I think that Religion doesn't have to be or to be modern.
Religion must show us the right way, teach us how to behave with the others, respect each other, never be harmful.
As i live in France, I've always heard people criticizing the new pope cause he blames homosexuality or abortion or the use of a condom. French people want the new pope to authorize it, to legalize it. But I think that religion doesn't have to interfere with those matters.

WALEG are you sure u used the word "contempt" right? Contempt is the feeling or attitude of one who looks down on somebody or something as being low, mean, or unworthy; scorn
Please replace it with an accurate term so we could give the right answer to the question.
Thank you

thank you marcella_lebanon for pointing that out.
we have changed the term, and used a simpler one which is more accurate to what we mean to ask.

First of all, Modernity has several dimensions. And unfortunatly, some people begin to worship modernity as blindly as some other people reject it blindly.
Modernity, has meant the ways, norms and standards of the dominant and expanding civilisation. Nowdays, the dominant civilisation is Western, and Western standards therefore, define modernity.
We all know that science, technology, commerce and banking are the most important aspects of western modernity. But "Huntington" who talked abt 'clash of civilisations" included democracy, human rights, individual freedom and gender equality among the criteria for modernity.
As im muslim , i wanna talk abt Islam and its relation with modernity and i wanna say that Islam is not opposed to modernism. Modernism cannot be separated from change. In fact Islam, like many other religions, was a product of fundamental social and economic changes which were occurring in the Arab society. Tribal relations were breaking down in and around Mecca and a trans-tribal mercantile class was emerging on the scene quite greedy for wealth and totally neglectful of higher human values like compassion, alleviation of poverty and misery of weaker sections of society, mitigation of woes of slavery, recognition of socio-legal status of women, equality of all human beings transcending all barriers of caste, creed, colour, race and tribe.
Using the first aspects of modernity, we can say that in some chapters of the Qur'an, crucial questions have been raised about this universe and the faithfuls have been encouraged to observe the animals, plants, moon, sun, stars and other heavenly bodies. The point which is being made here is that the Qur'an is not against scientific observations and experimentations on the other hand it encourages it !! that's why we hav seen a spurt of scientific activities in the early period of Islam. Also, we dont have to forget that until the 17th century, Medicine was taught in Arabic in all Europeen universities...
Today, in Many muslim countries, bankin and commerce are as well develpped as they are in western countries!! but unfortunatlly, everythg is imported!!
Concernin the other aspects: democracy... we still need to make a big effort..we still have in many muslim countries, those who opposed freedom of human agent and who are supporters of highly exploitative and oppressive regimes. but we have to know that such primative behaviours hav no relation with islam values!!

The relation between Religion and Modernity represents a primordial matter nowadays. As a Muslim believer, I think that the Islam needs really a fundamental reinterpretation to suit to the present context. Evidently, I’m convinced that the Koran brings appropriate responses to all my spiritual needs (as well as the Bible) but I think also that we must avoid the fanatic speech. The religion must be entirely separated from politics. It’s a link between only the individual and his god, not between the society and god. Frankly speaking, I had never listened to the “fatwa” or to the Muslim knowledgeable speech because I trust my own interpretation of what implies my religion. Furthermore, my academic level allows me to dissociate by myself between el halah and el haram. Finally, I don’t think that is appropriate and conceivable to make a comparison between the main religions.

I dont know wich religion has spent more modernity on. And if i did it woudnt be nice to the people who are taking this seriosly and will be offended.

Bismillaahi AlRa7maan Alra7eem,

im going to speak for islam, and some1 earlier had said that he lives islam in a way HE thinks is right, and that religion is this relationsip btw God and His servant, not the society... i think he's wrong about that, and infact i dont THINK, its something sure! because if this is something individual, rasuul Allah, Muhammed, p.b.u.h., wouldnt have done all that effort and struggeling, whatsoever to spread the religion of peace, "cuz in the end, its only btw u and God".

the main Question here is, that why people accept whatever Doctors, scientists,etc. tell them about a certain fact? Yet, when its a sheikh or a mufti, they have to fight against it, because its in contradiction with what THEY WANT.

the last fact i want to point out to is, that its kinda weird how Sheiks, whove devoted all their life to faith, would want to 7allil wo 7arrim on their own will? Allah swt says in the Quraan thats not allowed. And sheiks, especially muftis of S3uudi, Egypt, etc. take the Quran as their no. source, then the sunna of the prophet, p.b.u.h.

and Allah knows best.

wossalam.

Islam has always been with modernism...
All thinkers agree that it is not Islam that is the cause of the retardation, but the Muslims themselves and what they have practiced in place of pure Islam.Mankind is being driven into a new stronghold of slavery.Although we are not in physical slavery, our thoughts, hearts, and will powers are enslaved. In the name of sociology, education, art, sexual freedom, financial freedom, .....,and belief in one's own school of thought are entirely taken away from within our hearts.The new so-called modern culture is built on the basis of "Western superiority and the superiority of it's civilization and it's people. The West made the world believe that the European was exceptionally talented mentally and technically, whereas the Easterner had strange emotional and gnostic talents.
Third World countries, and particularly Islamic societies, have witnessed mistakes and deviations committed by the so-called enlightened thinkers.It constitutes the story of the fundamental errors committed by the educated Muslims as well as those of other Eastern societies. Those Muslims delivered the wrong messages while thinking they were showing the path to salvation.And the resullts are so obvious.

Oh God!!!! Give me a break

1st you have to define modernization as modernization in US is different than that in Japan than in Turkey and so on ..

Modernization has differnt texts and meanings depending how and where you use them .. For example , In Turkey you have political modernization while in Japan, you have technological modernization , in US bid industry modernization ..

If you go deep into Italian and french Laws you would find many of the laws were adopted from Islamic religion and many judges have attested to this fact ..

however , whats modernization for me, might not be the modernization you want and so on

Good point Walid "Religion should be separated from politics" ...agree 100%

To samie jr

Samie jr, nunu is right so please stop talking when you dont even know what your talking about.

You guys are talking about arab countries of islam as if christian arabs are not arabs too,I resent that a lot.
This subject is too broad to be voted on....
Samie-jr you have no idea what you are talking about do you?
To everyone objecting star academy in a religious aspect thank you for your opinions but everyone is a free person with free thoughts and everyone knows what's best for him/her.
I also wanna point out to the person who wrote about islam and wrote Allah said "HE" in capital words,dont you think you are being a litte sexist here,religion is for all human beings and all genders(Females and Males) and not just males.

But Walid and Sihem, Islam is "religion+politics"
دين ودولة
though your idea is interesting but it contradicts the essence of Islam.
This has always been the problem in Lebanon.
The Christians for instance follow the civil laws while the Islamic confessions follow the Quranic Shariaa.
Tunisia for instance have revolutionized its civil laws but some of them are anti-islamic in my regard, such as the prohibition of polygamy imposing only one wife, while Islam allows Muslim men 4 wives.
Anyway I am not allowed to comment more as I am not Muslim and my study of Islam is only limited to a course of Islamic Civilization that I had taken in the university.
Being a Catholic, I can tell that there is no such thing as a Christian state, in the modern times that is.
I think the west evolved as it separated the Church from interfering in politics, a thing it shouldn't have done in the first place, as Christianity is not a worldly religion but one that aims at the afterlife.
The role of the Church is restricted nowadays on regulating moral social issues. Tony said the Church shouldn't interfere in such matters but I contradict him.
Though the Catholic church is struggling to keep up with modern time, it shouldn't lose its tight grip on moral matters: it is not conceivable that they should bless non-heterosexual marriages or legalize abortion.
But anyway, the one good thing about Christianity, namely Catholicism, that is not coercive (anymore). One is free to fast or not fast, practice or don't practice.
For instance, we respected a lot Pope John Paul II but please, the guy instructed married couples to have sex only for procreation purposes. And I am quite sure that no one in the 1 billion or so Catholice abided by this rule :)

Guest

Great comment

hey guyz,
i think all the realigions are all moderlists, because they all have different viewa, and this is a bad topic cause weere critising other peoples religion..