Due to the stupid actions of the church over history, we look upon religion as something simple, and stupid. We are ready, even eager to dream and believe about black holes and worm holes, yet when it comes to a religious story our brain refuse to accept. The Holy Quran does not go into great details as to how the flood occurred and how it managed to everything that was managed. I believe you are confusing christian stories with Islamic ones.

As to answer your question about “if God loves us why does he give us pain?” Imagine your kid fucked up and your not a pot-head-anything-goes-superliberal-parent. Would you not hit him? If you knew he was gonna fuck something up big time. Would you make sure he doesnt do anything bad? Why ofcourse you would warn him several times, but he has free will and will do something if he wishes. Well I guess you get the idea.

It is with extreme envy that I do not speak Farsi, God knows how my heart would handle Rumi.

I tried to find Him on the
Christian cross, but He was not there;

I went to the Temple of the Hindus
and to the old pagodas, but I could
not find a trace of Him anywhere.

I searched on the mountains and in
the valleys but neither in the heights
nor in the depths was I able to find Him.

I went to the Ka’bah in Mecca,
but He was not there either.

I questioned the scholars and
philosophers but He was beyond
their understanding.

I then looked into my heart
and it was there where He
dwelt that I saw Him;

He was nowhere
else to be found.

(Jallaluddin Rumi)

But it is Hafiz’s couplet which allways manages to bring a smile to my face:

God
and I have become
like two giant fat people living
in a tiny
boat.

We
keep bumping into
each other
and laughing

(Shams-ud-din Muhammad Hafiz)

(Sorry for the long reply…couldnt help myself)

I don’t want to get into all the questions that rise about God and Islam but I will say one thing, God created human, gave each person a brain and wants us to choose our path with the power given to us.
Not considering the fact that it completely makes no sense that God before us even doing anything or even being created knows what we will do and already has planned for us heaven/hell, awards/punishment; my question is this: How can God expect us to believe there will be justice later on when there is no justice in this life?

I mean we are given a brain that can only accept so much, and naturally it uses human instinct and human experience to try to figure out stuff, expecting anything more is just unfair, therefore me as a a human when I see God has not given any justice in this world, can not understand how he/she will be able to judge us on judgment day. On the other hand I can not accept something Like Prophet Noah either, making a ship with 2 of each living creature on it is more like a fairy tale than the truth, the simplest question can not be answered: what do these animals eat? … I am sure even God can agree that we do not have the capacity to believe such stuff, and expecting anything else is ridiculous.

Now regarding seeing a lot of Iranian atheists (of course I do not consider myself as one of them, for I believe in a creator but I have no picture of him/her and it is nothing more than a feeling), its quite simple really, the Islamic Republic! … we have a very bad country, poverty, drugs, corruption, etc. and because the government justifies itself by using Islam people start to question and hate Islam, its basically as easy as that really!

I mean dude whatever happened happened right, but maybe there were some people that were suffering real bad and death was a better option. What about the survivers? Well now they just grow up to be tougher people.

The thing is, one can always look at something and come up with his/her opinion as to what happened. Its a choice that a person makes, most make that choice subconsciously.

Although I do have to add a particular observation. I have noticed that there are many Iranian atheists. I do also notice that many atheists are usually people who have had a catholic upbringing. Upon further thought I have arrived at a conclusion that like catholisism, shi’it-ism is a system where their respective followers are bombarded with a load of horse shit. Upon realising that what they had been taught was horse shit, they lose faith in faith so to speak.

yup, thats what i think.