To Believe or not to Believe!


I do not understand nor do I comprehend the real purpose of ads promoting atheism in public places.

Similar to religious fanatics who believe that heaven is only reserved for them and everyone else is bound to hell, there are also hardcore fanatics in atheism who try to impose their ideology on people. They do so by attacking believing men and women in coordinating such 'pre-emptive' ads on buses hoping to win converts down the road and create doubts about the existence of God.

Their main message is, 'there is probably no God. Now stop worrying and start living."

I wonder whether they have considered the other side of the coin or whether there is probably God out there who is in charge and in control of everything.

The word "probably" in their statement shows that they do not stand on a firm ground and their denial of God is only based on probability.

As they assume that there is probably no God, they should also consider it otherwise.

I cannot understand why they had put enjoyment of life and happiness as something that only comes to a person when he does not believe in God.

People who believe in the Creator do indeed enjoy their lives and have a much meaningful life than their counterparts.

I am a faithful person who believes in the Almighty. This does not mean that I am worried at all times and live in misery as their ads stipulate.

I enjoy my life to the fullest and do whatever an atheist might do in having fun under the sun.

Aside from having fun, I also conduct myself according to the teachings of my faith in doing what is right, loving my neighbour as my faith commands me to do, helping the orphan and the needy as my religion urges me to do and avoiding what is harmful to me and to the society at large.

On the contrary, a person who does not believe in a just higher being is the one who lives in worries and enjoys an empty and meaningless life that has no real purpose.

He does not have any aim in life, nor does he have real answers as to why we are created, who had put us on earth, where are we going next and what will happen to the person who has been wronged and victimized on earth.

To the believing men and women, the wronged person will see justice at some point in his life or in the next.

To the atheist, however, such a person is out lack as there is no such thing as order and justice on earth and everything including humans are in a total sham and chaos.

The stronger eats the weaker and the powerful rules the day and there is no tomorrow to worry about.

The atheists have failed already in convincing me about the existence of God even before their ads are displayed on the public transportation.

They do not have a convincing product to sell. I would only lose if I take a chance to abandon my faith and get on their station wagon.

What about if I buy their argument and later on find out that, God does indeed exist. I would lose.

On the other hand, if the atheists join hands with me and believe in the Creator, they would have nothing to lose. If the Almighty exist, they would win and even if He does not exist, they would have nothing to lose.

Therefore, I wish they had changed their ads into urging people not to take the chance of rejecting God, as they would lose in the end if they were wrong.

They should try to sell something that has a lot of probability and assurance of winning rather than the opposite.

An atheist might try to make us believe that we as complex creatures have come into being by a mere chance. On the other hand, if you tell them that the CN Tower or an airplane has been found by chance, the atheist will consider you insane.

How such a highly sophisticated structure could come to exist by chance, the atheist will argue.

There must be an intelligence force behind it and who has managed to put it together and create it with wisdom, accuracy, knowledge and superior intuitiveness.

Nevertheless, according to hi, it is possible for the human being who is much complicated and sophisticated than an airplane to come from nowhere.

Despite to the blood that has been shed by some fanatics in the name of religion, people without religion would have acted worse because they would have no purpose in life and no boundaries and teachings to adhere to.

The sky would have been the limit as to what they could have done in fulfilling their desires and whims.

Religion puts prospective into a person and gives him a sense of direction and belonging. It trains him throughout his life into becoming a more humble and balanced being who knows that there is someone above watching him at all times and everything he does will be held accountable for.

Faith transforms a human being and elevates him into a higher level of spirituality until he eventually makes peace with everything he comes in contact with - peace with the Creator, peace with fellow humans, peace with the environment and peace with all other beings.

Religion also put boundaries as to what a person can and cannot do. It stops man from crossing such boundaries and transgress against others.

It also teaches a person to help others, forgive those who have wronged him, establish justice and be good to others whether he knows them or not.

It also teaches the faithful to be tolerant to those who might see things differently as everyone is being created by the same God anyway.

Having said that, there are indeed extremists who have gone wild with their belief system in considering that anyone who holds a different opinion to be an infidel who deserves to die.

All religions have these mad men in their midst who consider themselves as divine and everyone else as devils.

The same can be said with atheists who have gone wild in trying to spread their belief system by advertising their ideologies on buses and influence others with their way of thinking.

This extreme phenomenon should not distract us from the countless benefits religion has had on humanity throughout history.

Atheists should ask themselves whether the world would have been a peaceful place had mankind never knew religion.

I strongly believe that mankind would have been in a much disastrous shape had he not have any religion to keep him intact in making him behave.

He would have acted worse than animals in killing one another and destroying earth and whatever it contains therein.

Although there are many religious beliefs on earth, all falls into the same universal divine messages that promote tolerance, justice, respect and loving one another.

When humans abandon religion and forget who they are, they commit atrocities and mischief on earth. They don't care about the poor and everyone lives for himself. Abandoning faith lead people to act worse than animals.

This is exactly our planet is currently suffering from wars, starvation, global warming, ozone depletion, and now the economy crisis. All this is due to the human neglecting the higher being and transgressing on earth and acting wildly and savagely.

Instead of asking people to abandon God, atheists should have done the opposite by reminding humans of whom they are and their need to humble themselves and recognize God, with humility and respect.

They should have put ads that read, "O Human! Beware of God who has created you and do not transgress on earth as you have already done so."

Abubakar N. Kasim is a freelance writer based in Toronto.


Related Suggestions

 
COMMENTS DISCLAIMER & RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
The opinions expressed herein, through this post or comments, contain positions and viewpoints that are not necessarily those of IslamiCity. These are offered as a means for IslamiCity to stimulate dialogue and discussion in our continuing mission of being an educational organization. The IslamiCity site may occasionally contain copyrighted material the use of which may not always have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. IslamiCity is making such material available in its effort to advance understanding of humanitarian, education, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.


In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and such (and all) material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.


Older Comments:
RIGHT ON! FROM U.S.A. said:
Hilarious post! I laughed so hard I almost cried. You pretended to hold such a thorough misunderstanding of atheism, the theory of evolution, and the world at large that I actually thought you were serious for a bit. The way you started out with an objection to a single advertising campaign and ended with an all-out attack on atheists everywhere was perfect. You could have a career in comedy, my friend.
2009-02-24

BABANDI A GUMEL FROM UK said:
I hate being critical but when we carefully look at diverse Christian evangelical groups they all endevour to procure an internal peace by praying at the three persons of the deity i.e Jesus the Spirit nd the Father with closed eyes and oratorical gestures and other practices private and in public believing they are filled with the Holy Spirit and are at peace. But at the same time as Late Professor Abdul Ahad Dawud a former Catholic Priest said in His Book Muhammad in the Bible " All these penitent Christians who through their real or artificial devotions pretend to have obtained peace and to have possessed good will towards their neighbours,instead of becoming docile,meek and peaceful like their pretended Master become extremely begoted and intolerant .They become so hypocritically fanatical and unsocial as to prefer to meet a dog rather than a Muslim because he does not believe in Trinity.Professor (Dawud) former Rev David Benjamin Keldani said I know it as I used to be of the same sentiments when I was a Catholic Priest.The more I thought myself spiritual,holy and sinless the more I hated the heretics especially the non believers in the Trinity.Late Professor Dawud became Muslim more than 100 years ago.He said there are only three means that can procure the true perfect peace;namely firm belief in the absolute oneness of Allah,complete submission and resignation to His Holy Will and frequent meditation and contemplation on Him.
He who has recourse to these three means said the former Bishop is a real and practical Musli and the peace that he acquires thereby is true and unartificial,he becomes tolerant,honest,just and compassionate.Suhannallah this is the advice from the Late Professor Abdul Ahad Dawud who said the conception of the Christian Holy Spirit is entirely different from the Islamic- at the intervention of the priest making them holier than their co-religionists in baptising them. A Muslim he said is baptised at birth or conversion. Allahu Akbar
2009-02-22

H.A. FROM YATHRIB said:
Are there religious fanatics out there who....?
ans: of course, it's Bush jr and all the 6-pack families in America.

OBL and Al-Qaeda are NOT religious fanatics. According to America they are the FREEDOM FIGHTERS of the 20th century (when OBL took shot at USSR). Now OBL taking shot at USA, all of a sudden, OBL and colleagues are terrorists.

Saddam used to be a freedom fighter for America when Saddam was fighting Iran. When Saddam took shot at America, all of a sudden became a dictator and a terrorist sponsoring nation...

I can go on and on... and on..w/o the help of the ENERGIZER Battery regarding America's hypocrisy and evil deeds...

What a sad nation? Sadly, it's paying the price and is in BIG CRISIS. This is what happens when you are arrogant and commit evil all around the world in the name of spreading peace. Who are they fooling?

They are only fooling themselves and have engaged in self-destruction.

Mother Earth has never liked and never will like arrogant nation. Read my lips in this regard!!!
2009-02-22

GRACE FROM USA said:
I do not treat others with Respect or love because my faith demands this of me, but because I believe this is the level of consciousness that I am. If my faith demanded that I brutally murder others I would disobey my subscribed faith, and obey my level of consciousness. When one serves a "religious doctrine" instead of TRUTH `one is serving a religion not God. GOD does not Demand service. GOD does not need MAN to kill others for HIS HONOR. This fallacious concept that man keeps using as a scapegoat, creates a Manevolent brute of a GOD.

GOD IS JUST PEACE. GOD DWELLS IN COMPLETE PEACE.

Humans weave tales of subconscious projections of MY GOD IS BIGGER THAN YOUR GOD. It's absurd. NO one owns the sky and NO one owns GOD.

If you want to serve TRUTH.. Be kind to all, Forgive those who mistreat you and don't be naive thinking that the SKY or GOD told you to Go and KILL others for not believing as you do.

It is not Islam nor Christianity nor any other RELIGION ( I include Atheism as a religion as well) that is the problem, it is that man is so egotistical to Imagine that his puny pieces of paper with words of HATE give him some HOLY purpose to abuse and kill.

That is Insanity in man. And MAN creates this. NOT GOD.

The highest holy act you can do is to do all that you do with the utmost grace. GOD does not need your help, but your neighbor might! And in helping your neighbor, you are serving.

Be a servant..even if you are a KING. Be a servant. If you are an atheist, Be a servant. If you are a Christian, Be a servant. If you are a Muslim, Be a Servant. If you are the Head of a company. BE a servant. If you are a mother, Be A Servant. If you have servants, treat them as KINGS. IF you are a boss, Respect your employees. If you are an employee, respect others.

Clean up after yourself.
Don't gossip about others.
Be kind.

ALL else is VANITY and gibberish. SERVE TRUTH. Or be religious. YOU CHOOSE.

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS D
2009-02-21

BABANDI A. GUMEL FROM U.K said:
I do agree with Allyson,we hate Kufr not the one who does the Kufr in person we don't hate him/her personally as Rasulullah never takes revenge if one does something personally to him but he used to take revenge if you go against the commandment of Allah that is how it should be. May Allah reward you.We have to invite people with Hikmah wisdom and be patient and behave nicely with people this is Daawah.
2009-02-21

ALLYSON FROM ENGLAND said:
Peace & love to everyone from deep within my heart. Sorry I have not learnt to say this yet in any other way but it is meant just the same with everything I have.
Laila ha illallah I belive in this so much now, this has given my life some meaning and prospective and value. However, I do not believe that all atheist are bad people My understand and what I have learnt from of Quran so far as I have got with it, is that we should not condem our fellow man/woman for there beliefs or there non beliefs but try and understand and try to help them understand if they are still none believers then try to help them and give guidance. If I have mis-interpreted this then please someone help me. I am somewhat confused by this article and the replies it has bought forward so far it gives the impression that all atheists are evil because they have an opinion but i thought that it was the general consensus of an atheist and I am no expert but I thought that they believe more in evaultion or what they can see not that hate everyone or want to be bad is this not a very negative way to look at another human being? I love the Islamic way and what it has taught me so far I have become a more grounded and peaceful person because I believe in what it teaches me that there is only one god (Uncle Logic I do not understand why you gave up your religion because you thought that (your family and friends would burn in the fires of hell, would it not have been more productive to keep believing so you could guide them away from this fate. However, from what you wrote I do not fully think that you have given up your faith or beliefs completly or you would not belive that it could happen. Did you think that by giving up your beliefs that it would just go away? where is the faith in your family and friends, that they are kind and generous people that god would help them away from this fate. I am so confused order and justice is in the world it is within us we are the ones who keep that in our live
2009-02-20

FAISAL FROM PAKISTAN said:
Atheists are created in response of some
corruptions included in
the religions by hypocrites.

Denying God is illogical.

There are only two possibility...

1- One Intelligent designed, created and
controlled the universe
who is God (monotheism).

2 - The whole universe is god(s) (polytheism).
2009-02-19

BABANDI A. GUMEL FROM U.K said:
Its entirely left to us wether to believe or not.The one who believe Allah would give him what is called hayatin tayyiba pure natural life not the artificial one based on conjecture.THe hypothesis one can put forward between a believer a disbeliever is thus: One who believes he has two choices but one who disbelieve has got only one choice i.e if he goes to the heerafter and he does not meet his Creator (based on his conjecture) than he is safe but the one who believes whether he meeets Him which of surety he will meet Him or like the ffollower of conjecture he is still safe in the Hereafter.So therefore it is better to believe the simple belief of Laila ha illallah.There is only One True Universal God rather than a continental or racial.or Provincial small,god that is born as some people believe.
2009-02-18