Note: In order to really imbibe and enjoy this discussion one must read or at least have quick glance over the last discussion, now on ward referred as Search I and this being the Search II
In the last discussion we reached some postulates, as we may call these for the ease of undertaking further discussion on the topic, with one aim that we are looking for ways to create harmony peace and tranquility for man to be able to live in a more harmonious and a placid world. We concluded in the last discussion that science is kind of blind without the intuition and is almost going towards a dead end, with all its charisma and glamour it has failed to ensure peace, simply because knowledge without spiritual aspect is like a body without the spirit.
In order to recapitulate, there is a dire need to analyze and evaluate the ways last few centuries saw the development of culture and the resulting cultural values. For the time being we will try to follow a middle-of-the-road approach though candid but try to be impartial in our search as far as possible. One can see a strong impact of the world wide phenomenon, e.g. in the realms of visual arts after the bloody revolutions we can see a clear transition from the realms of realism to the new trends called the abstract art, from the sweet smiles of Mona Lisa to the distorted human images by the modern painters and artists in general, here leaving details to the imagination and experience of the reader with a view to save time and remain oriented to our topic. However we must not over look the stupendous influence of these phenomenons on other fields of human activity such as the poetry, philosophy including the very birth of the field of psychology in this era and all the other activities. The commodious impact of these entire phenomenons and the so called modernization adversely affected the overall human outlook. As a result one of the most serious consequence was a revolutionized and an ultra modern behavior towards religion; the only source for man to be able to keep ardently required element of virtue and the moral values intact. Thus human behavior in general could not remain unaffected by this big era of transformation, metamorphosisaffecting the deeper psychic aspects of man, never so evident ever before, increasing in its dimensions at a monstrous speed. So one can conclude that these aberrations actually started with the world wide transformation, what the historian refer as renaissance. The division of the post and pre-renaissance is also a matter of terminology if one is analyzing the causes of transformation in human behavior, though one will tend to agree, it has been a process going on from the times, man discovered himself as a civilized creature. But one can clearly see that the most adversely effected human asset was the religion, and here we are certainly taking this word in its most liberal and universal meanings, an asset belonging to all mankind, at his complete disposal with full right to imbibe it to one’s intellectual capacities and God gifted faculties. In the latter stages of our discussions, if God be willing, we might undertake the true reality of the religion and different dimensions of these effects with the passage of time on different religious traditions.
To refresh our memories in order to smoothly proceed with our discussion we bring an excerpt from the previous discussion, “Positivism, altogether rejecting all a priori knowledge where sense experience is taken to be the only source of all valid knowledge.”
For the time being taking religion in its pristine connotation as the most valuable spiritual asset for man, must be salvagedat all costs, as in our previous discussions it was concluded that without the spirit not only the knowledge merely based on science is blind but also shuts all the door to all the venues for moral values and virtue in the world we have to live in peace. And this vital most aspect governing human activity, the parameter defining the set of moral value and the definition of virtue can not be left to an individual and not even an institution without some principles agreed upon by all, because if the man goes wrong in deciding what should be the parameters of moral values and the virtue which we all must follow to ensure peace for all mankind, we are heading for the disaster, as pointed out in the last discussion. The prevalent scenario which is not all that bright, in itself is indicative of this exigentnecessity, as well as the fact that man is failing in realization of the dire need for a set of such values. This is why we are searching for ways to ensure that ardently required peace which is only possible if we can find ways to harness all action of man detrimental to the peaceful existence of all other men around, directly or indirectly effected by such action. There is another reality which must not be over looked that we are certainly left with very less time.
Therefore it can be conclusively stated that there is a dire need for a concrete set of moral values and especially the parameters defining the analogue of virtues required by man enabling him to be a healthy member of the society, capable of ensuring equal opportunities for all, to have a more peaceful, harmonious and a placid world, the raison d’ etre of our discussion. We must take our discussion forward, to ensure all our happiness, safety, pleasure and the very survival which is seriously and directly connected to it is not hampered at any stage for any reasons. However this humble endeavor certainly requires inspiration and stimulationin the form of precious comments and candid analysis from my worthy readers to strengthen our case towards a more placid world, a dire need for us all.
Recovery from all agonies even paralysis 
I feel that many aspects of religion are left to ones own interpretation and perception, to make it more personalized. The core principles dictated by a religion remain the same while the entire structure is rests on that frame work. The design of the building may vary for each person. Making peace is the core spirit that pervades through religions.
How an artist or a poet may perceive God or religion is also left to the individual’s thinking and there may not be much need to modify it..No one can be told that his way of understanding the personal aspects of religion is wrong, it may not be the best way but its not wrong nonetheless,as long as it does not prove harmful for the rest of the world.
Also, the sweet smiles of Mona Lisa were perhaps not so sweet after all. Speculations have it that this painting by Da Vinci was really the painting of Hermes and Aphrodite; merged into a single body. Artists are strange, eccentric creatures. Part of the definition of an artist is that he deviates from the standard norms, they may want to question it as well. It’s a trait of a creative person- that he questions.
I believe that as long as a person follows the directives of his religion, he can find peace within himself because the ultimate peace lies in faith for all mankind. Having a faith is the panacea for the human race.Peace within ensures peace without.
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I am pleased to read your candid comments on the latest post. I have noted for myself for future articles that some main points must be elaborated more lucidly. I would make an observation on your first comment which says some aspects of religion are left to ones own interpretation, though all major religions do have this freedom and especially Islam where the difference between Shariah and Fiqh is an example in itself, mostly not under stood by some of their own scholars. Broadly Fiqh is the interpretation of Shariah, showing that inherent freedom. The point we want to highlight is that the problem also arises due to this flexibility, an inbuilt feature of every religion, but if misused, can result into extremism. Today this is mostly seen in Islamic nations but it has always been present in one form or the other, even what the Jews of that time thought they have crucified Jesus was a manifestation of the extremist tendencies developing in any religious practices with the passage of time. This feature is clearly available in Islam in the form of the institution of “Ijtihad”, as discussed above. Therefore one can conclude that there is a dire need to harness these tendencies, which is only possible if ignorance along with the lack of wisdom is not allowed to creep into any religious tradition at any stage, main cause of certain “isms” taking route into every religion with the passage of time. If God be willing, we will take this process of development in all religions and especially in Islam.
Same way in your second part of the comments we are confronting similar problem as far as the very concept of the divine Reality is concerned, this personalized god too is the main cause of the diversities resulting into many facets of one single Reality, a common tendency found in all religions. In Islam, Wahdat-al-Wajood, a concept extended by Ibn Arabi has raised unnecessary discussions and given birth to such diverse tendencies which might be one of the causes for great decadence in Muslim nations today, which requires detailed discussion at a separate platform. However it is evident that such ideologies were quickly imbibed and vehemently followed by already decaying religious philosophies in the west, as the term “pantheism”, is widely used which means same as Wahdat-al-Wajood. Rise of such tendencies in Islam is especially unbelievable in view of its clear percepts such as given in Surah Ikhlass, proving the existence of these tendencies in man because all religion, especially Islam invites man to contemplate and ponder over the great realities, all around making manifest, one single Reality. This was mentioned in the last article as the concept of “Afaq” as elaborated by Iqbal in his lecture in Allahabad.
This is a vivid example of how man gets lost even in his genuine pursuit of God, like in Islam, in spite of clear ordains emphasizing not only believing but professing the theme of the unity of God so precisely stated in concrete parameters leaving no place for any further developments. Yet one finds so many variants of this fundamental principle of Islam depicting clearly the disadvantage of adventurism in religious domains especially the very concept of the divine Reality.
Lastly what you have said is of vital value, one of the aims of all our endeavors, that all religions have emphasized the value of virtue and profess that service to humanity is the raison d’ etre of human existence then why religion itself and man himself is is the cause of all bloodshed and misery in the world. This is the purpose of all this discussion and in the coming discussion will focus on this question.
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I am pleased to read your candid comments on the latest post. I have noted for myself for future articles that some main points must be elaborated more lucidly. I would make an observation on your first comment which says some aspects of religion are left to ones own interpretation, though all major religions do have this freedom and especially Islam where the difference between Shariah and Fiqh is an example in itself, mostly not under stood by some of their own scholars. Broadly Fiqh is the interpretation of Shariah, showing that inherent freedom. The point we want to highlight is that the problem also arises due to this flexibility, an inbuilt feature of every religion, but if misused, can result into extremism. Today this is mostly seen in Islamic nations but it has always been present in one form or the other, even what the Jews of that time thought they have crucified Jesus was a manifestation of the extremist tendencies developing in any religious practices with the passage of time. This feature is clearly available in Islam in the form of the institution of “Ijtihad”, as discussed above. Therefore one can conclude that there is a dire need to harness these tendencies, which is only possible if ignorance along with the lack of wisdom is not allowed to creep into any religious tradition at any stage, main cause of certain “isms” taking route into every religion with the passage of time. If God be willing, we will take this process of development in all religions and especially in Islam.
Same way in your second part of the comments we are confronting similar problem as far as the very concept of the divine Reality is concerned, this personalized god too is the main cause of the diversities resulting into many facets of one single Reality, a common tendency found in all religions. In Islam, Wahdat-al-Wajood, a concept extended by Ibn Arabi has raised unnecessary discussions and given birth to such diverse tendencies which might be one of the causes for great decadence in Muslim nations today, which requires detailed discussion at a separate platform. However it is evident that such ideologies were quickly imbibed and vehemently followed by already decaying religious philosophies in the west, as the term “pantheism”, is widely used which means same as Wahdat-al-Wajood. Rise of such tendencies in Islam is especially unbelievable in view of its clear percepts such as given in Surah Ikhlass, proving the existence of these tendencies in man because all religion, especially Islam invites man to contemplate and ponder over the great realities, all around making manifest, one single Reality. This was mentioned in the last article as the concept of “Afaq” as elaborated by Iqbal in his lecture in Allahabad.
This is a vivid example of how man gets lost even in his genuine pursuit of God, like in Islam, in spite of clear ordains emphasizing not only believing but professing the theme of the unity of God so precisely stated in concrete parameters leaving no place for any further developments. Yet one finds so many variants of this fundamental principle of Islam depicting clearly the disadvantage of adventurism in religious domains especially the very concept of the divine Reality.
Lastly what you have said is of vital value, one of the aims of all our endeavors, that all religions have emphasized the value of virtue and profess that service to humanity is the raison d’ etre of human existence then why religion itself and man himself is is the cause of all bloodshed and misery in the world. This is the purpose of all this discussion and in the coming discussion will focus on this question.
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Superbly put. I cant help but agree. The loop holes in my last comment have been intelligently picked and answered to effectively.
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