FOREWORD TO “THE CASE FOR GOD”
BASED ON REASON AND EVIDENCE
My book is based on a few significant premises. Truthfulness, candidness and efficiency demand that I forthrightly set them forth and lay my cards on the table, both with a view to making my case really meaningful and intelligible and also to save the unwary reader from wasting his time.
Equally it is requested of the discerning readers to postpone their decision on the veracity of these premises till they have at least scanned through the book, in more than a cursory fashion, and not to be swayed by their preconceived notions and prior allegiances and ideas, because some of the words employed i.e. religion, revelation and Islam are used in a rather unconventional sense, but which get explained as we go along, fairly quickly
The significant premises are as follows:-
1. During the past few centuries there have, no doubt, been collisions between science and “conventional religion” i.e. man made religion. Examples would be the Heliocentricism of Galileo etc versus the Catholic Church and more recently Darwinian Evolution being opposed by most of Christianity, Judaism, and conventional Islam.
This has happened because “Authentic Revelation” has not been distinguished and treated separately from revelation which got polluted or transformed wittingly or unwittingly by human translations, interpretations or outright forgeries.
2. Qur’an poses a challenge to “conventional religion”. Many of its values are diametrically opposed to what commonly goes in the name of religion. For example, its emphasis on “Tauhid – Unity, oneness and most of all Absolute Uniqueness of God”. Its unique emphasis on the need to use “reason and evidence” in understanding its message and guidance instead of blind faith. Its stress on Freedom of the individual to make choices but for which each individual will be held directly accountable and the lack of an organized Church or priesthood with no intermediary between God and His creation.
3.The systematic misinformation and consequent prejudices and biases developed by Christian Europe and subsequently the Western viewpoint about the Qur’an, Islam and Prophet Muhammad, from which even the anti-Christian secular humanists or Communists have also not been immune. This initially started happening during the medieval times because of Europe’s intellectual poverty and military and economic backwardness. The only weapon available to the Church being propaganda and psychological warfare, it was used to the full, even if it meant distorting reality. (See Chapter -) Exactly the reverse is being witnessed today in the reaction of the so called radical Islam, which is basically a political phenomenon and is not guided by the basic principles and guidance enunciated in the Qur’an.
Just how reasonable and valid are these premises? This would be for the fair minded reader to decide after going through the evidence presented and the case made out in the book. At this stage the request is simply to listen to the arguments and evidence presented with an open mind because that is the only way in which we will be able to evaluate and possibly benefit from the ideas presented
Let it be emphasized that the author is not at all driven by any proselytizing zeal in the usual sense of the term. In his opinion there are well over a billion conventional Muslims already on this overcrowded planet. They have contributed little to human welfare over the past few centuries - after being the torch bearers of civilization from 7th to well past the 16th century. Merely adding to their numbers is thus hardly a worthwhile objective.
The purpose of this book, hopefully, is to demonstrate, based on reason and evidence alone, that “Authentic and genuine revelation” is available only in the Qur’an – which unfortunately the Muslims of the past few centuries have turned their backs upon – What is needed, in mankind’s own interest, is to acknowledge this fact and to reexamine this Guidance from the Creator of the Universe and all of Humanity, which is like an “Owners manual and a Constitution for Mankind” via a think tank like institutional organization containing the best minds of all segments of Humanity in a manner as if our life depended upon it. In fact it is much more than our lives it is the future of mankind at stake here.
Challenge of our Times is to unveil the Qur'an, which by no means is a monopoly of the Muslims, and present it before the modern world in the language that it understands i.e. reason and evidence. To bring out its pristine teachings and guidance in order for humanity to recognize the same and rise up to the place of Honor given to us by our Almighty Creator in His vast, complex and challenging Universe. Qur’an contains guidance for all humanity, men and women, free from prejudices of color, caste and nationality and is the universal constitution of mankind and an owner’s manual for the wholesome and win win development of all mankind both in this life and the hereafter.
This book will bring out evidence based on reason to support each and every contention and a lot more expressed above.
Qur’an makes bold statements which are ready to stand Karl Popper’s scientific test of “falsification”
Qur’an especially identifies three areas which it presents as evidence of the Creator.
It says “We shall show you our signs in the far reaches of the Universe, till you come to believe that this (Qur’an) is the Truth”
Secondly it says, “look into yourselves” i.e. human nature, Psychology and Mind
And thirdly it says “look at the history of the people of old” which will tell us the laws of the rise and fall of civilizations
And you will find ample evidence for the existence of the Creator, which will be presented in detail in my forthcoming book, only a tantalizing glimpse of which is covered here by Gary Miller’s “The Amazing Qur’an”
Qur’an has this wonderfully modern approach of urging the evidence to be looked at by experts in the various fields because they are in the best position to judge its veracity. Remember, Pharaoh’s magicians accepted readily that what Moses had shown was beyond magic but it left the Pharaoh and his courtiers unmoved.