The following post will not fulfill its purpose or make full sense, unless the entire series of posts it’s a part of is read in order. You are therefore encouraged to start with the introduction.
Category #2 - “Good” Non-Rational Faith
There are truths in this world that are universal, and when it comes to moral ones, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the best document we have so far that espouses them on a global level.
However, there are moral “truths” which are relativist.
Despite the fact that I find the idea of moral relativism difficult to accept, I realize such a thing does exist, which brings me to “good” non-rational faith.
“Good” non-rational faith is belief perceived to be good in matters that are difficult to rationalize or back up with sufficient rational evidence. Its “goodness” is that of a relativist subjective kind and depends on the social construct you grew up in.
To one community, something can be “good” but to “others” it’s “bad” and hence the relativism. It also tends to fall within matters of morality, both religious and cultural.
Faith-based dress code modesty and sexuality are good examples that involve lots of moral relativism.
The Muslim Zaynab who covers her hair with a hijab because she believes Allah instructs her to do so. The Afghani woman who goes one big step further and veils her entire face because she believes that’s what Allah truly wants. Or the liberal Fatemah who wears jeans with a T-shirt and doesn’t cover her hair at all because she believes Allah’s definition of modesty is a dominantly spiritual one.
All three’s moral dimension of their dress-code and their idea of modesty is relativist. It’s not universal. It can be challenging to paint into a straight forward black and white picture.
Through mainstream Muslim eyes, Zaynab will seem like the most faithfully moral of all three. Fatemah will come across as inadequately pious, and the Afghani woman’s faith in the morality of her dress-code will be perceived as too culturally contaminated.
But ultimately and generally speaking, the three Muslim females’ dress-code will be tolerated and accepted by the global population of Muslims as normative.
On the other hand though, a Muslim girl wearing tiny jeans shorts and a bikini who’s walking during summer down a street populated by mainstream Muslims will easily find herself labeled immoral and highly lacking in faith.
Personally speaking, I find Fatemah’s choice of clothing normative. The hijabi Zaynab… well, I’m not a fan of the hijab and I would never encourage any future daughters I may have to wear it.
Yup, I don’t like the hijab, although I respect a Muslim woman’s right to wear it out of choice, as many in my extended family do… similarly to how Christian nuns and religious Jewish women cover their hair too.
As for the face veil, I’m staunchly against it and find it heinous.
Hence, from a personal perspective, I wouldn’t place the hijab and face veil under “Good” Non-Rational Faith. I don’t find anything about them good from a universal perspective, or even “good” from a relativist one.
However, a Muslim community in general will, and this post is written from its perspective, in order to keep the example simplified.
Ultimately though, the point I’m trying to make is that all of us have beliefs we see as clearly good, and they are indeed universally good.
For instance, how often do you find people arguing over whether or not rape is a good or bad thing? See my point?
However, then you have those faith-based beliefs which to you or your community are good, but to many others, are not necessarily so. For example, the hijab or face veil, and the big debates surrounding them.
Hence, “Good” Non-Rational Faith.
Up next: Category #3 - Bad Non-Rational Faith
SudaneseThinker
SudaneseThinker
