Episode 4 - Are We Created with an Innate Nature to Worship God?

Are We Naturally Inclined to Worship Allah?

(Sound effects) Peace be upon you, dear brothers. In the previous episode, we clarified the bundle of innate components that pose a dilemma for the atheist, which he avoids by denying the existence of these components or by explaining them in a materialistic way. Today, we will see this atheistic behavior with the first component: the tendency towards religiosity.

By religiosity, we mean the human realization that he and this universe have a Creator who manages it, the desire to worship this Creator and get closer to Him, the feeling of need for Him, and also resorting to Him in times of hardship. The Islamic perspective mentions the existence of this tendency as an undisputed fact, as in many verses, such as Allah's saying: "And when adversity touches man, he calls upon Us" [Yunus:12]. Humanity in general, because it is an innate nature planted in every human being.

And our statement about the innate nature of religiosity means that it is a fundamental and deeply rooted component in the human psyche, and an integral part of its composition, existing since the birth of man, regardless of external influences.

The Atheist's Denial of the Innate Nature of Religiosity

Initially, the atheist denied the innate nature of religiosity and said: rather, people's belief in the existence of a Creator is an acquired matter influenced by upbringing and the transmission of this call through generations. If man and his self are left alone, there is nothing that would lead him to believe in the existence of a Creator.

And the atheist will tell you: there are many beliefs that their adherents believe in, even though they are mere superstitions, like Santa Claus, who comes on a sleigh from the sky on Christmas Eve, and the dragon that breathes fire...

So we say: even if we overlook the fact that superstitious beliefs have no evidence, while the existence of the Creator is evidenced by everything, as we will explain in this series - God willing - there is a big difference from the psychological perspective between superstitious beliefs that children are fed and discover their falsity when they mature, and that they have no basis or proof, and they laugh at themselves for having once believed in them, like the dragon and Santa Claus, or superstitions believed by people in a specific geographical environment, passed down through generations.

The Universality of the Tendency Towards Religiosity

On the other hand, the tendency towards religiosity, this deep feeling that people find within themselves, even the one who denies it struggles with himself to deny it, and his question keeps attacking him and imposing itself on him time after time, until he is forced to look for materialistic explanations for his existence.

The originality of religiosity in the human psyche is a fact confirmed by anthropological and sociological studies, and it has become common in many studies to express the innate nature of religiosity as something that has been hardwired in humans (religion is hardwired in humans). Meaning: it is a fundamental component in humans, mixed with their flesh and blood like arteries and nerves.

This is a truth that runs deep in history, to the extent that the Greek historian Plutarch said: "If you travel the world, you may find cities without walls, without manners, without kings, without wealth, without theaters, but there has never been - and cannot be on any day - a city without a temple where man worships."

And the matter, brothers, does not require studies or looking into history; rather, man finds within himself that if he falls into hardships, a meaning stirs within him that he cannot push away, that there is a supreme power capable of saving him, and he finds in his condition a request and a refuge with his Lord to save him from this predicament. Therefore, one of the examples from the West is (There are no atheists in foxholes), meaning: there are no atheists in the trenches. Meaning: the trenches of war, when they are exposed to dangers that threaten their lives.

The atheist may stubbornly persist, and you may find a group of cowardly soldiers who mock the killing of civilians and raping their properties, and they are not in real danger, and yet they write a sign that says: (atheists in foxholes), meaning: atheists in the trenches.

And you may find atheists boasting that they do not need God, and they often curse God, even though the original is that they do not believe in His existence, so how can they curse something that does not exist?! But their sick repetition of such expressions, with or without an occasion, indicates conflicting psyches that struggle with a deep voice within them and try to suppress it, otherwise they would not need this noise, especially since the atheist does not expect an afterlife reward for proclaiming his belief, and he does not have absolute moral motivations that drive him to save people from the deviation of believing in God - according to his belief -.

And due to the emptiness that sweeps through many atheists, after they denied this innate component that imposes itself on them, they began to establish a form of atheistic gatherings in a ritualistic manner similar - to a large extent - to religious gatherings, such as what is known as atheist churches (atheist churches), which began to spread in multiple countries, such as America, Canada, and Britain, in a conscious or unconscious expression of an innate desire that seeks a form of release.

And Ibn al-Qayyim was right when he said: "In the heart, there is a poverty - meaning a need - that nothing can fill except Allah the Almighty, and in it, there is a dishevelment - meaning a separation - that nothing can mend except turning to Him, and in it, there is a disease that nothing can cure except sincerity to Him and worshiping Him alone."

So we are not talking about the dragon or Santa Claus, but about a deep feeling that most people find within themselves throughout the centuries, and his question attacks the one who denies it and imposes itself on him time after time, and seeks a release for it. We are talking about a belief that the innate bundle serves and directs towards it, as we explained in the previous episode, and not about superstitious beliefs that have nothing to do with this bundle, its completion, or its direction.

Response to the Allegation of Inclination Towards Vices

The atheist says to you: man may feel the love of domination, and the male may feel the desire to sexually assault the female, and yet you - O believers in God - consider these tendencies to be bad.

So we say to them: the inclination of the self towards the nature of desires and lusts is not confusing what we are in. For all that some people have an inclination towards vices, they do not correct this inclination, nor do they see it as good or right, but they believe in its corruption. The innate component here - which is the moral tendency - includes the recognition of the corruption of the inclination towards bad lusts. And man knows that these inclinations of his are false under the influence of the innate nature that we are talking about. This is an argument for us, not against us.

Attempts by Atheists to Explain Religious Inclination Materialistically

Many atheists have acknowledged that the inclination towards religion and belief in God transcends external and environmental influences, and that it is a central component of human nature. What did they do? Did they believe? No, for atheism does not seek the truth. Instead, when the falsity of what they believed becomes apparent, they search for any other related matter, other than faith in God.

They said: The inclination to believe in the Creator does not necessarily have to correspond to the truth. It may just be an illusion produced by randomness. It may be a trait that nature has selected to help humans survive. We will search for a material cause for this religious inclination. Indeed, specific fields of knowledge have begun to form to study this phenomenon. A branch of neuroscience has emerged known as neurotheology, or the neuroscience of theology. This is a research field that seeks to uncover the nature of the connection between the nervous system and the phenomenon of religiosity.

In fact, the search has gone as far as looking for a gene responsible for this religious inclination. In 2005, the American geneticist Dean Hamer published a book titled: "The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired into Our Genes," meaning: "The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired into Our Genes." You will also find works searching for the part of the brain responsible for the belief in a Creator, such as Matthew Alper's book: "The 'God' Part of the Brain," meaning: "The Part of the Brain Related to the Existence of a Creator."

Criticism of Materialistic Explanations for Religious Inclination

First, notice that these atheists did not search for materialistic explanations for the conviction of some people about the existence of dinosaurs, nor for the silly examples that atheists give; to say that you assume the existence of a god, and any human may assume something else, like the flying spaghetti monster, or the teapot orbiting in space. Because there is a huge difference between these beliefs and the silly examples, and on the other hand, the genuine religious inclination, which is deeply rooted in the human race.

But wait, you atheists! What are you doing? "We are searching for a materialistic explanation for religiosity." Alright... And assuming that you found a materialistic explanation for the inclination towards religiosity, you would have to find materialistic explanations for the other innate components that we discussed in the previous episode. We will see in the episode about the feeling of free will the futility of attempting to provide a materialistic, genetic explanation for everything and turning it into a trivial nonsense.

However, let us suppose, for the sake of argument, that you found genes for the inclination towards religiosity, another for mental necessities, a third group for morals, a fourth for instincts, a fifth for the feeling of purpose, and a sixth group of genes for free will, which is of course contradictory, as if we were saying: genes that force you to be free.

But, let us suppose... let us suppose that you found all of this. What is this coherent, directed package that makes people believe in a Creator, love His worship, seek refuge in Him, possess mental necessities through which they understand His will, a moral inclination that is in harmony with His commands, a feeling of purpose that drives them to seek His will and adhere to it, and a free will through which they choose to obey or disobey Him, and instincts that ensure the continuation of their species on this earth during their period of testing... until... as if your randomness is worshipping our Lord!

If you found this package, what is it but another proof of the greatness of this Creator, who has placed it in humans, made it complete, and harmonized it with His legal commands.

The arrogance of atheism responds by saying: "But all these inclinations do not necessarily mean anything, and their existence does not mean their validity."

Conclusion

And indeed, my brothers, even if what has been presented is sufficient for those who seek guidance, we will continue to discuss the atheist due to the benefits of this discussion. We will see in the upcoming episodes... what are the results of the atheist's claim that what humans find within themselves as a necessity from these components does not necessarily have to be true in reality. Our next stop is with the mental necessities, and it is an important and highly beneficial episode - God willing - so stay tuned... and peace be upon you and the mercy of God.