Summary of Religion and the modern world.
1.b. We began with a glance at the exposition of the concept of “the necessity of religion” and its relationship with similar concepts. Then, we talked about the Western and Muslim thinkers’ approach in this regard and its distinctive features were explained. Our next step concerned a detailed exposition of the necessity of turning to religion and the appointment of the prophets to their Divine missions from the viewpoint of Muslim thinkers. Our main topics included the need of the society for laws; recognition and treading the path toward God; and the value of duty and recognition of the path toward perfection. Then, an evaluation of viewpoints and an exposition of select opinions preceded the suggestion of challenging the adequacy of reason and science in our age.
2.a. In the last program, we talked about The necessity of religion, as presented in the above discussion, arises from the necessities in this world and the world to come as well as the psychological, intellectual, individual, and social functions. The prevalent view among Western thinkers, especially a number of materialist philosophers and extremist rationalists in the Renaissance and the Modern Age, constitutes refutations of religious necessity through reliance on science and reason. Consequently, a brief account of the Western thinkers’ approach toward religious necessity was presented and a more detailed discussion will be devoted to an examination of the claim about the adequacy of science and reason. Western scholars often express recourse to religion in psychological and sociological terms. Considering the specific functions of religion for man, they regard such recourse as necessary. Muslim thinkers often prove the necessity of religion through emphasis on its cognitive function and consider religion as a complement to man’s cognitive shortcomings, although, more or less, they make mention of the non-cognitive functions of religion.
2.b. In our last programs, we discussed the necessity of and the need for religion; the existence of God; traditional attitudes towards religion; the Western and Muslim scholars’ views in this respect; Farabi’s and Avicenna’s proofs regarding the necessity of prophetic missions; man’s ability to comprehend the necessity of Divine revelation; and the views of some other Muslim religious scholars and philosophers. We also discussed the question whether the necessity of Divine revelation is beyond human comprehension. We also talked about the mystics’ position in the necessity of Divine revelation and the rule of intellectual good and evil in proving this point.
3.a. In our last program we discussed the necessity of Divine revelation and we explained the necessity based on the need ofr the perception of the path toward perfection; the defects of human intellect and will; and the adequacy of science and reason from the Renaissance onwards.
3.b. In this program, we talked about man’s need of religion; the meaning of good and bad needlessness and its application in believing in religion; the adequacy of religion for guidance; the shortcomings of the claims by its opponents; and the inability of science in presenting a general view of the world.
4.a. In our last program, we discussed a number of issues regarding man’s needlessness of the Divine revelation; the inadequacy of reason and science in making man needless of Divine revelation; the cognitive role of Divine revelation in perceiving the unseen world; and the shortcomings shared by science and reason in discovering the unknown depths of existence.
4.b. In this program we discussed some issues like a number of arguments presented in support of reliance on human reason with due observance of its limitations; man’s capability of making existential merits available to experimental and intellectual perception; and the role of Quranic teachings in man’s guidance.
5.a. In our last program we dealt with issues such as: arguments presented in support of reliance on human reason with due observance of its limitations; man’s capability of making existential merits available to experimental and intellectual perception; and the role of Quranic teachings in man’s guidance.
5.b. Our discussion today concerned issues such as: reliance on human reason and science and their restrictions in attaining salvation; the importance of comprehending Quranic teachings on the path toward guidance; viability of using the results obtained by reason and science in the attainment to salvation and the Western scientists attention to the issue; passions infecting man’s cognition according to the Quran and traditions.
6.a. Last time, we resumed our discussion on religion in the modern world and discussed topics such as: limitations of human reason; successes of intellectual and experimental sciences in dispelling and compensating the frailties of human reason; different senses of collective reason, its limitations and inability in making man needless of religion; and the unique capacity of Divine revelation in guiding man towards perfection.
6.b. In this edition, we discussed a number of issues including: different senses of collective reason; the precedence of raising the issue of the denial of religion in the West; the collective reason’s ability in making the Westerners aware of the legitimacy of Shi‘ism; the role of the Western media in distorting the picture of Islam and the Islamic Revolution; and resumption of the discussion on the admirable and reproachable needlessness.
7.a. In our last program, we resumed our discussion on the precedence of raising the issue of the denial of religion in the West; the collective reason’s ability in making the Westerners aware of the legitimacy of Shi‘ism; the role of the Western media in distorting the picture of Islam and the Islamic Revolution; and resumption of the discussion on the admirable and reproachable needlessness.
7.b. In this program, we resumed our discussion on the admirableness and reproachableness of man’s needless of religion and we proceeded with its critique; the reasons lying behind enthusiastic conversions to the Islamic faith despite scientific advancements and distorting the picture of Islam in the West, especially by the media; attempts at distorting the visage of Islam through the financial and political support sponsored by the global powers; and the standards of needlessness and the manner of their presentation.
8.a. Last time, we discussed modern secular thinkers’ views on the admirableness of the modern man’s needlessness of religion; their manner of supporting their arguments; and the depiction of a dark picture of Islam and the attempts at distorting the message of the Qur’an and their failure due to the trend of the Western conversion to Islam.
8.b. In this edition, we discussed issues like the standards enumerated by secular thinkers for the modern man’s needless of religion; and the unacceptability of the theory of needlessness of religion, as admitting to it will necessitate the vanity of the prophets’ and the Imams’ missions.
9.a. In our last edition of the program, we talked about the specific standards put forth by secular thinkers regarding the claim of needlessness of religion and its unacceptability due to the fact that such claim will necessarily end in the futility of Divine prophetic missions.
9.b. In our program today, we resumed our discussion regarding religion in the modern world and discussed issues like the reasons lying behind the obligation and option of certain acts; the substantiation of the needlessness claim by a number of misguided thinkers through de-contextualized and misinterpreted Quranic verses and traditions. We resumed our discussion with the inability of the self-evidence of axiomatic teachings in rendering man needless of religion and the problems involved in the presentation of the same in aiming at the Western societies’ needlessness of Islamic teachings. Later, we briefly discussed the necessity of struggling in the West to revive and disseminate Islamic teachings and encouraging Westerners to convert to the Islamic faith.
10.a. In our last edition, we resumed our discussion on religion in the modern world and talked about issues like the out of context and misinterpreted Qur’anic verses and traditions erroneously put forth in support of the modern man’s needlessness of religion. We also dealt with the necessity of making attempts in the Western world to spread Islamic teachings and encourage Westerns to familiarize themselves with Islam and convert to the Islamic faith.
10.b. In this edition, we continued our discussion on religion in the modern world and discussed issues such as: adverse effects of extreme rationalism and scientism in the West; dissemination of nihilism in the West by a number of writers; and the downsides of excessive scientism and rationalism surfacing as mental fatigue, and the feeling of spiritual emptiness; widespread of the Islamic faith in the West despite Western policies; and man’s metamorphosis into a machine resulting from extreme rationalism and scientism and its impacts on the rise of criminal acts.
11.a. In our last program, we talked about religion in the modern world and discussed a number of issues, including: the downsides of extreme reliance on human reason and science in the Western world and the consequent spread of nihilism by some writers. We also talked about ennui, mental fatigue, and the feeling of spiritual and moral emptiness as the downsides of extreme rationalism and scientism; Western studies on weariness and emptiness; unprecedented turn to spiritual instructions in the West and the Western analysts views on it.
11.b. Today we resumed our discussion on religion in the modern world and discussed issues like the inability of science and reason in solutioning the modern man’s problems; man’s metamorphosis into a machine due to extreme reliance on rationalism and scientism and its impacts on the increase in criminal acts; inability of science and reason in solutioning modern man’s problems; increasing religiosity in the West; the impact of spirituality and religious tendencies on bestselling books, Hollywood movies, television networks and school programs; modern man’s feeling of being deceived and its impact on the rise of religiosity in the West.
12.a. In our last edition of the program we resumed our discussion about religion in the modern world and discussed issue like the spiritual and religious tendencies in the West and their impacts on bestsellers, television networks and educational programs; the feeling of deception leading to further religiousness; and taking advantage of religiosity and religious effervescence in the political arena for winning election campaigns. We resumed our discussion with a brief talk on the decline of secularism in the West in the twenty-first century.
12.b. Today, we resumed our talk and discussed further issues, like the extraordinary impact of religion on various facets of life; the ever-increasing religious tendencies among ordinary people as well as scholars in the West; excessive scientism as a deadlock; developments in humanities concerning religion and religious tendencies; and the availability of academic programs on science and religion.
and the twenty-first century as the century of decline in secularism.
13.a. In our last edition, we continued our discussion about religion in the modern world and discussed issue like the rise of religiosity among the scholars and also the general public; the deadlock of excessive reliance on science; the fall of materialism and increasing endeavors toward understanding religion as it is; the collapse and countdown of modern materialistic thoughts against God and religion in the West; inability of science in solving the problems concerning life; and the apparent endeavors of modern science toward finding God.
13.b. Today, in our last edition of the program, we briefly talked about Antony Flew’s admission to the existence of God after 50 years of confirmed denial; and the waves of Islamism in the West; the rise of Muslims’ social and global power; conversion to Islam in the West by people from different walks of life; the Holy Quran as the number one bestseller in the West; apologies made by a cleric and a high ranking military official for having offended Muslims; recognition of Islam by Western academics and social elites despite animosities against Islam and Muslims; and spread of Islam among the Western general public. We also presented the highlights of our rather long discussion on religion in the modern world.
