina State Senator
Larry Shaw as, “Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code. The
Eighth Scroll is a breath-holding, white-knuckled, can’t-put-down thriller
that challenges Western views of humanity, history and religion. Bar
none, the best book in its class!” Dr. Brown is also the author of three
scholastic books of comparative religion, MisGod’ed, God’ed, and Bearing
True Witness (Dar-us-Salam). His books and articles can be found on his
websites, www.EighthScroll.com and www.LevelTruth.com, and are available for
purchase through www.Amazon.com.
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The Big Questions (part 3 of 3): The Need for Revelation
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Description: Islamic answers to the second of some of the “Big Questions” in Life all humans inevitably ask, How do we serve Our Creator?
By Laurence B. Brown, MD
Published on 19 Mar 2007 - Last modified on 22 Feb 2009
Viewed: 13942 (daily average: 8) - Rating: 4.5 out of 5 - Rated by: 13
Printed: 936 - Emailed: 46 - Commented on: 2
Category: Articles
> Beliefs of Islam
> The Purpose of Life
|
|
_001.jpg) In the previous two parts of this series, we answered the
two “big questions.” Who made us? God. Why are we here? To serve and
worship Him. A third question naturally arose: “If our Creator made us to
serve and worship Him, how do we do that?” In the previous article I suggested that
the only way we can serve our Creator is through obeying His mandates, as
conveyed through revelation.
But many people would question my assertion: Why
does mankind need revelation? Isn’t it enough just to be good? Isn’t it
enough for each of us to worship God in our own way?
Regarding the need for revelation, I would make
the following points: In the first article of this series I pointed out that life
is full of injustices, but our Creator is fair and just and He establishes
justice not in this life, but in the afterlife. However, justice cannot be
established without four things—a court (i.e., the Day of Judgment); a judge
(i.e., the Creator); witnesses (i.e., men and women, angels, elements of
creation); and a book of laws upon which to judge (i.e., revelation). Now,
how can our Creator establish justice if He did not hold humankind to certain
laws during their livetimes? It’s not possible. In that scenario, instead of
justice, God would be dealing out injustice, for He would be
punishing people for transgressions they had no way of knowing were crimes.
Why else do we need revelation? To begin with, without
guidance mankind cannot even agree on social and economic issues, politics,
laws, etc. So how can we ever agree on God? Secondly, nobody writes the user
manual better than the one who made the product. God is the Creator, we are
creation, and nobody knows the overall scheme of creation better than the
Creator. Are employees allowed to design their own job descriptions, duties
and compensation packages as they see fit? Are we citizens allowed to write our
own laws? No? Well then, why should we be allowed to write our own religions?
If history has taught us anything, it is the tragedies that result when mankind
follows its caprice. How many who have claimed to banner of free thought have
designed religions that committed themselves and their followers to nightmares
on Earth and damnation in the hereafter?
So why isn’t it enough just to be good? And why
isn’t it enough for each of us to worship God in our own way? To begin with,
peoples’ definitions of “good” differ. For some it is high morals and clean
living, for others it is madness and mayhem. Similarly, concepts of how to
serve and worship our Creator differ as well. More importantly and to the
point, nobody can walk into a store or a restaurant and pay with a different
currency than the merchant accepts. So it is with religion. If people want
God to accept their servitude and worship, they have to pay in the currency God
demands. And that currency is obedience to His revelation.
Imagine raising children in a home in which you
have established “house rules.” Then, one day, one of your children tells you
he or she has changed the rules, and is going to do things differently. How
would you respond? More than likely, with the words, “You can take your new
rules and go to Hell!” Well, think about it. We are God’s creation, living in
His universe under His rules, and “go to Hell” is very likely what God will say
to any who presume to override His laws with their own.
Sincerity becomes an issue at this point. We
should recognize that all pleasure is a gift from our Creator, and deserving of
thanks. If given a gift, who uses the gift before giving thanks? And yet,
many of us enjoy God’s gifts for a lifetime and never give thanks. Or
give it late. The English poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, spoke of the irony
of the distressed human appeal in The Cry of the Human:
And lips say “God be pitiful,”
Who ne’er said, “God be praised.”
Should we not show good manners and thank our
Creator for His gifts now, and subsequently for the rest of our lives? Don’t
we owe Him that?
You answered “Yes.” You must have. Nobody will
have read this far without being in agreement, but here’s the problem: Many of
you answered “Yes,” knowing full well that your heart and mind does not wholly
agree with the religions of your exposure. You agree we were created by a
Creator. You struggle to understand Him. And you yearn to serve and worship
Him in the manner He prescribes. But you don’t know how, and you don’t know
where to look for the answers. And that, unfortunately, is not a subject that
can be answered in an article. Unfortunately, that has to be addressed in a
book, or maybe even in a series of books.
The good news is that I have written these books.
I invite you to start with The Eighth Scroll. If you’ve liked what I’ve
written here, you’ll love what I’ve written there.
Copyright
© 2007 Dr. Laurence B. Brown; used by permission.
Dr. Brown
is the author of The Eighth Scroll, described by North Carolina State
Senator Larry Shaw as, “Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code. The
Eighth Scroll is a breath-holding, white-knuckled, can’t-put-down thriller
that challenges Western views of humanity, history and religion. Bar
none, the best book in its class!” Dr. Brown is also the author of three
scholastic books of comparative religion, MisGod’ed, God’ed, and Bearing
True Witness (Dar-us-Salam). His books and articles can be found on his
websites, www.EighthScroll.com and www.LevelTruth.com, and are available for
purchase through www.Amazon.com.
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