Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!jarthur!nntp-server.caltech.edu!bes
From: reddy@mips.com (T.S. Reddy)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Is there something more to Islam than mere rules?
Message-ID: <1990Dec5.082427.2124@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Date: 5 Dec 90 08:24:27 GMT
Sender: bes@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Behnam Sadeghi)
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Lines: 21
Approved: bes@tybalt.caltech.edu


     I must say that I am thoroughly disappointed with this newsgroup. I
expected to find discussions about things like the spirituality of man,
the application of Islam to life to make it better in general, answers
to the metaphysical aspects of life and the like. Instead, all I read
about are rules. Don't do this or do it only in this way. If I am to
interpret the essence of most of the articles, Islam does nothing more
than command a person to lead a constricted life much like animals
which live by instinct. Surely there is a spiritual aspect to Islam? 

     Now I know there have been several schools of thought (e.g. Sufism)
in Islam that have gone beyond a rule bound interpretation of Islam to probe
the consciousness of man. I read soc.religion.eastern regularly and there
are many beautiful and thought provoking articles about the approach of
eastern religions towards spirituality. Can't we have similar discussions
here? A moderated newsgroup is, in my opinion, the best place to start
such discussions. Any takers?

-- 
T.S.Reddy
e-mail: reddy@mips.com