Hindus preach a different religion. So do Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and others. Each religion has its own holy book, epic and messages for humanity. They have different religious beliefs and practices. But the core of every religion revolves around peaceful existence, love and tranquility.
There are different stories of gods, fighting the evil powers and spreading solace. These epics are believed to be true. And while one group of people (defenders of religiosity) believe them to be true, the others (atheists and agnostics) write them off as works of imagination.
I believe that, while these stories are the creation of the human brain but certainly they hold some substance and truth behind them. The stories of Rama, Buddha and Jesus cannot be completely written off. Of course they have been glorified over the years by the priests who call themselves agents of god but even then in order to glorify a story there has to be a story in fact.
“God” does not mean god at all. It only symbolizes great men and women who were very different from the rest of us. They did not hold supernatural powers. Neither were they supermen and superwomen. But they were highly enlightened human beings. They had the extraordinary gift of love, sacrifice and an influencing charm. So intense was their prowess that they were hitherto unknown unseen and unheard-of.
These stories were written thousands of years ago based on the teachings of the great men which took the form of epics. These epics served as holy books, defining what is good and what is bad. They contained human beings from committing evil and showed them the right path. The disciples of the great men passed on their teachings from generation to generation. With the passage of time, people started believing these great men to be “God” considering the extraordinary sacrifices made by them as near to impossible for any human being of their age. Of course as only supernatural beings could perform impossible deeds, therefore the term “God” gradually gained significance. It should not be surprising if 1000 years from now, people start worshipping Mahatma Gandhi as “God”. By that time, they would be petrified and awed by the sacrifices he made. As people are becoming selfish day by day, such sacrifices would seem impossible to the then people and then “Gandhi” would be worshipped as “God” just like “Gautam Buddha” is today.
However the culmination of god also lead to the rise of missionary societies and religious groups who called themselves, the messengers of god. These establishments besides working for the upliftment of the people also engaged into wrongful practices. And here began the misuse or one can say “Evils of Religion”. The evils associated with castes, classes etc are babies of religion. Take the Indian caste system (Hindu religion) for instance. Initially when it took birth there were four castes, namely- The Brahmins (Priests), The Kshatriya’s (Landowners and fighters), The Vaishya’s (Business Community) and the Shudra’s (Craftsmen and workers). Those not falling among these castes were called the “Untouchables”.
During ancient times there was nothing wrong about the caste divisions because it was on the basis of people’s deeds. A Brahmin was not a Brahmin simply because he was born in a Brahmin family. But he was a Brahmin because he gained the highest degree of knowledge and wisdom through books and chose to become a “Priest”. If a Brahmin's son chose to become a businessman then he was grouped among the Vaishya community. People who committed sin were removed from their respective castes and termed as “Untouchables”. But as the upper caste members enjoyed greater social status and privileges, therefore they naturally desired their successor’s to continue to enjoy the social status they had and this gradually corrupted the entire system. Over the years, the caste system took the shape of four water tight compartments.
Today we all know what determines a person’s caste. Irrespective of the fact that a Brahmin resorts to sinful acts, he will still be a Brahmin. Whereas an Untouchable, who is a highly learned person; has done much more for the humanity, will still have to live with the tag of “Untouchable”.
Violence is one other gift of religion and it is posing a serious threat to humanity. Heinous crimes are committed in the name of religion. There exist terrorist outfits and insurgent groups who work under the garb of religion. Taliban calls itself a jehadi outfit; Hindu activists resort to violence in the name of religion; Various Christian missionary institutions practice religious patriotism, forcing people to convert their religion and thus creating a divide in the society.
Innocent people are mislead and blinded under the influence of religion and made to carry out terrorist attacks, resulting in loss of innocent lives.
The fact of the matter is that, the common man very well knows somewhere deep inside them that there is nothing like god and whatever they do in the name of god is either a show-off or for their own personal gain. They seem to know everything but wish to remain as lame-ducks watching it all happen under their nose and every time calling themselves as peace loving and highly religious (in the positive sense) people.
Let us consider a simple instance: During the Navratra, the Hindus avoid eating flesh as they consider it a sin or in other words, their religion prohibits it. But has someone seen what happens on the next day of the Navratra festival. If you go to a butcher shop, you would find people qued up, eager to purchase meat. They have redefined their age-old religious practices to suit their tastes and preferences. Their new religion says- During the Navratra festivals, eating flesh is a sin. But immediately after it, their is no problem in becoming a flesh eating monster.
I don't say that flesh eating is a sinful act. I only mean that today religion has become hollow and meaningless to us. So why obey it even in a limited/restricted way. Why this hypocracy…???
True religion cannot be found in temples, churches, mosques or monasteries. But it can be found within ourselves. By worshipping lifeless idols in temples, lighting candles in churches and praying in mosques and monasteries we are only making ourselves rigid. Religion is a dark alley which cannot lead us anywhere.
We must strive to become rational and just rather than religious if we are in search of peace and desirous of a sinless world.
' Abhijeet.
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