I am scared of
religious people.
 |
| Source |
Come to think
of it, the world has never become a better place for all the religious people
it has had for centuries. From the time
Moses gave the ten commandments to Yahweh’s chosen people or Manusmriti
revealed the sanatana penal code to the chosen race a little more eastward, god’s
people have been trying to make man’s world better. A few thousand years of preaching. Thousands of gods. Millions of laws. Countless places of worship.
Burning
candles. Smoking incense. Inspiring sermons from infinite pulpits. Religion
comes home round the clock on satellite TV channels. Our very breathing is regulated by
religion. Our food is becoming
religious: Prakriti ka ashirwad, for example.
So much
religion all around. So many gods. Too many gods’ own people. But dark matter continues to dominate the
universe.
Darkness
explodes like bombs in the alleys where live people who are as innocent as
circumcised foreskin. For whom do the
bombs explode?
I wish there
were no gods. People might learn to love
then.
It's much the same with science, alas. I don't think it's the "gods" or the precepts of science that are at fault but rather, maybe, we should look at what business interests are served by fomenting ignorance and strife.
ReplyDeleteLoved your piece.
Gods can't be at fault, I know. Nonexistent entities can do nothing. It's people who convert such entities into commercial commodities that need circumcision of brains or hearts.
DeleteOf course the statement of Marx when he said Religion is the opium of the people has merit. At the same time, religion has its own place. I think the prophets who propagated these religions never thought religion will be used by people with vested interests for their own selfish and power hungry ends.
ReplyDeleteToday religion is a threat to human civilisation. Even in the past it was no better. More wars have been fought for gods than anything else.
DeleteComing to admire your crusade by the day. It was about time we got one
ReplyDeleteEvery time I hear about a religious assault somewhere I feel anguished.
DeleteThe way we interpret religion and religious practices is a problem. for example in temples there is a lot of positive energy from the mantras but people go to temple and chitchat there breaking the positive rays.
ReplyDeleteWhen my new born son was in ventilator I continuously chanted Mrityunjaya mantras which enabled me to gain the strength to face the inevitable. I never dropped a single drop of tear which I believe provided positivity to him. Likewise if we use the religious practices in the right way with right intention it can do magic in your life
If people stop hurting others for the sake of their gods, there will be no problem. Personal practices should remain personal.
DeleteThat's true. Hurting others is not religion. It's fanaticism
DeleteFor whom the bombs explode..Moses' commandments, Manusmriti's penal code, and innocent foreskins' quandary!!
ReplyDeleteA dazzling gem, Tom sir:)
Thanks, Amit ji. I'm trying to sweeten my sadness with humour.
DeleteAnother well-written piece, Sir...
ReplyDelete☺
DeleteFanaticism in any form is deplorable..at the same time I fully agree with you, personal practices should remain personal. A meaningful write-up Sir :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad world we live in all because of religions!
DeleteYour views are agreeable. Actually whenever some leader propagated a new religion or faith, it appeared to be like a torch spreading light. However what the people don't realize that the flame of that torch was nothing but the life of that initiating great man only. The moment he died, the flame went off. And what remained thereafter was nothing more than the lifeless rod devoid of any flame capable of generating light or warmth. However the so-called followers of that person keep on roaming around with that rod only for eons. That's the tragedy of almost all the religious faiths.
ReplyDeleteI have written about this in my latest post, 'Human Pursuits.' Enlightenment is a personal experience, it cannot be taught by gurus and gods.
DeleteMy own personal experiences with religious people have been very depressing - in every way.
You have expressed your anger very well. But it is we the people who misinterpret things as per our whims and fancies. We do manipulate even the good for our personal benefits. We politicize everything.
ReplyDeleteSince I can't find anything good in religion, at least the way it has affected my life for so many years, my "anger" will continue to find its expression.
Delete