Imagine there's No Heaven by Salman Rushdie

1725 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Religious conflicts conclusion

“Imagine there’s No Heaven” is a letter written by Salman Rushdie who is a British Indian novelist and essayist. He is an atheist and is known for his unflinching criticism of religion. Rushdie contributed this letter to a UN-sponsored anthology, addressed to the six-billionth human child who was expected to be born that year. He attempts to discuss and answer two fundamental questions of life. “How did we get here? And, now that we are here, how shall we live?” However he diverts from his central thesis and most of his text malign and smear all religions while the two questions go almost completely unanswered. His tone is demeaning, scornful and he presents religious beliefs as being ridiculous. He makes absolute statements without any clarification and supporting evidence and his arguments lack logic.

While trying to answer the question of ‘origins’, Rushdie starts with making a mockery of most of the religious beliefs about the creation of universe and life. He calls other people faiths as ‘stories’ and then mentions some mythological beliefs like Bumba, creator god in African mythology vomited the universe ,Shiva Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance danced to create the world in Tamil mythology or another polytheistic belief that god stirred the matter of universe in a giant pot. He declares the primary impulse of creation as lust but then quickly adds love as another motivation. He delves deeper in the mythologies when only a small number of people in particular regions believe in them. He chooses to ignore Christianity and Islam, the most practiced religions in the world both of which agree that God created the universe and God can be understood and identified by His creation.

Rushdie portrays religion as something which imp...

... middle of paper ...

...ntraception. 25 August 2009. Web. 9 April 2014.

< http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/contraception/ >

The Village Church. Should Christians Use Contraceptive Methods and Reproductive

Technologies? 7 February 2013. Web. 9 April 2014.

< http://www.thevillagechurch.net/sermon/should-christians-use-contraceptive-methods-and-reproductive-technologies/ >

Dr. Zakir Naik. What is the Islamic Ruling on Contraception?

‘n.d’ Web. 9 April 2014.

< http://islamicvoice.com/january.2004/zakir.htm >

Knowledge of Truth. Understanding Disunity of Muslim Ummah . 9 December 2010. Web. . 9 April 2014.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri. Rights of minorities in Islam.

26 August 2009. Web. . 9 April 2014.

< http://www.minhaj.org/english/tid/8850/Rights-of-minorities-in-Islam.html >

Show More
Related

  • Muhammad And The Believers By Fred Donner

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    Writing about a topic that has been on an upward slope of controversy and criticism within the past two decades, Fred Donner a notable Islamic History professor at the University of Chicago whom has written multiple texts about the origins of Islam, tells the tale of the beginnings of Islam and how it would be shaped into its current manifestation today with Muhammad and the Believers. Donner admirably conveys the early history of Islam and its success to its centrality and “Believers’ Movement” opposed to many western historians accrediting it to the need of social and economic reform. Muhammad and the Believers is split up into five chapters, all of which Donner imparts his main thesis of Islam being a group of believers (mu’minun) opposed

    Read More

  • Cat's Cradle And Slaughterhouse Kurt Vonnegut Analysis

    1690 Words  | 4 Pages

    The meaning of religion can be different for everyone; some use it to justify events happening, while others use it to turn people against each other. As Kurt Vonnegut describes tragic events during World War II, unrealistic adventures in space and destructive scientific advances, he shares his unique perspective on life and religion. Although many of his works were set during 20th century, Vonnegut satirically addresses issues that are present in today’s society. Despite efforts to prevent wars, people have not found a solution to do it. And while mankind progresses toward scientific way of life, the destruction of life is inevitable. New machines are invented every day to make genocide easier and faster. So, in Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse

    Read More

  • The Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in Iran

    1517 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ayoob, M. (2007) The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim

    Read More

  • God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hitchens, Christopher. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. New York: Twelve, 2007. Print.

    Read More

  • Islam in America

    2522 Words  | 6 Pages

    Islam, a religion of people submitting to one God, seeking peace and a way of life without sin, is always misunderstood throughout the world. What some consider act of bigotry, others believe it to be the lack of education and wrong portrayal of events in media; however, one cannot not justify the so little knowledge that America and Americans have about Islam and Muslims. Historically there are have been myths, many attacks on Islam and much confusion between Islam as a religion and Middle Easter culture that is always associated with it. This paper is meant to dispel, or rather educate about the big issues that plague people’s minds with false ideas and this will only be touching the surface.

    Read More

  • Buddhism and Islam

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rippin A. 1990, Muslims, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices Volume 1: The Formative Period, Routledge, London and New York.

    Read More

  • Prophetic Authority in Early Islamic Civilization: A Comparative Examination

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout his life, the Prophet Muhammad proved to be exceptionally adept at uniting diverse groups, negotiating a series of alliances and loyalty arrangements that spanned religious, tribal, ethnic, and familial lines (Berggren 2009). Among other things, this ability enabled Muhammad to forge a shared identity and found a nascent Islamic state from a diverse and even heterogeneous community (Rahman 1982; Ernst 2003, pp. 87-93). This diversity proved to be both a source of strength and conflict for Islam, and following the death of Muhammad early Islamic communities engaged in extensive debates not only about the nature of his teachings or how to carry his legacy forward, but also about the terms that should be used to define his authority. Although this debate produced a colorful array of movements within the tapestry of early Islamic civilization, this essay offers a critical examination of two particularly distinct perspectives on the nature of prophetic authority: namely, those articulated

    Read More

  • Without Conscience by Robert D. Hare

    1924 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Without Conscience" by Robert D. Hare is one aimed towards making the general public aware of the many psychopaths that inhabit the world we live in. Throughout the book Hare exposes the reader to a number of short stories; all with an emphasis on a characteristic of psychopaths. Hare makes the claim that close monitoring of psychopathy are vital if we ever hope to gain a hold over Psychopathy- A disorder that affects not only the individual but also society itself. He also indicates one of the reasons for this book is order to correctly treat these individuals we have to be able to correctly identify who meets the criteria. His ultimate goal with the text is to alleviate some of the confusion in the increase in criminal activity by determining how my of this is a result of Psychopathy.

    Read More

  • Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Islamic tradition, as reflected in Naguib Mahfouz’s Zaabalawi, has over the course of history had an incredible impact on Arab culture. In Mahfouz’s time, Islamic practices combined with their political relevance proved a source of both great power and woe in Middle Eastern countries. As alluded to in Zaabalawi, Mahfouz asserts the fact that not all Muslims attain religious fulfillment through this common tradition, and other methods outside the scope of Islam may be necessary in true spiritual understanding.

    Read More

  • Islam: Christianity And Islam

    1222 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history it is evident that many religions have been tried, tested, and, for some, radically changed. Many religions have gone through periods of time in which the way they were run or enforced underwent changes in practice and leadership. In many cases disagreements and differing outlooks among members of certain religions were to blame for these changes. Christianity and Islam are two examples of religions that have experienced changes over the course of their existence. While these religions seem to have little in common at first glance, both have strikingly similar pasts that consist of radical splits due to disagreements among members of the Christian and Islamic churches, resulting in new branches within each religion.

    Read More

  • The Perforated Sheet by Salman Rushdie

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    When discussing the controversial authors of Indian literature, one name should come to mind before any other. Salman Rushdie, who is best known for writing the book “Midnights Children.” The first two chapters of “Midnights Children” are known as “The Perforated Sheet”. In “The Perforated Sheet” Rushdie utilizes magic realism as a literary device to link significant events and their effects on the lives of Saleem’s family to a changing India. In fact, it is in the beginning of the story that the reader is first exposed to Rushdie’s use of magic realism when being introduced to Saleem. “On the stroke of midnight/clocks joined palms” and “the instant of India’s arrival at independence. I tumbled forth into the world”(1711). Rushdie’s description of the clocks “joining palms” and explanation of India’s newfound independence is meant to make the reader understand the significance of Saleem’s birth. The supernatural action of the clocks joining palms is meant to instill wonder, while independence accentuates the significance of the beginning of a new era. Rushdie also utilizes magic realism as an unnatural narrative several times within the story to show the cultural significance of events that take place in the story in an abnormal way.

    Read More

  • Cristian Worldview Essay

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite our different ways of living and daily routines; The majority of people come to the conclusion that without God they are just puppets living in a world filled with injustice and cruelty. Others might just not care about anything and only live to live. With out a God; Others have another religion bases, but no matter where people come from, the reality of the world today is that we are a multicultural creation that needs God in their lives. No matter what country, color, or nationality people are the need of him is huge. The discussion in this paper will explain Christians beliefs, who is God, humanity, Jesus, ways of salvation and the Cristian worldview. The Christian worldview believes that there is an absolute God who created the world and the universe. As the

    Read More

  • Muhammad, by Michael Cook

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book Muhammad, by Michael Cook, describes the impact Muhammad has had on the world as we know it. It explains why Muhammad chose the paths he did, and how certain laws came about. Cook offers a very objective view of the laws and policies Muhammad outlined in the Koran, and the traditions that are carried on that supplement his written law.

    Read More

  • The Misconceptions About Women in Islam

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.

    Read More

  • Cultural Violence

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kenneth Jost. 2005. “Understanding Islam.” Annual Editions: Anthropology 11/12, 34th Edition. Elvio Angeloni. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

    Read More

More about Imagine there's No Heaven by Salman Rushdie

Open Document