Atheism and Gen Z
Name: Kashif Nawaz
Lecturer English: Superior college Garha More Campus
“An empty vessel is always filled with whatever is poured into it.” Similarly, today, our Gen Z is embracing atheism because of the social media. It is a fact that where facts don’t exist, obscurity asserts its dominance. A vacuum regarding Islamic ideology and its point of view as a ‘Deen’ has been created, primarily due to the constant conflicts of different Islamic sects on various social media platforms. This vacuum was not only cunningly filled by the ideology of atheism but also cleverly occupied the intellects of Gen Z. Consequently, This young generation is determined to accept only logical and science-based results because this Gen assumes science and logic to be a parameter for evaluating any concept.
All the atheists who I faced in my past personal experiences were cleverly determined to evaluate religious beliefs just on the parameter of logic and science, instead of understanding their basics with sincerity. They used the standard of logic and science not to learn the basics of religious beliefs, but merely to criticize them. Today, unfortunately, our Gen Z is accepting science and logic as a standard to test anything, although science claims that none of its theories is ultimate but can be changed with the passage of time. But, unfortunately, the parameter of science and logic has been poured strategically into the empty minds of our Gen Z. They assess everything using rational scrutiny, which is why they read the Holy Quran not to understand its message within context, but rather to evaluate it using the standard of their own creation. They use Quranic verses or just their translation out of context as a reference to validate their point of view, because they have their own parameter for defining or describing things.
As a student of literature, I know that any theory should not be applied to any text without reading or understanding it. But when this Gen reads the text of the Holy Book, keeping logic in mind, they don’t find results according to their expectations, and thus they become heretics.
However, trying to understand what the writer wants to convey is the basic and first principle of reading. If the final opinion about anything is based on the standard of a self-made theory, it cannot be acceptable to anyone except the creator of the theory. Considering one’s own opinion to be the only correct one, and adding fuel to the fire by making fun of the opinions of the whole society or considering them wrong, is not only a form of extremism but also a symbol of intellectual stagnation and ignorance.
The researcher of truth is never biased. He denies his own likes and dislikes in the world of facts. He relies on the facts, and a decision which is made by considering both aspects is never wrong.
The essence of this writing is that never shape your opinion about any belief or idea until you learn clearly about both aspects of it. To analyze things and consider them close to reality according to self-made parameters without understanding the point of view of the opposing side is an intellectual dishonesty. Our Gen Z should understand the fact that science and philosophy are real knowledge but not the ultimate truth. It can be changed with the passage of time, and things which have the probability of change can’t be considered a parameter to analyze or evaluate sensitive things like religion. For God’s sake! Never blindly trust in any ideology or concept. Enhance your study. Keep both opposite aspects in mind while analyzing any concept or idea so that you can find reality. But the matter of faith is very sensitive; we can’t evaluate it based on illogical arguments.”
