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Sitaram · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 1079

http://sulekha.com/chpost.asp?for...ilosophy&show=0&cid=82560

(someone asks what we would feel if God gave us a book, and hints,
proofs of God's existence)

Sitaram replies:

I would feel skepticism, since skepticism is a great gift of
consciousness, a touchstone to distinguish true gold from baser
metals

Truth is that which can survive all skepticism, and all eras and
generations

Someone claims that the Qu'ran is the one book given to man and leads
to "the truth"

The Qu'ran and Hadith, if carefully studied by the skeptical mind,
contain the seeds of their own refutation

The Qu'ran asserts that ALL creatures have been created as male and
female, yet biologists have now discovered over 2000 species which
are totally asexual

The Qu'an states that the opinion of a woman is only half the value
of a male's opinion, and that the testimony of TWO women are required
in court to equal one male testimony, yet the tradition of Hadith
states that the prophet doubted his initial revelation, thinking he
were perhaps a madman, and he resorted to the testimony and opinion
of his wife Kadijah, who assured him that he was not mad but a
prophet (and Kadijah is counted as the first follower)

Hence, the prophet Muhammad, a MALE, is resorting to the opinion of a
female, yet the Qu'ran states that the female opinion and testimony
is only half the value of a male opinion/testimony (surely the
contradiction in this is obvious)

Perhaps the greatest miracle of all in a "god-created" universe (if
our universe is god-created), is the fact that there are no miracles
(except perhaps the miracle of the freedom of the human will and
imagination)

Someone posts: THE ONE GOD as "the Singularity"<== NONDUALISM has
obviously defined connections which some ambiguous entity as a god
might attain. at least we have some evidence of the existence of the
singularity of the BLACK HOLE INTERIOR. what reason do we have to
presume that THE ONE GOD exists?

Sitaram replies: What reason do we have to suppose that there is one
Universe, perhaps there are countless universes, expanding big bang
expanding reimann time-space continuums, each tucked inside a black
hole, and each containing countless other black holes with universes
inside, and so on, ad infinitum

(Someone asks "how could those universes exist simultaneously?")
Your term "simultaneously" presupposes a certain understanding of
time as linear, which is not obvious

We desire things which we do not have (e.g. a sports car, board
certification, winning lotto ticket), and we have things which we do
not desire (e.g. cancer, citizenship in oppressive regime, crooked
teeth), hence we suffer because of our desires

Even the desire for liberation/peace/enlightenment/freedom-from-
suffering is a source of suffering, being itself a "desire"

Our desire for a more perfect world/life sometimes makes life and the
world less perfect

Consider Ursula LeGuin's novel/movie "The Lathe of Heaven", where the
antagonist, Dr. Haber, tries to harness the protagonist's, George
Orr's, ability of "effective dreams which alter reality" in a
misguided attempt to "make the world better", yet each attempt at
alteration makes the world successively worse and worse

Imposing our will, our sense of right and wrong, upon others,
consider the Christian "golden rule" Vs the Jewish "silver rule":
golden rule says DO unto others.. (presuming that you know what is
good)... whereas silver rule says "do NOT do to others what you find
hateful), (presuming only that you know what is not good)

Once upon a time (true story), one politician, candidate in an
election, was asked what the issues were, and he replied "the issues
are that Joe Smith has the job, and I want it"

Thomas Merton once commented that it is not our own voice, when we
speak, which disturbs our stillness/silence, but rather our anxiety
to be heard

Many claim to seek "the truth" (whatever that may be) yet for each,
there is some degree of anxiety that their own voice and opinion be
heard, acknowledged, recognized.... and a truth from antiquity (or
from yesterday), is stale because of N.I.H. (not invented HERE)

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