Make religion potent

Jimmy Swaggart, American Evangelist

Wikipedia estimates that there are about 4200 religions in the world. Religion dates back to 4500 BCE. That is, human beings worshipped one god or another for some 6500 years. That’s pretty long period of time for any species not to be affected by an entity. Why does the human species remain as savage as it was in spite of all that worship, all those divine contacts, infinite hymns and rituals – seemingly utterly unaffected by that divinity?

Two years ago, Christian Today reported that the “ten happiest countries in the world are among the least religious”. The report which was based on a detailed study also mentioned that “the most unhappy countries in the world are also among the most religious”.

Isn’t there something seriously wrong? Gods are obviously doing no good – not anything worth mentioning at least – to humankind. On the contrary, they are doing much harm. Evil keeps mounting in direct proportion to the number of gods and religions. Yet the primary purpose of religion is to provide us with “a sense of peace, serenity, and loving-kindness,” according to a scholar of Semitic religions, Karen Armstrong. Religions seem to be producing just the opposite of what they are supposed to.

We cannot wish away religions and gods, however. They will continue to wield their powers as long as humankind exists. They do serve some practical purposes such as give meaning to an otherwise terrible life and promise what Karl Marx famously called “the pie in the sky”. It is easier to endure life if you believe in god(s) and the pie in the sky that awaits you as a reward for all your pain here.

No one would have any problem with gods and religions if they were only providing good things like spiritual meaning and psychological solace. The problem is they do a lot more harm than good. There is more strife than peace, more hate than love, more bleakness than inspiration, because of gods and religions. Probably more wars have been fought in the name of gods and religions than for anything else. Even Hitler’s devastating hate had a religious target like his contemporary Indian avatar’s has too.

What’s the solution to all this? I see only two viable solutions. One, anyone who misuses religion, anyone who does any serious crime in the name of religion, should be divorced from his religion and sent to a correction home where he or she should be educated or counselled or treated by professional psychiatrists. Religion that commits crimes is a mental disease.

Two, banish religion from public life altogether. Religion should be a personal affair. Of course, there may be temples and other places of worship if people find them useful in their spiritual quest. But they should remain private affairs of the concerned communities. Nothing about them should enter the public domain in the form of processions or rallies or speeches through loudspeakers… Give people the chance to let their religion touch their hearts instead of their solar plexuses.

But who will do all that? Our own leaders are sick people infected with perverse religiosity.

Indian version of an Evangelist

I have lived on this planet for over 60 years and have seen all sorts of religious people. I am ready to throw a challenge to anyone. Take any excessively religious person – one who does anything evil or even positively extreme in the name of his religion and god(s) – and subject him to psychoanalysis. The result will definitely be an autopsy of insanity of some degree or another. Every religious fanatic is a neurotic. Quite many are psychotics. Ready to take that challenge?

PS. Written for Indispire Edition 361: We have so many religions and gods. We have had them for millennia. Yet we as a species haven't learnt basics of spirituality. What's wrong? #SpiritualLag

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