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About the author:
Dr Sheeza Ali
MBBS. MCPS. FCPS.
Dr Sheeza Ali is an ophthalmologist.
She lived with her family in Wellington, New Zealand at the time of writing this book. Presently, she is serving the government of the Maldives.
God is not a Delusion
A Muslim Doctor Presents Evidence for Belief
Dr Sheeza Ali
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER ONE:
American Astronomer, Carl Sagan, describes our Earth as a "pale blue dot" in the vast emptiness of the universe. For an observer looking at Earth from outer space, from a point millions of miles away, it certainly would look like a small dot; especially when compared to a large number of other celestial bodies that make up the universe.
For us, human beings living on Earth, however, our planet is a vast expanse of land and water. We find its physical distances colossal. Even on the best of our technological crafts, we take several hours to cross the Atlantic or the Pacific Oceans. Today, these distances have been vastly reduced for us, not physically, but with the invention of the internet. The internet makes us feel as if we are all fish living in the same pond.
I was inspired to write this book after learning of something mainly from the internet - the magnitude of the contemporary world's antagonism to theism or belief in God.
Ever since we started exploring into the norms and cultures of our forefathers' lives, we have known that there were people who did not believe God exists - atheists - and also people who were unaware or unconvinced of the existence of such a being as God - agnostics. But historically, the majority of people did believe in the existence of God. Atheists and agnostics were the minority.
We know from history that non-belief existed in all cultures and countries - the stories of the non-believers have found their way into our history books ever since religious history started to be documented. Archaeological evidence shows that belief in an afterlife and also belief in a 'higher power' existed within human cultures even before history was documented. Where there were believers, it is only likely there would be non-believers too.
Although atheists have probably always existed, it was not until relatively recently that they rebranded their overt hostility to belief in God and religion. The new strain of atheism we find today, what The Wall Street Journal calls "militant atheism" has spread like a plague, crossing oceans, carrying its ubiquitous and loud propaganda.
The world is an entirely different place today compared to even the early twentieth century. But, how has this affected the beliefs we hold? How prevalent are our beliefs and philosophies and how secular are we today? If not for the internet, I would never have known that atheistic and agnostic philosophies are as prevalent as they are today.
You do not have to do serious research digging for reliable statistics on the number of atheists and agnostics in the world, nor do you need to search the issue on Google to get a feel for what I am saying. Antagonism to belief in God and hatred towards religion are common expressions unveiled in many ways in today's culture. The diatribes of sceptics - people sceptical of belief in God - can be found on seemingly benign websites such as those of newspapers, lifestyle magazines, message boards and internet blogs. The prevalence of materialistic worldviews on these websites alone would be enough to make you wonder whether there are more sceptics than believers amongst us today. Sometimes, I wonder what triggers the tirades against belief in God. Some sceptics appear as if they are waiting for an opportunity to bellow their materialistic world views. Their retort is harsh and their tone is strident even for the most trivial of comments that invoke the existence of God. ..........
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- Publication Date:
- Jul 27 2012
- 1477404341 / 9781477404348
- Page Count:
- Binding Type:
- US Trade Paper
- Trim Size:
- 6" x 9"
- Black and White
- Related Categories:
- Religion / Religion & Science