Batman and religion......something I realized.

[Mystic]

When I was a kid, I loved Batman, and would watch the Cartoon of it. Also, my blanket had batman on it.

Now watching the trilogy of Batman with the background, feels probably more pleasurable, due to the love ingrained of Batman when I was a kid.

The only thing is I know Batman is not real.

Now as a Shiite Muslim, I was ingrained with love of the the Prophet and Fatima, and the 12 Imams, very young.

The holy exalted personality image, was there as a kid, but I didn't have a firm grasp upon it.

I think that love made reading the book nahjul balagha for example, an experience of a different nature, then a person who wasn't ingrained with that love.

This is because you will see a normal man and just anyone, while I see my hero (Imam Ali) as a kid, and going through his eloquent speeches, it feels really amazing.

Now I personally don't think Batman movies would be as successful, if Batman was just made up at the time of the movies. It's because he is a classic character that it's successful as it is.

I enjoy playing Batman Arkham Asylum and Arkham City a lot more and it feels "cooler" because of that love ingrained in that character.

Now as a child, I knew Imam Hussain rose against Yazeed, and was killed for it, but stood for justice. But when I read the sermon of mina in my teens, it felt like a different experience.

The same can be said about Imam Khomeini. I had a love of him, because of being raised Iranian. Then reading his books, he seemed so great and I fell in love with his character, more.

I guess the thing is, with fantasy, there is no harm in that love generates a cool experience.

But with religion, you then judge others upon it. Real life heros is one man's hero and another man's villain.

Case in point, I've seen a lot of Shiite Muslims, argue that the biggest proof of Islam is the characters of Ahlebayt (Prophet, Fatima, 12 Imams).

In particular, when I abandoned Islam, Shiites incline to say, "what did Imam Hussain die for then?" "What do you think about Imam Hussain?".

The Saheefa Sajadiya, is actually one beautiful book. I personally think it's a lot more beautiful then Quran.

But is the truth necessarily beautiful? This is something that Theists tend to unkowable argue....

It's so "beautiful" and "perfect" it has to be true. But why must the truth be beautiful and perfect?

Let's say for the sake of argument, that Islam is totally a flawless religion in appearance, it's morals are all of the utmost beauty, and it is just in every sense of the word.

Say that it's God is described in the most attractive manner, the character of it's Messenger is of utmost beauty and is perfect in every sense of the word.

Does this in anyway prove it to be correct? Rationally no. But I've seen so much people argue on the basis of religion on the basis of it's beauty.

You know playing Zelda: The Ocarina of time, I would say is one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.

I loved Shephard and the characters in Mass Effect. I hated the ending of Mass effect 3, but I loved the whole experience of it.

It's beauty doesn't somehow in anyway make it true.

I would say most converts that convert to Islam due to because they found it to be absolutely beautiful.

As for the poetry of Quran, I have to admit, it's very beautiful. There is Chapters that end with same letter like over a hundred times. In fact there is so many like that.

I have to admit that I don't know of any poetry that comes close to that of Suratal Taha. It's another level as far as the eloquence goes.

But Suratal Taha being super eloquent and super beautiful, a proof it's divine?

Look at how art is developing. Look at the old movies, and look at the new movies.

In the future, the movies are probably going to be a lot better as well.

Maybe Mohammad mind was just something else. A complete genius in arts.

He produced a fantasy and made it seem real. But no matter how cool that fantasy is, no matter how beautiful it is, no matter how great....it doesn't prove it to be correct.

[Angrboda]

It isn't solely the province of religion. Beauty and aesthetics are an important part of science and mathematics, as well. There are people who will follow a theory undyingly because of its appeal to them. Both physicists and mathematicians will cleave to an elegant theory more than a difficult one. (And parsimony is only half explanation.)

I recently had to break up with my best friend, partly in result of her not understanding this aspect of religion. Having been raised a Christian, the Christian concepts and stories resonate in me in a way that is hard to match. Even though I gave up the truth of the stories as a child, they are still my stories and still matter to me. In a recent discussion, I drew upon the stories of the bible to make my point. The only reason she could imagine me using the bible stories was to make fun of Christianity. And so she accused me of disrespecting Christianity, her faith, and her. People who've never been religious may fail to understand how religion can put down roots in one's life in all the major areas. And some of those roots remain, even after the main vine is evicted.

[Welsh cake]

I thought Batman was an apatheist?

He never entertained the notion of speculating if god or gods exist because it makes no freaking difference to his life/existence either way, and he's too damn busy trying to keep Gotham City's people from eating each other alive.

[Mystic]

I thought Batman was an apatheist?

Nah, "Why do we fall? to rise up" which is a motivational foundational teaching of his parents shows their is purpose when we fall to get back up again. That takes belief in a designer ...

[Welsh cake]

Nah, "Why do we fall? to rise up" which is a motivational foundational teaching of his parents shows their is purpose when we fall to get back up again. That takes belief in a designer ...

His parents didn't teach him that. Their untimely deaths taught him that...

Actually what did it teach him?

I guess Batman is raging against the crime-infested world after all.