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Therefore, how the initial pair creates their bond will manifest the growth and development of the family structure as well as the social structure. Unfortunately, when Nietzsche took God and absolute truth out of the equation, he destroyed the concept of unconditional love and commitment. Without the shackles of religion to get in the way, so to speak, contemporary society proclaimed a new breed of sexual freedom never before present so visibly in man’s history.
Although there have been periods of great sexual promiscuity in the past, our modern media magnifies the impact it has on the society in a way that was not possible before. The sixties and the women’s movement just made this sexual freedom more equal among the genders. Ironically, however, the outcome of women’s sexual liberation only made it easier for men to get what they wanted from women while devaluing the woman’s worth at the same time.
Today in society, a lot of issues deal with the idea of sex, yet none of the issues deal with the question of the morality of sexual activity out of a marriage. All we talk about is abortions, contraceptives, AIDS, venereal disease (VD), and teenage pregnancy, all physical by-products of our society’s obsession. Where would Oprah or others be without all the problems, misery, and wasted energies that they present on their talk shows?
What amazes me is the amount of money and time dedicated to informing the public about the wide variety of social problems facing our nation, yet so little is done to prevent these problems from occurring in the first place. But, let us remind ourselves that school teachers, politicians, and opinion leaders are afraid to take a stand for things such as abstinence from sex, saying no to alcohol, and obeying God’s laws in a society where there is no tolerance for people with firm and absolute beliefs.
In other words, free speech is encouraged as long as what you say has no spiritual, religious, or absolute morality connected to it. It is okay if you sit in class and expose in minute detail your physical urges as a homosexual, but God forbid you speak up about God or morality! After all, nobody likes a party pooper.
It is sad for me to observe my peers struggle through unnecessary hardships because they insist upon having casual sex, drinking, and focusing all their attention on how to gain the most pleasure in this life with the least amount of pain. When bad things happen to them, like getting in a wreck due to drunk driving, or getting pregnant, they do not look at their actions to see what they did wrong. Instead, they only reconfirm in their own minds how unjust God is and how they are just victims of society.
I have presented just one example of how disregarding the existence of God and our soul is destroying a potentially wonderful civilization. When economic analysts wonder why the U.S. workers are so unproductive, why our students are falling behind, and why top research positions are held by foreigners, we should remind them that it is hard to have an efficient and productive community when everyone is so wrapped up in their personal problems.
Which brings me back to a single pair: a man and a woman. An act as seemingly insignificant as casual sex can add up to the decline of an entire civilization. I am not being dramatic. I just have eyes to observe the consequences around me every day. God knows us better than we know ourselves. Thus, we should take heed of even the most seemingly trite or irrelevant commandments in the Quran, because they are actually very profound words of guidance from God.
[Ed.’s note: This article is a reprint from September 1993 S.P.]
I was born and raised in Quebec, Canada but moved to the capital city of Canada - Ottawa, Ontario. My parents are from the Azores Islands in Portugal. I was raised as a Catholic. In my teens, I switched to becoming a "born again Christian" in my quest for the truth. I would read the Bible, take notes, write charts and diagrams and found discrepancies and errors. In my heart I really loved God and would talk to God with many tears. I remember praying on my knees to God for many hours at a time.
I went to every different church denomination there was but was disappointed because I wanted to get closer to God but found I was alone in this quest. I later became confused because some taught Jesus was God, then there was the trinity issue. Time passed and I married and had 3 children. I divorced and one of the issues was that I wanted to pursue my quest for true devotion to God.
A high school friend of mine that I've known for many years married a non practicing Muslim. I would try to convert her to Christianity. This made her think about God and started her quest for the truth. She looked over Islamic books and watched a couple of Ahmed Deedat debate tapes (Islam vs Christianity). One day she told me that now was my turn to listen to her and she insisted that I watch this tape. I was hesitant because I thought that Christianity was the only true religion. I've never heard about Islam. Islam was not heard of back in the 90's where I live. Nobody ever told me about it. After watching this debate, I was convinced that I was in error and was deceived. Me and my friend both became Muslims in 1999 December.
My quest didn't stop there because the simplicity and joy of accepting Islam was soon to take me to another journey. I soon found out people were telling me things that were not in the Quran and telling me Hadiths. You have to understand that coming from a Christian background and my deep quest for the truth and my cries to God I could see something was wrong. It seemed like there were many sects, divisions, rules and regulations that tried to take away the simplicity of it all. I didn't believe in Hadiths, I don't wear a headscarf. I believe in only Quran. So I stopped socializing with mainstream thinking Muslims to avoid conflict. I found your site by doing google searches on topics on Quran only.
Thank you.