tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558504764791925132024-02-08T22:10:52.025+02:00Finding God - Finding FreedomExplaining the apparent paradox - that through the awareness of God we find true freedom and that the way of the Prophets (PBUT) is the ideal model for Government.Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-61136594949513363282011-04-17T16:47:00.000+02:002011-04-17T16:47:06.373+02:00The Ultimate Bigger Picture<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Most of us understand the concept of “the bigger picture”. Everything in life is part of something bigger. It is sometimes easy to understand the “smaller picture”, or the circumstances that affect us directly, but not always how this fits in with the reality of the world around us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is of greater importance than most of us realise. Unless we know exactly how the entire system operates, we are in danger of being instrumental in our own hardship and pain.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">For exsmple, most of us have financial difficulties. We may have tried to solve the problem by working harder. We may have taken on a second, and sometimes a third job, but to no avail. Understanding the bigger picture is the secret. Once we know how our activities fit into the larger world around us, we can figure out what must change for our lives to become better. We must always keep at the back of our mind that God says he guides us so that we may be free.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Lack of freedom is the root of all our problems, but most of us are unable to identify any “enslavement” or how it comes about.This has been discussed elsewhere on taxes and freedom. The quest for more taxes serves to make us more enslaved. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is another aspect of “the bigger picture” that most of us seem not to have thought of.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">By way of introduction, let us begin with an analogy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Consider a factory assembly line. Each worker is familiar with his role, whether it is cutting a fabric, or attaching a label etc. Each person knows his specific task. The owner of the factory has a different perspective. He sees himself producing bags, or garments. The employee does not have to know why he is attaching the label, for example, but knowing helps him understand his role better and helps give meaning to his labour. He realises the greater purpose to his efforts which could spur him to being better at his job.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Most of us have asked ourselves at some point or other why we are on Earth? What is our objective here? In previous discussions I arrived at the conclusion that it is to prove our worthiness of our place in <place>Paradise</place>. This is the equivalence of “the bigger picture”. It helps give perspective and meaning to our life.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">But there is another question, why did God make us, and why has He sent us to Earth? God does not need us in any way nor does He require our worship. God did not HAVE to make this universe or this Earth. He did not HAVE to make man. God is under no such compulsion from any source whatsoever. Why then did He make us and why send us here?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What we do know is that God loves us. How do we put all that we know into perspective so that we can arrive at a possible explanation, reminding ourselves that this is speculation and cannot be verified, but an explanation nonetheless which is consistent with everything we do know.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What follows is a possible explanation, and must be read with that understanding.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God exists. He is the epitome of peace, tranquility, love and contentment. There is no possibility that He was “lonely” or sad or in need of anything whatsoever. He is overflowing with love and peace, and we presume He wanted others also to experience this, but there was no one else. God is uniquely unique, all encompassing, ever-existing. He is neither born nor does He give birth. Alow my digression here, as this is something we need to try and understand. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God is. This all-encompassing nature precludes the possibility of “giving birth”. A new-born is a separate entity from the parent. If God where to give birth, it would require a “space” for this “new born” to occupy, and no such space exists because God encompasses everything. Hence birth is something we can conclude does not happen, and God does not tell us anything to suggest otherwise. On the contrary, God specifically tells us in the Quraan that it does not.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God was not created or born because for this to happen would require a space into which God is to be born, and God being all encompassing, no such space can possibly exist. God has always existed and will always exist and encompasses everything.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is the reason why some have concluded that we are all a part of God. God encompasses everything and it is not possible for anything to “exist” other than God. For us to “exist” it can only happen as a “part” of God (but this does not make us God in much the same way that a cell of our body is not a human and cannot experience being “human”. A cell is nonetheless a unit of existence).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God is at a level of existence far removed from man. We can compare man with other men, but there is no comparison between man and God. That is why those Christians and Muslims who seem to equate Jesus and Mohammed (PBUT) with God are in grave error. In the realm of men they are far removed, but they are men, and only worthy of comparison with other men. No man comes even close to comparison with God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God willed that this “peace, beauty, serenity” may be experienced by "others"and decided to create entities for this purpose. How great Gods desire is to “share” this experience can be seen by the numbers in which He created His creations (truly boundless).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">By His command, God brought the “physical” world into being. God is the epitome of order, and everything about Him reflects this. In an instant, what scholars call “the big bang” came to pass. Initially, the dominant form of energy was electromagnetic waves, light, gravity etc. God gave the ultimate expression of “order” or “ordiliness” to light by harnessing it into a form to which He gave “life”; the ability to understand, carry out instructions and function as “a separate entity”. This entity he called angels. Angels are light organized into a life form, and incapable of acting other than as willed by God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As “matter” coalesced into spheres, it formed balls of fire, and God gave the ultimate level of order to fire by organizing it into a “separate” entity, and these He called ginn. Ginn is the highest manifestation of “order” or “ordiliness” of fire. It was created with free will. Free will gives a life form the ability to desire a particular action. All actions are carried out by God, He either gives effect to the desired action or does not. God is in total control at all times.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As the fire cooled, earth was formed, and He gave the ultimate expression of order to “earth” or “clay”, by organizing it into a life form, which He called man. Earth being the most stable, or least excitable of the three is the reason why the creation of clay is superior to that of fire or light. It is in the nature of things.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We may presume that just as humans have DNA, which is a store of information and the manifestation of the “intelligence” that created us and which makes each of us unique, so too there must be an equivalent system applicable with ginn and angels.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If Gods intention is to “create” an entity that is capable of undergoing something which we can call “an experience” and He desires this to be a pleasant one, why did He create Earth, Heaven and Hell. We know that Heaven was created as our final abode, and is the place where this experience will reach its ultimate expression. Why were we not simply sent there?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">By our very nature, we are incapable of understanding anything or give meaning to any experience without having something with which to compare it with. God alone is absolute. In the world which we can comprehend, nothing is “absolute”, whether it is wealth, beauty, age, knowledge etc. Everything is compared with something else. Said differently, everything is relative.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">For man to truly appreciate the experience in Heaven, he needs something to compare it with. That is why we have Earth. It is the experience here that allows us to truly appreciate Heaven, our intended final abode.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Earth is not a place for punishment. That is what hell was created for. Having free will gives man and ginn the ability to intend things “good” and “bad”. God guides us so that we may avoid “bad” and pursue “good”, (with "good" and "bad" indicating that which is ultimately advantageous or disadvantageous to us). Those who do not maintain a reasonable level of purity leave Earth in a state unworthy of <place>Paradise</place>, making a period in hell necessary in order to achieve the "purity" that qualifies us for admission to <place>Paradise</place>. Everyone enters Earth in a state of total purity. To arrive otherwise would be a grave injustice (being held responsible on the Day of Judgment for something that was not of our doing).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Many activities on Earth result in an experience of “pleasure” and many of these “pleasurable” experiences result in more “bad” than “good”. God guides us away from these. We may choose whether to accept the advice or not.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Man is the highest manifestation of “order” of “ordiliness” of clay, but the clay houses a second part, which we call the soul. We understand that this may be a form of light. It is understood we will reside in <place>Paradise</place> in our clay form housing the soul, in the same way as the first man that was created.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God willed many other forms of life (plants, insects, animals) as a means of bringing “knowledge” to the realm of man; information which he can acquire and use to make his stay on earth a more pleasant one.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Acquisition of wealth, power etc is meaningless. It is not why we are here. Armed with this knowledge, we should be able to apply ourselves in ways that facilitate our passage to Paradise. This is our understanding of the bigger picture.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Before we are judged by God, everything will be “destroyed” and all of us will be recreated. This is necessary for true justice and equality. This is the only way that ensures that everything experiences “death”. (those that exist before the day of Judgement also get to experience death) and this is a pre-requisite for us to understand and appreciate the experience of “end-less life” that awaits us in <place>Paradise</place>. Without experiencing death, we will not understand or appreciate our “death-less life” in <place>Paradise</place>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God does not need to experience any of this, but knows that his creations do.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our stay on Earth is a short, but necessary, interlude on our way to our final abode, which may or may not require a diversion through hell. What we intend here determines whether hell is required or not (we are judged by God in terms of our intentions).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">From our perspective, our objective should be to prove our worthiness of our place in Paradise. This is most easily achieved by voluntary submission to the guidance of God alone; to worship God alone.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To do that, we can have no other master; we can be the “slave” of no one else. A person cannot voluntarily submit to God alone if he is already a slave to someone else.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Overt slavery was abolished, only to be replaced by a covert form, and the chains that bind us are taxes. It is the ultimate crime against humanity. It is only made possible through laws. God informs us that He alone is competent to make laws. When we disobey His guidance (for example by allowing man to make laws which he then uses to bind other men in paying taxes), the ramifications are so great that we are eventually incapable of seeing the association between the guidance that is not followed and the myriad negative consequences.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we cannot understand the need to eliminate taxes because it is not needed for a society to function efficiently (a tax free nation has wealthy people and a poor government, a taxed people are poor with a government that is rich and which succumbs to abuse), then we must eliminate it as a requirement for us to be able to worship God exclusively.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If there is one measure alone that we must take, this is it. By this means we restore mans freedom, eliminate abuse and wastage by government, allow man to worship God exclusively, restore the association between wealth and hard work, break down the huge conglomerates that acquire their size and power through state sponsorhip (fascism), and make it possible for us to explore life from a position of "independence" and "freedom". Only as free people can we make the best of our experience on Earth. Remaining slaves destroys what is supposed to be an important aspect of our experience here.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Furthermore, each person will be accountable for how he used the gifts that God entrusted him with, in practical terms, on what we spent our money. Taxes are an abuse and are used to create more abuse. We become indirectly responsibile for these. We cannot claim immunity on the ground that we are forced to pay the tax since we have the power to elect people who will abolish taxes. We are responsible and cannot escape our liabilty.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We do not need to experience slavery on Earth, because we are already Gods slaves and can be nothing else. On the contrary, on Earth God has given us the opportunity to experience the "illusion" of freedom, the true nature of which is God alone. That is why He has sent many messengers whose objective it was to set us free. It helps us in some small way to get a better understanding of God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Whether we fulfill our purpose here is left to us. This is the essential counterpart to having free will. If God were to eliminate the possibility of us being enslaved, it would mean revoking our free will, and that would mean no longer being human. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Choosing to be a slave is also a manifestation of "freedom", ie the freedom to choose, so either way Gods purpose for us being here is fulfilled, but our experience here is a much more easier and pleasant one as a non-slave.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Unless we understand this “even bigger” picture, we are doomed to passively accepting our slavery, treasuring it, and in some instances fighting to preserve it because of the short term benefits it seems to provide.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God informs us that the time of our birth and of our death is “written” before we are born. Nothing we do will change that. All we can influence is the state of our being when the time comes for us to leave, whether worthy or unworthy of <place>Paradise</place>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The need to free ourselves of involuntary taxes is inseparably tied to our most important objective while on Earth (qualifying for Paradise). Failure is not an option.</span>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-37373231791167818772011-02-22T11:53:00.000+02:002011-02-22T11:53:00.265+02:00Is this another planned “Order out of Chaos” scenario?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We watch in awe as country after country across the roof of <place>Africa</place> is shaken to its roots as ordinary citizens’ rise in anger against their despot rulers.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Those charged with ensuring that the state is protected from the wrath of its people are trained to act against criminals, not to fire upon their own families, friends and tribal members. Faced with this dilemma, it is not surprising that the “boots on the street” are deserting the state in droves and working with the people to bring about change.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Watching this unfold is mesmerizing. If only it were the whole story.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">One cannot help but marvel at the pace at which events are unfolding and the organization that must be involved, for without doubt, what we are witnessing is the outcome of immense planning and organization, even though it may not initially appear as such.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I read a report that discussed a conference that was held last year (2010), and apparently followed another that was held two years earlier, in which youth groups from around the world gathered and were briefed on how to use the internet, cell phones and social networks to bring about the kind of change we are witnessing. The last conference included input from representatives of Google, Microsoft, and the <country-region><place>US</place></country-region> Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As the scenes play out, we are reminded of the words of Karl Rove, consultant and political advisor to former <country-region><place>US</place></country-region> President George W Bush, “<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. <span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-1">And while you're studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we'll act</span> again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors ... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Are we once again left to study the new reality they are creating? While we are still busy trying to make sense of it, will they be creating another new reality with the formation of the New World Order (NWO) single world government.?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We ignore at our own peril the response of “western” nations to these uprisings. In the past, irrespective of the country concerned or the number of people involved, these countries sent in their troops and their equipment to stifle and crush the opposition “in response to the request of the legitimate government for assistance”. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The legitimate complaints of the people were ignored using any excuse, no matter how implausible, but not this time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We saw the legitimately elected government of occupied <city><place>Palestine</place></city> being rejected while the illegitimate “government” of <country-region><place>Somalia</place></country-region> is being imposed upon the majority. The History of Algeria and the rejection of the election results when the “wrong” people won cannot be forgotten. We find <country-region><place>Afghanistan</place></country-region> under siege, but these troops are there assisting “the government”. What has changed that the puppets are now finding themselves isolated and “betrayed” by their own puppet masters?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The allies of these despots are reported to have turned down calls for assistance, and are actually supporting the calls for change.Why? Surely this does not make any sense? What possible benefit can there be in replacing their loyal decades-long puppets with “democracy”. Indeed, it all seems quite bizarre until we study the bigger picture.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">These puppets served their purpose in the past, but are now a liability. It is now time for chaos, out of which will arise “the New World Order”, a single government, unelected, that will rule the world.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To make this a reality requires compliant “leaders” across the globe. They will have to sign away sovereignty and allow their nation to be incorporated into the single world government. These current despots do not fit the required profile. They will not relinquish power. Faced with the loss of national sovereignty and their personal power, they could rouse their people against the plans for world government, and in so doing take away even the fig-leaf of legitimacy the architects of such incorporation desire. They will not want too much dissent, since their numbers are small compared to that of the rest of humanity and cannot hope to take on everyone at once. Those who oppose the plan have ways of getting themselves heard and this could proove problematic.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is my belief that the would-be world rulers have decided that now is the time to use the people against their despots. This eliminates one of the problems. It makes no difference who is elected in the immediate aftermath; in time their agents will be insinuated into the highest levels of government. These puppets, the “authorized” leaders of the nation, will betray their countries and incorporate into the NWO. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It makes no difference that the process will be illegitimate. It will be “legitimized” by one of many possible means, such as rigged referendums or a "majority decision" of Parliament despite unversal condemnation by the people. It is amazing what some people will do for personal apparent gain.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Then, protest by the people will be treated very differently. They will be labeled as terrorists, and the world army will descend upon them to squash this rebellion in “their” province.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This sounds very gloomy, but it is where I believe we are heading. While I have no doubt that what we are witnessing across Northern Africa and the Middle East is a reflection of the sincere attempts of people to free themselves from oppression, I believe that the process is being assisted and abetted by the inaction of foreign nations, and their verbal support for change is motivated by their desire to eventually abuse what is happening for their own long term benefit.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The response of Big Business also sheds light on their view of the happenings. In the case of Assange of Wikileaks, the banks refused to process donations to him and his organization, and Google did not allow “Wikileaks” to appear on search lists. Today we find Google assisting people by making available “speak to tweet” and other means to bypass state censorship and its attempt to stop people from organizing themselves. This clearly indicates where the western elite stand in these uprisings. When these elites act, it is never for the benefit of anyone else but themselves.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The response of ordinary Israeli’s to the happenings in <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> is also enlightening. They appeared to be at quite a loss. Their government’s initial response also suggests that they were not quite “in the loop”. For the New World Order to become a reality, every nation will have to lose sovereignty; that includes <country-region><place>Israel</place></country-region>. There is no place for a sovereign Jewish state under the NWO.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><city><place>Jerusalem</place></city> is slated to be the capital of the new World Government. One may speculate that it will be sold as the Capital of Muslims, Jews and Christians. One can imagine news reels showing people singing in the streets at the announcement, but not the images of those who oppose the new government, or their dead bodies or that of those rotting in rat infested dungeons. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Another practice common to the despots has been exposed in the last few weeks, and that is their use of thugs, criminals and mercenaries to perpetrate acts of violence against protestors and to destroy property. These criminals are on the bankroll of the “government”. This should make everyone stop and think long and hard.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Their acts are then attributed to the protestors, and used as justification for further state violence against them. It has not worked this time round, but it should be a somber lesson to us all. In existing democracies, the state uses the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>alleged threat posed by criminals to justify the huge numbers of police in their employ, but these police are not there to protect us against criminals; they are there to protect the state against the backlash from civilians. This is the clearest indication to all thinking people that to have peace and prosperity, we require a government without the power to impose taxes, and a small police force that is made up of civilians, is under civilian control and which acts in our service. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We need to ensure that the revolutions produce the result we seek. The only way to do this safely is by eliminating the system of Parliamentary “democracy”, where one individual is empowered to make decisions that bind a whole nation, and to replace it with one where power lay the hands of each individual. The role of government must be to protect the free will of the individual and protect the peace. Only by implementing Shariah is this possible.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Under Shariah no nation can be illegitimately incorporated into a world government, because under this system the people are the government and they are the army and are empowered to arm and defend them selves, their families, their nation, and their freedom.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we are to make sure that the martyrs did not make their sacrifice in vein, we must ensure that Shariah is the system we all adopt, and this applies to every individual, irrespective of our faith, race, culture or nationality. This is the only way to secure our independence.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is time for Jew and gentile, white and black, European, African and Asian, monotheist, polytheist and atheist and everyone in between to join together in securing our future and that of our future descendants.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Umtil next time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">From the words of Mark Twain ...</span><br />
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;">Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions.</span></em><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Small people always do that,</span></em></span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia;">but the really great</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia;">make you feel that you, too, can become great.</span></em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To which I like to add</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i>and the exceptionally great</i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i>Make you realize that you are great.</i></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><i>All you need to overcome is your fear.</i></div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-88512676245878125812011-02-15T19:43:00.000+02:002011-02-15T19:43:43.841+02:00Amputation for theft - barbarism or infinite wisdom?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I was at a social gathering recently and when we returned home my wife mentioned someone complaining that the cutting off of hands was unacceptable. The person concerned qualifies as a “good” Muslim by any standard.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is a matter of far greater importance than simply the way we approach punishment for theft. Have we stopped to think about the implications of speaking in this manner, or of our duty as a Muslim when we hear someone speak in this way? Of even greater importance, what is our view of this practice? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">One wonders how it is possible for one gifted with the awareness of God to feel revulsion for a practice enjoined by God and implemented by His Prophet (PBUH). What does this tell us about our trust in God and His guidance to us?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To voice such disapproval in public is tantamount to a renunciation of our faith. How many of us have inadvertently become apostate, and end up dying in this state of disbelief, God forbid. Anyone who feels this way about amputation must review his faith or belief.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This episode also serves as a warning that we need to review this aspect of the criminal justice system.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Only four misdemeanors are defined (they are regarded as crimes against the Almighty) and punishment has been prescribed. These are theft, robbery, perjury and adultery. Strict criteria must be met for ones activity to qualify and for the punishment to be effected.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Here are some of the guidelines as stated in “Hidaya, Commentary on the Islamic Laws” regarding theft, the crime which qualifies for amputation. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The item in question</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Must be in safe custody (such as locked in a home or shop, or clearly under ones personal protection). It does not apply to items left carelessly in public and unattended.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Must be valued in excess of 10 Dirhams. At today’s price (<date day="14" month="2" year="2011">14/02/2011</date>) that means more than R231.50.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">[1 Dirham = 3 grams of silver</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Price of silver = $30/oz</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 oz = 28.35 grams</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Price of silver = $30/28.35/g of silver <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>= $1.06 per g of silver</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">10 Dihhams = 30 g silver = 30 x $1.06 = $31.8 </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">$1 = R7.28</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">10 Dirhams = <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>R7.28 x 31.8 = R231.50].</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Taking items of trivial value does not qualify one for amputation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Taking possession of the following does not qualify as theft.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Relatively unimportant items such as grass, bamboo and wood</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Unharvested grain</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Perishables such as milk, meat or fruit</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-A copy of the Quran</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-The door of a mosque</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Items taken from within a mosque</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Crucifix or chess pieces even if made of Gold</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Stray dog</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-a drum or pipe</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Items that belong to ones mother, father or child</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">-Items belonging to a person one may not marry (the forbidden relationship)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A confession by the thief or the testimony of two competent witnesses completes the requirements.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">For a first offence, the punishment is amputation of the right hand, and for a second, the left foot. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is abundantly clear that amputation is not something that is taken lightly, and strict criteria must be met for its application. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">But more to the point of our discussion, why is amputation appropriate punishment, and hence ordained by the Almighty.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In its absence, some other form of punishment is called for, and it has to be one that serves as a potent deterrent; a vitally important objective. Everyone knows that stealing is wrong, even if we do not understand the deep ramifications of this to a civilization at large. The temptation to have what others enjoy is strong. But no one has any inherent right to every privilege available on Earth. Most of us have to learn patience and to be accepting of our limitations. We need to learn that for things we wish to acquire, personal sacrifice is required. We do not usurp the products of the efforts of others.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We need to develop self respect, dignity and a sense of personal honor. Stealing destroys all of these, and in the process destroys the entire civilization. Once started, there is no end. We become tolerant of theft by others (such as taxes) as we learn to become adept thieves ourselves, whether by way of medical aid fraud, insurance scams, fraudulent business practices etc. These are all manifestations of the same underlying disease. Theft is no minor issue just because, generally, no physical harm is caused to anyone, and the punishment has to reflect the seriousness of the pathology at hand.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What may these alternative punishments be?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The individual may be whipped or flogged. Here the thief’s back is usually affected. This is contrary to the underlying principles of Islam since it was not the back that was used to commit the crime. The back will heal, and the crime may be committed again. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">By removing the hand the point is also being made that this individual does not value this gift of God and does not know how to use it with respect and dignity. He has lost the right to its use. In effect, this hand will never again be a party to this crime. The idea that one can be educated against stealing is a fallacy. All the education available has failed to deter this individual, and in the absence of insanity, we have to accept that it will continue to fail.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The person may be levied a fine, which is nothing but another form of taxation and much loved by Democracies. This is most unsuitable as a deterrent. In most cases the guilty party may not have the means to pay. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does he do community service instead? If so, what is to stop him stealing from the community he is sent to serve? If he does settle the fine, what is to there to discourage him from stealing again in order to recover his “loss”? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Imprisonment transfers the burden of the crime to those who are innocent, since it is their money which is used to house and feed the criminal. This is an injustice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Whatever alternate punishment is instituted, it requires some form of permanent record keeping. Premises, equipment (stationery, cupboards, air-conditioning etc) and staff make this a costly process, and again puts a financial burden on those innocent of the crime. These records can be stolen, destroyed, either accidentally or by intent, or falsified making this system unreliable. People who wish to know about the individuals past have to endure much cost and difficulty trying to acquire this information. In time, the guilty person can easily fall victim to the temptation once more.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">All these problems are solved by the application of amputation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">No one else bears any cost or inconvenience as a result of the actions of the thief.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is a permanent reminder to the thief to resist the temptation to steal.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When dealing with such a person one is immediately aware of his past and this is important where a criminal past excludes one from occupying public office or from appearing as a witness. This practice excludes thieves from positions of responsibility. Can we say the same for today’s “Democracy”?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Moving around with the tell tale sign of the missing hand is a permanent source of embarrassment to the thief and serves to reinforce our determination not to find ourselves in that situation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Some may claim that it is inhumane to subject a person to a lifetime of humiliation for a once off crime. Who thinks in this way and who is it that wishes us to think like this? To steal the hard earned fruit of another’s efforts shows a total disregard for the welfare of others or of the pain they must endure from their loss. The items taken may have sentimental value, making them priceless and irreplaceable. There is no end to the loss. Why should anyone who does this to others not be made to bear a similar burden?</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There are advantages and disadvantages to the practice, but the good far outweighs the bad and the Almighty has guided us to it. People of wisdom should ponder on this.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We must remember to think very carefully before voicing disapproval of anything advocated by God or His messengers (PBUT). Should we have doubts, we should research the issue with sincerity and an open mind and trust that God will guide us to the truth and the proper explanation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The current education system has destroyed our foundation of thinking. We no longer think with the mind of a Believer. This is why we fail to appreciate the great wisdom and forethought behind the guidance we have received. We accept the modern understanding of “barbarism” failing to realize that its practice is rooted in injustice and slavery, something which is incomparably barbaric compared to the practical and wise advice of the Almighty.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We owe it to ourselves to revert back to the teachings of the Almighty and to strive to make our world the image of God’s vision for us. Shariah is a comprehensive system that guarantees the free will of every individual and ensures peace and security for everyone who does not violate the rights of others.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To make this a reality requires that we first revert back to Gods guidance, study it and master its reasoning. This will help us develop that degree of trust which compels us to accept all His guidance even when we feel reservations. When we act in this way, in time, He will grant us the cool tranquility of knowing that we are in the right when acting in terms of His guidance, irrespective of what the injunction may be.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">May God make this easy for all of us. Amen.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time (God willing). </div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-65493189253588470632011-02-12T12:50:00.000+02:002011-02-12T12:50:20.278+02:00Letters to the editor - Daily News (updated 12/02/2011)<div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><date day="12" month="2" year="2011"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">12 Feb 2011</span></u></strong></date><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Editor</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Daily News</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Fax: 031 308 2715</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dear Sir</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Re: Intelligence failures surrounding the recent regime changes</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In the wake of the political tsunamis in <country-region><place><country-region><place>Tunisia</place></country-region> and <country-region><place><country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region>, the total failure of the <country-region><place><country-region><place>US</place></country-region> and Israeli intelligence communities to even anticipate these has been questioned.</place></country-region></place></country-region></place></country-region></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The answer may be found in this quote by Karl Rove, consultant and political advisor to former <country-region><place><country-region><place>US</place></country-region> President George W Bush, “<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. <span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-1">And while you're studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we'll act</span> again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors ... and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”</span></place></country-region></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">When people become deluded into thinking that they alone create the realities of our existence, they show absolute contempt and disregard for everyone else. They are so preoccupied with the next “illusion of reality” they are going to create, they do not believe it possible for any other reality to exist.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">It is people with this mindset that occupy the corridors of power in the world today. This tsunami that started in the Middle East is going to sweep across the globe. For once, these people are left to study what others are doing, and how they are changing the world.The way of the past is over, and this bodes well for Democracy, liberty and freedom.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">NC Kamdar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Chatsworth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><date day="7" month="2" year="2011"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">07 February 2011</span></u></strong></date></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Editor</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Daily News</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Fax: 031 308 2715</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Re: Change in </span><country-region><place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Egypt</span></place></country-region></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The Egyptian President says he will not seek re-election and will use the remaining time before the end of his term in September to introduce democratic reforms.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Since then we have seen</div><ol style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Demonstrators attacked and killed by thugs, some of whom were shown to be carrying police ID and others who claimed they were paid by government officials to carry out the attack </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Ongoing arrests and assaults on reporters and media offices </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A continuation of the State of </span><state><place><span style="font-family: Arial;"><state><place>Emergency</place></state> with regular imposition of curfews.</span></place></state><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A person is best judged by what he does, not what he says. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">With the entire government apparatus still intact, there is nothing to prevent this dictator keeping himself in office on one excuse after another and continuing his persecution of opponents including those involved in the demonstrations.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">He and his associates cannot be trusted. Pressure must be brought to bear to force the immediate resignation of the Presidency and the People’s Assembly. The provisions of Article 84 of the Egyptian Constitution will see the <street><address><street><address>Constitutional Court</address></street> supervising the return to Democracy. There is no need to delay.</address></street></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The South African government should do what is right and add its voice to that of President Obama in calling for immediate change.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">NC Kamdar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Chatsworth.</span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><date day="6" month="2" year="2011"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">06 Feb 2011</span></u></strong></date><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Editor</span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Daily News</span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dear Sir</span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Re: Crisis in </span></u></strong><country-region><place><strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Egypt</span></u></strong></place></country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoTitle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There is much talk about Hosni Mubarak remaining as </span><country-region><place><country-region><place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Egypt</span></place></country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;">’s President until the end of his (self) appointed term, and how this is a stabilizing factor, and that those who reject this generous offer should not be supported. This is true for the </span><country-region><place><country-region><place><span style="font-family: Arial;">USA</span></place></country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;"> and </span><country-region><place><country-region><place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Israel</span></place></country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;">, giving them time to insinuate someone suitable to their goals and objectives, but not for those who risked everything to take to the streets against a tyrant of his stature. They simply do not trust him.</span></place></country-region></place></country-region></place></country-region></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">How can any sane person expect a three decade long dictator, who mercilessly crushed pro-democracy demonstrations in the past, to suddenly become a champion of democracy? No one believes this is remotely possible.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There is unlikely to be a single protestor who does not believe that the helicopters overhead are recording everything, and that when things "settle down" they will be taken out, tortured and killed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"> <span style="font-family: Arial;">The only way open to the protestors is to hold their course until the Cabinet, Parliament and Presidency resigns. They have no plan B.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The western Democractic governments prefer Mubarak while publicly voicing their support for the "principles" of Democracy. Their hypocrisy and double standards are well known to the protestors.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><country-region><place><country-region><place><span style="font-family: Arial;">Israel</span></place></country-region><span style="font-family: Arial;">’s open support for Mubarak emphasizes their confidence that their henchmen will prevail. If that is the case, it does not bode well for Democracy.</span></place></country-region></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Or is this just wishful thinking on their part?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">NC Kamdar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Chatsworth</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><date day="4" month="2" year="2011"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">04/02/2011</span></u></strong></date></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Re: Is this how Tel Aviv treats its friends?</span></u></strong> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It makes one wander what Tel Aviv was really thinking when it decided to openly support Hosni Mubarak in his stand off with the pro-democracy demonstrators, and to call for western leaders to end their criticism of his rule.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Is this how they help a friend, which we all know Mubarak is? In so doing thay have, in the public mind, consolidated the image of Mubarak being one with Mahmood Abbas, the leader of the Palestine Authority, a puppet of the Zionist State who serves no other purpose but to suppress his people, and kill them, for the good of Israel.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If this is the way one treats ones friends, who needs any enemies?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">NC Kamdar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Chatsworth</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-81584986284645831992011-02-07T10:28:00.000+02:002011-02-07T10:28:37.107+02:00Who missed the train?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I followed an interesting discussion on Al Jazeera this morning (Thurday <date day="3" month="2" year="2011">3 February 2011</date>), The host was speaking to Tariq Ramadan, the grandson of Hassan Al Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region>, and another gentleman whose name I did not get, but it sounded Eastern European. I shall call him Eastern European Gentleman (EAG).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Both were very impressive, and in their own way, supported what the other was saying about the happenings in <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> and the need for political change.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">EAG then went on to make a point about the need for for peole to act and to take responsibility for their actions, and used the following anecdote to make his point.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">He was with a Persian philosopher in a café in Iraq drinking tea, and the thinking man mentioned that it is only foolish people who on getting to the station and finding that that had missed the train, blame fate or destiny. He then added that they must look at their role in their misfortune.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I cannot say for sure whether he was representing the philosopher’s thoughts correctly; neither can I tell what Tariq Ramadan was thinking, but his mood was pensive, having lost the smile that creased his face a minute earlier.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Listening to him talk I felt that this man probably had not yet found God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The Almighty created us with free will. There is no limit to what we may plan. We do not always act on our plans. There are no consequences for planning, or just thinking about things, whether good or bad.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We may choose to act on our plans. When this happens, our intention is either “good” (do not wish to harm anyone) or “bad” (we wish to harm someone for no good reason). We do not have the power to actually give effect to our plan of action. God decides whether our action will be carried out as we had planned. He does not revoke our free will, but gives effect to our intention or vetoes it. This He does through His absolute control over all things that He has created without free will (and God knows best).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When we choose to act with good intention, God rewards us tenfold the benefit such an action will produce (and we receive this benefit whether God gives effect to our intended actions or not, and whether the actions produce our desired effect or not).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When we act out bad intentions, (or act contrary to good advice) our actions result in negative consequences for us, some in this life and some in the next. And they occur whether we believe in God or not, and whether we are aware of the association between the act and the consequence or not.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When our intended actions are contrary to God’s guidance we end up with consequences that God was helping us avoid (for eg. the Jews who fled Egypt with Prophet Moses (PBUH) wandered through the desert for forty years as a result of failing to act on Gods guidance to attack the inhabitants of a particular area. They brought this consequence upon themselves). It is these negative consequences that we bring upon ourselves that is commonly referred to as “God’s punishment”, and God knows best.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God helps us along in life in a silent and “hidden” manner. We are not aware of Him acting because it is a continuous and lifelong process. His involvement with us is there all the time. We either learn to recognize it or are blind to it. It is much like someone in an airplane; we feel the initial acceleration and then nothing even though the plane is still traveling at a great speed. The initial acceleration occurs at conception.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">He does this by selectively giving effect or not giving effect to an intention of ours. Consequently He, and by implication His help, is always with us (we are told He is closer to us than our Jugular Vein). When a train is missed, it is because God had intended it to be so, and there is usually an important reason underling this decision. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Sometimes we discover the connection between the missed train and the benefit this confers, but not always. God knows best. But things happen for our overall benefit, if only we can put our trust in God, become accepting of His decisions, and learn from them, instead of obstinately fighting against them and constantly trying to find someone to blame for our perceived mishaps ( either by way of demanding apologies or pursuing lawsuits).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As an aside, we should note that when we hold others responsible for what happens, we are saying that it was in the exclusive power of that individual to do things in a certain way and must therefore bear responsibility. We are attributing to them the power that is the domain of the Almighty alone. This is an example of how we attribute partners with God, called shirk, in Arabic. No one is worthy of such honor.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Getting back to what I was saying. Let me share one experience with you. I had a meeting to attend at my son’s school (it was compulsory!) and it was scheduled during my consulting hours. I was getting late, and the last patient was taking much longer than I had expected. The conversation was drifting to matters none medical. Towards the end I was made aware of an educational institution which my son was looking for, but which I did not know existed. My delay had a purpose and by being “patient” I enjoyed the benefit. Such things have happened before, and they happen to all of us all the time if only we practiced identifying them. Incidentally, I was 10 minutes late, the other parents having already arrived, but for some unknown reason, the meeting also started 10 minutes late. Coincidence? I didn’t think so.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There are two important lessons we can learn from this.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Firstly, God provides assistance. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Secondly, This assistance is provided to everyone, the pious and the ordinary, those who worship Him and those who deny His existence; and proof of this is the fact that I, who has no claim to any distinction as a Muslim, can feel God’s help in my life. All we need to do is learn how to interpret it and allow it to benefit us. Without the correct mental foundation, we misinterpret every action we experience, and instead of learning from them and drawing closer to God, we force ourselves further away.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We may protest that if everything is in God’s power, and that all actions must be sanctioned by Him, why does he not intervene and block our actions and in so doing make the world a better place? Why do we have all these wars and bloodshed?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To intervene to this extent would mean totally over riding our free will. There will be no possibility of freedom, or accountability. We will have lost the essence of what it means to be human. It would be saying that in order to make the world a better place, God will have to destroy us first..</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God is telling us that the world will be a better place if this is what we seek, and if we choose to act with that intention. Then He will make it happen. God does not change the condition of a people until they change it themselves. What we see happening in the world is a manifestation of our intentions or lack of it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We need not fear death, since that can only take place at its allotted time. What we need is to fearlessly champion liberty and freedom, and God will take care of the rest.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Only foolish people who on getting to the station and finding that that had missed the train, blame fate or destiny. The wish person does not blame himself, he thanks God for His intervention and seeks the benefit he knows this is meant to bring him.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I think EAG may have missed the train on this one.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">How many trains do we have to miss before we realize that in some instances this is necessary, and in others, there was probably no train to begin with?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-34656006242629598112011-02-01T13:18:00.000+02:002011-02-01T13:18:44.464+02:00Uprising in Egypt<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The land of the Pharaohs is an ancient Civilization and one which is a constant source of enlightenment.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> is a democracy, something we must not lose sight of. People in power describe other governments according to their strategic self interest. Yesterday it was a Democracy, and today it is called a dictatorship, yet nothing has changed in that time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> is a Democracy. It has a Parliament. There are regular elections. Parliament makes laws. A judiciary interprets these laws. A police force enforces them. They have a State President. <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> is a Democracy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I am emphasizing this point because what is true about <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> is true of all Democracies. We may not notice it because the truth is usually carefully camouflaged, but when those in power are challenged, the true colors are revealed, and what underlies all democracies is no different from what we see in <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> today. And we need to take this seriously because we, too, live under a Democracy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are told Parliament represents us. When laws are made they are in our best interest. The Military is our force for our benefit. <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> exposes the worst of Democracy and we must not lose this opportunity to learn the lessons.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As in <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> and elsewhere, Parliament does not represent us; the laws are made irrespective of our views, and often against the wishes of the majority. The military is funded by us but is not answerable to us, and will often be used against us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The commentary on television can be very illuminating. The visuals on one occasion showed members of the public directing traffic, cleaning up the streets and introducing security checks in their neighborhoods at night. Order was being restored by the people.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The commentator described what we were seeing as “scenes of utter chaos”. What would cause someone to see exactly what I have described and to interpret it in this way? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I do not believe that there was any malicious intent. This is simply the reflection of how she was brought up to think. In her mind, if we do something for ourselves, this is “utter chaos”, but when we are acting under instructions (of someone else), that is order.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is the slave mind, created by social engineering, mind controlled and the subject of extensive indoctrination. Things are in plain sight yet we are unable to see.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This also manifested in another aspect of the commentary. There was a hysterical cry of “where is the police?” when they were no longer visible on the streets. Those interviewed and the commentator where equally distressed by this.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We have become programmed to think that safety and security means having the police around. We have learned to see them as a source of comfort. We have lost our trust in the Almighty and in our own ability to defend ourselves. We have been slaves for so long that we no longer know how to live as free people, in much the same as an animal bred in captivity that is now released into the wild. It will take time, but we will learn, if we give ourselves the chance.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Free people defend themselves. They have weapons and need no ones consent to carry or use them. They do not need or want others, including police, telling them what to do. There is no fear when this armed wing of government is absent.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Finally, there is a persistent clamor for clarification on “who is to lead”. Under slave systems, it is unimaginable that we will simply lead our lives as we wish, without anyone having to tell us what we may or may not do, without decisions being made for us, on our behalf, without our consent, and which we are forced to go along with even if we disagreed. With the outpouring of people on the streets, for the purpose of replacing the regime, the cry from the commentators is, “who will lead”? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Why is this so?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">People are leading themselves but a slave cannot understand this, neither, I suspect, can most of the people themselves. This is a new experience.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There will be numerous leaders at different levels. National leaders will be decided upon during elections, not now. By creating a “leader” what it does is hamstrung the entire process by placing authority in the hands of a single person, one who can potentially be bought, and this has been the sorry history of Middle Eastern politics. It prevents the honest and spontaneous actions of people as they strive to end the tyranny they have been forced to endure for over three decades.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">And here lies another interesting observation. When people act as a group with a leader, their actions are criticized as being “orchestrated” and not spontaneous. When people act spontaneously, there are demands for a leader.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As Egypt braces itself for the planned “million man march” in Cairo, the military, which has been building barricades around Liberation Square during the night, says it is one with the people, will not fire on them, and is there simply to maintain law and order. Whose law, we may well ask?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The people are on the streets because they no longer consider their government legitimate, and that means their laws as well. The Army promises to enforce these “laws”. How can they enforce them and still be at one with the people? Who is the army really protecting? If they are one with the people, then they too must accept that the government is illegitimate, and as such they can no longer enforce their laws. They are duty bound to remove the illegitimate people from office. The people are being hamstrung by the very people who claim to be with them, and this has been the sorry history of this ancient land. Today, <date day="1" month="2" year="2011">01 February 2011</date> is a watershed day.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The Egyptian people are in revolt (they are not revolting as I heard one commentator say). They are leading by themselves and need no “leadership for this. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The <country-region><place>United States of America</place></country-region> and others like it wish to see another puppet replace their current one. They parrot the lie of seeking “democracy” and for the will of the people to be respected, but are quick to note that it did not work out as they would have liked in Occupied Palestine and the same is almost certain to happen here.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There are renewed cries for increased support for the only Democracy in the <place>Middle East</place>, <country-region><place>Israel</place></country-region>. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Is <country-region><place>Iran</place></country-region> not a Democracy? It has a Parliament. It holds regular elections. The police maintain order. The judiciary interprets the law, but <country-region><place>Iran</place></country-region>, according to these people, is not a Democracy, it is an Islamo-fascist dictatorship (sic).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There will be false cries for the “strengthening” of Democracy in the Middle East in the light of the happenings in Egypt, the very opposite of what western dictators actually want. What can be more ironic? This is what the poor Egyptian people believe is best for them, and this is exactly what the "Democratic" west wishes to deny them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I think the point has been made; they are all Democracies - <country-region><place>Iran</place></country-region>, <country-region><place>Israel</place></country-region>, <country-region><place>USA</place></country-region>, <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region>, <country-region><place>UK</place></country-region>, France, Russia etc. All are Democracies and they are all bad. The only difference between them is the extent to which they are corrupt and the degree to which they keep up the veneer of “freedom”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The <country-region><place>USA</place></country-region> does this pretty well by having 2 dominant political parties, both of which follow the same primary policies, making it impossible for the people to introduce change no matter how many times they change from one to the other. And most do not see the futility of their actions. They have a ruthless security apparatus and a total disregard for the privacy of individuals.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What we require is the perfect system that is the product of the Perfect Designer, whose objective is to protect our freedom and to maintain peace, and is one which recognizes who the real “Supreme Authority” actually is, and one which needs no modification till the end of time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Do we wish to remain under the dictatorship of a “Democracy”, or do we want the freedom to be ourselves? <country-region><place>Egypt</place></country-region> is moving painfully from one manifestation of dictatorship to another. What do we do for ourselves?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time (God willing)</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-41869160803901044762011-01-31T20:39:00.000+02:002011-01-31T20:39:25.030+02:00Guidance and law that is valid till the last day?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A mind trapped in “The Evolution Syndrome” cannot envisage a message being valid till the end of time. Everything changes, our mind tells us, so our laws and our approach too must change. We are evolving and improving all the time, so our laws must change in tandem.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Such a mind cannot envisage that there can exist any thing that is already at the end point, some thing that is already the ultimate best and for which there can be no more “improvement” or evolution.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Such a mind cannot envisage God, or the divine knowledge from God which is at its maximum of competence and relevance and for which there can be no improvement, no need for change.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What is this message for which no change is needed?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is commonly referred to as the message of the last Prophet (PBUH), which is true, but it is not exclusively his; it was in fact the message of all prophets (PBUT). While many (especially "Muslims") do accept that the message is valid till the last day, no one seems to ask a very pertinent question, from when does its validity begin? This knowledge, which God has shared with mankind and which is meant for all mankind, has been valid from the beginning of creation and will remain as such till the last day. This is in stark contrast to everything held "sacred" by the evolution mindset.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What is this message? What follows are some of the important aspects.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is only one God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God alone is competent to make laws. The one we worship is the one whose laws (directives) we follow, hence, the directives of God are the only ones worthy of being followed, ie God is the only one worthy of being worshipped.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The poor have a right to a small portion of what God grants us as earning; this is not ours and is their right. Failing to honour this trust is a grave injustice, and has the effect of polluting our entire wealth just as a drop of urine pollutes an entire barrel of water. Everything that is acquired with this polluted wealth is itself polluted and a source of pain, not a source of comfort.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Abstinence or fasting is recommended and has great spiritual and physical benefits.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Four actions are crimes against God, and if the criteria for guilt are met, the perpetrators qualify for the prescribed punishment, and there is no exception. These are adultery, theft, robbery and perjury. We are not authorized to criminalize any other action.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Any one who feels his rights have been violated is entitled to bring his complaint before a competent adjudicator.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We should always uphold the truth, even against our self and family, fulfill all our pledges and keep all our promises.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">All debts should be paid as agreed upon, or earlier if possible since no one knows when we are to die. No debt is anulled by death or the passage of time and one will be held accountable for all unpaid debts on the day of judgment.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Respect and honour our parents, but not to the extent that we violate Gods guidance.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Be kind and protective to the orphan, traveler, the infirm and the poor.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Everyone is created with free will and no one may violate the free will of another, or allow their own free will to be violated (we are born free and guided on how we can preserve our freedom).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Everyone is born subservient to the will of God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We all have common ancestors in Adam and Eve (PBUT), this makes us all members of one family. Our differences are there to help us identify each another, and not for us to despise one another.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Everyone is born pure and sin free; to be born otherwise would be an injustice (answerable for a sin that was not of our doing).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">No one is accountable for the deeds of another, only for our own.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Everyone will be treated with full justice, and any claims brought against us on the Day of Judgment will be backed with full proof.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We will all be tested, whether we recognize the existence of God or not, but we will not be tasked with a burden that is greater than our capability.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Guidelines on things that we should avoid (that we should treat as "forbidden") apply to all mankind, whether we acknowledge them as such or not.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Man has a status higher than woman, this means a degree of responsibility that is greater, and has been made differently so as to be able to fulfill this greater responsibility.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God judges us on our piety, and nothing else.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God judges our actions on the basis of our intention.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our actions only qualify as a service to God if done in a manner accepted by God and when done exclusively for Him. Actions not approved by God can never be a source of benefit or a way by which we worship God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We should seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave. God has created the world in such a way that the knowledge he wishes to share with us can be learned through observation of his creations.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The time of our birth and of our death are determined before we are born; we cannot influence the quantity of our life, only the quality.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Satan has vowed to subjugate man (make man his slave, deprive man of his free will). He deceives us by mixing truth with falsehood. We are guided to protect ourselves against him.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Nothing that the Messenger’s of God did or implied varied from the above. They are guidelines that are truly eternal, and valid to the last day. God has promised to protect and preserve this guidance which we can access in the Quraan and the practice of God’s last Messenger on Earth (PBUH)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">These guidelines are valid from the beginning to the end of time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In keeping with the promise not to place a burden on us greater than we can bear, God has spared us the responsibility of making laws. All the guidance and directives we require for a successful stay on Earth have been revealed. Any addition or subtraction on our part is retrogressive and to our detriment..</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our duty is to ensure that no one violates the rights of anyone else; that everyone is free. The role of Government is not to make laws, but to give effect to the guidance of God, and in practical terms, it means ensuring that the free will of no one is violated and that those who are guilty of the prescribed crimes are duly punished. Our government is supposed to help preserve our freedom and keep the peace.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The guidance is simple, so that everyone can understand them, and will be in a position to recognize when attempts are made to violate them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It becomes abundantly clear that involuntary taxation is theft and strictly forbidden. It is the yoke on the beast of burden, on the human slave. No one is free if burdened in this manner.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It should be clear to anyone who is honest and unbiased, that these guides are “evergreen”; that they have been valid from the beginning of creation, and will be valid till the end of time? This is why it is possible for every human to be judged fairly (in relation to their contemporaries as well as people of other eras).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When we create our own criteria of what qualifies as good or bad, right or wrong, we do not worship God but ourselves.When we make our own laws, we are treading on the exclusive domain of the Almighty. Failure is a certainty. Everyone has the right to do this in terms of our free will, but it denies us the hidden benefits that are present in certain actions only, and these are the ones God has sanctioned and guides us towards. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">They are hidden simply because the way in which God created us makes it almost impossible for us to make the connections between our actions and all their consequences. God, in His infinite mercy does not deprive us of this benefit which we are incapable of appreciating because of no fault of our own. All that is required of us is to place our trust in Him. By following God’s guidance we are led to these benefits and protected from those actions that lead to negative consequences which we are similarly incapable of anticipating or predicting.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Do we acknowledge God’s infinite wisdom and follow His perfect guidance, or do we follow a course of trial by error. If we do not act to secure our freedom, we will not have the luxury of choice; that decision will be made for us. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Do we dare take this risk? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time (God willing).</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-61052365675896937912011-01-29T13:06:00.000+02:002011-01-29T13:06:17.118+02:00The Evolution Syndrome<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In an earlier post I discussed the Theory of Evolution, explained how Charles Darwin was perfectly within his right as a scholar, scientist and thinker to propose a possible explanation for offspring resembling their parents. With the discovery of chromosomes this mystery was solved, and with it <city><place>Darwin</place></city>’s theory was proven wrong. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The facts are there for all to see.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What we need to ask is how is it possible for this theory to still be around, after all these years, for it to be presented as a fact in schools and the media, and for this to be promoted by people from all walks of life (media, politics, industry, academia at every level). This is the same as having the whole world believe that scurvy is due to a virus (which was the theory until that too was disproved).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What becomes obvious from the outset is that the people behind this falsehood have great influence at the highest level across almost every facet of society. There is no other explanation bearing in mind the irrefutable evidence against the Theory of Evolution.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">All of us are affected in some way or another by this grand deception.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The first and most obvious consequence is the uncertainty that is created in our minds. No one can prove that we were not created, because we were. The objective is not to prove the point, only to create a doubt, while building on the lie as if it were a truth.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Most of us can avoid forbidden fruit most of the time. There will, however, arise that instance when we are most vulnerable and at our weakest. KNOWING that He is there, that we will have to answer to Him and that there are consequences for failing enables us to resist. Even the slightest doubt can cause us to fail. It is at times like this that these doubts influence our mind; maybe evolution is true; what if there is no God? What if this is not really “wrong”? When this happens we are as good as lost. In the sober light of day we will regret deeply our actions, but the harm has already been done.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We strengthen ourselves not for our day to day challenges, but for that instance which we may have to face possibly only once in our life. Our entire preparation is for that occasion. If we fail, then everything we had done in the past, all our preparations have been in vain, and many people have found how their entire lives just unravel because of just such an instance.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is this doubt that is our greatest enemy, and if we are one of those affected, we owe it to ourselves to re-examine the facts that prove <city><place>Darwin</place></city>’s theory was proven wrong. Once we study this fully, we realize how, in the creation of the world we live in, God is helping us understand that He exists, and by implication that there is life after death. We will accept more readily that there is a Day of Judgment; that we will be held accountable, that angels do exist, and that Heaven and Hell are real.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><city><place>Darwin</place></city>’s theory also impacts on our approach to other Divine matters. Since we are in a state of doubt, nothing about life is certain, and our life becomes a constant search as we try to discover the truth of our existence. Our entire life becomes a quest as we search for this answer. This results in people formulating thousands of different “theories”, adopting numerous techniques, and experimenting with untold new “beliefs” in an effort to acquire this “truth”. This is a social manifestation of the evolution mindset, it is a manifestation of the malady I call “The Evolution Syndrome”, which is a compendium of consequences that follow our entertaining the possibility that we evolved into our present form.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In a world produced through evolution, nothing can be fixed or constant. Change is essential and perpetual. Those of us who fall into the trap spend our entire lives searching for something which cannot be found by the process we are using to find it. This is because there is no end point to the process of evolution (hence there can be no end point to our search).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The moment organisms stop changing, evolution ends, and when this happens, the theory of Evolution itself is destroyed (unicellular organisms which reach a stable state and evolve no further brings evolution to an end so higher forms such as humans would not be able to evolve. The existence of primitive forms that remain distinct from the beginning of creation therefore means we could not have evolved).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Under the theory of Evolution, no organism can reach a state of “maturity” or “ultimate” development, because there is always another change the organism can undergo. Evolution is a never ending process. Hence the truth we seek regarding our purpose on earth can never be discovered.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Even if, by chance, the most advanced form of life that is possible does evolve, evolution would continue and undo what good had been achieved because it cannot know when to stop. It is a never ending process leading no where. When we are trapped in this mindset, we too keep searching not sure if something better, or “more true” lay in the next theory or the one after that, and life becomes a perpetual search, a perpetual waste. “The” answer will forever remain elusive.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When we realize that our creation is the process of deliberate design, we are directed to this source for the answer to our question, and in the process we learn what we must do to fulfill this objective. We are no longer swayed by constant doubt; we become focused.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Do not be misled into thinking that this makes life any less challenging. It is possibly even more so than that of the constant searcher. Reaching the high standards we seek will only be possible for a few, but even so, being on the right path itself confers so many advantages that we may still succeed in our ultimate objective (of proving our worthiness of our place in Paradise) despite our shortcomings.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is those who have not “discovered God” that see a life spent this way as one spent in vain, not realizing that what they are describing is their own existence.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God created us. He knows we cannot perceive Him with the senses with which we were created. But He has given us the means of deducing and “feeling” His presence, if only we use the tools wisely.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Thirdly, the evolution syndrome impacts on our relations with others in society. We are more accommodating of man made legal systems that are constantly changing, forever trying to get better. We accept the making and breaking of laws, and the constant change this involves. It is in keeping with our understanding of an “evolving” existence. We do not have the ability to recognize how our actions serve only to prove the inherent defectiveness of this system.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We believe that the law must evolve to continue meeting the needs of changing circumstances, failing to acknowledge that the reason the law keeps changing is because it has never been able to meet the needs of any circumstance.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We do not realize how schizophrenic this makes us. We know but deny the stable world around us that is intolerant of change. We fail to acknowledge how our body is designed to protect itself against changes. We impose upon this stability our deranged belief that change is the natural order of things. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God has guided us with knowledge that will be valid and true to the last day. There is no need to change because the guidance is perfect, and something like this cannot be improved upon.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There are only four crimes by definition. No one may legitimately enact any law criminalizing our normal daily activities (which are sanctioned by God). We have free will. We may only be bound by our duty not to violate the rights of others. What is right and what is wrong has been explained by God, the One with the knowledge of everything, the One who has the Ultimate Answers. No searching on our part can ever produce, by trial and error, a better model and a better blue print than that which He has given us. It is the ultimate model.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Furthermore, which normal person accepts something as a store of wealth, as “money”, if it is created on a photocopier by privileged individuals, and where we have to pay for the privilege to use it (as we are forced to pay interest on the use of paper money), and whose value can change on a daily basis on the whims and fancies of privileged individuals. There is no point in accumulate it since it has no intrinsic value, and these “notes” may even be withdrawn from circulation making it truly totally worthless. Its value depreciates with time, literally evaporating its worth.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Only those afflicted with this malady can. And that is us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are forced to accept this useless waste in return for our hard labour. We cannot change to a gold based currency because laws prevent us from doing this. This fact should make us aware of our slave like situation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God helps by giving us the answers we seek, but this does not fit in with our distorted view of reality. The victim of “evolution syndrome” cannot believe that an ideal answer can exist, that it is possible to have one, and that no “evolution” is necessary to further improve on it, so we scoff at it; such is the effect of this malady.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Under the effect of this syndrome the truth will be in full view but we will fail to recognize it and will accept obvious falsehood in its place. It is as if we are under a form of mass hypnosis. We are no different from the Emperor who parades his nakedness boasting his new clothes and convinced they are good because of the approval from those around him. We know the lies as the truth because everyone around us accepts them as such, and most importantly, because of the ridicule that follows when we think differently.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This disease is the basis of our relationship with politicians.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We accept their promises even when we know they don’t mean a word they say. When their lies are reveled in concrete form (eg.wikileaks) we allow them to hunt down those who exposed them, and to do untold harm to them instead of rounding them up and seeing that justice is served.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The original Theory of Evolution was about science, its subsequent abuse is not; it is about social engineering, and we engineer a mind by detaching it from its real roots, and giving it a new identity. In this way, we can make this mind do anything we want it to do and it will oblige thinking that this is what it wants. It is part of a mind control exercise.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Are we the product of God, or do we allow ourselves to become the product of satan? That is the choice we are faced with.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time (God willing).</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-57473215449766983262011-01-27T12:20:00.000+02:002011-01-27T12:20:16.177+02:00Riding the Interfaith Express… have we checked the destination?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Welcome once again to those who have accepted my invitation to visit and share your thoughts here. It is good to have you.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">During my internet search for suitable people to invite to this blog, I was taken by surprised at the number of organizations worldwide that are dedicated to the aspect of “interfaith” activities.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Not only is this done at local level, even the United Nations is involved in some way or other. Governments are actively involved in promoting this phenomenon.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The time is overdue, I believe, for us to pause, sit back, take a deep breath and reflect on this?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The storyline is very simple. There is great diversity in our religious beliefs and practices. This is a fact. In society there are times when people act violently or disparagingly towards others. This too is a fact. We are told that this is due to “religious intolerance” or prejudice. This is a theory that is presented as fact. Based on this we find hundreds of organizations springing up ostensibly to help people understand each other so that these unwanted acts may no longer happen.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Another objective of “interfaith” discourse apparently is for us to get to know each other’s faith. It appears that attempts are made to understand other faiths, and in so doing discover some “common ground” between them, study these and then work towards formulating a code of practice that in some way incorporates the essential aspects of everyone’s belief. In this way we all become as one.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us begin by examining the first.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Who becomes a member of such groups if not people who are already tolerant of the views of others? They are the ones who are prepared to meet and discuss and work with people of different beliefs. Those who really need to learn to interact with other groups usually never join, and if they do, because of their “disruptive” ideas, are usually the ones that are kicked out.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The very people that need to be there are the ones that are explicitly excluded. There is no hope ever of these groups solving the problem of religious intolerance. In fact, the intolerance displayed by members of such groups to those who are perceived as being “intolerant of others” makes the whole situation farcical.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Intolerance of others by some will always be a fact of life. Religion is not the only factor. Social standing, education, assets, physical appearance popularity, nationality, race are all factors that separate us and which form the basis of “intolerance”. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We do not solve the problem of intolerance by bringing together people who are already tolerant of the views of others. We solve this problem by strengthening the existing religious institutions (not dismantling them), fostering the bond of family (the building block of society), by ensuring proper and relevant education (not destructive indoctrination with politically motivated ideologies) and by developing a system that ensures swift and efficient justice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">None of this is possible in a slave world. This only happens when people are free. This objective can therefore not be met under the prevailing political environment and neither is the problem of intolerance solved by these interfaith groups.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us look briefly at the second aspect, where we come together, understand each other, and formulate a code of practice “respectful of all groups present”. Have we actually stopped and asked ourselves what is actually happening here?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Those of us who have a close association with God are convinced that our belief and practice is God ordained (we act in terms of God's guidance to us, not on some arbitrary personal preference). We practice this “religiously” to gain God’s blessing. If we are right, there is no need to make any change to our practice. If we are wrong, and someone else is correct, then we have to adopt their practice so as to obtain the blessing of God since we only obtain Gods blessing if we act according to His guidance. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we come together and make up our own practice by bringing together practices from different faiths, we are now creating our own religion. We are no longer worshipping God but ourselves. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Those who think and act in this way have not truly “found” God, do not appreciate that true “religious” practice is God inspired and do not understand the need to heed Gods advice as a means of earning God’s pleasure, and are, at best, nominal members of a faith, if at all.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The danger here is that these people may cause their confusion and lack of true faith to confuse and mislead those of faith who are not learned enough to recognize such people. They serve not to promote interfaith cohesion, but faith destruction. Such groups serve the fanciful egos of those who actually have no true connection with God. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">An organization that is true to interfaith discourse is one which shows its respect of other beliefs by respecting the other person’s determination not to have his belief challenged or interfered with in any way. Working together is not about having common ground in belief, but common ground in issues that are of common concern. Our faith and its practice can never be on the agenda. We accept as a given fact that common ground exists between our practices because we believe all are originally inspired by God. We do not need to meet to spell out the similarities.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If the stated purpose of the group is to learn about the faith of others, then they are being deceptive, since everyone with a little common sense knows that we learn about a faith from the source material, not the fallible people who are always getting things wrong. If I truly wanted to learn about Islam and I chose to learn this from Muslims, I would never be a Muslim today, and I am quite certain the same applies to other faiths as well. These groups become a forum where one persons part perception of his supposed faith is debated with another person’s distorted version of his supposed faith, and in the end everyone leaves with no faith at all.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">These groups therefore serve as a platform for the eventual destruction of ones association with God. They should more correctly be called the “out – er – faith groups”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us examine the aspect of interfaith studies as manifested in the practice of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A close and pious companion, Umar (RA) obtained a few pages of the Torah, and when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) saw this, his displeasure was evident. He explained that if Prophet Moses (PBUH) was present, he too would have followed the teachings as God had revealed to them (and by implication, not that which was in the pages he held).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">He was making it clear that we do not need to study all the old texts, because God had crystallized the essential teachings for all mankind and for all time. Our duty is to try and learn and understand this properly, rather than wasting precious time with older and outdated texts, without this in any way intending to be any disrespect to them. They are teachings from God also, but the latest edition was the most relevant, and we have hardly enough time to study, understand, and apply this alone, without having to incur the added burden of studying the teachings which have already been rescinded.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">From this we can deduce that interfaith studies which encompasses the study of older religious texts for what ever purpose was not sanctioned by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) migrated to Medina, and established the first “state”, a treaty was entered into with the other major group in Medina, the Jewish community, which laid down many guidelines not least of which was measures to ensure their mutual freedom and safety. Such “interfaith” activities, therefore, are supported.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Interfaith groups help bring together tolerant people who can work with others. This is good as a start, but to be of any real relevance, it must form the platform for political change that will bring about our freedom and so bring an end to a myriad problems that beset us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Through these forums, people who are capable of living and working with people of different faiths need to use this new found unity to overcome our common problems, and the highest on the list is the need to replace our slave like system with one which ensures freedom for all.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If it becomes a substitute for political action, or acts to prevent participation at the political level, or worse, joins with the political establishment to preserve and protect it in return for small favors, then we are best served by excluding ourselves from them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">One aspect of interfaith discourse has seen different groups coming together to “solve” social problems, such as by way of hunger relief. The danger here is that the perception is created among the masses that this is how we solve these problems. The true solution lay in addressing the cause, not the manifestations. Slavery in its diverse ways has the effect of creating the poverty and starvation that we see. When we feed the starving, we are actually hiding from view the evil manifestations of our slave like system.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We solve the problem by ending the slavery. Feeding them makes us feel good, but is not the solution. If we are honest that our actions are a stop gap measure, then plans to end the slavery have to be a part of our strategy. If not, then we are no longer a part of the solution, we have become a part of the problem.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We must not paint all groups with the same brush; some may involve people sincerely trying to learn about other faiths. If this applies to you, my advice is to approach a reputable institution of that faith, get a list of recommended reading material, and obtain these from libraries of that faith, or over the internet. When faced with questions, bring these to a recognized learned elder of that faith. This is the responsible way of learning about God’s teachings. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The views of the man on the street regarding people of other faiths is influenced not by seeing clerics of different faiths working together, but by his personal relationship with members of other faith of a daily basis. His view is not affected by what these clerics mouth in public, but by what is said in the relative privacy within the walls of the places of worship. If we truly wish peace between people, the clerics must spell this out from the pulpits and the mimbars. There is no need for public displays of “unity”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When we become a part of “interfaith” groups, we need to clearly define why we join and what we hope to achieve. There is a danger that these groups may be as great a threat to those of us with true faith in God as the problems we are trying to solve, if not greater.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The devil always makes his deception appear appealing to us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We, the true believers in God (of every denomination), must exercise extreme care and caution lest this vehicle becomes the Trojan horse of our time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time (God willing).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-17830776273458753622011-01-24T17:20:00.000+02:002011-01-24T17:20:05.362+02:00Fear<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we experience fear, does this mean we are cowards?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is a loaded question so I will not venture an answer. What I will do is explain why this question is raised.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Many things that we do are controlled by fear. We may fear the wrath of Government so we avoid doing or saying certain things. Our fear of God, employers, thugs and bullies etc all may play a part in influencing our behavior in some way or other, but we may not always acknowledge the fear, and in some cases, especially where our actions have been controlled for very long, we may not even realize that such an underlying fear actually exists.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">An important step on the road to freedom is not only recognising this fear, but learning how to overcome it. It is through fear that most tyrants extract our "loyalty".</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This question is most pertinent in the context of what I believe we have to do in order to restore our freedom. Many of us may not even wish to think about this because it involves taking a stand against the established powers of our time, who ever they may be. There is a fear of repercussions.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When it involves standing up to power, we choose not to think about the problems. In this way our conscience is at ease; “Ignorance is bliss” rings very true.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We carry on our sorry lives, believing that we trust in God, that we worship God alone, and that we are very good and devout Christians, Muslims, Hindu etc who must qualify for Paradise without realizing that our failure to respond is evidence of the very opposite, ie, the absence of faith in God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God has power over everything. Nothing can happen without His consent. These are things we rattle off like school children boasting off our memorization of nursery rhymes. But if we truly believed this, then we would also be aware that nothing can happen but by the will of God. We will be confident that when we act in His service, we enjoy His protection. We know also that to act contrary to His guidance will cause us to incur His displeasure.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Armed with this knowledge, it should be impossible for our actions to be guided by anything but the fear of the displeasure of God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When our slave like existence becomes apparent to us, and the need to be free as part of our service to God hits our conscious mind, there should be no concern about the potential difficulties we must overcome. We should simply act in terms of what is right. Thoughts of secondary benefits or luxuries that we may lose should never enter the equation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A Worshipper of God does what is right (as defined by God) irrespective of who is concerned. It is this that distinguishes us from those who no longer worship God in sincerity.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When our actions are guided by fear of the consequences of displeasing some worldly “power”, without realizing it, what we are doing is placing this power on par, if not superior to God. Our actions say that we do not believe that God can protect us from them. It says that we surrender to them and do as we are told. It means we have become worshippers of these powers and are therefore no longer exclusive worshippers of God. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It means our claim that “there is no God but God” is no longer true and that when we are assembled on the Day of Judgment, it will be as non-believers.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Think very deeply on this.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The defense of ignorance is no longer valid.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We have a duty, and we need to see that this duty is fulfilled. We need to free ourselves, and in so doing to give effect to our God given right of free-will; this means we have to act. We need to ensure that we do not contribute to the enslavement of others; this means we cannot remain inactive.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We need to share this message with as many people as we can. When the time comes to vote, we must do so fearlessly and without exception.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Being afraid is normal. When this happens we remind ourselves that all power rests with God, we invoke Gods protection, and we are afraid no more. This is how we worship God. If we become afraid then act against what is right, we are serving the cause of satan; we are worshipping him. This is how we reject God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is by our intention that God judges us, and He is never fooled. It is by our actions that our fellow man judges us, and action, as we all know, speaks louder than words.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">How are we going to act?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-81702282594810816062011-01-22T13:20:00.000+02:002011-01-22T13:20:02.504+02:00But isn’t Sharia a Muslim Thing?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Like most important questions in life, there is no simple answer. One would be correct in this instance if one answered yes… and no.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I have been stating repeatedly that shariah is the best system of government for everyone. Perhaps it is time I explained a little more why this is so, just I case I failed to make the point.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To understand the answer I gave, we return to the question of how God guides us. There is no compulsion. The advice given is for our benefit, and it is up to us whether we follow the advice or not.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I previously used the example of the candle. God guides us not to touch the flame. If we reject the advice, we get burnt. This is not punishment, simply the consequence of not heeding good advice. I mentioned also that we do not know all the possible long term consequences of our actions, and that it is difficult for us to make the connection between our actions and the negative consequences which may only manifest years or decades later. God is aware of these and advises us in advance. If we do not heed the advice, the consequences are ours to bear.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What we must remember is that whether we believe in God or not, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>worship Him or not, or choose to follow God’s advice or not, we are all God’s children, and God never abandons any of us. His advice is likewise for all of us. It makes no different what our relation with God is, if we touch the flame we get burnt. The flame does not burn us only if we worship God, or only if we do not, in much the same way that rain falls on everyone without prejudice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is an important point, because the same applies in the case of Shariah; it is advice from God for all His children, whether we recognize Him or not.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are not expected to impose our views (even if these views or based 100% on God’s advice for us). In other words, God does not impose His guidance on us and He expects us to practice the same restraint. To do otherwise and claim that this is done “in the name of God” is gross misrepresentation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God expects us to live our lives giving full expression to our free-will, and to ensure that everyone else is allowed to do the same. When we chose to follow Gods advice, it is done voluntarily and out of conviction, not coercion.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We cannot force women to wear the hijab or forcibly prevent them, neither can we force men to wear a beard or to be clean shaven, and so is the case with everything else.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Four crimes have been defined for which there is prescribed punishment. In everything else we do, we may act in terms of God’s guidance (worship God) or our own opinion (worship ourselves). The choices we make determine the consequences we face.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">You may choose to gamble. I may not. I may advise you against it, but I cannot force you to stop. The consequences of gambling will be yours to bear. Only one whose rights have been violated may bring a charge against someone else. When you gamble, you are violating the rights of no one so no one can have any claim against you. This is how free people live.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Shariah is the best system of government for every human being, but what it requires is people who are willing to make it a reality. Assuming power and making laws that impose aspects of God’s guidance is not Shariah, and I have made this point repeatedly because we have observed others acting in this way, calling it Shariah, and creating the false impression that this is what Shariah is all about.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is the system which makes it mandatory on us to guarantee our own freedom and to ensure that peace prevails. This is what we do “in the name of God”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When our safety is left in the care of someone else, we lose both our safety and our freedom. This is another message that Shariah delivers. We are personally responsible, neither should we abdicate this responsibility (give it up voluntarily) nor should we allow others to assume it by force (involuntarily). If we do, we surrender as slaves.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We have a great responsibility to bring about the necessary change that ensures true freedom, and this obligation rests on all of us, whether we have found God or not, and the system we choose to adopt should be the one guided by God, and we should accept this despite the fact that we do not accept God’s existence. We should judge the product by putting it to the test, not by our personal views of God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I began by answering the question with a yes… and no. Here is the reason why.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Each of us is born totally submissive to God. Hence, by definition, everyone is born Muslim. Our home and other environments may have the effect of influencing us away from this state of total submission. Many of us realize our error, and by the grace of the Almighty, restore our true relationship with God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Because each of us is born Muslim, we can say that Shariah is “a Muslim thing”. But seen from a different perspective, since not all of us acknowledge our birth right, Shariah would then not be considered exclusively “a Muslim thing”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Which ever way we see it, this is the best way for those of us who want nothing else but to live our lives in peace, minding our own business, and having no inclination to stick our noses in the affairs of others or having any grandiose ideas of “ruling over” them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If this is you, then perhaps together we, and others like us, can come together and make this vision a reality.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-57058850130807732362011-01-21T16:13:00.001+02:002011-01-21T16:19:49.586+02:00What is this all about?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I have been on the internet more than usual recently as I search for suitable people to invite to this blog, and you may be one of those recently invited; if so, my sincerest gratitude for accepting the invitation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What I did discover, however, is that there are thousands of sites, each of which must require constant attention and care by many thousands of dedicated people, and the information available is phenomenal, even though much duplication between sites exists. After all, there is only one authentic Quraan, and we all make reference to the same one.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The thought did cross my mind, what if all these hard working and dedicated people are so busy loading the information on the sites, that they have little time to actually study the information for themselves. We then have a similar situation as happens with many lectures in university, where the notes of the lecturer become the notes of the students without having entered the mind of either. We who are greedy for information may also be guilty of downloading loads of great information but finding no time to actually study and apply them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Talking is not why this blog was started. We have enough of that. What we need is to do something concrete which will have the effect of bringing an end to the cause of the endless discussions. If these are solved, the need to talk will stop, and we will be free to start living our lives. Now, wouldn’t that be great? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I can only pray that you will be stimulated to contribute your thoughts not only here, but also to other sites that you visit regularly and so help start a world wide awareness that there is a real solution to the world’s problems, that the principles of Shariah are the ideal alternative to Democracy, and that “bringing” Democracy to those who do not want it is not the solution, it is part of the problem.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">No man made system can come even close to ensuring freedom for everyone; they always involve one group subjugating another.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Shariah makes this possible because ensuring the freedom of ourselves and of others is part of our duty and service to God. We do it voluntarily and without coercion.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As such, we who seek nothing more than to live our lives in peace and who have no desire to interfere in the lives of others will welcome this. Slave masters and those under their compulsion will resist us every bit of the way. They have great influence on the media and will even create doubts in us about the practicality and wisdom of our actions. We will be called many things, none of them complimentary, for doing nothing other that ensuring our freedom. All those who serve God find themselves castigated in this way.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Those of us who have not found God are equally victims of such people, and as such, we too will find true freedom and security under a system based on the principles of Shariah. The way of the Prophets (PBUT) is recommended for all mankind, though this may appear hard to believe with all the misinformation going around.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I look at the myriad of sites explaining the merits of God’s teaching to us, but rarely do we find in them a model that truly recognizes that we are all equally children of God, and I am yet to find a single site which does not promote its understanding of Religion as the ultimate truth and which seeks to invite people to their way of thinking to the exclusion of all others.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God showed us how to teach people about Him. We do this by putting His teaching into practice with the conviction that it is the ideal way of life and that others who witness this will be inspired to adopt our way of life as their own. Compulsion in any form is against God’s teaching and guidance. This teaching applies to EVERYONE. We must put to the test our understanding of the truth. The real truth will prevail against all imposters. If it is the real truth we seek, then we have nothing to fear from Shariah.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We cannot manifest God’s teachings in its totality under Democracy, because Democracy demands primary allegiance to its creations (Parliaments and its equivalents) while a true believer in God submits to no one but God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is our challenge.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I hope you who are reading this will carry these ideas far and wide, and in different languages so that we can set in motion the formation of an international movement dedicated to making true freedom a reality in our time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Soon, God willing, I will describe some of the more practical manifestations of the Shariah system.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until then.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-21631778092409138392011-01-18T19:03:00.000+02:002011-01-18T19:03:55.255+02:00What is freedom?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The name of this blog claims a link between finding God and finding freedom.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What is freedom? This is perhaps a question few of us would expect to be asked. After all, surely everyone knows the answer. We hear it mentioned regularly. Is not freedom having the right to vote?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Many South Africans were deprived of a vote, and then a vote of equal value to the Whites. Today everyone has the same vote, and that is why we are all free.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">People in many countries have the vote which is meaningless because of “rigging”, a sanitized word for fraud. Freedom, you may say, is having a vote in a free and fair election. So, if independent monitors declare an election free and fair, it means we are free people, such as the Afghans.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Having a vote in “free and fair” elections has nothing to do with being free.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let me illustrate this with an example which may be considered somewhat extreme.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Imagine that we are slaves on a plantation. We demand that our voice be heard. Our master accedes to our wishes and decides to hold elections. We will each have a vote to choose the person who will represent us concerning our grievances. The candidates are our master, his daughter and his son. Having a vote does not necessarily mean freedom. Even if we were choosing one of our own to represent us before the master, it would not mean that we are free. Our world is very much like this, if only we could see it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The democratic process that we are a part of gives us the opportunity of deciding which party will rule over us, not which people will act in our interest, and there is a very big difference between the two.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Democracy and elections have nothing to do with freedom.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To understand this we need to compare a free man with his opposite, the slave.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What is it really about a slave that makes a person a slave? Is it the chains? Is it the inability to act as he pleases? Is it the restrictions on movement? Is it being forced to do things he does not want to? Is it about submitting to the whims of someone with consequences for failing to do so? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it about being monitored all the time? Is it about the lack of justice? Is it about not having any rights over the fruit of our labour – (they belong to the master)?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Being a slave involves all of these. Examine ourselves and see if our situation is really any different. Our “slave” camp is not so restricted, but it is a defined area with a name and we call these “countries”. We are not “branded” like cattle, but we do have ID documents and passports which serve the same purpose.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We may not leave without a passport (consent to leave), and movement is sometimes restricted by the requirement of visas (consent to enter).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are burdened with compulsory taxes which are the chains that tie us. We do not own the fruit of our labour. By law, everything we earn belongs to the government and we are allowed a small amount to subsist, and this amount is adjusted by varying the rate we are taxed. The true rate is obscured by many hidden taxes, such as licenses and various fees. New taxes are introduced regularly to siphon off even more. By many estimates, more than 60 cents in every rand ends up as taxes.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What ever we do must be authorized in some way. Purchasing property involves a transfer process which will not be allowed under certain situations. We pay a tax every time we transfer the right to occupy property. No one owns property except the government and we pay a monthly rental called rates.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we own a car, we may not use it without permission, obtained by purchasing a “consent” or license.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are forced to act in predetermined ways. We may not build on “our” land without permission, including how it will be built and what materials may be used etc. We may not drive except at speeds which are pre-determined. We may not trade without permission (license).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Intrusive surveillance is becoming commonplace with cameras appearing just about everywhere.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Abiding by every new law which violates are free will is submitting to the whims of those in Government.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As is becoming more apparent by the day, Democracy does not deliver justice. I can say this without fear of contradiction because the duty of the Department of “Justice” is to interpret the Law as enacted by Government, not to ensure justice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The slave masters used to reward the acquisition of certain skills above others because of their need for these artisans. As the numbers of such people have increased (doctors, accountants, lawyers, scientists etc), the need to keep up this differential payment is falling away and the true slave system will reveal itself as each person will be forced to receive the same “stipend” irrespective of occupation, and refusal to work will be a crime.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our area of movement is larger than in the past. We have certain liberties which were denied to slaves in the past such as choosing which clothes we wear, having a greater variety of entertainment etc, but with this has come with a loss of our guarantee of housing, clothing, health care and food. Despite these cosmetic differences, the essence of slavery still exists.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are slaves in everything but name but we think we are free because we have a vote. This is the best type of slave; one who does not see the link between his miserable life and the fact that it is due to his being a slave. We will never search for the identity of the slave master in order to free ourselves because we are unaware that one even exists.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The guidance from God opens our eyes to our true situation and guides us out of our slavery.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Under shariah no one is competent to make laws that bind his fellow man. We are free to live as we please as long as we do not violate the rights of someone else, and if we do, courts exist where justice is served, not the blind adherence to some predetermined man-made law.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Only four activities are defined as crimes; adultery, perjury, robbery and theft. In every other instance, nothing we do is “inherently” a crime, and we are free to act as we please. No one can compel us to provide a justification for anything we do. Under current law systems, almost everything is regulated and acting contrary to these “laws” makes our actions criminal by definition. We either pay a penalty or attempt to justify our actions, and our explanation may not be accepted, and a penalty incurred despite the fact that our conduct violated the rights of no one.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As believers in God we know that we are accountable for our actions. There is a Day of Judgment. We are guided to ensure the safety of those around us and in so doing we have a formula for peaceful co-existence. The greeting of “peace” is a promise of safety to the person, his family and his property.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God safeguards our free will, and as His representatives on earth, we are duty bound to do the same. We may not force our belief, practices, ideology, nuances or preferences upon anyone else and we may not allow anyone else to do this to us. We protect our freedom (absence of slavery) because without it we cannot be worshippers of God alone, the first principle for acceptance in the community of true Believers. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Acting is this way we are following the practice of the Prophets, we are practicing their shariah.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The slave masters of today will do-everything in their power to keep us enslaved. The benefits they offer us to serve them and act against our own is a poison which destroys us and will be a curse on the Day of Judgment.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The guidance is there and we can be free, but for this to happen we have to put the guidance into practice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-6983041621397655312011-01-16T13:46:00.001+02:002011-01-17T08:36:45.903+02:00Democracy and the alleviation of poverty<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Every 5 years, as elections loom, politicians hit the streets with promises of “better service delivery”, “creating more jobs”, “providing houses”, “alleviating poverty”, and people trudge to the polls to cast their ballot.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Each time round unemployment gets worse, most people are poorer, and more houses are required at the end of their tenure than at the beginning. Some people vote according to the race of the politician, others according to religion, but one thing no-body promises, and no one votes for, is freedom. Why would we when we think that we are already free.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Many of us support democratic elections because of the promise of “something for nothing”. The thought that the wealth of someone else will be taken and sheared with us is very appealing. Add to this a moral slant that suggests that this is our right, and all inhibitions fall away.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Do any of us really think about this?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A point that must be made at the outset is that nobody has any “rights” upon other people other than the right of the indigent to tithe and zakaah. A wrong done by someone in the past cannot be corrected by penalizing others in the future. This is gross injustice and any system based on injustice is doomed to failure. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We can all be successful as long as we are not prevented from exercising our individual God-given potential for our benefit. Shariah ensures that no one is subjugated in any way, fulfilling the most important criterion for a successful society.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Governments of today collect taxes but do not promise anything in return, and there is no way that government can be held liable for the failure of politicians to keep their election promises.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">That which government doess provide is made possible because of taxes.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">These taxes affect everyone, since things such as VAT, fuel levies, import duties, and license fees affect everyone, but the ones affected the most are the poor. The super rich have ways of legally paying very little tax.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Most of the tax that is collected is from the poor (though each person pays a small amount comparatively, the large number of poor people results in most of the tax that is collected having come from them), but they get very little in return. Most of the benefit actually goes to the rich or the politicians.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Poverty can not be eliminated by a system (such as Democracy) that inherently creates poverty.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The public administration carries a huge administrative cost that consumes a large part of the money collected. This is good money that is wasted but the accounting methods used reflect this spending as part of national productivity. This is a gross misrepresentation, hiding the true cost to the nation of bloated and wasteful government bureaucracies.The more government wastes on itsef, the more productive the nation is said to be. What can be more diabolical.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Where there is a large pool of money, there will always be someone willing to try and siphon some of this for themselves, and fraud and theft are common problems that are huge, and will never be eliminated under the present system.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When anything is taken from someone against their wishes and without their consent, this is theft, and involuntary taxes falls in this category.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Everyone who receives pensions, grants, disability payments, or any other “state benefit” is a recipient of stolen goods. God warns us that consuming this is taking poison into our system.There is a diifeerence between someone who receives charity having had no hand in how that wealth was acquired, compared to a person who abbets and assists a criminal to steal goods from a third party, then receives a share in the stolen goods.When we vote for someone because they promise us these monetary rewards for supporting them, we make the theft possible and are the recipients of stolen goods.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The asset stripping nature of taxes leaves most people unable to take care even of their personal needs, let alone those who are destitute. In the absence of taxes, more people who are really worthy recipients of charity will be helped by those close to them and who know their situation because they will have more money at thier disposal. State social services can never hope to match the efficiency of this.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Unjust “rates” on residential property can cause people to lose their homes because of inability to pay this tax. Is there a more unjust tax that one can imagine?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Pensions and grants can never solve our dire situation, it only makes it worse as people learn very quickly that working hard does not pay, we only end up paying more in taxes. The route followed by many is to try and qualify for “disability”, increasing further the burden on the state.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Added to this is the problem of people drawing state benefits when they do not qualify, and made possible by “contacts”. Where ever there is some money to be collected, there will always be someone who tries to become a beneficiary. Abuse of disability grants is well known.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This problem is compounded by the self-authorized power of government to make laws, and in this specific instance, Labour laws, which protect only those that are already employed thereby making it very difficult for people to be fired, and also makes it very difficult for people to employ others on a casual basis and for a small stipend. Many people who could survive on this casual labour are deprived.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The abuse of state funds is a major problem and one which seems out of our control. There is no way to improve or clean the system; it needs to be totally replaced.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Shariah is truly the answer.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Under this system there are no involuntary taxes and restrictive laws. People can hire and fire with greater discretion. People who are valuable can be rewarded without the concern that those who are useless must be kept employed and remunerated under the principle of “equal pay”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is a motivation to work since no work means no pay. The need for fraudulent doctor’s notes (and everything else this entails) comes to a grinding halt. Further motivation to work is provided by the fact that more work means more money in the pocket, not more tax payments.The absence of state grants makes being disabled a disability, not an advantage.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The cost of living drops precipitously because of the absence of import and other duties, end of VAT, no levies on fuel, no license etc. People are able to live a better life with less money than before, and there are also greater job opportunities as industry and small businesses are free to employ people without the concerns of oppressive labour laws.There is endleess opportunities for budding entrepreneurs to try their hand because of the absence of licenses and license fees. The best will thrive, and God provides for us all.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is no way I could possibly give justice to this topic since there are just so many positive consequences of the sharia system and so many disadvantages of the current system. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The most important message is that poverty cannot end under Democracy, it can only get worse. Under Shariah, poverty will be the least of our problems.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The greatest threat faced by a shariah nation is the huge slave armies built by democracies which will be used to try and steal the wealth of the shariah living people. It is because of this threat that our own ability to defend ourselves must never be neglected. Our best defense is to make those under democracies aware of their slave like existence and to help them free themselves. This will end the state funding which builds these armies, and the consequent threat to other nations.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We owe it to ourselves and to every starving homeless person to make shariah a reality in our country and eventually the whole world. It is the first duty to God that we must fulfill.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
PS:The following article once again manifests mans incompetance to make law and shows how licenses, (and permits) serve to worsen poverty (and in this case (hunger)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7381016.html">http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7381016.html</a><br />
<br />
This is the kind of mixed up world in which we live. No one has the right to tell others the degree of risk to which they should expose themselves. Here people are made to starve to ensure that they are not given food which may make them sick, where there is no evidence of this happening for over a year. Pure madness.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-6283605748609555452011-01-15T10:48:00.000+02:002011-01-15T10:48:17.699+02:00Thinking like a free person – Seat Belts<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To help us understand the difference between freedom and slavery, we shall begin with a simple example.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we can truly understand what is said about seat belts, everything else that can be said about thinking like a free person will be very easy to grasp.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are told that seat belts are very important. They increase our safety. Without them, many more people will be injured in accidents and there will be many unnecessary deaths. In short, seat belts save lives. You will find this conclusion just about everywhere.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is such an important safety devise, we are told, that laws are passed making it a crime to travel in a vehicle without wearing one. Anyone found traveling "unbuckled" will be prosecuted. Buckle up or pay up seems to be the prevalent motto.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us examine the facts.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are told that seat belts are very important because they reduce injuries and death.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Who said this? Can they be trusted? If seat belts did reduce injuries, how many injuries do they actually prevent? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Here are some figures taken from US Statistics, I think the year was 2006.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>Population 300 million</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>Number of accident related injuries 3million</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>Number of deaths 43 000</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>Percentage of dead people not wearing seat belts 59%</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>Percentage of people dying wearing seat belts 41 %</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>Percentage of people likely to be involved in an accident related injury 3 million divided by 300 million = 1%.</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>Number of deaths in accidents per yr = 43 000</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>Percentage of people who die in an accident 43 000 divided by 300 million = 0.014%</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>In 41 % of cases one will die even if wearing a seat belt.</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>So 59% die without seat belts ie 59% of 43 000 = 25 370 which is = 0.00845% of the total population.</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>Chances of dying while wearing a seat belt is 41 % of 43000 = 17 630 which is = 0.00587% of the total population</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b><i>i.e a difference of 0.00258% </i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Despite the fact that only a fraction of the population will be involved in an accident, and an even smaller fraction sustain injury in one, and an even smaller fraction still that will die during an accident, EVERYONE is FORCED to wear one!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What these figures show is that the difference between the chances of dying while wearing a seat belt and not wearing a seat belt is miniscule. Also, if we take into consideration the number of people using the road and the number of people that actually die while on the road, they form a very small fraction. The question that must be asked is, does this really warrant us making such a fuss about seat belts?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Having asked this question I will now make the most important point, by approaching this question along these lines we actually fall into a carefully prepared trap.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our attention has been drawn to whether seat belts are indeed a safety feature or not. Our focus has been diverted to proving or disproving whether seat belts are safer or not. Governments will produce “research” proving that because 43 000 people died while on the road, that is evidence enough that seat belts are necessary, and hence the laws are necessary and what we fail to realize is that there is no connection between the “proof” of safety and the need for the law.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Think about this carefully.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us assume for the purposes of this discussion that there is no doubt whatsoever that seat belts are a benefit, and that many injuries are prevented by using them. The question that arises is what gives anyone the right to force its use on someone else?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If I think they are good, I will use them. I may choose not to. You may advise my but you cannot force me. That is my choice. When I am forced to act in a certain way it means you think that I am incapable of making decisions for myself. That is an insult. Does not the corollary also hold true. If I think you are wrong do I not have every right to reject your advice? But government forces its view through the “law”, which by God’s standards, they are incompetent to make in the first place.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">No free person will allow such intrusion into his freedom.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Laws such as these take away our right to think and act for ourselves. Governments see themselves as our owners, and as such they seek to regulate every possible action of ours (There must be a law for everything – no one must be allowed to think for themselves and every action contrary to these laws must be accompanied by a fine/tax).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The danger in allowing ourselves to be treated in this was is that we cannot be sure that government is always acting in our best interest. People can be influenced in various ways. Government may pass laws which are actually to our disadvantage.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Think about the situation when the best medical minds of the time thought that arsenic should be used in the treatment of Pellagra (caused by a vitamin deficiency). If they had the power then, which Governments assume today, they could have passed a law forcing everyone to take arsenic as a treatment and possible preventative measure and this would have had disastrous consequences.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Another example could be the case where people influence Government to impose vaccination programmes on dubious "research" findings where the only benefit may be to the company producing the vaccine.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The only safe way is that prescribed by the Almighty. We can advise people, but they must make up their own minds. We cannot force them even if we think they are harming themselves because despite our best intentions we may be wrong.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">These laws that enforce the wearing of seat belts serve an ulterior motive, that of creating another way by which we can be taxed since every citation or ticket is in fact a hidden tax.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">But this story is not complete. What we discover when we apply our mind like a true believer in God is that the time of our birth and of our death is determined before we are born. We do not die from heart attacks, strokes, gun shot wounds, poisons or accidents; we die because it is our time to die.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">With more people spending more time on the road, it is inevitable that more of us will be on the road when our time comes to die, and in many cases no accident is required; such as people who suddenly slump over the wheel.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This being the case, no one and nothing can stop people dying. Seat belts may reduce injuries, but they may also be the cause of injuries when they become stuck and prevent people from escaping their burning vehicles. There are pros and cons. Each person has the God given right to think and decide what is best for himself.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">No free person will allow himself to be forced into doing anything against his will and this includes following a particular religion, fighting in a particular war, paying involuntary taxes, so why should the forced wearing of seat belts be any different?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If seat belts are as good as we are told they are, the only person who will suffer from not wearing one is me. My failure to wear one does no harm to anyone else, and neither does it violate the rights of anyone else. On what legitimate ground can any one force me to wear a seat belt? Doing this is criminal and a violation of my rights as a free person. To fine me for exercising my free will is adding injury to insult.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Governments do this under a Democracy because here no one is free.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we want true freedom, we have to replace Democracy and the best alternative is the one created for us by the Almighty, Shariah. Under this system, no one can force anyone to act against their will even if they are acting to their disadvantage. This is true freedom.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A person trained to think like a slave will insist not only that seat belts are good, but that it is right that everyone should be forced to wear them even against their wishes. They will even insist on severe penalties for those who violate their laws.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A person who thinks like a free person does not allow himself to be caught up in the argument whether seat belts are good or not, he simply insists on his right to decide for himself and makes it clear that it is no one else’s business whether he wears one or not.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Following the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) diligently makes us free people in thought and action.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What kind of people are we? What kind of people would we like to be?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-8541432857474440972011-01-14T11:39:00.000+02:002011-01-14T11:39:01.309+02:00Thinking like a Believer – Thinking like a free person – a paradox? - Introduction<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Rene Descarte is credited with the words “I think, therefore I am”. We are the products of our thinking. What we do, how we act, whether we perceive things as good or bad, whether we find someone believable or not etc are all based on our thoughts.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">These thoughts can be considered a collection of ideas and images that has been stored, and we refer to them when faced with new situations. They form the basis of who we are. They can be considered as our foundation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We need to examine this foundation and determine where it came from, since the source of this foundation is the one we serve every time we think and act.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">For most of us alive today, this foundation is from our parents and close friends, education system and the media (which these days means almost exclusively television and magazines and more recently the internet). Our parents would have obtained their ideas in generally the same way we did. Over the decades, the role of grandparents and parents in our lives has been lessened by a variety of factors, leaving the education system and the media as the primary foundation of our thinking. Who controls these, and who do they serve?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This has a greater impact on us than we realize. All of us think of ourselves as good pious people, but on what basis do we arrive at this conclusion. By what do we measure ourselves?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Do we compare ourselves with our friends, relatives, and the popular stars of music and movies? Do we measure our conduct by the way they lead their lives? Have we any idea who they serve?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">How has it come to pass that most of us would never use the people we call our “religious” leaders when we wish to measure ourselves? Do we dress like television personalities? Do we partake of activities they enjoy? Has visiting night clubs, experimenting with drugs and being promiscuis become a part of our “culture”?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What does it mean when I say that we need to re-educate ourselves on how to think like a believer; that the foundation of our thinking needs to be examined and redefined.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us look a little closer at ourselves. There are many things we may not agree on, while there are others on which there is little or no debate.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">For example, we are in agreement that it is good to partake in sport, something that is good for our health, and professional sport is the pinnacle of good health and is very rewarding financially. If we had the capability we would be sports stars too.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We accept that it is wrong to discriminate against other people and laws that outlaw discrimination are important, in fact some do not go far enough.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Paying of taxes is essential to the proper running of the country and those who think otherwise are just criminals trying to create some “diabolical moral” justification for their unwillingness to contribute to the system of which they are beneficiaries.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Firearms are dangerous and no one should be allowed to keep one. Laws outlawing ownership should be enacted and enforced. It is the only way to ensure safety in society.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our governments do not serve us properly; they allow too many foreigners to enter illegally and then even make their stay here legal. These people take away our jobs. This should not be allowed to happen.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The United Nations Security Council is the most important world body dedicated to the preservation of world peace. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a pity that it does not authorize more military interventions so that tyrants and despots, the terrorists, who wish to rule by the gun can be brought to justice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Speeding limits need to be enforced more visibly so that our roads can be made safer. The limits on some roads are still too high.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I do not think that there would be much disagreement with what I have just said. There would be a great deal of discomfort, I am sure, when you read that if you agreed with any of the above, your foundation of thinking has been corrupted. Go back and look at the list again.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As we explore what it means to think as a believer, and as we begin to understand what it means to think like a free person, we will slowly realize that they are one and the same. The great irony is that many people have abandoned religion because they see it as something that deprives us of our freedom. I have heard people saying they do not wish to be subjugated by anyone and wish nothing else but to be free. Hence they will not allow themselves to be subjugated by any “religion” or “God”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Think of a person who is thrust into a maze. This maze is different; a wrong turn could cause serious permanent consequences, like physical injury, even death. There is a very limited capacity to retrace our steps. For all intents and purposes, once a path is chosen, we have to follow through even when we realize that we are on the wrong path.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Someone offers us a map which shows the safest way through, one that avoids all the major obstacles, and leads us to the exit with the minimum of difficulty, though for sure, some minor obstacles will have to be overcome. Do we accept this offer or do we refuse because we do not wish to be subjugated or constrained by its guidance. Do we claim that the map makes out passage to “planned” and controlled. Do we seek the excitement of the challenge, and to fail if necessary (which is the most likely outcome without the map). </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If this is how we feel about life, then God’s guidance is not for us. However, when we think this way we fail to realize that even following the guidance of the map (God’s guidance) is extremely challenging, more so than without the map, but it does have the added benefit that if we succeed in implementing the guidance, we have a more than even chance of succeeding in our most important purpose on Earth, proving our worthiness of our place in Paradise. With life offering us only one chance at success, who would even think of refusing such guidance?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The reason many of us have rejected religion is that many religious institutions have been infiltrated by agents of satan and what they preach is their own ideas, not the teaching of God. They too practice a system which serves to enslave people just as Democracy does. Their practice has nothing to do with what God wishes for us. In fact, a priest who truly relates God’s message will have no “control” over people. He is a guide helping them understand when they have become enslaved and what they must do to become free. He does not become a slave master himself.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Because we know no different, we assume they represent God. We can see how wrong they are, and hence are turned away from God. Who would want us to think this way and who do these false clerics really serve?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In the book "Reflections"</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=hemefigo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B004CLYI7Y&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">I discuss the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup and use it as an introduction to professional sport in general. I will not touch on this topic here any further.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Other chapters look at the question of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fear and how this relates to our claim to have faith in God. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prayer is examined in some detail. In “Health and Death” we study our perceptions of these, what God expects us to understand, and how this impacts on what we can expect from our doctors. Lastly, we take a closer look at ourselves. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It will without doubt bring a new perspective to our thinking, and help us review greatly many things which we have taken for granted.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Through our discussions in some of the posts to follow, we will explore some of the other misconceptions that we take for granted and which serve to enslave us with us being none the wiser.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until then.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-54832704593694832612011-01-13T08:47:00.000+02:002011-01-13T08:47:00.550+02:00"Freedom of Religion" under a "Democracy"<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Having touched on the topic of Shariah, we move to the related question of freedom of religion under a Democracy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is always a good habit to explain the meaning of the words we use, so that others understand exactly what WE mean, instead of the reader or listener applying their own understanding to our words and getting a totally different understanding from ours.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">“Freedom of religion” means my freedom to practice my religion in the way I understand it needs to be practiced without any interference from anyone.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">“Democracy” is a system of government, where man makes his own laws, and imposes it upon others. We are told that those in government represent us. However, when we look at the question of representation, we find that my representative is only empowered to do what I mandate, and nothing else. If that representative represents my ward or province, he is duty bound every time he is asked to vote on an issue, to address the people in his ward or province, to obtain the majority view of those he represents and to vote according to that majority view. He is not entitled to vote as he pleases, using his own criteria. Today, members of legislative assemblies either represent themselves, or their party, but they do not represent us, and very often support the adoption of legislation of which we disapprove.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are told that under a Democracy our freedom of religion is guaranteed. Most people accept this form of government because of this understanding. In our daily lives, praying as and when we please, we believe that this promise has been kept. But has it really?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The first pillar of faith of any believer in God (Jew, Christian, Muslim, or any other) is that there is no God but God, and that God alone is worthy of worship. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">How do we understand the word “worship”? The one we “worship” is the one whose injunctions we obey. That means that a Believer obeys Gods guidance alone and no other. God tells us that He alone is worthy of making law and that man is not capable of this. When we follow the dictate of any man, whether a lay person or cleric, priest, moulana, rabbi, pastor, etc, and that person is acting solely as dictated by God, then we too are worshipping God. Should that lay person or cleric have made his own laws, and we follow his dictates, then he is the person we are worshipping. When we make our own laws (create our own interpretation of what is right and wrong, good or bad), and follow them, we are in fact worshipping ourselves.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When parliament makes laws, it has assumed the power and authority of God, and when we obey them, we worship it. This is in terms of God’s guidance to us; it is not my own creation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Parliament adopted a law called the Constitution which proclaims that it (the Constitution) is the supreme law in the land. That means God and His law is not. When we accept the Constitution, we can no longer qualify as a Believer since we no longer meet the first and most important requirement; we do not accept God alone as worthy of making law, and it is not God alone that we now worship.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Under a Constitutional Democracy, we may only practice our religion to the extent allowed by the law. In effect, the law creates the boundaries of that religion. The “freedom” to practice means the freedom to practice that interpretation of the faith which the law allows us to practice. As such, this does not pass the test of the true meaning of “freedom of religion”. Are there practical implications to this?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As mentioned already, we fail the first test of a believer.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Also, under Gods guidance to all mankind on how we remain free, we are forbidden to impose our values or views on another and to ensure that no one imposes their views upon us. Here we are forced to abide by decisions made by a small group of people. This is a violation of our freedom, and our free will.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A believer is obliged to respond to the call of anyone who is oppressed. Laws bind us and restrict our potential in this regard. In terms of the Anti-terrorism Act, we may not support any organization deemed a “terrorist” organization.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This means that when a country, for example the <country-region><place>USA</place></country-region>, invades a country illegitimately and occupies it, and deems those resisting the occupation as terrorists, we are forbidden from assisting those who are resisting the occupation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In practical terms, it means that the members of the French Resistance during the Second Word War were terrorists and everyone who assisted them were likewise terrorists since they were labeled terrorists by the power on the ground <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at that time. It means the Americans who fought the <place>British Empire</place> were terrorists since this is what the power at the time considered them to be. It means that those who are currently resisting the occupations of <country-region><place>Afghanistan</place></country-region>, <country-region><place>Somalia</place></country-region> and <city><place>Palestine</place></city> are terrorists since that is what the powers of the day are calling them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The only consistent finding here is that the terrorist is the person who does not see things the way I, who am in power, sees them, and if I wish to occupy his home and he resists, he must be a terrorist. When a law is enacted that allows this sort of interpretation of peoples conduct, with no consideration of who truly is in the right or wrong, we can understand why God tells us that man is incompetent to make laws, and that we live under such a system at our own peril.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Under this system, “might is right” is the defining motto. It is an invitation to everyone to become “the power”. God warns us that He alone is capable of handling power, no one else, and that all power rests with Him alone. Any system that violates this principle serves the purposes of satan. This helps us understand who we truly serve when we accept such a system.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When we are not allowed to act in terms of our own understanding of right or wrong, good or bad, and forced to follow the values set by another, we have lost the essence of a free person and are little different from a slave.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Democracy does not guarantee freedom of religion. On the contrary, it guarantees the direct opposite.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is we who decide who will rule over us. Do we want people who will protect our free will, or people who will enslave us? That is a decision each of us must make for ourselves.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When a person rejects what is being said here and claims that he can still be a believer and live under the constitution at the same time, this is only possible because the person concerned has created his own definition of a believer, and it is not the one given to us by God. Such a person is in fact worshipping himself and not God. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The question we are faced with is what changes must we make to our system of government, making use of the legal means available to us, to bring about the changes necessary for us to qualify as true believers in God. A more important question is do we have any inclination to become true believers in God, since this issue is only a problem to the true believer and no one else.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Think deeply on these.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-18953500325539307112011-01-12T16:05:00.000+02:002011-01-12T16:05:49.795+02:00What is Shariah and what is Shariah Law?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Most of us have heard it said that man is God’s representative on earth. This is not totally correct. Man is created with the <b><i><u>potential</u></i></b> of being Gods representative on Earth. We have fulfilled this potential when everything we do is in keeping with God’s guidance. Then, when we act it is as if God is acting. Not everyone reaches this level of piety.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A representative does not act in his own name, but in the name of the one who is being represented. The representative of God therefore acts “In the name of God, most gracious, most merciful.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What is God’s relationship with man?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God insists on protecting the free will of man. There is no imposition. God informs us that if we worship Him alone we will be free. Why is this so?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Anyone who worships God alone becomes God’s representative. The representative must be true to the one that is being represented, and it is therefore incumbent upon him: to respect the free will of others and never to impose his views upon others (we may not subjugate anyone else) and to ensure that no one imposes their will upon us (that we preserve our own freedom). The next level of responsibility is to ensure that no one else is subjugated against their will. Hence, if there is any one under subjugation and calls for help, we are duty bound to answer that call. Only a free person can, a slave has to obey the will of his master.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What does it tell us about ourselves if we are hampered by laws that prevent us from bringing relief to people under occupation and humiliation? What are these laws to us, if not the chains on a slave?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Those that followed Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) understood this message and history bears witness to this. They never attacked nations. Despotic leaders were offered the option of ceasing their unjust subjugation of their people and to ensure their freedom, failing which they would be replaced. If they accepted, they remained in a position of authority if this was the will of their people.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This explains why minority Muslims were allowed to rule over lands they conquered. They did not impose their beliefs, and did not allow anyone else to impose theirs. Everyone was allowed to practice their faith as they saw best. The pagan Arabs continued their pagan practice. Hindus in <country-region><place>India</place></country-region> continued their polytheism under Muslim rule. Jews and Christians practiced their faith and built churches and synagogues. This is the way God wishes us to live; in peace and freedom, and this is only possible if we adopt worship of God alone. This manner of living in society is called the way of the Prophets, or Shariah.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is explained in greater detail in “Shariah: the best kept Secret"</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=hemefigo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B004CRSSE2&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
and also in a short video series entitled “Democracy vs Shariah”. The following are the introduction and part 1 segment 1 of 2. All of them may be viewed on You-Tube on the channel, “nckamdar”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LtnV0slViWI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LtnV0slViWI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LOQP_C44A3I?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LOQP_C44A3I?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Shariah is not "Law". One cannot impose Gods guidance through force of law of threat of punishment. It may only be followed voluntarily. Those who adopt some of the teachings of God and impose it upon others (such as punishing people for eating in public during Ramadaan) are not practicing Shariah but Law. Law is the system of man made laws that is imposed upon others, hence the term Shariah Law. Shariah Law has no resemblance to Shariah, and is a misrepresentation of the word Shariah.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Shariah is the way of the Prophets (PBUT), a manifestation of God’s guidance for us on how we must live with each other. Adopting this code for ourselves will free us of involuntarily taxes and the slavery this entails, free us from subjugation to our fellow man, allow us to live our lives as we see fit, making decisions for ourselves and accepting the consequences of our decisions, and free us to rise in defense of the oppressed and downtrodden. The slave masters of today wish to ensure that no one is allowed to assist those whom they decide to crush.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Shariah is not compatible with our modern understanding of evangelism or religious propagation. No one has the right to impose their views on others or to repeatedly bother others with their beliefs. If we belief we have something of value to share with others, we do. Should they refuse the advice, that is their choice and we must accept it. This does not mean we may not help others who approach us seeking knowledge about God and His teachings.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God teaches us that the way to make others aware of His guidance is by applying His guidance in our own lives. We demonstrate in a living way what it means to worship God alone. We are informed that this way of life is so perfect, that when others see it in practice, they will be moved to adopt our way of life as their own, voluntarily and without any imposition.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Many of those who initially lived under Muslim leaders adopted the faith. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Mongol hordes that invaded <country-region><place>Iraq found themselves adopting the practice of the people that they had now subdued. From this we learn that it is not only those that were defeated that adopted the Islamic way of life, it applied to conquerors as well. God works his miracle in many ways. Truth will always triumph over falsehood.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">From this it becomes clear that no words need be wasted refuting the claim that Islam was spread by the sword. A representative of God could never act in this way, and those who ruled during the glorious days of the Caliphate were truly God’s representatives on earth. They had no interest in self glorification, having already come to the realization that all power and all glory lay with God alone. They simply served as directed. They replaced despots with pious rulers who preserved the freedom of the people that were now their responsibility.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Every prophet, over 124 000, including Prophet Adam, Jonah, Joseph, John, Job, Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Ishmail, Jesus, Muhammad, (PBUT) were all Muslims and their religion was “submission to the will of God”. That is our collective legacy, One God, one planet, one human race, one true religion. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Those who wish to divide us according to Gods many prophets do not serve or represent God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Most people on this planet know that God exists. Can we put aside our differences and adopt the model God has prescribed for us so that we too may enjoy true liberty and freedom; freedom of person, of thought, of possession, and of religious practice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The word shariah has been deliberately misrepresented by the media and education systems in order to keep us ignorant of that which is best for us. We should always remind ourselves that Shariah is “the way of the prophets (PBUT)”. In this way we recognize that this was the teaching and the practice of all the Prophets (PBUT), not only of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Shariah is the total anti-thesis of Democracy as it is practiced today and there is no resemblance between the two. While the way of the Prophets (PBUT) ensures our perpetual struggle against slavery and the eventual liberation of all mankind, Democracy strives to create a slave planet through the imposition of a single world government as part of a “New World Order”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is because we have become mental slaves, drugged by the constant indoctrination of the controlled education system and media that we see Democracy as the best way for us and the one which guarantees freedom, and as a result we cannot understand why it is that our lives are more in keeping with that of a slave within a slave system instead of the free person we belive we are.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-61483248959031644152011-01-11T09:46:00.000+02:002011-01-11T09:46:04.310+02:00Life is not a Misery, it is what we make of it.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We will experience periods of “difficulty” in life, but that is for a purpose, and is inevitably followed by better times, and there are many reasons why this is necessary.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Besides being tests to strengthen us, we can understand that sometimes to get to greener pasture we have to cross a river, and these difficult times can be seen as our time crossing a river, and the greener pasture awaits us if we follow God’s advice. Acting against His guidance could cause us to “fight against the river” instead of patiently waiting till the torrent eases. This could result in us both not reaching the other side, and arriving back on our side of the river but at a worse position.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is only when we have acquainted ourselves with God’s guidance that we can hope to put it into practice in our life. How much of God’s guidance can we say we are really aware of, and more importantly, how much of what we accept as being from God truly is from God, and not from some human who concocted it and presented it as being from God? How much of these concoctions are of our own making?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If our concept of religion incorporates the four basic teachings of every prophet (PBUT), then our faith and conduct is founded correctly. If not, then we have some serious soul searching to do. This is a reality even if we wish to deny it. Not every "religion" worships God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The word "Religion", when used in the way we usually do, denotes our relationship with a Higher Being. This Being has already defined the manner of this relationship. It ensures our freedom, but it entails strict adherence to His guidance. The positive outcomes are possible if we allow ourselves to become products of His guidance. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Religious practice where we define the terms of the relationship is a form of self-worship. We place ourselves in a position of absolute superiority and determine our relationship with God. This is not submission to God. It does not result in true success in this world or the hereafter. It does not lead to <place>Paradise</place>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">A celebrity I communicated with refused to consider the possibility that God exists because his mother was an atheist and he considered it a betrayal of her legacy to believe otherwise. How satan corrupts our thinking, that we will follow our parents even when they are wrong. This is parent worship, and anything that takes us away from God, when traced to its root, will be found to be rooted in satan. This poor man was serving satan while blissfully thinking that neither God nor satan exists. Satan does not require that we acknowledge his existence as long as it is his lead that we follow.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In most cases our deviation from the original teaching of a Prophet was not with malicious intent. Consider a pious man teaching his disciples that we should respect all life and learn to see the presence of God in everything. Many generations later we may find their descendants worshipping living things because of a failure to grasp the essence of the pious man’s words. This, I believe, has been a not uncommon occurrence. They have taken the words literally, and worshipped living things because “God is in everything”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">From this we can understand the true meaning of “religion”. It is the body of knowledge passed on to man from God via his Prophets (PBUT). Prophets are chosen because of their inherent qualities which qualify them for this status. They also have a much higher standard by which they are judged, so we should not feel disadvantaged or discriminated against in any way. If we truly think about the tasks the prophets were faced with, we may find ourselves thanking God for sparing us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To worship God is to act in accordance with His guidance. Worship began with the creation of the heavens and the Earth, the very first things created. They acted as God commanded and in so doing they worshipped God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Everything other than Human and Ginn worship God exclusively. We have the privilege of choice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The “religion” that embodies God’s guidance has been called “submission to the will of God”, or Islam in Arabic. One who practices Islam is a Muslim. Every Prophet (PBUT) practiced Islam and was a Muslim. Islam is not specific to Arabs or followers of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">“Religion” has been discussed in more detail in an earlier post.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When we adopt the Worship of God alone, we become free and make it possible for others to similarly become free. This will be discussed in the next post. When we fail to heed His advice, we face all the tumult and oppression that God wished to spare us. Who is responsible for the wars, death misery and social upheaval on Earth?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If our life is miserable, it is because of the choices we have made. If we want our life to change, then we are the ones who have to change. It is as simple as that.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-41186843161150848852011-01-10T12:10:00.000+02:002011-01-10T12:10:01.540+02:00Is there such a thing as something being intrinsically “right” or “wrong”, “Good” or “bad”?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Within the issue of piety arises the question of whether there is such a thing as something being intrinsically “right” or “wrong”. Today we are led to believe that each person decides for himself what is best for him, and that there is no such thing as something being inherently “right” or “wrong”. It is the individual and his circumstances that decide this.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This logic and reasoning is not inspired by God. When we think through this carefully, we will understand why we have been misled into thinking this way.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The guidance given to us by God is never compulsory; it is always by way of advice. We exercise our free will and decide whether to accept God’s guidance or not. God never imposes Himself upon those He has created. This becomes self evident when we study God’s relationship with us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">From the outset He has chosen freedom as the best course for us. To this effect He gave us free will. He never forces His guidance upon us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Prophet Moses (PBUH) asked God to make his people obedient to him. God replied that He did not impose such a compulsion on His creation even concerning Himself. While God guides us to the best possible action we can take, he never imposes His guidance.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">How can we put His guidance into perspective? God knows everything and also every possible outcome of every possible decision we make. That being the case, he is in a position to chart the best course for us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Take the example of a candle. If we knew nothing about fire, God will guide us not to touch it. We may decide to take the advice. If not, we get burnt. This is not punishment, simply the consequences of our bad decision. Every advice of God fits in this category.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In the case of the candle, we can understand the cause (touching the fire) and effect (getting burnt) relationship between the two because they happen together. It is easy for us to make the connection. Many actions, however, produce consequences years or decades later. We are incapable of making the connection and hence we do not learn from our mistakes and continue making them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God’s advice protects us from these “down the line” consequences, making our life one of the best possible quality overall. Even being consigned to Hell is not punishment, it is what we qualify for based on the decisions we made on Earth. We find a tendency for God to be held responsible for things which are of our own doing, and this is usually promoted by agents of satan.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is because of these “down the line” consequences that we have the guidance regarding recognizing that God is One, belief in the Prophets (PBUT), His Books, life after death, Day of Judgment, promiscuity, adultery; lying, theft, murder etc. It is our decision whether to accept the advice. By God’s decree, no one can legitimately impose His guidance upon us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is this advice from God that we describe as being “right” or “good” and contrary advice as being “wrong” or “bad”. This is not something that falls within our power of discretion. If our lives are contrary to the teaching of God, then we are bad people, and there is no debate on this. Satan acknowledges this and has responded by popularizing being “bad”. Watch the wording on clothing and advertising these days and you will understand what I am saying. We do not become “good” by making “bad” acceptable behaviour.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">“Bad” means we are acting in ways that do not promote our progress along piety. It means we will fail in our ultimate quest. “Bad” is not just a word whose meaning we can change to suit our purposes. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is no obligation on us to choose to be “good” and anyone who tries to impose “good” practice upon another becomes a “bad” person. This is something we need to understand. Freedom as given by God means we have to accept a person’s personal decision to be “bad” and our only recourse against them is when they act in ways which violate our rights. Otherwise what they do is their right as God has granted free will both in pursuing good or bad.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we choose to be “good”, we must manifest this in our life and hope that it would inspire others to adopt our way of life as their own. We do not become “good” by pointing out the “bad” in others. Doing this causes us to become “bad”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Freedom as given by God means we mind our own business and no one has any right to mind ours; that we can forcibly stop anyone from minding our business (by use of force if necessary), but that we respond to someone when they issue a call for help.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The true worshipper of God uses the guidance of God as the foundation of his thinking. All decisions and ideas are built on this. This is the only way to protect against the evil suggestions of satan that make “bad” appear good, and “wrong” appear “right” and we will fall for this deception unless we have the foundation to recognize the truth.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-76082222482562330072011-01-09T13:47:00.000+02:002011-01-09T13:47:35.330+02:00What is piety, or to be pious?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">To succeed in our ultimate quest on earth we need to know what constitutes piety since this is the only criterion on which our eligibility for Paradise is determined. Furthermore, God judges us according to His definition of piety; we are not at liberty to make up our own. This is so because God is all-knowing and knows what is truly in our heart. True piety produces certain outcomes and no other. We may choose to deceive ourselves, but we cannot deceive God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What piety is NOT, is the wearing of turbans and robes and blindly following rituals based on cultural practices.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Where then are we to find this information?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When we take the test to acquire our driving learner’s license, we study a booklet. It gives us all the information we need. God, in His infinite mercy, similarly provides us with a guide to help us learn about piety, and this guide is His Prophets (Peace be upon them all). Through them we acquire the knowledge of what God knows is true piety, and hence the criteria on which we will be judged.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">But we are left in a quandary, which Prophet (PBUH) do we follow? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This may appear as a very perplexing and philosophically challenging question, when in fact it is one of the simplest to answer. But to arrive at this simple answer, we require some background information.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Because of our short lifespan, all of us will be dead before our universe comes to its end, and this includes the Prophets (PBUT). Also, as we acquire more of the knowledge God has put at our disposal, there will be changes in the way we live and the way we do certain things. Certain guidelines which are appropriate for a particular time may no longer be the best course of action for us at a later time.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">For example, our earliest attempts at producing wine resulted in one with very low alcohol content and drinking this was not detrimental to us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">As we mastered the art of distillation, this changed, and we can now produce a liquid that is 100% Alcohol. God guides us that in everything there is some good and some bad. Sometimes the bad far outweighs the good. We are guided to abstain from such things, despite the small benefit they may confer. Alcoholic drinks fall in this category and hence the warning to abstain from consuming alcohol.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are told that every nation was sent a guide, a prophet of God, and in all over</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">124 000 (over one hundred and twenty four thousand) prophets (PBUT) graced this planet.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We know them to be Gods Prophets because of two criteria, and it is these criteria that we use to verify their claim to prophethood.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Each of them was given a miracle as proof of their authenticity. For example Moses had the miracle of magic, Jesus was able to bring the dead to life, and Muhammad delivered the Quraan, peace be upon them all. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The second criterion is that they all delivered the same message. This is not difficult to understand. The purpose of the Prophet is to deliver Gods guidance to mankind. With time the message gets distorted or intentionally misrepresented. A time arises when the message needs to be restored. The next Prophet will deliver the message again. For there to be true justice, and for it to be possible for every human to be judged equally, the message that each nation receives would have to be the same. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Also, in the case of communities far apart and with little chance of contact, each of them would require a separate prophet. Once again, for there to be justice, God must ensure that each of them receives the same message.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This consistent message has 4 components; that God is one, an element of worship, the need to practice some form of charity, and to engage in periods of abstinence or fasting. Every prophet delivered the same essential message, though the manner in which one prayed, fasted or gave in charity may have varied.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is the reason why when a disciple of Moses (PBUH) said we will not go to <place>Paradise</place> unless we followed his prophet, and a disciple of Jesus (PBUH) said the same regarding Jesus, or similarly a disciple of Muhammad (PBUH), there is no contradiction. Many people have been fooled by this apparent contradiction into losing faith in the existence of God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is no contradiction because when we follow any of the Prophets, we will be acknowledging and worshipping One God exclusively, and in so doing we are in fact following every prophet, and our practice opens the door to our acceptance in Paradise.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In addition, each Prophet (PBUH) also delivered certain additional guidance that was appropriate to the time in which he lived. The final Prophet (PBUH) was given guidance which would be appropriate till the last day. No further prophets are to come, no further change is required, and God promises that the miracle of this prophet, the Quraan, will be protected by God Himself so that its message will be present for every nation, every individual still to come. The practice of the last Prophet (PBUH) has also been preserved by the will of God so that the promise that every nation will have a messenger to guide them is fulfilled.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We have free will and as a result our destiny has been placed in our own hands. We will be judged, and the criterion is our piety. The Prophets followed all the directives of God and the directives of God alone and in so doing they worshipped God and worshipped God exclusively. When we follow the practice of the prophets, we too worship God and the extent to which we follow their practice is a measure of our piety. When we use our wealth, strength, knowledge power etc in the manner the Prophets did, we are using these to take us further along the road of piety.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">By this practice we bring relief to those in pain and suffering, end the subjugation of the slaves, relieve the hunger of the poor, gladden the heart of our parents, ease the fears of the orphan, and protect ourselves and those under our care from the “down the road” consequences of bad decisions. A truly pious person is God’s representative on earth. Such a person earns the right to be invited into <place>Paradise</place>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Every act of piety is not possible without Gods intervention which makes it possible for us to carry through our intentions. Without the hands, feet, eyes, tongue, ears etc that God grants to us, or the food he provides which sustains us, or the weapons which he supplies to defend ourselves, we may never give effect to our intentions.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Piety is not just about following the practice of the Prophets, it entails recognizing that even giving effect to our intentions is not possible without the help of the Almighty. Our practice of piety is itself a manifestation of God’s blessing to us. This is the reason why when we intend to do a good deed, God judges and rewards us in terms of our intentions. This is because giving effect to the intention rests with God, and he does not deny us the reward of our good intention because He saw fit not to allow us to give effect to that intention. Lastly, when doing the good deed, our intention must be to serve the Almighty; that we are acting under His guidance and for His pleasure alone.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are warned that many “pious” people will not qualify for paradise since their acts of piety were in fact acts of self glorification as they sought to show others how “pious” they were. This is pride and not piety.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When we do succeed in completing a pious act, we need to remember God and thank Him for making it possible for us to complete that act.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Even the atheist enjoys these blessings from God. How unfortunate must such a person be when he fails to utilize them to earn God’s pleasure?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Through our progress along the path of greater piety, we are fulfilling the primary objective of our existence on Earth, to prove our worthiness of our place in paradise. We are displaying recognition of the absolute power and authority of God and voluntarily submitting ourself to this higher authority and in so doing qualify for <place>Paradise</place>. This conduct is the opposite of satan’s, who was proud and this manifested in a denial of the Supremacy of God. He qualifies for hell because he has not worked on purifying himself so that he could qualify for <place>Paradise</place>. Each of us has a place in <place>Paradise</place> as our birth right, but to claim it, we need to meet its entry requirements.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Learning how the Prophets lived their lives and their reasoning in making decisions is something each of us has to do for ourselves.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Finally, piety can be considered as purity of heart, mind and body coupled with a perpetual awareness of the presence of the Almighty. Such is the purity of <place>Paradise</place> that we do not qualify to enter until we have achieved the required level of purity, and the path to this purity is piety. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-53176096431926016292011-01-08T13:22:00.000+02:002011-01-08T13:22:49.265+02:00The answer to the question, free will or pre-destiny (fatalism)?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God has promised us that we will never be judged unfairly or unjustly. This is a promise to every human being and ginn. This is God’s promise whether we have realized His presence or not.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Think back on the examinations we participated in at school. Each year we would be tested on a variety on subjects, and we had to prove a minimum level of competence in a subject to proceed to the next level of study in that subject. In general, no single subject had any higher ranking over the others; all were considered of equal importance.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are told that we are created with free will, which is a great privilege, that it comes with great responsibility, and in the end we will be on trial and will be judged. Failure here means that our entire existence on earth had been a failure, a waste.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What are the criteria by which we are to be judged?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are told that we will be tested. So, in effect, the tests are here on earth, and the judgment, or the result of these tests is what we will get on the Day of Judgment. Once we have departed this world we can do nothing to change the results of our tests, we can only improve our score while we are still alive. <br />
<br />
We will never be held responsible for the actions of others. There is a corollary, others cannot carry our burdens for us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are promised that the tests will never be greater than our abilty to successfully handle them. The trial will never be one that is beyond our capacity. This is a great source of comfort, but the question remains, what are the criteria by which we are to be judged?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is easy when doing examinations in school. We know in advance which subjects we are to be tested in and the specific date of each test; but what aspect of our response to the tests on Earth actually qualifies us as having passed.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We know for a fact that some people are born wealthy and others not. Some amass great wealth and others do not. Some are beautiful and some can be considered quite the opposite. Some are born with great physical prowess and others are handicapped. Some are intellectual giants and others their midget equivalent.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">On what basis are we to be judged when at the outset there is such discrepancy between us? But let us go one step further, why are we tested and judged in the first place? Why is this necessary?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. What purpose can these tests possibly serve?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God has promised us total fairness and justice. He created us and he does indeed know us. When we are assigned to one part of <place>Paradise</place> and not another; or a place in Hell instead of Heaven, on what basis will this be done?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us answer some of these questions.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The gift of free will is a very powerful one. It is because we can act on our own discretion that we can be held accountable for our actions. This tells us that while there is a degree of pre-destination, not everything is pre-ordained. If everything was, we would have no say in the matter, could incur no accountability, and there would be no basis for judgment. So without a doubt there are things within the domain of our choice which God has left unanswered. How does this fit in with the fact that God is all-knowing and knows everything. If he knows everything, then surely he knows how we will act, what we will do, and so, will also know the outcome of our actions.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The following clips explains the question of free will and pre-destiny, and also explains the basis on which we will be judged. The part under discussion here begins at about 6 mins into the first clip. Study these carefully.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FBc0Me2dE4k?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FBc0Me2dE4k?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qR25PRMrjfQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qR25PRMrjfQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">These clips also answer the crucial question, why we are tested, and explain our purpose on Earth. We are here to prove our worthiness of our place in <place>Paradise</place>. It is something we have to prove, so in the end, if we succeed or not, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Will we use the time we have left to save our situation? Only we can answer this question for ourselves.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">From the above we can understand that while God knows everything, he creates the boundary within which we have free choice, and God alone knows the limits of this boundary. This serves as motivation for us to always strive harder since we truly do not know the limits of our own capability. Since God creates our boundaries, he is aware of everything we can potentially do.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is only in the area of piety that God creates no limits, and this is the only criterion on which we will be judged. Every other aspect of our life is there for us to use to promote our level of piety. We are not judged on these other aspects (such as wealth, beauty etc) because God has designated limits on these, and it would be unjust then to judge us on something which is pre-determined.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Wealth and poverty and both great tests, and it is our task to use these to further us along the road of piety. A poor man must practice patience, tolerance and forgiveness, while a rich man must look to the needs of those less fortunate and ensure that the wealth in his care is used appropriately so as to promote him on the road of piety. Many will say that wealth is as great, if not a greater test than that of poverty, God knows best.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Each test, if successfully handled, prepares us for greater tests and hence our elevation on the ranking of piety, in much the same way as we get more challenging tests as we progress in school. A grade 2 student will find a grade 8 paper very difficult, but this paper should pose no problems for a grade 9 student. Tests are relative to the person concerned. We must not be concerned for others who seem to be faced with humungus challenges in life. This could be a reflection of their higher status and greater capability. God knows best. We know that the greatest challenges were those faced by the prophets (PBUT) and we now know why.<br />
<br />
The promise that the tests we are faced with will always be within our capability means that we have no justifiable reason for becoming depressed or despondent with life’s challenges. They are a service to us, helping us grow and become stronger and better. If handled correctly, we can only benefit from them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">In summary, there is pre-determination but also an aspect of free will. We are judged on our piety.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are put to the test so that we may be the ones who choose the kind of place we will reside in for the rest of time. Because God is so totally true to his claim of justness, he does not decide this for us. Our destiny truly is in our own hands.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Bye for now.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-9242708834732903202011-01-07T11:45:00.000+02:002011-01-07T11:45:44.643+02:00This is OUR world.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"></div>God teaches us many things and in many different ways. The message here is not that there is so much that we can learn, but that God is present. God exists; and He has devised many ways to teach us, and in the process help us realize and become convinced of His existence.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Earth was created to be our abode. It is not a prison or a place of punishment. Living here is part of His will for us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Everything on earth has been created for our benefit; either to use, feed ourselves, clothe and protect us, and assist is in traveling or to observe and learn.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Through careful observation of the things God has created with such diligence and ingenuity, we gain access to knowledge that he wishes us to acquire and use for our benefit. If we fail to make use of them, the fault is our own.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We are made aware of the fact that we can fly, and by studying his creatures we will master this art ourselves. He has drawn us to the awareness that travel in excess of the speed of sound is possible. Will we master this knowledge?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We realize that we can survive and move under water.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We discover the existence of ultrasound (by studying bats) and put it to our use (in developing radar).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we failed to understand the existence of electricity through the powerful lightening bolt, the electric eel will help push our minds in that direction.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Recently, study of the gecko has revealed the secret to its ability to walk on smooth vertical surfaces. Soon we could have devices that we can use that will give us the same ability.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Everything that exists is here for a reason and it is for some benefit to us, and that includes those insects we look upon with disdain, such as the fly. All we have to do is apply our minds and find the answers. God’s prophet (PBUH) informed us that the fly has a poison on one wing and the antidote to it on the other wing. This fact should have led us to the awareness of antibodies in general and their role in infection control, allergies and auto-immune disease.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This world is a treasure house packed from top to bottom with information for us. God is teaching us. This is why His Prophet (PBUH) tells us to seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave. God wishes us to have this knowledge, and it is an act of worship to strive in acquiring it, utilizing it and sharing it with others.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Through the acquisition of knowledge we begin to understand how impossible it is for all of this to have arisen by chance; and slowly we are led to the realization, and then the conviction, of the existence of a Supreme Being. A gynaecologist came to this conclusion when he read the description of the zygote as given by God. At the time this information was given to us, our science had not yet acquired the means to observe such things. Everything that God has told us is being proven and verified as our knowledge increases.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The order within our universe draws us to the realization that there can be only One Supreme Being. If there were more than one, we would find constant conflict as one seeks to dominate the other, or differences due to the fact that each Sub_Supreme Being made things slightly differently. The force of gravity generated by a fixed mass may be different on different planets. Different lights may travel at different speeds, depending on the creator of the source etc. We do not have any of these problems because everything is derived from a single source.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">An example of how God teaches us can be found in the following clip which forms a part of the series “Why do we have to live in fear like this?” At about 4 min we are presented with foods that resemble parts of the human body. What is so amazing is not only how closely they resemble parts of our body, but that it is of these specific organs that they are of most benefit. This is truly amazing. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hCLHuSBhzVI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hCLHuSBhzVI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">By this means and others, God is guiding us away from the lie that we are the result of a chance event and evolution and showing us the direct and intricate inter-relationship between ourselves and the world around us, forcing us to the realization that a Master Creator is behind it all.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It has been said that this world was created for us, but we are created for the next world. Without an understanding of why we are here, the purpose of our existence, we are like driftwood on a fast flowing river.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our life is a journey. What can be more important than knowing our intended destination. Without that knowledge the entire journey may prove an exercise in futility. If we fail in that, our most important objective in life, then irrespective of how famous, rich, powerful or beautiful we may be, we have failed. That is the greatet tragedy that can befall anyone.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It is because the answer to this question is so important that every effort has been made by our enemies to keep this knowledge from us. On this blog that answer will become self-evident.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is another aspect that must be mentioned at this point. Earth was bequeathed to mankind. It is our collective possession. Everyone is a part owner of everything on earth and by Gods grace some of it is placed in our exclusive care, such as the clothes on our back, the food in our mouth and the immediate land which we use for our benefit.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">No one has the right to deprive anyone else of his legacy. Keep this in mind. At some time in the future it will help us understand what God expects from us in our relationship with others and how national boundaries and citizenship are tools of our avowed enemy. They do not assist us in serving God; on the contrary, they cause us to be deprived of God’s mercy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Until next time.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-14491483342201510362011-01-06T12:11:00.000+02:002011-01-06T12:11:20.347+02:00Creation, the product of Intelligent Design<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Having explored one explanation for our existence on Earth, we now turn to the other. Here I will give a brief outline and elaborate on specifics in subsequent posts. This is perhaps the most ill-informed aspect of our lives, and this is not because of neglect or accident.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This post and those to follow presents a truth that has been kept from us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is a Creator who is responsible for everything and whom we address by the name “God”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God created the heavens and earth as a single unit then separated them. Heaven here refers to the stars. Earth, we are informed, was created prior to humans, and in anticipation of our living here. Our presence on Earth is not a punishment but part of the overall plan.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Angels were created from light and without free will. Ginn are produced from fire and humans from clay. The body of the first human was created from clay which was sourced from Earth. Ginn and human are endowed with free will, the ability to act on their own reasoning. With free will comes a responsibility and accountability. We will be judged fairly. Everything is recorded and this evidence will be produced and used.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We have a purpose, an objective for being on earth. We will be judged on whether this objective was fulfilled (judgement day). Success will be rewarded. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our concept of time is very limited. What we see as thousands of years may be a single day in “celestial time”, or time as described by God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Consequently, the existence of man on Earth, from the first to the last may be played out in what may be one day, or even a part of one day, but we may see it as millions of years. This has great implications for our understanding of our presence here, and how God has ensured that we all will be treated with absolute justice.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We can perceive the presence of God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Think of a group of architects given a project to design and create a model of a city so large that it covers the whole planet. Each architect creates his own impression. If the individual is known to us, we may see in his work signs of his handiwork. There are certain features which he usually incorporates in his designs. Each individual has his own unique points by which we can identify him.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">While no architect is physically within the model, by studying his work we can ascertain the presence of the architect, both in the unique design and actual presence of the model.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our universe is no different. By studying it with an honest and open mind, we see God’s presence everywhere, even though God is not physically within the structures we are studying.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The time of the birth and death of each individual is predetermined, something no one can change.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We will be tested, but no one will be given a test greater than they can bear. This is a promise.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The world has been created for us. We are created to function well here, and have senses that allow us to interact with this world, but no sense can perceive God. Despite this, he has made it possible for us to learn of His presence and to be aware of this with total conviction. This is one of His miracles.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">He guides us so that we may succeed in our objective. He guides us so that we may be free. If we become enslaved, the fault is ours alone. God guides us but He is not a physical part of the world. What becomes of this universe is due to our actions, or inactions, and not because of God or the absence of God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We will only be held accountable for our own actions, not the actions of others. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">There is only one God inspired “religion”. Keep an open mind on the answer and not to try and preempt what I will be saying in the future. What I can say is that in all probability you fall within the category of one who is a part of this “religion” and that this fact will come as a surprise even to yourself.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Satan is an avowed enemy of man, one who has promised to subjugate man, and there is nothing we can do to change his mind. We either impose our superiority, or submit to him. No compromise is possible.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God never imposes upon us. His guidance comes as recommendations. We may choose to embrace them or reject them. The consequences we face are the result of the decisions we made.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">God guides us how to live with other humans so that we may all be free. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If we adhere to a belief that is contrary to what I have just described, then it is one that is not inspired by God. If aspects of our belief contradict, then these have been tampered with leaving us with a false understanding.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Satan and his agents have infiltrated every aspect of our lives; the sciences, politics, commerce and industry, military, religion, education, media and entertainment and as a result we have become enslaved. This has been achieved through a change in our perspective of what constitutes right and wrong, by a change in our understanding of our origin, and a change which causes us to think with the thoughts and understandings of satan, and not that of God.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our primary objective should be to learn how to once again think with the understanding and mind of a believer; to restructure the foundation of our understanding of this world and our purpose here so that the decisions we make are founded on the correct reasoning and the outcomes we seek will further our own well being, and not that of our greatest enemy, satan himself.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Think on these. In subsequent posts I will elaborate on specifics, and on those aspects you wish me to comment on.</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355850476479192513.post-71128466954704082312011-01-05T20:04:00.000+02:002011-01-05T20:04:42.716+02:00Creation or Evolution?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">This is the most important question we have to answer. Each is so different from the other that they are mutually exclusive; our presence is the result of either one or the other, it cannot be by a combination of both. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The answer that we determine is the correct one has profound implications as it forms the foundation of our thinking. Everything we do, and every thought we have is based on this foundation.It defines who or what we are, and helps us determine our purpose on Earth.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We have been led to understand that no one can get a definite answer to this question, that it is all speculation; that both could equally be possible. That is a lie, and we have been fed this lie because it serves the purpose of some very disturbed people. It serves to keep us confused. It allows us to engage in things we would never do if we knew for sure what the truth really was. It makes it easier for us to be degraded and for us to degrade ourselves.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us determine the truth once and for all.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We begin with Charles Darwin. He was a scientist, and scientists study things and make educated guesses in order to further our understanding of the world and life on it. These guesses are made all the time, and most are proven wrong and others are partially true but help us eventually arrive at the complete truth.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We used to think the world was flat. This was a theory, proven wrong with the acquisition of new knowledge, so to with the theory that the Sun rotated around Earth. Scientists theorized that scurvy was due to a virus, and pellagra too. Both of these were found to be due to vitamin deficiencies. Scientists make these guesses<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>when the truth escapes us. Madame Curie helped us understand radiation through scientific experimentation. Louis Pasteur helped introduce the process of pasteurization.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><h1 style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">Charles Darwin was trying to understand why the offspring resembles the parent. In his work, “On <span class="plus21"><span style="mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Origin of Species </span></span>by Means of Natural Selection, or <span class="plus11"><span style="mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life”, the </span></span>First Edition of which was published on <date day="24" month="11" year="1859">24 November 1859</date>, he theorized that all physical characteristics were passed on to the offspring. We know from consequent proven independent scientific study that this is not correct.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">He went on to suggest that if this was the case, any physical change acquired by an individual would similarly be passed on to its offspring. He suggested that pressure from the environment may promote certain changes, such as shortage of food will cause an animal to constantly stretch its neck to reach leaves higher up the trees. In time the neck would become a fraction of a millimeter longer. This will be passed on to the offspring, and with the passage of time we will have a giraffe when once there was a buck. We now know that this too is not correct. Physical changes are not inherited, just as an amputee will not give birth to a baby with a missing limb, and no matter how much a buck changes, it will walwys be a buck and nothing else.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><city><place><city><place>Darwin</place></city> also suggested that certain individuals within a species would survive while others would not because they were better suited to their environment. A white bear would escape predators in the polar region better than a brown or black bear, hence explaining why polar bears would be white, for instance. He called this natural selection. We know that none of this is correct. Each type of bear is genetically distinct.</place></city></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">When <city><place><city><place>Darwin</place></city> made his suggestions, chromosomes were yet to be discovered and no one knew how traits were inherited. With their discovery in 1882 by Walther Flemming, we learned the truth about how cells divided and how traits were inherited. <city><place><city><place>Darwin</place></city> (and hence his theories) were proven wrong.</place></city></place></city></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Despite this, we still find evolution being presented as a fact. We need to ponder why this is the case when the opposite is proven by scientific fact.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Be that the case, there is a lot more we must consider to seal the case against evolution.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us assume, for the purpose of this discussion, that evolution is the process that resulted in the creation of everything; planets, stars, and all life form. There was no creator. There is no intelligent design.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">By some chance process matter coalesced and formed planets and stars. Protein bubbled in a watery broth and from within this, over time, many living cells “evolved”. Through a process of natural selection and genetic changes (mutations) new creatures were formed leading eventually to life as we know it today. We know that mutations must have occurred because our characteristics are coded within chromosomes, a fact we must incorporate in our theory.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We shall take a closer look at mutations shortly.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">First and foremost, our entire evolution from a single cell to a complex multi-cellular organism occurs in a world that has to be constantly changing. There is no creator. There is nothing to keep thinks “stable and constant”. The process of evolution is dependent upon constant change in order for new life to evolve. There can be no state of existence that is stable and complete. Stability is the opposite of change, the opposite of evolution. If a unicellular organism stopped changing and remained in a stable state, no higher life form could arise.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">If our environment and our development was the process of constant change, what would our world look like?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Nothing would be constant because this negates evolution. Gravity would fluctuate. The frequency of waves in the environment would change constantly so that there would be no possibility of a stable persistent form of visible light.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The absence of gravity that was stable and unchanging would make it impossible for planets to acquire a stable orbit around suns. No galaxy could form. Planets and stars will be hurling haphazardly through space.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The absence of a stable light source would make it impossible for any eye to evolve, or any “seeing-device” for that matter.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">It would be impossible for identifiable species to form. Each organism would be undergoing repeated change and the structure of living organisms would be such that change would be facilitated since it is only through change that higher forms could arise. We would find billions of different creatures each in a different stage of change. Our fossil heritage would be one of a cluster of different creatures, none that could be lumped together as distinct species. As mentioned before, any possibility of a stable state being reached would end the evolutionary process.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Genetic changes would require mutations, but there is nothing to guide how or when mutations take place. We know it is a totally random and unpredictable event. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Let us compare that scenario to what we know exists to day and see whether there is any similarity to what we have just described.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Each individual belongs to genetically distinct species, even if the different between species is only a few chromosomes or genes.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">From the beginning of recorded history (including fossil specimens) these species have remained distinct, such as with sea creatures (jelly fish) and creatures such as cockroaches.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our bodies do not tolerate change and a multitude of checks and balances are in place to eliminate the possibility of change arising. Survival of the fittest is about escaping change and remaining true to ones heritage. Change results in forms we identify as deformed. They die in utero or soon after birth. Most are incapable of reproducing. The stable world in which we live does not tolerate change and has built in safety features to prevent changes from taking place.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The male produces billions of sperm for each egg produced by the female to ensure that only the best and strongest will fertilize the egg. Those that have been changed tend to be so outnumbered by those that have not changed that the process is highly geared towards ensuring an absence of change, that a healthy unchanged sperm would fertilize the egg.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The appearance of our world and its stable nature, such as light being constant, and gravity having a specific value mitigates against a world that depends upon change for its existence. Our world reflects stability and an in built intolerance to change.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our world is showing us that it is not and cannot be the product of evolution.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">The arrival of man on earth after the demise of the dinosaur is so sudden, and with no preceding intermediate creatures to suggest an evolutionary process. If evolution was in process, fossil evidence would abound with strange creatures in the process of forming humans. Even <city><place><city><place>Darwin</place></city> admitted that the absence of fossil evidence was against his theory.</place></city></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">What about the suggestion that the changes that occurred were the result of genetic mutations.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Mutations are almost always destructive. They result in cancers and other defects. Mutations must affect multiple areas of the body simultaneously to be beneficial. If a mutation were to result in the formation of an hormone, we would require simultaneous changes in various parts of the body, resulting in the formation of the gland, the hormone, the hormoe receptor at various sites in the body, new releaser hormones and their feedback control mechanisms. To have multiple mutations happening at the same time so that all of these could occur is in all probability impossible.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">For mutations to result in complex higher forms, such multiple mutations should be happening commonly and with great regularity. The evidence we have before us proves that this is not the case.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Everything, from scientific evidence to observation of our world with the untrained eye is against evolution and in support of a process of deliberate design and creation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">We need to ponder this deeply. We were created; we did not evolve. This is a fact. What are the consequences of this to us and to our process of thinking? How does this fact influence who we are, and our understanding of why we are here?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Our discussion will continue.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Bye for now.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div>Nassimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02494865542847614619noreply@blogger.com1