Why Islam is True-Lesson 9- Loaded Questions about God

Name

The unmask strategy

Have you stopped cheating on your exams?

Choose only 1 best answer

• I have never cheated on any of my exams.”
• “I stopped a long time ago.”
• “That is none of your business.”

Don’t you feel guilty about always shouting at your colleagues?

• Everyone feels guilty sometimes, it does not make me a bad person”.
• “I do not shout at my colleagues.”
• “Yes of course I do, but we are all human and make mistakes.Option 1

How long have you been having an affair?

• The length of time is not important!
• That is an embarrassing question!
• I am not having an affair!

Why are you such an extreme racist?

• I am not extreme!
• What do you mean by extreme?
• I am not a racist!

How long has Islam been a religion for terrorists?

• The modern age has caused many problems for many countries, but that is not Islam’s fault.
• It is not a religion of terrorists.
• Christians, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists have terrorists as well. Are you asking them the same question?

Loaded Questions about God

Aldrich the Atheist seeks you on your own to ask some questions.

Aldrich looking sheepish, says softly, “I'm interested in what you have to say, but don’t tell anyone! I have some questions. Why would I believe in your God, and not Nathan’s or anybody’s? I guess what I am trying to say is, if science has disproved God, why would I believe in Him?” How could you use the Unmask Strategy here?

• "This is a bit like your earlier questions isn’t it? But really, it is a loaded question that makes a false assumption. So I’ll ignore the question and address that assumption. Your question assumes that there is no evidence for the existence of God and that we just believe in God without any evidence. But that’s false. There is rational proof for the existence of God, remember? The Argument From Contingency shows us that all contingent things need a Necessary Being to make them the way they are. The universe is contingent and the Necessary Being is what Muslims know as God."
• "This is a bit like your earlier questions isn’t it? But it’s like you don’t learn anything at all. Science does not have all the answers, and you have to realize that. It may be able to tell us about the “how” and “what” about the world, but it will never be able to tell us the “why”. That is what we need religion for. The evidence is that science doesn’t know the answers."

Aldrich seems fascinated, and carries on asking questions. He asks, “Okay, so what is God for Muslims? What is he made of?” What will you reply?

• “That is an interesting question. It seems like you are naturally assuming that God is made of something, but God is a Necessary Being and cannot be any type of physical object. Remember the Argument From Contingency shows us that all contingent things need a Necessary Being which makes the way that they are? Actually the Prophet, peace be on him, was asked this very question."
• "That is a great question! But I don’t have the answer to that question."

As mentioned in your last answer, the Prophet was asked this very question. ‘Amir Ibn Tufayl once came to the Prophet and asked for a description of God, is He made of gold, or silver, or iron? Sura al-Ikhlas was then revealed: “Say: The great matter is that Allah is Utterly One. Allah is the Everlasting Refuge. He did not beget nor was He begotten and no one resembles Him.”(Quran, 112:1 —4) Why is this an example of a response to a loaded question?

• "It is one of the most important suras in the Quran and would answer almost any question."
• "It ignores the question (what is God made of), unmasks the assumption (that God is made of something), and rejects it by showing that God is the Necessary Being who doesn’t resemble anything that is created (such as things that are made of gold or silver or iron)."

Can God Create a Rock that He Can’t Lift?

Aldrich the Atheist has said that he has been reading about impossible questions. One in particular seems to be interested in him and he asks, “Can God create a rock that He cannot lift?” Nathan the Christian seems a little confused by this. He thinks for a little while and eventually stammers, “God is more powerful than anything.” He doesn’t sound very confident. Aldrich’s eyebrows raise up. Is he surprised that Nathan cannot answer the question properly? He looks at you and asks, “What do you think?

• “Yes of course! God is much more powerful than any rock. God is the most powerful thing in the universe!”
• “No, God cannot do that, that’s absurd!”
• “The question is not really about power or rocks. The question assumes that God is like a physical object. God is like this in Christianity with Jesus being a human, or in Hinduism with idols and multiple gods. However, in Islam, God is not like a physical object whatsoever. God is a Necessary Being."Option 1