RE: Question for Muslims

So the Council of Ex Muslims of Britain have posted this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApURzv8fCFY
Now some of you upon watching this video might ask, why bother? What is the point of engaging each one of these questions? I guess I cannot help myself. Part of me feels like being a playful and yet serious smart-a**. I say that because I think the one issue with this video is its overgeneralization of the makers expectations about how Muslims would answer these questions. Now I am not saying the maker of the video actually intended to think this, but upon hearing and reading the questions it is very clear. Basically this video should have been titled "Questions for Orthodox Sunni Muslims" or something of that sort. Many people call themselves and consider themselves Muslim, myself included, and yet do not feel that that actually adhere to every single doctrine or idea issued by the Orthodoxy. So with that I will answer these questions as a person who is a Muslim, Mu'tazaliah in Aqeeda, Shafi in Fiqh, Mevlevi in Tasawwuf, and Jungian with my approach to psychology. More importantly then lables I wish to answer each question in compelete honestly based on my understanding of theology, philosophy, psychology and metaphyiscs and how I personally view these subjets. Shall we begin?

1. Does God's stated purpose of creating man so they worship him seem worthy of an immensely intelligent and all-powerful being?

Answer: I have no idea, God is so beyond our understanding and full comprehension I cannot even begin to understand, if that is indeed his stated purpose, why.

2. If God is self-sufficient, and does nothing in vain, isn't creation the height of vanity?

Answer: Same as number one.

3. If creation is for our benefit, then what is the benefit to those who will burn forever?

Answer: What if someone were to take the view of the afterlife as Ibn Sina who taught that heaven and hell are simply symbols produced by each person's psyche and that the real afterlife is one that is a union or return(the meaning of religion) to God? In other words, people will not burn forever. Also, in Shafi Fiqh, and Aqeeda discussed in The Realiance of the Traveler states that those who had one ounce of true faith even if they committed sins and will be in hell, will only be there for a small time before being admitted to paradise. Other early Muslims thought that not everyone will be in hell forever, but hell will be emptied.

4. What's the point of God's test when he knows the outcome? Is it just so he can have a reason to punishment & reward?

Answer: In Mu'tazliah theology, the idea of being "tested" or "predestination" is not accepted. Rather the free will of creation is what God will judge.

5. What's the point of God's test when he knows the outcome? Is it just so he can have a reason to punishment & reward?

Answer: Same as number 4.

6. If God wanted us to freely choose to worship him - then why threaten us? Does someone with a gun to his head really have free choice?
Answer: I feel that my views as illustrated above would just be repeated in this answer. However the idea of putting a gun to someone's head and then asking if they have a choice to either accept or reject the threat, seems to me to be that yes they still have a choice. Yes they are being threatened but they can still either choose to either accept or reject what the threat is entailing.

7. Why does God cause so much suffering to humans? Is it part of God's test to prompt them to turn to him in obedience and worship? Isn't that like a con-man who causes a problem then offers to fix it for you?

Answer: I don't think God causes suffering for humans, but humans cause suffering to themselves. Some times nature causes suffering for us, such as floods and natural disasters, but I don't pin this sort of thing onto God.

8. Why would God give humans the ability to reason - then punish them for rejecting beliefs reason cannot reconcile?

Ansewr: This is a tough one. It is my personal opinion, that since God created us and knows how some of us think about reality, it would seem unfair for him to punish those who reject religious belief because it does not make sense to them or because using their reason they reject religion outright.

9. Why does the human body look suspiciously like it was the result of a long cumulative process of evolution resulting in imperfections and vestigial organs and genes - and not the result of the instant and perfectly planned creation of Adam and Eve?

Answer: Because of Evolution through Natural Selection? Which someone like myself has no issue believing in even though I do believe in religion and God.

10. Which is more evil, the imperfect creature who commits evil or the perfect entity which created evil?

Ansewr: I don't believe God created evil or injustice.

11. Is being good because you fear God, really being good?

Answer: Well if you ask Freud that question he would probably have said that yes due to being raised by our father because of society, we develope the Super Ego. We do a lot of good things and maintain morality because a part of our psyche tells us we should and prohibits us from doing negative acts. Is this because of fear? Perhaps it is. However since you are asking this for Muslims to answer, I would say that Muslims do good things not completely out of fear.

12. Why did God send all known prophets, miracles and books to one area of the world and at a time when people were superstitious and gullible?

Answer: According to Sahih hadits there were prophets sent all around the world before the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). I also don't think it is fair to just say that all people were simply superstitious and gullible during these anicent time periods.

13. Why did God only protect the Qur'an from corruption? Couldn't he have protected the Bible and prevented billions claiming he has a son?

Answer: I assume he could have if he wanted too. However he wanted to protect the message of the Quran and made no such promises for the written text of the Bible. Keep in mind many Muslims believe in the message of the Torah revealed to Moses, the Gospel to Jesus and the Psalms to David, and these messages are not necessairly viewed as being identical with what Jews and Christians refer to as the Holy Bible/Tanakh.

14. What was so special about prophet Jesus that God made him born to a virgin? Took him up to heaven before he was crucified? And is going to bring him back again before the day of judgment?

Answer: What was so special that Adam had no mother and no father? The Quran itself says that in the eyes of God both Adam and Jesus are equal since he simply said "Be" and they were. The motif of the virgin birth, death, resurrection and return are prevelant in scriptures around the world. The real question should be why is that? Also it would seem strange that at least aspects of this motif, the virgin birth, special prophet and return, would be absent from Islam. In Jungian Analytical Psychology, Jesus Christ is a symbol of the Self and thus is important for us to consider on a psychological level.

15. Do you believe it's acceptable for a husband to hit a rebellious wife?

Answer: No, and scholars of Islam don't think that way as well. See my video on the subject:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBQzdY3oJy8&feature=channel_video_title

16.Why do so many characteristics of Allah like anger and vengefulness seem like human ones?

Answer: Hmm well perhaps because the person who expresses these revelations were human and it was for a human audience who had to make sense of these things from a limited human capacity, mind and psyche.

17. Why does the Qur'an say don't ask questions about things, when the answer would trouble you. Should followers of other religions also not ask questions about their religion when it might trouble them?

Answer: I am sure the majority of Muslims do not view any verse in the Quran as actually saying one cannot ask questions about theology. If that were the case then many scholars, such as Imam Ghazali, would not have lead the lives they lead in pursuit of knowledge based on questions that might have troubled them even if it was based on theology. All members of all religions have the right to ask questions about their faith that might trouble them, that is a part of life.

18. Why will God never forgive Shirk? What are they really guilty of? Ignorance? Being born to the wrong family?

Answer: God, according to Islam will not forgive Shirk because he does not want something else worshipped that is not him. They would be guility of breaking the laws of God. If it is ignorance or being raised in a way that conflicts with this, then in my opinion, they would not be punished since how would they know they were breaking laws?

19. The quran criticizes idolaters for following the religion of their parents. Are you any different?

Anwser: Actually no, not personally. I am a convert to Islam, my family raised me Roman Catholic.

20. You believe other people are following false, corrupted or unfounded beliefs? Are you certain you're not also?

Answer: I think we should always be open to discussion, doubt and perhaps changes that we might go through regarding what we put faith in. I know that my personal theology has changed over time and still continues to grow and change. I think we can only be certain of ourselves on a subjective level, since the objective is so beyond our psyches.

As the song says: "Never cared for what they know, and I know..."