[nasional_list] [ppiindia] Terrorists ignore God, life to pursue heaven
- From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
- Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 10:56:59 +0100
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Terrorists ignore God, life to pursue heaven
Opinion and Editorial - January 24, 2006
Usep Abdul Matin, Jakarta
Religion teaches adherents to regulate their lives to live, to help and to care
for each other. Unfortunately, this notion has been corrupted by shortsighted
individuals who come to religion only for the sake of going to heaven. We can
perceive this corruption in the actions of terrorists. As a result of this
corruption, most people no longer care which God they worship, as long as they
reap an eternal reward.
The nature of God is no longer an important question. People believe that God
can and should be controlled by their own radical behavior. Here I introduce
the term "generic religion" to refer to the devotional behavior of terrorists,
which is directed not toward care for other people but toward their own
individual desires. This term then has its complement in "the ethics of
hedonism": the way of thinking of ultramodern terrorists.
Terrorists treat their bodies as a bundle of parts; they do not care if mosque,
church or synagogue no longer regulate their lives. They believe in God not
because God is worthy to be worshiped, but rather because God promotes a thing:
heaven. Curing this carelessness or corruption is not easy, since one cannot
force one's own beliefs on somebody else. Therefore, solving the corruption of
generic religion cannot occur with a specific religious doctrine, but requires
endurance, receptivity and perseverance; it demands a moral sense that an
individual has to struggle within himself or herself.
This moral sense says that life comes from God not because we have endeavored
and earned it, but because God is the Forgiver and the Giver. Hence, we should
not work hard to get God's gift because God has already given it to us. What we
should do is to receive God's gift joyfully and thankfully by believing that
God protects and honors it over time.
We should, for instance, avoid polluting the air and water, pray and, above
all, care for one another. This also means that we should regard another's
distress as our own. In contrast, generic religion is entirely without a moral
sense to direct it to higher beliefs such as these. The beliefs of generic
religion are only concerned with the goal (i.e. heaven) not the process (i.e.
life).
Real religion with a moral sense requires to some extent not only belief but
also good practice. A well-known historical example of this concept might be
the Prophet Muhammad's treatment of the pagan people of Saqnf in Tb'if. Even
though God sent the angel Jabrnl to do whatever the Prophet wanted and to teach
a lesson to these people for their mistreatment of the Prophet, Muhammad
refused to curse them. Instead, the Prophet just asked God to bless these
people.
Another example would be the way in which Jesus took pity on and healed the
blind man on the Sabbath. Both of these great leaders demonstrated concern for
other humans and respect for God's will in their actions. In the same way, we
should belong both to God and to one another in every aspect of life. A moral
sense leading to this type of action is an axiomatic notion of God's particular
self-revelation in history.
Developing this axiomatic idea can lead human beings to view their pain,
suffering, illness and disappointment, not as signs of failure, but as
motivators to learn to live lovingly as well as to share their blessings with
others. Neglecting to develop this same idea might leave people incapable of
freeing themselves from emotive culture, a culture that is full of practices
bowing to individuals' own motives and desires. In consequence, generic
religion might grow and continue to endanger human lives.
The writer obtained an MA in Islamic studies from Duke University in the U.S.,
and an MA from Leiden University, Holland. He is a lecturer at UIN Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta and can be reached at matin3dul@xxxxxxxxxx
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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