Floods and the Gods
The god I was given in my
childhood was too eager to punish. His impatience with mankind is coeval with
the species itself: he drove out the first couple from Paradise for eating the
forbidden fruit. Why God planted that tree with the forbidden fruit in the Garden
of Eden is one of the umpteen questions without answers when I confront my
religion. Was it because God knew that Adam and Eve would break his rule and so
he could punish them gleefully?
Soon after the first
couple’s eviction from Paradise came the deluge, when Noah was 600 years 2
months and 17 days old [Genesis 7:11], which destroyed almost the entire
creation because the biblical God lost his patience with his own creation. What
a bad creator! And what a bad God to lose patience so promptly and so
destructively!
He lost patience again
and again. Fire and brimstone destroyed people whom he considered wicked. An
incorrigible God!
When the disastrous
deluge hit Kerala recently people of different religions and political
affiliations invoked God once again to justify what happened. I came across a
large number of religious people who explained the recent floods in Kerala as
God’s punishment for man’s sins. A few of these religious people went to the
extent of predicting bigger imminent disasters for the state.
I raised a question to
one such holy man. Since god is omnipotent, can’t he alter the human nature so
that god will have the kind of people he wants? A kind of genetic mutation
which even human science can perform if it wants? Then there will be no evil.
People will naturally choose goodness. Simple solution. Instead God keeps doing
the same thing right from Adam’s time: punish. How foolish! [That holy man had
no answer.]
I know the religious
answers to this. They will immediately condemn my soul to hell. Who are you to
question God’s wisdom and His ways? They ask me. I become a blasphemer. My
place is the Hell, they decide.
I once told one such
person who consigned me to Hell even before I died that the Hell would be a
very boring place since all religious leaders will be there. But when a young
student of mine raised a doubt about my stand, I asked her, “Do you really
believe that your God is so cruel that He can only punish? And that too with
eternal fire? Why don’t you discover something noble about your God? Why can’t
your God be a loving entity, at least as loving as the people who do good to
others?” That student is one of my fans today. I did something to her which her
religion couldn’t do for years: make God meaningful.
I wish I could make God
more meaningful to many more people. But I don’t believe in God and hence would
find any discussion about that entity absolutely absurd. Students are a
different matter, however. I can’t be cynical with them.
If anyone is ready to
keep a student’s open mind, I can lead him/her to a better God. But Kerala
doesn’t really have too much problem in this regard, I think. The people are
cooperating with one another to bring life back to normalcy. I hope the people
of Kerala will understand that it is not their god[s] who caused the flood.
Maybe, the floods can make the people of Kerala introspect about what they have
been doing to their own beautiful landscapes, rivers and lakes. In the process,
they may discover a benign god too.
No so-called Holy man or any (apparently) religious person can answer to these questions because the questions themselves contain the (obvious) answers within them. I also know a (considered by himself as well as others) Holy man who was once a teacher. He never gave importance to the fact that I had immense faith in the ethical values and virtues of life though not in any invisible entity termed as God (or Bhagawan or Eeshwar or Khuda or the like wise). Being truthful or honest or benevolent isn't considered worthwhile, the only worthwhile thing is to show faith in God and show respect (showing is important) to the things (temples, pilgrimages, idols, scriptures etc.) associated with Him. Who cares for ideals when doing all kinds of evil things in the name of God or religion can be justified ?
ReplyDeleteI can understand the authenticity and depth of your feelings from the intensity of your expression. It's so painful to realise that the ultimate purpose of religions is not truthfulness or any such virtue but mere show-off which eventually brings certain material rewards.
DeleteTo be honest, what I have felt is that the religious people are sad that it was only a small disaster that took place. There is a part in bible.
ReplyDeleteOr those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?
If it what the religious people say then why didn't a politician, or a rapist, or any of the religious leaders who torment the bhakts die? Why is the only the layman who steals rice for his hunger had to die.
Or is god finally a hypocrite. As far as I've seen not a priest came forward with this conclusion of sinners. It is this bhakts who exploits the religion and says they have foresight and all things made this blunder. I feel pity for them.
Yes, Jojo, there are many religious people, including a famous Bible Convention preacher whom you know, who have predicted the imminence of the Doomsday. This preachers has apparently asked devotees not to attend even Conventions or retreats now but just sit and read the Bible and pray because everything else is futile now that the world is going to end.
DeleteThe Church in Kerala cannot accuse the laity anymore since the priests are facing serious criminal charges.