Analysis Of Imagine There's No Heaven By Salman Rushdie

A common questioning of a higher power beyond the physical realm lingers in society: Who and what is God?. However, many of these theological questions cannot be answered until we, of course, die. Due to human’s innate curiosity to understand the forces beyond their own, especially in terms of religion, humans find their own reasons to believe in God in the process of discovery. Religion is a sense of belief and worship to praise a higher power (God), and it provides a guide for human beings to have the opportunity to come together and live as one image of God’s children. “Imagine There’s No Heaven” is an article in which Salman Rushdie, the author, presents an atheistic view where religion is pointless, and a higher being is non-existent.

True religion, for Emerson, appears to be narcissistic and egotistical and can be defined as promoting and being consumed by the deity of one’s self, yet, contradictorily, Emerson claimed that as one trusts and worships in themselves, they gain a renewed confidence in other men. The opposite often occurs and the selfish nature Emerson so boldly praised manifests itself when one chooses to focus primarily on themselves rather than Christ. Throughout “The Divinity School Address,” Emerson attempted to justify why the human soul should regard itself as its own god by arguing the “indisputable” power of the soul and its ability to determine everything, such as where it will go after death as Emerson believed nothing about the soul was predetermined. Although Emerson was, to some extent, correct about free will, he misrepresented what little power the soul truly has by implying that, ultimately, the soul, not God, holds, in itself, the power to determine its place in the afterlife. Furthermore, Emerson misuses this as “proof” of why the soul is all-powerful and should be worshipped.

It is a convenient and comforting respond to unfortunate and even devastating ‘fate’. The pain becomes bearable to those who suffer because the idea of all being a part of a bigger plan, it is more than you. However, this concept is built upon an irrational fundamental attitude, “the surrender of self to the ordering power of society,” (54) a problem that Berger expressed his concerns with. Another problem would be that the use of God as a shield works on believers, but not on nonbelievers. The question “why bad things happening to good people” still cannot be answered for the nonbelievers, a common critique of religion itself.

The use of God as a shield works on believers, but not on nonbelievers. The question “why bad things happening to good people” still cannot be answered for the nonbelievers, a common critique of religion itself. Regardless of the problem of theodicy, however, religion has worked really well to create and maintain the reality. Berger explains that it is because religion legitimates effectively. “Religion has been the historically most widespread and effective instrumentality of legitimation….

Christian theologian William Lane Craig argues that without the existence God, a person’s life is devoid of meaning, purpose, and value. He claims that since God provides these, he allows humans to lead a satisfying and productive existence. Craig also states that without God, we are without guidance, meaningless, and in despair. In disagreement with atheist philosophers, Craig concludes that it is impossible to live a fufilling life without God. In this paper, I will examine each argument, and provide insight related to the strengths and weaknesses of his claims.

William Rowe addresses the problem of evil through an examination of the relationship between the existence of evil with an omnibenevolent, omniscient creator. His argument stems from the notion that because human and animal suffering is so intense, an atheist is rational in their belief and that the co-existence of evil and God is unlikely.

Instead of conforming, many religious movements have developed their own uniqueness and triumph. He attributed this largely to man’s desire for transcendence. It is an integral part for human to constantly seek meaning and comfort outside this world (Parsons & Giddens, 2005). With the resurgence of religions in many parts of the world, there came to be new reworked religions which includes a fusion of old traditions with modern ideas. Additionally, the growth of new religious movements such as Salamullah, the Brahma Kumaris, and Anand Ashram in Indonesia (Howell, 2005) and the resurgence of fundamentalism noticeable Islam and Evangelical Protestantism (Berger, 200), proves that there is no one definite expression of

The allusion of religion is shown through the ‘Sea of Faith’. Arnold uses the imagery of “ebb and flow” in the once “full, and round earth’s shore” sea of faith, and its “withdrawing roar” to show that lack of importance religion now has on society. Due to the technological advancements in industry, religion is no longer significant in the lives of

Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ucc.idm.oclc.org/stable/1465226 Hinnells, J. R., 2010. The Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion. In: J. R. Hinnells, ed. The Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion. s.l.:London ; New York : Routledge, pp. 5-19.

He shows how man can destroy, as in war, and that man must remove hate in order to achieve a “separate peace.” Finny sacrifices himself so Gene doesn’t end up like Leper, the outcast of society. Leper, a “naturalist,” represents the fragile, innocent people who hide from the horrors of life until one day they “meet it, the horrors face to face, just as (they) had always feared, and so give up the struggle completely” (196). Leper comes to one realization; people must evolve or perish. Gene, unlike Finny and Leper, can evolve.

He believes that light originates from knowledge on life. " The silence, the darkness coming, and the darkness in the faces frighten the child obscurely….And when the light fills the room, the child is filled with darkness. " Realization of this light is disheartening.

Religion is an important belief in life for many people, in which they believe in supernatural powers. There are millions of people that believe that God exists in this world; however, there are also people that do not believe in God. Several famous figures in history have given proofs for God’s existence, such as René Descartes, Isaac Newton, and Thomas Paine. However, there are also people that do not believe in these proofs, such as David Hume. Through Soccio 's “Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy”, one can see that Hume rejects Descartes’s ontological proofs, Newton’s teleological proof, and Paine’s cosmological proof of God’s existence.

We, however, have been gripped by it and do not know what the end may be. We know only that in some strange and melancholy way we have become a wasteland. ”(Pg.20). His conception of the future, whether it is true or false, is very pessimistic. He has little-to-no hope for peace and stability in the world.

Karen Armstrong and Robert Thurman wrote their essays, “Homo religiosus” and “Wisdom”, respectively, describing two words, “being” and “void”. These words, although have opposite meanings, describe the same spiritual experience that come about through different means. By definition, “being” is a kind of fullness or completeness of existence and “void” is emptiness or a negation of existence. Armstrong believes that “being” is the equivalent of the Buddhist’s “Nirvana” while Thurman believes that “void” is the equivalent of the Buddhist’s “Nirvana”. Although these terms seem to be opposite in the literal sense of defining them, they lead to the same outcome: not being at the center of one’s own universe.

These experiences are concerned with three topics. 1) “Similarly between religious experiences and how do they support the existence of God? 2) What philosophical problems are there that these experiences can give us knowledge about God? 3) Is there alternative explanation for experience?” William James described religious experiences as the heart of every religion.