Response to "Fatalism"

SL brings up some interesting points in his discussion of Islam. I completely respect anyone who takes religion seriously and I don’t have any problem with strict religion, but it does raise a question in my eyes. People originally started to worship Gods in order to add meaning to their lives. People also had hoped that if they could dedicate time in their lives to worship, their souls would continue to live after death. In hindsight, religion is supposed to make people feel better. Religion however can also cause people to grow weary and even become frustrated with rituals that don’t seem to make sense. A question for Muslims (which applies to me as well being Catholic), is if their god (in this case, Allah) is so great and loving, then why must people constantly perform grueling and even violent tasks at their own expense for Allah’s benefit? This can apply to all religions, but it seems that Muslim extremists use prayer as a way to justify violence. I have a problem with people killing innocent others claiming that it is their mission from God. These may sound like the beliefs that were preached by Martin Luther before the protestant reformation, but they seem to make sense and raise good questions. If religion gets to the point where prayers are being recited not out of sincere faith, but simply as meaningless rituals, then what is the point of praying? On the other hand, if prayer reduces guilt, then in a way it succeeds in making people feel better. It depends on how religion is looked at. If one is looking simply for something to make himself feel better, than praying to reduce guilt and to make him feel more accomplished is great. If one is looking beyond that though, for a sincere relationship with God, then he might need to make sure that his prayers are based off of faith, not off of ritual.
BD