DEVELOPMENT OF OBJECTIVE CRITERIA TO EVALUATE THE AUTHENTICITY OF REVELATION

Author: Mustafa, Tariq

Source: Zygon, Volume 43, Number 3, September 2008 , pp. 737-744(8)

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Abstract:

Science has been dazzlingly successful in explaining nature. Scientific advances also have led to certain undesirable, though unintended, side effects, one of which is alienation from the spiritual. Revelation comes from the Divine. But what is the status of authenticity of a particular piece claimed to be revelation? What is its historical validity and current state of preservation? This essay proposes to develop a list of rational criteria, in consultation with all stakeholders, for addressing the subject. The aim is to bring objectivity into this discourse by placing it more on the turf of reason rather than basing it on considerations of faith and prior allegiance.

Keywords: authentic revelation; Creator; evaluative framework; falsifiable statements; logical criteria; rational evidence; reason; revelation; SETI project; unfavorable side effects of science

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9744.2008.00951.x

Affiliations: 1: Worked with the United States Atomic Energy Commission (USAEC) at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and with NASA at their Wallop's Island Range, Virginia. He led the building of Pakistan's first rocket range and retired as Federal Secretary after heading a

Publication date: 2008-09-01