The question of whether or not some sort of god exists is not one which should necessarily occupy the minds of atheists all of the time. Theists - especially Christians - regularly challenge us with arguments and ideas which supposedly demonstrate that their god definitely exists. But prior to that, there is an even more important issue to address: is a god really important in our lives?

If the existence of a god isn't important, we certainly needn't waste our time debating the issue. It should be expected that theists, and Christians in particular, will quickly say that the question of their god's existence is indeed vitally important. It would not be unusual to find them saying that this question eclipses all other questions which humanity might ask. But the skeptic or nonbeliever should not simply grant them this assumption.

According to the Argument from Religious Experience, people have “religious experiences” — experiences of the supernatural, like heaven or angels or even a god. Because we believe other experiential claims people make — like that they went to the store or own a car — then we should believe these claims as well. It is also argued that when skeptics apply higher standards for claims based on religious experiences than they do for claims based on other experiences, they exhibiting a prejudice against religious claims. This prevents them from understanding and ultimately believing.

An important objection against the existence of the god of the Bible focuses on this god’s character. The god of the Bible isn’t simply an ideal abstraction; in Western religious traditions we find many stories about what God has done or commanded believers to do. Often such actions are contrary to basic moral principles; at the same time, God is described as the source of morality. How can this be? What are we to make of a god which is supposed to be morally perfect and represent a moral ideal when, at the same time, religious tradition makes this god out to be a moral monster? How can a god that commands mass slaughter and rape also be the source for morality in the universe?

What is the Qur'an?

Every religion seems to have some sense of the "sacred" - including sacred texts, sacred times, and sacred places. Islam is certainly not unusual in that regard. That which is sacred is considered special, holy, sanctified - understanding what a religion regards as sacred (and, in contrast, as profane) can go a long way in helping one understand more about the religion itself and the manner in which it deals with outsiders.

For example, in a number of areas burning a Qur'an is a crime punishable by death - and if the political authorities don't execute you, you can be sure that a local mob will do the job itself, sometimes even before a trial. No similar reaction can be found in Christian regions - why? Because Muslims don't treat the Qur'an exactly the same as Christians treat the Bible.

For Muslims, the Qur'an comes directly and literally from God. It wasn't simply written down by inspired human authors, as is the case with the letters of Paul. No, the material in the Qur'an consists of the direct words of God. In a sense, the Qur'an is like an incarnation of God and is in some ways more akin to Jesus than the Bible. The material here will help you gain a better understanding of what Muslims regard as sacred, why it is sacred, and what that means for Islam.

The Qur'an is the collection of holy scriptures of Islam. It is divided into 114 Suras (chapters) of unequal length. The earliest Meccan suras are shorter, and they grow longer as time goes on. The earliest are also more similar to the Jewish style of admonishing people to reform and warning them of coming judgment. All suras are supposed to represent material dictated to Muhammad from God through the angel Gabriel. The Qur'an is thus believed to be the direct Word of God and must be obeyed without question.

Other thouths

We need to stop all belief of gods and all following of religions. In order for all humans to live in peace. Religion has done nothing for the progress of humans or animals. All the atrocities and unthinkable acts of violence in the name of religion or any supreme being need to stop. It is for our own evolution as a race and for the future of the planet. The revolution is well under way.