WHY RELIGION STILL MATTERS: Speeches to Religion's Uncultured DESPISERS

In the lecture, Dr. Javad T. Hashmi talks about the benefits of religion and why it still matters in our time of secularity and irreligion.
---
The Impactful Scholar, MPAC's official KZbin podcast, is brought to you by the MPAC Research Bureau, a part of MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council).
Please make sure to like, subscribe, comment and share!
Subscribe to The Impactful Scholar:
/ @drjavadthashmi
Follow The Impactful Scholar on Twitter:
drjavadthashmi?la...
MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council)
Subscribe to MPAC's channel: bit.ly/MPACKZbin
Like MPAC on Facebook: mpacnational
Follow MPAC on Twitter: / mpac_national
Follow MPAC on Instagram: / mpac_national
Visit MPAC's website: mpac.org
About the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC):
We improve public understanding and policies that impact American Muslims by engaging our government, media, and communities.
MPAC and The Impactful Scholar need your help! Please make a donation today: mpac.org/give.
Make sure to let us know that you donated to help The Impactful Scholar.

[@mehfil-e-ghazal786]

Each thought of urs resonate with me. Probably because u come from Indian subcontinent and have same experience the way i have. Grown up in islamic family environment, studied in Hindu school and then Christian school. I had never conflicting views about my faith bcz the way it was taught by my parents. Then suddenly people come and call u terrorist and jehadi and u r forced to think who u r. U try to leave ur faith but u can't bcz u know that's it's not like that. From allah grace the ilm that i get over these years now i can balance my reasoning and faith.

[@theculturedjinni]

I think religion matters and is a very important phenomena, I even if I don't agree with a certain religion it should be discussed properly. I also do think calling people that disagree with this "uncultured" is a bit too harsh. Is this not too polemic? And does this not become more of a mere insult at best and ad hominem at worse? These matters can actually be discussed in a way without calling the other side ignorant, when discussing religion discuss the ideas and not the persons having the ideas. Also, atheism is not a religion it is a idea about the number of Gods, just like monotheism is the idea about there being one God & polytheism is the idea that there are several gods. Atheism is a belief, but it is just one of often other systems of thought among atheists.

[@theculturedjinni]

@@macmcskullface1004 But even then you could argue that the term "new atheists" is extremely broad and there are a lot of nuance here.

[@theculturedjinni]

@@macmcskullface1004 the movement was a lot broader than just Dawkins and Sam Harris though, and also even if they lacked nuance it does not excuse responding in the same un-nuanced way.

[@theculturedjinni]

@@macmcskullface1004 I disagree about this being a matter of fact. I would say that the new atheists were a very varied bunch and it is also why you did see so many conflicts between various factions among them...

[@dark7element]

"Belief in belief" is pointless and self-defeating. You can't just tell people to genuinely believe something because it would be better "for society" if they did.

[@camelkingofthemediteranean949]

Religion is important. Without it, we would lose structure. All nations and kingdoms are founded on religious intentions which are then eventually forgotten.

[@Masszay]

Saying Humans are not special because we live on an insignificant part of an insignificant galaxy is honestly stupid, considering we haven't found any sign of life anywhere else.

[@aisultanorazaly9414]

Dr Hashmy - what are some of the books that you can recommend where we can find the information you presented (especially the part about rituals)?

[@Cassim125]

Theres one called the spiritual brain. It's on the neuroscience of spiritual experiences.

[@theculturedjinni]

Just because something has positive benefits does not mean that the thing itself is true, though...also you have not really defined where the borders between non-religion and religion lies and thus why it would be impossible to create "secular" substitutes for these things, especially as it has been shown that certain political leanings and cultural groups that most would not define as religious does create similar structures and receive similar benefits.

[@ashcomics13]

the truth is that their is a highest first dimension above all other dimesnions and their is an undimensional uncaused originator of all which informs and creates everything. this originator is decribed logically in chapter 112 of the quran, the chapter of sincerity. Amazingly this description of thee God can be found in every major religion if you study carefully and cross culturally. every major religion at the top of their god/goddess heiarchy elude to or outright describe thee God as an uncaused necessary creator that is the ultimate source for reason, morality, and creation.

[@theculturedjinni]

@@ashcomics13 I respectfully disagree as there exist religions that does not believe in this sort of higher being where everything comes from, various animist beliefs and certain strains of buddhism do not really have the idea of one unifying sempiternal creator of everything.

[@ashcomics13]

@@theculturedjinni that's alright im thankful for your genuine response it's so easy for this topic to get heated. On a final note if I can point you to contemplate about Carl Sagan's flatland experiment video and see how we fit in the picture.

[@theculturedjinni]

@@ashcomics13 Yes, it is people on all sides should recognize that religious questions are fundamental issues for a lot of people and thus needs to be handled with care. I myself when I make videos here on KZbin about for example Islam or history related to Islam I take great care with the matter as I know that these matters are very sensitive to a lot of people. This does not mean that I bend any arguments/facts or the like but that I take care in how I present it. Regarding Carl Sagan's flat land it does not really affect the arguments about creation or not as you could imagine a smpiternal constant that reflectively projects the universe and that is not necessarily a creator in the active conscious manner that most would imagine it.