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Faith
Faith and Science
In relation to faith and science, one can discuss this from two points of
view. One is whether there is an interpretation which would increase ones
faith and ideals and at the same time be logical. The other is whether all
thoughts which science and philosophy inspire, are against faith, hope and
optimism? The second aspect is the influence of science upon man on the
one hand, and faith on the other. Does science lead man to one thing and
faith to something else, opposite to one another? Does science intend to
make something else? Does science drag us to one side and faith to
another? Are science and faith completely to each other, science forming
half and faith the other half accordingly? What does science and faith
give us?
Science gives us power and enlightenment, and faith gives
love, hope and warmth. Science creates technology and faith creates
purpose. Science provides us with momentum and faith with direction.
Science is the ability and faith is good-will. Science shows us what there
is while faith inspires us as to what to do. Science is the external
revolution and faith is the internal one.
Science makes the world humane and faith elevates the human spirit.
Science expands man horizontally, and faith promotes him vertically.
Science re-shapes nature, and faith molds man. Both science and faith give
power to mankind. What science gives to human beings is detached strength,
but what faith gives to them is an attached string. Both science and faith
are beauty, science being the beauty of wisdom and faith being the beauty of
spirit. Science, as well as faith, gives man security against anxieties,
loneliness, helplessness, and absurdities. Science harmonizes man with the
self.
The human need for faith and science has completely occupied the
minds of learned scholars, irrespective of their being religious or
irreligious. The scholar, Muhammad Iqbal Lahouri believes:
"Humanity needs three things today: a spiritual interpretation of
the universe, spiritual emancipation of the individual, and a set of principles
universally upheld which would explain the evolution of human society on a
spiritual basis. Modern Europe, has no doubt, built idealistic systems on
these lines, but experience shows that truth revealed through pure reason is
incapable of bringing that fire of living conviction which personal revelation
alone can bring. This is the reason why thought alone has influenced man
so little while religion has always elevated individuals, and transformed whole
societies. The result is a perverted ego seeking itself through mutually
intolerant democracies whose sole function is to exploit the poor in the
interest of the rich. Believe me, Europe today is the greatest hindrance
in the way of man’s ethical advancement. The Muslim, on the other hand, is
in possession of these ultimate ideas resulting from a revelation, which coming
from the inmost depths of life, internalizes its own apparent extremity.
With him or her, the spiritual basis of life is a matter of conviction for which
even the least enlightened person among us can easily lay down his life."
Religious Faith
Man cannot live a good life or achieve anything useful for mankind and
human civilization without having beliefs, ideals, and faith. Any
individual who lacks ideals and faith will become either a thoroughly selfish
person who does not see anything but his own personal interests, or an
irresolute, wavering being who does not recognize his duties toward life, or
moral and social values. Man constantly confronts moral and social
problems and has to respond accordingly. If a person is associated with a
school of thought, ideology and faith, his or her position is clear. But,
if that person is not disciplined by a school of thought and a religion, he or
she will constantly remain irresolute and will occasionally be pulled in many
different directions. He or she will become an aimless being.
What must be taken into consideration is that only religious faith
can make man a true believer; only faith allows him to overcome selfishness and
egotism through faith and ideology and to create a kind of "devoteness" and
"conviction" in the individuals, by which they accept fully even the minor
issues of their ideology. At the same time a person holds his faith so
dear and precious that life without it would become absurd and
meaningless. Therefore he will support it with zeal and fidelity.
Strong religious beliefs cause man to struggle against his natural,
individual inclinations and man may sacrifice his life and his prestige of his
beliefs. This is possible only when man considers his beliefs sacred and
gains absolute control of himself. It is only religious power which is
able to sanctify beliefs and allow man to be completely ruled by them.
Sometimes, not because of religious faith, but under great
psychological pressure, hatred, revenge, or reaction against oppression and
cruelty, people sacrifice their lives, their property and their honor, many
examples of which can be found around the world.
But the difference between a religious idea and a non-religious idea
is that wherever there is a religious belief to sanctify the idea, sacrifices
are made quite willingly and naturally. There is a difference between what
is done with willingness and faith which is a kind of choice and that which is
done under great psychological pressure. Secondly, if man’s outlook is
merely a materialistic one exclusively based on perceptive reality, any social
and human idealism is contrary to perceptive realities which people observe in
their relation with the universe. "What results from a
sensory out-look whose logical result is that idea, it will not go beyond
illusion, that man has to devise a world separated from the existing realities
with his illusion and be happy with this. If idealism originates in
religion, it will be based on a kind of out-look whose logical result is
following social ideas and ideals. Religious faith is a congenial link
between man and the general ideals of the world and result in making an
imaginary world for oneself which is in no way supported by the real world."
It is not that religious faith dictates a series of duties contrary to
people’s natural inclinations, but is changes the perspective of the world in
their eyes. It introduces factors different from the ones perceptible in
the world. It changes the bleak, mechanical, materialistic world into a
living, animate, conscious world. Religious faith changes their
interpretation of the world and creation. William James, the famous
American philosopher and psychologist of the early 20th century believes,
"The world interpreted religiously is not the materialistic
world over again, with an altered expression, a natural constitution different
at some point, that which a materialistic world would have."
Apart form this, there is a natural inclination in all men towards certain
sacred truths and entities. Man is the center of a series of
non-materialistic potential talents and inclinations which can be
developed. Man’s inclinations are not inclusively materialistic, and
spiritual inclinations are not merely inculcated acquired. This is a fact
confirmed by science. William James suggest, "So far as
our ideal impulses originate in this region (and most of them do originate in
it, for we find them possessing us in a way for which we cannot articulately
account)".
Because they exist, these tendencies must be
trained and if they are not trained properly and used correctly, they take a
wrong course and cause incredible damage, such as the worshipping of idols, of
man, nature, and thousands of other objects of idolatry. All this is the
effect of deviation from the correct path.
Erich Fromm believes,
"There is nobody who is not in need of religion, and does not
want regulations for his guidance and a subject for his love and interest.
He might not be aware of his religious beliefs as something different from his
total beliefs and, on the contrary, he may even think that he has no religion
and consider his love and interest for apparently non-religious ends such as
power, wealth and happiness only the sign of his interest in practical affairs
and in accord with the opportunity. The question is not whether one has or
has not any religion, but which religion he practices." What this
psychologist means is that man cannot live without the need to sanctify and
adore something; for example if an individual does not believe in Almighty God,
that person will consider something else as the ultimate truth and will make it
the subject of his or her faith and worship.
Since it is inevitable
for man to have and ideology and faith and science religious faith is the only
faith which can truly influence man and satisfy his natural inclination towards
sacred truths and entities, there is no way for him but to embrace religious
faith.
The Glorious Qur’an is the first book to consider religious
faith as a kind of harmony with the divinity:
"Seek they
other than the religion of God, when unto Him submit whosoever is in the heavens
and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and unto Him they will be
returned." (3:83)
It also considers religious faith
an element of human nature:
"So set thy purpose (O Muhammad
) for religion as a man by nature upright - the nature (framed) of God, in which
He has created man……(30:30)
The Effects and Benefits of Faith
Although the effects of religious faith have to a certain extent come to
light in our discussion so far, in order to fully understand the truly
beneficial effects of this valuable property of life and this spiritual
possession.
Tolstoy, the Russian thinker believes, "Belief is what people live with."
The philosopher, Nasser
Khosrow Alavi says to his son,
"I turned to religion
from the world because; To me, without religion, prison and dungeon would be the
world. O son, religion is a world in my heart, this one is in no way a
destructible world."
Religious faith has tremendous
positive effects, from the point of creating joy and happiness, or bettering
social relations of decreasing and eliminating difficulties which are inevitable
in the world system.
Effects of Religious faiths are in three sections:
First, Joy and Happiness
The first effect of religious
faith, from the point of creating joy and happiness is optimism: optimism
towards the universe. It represents creation as something which has goals
- goals which are blessed, evolutionary and rich - and naturally gives man an
optimistic outlook towards the whole of creation and the rules governing
it. The position of the believer in the world is like that of an
individual living in a country who considers the laws, orders and organizations
of that country to be correct an just. He also believes in the good will
of the principal leaders of that country. Naturally, he finds the groundwork for
progress and promotion available to himself and everybody else. He
believes that the only thing that might hinder him would be his own laziness and
inexperience of that of the other dutiful and responsible people.
In
the view of such a person, the responsibility for any hindrance lies with
himself and not with the organizations and systems of the country. He
knows that he and his like are also responsible for whatever deficiency results
from their not having fulfilled their obligations and responsibility. This
naturally inspires him to work optimistically.
But for an unbeliever,
the world is like a person living in a country who considers the law and
institutions of that country corrupt and cruel, while he has no choice but to
accept them. Such an individual is full of contradictions and
hatred. He never thinks of reforming the self, but thinks that since the
whole universe is incompatible and full of cruelty, tyranny and dishonesty, what
can one insignificant honest person like himself do? Such an individual
never enjoys his or her life because the world is always a horrible
prison. This is why the Holy Qur’an says:
"But he who
turneth away from remembrance of Me, his will be a narrow
life." (20:124)
Yes,
it is the faith of man that broadens the spirituality of his life and saves him
from depression. The second effect of religious faith from the point of
creating cheerfulness and happiness is enlightenment in the heart. When
man, because of religious faith, finds the universe enlightened by the divine
rays of truth, such an enlightenment brightens the spirit, acting as a torch lit
in one’s conscience. This is contrary to an unbeliever to whom the
universe is absurd, dark, incomprehensible and empty of insight and
clarity. Because of this, that person is imprisoned in the dark world of
his own creation. The third out-come of religious faith, from the point of
creating cheerfulness and happiness is "hope" for the good results of good
action.
From the materialistic point of view, the universe is indifferent and
impartial towards people, regardless of their course of action: Whether
they act in the direction of right or wrong, of justice or oppression, of
integrity or deceitfulness. The result of their action depends on one
thing only and that is the amount of their effort." From the point of view of a
believer, though, the universe is not indifferent towards the effort of these
two groups. The universe does not react equally towards these two, but the
divine system supports the people who struggle for righteousness, truth,
integrity, justice and good will.
"O ye who believe!
If you help God’s cause, He will make your foot-hold firm."
(47:7)
"For surely God does not waste the reward of those
who do good." (12:90)
The fourth out-come of religious
faith, from the point creating joy and happiness is peace of mind. It is
in the nature of man to seek happiness for himself. He takes great
pleasure in the thought of reaching this state; and the thought of a gloomy,
deprived future disturbs him and fills him with anxieties and worry.
The cause of happiness are:
1. Effort.
2. Confidence in circumstantial conditions.
A student’s success depends on two factors: his own effort and
hard work, on the one hand, and the school atmosphere, that is the encouragement
and the effectiveness of the school authorities, on the other hand. If a
studios pupil has no faith in the school that he studies in, if he has no
confidence in the teacher who grades him at the end of the academic year and if
he anxiously anticipates unjust treatment, throughout the whole year he will be
full of anxiety, torment and fear.
The duty of man towards the self is clear. From his own side,
he does not worry, because anxiety and fear are caused by uncertainty and
doubt. Man has no doubt about what is related to himself. What pulls
a person towards uncertainty and doubt is his duty towards the universe
which is unclear. Is good work useful? Are honesty and
trustworthiness useless? In spite of all efforts and fulfillment of
responsibilities, is the final result suffering? This is where anxiety
appears in its most horrible form.
Those who have formed a
relationship with the universe, through religious faith, are given trust and
confidence. Anxiety and fear in dealing with the universe are removed and
replaced by comfort and ease. This is why we say that one of the effects
of religious faith is peace of mind. Another result of religious faith, from the
point of creating happiness, is the benefit from a series of joys which are
called spiritual pleasures. Man has two kinds of joy: one belongs to
his senses, created by a kind of contact between a sensory perception and an
external object, such as the joy which results through the mouth by tasting, and
through the sense of touch by physical contact. The other is the kind of
joy which is related to the depth of one’s spirit and conscience, and has
nothing to do with any specific organs; joys which do not result from contact
with any external matter. Joy of this kind is that which man gains from
generosity, and helpfulness, or from popularity and respect, as well as from his
own and his child’s success. This kind of joy has nothing to do with the
senses and is not affected directly by an external factor.
Spiritual joys are not only stronger than materialistic joys, but they
last longer too. The joy of worshipping God and the joys of prayer is of
this kind. The mystics, whose worship is modest, receive the greatest
amount of pleasure from their prayers. In religious terminology they talk
about the "sweetness of faith." Faith has a sweetness superior to all
others. Spiritual joy is increased when acts such as acquiring knowledge,
generosity, helpfulness, success and victory initiate from religious faith, and
all are performed for God in the area of ‘worship’.
Second, the Function of Faith in the Betterment of Social
Relations
Man, like some other animates, is born instinctively
social. An individual is not capable of satisfying his needs alone.
Life must be shared with others who participate in all duties and creativity,
and a kind of work-distribution should be established among them, as there is
among other animals such as bees, with one essential difference. That is,
work-distribution among non-human beings is instinctive and compulsory by
nature, the possibility of disobedience or violation of being absent, contrary
to man who is a being with a free will and should perform work freely, as a
"duty and responsibility". In other words, the non-human animate beings
are under the influence of innate social instincts. Human needs are social
without being governed by instincts. Human social instincts, as a series
of "drived", exist in the sub-conscience of man and they must be cultivated
through education.
A healthy social life is that in which individuals respect each other's
rights, rules and restrictions; consider justice sacred and offer love to each
other. They want for others what they do not want for themselves; they
want not for others what they do not want for themselves; they believe and trust
in each other. The guarantee of their mutual confidence is their spiritual
values. Each individual considers himself responsible and under obligation
to his society. Every individual shows the same virtue and chastity
whether in private or in the open. They help one another without having
the slightest sense of greed; they move against oppression and tyranny and do
not allow dictators and agents of evil to engage in tyranny and
corruption. They hold dear moral values and are allied and united like the
members of a single body.
What, more than religious faith respects righteousness, holds
justice sacred, softens hearts towards each other, establishes mutual confidence
between individuals, causes virtue and chastity to deepen their roots in the
conscience of human beings, gives credit to moral values, creates the courage to
make a move against cruelty and unites everybody like members of a single body.
The glories of mankind, which glitter like stars in the sky of their
adventurous history, are those whose source is religious faith.
Third, Relief from Distress
Human life, whether we like
it or not, has its pangs, sorrows, failures, losses, bitterness, and
disappointments, as it has its joys, sweetness, achievements and
successes. Many of life’s sorrows can be either prevented or removed
though often with great effort. Obviously, man is obliged to struggle with
nature and change the bitterness to sweetness. Some of the events in the
world, though, they cannot be prevented or removed, like the advance of old
age. Man, at any rate, ages. The candle of his life burns
down. The on sequences of old age, such as weakness and physical
inadequacy and the like hinder activities. Moreover, the thought of death,
leaving life behind, leaving the world of family and friends causes people to
suffer in different ways.
Religious faith creates the power to resist in man and turns
bitterness to sweetness. A man of faith knows that everything in the world
is under a certain law and if he reacts towards bitterness properly, Almighty
God will compensate him in one way or another, even if the incident seems
in-incompensatable. Because old age does not mean the end of life, and
moreover, an individual with faith always occupies himself or herself with
intimacy and praying to God, life in old age becomes more delightful than the
period of youth for believers. The prospect of death is different in the
eyes of a person with faith than in the eyes of an individual without
faith. To a believer, death is not mortality but a transfer from a
transitory world to a permanent one, from a finite world to an infinite one.
Death is a transfer from the world of action and cultivation to a world of
consequence and harvest. This is why such an individual removes his or her
fear of death by efforts in doing good or 'Amal-i-Saleh', as it is said in
religious terminology.
It is obvious and clear to psychologist’s that
most of the mental illnesses which are caused by psychological disorders and
bitterness towards life are found among non-religious people. Religious
people, depending on the extent of their steadfastness in their religious faith,
are protected against such illness. Therefore, one of the consequences of
contemporary life, whose source is loss of religious faith, is the increase in
psychological and nervous illnesses.
This source of information was taken from:
1. Mutahhari,
Morteza. Man and Faith. Published by Iran University Press.
Iran, 1981.
