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Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

Around minute 7, the conversation in the above video moves to death and how most religions start with discussion about that. While I overall applaud this conversation and that is why I am sharing this, around minute 29 Karen Armstrong more or less denies Afterlife and I will differ with her there. I have a whole collection of articles some written by me about Afterlife.

I totally agree with her in our need to transcend our personal egos to become selfless to find the sacred in other humans and miracles all around us in nature and in our universe and to take care of our environment.

It seems that while Brian Greene and Karen Armstrong are coming from Abrahamic traditions and moving towards agnosticism, former because of science and the latter because of her study of all the world religions, I continue to be a Muslim theist, as obsessed about the Quran as they are about whatever their central focus is.

One may wonder, why I am using such a strong word as ‘obsessed,’ in a fairly progressive discourse such as this? I am guided by the Quranic description of human psychology: “And every one has a goal or objective which consumes him or her; vie, then, with one another in good works.” (Al Quran 2:148) It seems to me that the agnostics and the atheists often over play the role of science and naturalism, which both I and Karen Armstrong want to moderate.

Just like an article below shows what is common between the Prophet Muhammed, may peace be on him, and Abraham Lincoln, I have found a lot common between myself and the two speakers of this video.

A learning and perspective of sharing with people of all faiths that led to my previous writing: I am a Jew, a Catholic, a Christian and a Muslim; I am Zia H Shah.

I believe the above conversation along with what is shared below leads to a more wholesome understanding and all these together lead to broadening of our horizons.

I believe that our faith or understanding, rather than checking off of bullet points of some essential or made up list, should be a pursuit to a wholesome understanding with all the necessary nuance rather than a black and white myopic thinking, which I do believe should or would lead us to essential truths, the greatest in my opinion being Monotheism.

Debate Does the Universe have a purpose?

Promoted post: We are all living in the Womb of God-the-Mother, 13.8 billion Years Pregnancy

The Latest from the Pope of Atheism: Richard Dawkins

Commentary of the Quranic verse about human soul Promoted post: We are all living in the Womb of God-the-Mother, 13.8 billion Years Pregnancy Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor […]

A Nobel for Karen Armstrong will bring the Christians and the Muslims closer

Epigraph: Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy.Blessed are the pure in heart,for they will see God.Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called children of God. (Matthew […]

Karen Armstrong’s Ted Talk: Charter of Compassion

People want to be religious, says scholar Karen Armstrong; we should help make religion a force for harmony. She asks the TED community to help build a Charter for Compassion […]

The Quranic Challenge to the Atheists: Make a Fly, if You Can

Epigraph: People, here is an illustration, so listen carefully: those you call on beside God could not, even if they combined all their forces, create a fly, and if a […]

Why Should Catholics Listen Just to Pope Francis and NOT Archbishop Justin Welby, William Lane Craig, Joel Osteen, Karen Armstrong or Dan Barker?

To Know more how you can benefit from the Muslim Times, go to our Homepage or About Us page Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times There are more […]

Quote of the Day: Rumi’s Guest House

This being human is a guest house. Every morning is a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain […]

Thirty Plus Quotes from the Poet of Love

Selection of quotes by Mayukh Saha “Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.” “Wherever you are, and whatever you do, […]

Everything is a Miracle According to the Holy Quran and Albert Einstein

Epigraph: He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner. His are the most beautiful names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him, and He is […]

Demystifying Quantum Physics: You Need it for Your Faith

Epigraph Eyes cannot reach Him but He reaches the eyes. And He is the Incomprehensible, the All-Aware. (Al Quran 6:103) Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the […]

Book Review: Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam

By A. Helwa  (Author), who believes that every single person on Earth is deeply loved by the Divine. She is a writer who has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers through her […]

Sufism and the Path of Love

Source: The Huffington Post By William C. Chittick, Ph.D. Professor of Religious Studies, State University of New York, Stony Brook No matter which of the divine names we take as a […]

Our Favorite Christian Prayer by Saint Francis, For the Whole of our Human Family

Saint Francis of Assisi (Italian: San Francesco d’Assisi); nicknamed Francesco; 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226)[1][3] was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor and the women’s Order […]

What is Common between the Holy Prophet Muhammad and President Abraham Lincoln

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times One quality is immediately obvious that they were both liberators of slaves and there are many […]

We are all living in the Womb of God-the-Mother, 13.8 billion Years Pregnancy

Epigraph The Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings be upon him) said that Allah revealed to him: I am as My servant thinks (expects) I am. I am with him […]

We Will be Judged by Our Compassion and Deeds and Not Our Dogmahttp://t.co/Oh97rFU9gi pic.twitter.com/Z4O29k7rxt

— The Muslim Times (@The_MuslimTimes) September 21, 2015