Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe
That seems to be a rather narrow definition of religion.
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Indeed. In Islam, we take evidence for our beliefs very seriously and there is a voluminous literature making the case for belief in God and in the Prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH). These arguments can be either purely rational (i.e. the Ontological argument for God's existence) or inductive (teleological arguments, arguments from the nature of the Qur'an, etc.). The previous poster may disagree with the cogency (or, in the case of the rational arguments, the validity or soundness) of the arguments, but they are arguments advance in good faith (so to speak) to make a rational case for belief that certain propositions are true. There is no suggestion of belief for belief's sake. That being said, many Muslim thinkers view Iman (faith or belief) as something more than mere intellectual assent that a proposition is true (this latter being known in Islamic logic (mantiq) as tasdeeq or assent). It is inextricably bound up with action in a manner similar to that suggested by the American Pragmatists Peirce and James. Peirce argued that Catholics don't really believe that the Host becomes the literal flesh and blood of Jesus (PBUH) because their actions do not betray any acceptance of this belief. In other words, if Catholics really believed that they were eating flesh and blood, there would be a profound emotional reaction, and likely disgust and disease, to this. Similarly, Pierce critiqued Descartes for his method of total doubt. He argued that it is impossible to doubt the existence of a writing desk while simultaneously writing on it. You may say the words, but this an act of deception. Thinkers of the Ashari school of Islamic theology have taken a similar view regarding belief: that, going beyond mere intellectual assent, it increases or decreases depending on one's actions. Religious belief is a bit more involved and complicated than many skeptics give it credit for. The problem is the incredible arrogance that often affects all sides of religious debate.
Luqman