Shalt not take God's name in vain

Submitted by Boris (United States), Oct 8, 2005 at 13:25

When I am thinking about a single, the most fundamental defect in the religion of Islam, only one Judeo-Christian commandment comes to my mind. I believe, the source of most of problems in the muslim world is the violation of this fundamental law: "Shalt not take God's name in vain", which Islam does not seem to support or enforce in any way.

Here are examples. Muslims often find an excuse for their evil behavior by referring to Quran. They fight by the name of Allah, not by their own will. Natural disasters in the USA - is a hand of Allah punishing americans for their actions. Committing adultery is Ok, because Quran permits it, although in a form of fake marriages. If Quran does not explicitely forbid something - it is permitted, regardless of personal believes or views. Muslims do not need their own opinion, all the opinions are provided by Allah or his messenger. Moreover, having your own opinion is heresy in the Muslim world, the only opinion allowed is a quote from Quran.

These are typical examples of taking God's name in vain. I always wondered why this commandment (obscure for many people) not only made the top 10 in the list of fundamental laws, but stays in front of others, more obvious, like "Shalt not murder". Moreover, this is the only commandment that is followed by a threat of God's unforgiveness to violators. I think the reason is quite obvious: doing evil using God's name as a shield is much more damaging to human being than murdering, stealing or commiting adultery. It actually corrupts the entire human soul that leads to violation of other fundamental human laws.

Thank you, Dr. Pipes, for revealing this truth.

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