Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 45
45 considering this question lose sight of the workings of human nature. It is a characteristic of human nature that it accepts or rejects certain things as a matter of course, without any external aid or interference. These things are said to be self-evident, and although some thinkers may not accept them as such, the mass of the people accept them without question as they become a second nature with them, and nobody can hope to obtain any support for an assertion to the contrary. One of these things which is almost unanimously accepted by man- kind is that God is a Perfect Being Who is free from all defects, and no religion which asserts that God lacks perfection or is subject to shortcomings can ever hope to obtain a hearing. Therefore, there cannot be much difference between the names or attributes which vari- ous religions ascribe to God. Differences, however, arise in the manner in which the followers of different religions explain these names and attributes. The appar- ent agreement as to these names is not due to the fact that all religions are agreed as to the attributes of God, but to the unwillingness of the mass of the people to accept any other names in place of them. In comparing the merits of different religions, therefore, one must consider the explanations which each religion puts forward in interpreting these names or attributes. For instance, all religions are agreed that God is the Creator of the universe and that He enables each created thing to progress within its own circle, but vast differences are revealed between the teachings of differ- ent religions with respect to this attribute of God. As I am explaining the teachings of Ahmadiyyat, I proceed