You may have heard a version of the story of Sabbath-Breakers who turned into apes and pigs. The story goes like this:
Once upon a time there was a Jewish village comprised mainly of fishermen. To observe the sanctity of the Sabbath, the fishermen would cease to work on Saturdays. However, the fish would appear in multitudes on that particular day of the week, whereas they were scarce on every other day. The fishermen began using deceitful means of placing nets, ropes, and artificial pools of water on the Sabbath, and collecting the fish afterwards, therefore breaking their pledge and covenant to honor the Sabbath. Although their fraudulence appeared lawful on the surface, it was, in reality, a wicked deed. As punishment, they were transformed into apes, the animals closest to humans. This is why their punishment was compatible with their crime.
This story is referenced briefly in the Quran (in 7:163-166 and 2:65), but some scholars claim that there is no reference to the story in the Bible or Torah. The Bible we have access to today is a trimmed and doctored version of a translation from Latin, which was, in turn, a translation of original Aramaic one. Many mainstream scholars believe this transformation of the Jewish fishermen Sabbath-breakers was not literal at all; rather, that it is metaphorical – simply meant as a figure of speech. Therefore some translations of these verses in the Quran say “Be as apes” or “like apes”.
We do not really need to search in historical books to know exactly if such an incident literally happened. My point is, we just need to see what’s going on right now in front of our eyes.
As western societies are distancing themselves from religious beliefs, the pillars of their civilization are crumbling:
- Spreading of homosexuality reduced their fertility rate, and made their leaders to bring in migrants from other parts of the world. I have not heard even the most counterfeited religions endorse homosexuality.
- Feminism destroyed family as the basic unit of society.
- Uncontrolled capitalism and usury caused them to have the highest per Capita debt in the world.
- Their education system is just there to mind-control people, by dumbing them down.
Everything in today’s western society has become dysfunctional or out of its original purpose. The spread of Ghetto culture is an indication of this, and of the extent of deterioration. For example, how often do we hear people use more than ten F-words in a single sentence? Unfortunately, it is now common for the F-word to be used as the adjective, adverb, name, and as the verb in a sentence. It’s not derogatory anymore; you can use it as compliment, or for expressing happiness, anger, awe, and anything else for that matter.
To see just how fast the cultural situation is deteriorating in western societies, you can watch a movie from 1930s or 40s. You will find that even the kids’ talk very eloquently, politely, and wordy. Nowadays, western people use F-words to such an extent that each F-word no longer has a distinct meaning. Rather, it has become more like a gibber of animals; a repeated sound to express feelings or needs.
What is happening in western societies is the same thing that happened to the Sabbath-Breakers. They, too, are slowly turning into apes, as the culture and development that defines us as human beings regresses, leaving only the most rudimentary form of life.
Why is this happening?
Western civilization, if you can call it a civilization at all, has done its best over the past two or three centuries to equate religion to superstition. Consequently, if someone talks about religion, people mostly think he wants to sell them some superstitions or force them into believing any illogical belief without asking for a reason. Furthermore, after September the 11th, mainstream media is trying to persuade people that any religious belief is the root-cause of terrorism. For instance, Carter, a former president of the USA, has recently written a book titled “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power.” In his speech in Yale, he focused on the role of religion in violence against women. “A lot of the great religions now teach their followers, their believers, that women are inferior in the eyes of God,” he said.
I am not going to argue about how wrong his assertions are. These kinds of cheap arguments are comparable to “if one police officer unjustifiably uses a lethal force, you should abolish the rule of law”, or “if one criminal has a mustache, having a mustache is equal to being a criminal”.
Believing in After-Life and Eternal Judgment is the Foundation of a Civilization
Historically, the Arabic word selected for civilization (تمدن) was taken from the word for religion (دین). Civilization was attributed to a society in that the law and social manner originated from what Almighty GOD orders. In the Quran there is a distinct word for a civilized society (Madinah, مدینه), as opposed to a society in which the mode of governance is not based on religious beliefs (Ghariah, قریه). Religion in the past was a methodical way to reason and conduct a life, which not only satisfies our material needs, but also guides us through the after-life. No matter how advanced and thorough the laws of a society, if people believe that there is no eternal judgment, they will ultimately find a way to cheat and disregard the law. Hence, believing that no wrong-doing is going to be left unpunished is the only thing that guarantees abiding the law. Abiding the law is the foundation of a civilization. We can, therefore, conclude that believing in eternal judgment is necessary to build a civilization.
Throughout history it’s well-tested, time and again; that if popular vote is to be the foundation of law, some special interest groups will eventually manipulate people’s minds and abuse them.