Monday, January 28, 2008

Fatalism

There is a new game show on Television these days. It's called Var misin, Yok Musun. It's a lot like Deal or No Deal in the U.S. While watching this program you will hear the contestant and everyone else who they talk to say Insallah (inshallah) about 1000 times. The word means if God wills or pleases. One of the fundamental beliefs that Muslims are supposed to adhere is Fate. They are to believe that God is the source of both evil and good. So whatever happens basically comes from God whether good or evil. What strikes me is that in this game show you can tell most people don't really believe it. I know we say things out of habit just as people here say Insallah out of habit. For a Muslim though this is supposed to be one of their major beliefs. For instance a lady took the offer from the bank for 40,000YTL instead of continuing the game. Well of course they open her box to find that she had the box which would have given her 250,000YTL. Oh, the drama! She was crying. Family members were crying. I could hardly bear it. The point is if you believe in this extreme fatalism as Muslims are supposed to, why does it matter what amount the other box had? This view spills over to every part of a Muslims life. Life is so cheap here. Could you imagine resigning yourself to the fact that you were going to spend some time in Hell? Unless of course you die as a martyr or convert someone to Islam. Friends that I have talked to have no problem with the fact, as they believe, everyone will spend some time in Hell. Why? Because Allah wills it. God loved the world so much that He sent the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sin. I know this, God wants to save people from every 'kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation' Rev. 5:9 This includes Muslim nations. That is what God wills and pleases.

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