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What scares me the most


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. 


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Comments

  1. Gita MadhuSeptember 15, 2016 at 7:51 AM

    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.
    Loved your piece.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalSeptember 15, 2016 at 8:16 AM

      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.

      Delete
  2. Durga Prasad DashSeptember 15, 2016 at 8:42 AM

    Of 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalSeptember 15, 2016 at 9:05 AM

      Today 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.

      Delete
  3. Anupam PatraSeptember 15, 2016 at 9:29 AM

    Coming to admire your crusade by the day. It was about time we got one

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalSeptember 15, 2016 at 11:43 AM

      Every time I hear about a religious assault somewhere I feel anguished.

      Delete
  4. Rakhi JayashankarSeptember 15, 2016 at 10:40 AM

    The 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.
    When 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalSeptember 15, 2016 at 11:45 AM

      If people stop hurting others for the sake of their gods, there will be no problem. Personal practices should remain personal.

      Delete
    2. Rakhi JayashankarSeptember 15, 2016 at 12:19 PM

      That's true. Hurting others is not religion. It's fanaticism

      Delete
  5. Amit AgarwalSeptember 15, 2016 at 1:13 PM

    For whom the bombs explode..Moses' commandments, Manusmriti's penal code, and innocent foreskins' quandary!!
    A dazzling gem, Tom sir:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalSeptember 15, 2016 at 3:02 PM

      Thanks, Amit ji. I'm trying to sweeten my sadness with humour.

      Delete
  6. Fascinating QuestSeptember 15, 2016 at 5:59 PM

    Another well-written piece, Sir...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Renu VyasSeptember 15, 2016 at 10:55 PM

    Fanaticism in any form is deplorable..at the same time I fully agree with you, personal practices should remain personal. A meaningful write-up Sir :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. जितेन्द्र माथुरSeptember 16, 2016 at 11:14 AM

    Your 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalSeptember 16, 2016 at 8:09 PM

      I have written about this in my latest post, 'Human Pursuits.' Enlightenment is a personal experience, it cannot be taught by gurus and gods.

      My own personal experiences with religious people have been very depressing - in every way.

      Delete
  9. Swati BatraSeptember 16, 2016 at 11:21 PM

    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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalSeptember 17, 2016 at 7:44 AM

      Since 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

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