Purpose of Life: The Big Questions

Dr. Brown is the author of The Eighth Scroll, described by North Carolina State SenatorLarry Shaw as, ”Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code. The Eighth Scroll is a breath-holding, white-knuckled, can’t-put-down thriller that challenges Western views of humanity, history and religion. Bar none, the best book in its class!” Dr. Brown is also the author of three scholastic books of comparative religion, MisGod’ed, God’ed, andBearing True Witness. His books and articles can be found on his websites, www.EighthScroll.com and www.LevelTruth.com, and are available for purchase through amazon.com.

- Dr. Laurence Brown, MD

PART 1 – Who made Us?

At some point in our lives, everybody asks the big questions: “Who made us,” and “Why are we here?”

So who did make us?  Most of us have been brought up more on science than religion, and to believe in the Big Bang and evolution more than God.  But which makes more sense?  And is there any reason why the theories of science and creationism cannot coexist?

The Big Bang may explain the origin of the universe, but it doesn’t explain the origin of the primordial dust cloud.  This dust cloud (which, according to the theory, drew together, compacted and then exploded) had to come from somewhere.  After all, it contained enough matter to form not just our galaxy, but the billion other galaxies in the known universe.  So where did that come form?  Who, or what, created the primordial dust cloud?

Similarly, evolution may explain the fossil record, but it falls far short of explaining the quintessential essence of human life the soul.  We all have one.  We feel its presence, we speak of its existence and at times pray for its salvation.  But only the religious can explain where it came from.  The theory of natural selection can explain many of the material aspects of living things, but it fails to explain the human soul.

Furthermore, anyone who studies the complexities of life and the universe cannot help but witness the signature of the Creator. Whether or not people recognize these signs is another matter as the old saying goes, denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.  (Get it? Denial, spelled “de Nile” … the river Ni … oh, never mind.) The point is that if we see a painting, we know there is a painter.  If we see a sculpture, we know there’s a sculptor; a pot, a potter.  So when we view creation, shouldn’t we know there’s a Creator?

The concept that the universe exploded and then developed in balanced perfection through random events and natural selection is little different from the proposal that, by dropping bombs into a junkyard, sooner or later one of them will blow everything together into a perfect Mercedes.

If there is one thing we know for certain, it is that without a controlling influence, all systems degenerate into chaos.  The theories of the Big Bang and evolution propose the exact opposite, however that chaos fostered perfection.  Would it not be more reasonable to conclude that the Big Bang and evolution were controlled events? Controlled, that is, by the Creator?

The Bedouin of Arabia tell the tale of a nomad finding an exquisite palace at an oasis in the middle of an otherwise barren desert.  When he asks how it was built, the owner tells him it was formed by the forces of nature.  The wind shaped the rocks and blew them to the edge of this oasis, and then tumbled them together into the shape of the palace.  Then it blew sand and rain into the cracks to cement them together.  Next, it blew strands of sheep’s wool together into rugs and tapestries, stray wood together into furniture, doors, windowsills and trim, and positioned them in the palace at just the right locations.  Lightning strikes melted sand into sheets of glass and blasted them into the window-frames, and smelted black sand into steel and shaped it into the fence and gate with perfect alignment and symmetry.  The process took billions of years and only happened at this one place on earth purely through coincidence.

When we finish rolling our eyes, we get the point.  Obviously, the palace was built by design, not by happenstance.  To what (or more to the point, to Whom), then, should we attribute the origin of items of infinitely greater complexity, such as our universe and ourselves?

Another argument to dismiss the concept of Creationism focuses upon what people perceive to be the imperfections of creation.  These are the “How can there be a God if such-and-such happened?”  arguments.  The issue under discussion could be anything from a natural disaster to birth defects, from genocide to grandma’s cancer.  That’s not the point.  The point is that denying God based upon what we perceive to be injustices of life presumes that a divine being would not have designed our lives to be anything other than perfect, and would have established justice on Earth.

Hmm … is there no other option?

We can just as easily propose that God did not design life on Earth to be paradise, but rather a test, the punishment or rewards of which are to be had in the next life, which is where God establishes His ultimate justice.  In support of this concept we can well ask who suffered more injustices in their worldly lives than God’s favorites, which is to say the prophets?  And who do we expect to occupy the highest stations in paradise, if not those who maintain true faith in the face of worldly adversity? So suffering in this worldly life does not necessarily translate into God’s disfavor, and a blissful worldly life does not necessarily translate into beatitude in the hereafter.

I would hope that, by this line of reasoning, we can agree upon the answer to the first “big question.”  Who made us? Can we agree that if we are creation, God is the Creator?

If we can’t agree on this point, there probably isn’t much point in continuing.  However, for those who do agree, let’s move on to “big question” number two “why are we here?” What, in other words, is the purpose of life?

PART 2 – Purpose of Life

The first of the two big questions in life is, “Who made us?” We addressed that question in the previous article and (hopefully) settled upon “God” as the answer.  As we are creation, God is the Creator.

Now, let us turn to the second “big question,” which is, “Why are we here?”

Well, why are we here?  To amass fame and fortune?  To make music and babies?  To be the richest man or woman in the graveyard for, as we are jokingly told, “He who dies with the most toys wins?”

No, there must be more to life than that, so let’s think about this.  To begin with, look around you.  Unless you live in a cave, you are surrounded by things we humans have made with our own hands.  Now, why did we make those things?  The answer, of course, is that we make things to perform some specific function for us.  In short, we make things to serve us.  So by extension, why did God make us, if not to serve Him?

If we acknowledge our Creator, and that He created humankind to serve Him, the next question is, “How?  How do we serve Him?”  No doubt, this question is best answered by the One who made us.  If He created us to serve Him, then He expects us to function in a particular manner, if we are to achieve our purpose.  But how can we know what that manner is? How can we know what God expects from us?

Well, consider this: God gave us light, by which we can find our way.  Even at night, we have the moon for light and the stars for navigation.  God gave other animals guidance systems best suited for their conditions and needs.  Migrating birds can navigate, even on overcast days, by how light is polarized as it passes through the clouds.  Whales migrate by “reading” the Earth’s magnetic fields.  Salmon return from the open ocean to spawn at the exact spot of their birth by smell, if that can be imagined.  Fish sense distant movements through pressure receptors that line their bodies.  Bats and blind river dolphins “see” by sonar.  Certain marine organisms (the electric eel being a high-voltage example) generate and “read” magnetic fields, allowing them to “see” in muddy waters, or in the blackness of ocean depths.  Insects communicate by pheromones.  Plants sense sunlight and grow towards it (phototrophism); their roots sense gravity and grow into the earth (geotrophism).  In short, God has gifted every element of His creation with guidance.  Can we seriously believe he would not give us guidance on the one most important aspect of our existence, namely our raison d’etre our reason for being? That he would not give us the tools by which to achieve salvation?

And would this guidance not be .  .  .  revelation?

Think of it this way: Every product has specifications and rules.  For more complex products, whose specifications and rules are not intuitive, we rely upon owner’s manuals.  These manuals are written by the one who knows the product best, which is to say the manufacturer.  A typical owner’s manual begins with warnings about improper use and the hazardous consequences thereof, moves on to a description of how to use the product properly and the benefits to be gained thereby, and provides product specifications and a troubleshooting guide whereby we can correct product malfunctions.

Now, how is that different from revelation?

Revelation tells us what to do, what not to do and why, tells us what God expects of us, and shows us how to correct our deficiencies.  Revelation is the ultimate user’s manual, provided as guidance to the one who will use us ourselves.

In the world we know, products that meet or exceed specifications are considered successes whereas those that don’t are … hmm … let’s think about this.  Any product that fails to meet factory specifications is either repaired or, if hopeless, recycled.  In other words, destroyed.  Ouch.  Suddenly this discussion turns scary-serious.  Because in this discussion, we are the product the product of creation.

But let’s pause for a moment and consider how we interact with the various items that fill our lives.  As long as they do what we want, we’re happy with them.  But when they fail us, we get rid of them.  Some are returned to the store, some donated to charity, but eventually they all end up in the garbage, which gets … buried or burned.  Similarly, an underperforming employee gets … fired.  Now, stop for a minute and think about that word.  Where did that euphemism for the punishment due to an underperformer come from?  Hmm … the person who believes the lessons of this life translate into lessons about religion could have a field day with this.

But that doesn’t mean these analogies are invalid.  Just the opposite, we should remember that both Old and New Testaments are filled with analogies, and Jesus Christ taught using parables.

So perhaps we had better take this seriously.

No, I stand corrected.  Most definitely we should take this seriously.  Nobody ever considered the difference between heavenly delights and the tortures of hellfire a laughing matter.

PART 3 – The Need for Revelation

In the previous two parts of this series, we answered the two “big questions.”  Who made us?  God.  Why are we here?  To serve and worship Him.  A third question naturally arose: “If our Creator made us to serve and worship Him, how do we do that?” In the previous article I suggested that the only way we can serve our Creator is through obeying His mandates, as conveyed through revelation.

But many people would question my assertion: Why does mankind need revelation?  Isn’t it enough just to be good?  Isn’t it enough for each of us to worship God in our own way?

Regarding the need for revelation, I would make the following points: In the first article of this series I pointed out that life is full of injustices, but our Creator is fair and just and He establishes justice not in this life, but in the afterlife.  However, justice cannot be established without four things�a court (i.e., the Day of Judgment); a judge (i.e., the Creator); witnesses (i.e., men and women, angels, elements of creation); and a book of laws upon which to judge (i.e., revelation).  Now, how can our Creator establish justice if He did not hold humankind to certain laws during their livetimes?  It’s not possible.  In that scenario, instead of justice, God would be dealing out injustice, for He would be punishing people for transgressions they had no way of knowing were crimes.

Why else do we need revelation?  To begin with, without guidance mankind cannot even agree on social and economic issues, politics, laws, etc.  So how can we ever agree on God?  Secondly, nobody writes the user manual better than the one who made the product.  God is the Creator, we are creation, and nobody knows the overall scheme of creation better than the Creator.  Are employees allowed to design their own job descriptions, duties and compensation packages as they see fit?  Are we citizens allowed to write our own laws?  No?  Well then, why should we be allowed to write our own religions?  If history has taught us anything, it is the tragedies that result when mankind follows its caprice.  How many who have claimed to banner of free thought have designed religions that committed themselves and their followers to nightmares on Earth and damnation in the hereafter?

So why isn’t it enough just to be good?  And why isn’t it enough for each of us to worship God in our own way?  To begin with, peoples’ definitions of “good” differ.  For some it is high morals and clean living, for others it is madness and mayhem.  Similarly, concepts of how to serve and worship our Creator differ as well.  More importantly and to the point, nobody can walk into a store or a restaurant and pay with a different currency than the merchant accepts.  So it is with religion.  If people want God to accept their servitude and worship, they have to pay in the currency God demands.  And that currency is obedience to His revelation.

Imagine raising children in a home in which you have established “house rules.” Then, one day, one of your children tells you he or she has changed the rules, and is going to do things differently.  How would you respond?  More than likely, with the words, “You can take your new rules and go to Hell!” Well, think about it.  We are God’s creation, living in His universe under His rules, and “go to Hell” is very likely what God will say to any who presume to override His laws with their own.

Sincerity becomes an issue at this point.  We should recognize that all pleasure is a gift from our Creator, and deserving of thanks.  If given a gift, who uses the gift before giving thanks?  And yet, many of us enjoy God’s gifts for a lifetime and never give thanks.  Or give it late.  The English poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, spoke of the irony of the distressed human appeal in The Cry of the Human:

And lips say “God be pitiful,”

Who ne’er said, “God be praised.”

Should we not show good manners and thank our Creator for His gifts now, and subsequently for the rest of our lives?  Don’t we owe Him that?

You answered “Yes.” You must have.  Nobody will have read this far without being in agreement, but here’s the problem: Many of you answered “Yes,” knowing full well that your heart and mind does not wholly agree with the religions of your exposure.  You agree we were created by a Creator.  You struggle to understand Him.  And you yearn to serve and worship Him in the manner He prescribes.  But you don’t know how, and you don’t know where to look for the answers.  And that, unfortunately, is not a subject that can be answered in an article.  Unfortunately, that has to be addressed in a book, or maybe even in a series of books.

The good news is that I have written these books.  I invite you to start with The Eighth Scroll.  If you’ve liked what I’ve written here, you’ll love what I’ve written there.

ISLAM is finding a niche in the West

By Gwen Shrift Staff Writer http://www.phillyburbs.com/intelligencerrecord/article1.asp?F_num=1508843 There are about 7 million Muslims in the United States, with about 2 million attending the nation's 1,209 mosques. An average 30 percent of those participating in activities at their mosques are converts. That he may never forget the presence of God, the devout Muslim tempers his intentions with a lyrical word in Arabic, language of the prophet Mohammed. "Inshallah"- "If God wills" - is no cheap catchphrase. It describes the whole relationship between the Muslim and Allah, the supreme being, of whom the Quran says: "To God belong the East and the West; and wherever you turn, there is the face of God. For God is omnipresent, all-knowing." Not since the Puritans has God ruled lives the way Allah still guides the Muslim. Fourteen centuries after Mohammed, Islam is still cool water in the desert to the faithful. The words of the Quran pull strongly to seekers of peace and wisdom, and all are welcome to drink at the spring. Yet to some non-Muslims, the faith can be a force that steals a person's spirit and twists it to evil. Many were outraged when a 20-year-old Islamic convert from California was found in Afghanistan earlier this year, allegedly fighting on the side of terrorists against his own country. For many, the face of an Islamic convert comes from news photos of the dazed-looking, heavily bearded and filthy John Walker Lindh, who's now known as the American Taliban. Yet Islamic converts are more likely to be blacks who get involved in mosque-sponsored interfaith discussions or programs to help the needy, according to a major study of religious groups released last year by the Hartford Seminary's Institute for Religious Research. In other words, the average Islamic convert is more Jameel Jaabir than John Walker Lindh. A profession of faith Jaabir, 28, converted to Islam three years ago, lives in Morrisville, works as a manager in a local distribution company, raises his daughter as a Muslim and is deeply involved in the Masjid As Saffat in Trenton, his house of worship,. Apart from the fact that Lindh is in a lot of trouble with the American government for allegedly joining the Taliban, his emergence didn't seem to do much for the public image of those who convert to Islam. Muslims say conversion to Islam is a matter of what's in a person's heart and mind. There is no baptism. One professes the faith and embraces the Islamic deen, or complete way of life. The most devout Islamic thinkers believe every human is born a Muslim, so entering the faith is regarded as reversion rather than conversion. Hartford Seminary researchers reported there are about 7 million Muslims in the United States, with about 2 million regularly attending the nation's 1,209 mosques. An average 30 percent of those participating in activities at their mosques are converts, according to the study, which says the average mosque has 16 conversions a year. So what is the world to make of the American Taliban? "This is a unique case where a young man who came to Islam got into a situation," says Sayyid M. Syeed, secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America. "It became a tragedy that he became famous because he was found in Afghanistan. ... The most famous convert in America today, that is globally recognized and Americans are proud of, is Cassius Clay." Like many who convert to Islam, Clay took an Arabic name and became Muhammad Ali. Jaabir, born Corey Little, is still deciding how best to combine his birth name and his chosen name. "Some scholars believe you should keep your original last name," he says. Yet the Arabic names are evocative of a rich spiritual tradition: Jameel is one of the 99 attributes of Allah, and means one who is beautiful on the inside and acts in a beautiful manner. Jaabir means "one who consoles the aggrieved." Jaabir also is deciding on the right Arabic name for Nicole, his 9-year-old daughter. This devotion to Islamic roots runs counter to recent reports that some American citizens born with Arabic names are changing them to Western ones, often in fear of discrimination after the Sept. 11 attacks. Such Westernizing of names is a footnote in the larger story of the most recent clash between some elements of Islam and the West. Much has been made of the Islamic roots of those who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks, how copies of the Quran were found among their belongings, how they were instructed to cry "Allah Akbar!" ("God is great") as they prepared to slam jetliners into tall buildings. Mainstream Islam denounced the alleged religious motivation for the attacks, pointing out the faith is based on values such as peace and charity. But historical tensions are unlikely to end anytime soon, with enormous implications for both the Islamic and non-Islamic worlds. In his best-selling volume "What Went Wrong?" (written before Sept. 11, 2001), scholar Bernard Lewis concludes that "The worldwide exposure given to the views and actions of Osama bin Laden and his hosts the Taliban has provided a new and vivid insight into the eclipse of what was once the greatest, most advanced, and most open civilization in human history ... . "If the peoples of the Middle East continue on their present path, the suicide bomber may become a metaphor for the whole region, and there will be no escape from a downward spiral of hate and spite, rage and self-pity, poverty and oppression ... . "If they can abandon grievance and victimhood, settle their differences, and join their talents, energies, and resources in a common creative endeavor, then they can once again make the Middle East, in modern times as it was in antiquity and in the Middle Ages, a major center of civilization." In the name of Allah Muslims submit themselves to the will of God according to the Quran, which they believe was divinely revealed to Mohammed, who was born in the year 570 in what is now Saudi Arabia. Muslims consider Mohammed the last in a line of prophets that includes Abraham, Moses and Jesus, regard the Quran as the completion of all holy scriptures and believe Islam is the one true faith. Muslims do not worship Mohammed, but the faithful say or write "peace be upon him" at every mention of his name and the names of the other prophets. Mohammed is sometimes called Rasul Allah, which means "messenger of Allah." Virtually all Islamic documents, from announcements on the bulletin board at the local masjid to the opening verse of the Quran begin with the words: "Bis-millah hir-Rahman nir Rahim (In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful)." The central creed of Muslims is the belief in one God and in Mohammed's role as God's true messenger. Muslims abide by the five pillars of Islam: acknowledgement of the above-mentioned articles of faith, daily prayers, giving alms to the needy, fasting during the month of Ramadan and making a pilgrimage to Mecca, birthplace of Mohammed. Besides their belief in one God and in the prophets, Muslims believe in the books revealed to the prophets who preceded Mohammed, including the Torah and the Gospel; in angels, heaven and hell, life after death and a day of judgment. Though not all Muslims are Arabs, the Quran and all Islamic prayers and religious terms are in Arabic. Muslims say the original text of the Quran has survived with no revisions or variations. Translations are regarded as explanations of the Quran's meaning, rather than the scripture itself. Memorizing all 114 chapters of the Quran is a sign of devotion. The devout Muslim's day is marked by the call to prayer, which in Islamic nations puts a stop to all other activity. "In the West, the world is still going on around you," says Rashidah Khalifa, a student at the College of New Jersey who volunteers at the Masjid As Saffat. "It's a blessing to be living in the West, but it forces you to be conscious of what you're doing." A new life Those who convert to Islam accept more than a set of beliefs. Islam governs one's conduct, dress and daily schedule. Jaabir, once preoccupied with hip-hop, now lives his life by the rhythms of faith. At prayer times, he quietly withdraws to a room apart from his usual workspace. On Fridays, the Muslim counterpart of the Christian sabbath, he leaves work and drives to the Masjid As Saffat for midday worship. He makes up his work hours later. "That's a very minute price to pay for serving Allah," he says. Like other Muslims, Jaabir is governed by Quranic teachings on proper dress and conduct. Muslims are expected to "lower their gaze and guard their modesty," which is why Muslims dress as they do. So when Jaabir's daughter, Nicole, covers her head when setting out to Sunday school at the masjid, she's not claiming second-class status but rather obedience to the will of God, according to Islamic belief. For the same reasons, Nicole's dad wears loose trousers, a shirt that reaches below the knees and a cap. Jaabir and Nicole are among the first arrivals at the Masjid As Saffat, a small brick building on a side street in central Trenton. They're here for prayers and for Nicole's Sunday school class. Soon, the masjid is crowded with worshippers and their children. While most of the women wear full Islamic garb, some of the younger girls are dressed in jeans and sweaters. Every woman follows the Quran according to her culture: Pakistani women wear printed loose cotton tunics and trousers, Eastern Europeans loose, long-sleeved, flannel dresses that reach to the ankle. Every female in the masjid, from first-graders to grandmothers, wears the head scarf known as a hijab. Classroom doors are covered with children's artwork. The crafts tell you the children who study in these rooms are named Nour, Khaleeq, Afrida, Nusheen, Leema, Fatima, Amina, Ibrahim and Usama. Everyone goes downstairs to a large room for assembly. Men and boys sit on one side, women and girls on the other. The Sunday school principal asks a little girl to read in Arabic, then discusses a lesson for the day - if you help your fellow Muslims when they're in difficulties, Allah will help you. The teacher asks the kids for examples of "difficulties." "A mother going through pregnancy," says one boy. "When you can't pay the bills," offers a little girl. Everyone recites the opening chapter of the Quran, translated here: "In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful "All praise belongs to God, Lord of all worlds, The Compassionate, the Merciful, Ruler of Judgment Day. It is You that we worship, And to You we appeal for help. Show us the straight way, The way of those You have graced, Not of those on whom is Your wrath, Nor of those who wander astray." Nicole goes upstairs and takes her place in a class of other third-graders taught by Khalifa. The teacher takes out a set of homemade flash cards, each depicting one of the 30 characters in the Arabic alphabet. Nicole eagerly calls out the names of the letters. Khalifah drills the students: "Why is this (the letter) jim (rather than the similar-looking ha or kha)?" "Because it's got a dot in the middle," says Nicole. The teacher discusses how a letter looks different according to whether it begins, connects or doesn't connect with another. She teaches them four new Arabic letters, handing out worksheets printed with examples. The children practice forming the characters, then recite chapters of the Quran, known as surahs. After a break, the class turns to Islamic history and moral concepts. Khalifa asks the children what a hypocrite is. "It's, like, a fake Muslim," says one girl. "It's someone who pretends to be something they're not," Khalifa explains. "No back-biting! No talking about people behind their backs!" Khalifa asks her students to recite 10 of the 99 attributes of Allah, all they've memorized so far - or at least some have. A few of the girls have mastered the list ("Ar-Rahim, the most merciful, Al-Mumin, guardian of faith, As-Salaam, the source of peace ...") but the lesson needs work. "Next week, we're going to have a test," Khalifa announces. "And everybody better know the 10 attributes of Allah. If you don't do well, you're going to be talking to your parents." Nicole, a student at M.R. Reiter Elementary School, loves her Arabic studies. "I'm just a couple of steps away and I'll be reading the Quran - I can't wait," she says. Likewise, her father lives for the rewards of prayer, for every reminder of Allah. "This is the right deen, this is the path I'm on," he says. "Every day, I pray for this knowledge, the understanding ... Islam is the truth. I didn't know this before." Gwen Shrift can be contacted via e-mail at gshrift@phillyburbs.com