The Atheism Fallacy - Part II

Some atheists object that an All-Knowing God should have foreseen the confusion and revealed a more perfect scripture. However, what could be ambiguous about "Thou Shalt Not Kill?"  

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Research
Source & Credit: Islam Examiner
By Qasim Rashid | July 12, 2010

In The Atheism Fallacy - Part I, we introduced the No True Scotsman Theory.  In Part II we will discuss the fallacy that extremists who adhere to a religion are the fault of the scripture of that religion.

Atheists often try to establish a stereotypical blanket statement, in which one person automatically represents the entire faith. To human is err. 'Thou shalt not kill' is a basic teaching of most every great religion. Yet, adherents to most every religion kill in cold blood. The leap to blame the scripture for the conscious choice of a believer that is contradictory to the scripture is entirely illogical. Some atheists object that an All-Knowing God should have foreseen the confusion and revealed a more perfect scripture. However, what could be ambiguous about "Thou Shalt Not Kill?"


Moreover, every nation has a criminal code with a similar law, yet every nation deals with homicide on a daily basis.  We cannot entertain that it was our leaderships inability to draft a clear enough law that has caused the result of sometimes epidemic levels of homicide.  Rather, people kill knowingly regardless of the clarity of the law.

In fact, the Holy Qur'an addresses this very matter in perfect detail.

"On account of this, We prescribed for the children of Israel that whosoever killed a person — unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder in the land — it shall be as if he had killed all mankind; and whoso gave life to one, it shall be as if he had given life to all mankind. And Our Messengers came to them with clear Signs, yet even after that, many of them commit excesses in the land." (5:33)

The verse rejects the notion that God did not foresee that people would kill despite clear guidance. Rather, God acknowledges that despite clear guidance, many still 'commit excesses.' There can be no blame on the guidance for the failure of man to abide by that guidance. Man has free will. The blame (and consequences) must fall wholly upon that individual, not the religion which explicitly makes murder a crime.
For example, as both Islamic law and American law unequivocally and unambiguously condemn murder, neither can justifiably be tarnished for the actions of a few.
This does not automatically prove that God exists.  Rather, it demonstrates that the failure of adherents of a faith to follow it appropriately cannot reflect on the faith, even if that person tries to justify his actions in the name of that faith.  The true test is not the claim of the extremist.  Rather, the true test is in the actual verses of the Scripture—and whether the moral and secular guidance it prescribes is logical, scientific, and reasonable.
In regards to this test the Qur'an issues an open challenge: "This is a perfect Book, there is no doubt in it, it is a guidance for the righteous." (2:3)  Also:

"And if you are in doubt as to what We have sent down to Our servant, then produce a Chapter like it, and call upon your helpers beside Allah, if you are truthful." (2:24)

The perfection of the Qur'an as a comprehensive guidance is one of its many proofs of the existence of God.  We welcome readers to propose verses they feel contradict science and logic, and we will happily address them with upcoming articles.  On the contrary, as we will demonstrate in future articles that 1400 years ago the Holy Qur'an declared numerous scientific phenomenon that were impossible to know at that time.

Part III of this series will continue on this theme.




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