By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 27 March 2024 “Religion is the most powerful entity on earth. A phenomenon that has conscripted millions to give or sacrifice their lives without so much as a minuscule query about their chosen beliefs or particular ideology. And today thousands of years on despite the huge advent, discovery and the advance of science forensic or otherwise, millions are still prepared and equipped to fall or kill in the name of their God, their Holy Scriptures, their messengers, their prophets and their faith’.” ― Cal Sarwar So very true! While interacting with an ex-Muslim friend from Riyadh, who's now comfortably settled in Adelaide, Australia, he told me the same thing when he was a staunch believer and defended his faith (read, Islam) tooth and nail. He felt that it was his religious duty to kill anyone who dared to insult his faith, book and the messenger. But when he lost his faith in Islam along with all man-made religions and their gods, he heaved a sigh of relief and wondered what made him think so violently, irrationally and idiotically when he followed a faith. Once he got rid of all religions and supernatural phenomena and removed the albatross of Islam around his neck, he could see and think clearly without the turbidity of religious beliefs that has plagued and obfuscated the human mind for aeons. Now modern neuro-science calls it Born Again from neurological point of view without any religious hue because Born Again is originally a theological concept esp. in Christianity and Hinduism (the word Dwij for a Brahmin is a born again Brahmin Hindu after going through the ceremony of thread investiture, Yagyopaveet Sanskaar or Upnayan). World's celebrated atheist and cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett believes that these Neurologically Born Agains can educate the rest of the religious populace of the world and make the (blind) believers see through the superstitions, shenanigans, stupidity and futility of all man-made faiths and gods. Neurologically born agains are better equipped than born atheists because these born agains have seen and experienced the pitfalls of all faiths. Somalia-born and now a citizen of Holland, Ayan Hirsi Ali says that she can rationally and more logically condemn Islam and all faiths because she was once a part of Islam and even wanted to kill Salman Rushdie for his blasphemous book 'The Satanic Verses' which pillories Muhammad. She was (religiously) insane at that time and now when she has no faith in Islam, she can look back and analyse her fanaticism caused by a faith that has the potential to de-rationalize you. Mankind needs more and more such neurologically born agains who can spread the message of godless and religion-less, non-spiritual love, having seen the execrable sides to all faiths, Remember, humans are capable of loving each other without bothering about a bagful of faiths, doctrines, sects, dogmas, ideologies and gods. We need to understand this to make the earth a much more desirable place to live in. Are you ready to even ponder it? ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URl: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/neurologically-born-mankind/d/132010 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism
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