When
I, in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hand has made, I see the
stars, I hear the rolling thunder Thy power throughout the universe displays!
by Charlie Leck
by Charlie Leck
Adbus Salam, of
Pakistan, was a prize-winning scientist. He died in 1996. While he lived he was
hailed world-wide for his brilliant work in physics. His work enabled his
nation to establish its current nuclear program. He was also a Muslim and part
of the Ahmadi sect. The other major divisions of the Islamic faith in Pakistan
regard members of the sect as heretics. The religious right has grown in power
in Pakistan to such an extent that they dominate all other religious groups,
including Christians and Hindus. The majority of Pakistani people are Sunni
Muslims. These members of the Sunni division of the faith have become very
militant and offensive in proclaiming their superiority in matters of religion
over other Muslims and in matters of politics and government over all other
Pakistanis.
Today, one cannot
find the name of Adbus Salam in Pakistan’s school textbooks or in its museums
of science and technology. Yet, Salam was hailed internationally, winning
numerous honors including the Nobel Prize (1979) for his contributions in
physics to the study of the God Particle
(or Higgs boson). The discoveries announced recently in Geneva about these
matters have been a great proof of the seriousness of Salam’s work during his
life.
Yet, this
extremely conservative wing of the dominant religion in Salam’s homeland
considers this great scientist a heretic and a partner of God’s dark side opponent.
It, very
frankly, once more makes me sickenly angry about religious zealots who don’t
seem to have a brain in their heads. These types are not exclusive to the
Muslim faith. We have plenty of them in Christianity as well. They label people
who don’t agree with them as heretical and, worse, evil. Believe me, hoards of
them are having a great influence in politics in America today and we ought to
awaken and see what a danger they are to the stability of our country. Beware
of religious extremists!
The most ugly
and vile comments I receive in reaction to many of my blogs come from people
who claim to be diligently and faithfully Christian. And, their hate-filled
comments are always without identification, but simply anonymous.
Tolerance
A word that seems missing from society’s contemporary vocabulary is tolerance. I was taught that it, along with patience, was an important part of one’s character – one’s healthful psyche. There is not one true and certain way! There is no true and certain religion that has all the answers. There is no single route to salvation.
A word that seems missing from society’s contemporary vocabulary is tolerance. I was taught that it, along with patience, was an important part of one’s character – one’s healthful psyche. There is not one true and certain way! There is no true and certain religion that has all the answers. There is no single route to salvation.
God, you see, is
bigger than the human imagination has ever been able to envision Her. Science
has come closer to that vision than has theology. Religious extremists are
dangerous critters and society must cautiously guard itself against the damage
they can do to a civilization. As far as the followers of Jesus and Muhammad
go, I am afraid they think too small. God is far greater than their limited
imaginations can conceive. Adbus Salam has come closer to seeing the Divine
Being and perceiving the truth of creation than has any of the great imams or
Christian evangelists.
When I behold the heavens in their
vastness,
Where golden ships in azure issue forth,
Where sun and moon keep watch upon the fastness
Of changing seasons and of time on earth,
With rapture filled, my soul Thy name would laud,
O mighty God! O mighty God!
[O Store Gud, by Carl Gustav Boberg, 1859-1940]
Where golden ships in azure issue forth,
Where sun and moon keep watch upon the fastness
Of changing seasons and of time on earth,
With rapture filled, my soul Thy name would laud,
O mighty God! O mighty God!
[O Store Gud, by Carl Gustav Boberg, 1859-1940]
_________________________
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If you read my blog regularly, why not become a follower? All you have to do is click in the upper right hand corner and establish a simple means of communication. Then you'll be informed every time a new blog is posted here. If all that's confusing, here's Google's explanation of how to do it! If you don’t want to post comments on the blog, but would like to communicate with me about it, send me an email if you’d like.
