Truth?

Submitted by Ken Stahl (United States), Nov 18, 2005 at 23:55

Well Ra, you say: "To understand the religion and the teachings of the Koran, one must accept the truth of it." Indeed, a Christian could also claim the same: "To understand the religion and the teachings of Christianity, one must accept the truth of it."

The fact is, when it comes to religion, mere assertions without any proof do not constitute the "Truth." Without proof or empirical evidence, no religion has an absolute right to demand belief. Christians and Muslims will never agree on the "Truth." Muslims believe the Koran to be the absolute word of God revealed to Muhammad, the last and greatest of all the prophets.

Christians believe the "Word of God" became incarnate in Jesus, the Messiah; all that God has to say to humanity, God said it in the life, death and resurrection of Christ - no further revelation necessary. The Koran simply has no meaning for Christians. Christian monotheism and Islamic monotheism simply cannot be reconciled. Neverthless Christians cannot prove their revelation. Likewise Muslims cannot prove their revelation. So, what can rational people of both faiths (or no faith at all) do since arguing about who has the "Truth" is fruitless and pointless? Can our basic humanity be the basis for living together peacefully on this planet?

Our basic humanity must be the basis of dialogue because clearly our belief systems cannot. So, what do we do? I have no intention of ever becoming a Muslim. I have no willingness to be governed ever by Muslims, nor live under Islamic law, nor be subject to Islamic social institutions. It seems to me that the only way out of this dilemma for all of us is a firm commitment to secular government and secular institutions throughout the world. The alternative is war, conflict and misery without end - whose "Truth" will this serve?

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