Issue 35 (July - September 2001)

Perceived Differences and Artifical Realities One of the greatest plagues of history has been our propensity to deny the reality of human unity by constructing artificial hierarchies of human value. With the triumph of science in Europe and the application of Darwin's theory of evolution to human…

It is hard to find another theory that has been so discredited by scientists, and yet is still believed in by so many people, as Darwinism. The collapse of communism shows that “East” and “West” was a geographical-not a cultural-divide, and no more than a variation within Western culture. The…

Therapists deal with emptiness, meaninglessness, and loneliness.(1) Patients say that emptiness is a painful and discomforting subjective experience. Lonely people often speak of feeling empty. One in four Americans are “chronically lonely.“ One in four French people are frequently lonely, and 54 p…

The Qur'an informs us of former Prophets and religious figures sent by God to proclaim His Oneness. Islam requires Muslims to acknowledge and respect these people, one of whom is Mary (Maryam), the mother of Prophet Jesus. She has a unique place in the Qur'an and the hearts of Muslims, and is remem…

Light reveals a world of colors by painting everything it touches. Our plain and soulless furniture gains meaning. Our brown bookshelf, gray study table, green mug carpets, rugs, curtains the yellow wheat fields in the harvest picture, the blue china vase, our favorite brown sweater the striking…

With the ascendancy of science during the eighteenth century, European scientists sought scientific support for considering slavery and colonization as natural and even a blessing. Casting off monogenism (all people are descended from Adam and Eve), they adopted such new ideas as progress, the line…

Why and how civilizations rise and fall is a hard question to answer. To do so, one must understand the civilization and the time in which it began to rise. Jason Goodwin, an English journalist, uses memoirs of European visitors and standard histories to explore the 600-year existence of the Otto…

In Academics Religion and Science: The Institute on Religion in an Age of Science, Inc., will convene on July 29-August 4, 2001. The topic, Human Meaning in a Technological Culture, will explore and evaluate how these powerful [information and biotechnoloy] technologies redefine, for better and fo…

First Sign O worshipper of causes! Imagine that you see a splendid palace being built of different, marvelous jewels. However, some of these jewels can be found only in China, others in only Andalusia or Yemen, and still some others only in Siberia. Would you not say that only one who controls an…

What is reality? What is illusion? Do we have free will, or is our life somehow preprogrammed? Such questions have vexed humanity from the beginning. Technology has added another wrinkle: virtual reality. Now that we can create reality, how do we know that what we consider reality is really real…

It is hard to believe that people sit at their computers and shoot African-Americans on a Web site featuring a cyberjungle where white hunters hunt black people. What do they feel when they hunt poor and weak people? Do they really feel like killing innocent people? Several African-American Web sit…

Q: Why is atheism so widespread? A: Atheism means denying God's existence, rejecting His commandments, avoiding religious reflection and seriousness, and considering oneself independent of Him. As such beliefs negate the concept of sin, people imagine that they can live as they please and thus beg…