I disagree strongly that the discussion on 'my God' vs. 'your God' is a dialogue between ignorant people!
On the contrary, this very issue is the nub of monotheism. Religious scholars, theologians and Rabbis for centuries had been debating whether Abraham's God is the same as Moses' God or Isaac's God. If they are the same, then there is a little theological respite. But there are tell-tale signs and descriptions that they may not be the same. These pioneering prophets of monotheism had been getting messages from different Gods and still they claim that there is only one God! Islam, however, did not attempt to reinvent God, it only tried to reestablish the existing God (from Judaism and Christianity) on a firmer basis. The Quran says: Who gives rain from the sky that helps to grow crop? Surely it must be God. Different sects of Islam give somewhat different versions of God. Different religions give different images of God. So, God is not universal. It varies from person to person or from one group of persons to another group.
So, coming back to the issue of 'my God' vs. 'your God', I would say that this is the main cause of religious conflicts and war. When Sunnis assert that Ahmadiyya or Qadiani are not Muslims, their assertion is based on the fact that Ahmadiyya's God is not the same God of Islam! 'Your God' vs. 'My God' is a very much live (but futile) issue.
Now going back to the write-up 'How can something come from Nothing?' by Victor Stenger, I find his arguments puerile and flawed. He is a learned Professor, but his discourse does not do justice to his academic eminence.
He claims that multiverse is scientific - that is total and unmitigated rubbish. No cosmologist of any description will ever make such a presumptuous claim. There is no proof, no verifiable evidence and so how can it be scientific? People like him making wild and exaggerated claims for self-publicity bring bad names to the scientific community.
Then he poses the question: how can the multiverse have come from Nothing? His answer is that: since multiverse always existed, it did not have to come from anything. (What a claim!) Since our present universe, according to him, is one of many universes of the multiverse, it did not come from anything - it always existed.
At the beginning he dismissed with contempt the theological claim that God existed for ever. He claims that anything existing for ever is unscientific! But his claim that multiverse existed for ever is scientific. A typical mullah type of argument!
Even more bizarre argument he produced is that if God can come from nothing (as theologians claim), then why multiverse cannot come from nothing? So multiverse comes from nothing!!! Incredible for a professor!!!
- Anis Rahman
From: Jiten Roy <jnrsr53@yahoo.com>
To: "mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, 10 November 2013, 18:49
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] How Can Something Come From Nothing?
While something from nothing - is a discussion (about God vs. no God) between intellectuals, my God vs. your God is a dialogue between the ignorant people.
Jiten Roy
On Sunday, November 10, 2013 1:26 PM, Sukhamaya Bain <subain1@yahoo.com> wrote:
I enjoyed reading the titled article in the Mukto-Mona English Blog by Victor Stenger.
And I made the following comments there:
It is a thought-provoking article indeed. I believe, the timeless song of Rabindranath Tagore, "bismoye tai jage amar gaan" (the wonder raises songs in me), will be in play over more than the foreseeable future.
While something vs. nothing is an intellectually stimulating argument, I do not see the relevance of what is known as God here. Neither something nor nothing needs God. They certainly do not need any prophet or avatar. They certainly do not need any religious nonsensical dogma or absurd structure.
While something vs. nothing is basically an innocent and intellectually exciting argument, God vs. no God and your God vs. my God are playing out as serious fights in the hands of the brainwashed religious block-heads. The God vs. no God and your God vs. my God clashes have also turned out to be serious human right violation factors. I think we need to discuss and debate more on God vs. no God and your God vs. my God.
Sukhamaya Bain
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