After reading a blog post
of mine (Legal
Lawbreakers), an ex-colleague of mine sent me a message yesterday that
the criminals would be punished by God. She has absolute faith in her God, she
wrote.
Is there any justification
for such faith? Nowhere in the history
of mankind do we get any reason to believe that divine intervention has awarded
justice to any people at any time. On
the contrary, we have infinite examples to show how the wicked flourish and the
naive perish.
It is easy to delude
ourselves with such beliefs as divine justice after death. Hell and heaven, the Judgment Day, Karmic
consequences, and other such religious carrots-and-sticks don’t serve any
purpose to make human life more equitable on the planet. Religions also offer believers ways to
circumvent the stick and secure the carrot: a confession or a bath in the Ganga
or some other ritual can wash away your sins.
If religion were indeed
effective in helping people resist evil with the carrot-and-stick eschatology,
the world would have been a holy place long, long ago. For centuries, religions brought terrifying
notions about life after death. But the
evil in the world has only increased by diabolic leaps and bounds. The
situation is as hilarious today as it is alarming because it is the religious
people themselves who are the biggest swindlers. Examine the assets of some of the religious
institutions in India, for example, and one will be astounded by their
enormity. Even the Ambanis and Adanis
would want to rethink about their entrepreneurial strategies!
That’s why I always
recommend the cultivation of rational skills.
People should be taught to use their rational faculties in order to
understand why evil is undesirable and how goodness can be cultivated if we all
choose to leave gods and demons to themselves and exercise our reason and
imagination.
Have you ever wondered why
religions never encourage people to think?
AGreed
ReplyDeleteGlad.
DeleteVery true, sir. Carl Sagan in contact said the exact same thing. I believe an alien invasion would definitely end the blindfaith people carry towards their religion. Life in other planets would make them believe in the theory of evolution and Big Bang :)
ReplyDeleteQuite many people want to remain blind when it comes to scientific truths. They prefer the delusion provided by religions and their gods. Psychological reasons. I think only an evolutionary mutation will change people. :(
DeleteReligion is only a palliative to promote enduring injustice in the hope of better days.
ReplyDeleteVery correct, Uppal ji. I hope more and more people realize that.
DeleteIt's funny what people will believe! God may exist, but it's really hard to believe that first He makes one commit 1 crime, then goes about punishing one. I mean, there doesn't seem any logic to it! It's like I first ask my son to kill a kitten, then starve him for doing that!
ReplyDeleteReligion is just an opium and the religious are simply an addict to believe those narcotic induced hallucinations.
There's no logic in religion, Rakesh ji. Look at the religious stories. God sending his own son to save the world which he created in his omniscience and omnipotence... It's all so absurd.
DeleteI agree with you that it's just a narcotic with which people delude themselves.
Agreed!
Deletei think the same is the thinking of our Rushi's ,these are concepts to understand common people & to correct their understanding stories are created .
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more!!
ReplyDeleteI think if we all do what is logically, practically, and morally correct, we would all do better collectively...and the world would be a better place!
ReplyDeleteI think more than belief, it is consolation. Sometimes we are unable to punish those who wronged us. And at that moment we want to push it to God!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was okay till we were told the stories about God and his justice and love. All of it went wrong as soon as we were made to believe that we belong to a religion and this is how we need to pray, think, eat and shit.
ReplyDeleteWe have forgotten that the God lives within us. Our decisions and choices matter.
I agree to all that you said.
Delighted to see you here after a long time.
Delete