Book Discussion - The God of All Things

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you Riham;

But first, I must ask you to surrender all jewelry items

The only jewellery I wear is a wedding ring, and it would not worry me to give that up for a few days. I carry the thoughts of my wife in my heart, my words and deeds should show that I am married and not available to other women, my marriage does not depend on a ring.
My faith in Christ does not depend on me wearing a cross, my words and actions should show that I am a Christian.

Nothing religious of any kind is allowed over here

.
But.
If they asked me to surrender my Bible for a few days, then I would have to say no. My faith hangs and depends on what I believe to be the inspired word of God, if this meant I could not continue then so be it.
.
Now can I ask you a question, if Henry had said to leave your hijab behind and change into different cloths, and leave your Quaran behind, would you do this?
.
Every blessing
Eric

 

[Flame of Hope]

Greetings and peace be with you Riham;

The only jewellery I wear is a wedding ring, and it would not worry me to give that up for a few days. I carry the thoughts of my wife in my heart, my words and deeds should show that I am married and not available to other women, my marriage does not depend on a ring.
My faith in Christ does not depend on me wearing a cross, my words and actions should show that I am a Christian.


.
But.
If they asked me to surrender my Bible for a few days, then I would have to say no. My faith hangs and depends on what I believe to be the inspired word of God, if this meant I could not continue then so be it.
.
Now can I ask you a question, if Henry had said to leave your hijab behind and change into different cloths, and leave your Quaran behind, would you do this?
.
Every blessing
Eric

Hello Eric! Thank you for participating in this discussion.

It's very interesting these questions you have raised. Would I leave behind my hijab and change into different clothes? No, I wouldn't.

I wouldn't particularly care to attend a retreat that expects women to uncover themselves in any way.

Just because the retreat lays much emphasis on science it doesn't mean that values and morality, decency and chastity are all chucked down the drain.

Besides telling people to take off their clothing is highly disrespectful. Nobody would desire to continue their studies at the retreat if they were told to do something indecent.... such as taking off their clothes or uncovering themselves.

As for leaving my Qur'an behind..... sure!! I would be more than happy to leave that behind. What it teaches is deeply embedded in my heart. So I'm not at all perturbed if I'm told to leave it behind.

 

[Who Am I?]

I think that this is why we are told to memorize the Qur'an, to safeguard it from situations such as the above. Even if all copies were removed from existence today, the words would still live on, because there are many people who have memorized it and can share its message.

 

[Flame of Hope]

Chapter 6

“The Truth that you are looking for is something
that is not within the grasp of most people,” said
Dr. Singh. “There are many things that come in the
way….things that obstruct people’s vision. But in reality
what seems to be a mystery is in fact not at all a mystery.
Truth is actually very obvious. It’s there loud and clear for
all to see.”

“How come we don’t see it if it’s so obvious?” asked
Jim.

“Because,” replied Dr. Singh. “Truth doesn’t come to
the person who is not looking for it.”

Richard couldn’t help agreeing. “That makes a lot of
sense!” he thought.

“If you are not interested in knowing what the Truth is,
you are never going to know it,” Dr. Singh went on. “If you
don’t seek it, you are not going to find it. It’s as simple as
that. I’m here only to help you find it, not actually tell you
what it is.”

He turned to look at the notes he had written on the
blackboard. “Now, there’s a lot of ground to cover,” he
said. “But first, let us get to know each other a little better.
Henry, give me the list, will you please?”

Henry walked to Dr. Singh and gave him a sheet of paper
that had the list of all the six students who had enrolled for
the class. He called out the first name on the list.

“Richard White,” he read. “What made you sign up for
this class? Could you share that with us please?”

“I’m here because I don’t want to die ignorant,” said
Richard. “I want to be prepared in case there is anything
after death. And besides, I have very little time left to find
out.”

“What do you mean?” asked Dr. Singh.

“I’m dying, sir,” he said. “I have only five more months
left to live.”

There was a murmur of sympathy in the classroom.

“Well,” said Dr. Singh after some thought. “I can tell you
one thing.”

Richard looked at him expectantly.

“This is the best decision you have made in your entire
life!” said Dr. Singh encouragingly.

“Now,” he said looking at his list again. “Jim Garrison.
Let’s hear what you have to say.”

“Well,” said Jim. “I grew up in a poor family. And I had
big dreams. I wanted to become rich, famous and successful.
Just like that eighteen year old kid named Ben Thomas.
He had become a millionaire and he had everything. I
wanted to be just like him. Then one day, this Ben met with
an accident and died and I was thinking a lot after that. I’ve
been thinking what is the use of acquiring all this wealth and
money? Ben left all his money behind. He could take nothing
with him. And there I was dreaming of things that I
couldn’t take with me after death. So it seems to me that
becoming rich couldn’t be our goal in life. So what is? I was
very much attracted to your ad, Dr. Singh, because you said
you had the answer to the question - what are we here for?
And I also wanted to get away from life’s everyday problems
that were bugging me. I’m really glad to be here.”

“Very interesting,” remarked Dr. Singh. “You are a
thinker, Jim. I like that.”

Andrew Armstrong’s reason was different. “I’m not a
good person, sir,” he said. “I’ve been to jail and been
involved in a lotta crimes. I done a lotta bad things in life.
I’m sorry about what I done. But what’s done is done. I had
a lotta time to think while I was in prison. And I been
thinking about all those people who do bad things and don’t
get caught. There are people who are even worse than me
ya know. And they’re roaming around free. They live and
they die and they’re never caught. And I don’t understand
that. I paid for the things I done. But not everyone does. It’s
just not fair! When I was in prison I also met a guy who was
charged with something he didn’t do. He was innocent. And
I was wondering about it all. It’s not fair! And I wanna
know if there’s life after death. It would make a lotta sense
to me if there was. But I need to know for sure. So that’s
why I joined this class.”

“I don’t think you’re a bad person,” said Dr. Singh.
“Anyone who feels sorry for the things he did can’t be bad.
I’m happy to have you here.”

Andrew smiled. “Thank you, sir,” he said.

Dr. Singh threw a glance at his list again.
“Who’s next?” he said. “Ah! Marie Marchessaux! What
brings you here? Share that with us please!”

“I’m seeking happiness,” said Marie. “I have everything
anyone could want. But I’m unhappy. I guess I am searching
for meaning in life. Like Jim.”

Then it was Martha’s turn. “I’ve come here to get assurance
that what I believe is true,” she said. “I have great faith
in my God and I’ve lived all my life worshipping Him. Yet,
when I think about death, my faith wavers a little. I have
doubts in my mind. I want to be certain. So joining this class
seemed to me a sensible thing to do.”

“Yes ma’am,” said Dr. Singh. “You have indeed done a
very sensible thing. And now let us hear what our little child
here has to say. Amy Smith? What is your reason for coming
here?”

“I had to come to this class,” said Amy. “I’m so very
afraid of death. I know that people die. And I know that my
mom and my dad are going to die. I love my parents, my
grandpa and grandma a lot. And I can’t bear the thought of
losing them. I sometimes go under the sofa and cry because
I’m so scared thinking about death. I want to know why
people have to die and stuff. I don’t want to die either. But I
know I will one day. I’ve asked so many people questions
about dying. But it seems nobody really knows what happens
after death. Then I saw your poster in the library and
after that nothing was going to stop me from coming here.”

“Well, Henry!” commented Dr. Singh after a lapse of a
few seconds. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such
extraordinary wisdom and sincerity in people. This particular
class promises to be most interesting. Most interesting
indeed.”

------------------End of Chapter 6------------------

Questions:

1. What do you think of Dr. Singh's statement: “Truth doesn’t come to
the person who is not looking for it.” ?

2. We get to know the characters better in this chapter. Which character can you relate to the most?

Read more: here

 

[Flame of Hope]

Chapter 7

Dr. Singh was addressing his class. He had a serious
look on his face.

“I have no doubt,” he said earnestly, “that you have what
it takes to find and see the Truth. But finding the Truth is
one thing, and accepting it is quite another.”

He looked at the puzzled expressions on the faces of his
students. “What I want to know is, do you really have the
courage to accept the Truth when you do find it?”

“I don’t understand,” said Jim.

“Well,” said Dr. Singh. ”Would you be willing to admit
that you were wrong once you find the Truth? For example,
Jim, let’s say that you do not believe there is life after death.
If you were to learn that your idea was wrong, and that
indeed there was life after death, would you be willing to
accept that fact?”

“Certainly,” replied Jim at once.

“And what about you, Martha?” asked Dr. Singh. “You
believe that there is life after death, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do,” answered Martha. ”I believe that there is life
after death.”

“What would your reaction be if you learnt that there was
no life after death? Would you be willing to accept such an
idea?” Dr. Singh asked.

Martha gave no answer. She sat there with a frown on
her face.

“I’ll accept the Truth, whatever it is!” said Amy suddenly.

There was silence in the room as everyone tried to absorb
the significance of what she had said.

Dr. Singh was highly impressed. “That’s the spirit!” he
said finally. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Martha appeared to be lost in thought.

“People are complicated creatures,” said Dr. Singh.
”They love indulging in Falsehood. Most of them are
unreasonable, sentimental and highly emotional. You can’t
talk to them about things that are contrary to their beliefs.
They will just shut you out and refuse to listen to you. It
happens to be a fact that ninety-nine percent of the time,
people are quite wrong about their views concerning life
and death.”

“You’ll understand what I’m saying in a little while,” he
continued. “We’re going to discuss the properties of Truth.
Actually, there is one outstanding property that makes Truth
easily recognizable. Do you know what it is?”

Nobody knew. And they waited for Dr. Singh to reveal it
to them.

Dr. Singh gave a broad smile. “What’s two plus two?” he
asked. “Amy?”

“That’s easy! It’s four!” said Amy.

“Andrew? What about you? Two plus two is equal to...?”

“Four,” he replied.

Dr. Singh turned, walked to the blackboard and wrote
down the equation:

2 + 2 = 4.

“Okay,” he said. ”Does everyone agree that the answer is
four, and not three or five?”

Everyone nodded.

“What does this tell you?” Dr. Singh enquired. “Is there
anything of significance that you note by this simple equation?”

Again nobody said anything. They didn’t see anything
significant at all.

“Well,” said Dr. Singh. ”There is certainly something very
important to note over here. Do you think someone in Japan
or Russia would give a different answer?”

“No,” said Richard. ”That answer is the same in every
country.”

“Do you think the answer would have been different, say
- a thousand years ago?” Dr. Singh asked.

“No, the answer would be the same even two thousand
years ago,” said Richard.

“Then here’s what we learn from this seemingly simple
equation,” said Dr. Singh.

And he wrote down the following on the blackboard:

1. There is only one correct answer. And that answer is 4.
2. All answers besides 4 are incorrect.

“Does everyone agree with what I’ve written here?”
Dr. Singh enquired.

Everyone was in agreement. It was so obvious and clear.

“So from this, we come to one conclusion. An extremely
significant and important conclusion,” said Dr. Singh. “And
that is Truth is singular in nature. That is the most outstanding
property of Truth. Only one percent is the Truth.
Ninety-nine percent is false. Got that?”

Marie gasped in astonishment. “This is awesome!” she
thought.

“Ninety-nine percent of the answers are wrong. Rather we ought
to make it 99.9% of all answers! All answers besides the
right answer are incorrect! There can be
only one correct answer,” explained Dr. Singh.

“If you were to believe that the answer is anything other
than 4, such as 8 or 7 or 9 - you would be sadly mistaken.”

“People don’t have a problem when it comes to mathematics
and they discover they were wrong,” he went on,
“but they do have a problem admitting that they are wrong
in other areas. It is this tendency in people - their refusal to
admit that they are wrong -that prevents a lot of people
from seeing the Truth. Like I said, pride comes in the way.
But there is more to it than that. It has to do with human
nature. It is a peculiar condition that we human beings
suffer from. And in your search for Truth, it would do you a
lot of good to get acquainted with this phenomenon. Therefore,
your homework for today is to do some research on
this subject. Henry will show you where the library is. We’ll
discuss your findings tomorrow morning. Class is now
dismissed.”

Dr. Singh wrote down the subject for their research on
the blackboard. The students jotted it down. And the words
that they wrote down were these:

Cognitive dissonance

------------End of Chapter 7----------------------

Questions:

1. Do you think Immanuel Kant's quote in the beginning of the book has any relevance to the most outstanding property of Truth discussed in chapter 7? (He had said, "There is nothing higher than reason."

2. Does Dr. Singh seem to be promoting any religion when he begins to explain the number one property of Truth?

3. Do you believe that Truth can be reduced to a mathematical formula of razor sharp precision as was demonstrated by Dr. Singh's equation of 2 + 2 = 4?

4. Do you think Dr. Singh's method of teaching is scientific? If so, does that make you glad or disappointed?

5. Would you be keen to know what Dr. Singh would teach next? Or would you dread it?

Read more: here

 

[Flame of Hope]

Chapter 8

They were in the library. Amy had made friends with
Andrew and was sitting excitedly on a stool next to
him as he typed in the words cognitive dissonance in the
search box.

Marie and Jim were also surfing the internet, doing their
research.

Martha sat at a table, referring to a book and writing
down notes.

Richard was in a corner all by himself. He had a book in
front of him and was pretending to read it. His thoughts
were actually elsewhere. He was deeply troubled.

“I shouldn’t have come here,” he was telling himself. He
recalled the words of Dr. Singh:

......do you really have the courage to accept the Truth
when you do find it?

Richard didn’t think he had the courage. He suddenly
didn’t want to know what it was. His thoughts were now on
Andrew. He was watching him earnestly doing his homework,
sitting before his computer. Andrew’s words had
chilled his heart right to the core. He couldn’t forget what
he had said:

I been thinking about all those people who do bad things
and don’t get caught. There are people who are even worse
than me ya know. And they are roaming around free.

Everyone had their secrets. And Richard had his own. A
terrible secret that he never talked about. It was two years
ago. He closed his eyes as he remembered so very vividly
that dreadful day. His girlfriend Anne Johnson had been
cheating on him and he had found her in bed with another
man. In a fit of jealous rage, he had killed her. And the man
she had been with went to prison for a crime that he did not
commit. Richard had money. He had influence. He was thus
able to escape punishment. He didn’t think much about the
murder he had committed. Anne deserved to die for being
unfaithful. She wasn’t a good woman. So he had rationalized
and locked away this secret in the back of his mind and
gone about his daily activities as though nothing had happened.
But now he had been forced to think about that
incident again. He hoped that there wouldn’t be life after
death. But what if there was? Would he be able to face such
a possibility? Did he have the courage to accept something
he didn’t want to be true? He covered his face with his
hands, not wanting anyone to see his anguish.

“Are you alright?”

He looked through his fingers and saw a pair of dark
brown eyes gazing at him with great concern.

“Did you bring your medicine with you?” Amy was
asking. She had not forgotten that he had only a few more
months left to live, and she felt very sorry for him.

Richard was a little surprised. “I’m......I’m alright, I
guess,” he said. “Just a little disturbed.”

“Have you been thinking about death then?” asked Amy.
“That makes a lot of people worried. Do you feel very
scared?”

Richard looked at Amy with a little bit of annoyance. He
wanted to tell her it was none of her business. But instead
he said, “Yes, I do. I feel very scared.”

Amy nodded her head in sympathy. She did not miss the
unfriendliness in Richard’s tone and knew that he wanted to
be left alone.

“I’m sorry if I disturbed you, Richard,” she said.

Richard watched Amy as she went back to her stool.

“Yes, I’m scared,” he admitted. “I’m afraid of death. But
more than that I’m afraid of the Truth -the Truth that I will
have to pay for what I did.”

-----------End of Chapter 8-----------------

Questions:

1. Do you think that murderers have more reason to fear death?

2. Why do you think Richard wishes not to have come to the retreat?

3. Have you ever felt the same way like Andrew when he said these words:

I been thinking about all those people who do bad things
and don’t get caught. There are people who are even worse
than me ya know. And they are roaming around free.

4. Do you feel sorry for Richard after learning about the crime he committed? Or do you feel horrified?

5. How do you feel about crimes that go unpunished?

 

[Flame of Hope]

Chapter 9

Richard had made up his mind. He wasn’t a coward to
run away from the retreat. He would stay and
summon the courage to face the Truth whatever it turned
out to be.

“After all,” he thought. “Dr. Singh didn’t exactly say that
there was life after death.” And even if there was, perhaps
he could learn something important that would show him a
way to make things right. That made him feel a little better.
He had been impressed with Dr. Singh’s introductory
lecture. Everything he had said made a good deal of sense
to him. Then he thought about the homework that had been
given to them. He was the only one who had not done any
research. He decided to look up the term cognitive dissonance
the first thing in the morning before class. The library
was always open for their use. For the first time that night,
he slept on the bare floor. Thankfully it was carpeted. The
physical discomfort he experienced was actually quite
bearable. What was unbearable was the mental agony he
was suffering from.

Andrew and Jim were already fast asleep. He looked at
them enviously. They certainly didn’t have a guilty conscience
to wreck their peace of mind. With a sigh, he turned
on his side and closed his eyes.

At 6.00 a.m, there was a loud knocking on the door. It
was Henry. “Good morning,” he said to a sleepy-eyed
Andrew. “Breakfast is at 7. Class begins at 8 o’clock sharp.
You don’t want to be late. You have a long day ahead of
you.”

Andrew nodded, closed the door, turned and went back
to his place to sleep a little more. Jim hadn’t awakened but
Richard had.

A few minutes later, he was in the library writing his
notes on cognitive dissonance.

At 7.00 o’clock everyone gathered in the cafeteria for
breakfast. Amy was positively bursting with enthusiasm.
“I can’t wait for our class to start,” she said. She was
trying to persuade Mrs. Patil to attend the class, but the lady
was just not interested. Amy gave up. Then she stole a
glance at Richard. She felt really bad for him. Last night, he
seemed to be so worried. Today, he looked a little more
relaxed.

Richard caught Amy looking at him and couldn’t help
smiling. This was her chance! She boldly walked over to
where he was sitting and sat down beside him.

“I’m so glad you’re feeling better today,” she said. “My
mom and dad don’t believe in God. But Martha does. And
she thinks that all good people go to heaven after they die.”
Amy obviously thought that if she told Richard that he
would go to heaven he would feel better.

Richard frowned. He did not consider himself a good
person at all.

“And what does Martha think about bad people?” he
enquired. “What happens to them?”

“Oh!” cried Amy. “Wait, I’ll go and ask her!” And she ran
to where Martha was, deep in conversation with Mrs. Patil
and Marie.

Soon she returned to Richard with a puzzled expression
on her face.

“Martha told me that even bad people go to heaven.”
Richard stopped eating his sandwich. He looked at her
waiting for an explanation. And Amy did explain.

“Martha says that all people are sinners. And that Jesus
Christ paid for all our sins by dying on the cross.”

“Amy,” said Richard after considering her statements for
a full two minutes. “What do you think? Do you believe
what Martha believes?”

Amy laughed. “Actually I don’t know what to believe,”
she said. “My parents say there is no God. Martha says
there is and that he died for our sins. And you know Mrs.
Patil over there? Well, she believes in something called
rebirth. Everyone has something different to say. I don’t
know who to believe.” She paused. Then she smiled after a
bit of thought. “But I do know one thing!” she declared.
“I’d believe Dr. Singh. He is a scientist.”

“How do you know that he is a scientist?” asked Richard.

“I asked him!” replied Amy grinning. Then she abruptly
changed the subject. “Richard, were you able to finish your
homework? Andrew helped me do mine. But I didn’t understand
anything. It sounded so complicated. I hope Dr. Singh
will explain everything to us.”

Richard listened to her chatter with amusement.

“I managed to get a little time this morning to do a bit of
research. And I do agree with you. Cognitive dissonance
does seem very complicated. I read about it and I think that
you need not bother your head over it. It’s not for kids
anyway.”

Amy withdrew a folded piece of paper from her pocket.
“This is for you,” she said. Richard took the paper and
opened it. There was a drawing of a flower and Amy had
written:

To Richard. Love from Amy.

Below these words he read:

I shall pass this way but once, any good therefore that I
can do or any kindness that I can show to any human
being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for
I shall not pass this way again.

Richard was touched. He was at a loss for words.

“I found that on the internet,” said Amy. “I really liked it.
I thought you would like it too. Do you?”

Richard nodded. “Yes, I do. I like it very much. Thank
you. I’ll stick this letter of yours on my wall and I’ll think
about you everyday.” He looked at the last line: ...for I shall
not pass this way again. That was the cold hard Truth he
was looking at. He sighed. He didn’t want to be reminded
that he was going to die soon. But there was no running
away from that reality. He couldn’t afford to.

The bell rang. They had fifteen minutes to get dressed
and go to class. When they entered the classroom, they
were in for a surprise. There was a catalog of furniture and
decorative items on each student’s desk. Dr. Singh was
sitting in his chair. He greeted his students warmly.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said. “I want to know if
any of you might want to buy any of those items for your
rooms. You know, to make your stay more comfortable?”

Marie picked up her catalog and flipped through it to
look at the pictures of beautiful furniture. “My! These are
lovely items!” she exclaimed.

Martha too had a look. “Lovely, yes,” she commented.
“But they are too pricey.”

“Here’s a catalog that has pretty affordable items,” said

Dr. Singh giving it to Martha.

She took the catalog and nodded. “Yes, this is much
better. Cheaper prices here.”

Dr. Singh watched his students going through the catalogs
with interest.

“So tell me,” he said. “Who wants to purchase some
furniture or home decor items for their room?”

Richard shook his head. “Not me,” he said.

“Not me, either,” said Marie.

Nobody wanted to buy anything for their rooms.

“May I ask the reason why you don’t want to buy anything?”
enquired Dr. Singh. From the look on his face, it
seemed as if this was a very important question.

“Because,” said Richard, “we’re going to be here for only
a few days more. What’s the point in purchasing this stuff
when it is for such a short period of time?”

“Don’t you want to make yourself comfortable for the
time you are here?” Dr. Singh asked.

Now it was Marie who spoke. “It would be a waste of
time and money to get these things,” she said. “We’d be
comfortable for a few days, and then after that we’re leaving.
And we can’t take these things with us. Neither do we
want to. We are guests over here.”

Dr. Singh gave a big smile. “Aha! This was the answer I
wanted to hear.”

“We come into this world bare and alone, with nothing.
And we leave this world bare and alone, with nothing. We
are here in this world for a very short time. You are here
today, gone tomorrow. Just like you are guests over here on
this island and you are going to leave in a few days, you are
also guests in this earthly life. You are going to have to bid
farewell one day to this world.”

Dr. Singh waited for his words to sink in. “Richard, you
know that your time is coming near. I’d like to know if you
would be making any more purchases to make yourself
more comfortable when you return home?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” admitted Richard. “It would be foolishness
to do so.”

Marie thought about the posh apartment in which she
lived. It was very elegant and she had certainly decorated it
with beautiful works of art. She also thought about the
many things she owned.

“Dr. Singh is right,” she thought. “If I am a guest in this
world, I should behave like a guest as well.”

------------End of Chapter 9--------------

Questions:

1. Richard envies Jim and Andrew. Why?

2. To what extent do you agree with the truth expressed in these words? :

I shall pass this way but once, any good therefore that I
can do or any kindness that I can show to any human
being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for
I shall not pass this way again.

3. Do you think Richard is the one in need of kindness most of all?

4. What do you think is the reality of today's world? Do people show kindness to others even though it is in their power to do so? What do you think would motivate people to show this much needed kindness?

5. If you were Amy and confused about differing beliefs, would you also turn to Dr. Singh for explanations of life's mysteries?

6. Do you agree that we are in reality guests on earth? If so, does it sound reasonable to live in this life as if this is it, make ourselves comfortable and settle down? What do you think of people who act as though they are going to be here forever and spend their entire lives acquiring possessions, property and materialistic riches.... which they will have to leave behind when they die?

Read more: here

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you Riham; thanks for your reply,
.

Nothing religious of any kind is allowed over here

The Bible is much longer than the Qur’an, and I have a terrible memory, so I would not be able to memorise it, I would need my Bible for this reason. If you adhere truthfully to this condition, then it would exclude all people with a religeous belief. It does not matter wether your religeous beliefs are written in your heart or they are written on paper, you must leave these things behind, and go with an open mind.
The hijab is a religeous symbol, you could change into some other modest garment discreatly, that would not identify you as a Muslim.
When it comes to the bottom line, I believe there is a point we would not go beyond.
.
in the spirit of searching for truth
Eric

 

[Bintulislam]

Questions:

1. What do you think about Mrs. Patil's reaction? Do you think she should have been allowed to keep her amulet?

2. What is your opinion about the amulet she wears? Do you think Mrs. Patil is superstitious?

3. What do you think of superstitious beliefs?

4. Would you wear an amulet like that if one was given to you?

5. What do you think of Martha's response when she was asked to surrender her necklace that had a cross on it?

6. What do you think of Mrs. Patil's attitude regarding science?

Read more discussion going on: here

Now you know,I actually forgot what parts I have had answered already.Please put the chapter no too on top while posting the questions.

Ans 1: Mrs. Patil's reaction was pretty understandable as well as nothing surprising.If someone's brought up in an environment where people are discouraged to ask questions and obligated to give in to the most illogical stuff or letting others do thinking for them.That kind of behavior is well expected.Because she was made to believ that without it;she's in danger.And she she never had challenged that thought;she fell in sync with 'the trend' that was brought about by the (as she clearly seems to think)indisputable and unquestionable wisdom and knowledge of her ancestors.

Ans 2:Well,it was of little or no importance.It might have boosted her courage in times of difficulty because with it she must have felt positive and well protected but also that would have kept her 'trying' anything practical to save herself up.She's definitely superstitious.She had NEVER tried taking it off.

Ans 3:Well,they sprout from lack of education,sensibility and plausibility.

Ans 4:Nope,Never.

Ans 5:Well,Martha's response was different.Her's was basically the case of religious reverence.Where she liked portraying or displaying her zeal and love for her religion by wearing a cross around her neck or may be she was also considering it some kid of charm to save her from stuff.

Ans 6: She was skeptical.Closed minded.True and logical stuff does get confirmed by science.But yet again bad science does has its adversities--I remember reading about World War II and how the scientists faked the finding of a evolving Monkey-Human skull (they had actually joint the cranium of human with the mandible of monkey or vice versa )and claimed to have proof of the theory of evolution.people then,believed them afte half a century it was proven to be a hoax.SO DO BEWARE OF PLOTS AND BAD SCIENCE.

 

[Bintulislam]

Questions:

1. What do you think of Dr. Singh and his method of teaching?

2. Do you agree with Dr. Singh's list of qualities of a truth-seeker?

3. Do you think a person can find the truth without those qualities?

4. Does this sound like a scientific approach to solving the riddle of death?

Read more: here

Ans 1: It is interesting and dramatic.

Ans 2: If that's humility and sincerity then yes or even if its that 5 qualities-list by the end of the chapter then yes even though they are more of an reasearchers qualities.But then again,in the end the objective is truth;but I'd say intelligence is also needed.

Ans 3:No.

Ans 4:Sure it does;

1. Hatred for lies and untruth.
2. Looking at things objectively
3. Sticking to facts
4. Open-mindedness
5. No prejudice, no bias

 

[Bintulislam]

Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Questions:

1. What do you think of Dr. Singh's statement: “Truth doesn’t come to
the person who is not looking for it.” ?

2. We get to know the characters better in this chapter. Which character can you relate to the most?

Read more: here

Ans 1:True that.If your heart's not opened you can never see it even if it lies under you nose.Like Quran says about those who deny the truth or don't respond to the calls of the truth as the worst of animals;those who have ears but can't hear;those who have eyes but can't see.

Ans 2: I don't think I could completely relate to anyone.I can tell whom I can't relate to at all.Richard,Amy and Marie.

 

[Bintulislam]

Chapter 7



------------End of Chapter 7----------------------

Questions:

1. Do you think Immanuel Kant's quote in the beginning of the book has any relevance to the most outstanding property of Truth discussed in chapter 7? (He had said, "There is nothing higher than reason."

2. Does Dr. Singh seem to be promoting any religion when he begins to explain the number one property of Truth?

3. Do you believe that Truth can be reduced to a mathematical formula of razor sharp precision as was demonstrated by Dr. Singh's equation of 2 + 2 = 4?

4. Do you think Dr. Singh's method of teaching is scientific? If so, does that make you glad or disappointed?

5. Would you be keen to know what Dr. Singh would teach next? Or would you dread it?

Read more: here

Ans 1: Yes it does provided its free of errors mentioned in this chapter .

Ans 2: Dun think so.But it does seem like he likes Dr.Zakir Naik a lot.

Ans 3:Well,its difficult and complicated and exhausting not all mathematical equations are as easy as the given one;then certainly the emotional card kicks off now and then;so even though the truth is all findable yet its consuming and you have to fight and struggle on many grounds not just logic and formula applications but by the end that's worth it.

Ans 4:Ummm..it'd be too soon to conclude but he's talking all logic.

Ans 5:Would like to know.

 

[Flame of Hope]

Subhanallah! Sister Bintulislam, I was like holding my breath reading all your answers. I had forgotten to post the chapters here...... and so had post them all in a hurry.

Sorry for having the chapters lumped up like that.

I do appreciate your honesty, the time and trouble you took to answer ALL the questions. I was like WOW! This girl is a thinker! :shade:

These lines of yours for example:

If that's humility and sincerity then yes or even if its that 5 qualities-list by the end of the chapter then yes even though they are more of an reasearchers qualities.But then again,in the end the objective is truth;but I'd say intelligence is also needed.

Very smart. You grasped the need for intelligence. Humility and sincerity isn't enough.

Then you correctly identified what made an investigation scientific:

1. Hatred for lies and untruth.
2. Looking at things objectively
3. Sticking to facts
4. Open-mindedness
5. No prejudice, no bias

Smart girl.

Jazakallah khair for all your answers. This discussion is getting so interesting because of your participation in it.

Thank you Eric H for also enriching this discussion with your remarks and observations.

 

[Bintulislam]

Chapter 8


-----------End of Chapter 8-----------------

Questions:

1. Do you think that murderers have more reason to fear death?

2. Why do you think Richard wishes not to have come to the retreat?

3. Have you ever felt the same way like Andrew when he said these words:

I been thinking about all those people who do bad things
and don’t get caught. There are people who are even worse
than me ya know. And they are roaming around free.

4. Do you feel sorry for Richard after learning about the crime he committed? Or do you feel horrified?

5. How do you feel about crimes that go unpunished?

Ans1:I think anyone who has done a foul thing to the fellow beings has a very good reason to be troubled until they make up (or rectify)misery they've been causing;mrder is no doubt a very HUGE sin;for if you take a single innocent lif its like you've killed the whole of humanity...but if the person has served the punishment in the world and regret what they had done.Then Allah SWT is The Most Merciful.

Ans 2:Because he was afraid of the consequences that he might have to face for not finding the truth all his life and in turn committing harmful deeds.

Ans 3: Yes,I have.A lot of times.You ought to when everything's out of control.Then realizing that there's someone who will not let go the guilty.It gives satisfaction,realizing that there'll be justice.

Ans 4: I felt horrified.Though after sometime I felt sorry for him;thinking how difficult would it be to bear with oneself(the conscience;if one has it) after committing such a heinous crime.

Ans 5:Bad.Very bad.But am hopeful that justice will be served ;if not here then in the hereafter.It even happens in the life;youknowhow KARMA plays its role.

 

[Bintulislam]

Chapter 9



------------End of Chapter 9--------------

Questions:

1. Richard envies Jim and Andrew. Why?

2. To what extent do you agree with the truth expressed in these words? :

I shall pass this way but once, any good therefore that I
can do or any kindness that I can show to any human
being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for
I shall not pass this way again.

3. Do you think Richard is the one in need of kindness most of all?

4. What do you think is the reality of today's world? Do people show kindness to others even though it is in their power to do so? What do you think would motivate people to show this much needed kindness?

5. If you were Amy and confused about differing beliefs, would you also turn to Dr. Singh for explanations of life's mysteries?

6. Do you agree that we are in reality guests on earth? If so, does it sound reasonable to live in this life as if this is it, make ourselves comfortable and settle down? What do you think of people who act as though they are going to be here forever and spend their entire lives acquiring possessions, property and materialistic riches.... which they will have to leave behind when they die?

Read more: here

Ans 1: Because their souls weren't burdened with guilt.

Ans 2: Everyone would agree with the;words;but accepting it is what matters the most.I do agree with them as much as I can.But I am forgetful.

Ans 3: Ummm that's difficult to say...nobody knows when they're gonna die;not for sure.That said,each of the character deserves kindness equally.

Ans 4: Today's world is the world of material,selfism and personal gains though there are still many good people among us.That depends on a lot of things like character;if a person is of an upright character then he will not miss a chance to be kind;but that's not usually the case.I think the kindness itself can motivate people to be kind;if I believe in kindness then I must start being kind to people;unexpected little acts of kindness are nothing but inducers of positivity and soft-heartedness;and the receiver automatically feels positive and tries to do something like that himself;that marks the beginnning of a chain-reaction effect.

Ans 5:I would like to listen to what he has to say he seems to be the most credible one i.e he knows what he's talking about.

Ans 6:Yes,I do.No,but we shouldn't also live it like as if its nothing--the material-hype must be avoided but its not bad to try to earn legally more to get things that are needed-but there's definitely no room for obsession.They are losers.

 

[Bintulislam]

I had forgotten to post the chapters here...... and so and so had post them all in a hurry. Sorry for having the chapters lumped up like that.

*Blushes* oh don't be sorry plz;I can understand;how?Because I'm sure you'll find various mistakes(grammatical and spelling) in my answers cuz they too were posted in haste.Hopefully;you'd condone them.

I do appreciate your honesty, the time and trouble you took to answer ALL the questions. I was like WOW! This girl is a thinker!
Then you correctly identified what made an investigation scientific:
Smart girl.
Jazakallah khair for all your answers. This discussion is getting so interesting because of your participation in it.

No,thankyou for inviting us to be a part of this.Well,I am not smart at all.I'm like those people who know what to do but fail to follow their intellect;that's not what smart people do.Identifying scientific stuff is easy for me;I'm a science student.No,JazakAllah kherun! for creating such a wonderful thread and taking the pains of posting such-long-yet-worth-reading chapters and then putting questions.Good job!

 

[Bintulislam]

Greetings and peace be with you Riham; thanks for your reply,
.


The Bible is much longer than the Qur’an, and I have a terrible memory, so I would not be able to memorise it, I would need my Bible for this reason. If you adhere truthfully to this condition, then it would exclude all people with a religeous belief. It does not matter wether your religeous beliefs are written in your heart or they are written on paper, you must leave these things behind, and go with an open mind.
The hijab is a religeous symbol, you could change into some other modest garment discreatly, that would not identify you as a Muslim.
When it comes to the bottom line, I believe there is a point we would not go beyond.
.
in the spirit of searching for truth
Eric

Greetings,

You know how,there is a sense embedded in all of us,the sense being able to differentiate between right and wrong.The sense that urges us to search and look for the truth.The sense that is basically the key to the right path.

Coming towards hijab;I agree with every word that Riham said.That sense of correctness has also defined boundaries for us and it works and is felt the same way by every human.And I wouldn't mind wearing a BIG hat or anything else instead of hijab as long as I am covered.But also I don't see why would I ever want to go to such a place I already have all the answers which are well defined,make sense,well elaborated,logical and VERY helpful.I'm satisfied.AlhamduLillah.

In case of Quran,I don't know Quran by heart but I know what its about.The message remains within me.No one can temper with it.But that doesn't make me closed minded.See,Quran is the book of signs(on several place it asks you about things you're surrounded with and asks you to consider and think);it urges and encourages you to ponder and question and dwell on realities but it also doesn't leave you unguided it tells you the meaning of life and the worth of your actions or inactions and its results.SO basically it gives you a mind set that only craves for the truth and asks for nothing but truth.And that's what its like.

 

[Flame of Hope]

*Blushes* oh don't be sorry plz;I can understand;how?Because I'm sure you'll find various mistakes(grammatical and spelling) in my answers cuz they too were posted in haste.Hopefully;you'd condone them.



No,thankyou for inviting us to be a part of this.Well,I am not smart at all.I'm like those people who know what to do but fail to follow their intellect;that's not what smart people do.Identifying scientific stuff is easy for me;I'm a science student.No,JazakAllah kherun! for creating such a wonderful thread and taking the pains of posting such-long-yet-worth-reading chapters and then putting questions.Good job!

That's wonderful! I've got a science student participating in this discussion! No wonder your views are so interesting. That explains everything. lol.

Well, I think I've done it again. I'm two chapters behind..... so I'll be posting them together. Look forward to your answers Bintulislam.

 

[Flame of Hope]

Chapter 10

Amy was playing chess with Henry. She picked up her
rook and moved six squares.

“Check mate!” she cried ecstatically.

Henry frowned. Amy had defeated him in the first game.
“Let’s see if you win in the second game,” he said and
began putting his pieces back on the board.

Dr. Singh and the other students were watching TV. They
were watching The Forensic Files. It was the episode
entitled Once Bitten.

“This program is not suitable for children,” Dr. Singh had
said. And he had ordered Amy out of the room. To his other
students, Dr. Singh had said, “The program you are about
to see is about cognitive dissonance. Children do not suffer
from this condition. Therefore it is not at all necessary for
Amy to watch this program.”

Richard felt good. He had been right about it. Cognitive
dissonance didn’t apply to kids.

They watched the film with great interest. It was the
story of a man twice wrongly convicted of murder. A
woman was murdered and a man by the name of Ray Krone
was arrested because his bite mark seemed to match the bite
marks found on the woman’s body. During the first trial, Dr.
Raymond Rawson, the State’s dental expert and a nationally
known forensic odontologist said that the bite mark was as
good as a fingerprint. His testimony convinced the jury that
Krone was the killer. Later, when other scientists analyzed
the marks, they discovered that there were too many inconsistencies
and that the bite marks actually did not match.

There was a second trial and three other bite mark experts
came to Ray Krone’s defense. These experts spoke to Dr.
Rawson about their findings and Rawson realized that he
was wrong about his opinion. But he did not withdraw his
statement in court. He said, “I’m in too deep.” And stuck
with his original testimony.

The jury again found Ray Krone
guilty. Krone spent more than 10 years in prison, for a crime
that he did not commit due to Dr. Rawson’s erroneous
opinion. He was set free after DNA testing proved beyond
doubt that the killer was someone else.

Dr. Singh turned off the TV.

“This is a story,” he said, “of a man who was innocent.
But he spent more than ten years in jail because of a scientist
who was unwilling to admit that he was wrong. What do
you think about this man - this Dr. Raymond Rawson?”

Martha’s hand went up. “I hate this man!” she said with
great emotion. “How could he do this to a poor, innocent
man? I can’t believe that a scientist could do such a thing!”

“Richard?” said Dr. Singh. “What is your opinion?”

“It’s shocking,” replied Richard. “I don’t think much of
this man.”

“Marie,” said Dr. Singh. “You don’t have a high opinion
of Dr. Rawson by any chance, do you?”

“Certainly not!” answered Marie. “He is so proud and
arrogant! And wicked! I don’t like him at all.”

“Then I guess I could say that none of you has any
respect for him?” said Dr. Singh.

“Respect for this man!” cried Andrew. “I wouldn’t have
spared him if he done this thing to me! It really makes me
mad to see innocent people in jail!”

“Very good,” said Dr. Singh. “I’m pleased to know that
none of you thinks highly of this Dr. Rawson. I certainly
don’t. I’ve never liked people who refuse to admit their
mistakes. But frankly I’m not surprised. You see, human
beings are like that. Not all of them of course. But most.
Scientists are supposed to be objective in their opinions and
they are supposed to be free from prejudice and bias. But
scientists are also human beings and they are not above
making mistakes. They can be wrong. Dr. Raymond
Rawson was wrong. And he knew it. But what did he do?
He stuck to his wrong opinion. Was he proud? Yes, he was
proud. He was a well known forensic expert. He had a
reputation to protect. He wasn’t going to admit that he was
wrong under any circumstances. He didn’t care if an innocent
man went to jail. Dr. Rawson suffers from a human
condition known as cognitive dissonance.”

Dr. Singh paused for a minute to make sure that his
students had absorbed what he had just said.

“What is cognitive dissonance? Anyone?” he asked.
Jim put up his hand. He had a paper in his hand and he
began to read:

Cognitive dissonance is a condition first proposed by
the psychologist Leon Festinger in 1956. The theory
holds that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving
force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new
thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so
as to minimize the amount of dissonance or conflict
between cognitions.

Dr. Singh nodded appreciatively. “Is that all? Or do you
have anything more to explain what it is?”

“No, there is more,” said Jim. He resumed his reading:
Festinger claimed that people avoid information that
is likely to increase dissonance. Not only do we tend
to select reading material and television programs
that are consistent with our existing beliefs, we
usually choose to be with people who are like us. By
taking care to “stick with our own kind,” we can
maintain the relative comfort of the status quo.
Likeminded people buffer us from ideas that could
cause discomfort. In that sense, the process of
making friends is an example of selecting our own
propaganda.

“Excellent!” cried Dr. Singh. “You have certainly hit it on
the button.”

“I’m sorry,” said Marie with a bewildered expression on her
face. “I don’t understand a thing!”

“It’s really not that difficult to understand,” said Dr.
Singh. “Cognitive dissonance simply means this - that people
do not like to be wrong.”

“Take the example of Dr. Rawson. He was wrong about
his opinion, wasn’t he? Well, he didn’t like it. He didn’t like
being wrong. So what did he do? He rejected all information
that was contrary to his opinion.”

“You might want to jot this down,” he said and went to
the blackboard. He wrote:

cognitive dissonance = information that causes
disturbance and imbalance

“People don’t like to be wrong,” he repeated. “They live
in their own world. They have a bubble around them and
they fight hard to keep out any information that causes them
discomfort. They may be wrong about many things, but they
won’t admit it. They keep out all info that threatens to burst
their bubble. For example, let’s say that you like eating icecream
and you are trying to lose weight. Then you pick up a
health magazine. You read that a new study says that icecream
is more fattening than originally thought. This piece
of information is unpleasant to you. It causes a disturbance
in your mind. So what you do is ignore the information
altogether. You reject the info. You ignore that info because
doing so would allow you to continue eating ice-cream.”

“You can see this at work everywhere,” he went on.
“People are extremely selective about the material they
read, the friends they make and the TV programs they
watch. For example, atheists would read about only those
things which deny the existence of God. They would refuse
to look at evidence that proves that He exists.”

“Any information or evidence that suggests that God is
non-existent would be shut out by people who believe in
God...people known as theists.”

“Information about many gods and goddesses would be
shut out by people who believe in only one God, the people
who call themselves monotheists.”

“And the polytheists would be very vicious indeed in
rejecting any evidence that proved that their many gods and
goddesses did not exist.”

“We all have our bubbles around us. We build these
bubbles to protect ourselves from information that is displeasing
or threatens to upset our sense of balance. We want
to keep out information that is going to burst our bubble.
But if we do this we are in danger of shutting out the Truth.
You have to understand that Truth will never force its way
through that bubble of ours. We have to come out of our
bubbles to see it. And for that we need courage and the
willingness to consider every bit of information regardless
of whether we like it or not. We also need to crush our pride
when we go searching for the Truth. Because if we refuse to
admit that we have made a mistake, then we would continue
walking on the wrong path.”

“And I’m sure,” said Dr. Singh with a smile. “That you
wouldn’t want to be like Dr. Rawson, would you?”

---------------End of Chapter 10-----------------------

Read more: here

 

[Flame of Hope]

Questions on Chapter 10:

1. Do you think cognitive dissonance poses a problem to man? Why?

2. What do you think of people who refuse to come out of their bubbles and only stick to things that they are comfortable with?

3. After reading this chapter do you think the bubbles we build around ourselves really protect us? Or do they cause more harm?

4. Would you agree that it is a common malady man suffers..... unwillingness to admit that he could be wrong?

5. What is the outcome in this situation: A man makes a mistake but refuses to admit it. ?

Read more: here