Indians pray a lot , too much in fact . Everyday in the morning and evening , once in a week in the temple and most importantly whenever they need something , like a good exam result , job or contract . They smear their foreheads with colours, wear amulets and chains with deity pendants , keep a deity picture(one for men and many for women) in their purses and pin up a “Om” or “Swastik” symbol in their cubicles at work . The elitist Indian class , the so called software engineers even don’t spare their screen saver and computer desktop . They also keep getting some forward or the other saying it is the only picture ever taken of tirupathi balaji or some rare ganesha or the only picture of sai baba and that they may face dire consequences if they don’t forward it to some 108 persons . If you are already thinking that the atheist in me is going to criticize God and the religious beliefs of Indians and trying to justify atheism , it is definitely not so . I am neither the torch bearer of atheism nor a campaigner trying to enlighten people to lead a proper life. Actually what I say to those who get ready to argue whenever I mention the word atheist (which is not often and unless someone asks me) is that when it comes to Indian people , atheism is the worst thing that can happen to them . Even after being ardent believers and extremely religious we are only half humans and even lesser civilized . We read various stories and see numerous religious films , where invariably god defeats and kills the evil men , but still we don’t stop our wrong doings . Indians are extremely selfish , go to any odds to get what they want , many earn money by cheating others one way or the other whether it is charging more or adulteration or compromising on quality , don’t care about the destitute and don’t respect other religions .But everybody thinks he/she is good and the rest all evil . Why are we so morally decadent when we are “God fearing” and believe god will punish every wrong doer ? . Because nobody in the living history has ever seen god take a shape and punish somebody with a trishul or charka as we see in movies . But everybody believes and want that to happen , but for others .As centuries pass by many think god doesn’t punish but just keep giving(mostly money) . Millions go to sabarimala every year thinking God will grant them everything if they don’t eat non-veg , bath twice daily , wear black robes , avoid profanities , abstain from sex and go bare foot to the temple . Take the example of auto drivers in Chennai .Invariably many fast and go to sabarimala but their conscience wont even privk when they fleece every passenger even during the fasting month .They know they are wrong but still don’t care . Politicians who ask bribes for even building a temple , government babus who think taking bribes is their birth right and policemen who in this country do what they exactly shouldn’t be doing ,all fall under the category . All the fast and abstinence is not just a formality for the month to impress god but actually a representation of how you should live your whole life . I doubt people realize this for they get into boozing and binging and make up for all the booze and chicken they missed for a month in one night . How they justify this, is only , as they say “known to God”.Many businessmen and actors go to tirupathi every year just to put lakhs in the hundis but don’t even think of donating a few thousands to an orphanage . Just like they do their business dealings, they pay bribes to God to keep them going . They think money just appeases god and will multiply how much ever they put in the hundi and also that donation is just like putting money in the drain . And also why is that every person thinks his religion is the only one . Even hindus who have a thousand gods don’t accept another by the name of Christ or Allah . Everybody wants only their religion to prevail in this world . They have every right to crash planes into towers , bomb trains and destroy sacred monuments if it doesn’t belong to their religion . Whichever god , if present ,wont certainly allow this .Lord Ram wouldn’t be sitting in the skies enjoying the demolition of babri masjid or Allah enjoying bombing thousands of people to death.
Fear- this is what rules us. We fear for everything in life . We are not even supposed to ask whether god exists , refuse to eat prasada or not put vibhudhi in our foreheads when we leave the house . Infact many don’t even know how they started believing in god and why they still continue doing it without even thinking of refuting a single aspect of it. Right from birth they are accustomed to it and make it a habit like brushing or bathing. This sort of rot following is what is wrong . Most people don’t know what their religion actually says and wants .Religion for them is “praying” and god blessing them back with money and good life . They think everything they possess might be lost if they stop praying. But this will all change when as a nation we mature. Superstitions will be abolished and god and religion will be put in the right place .Most importantly , the fraud leaders ,priests and cheats who use religion for their benefit and hypnotize people to what they are today will die a pathetic death . And there is enough evidence .See the developed countries and their perspective of religion . Britain is 75% atheist and it is one of the most non-corrupt and peaceful countries in the world . When India becomes a developed nation we don’t need atheism but just a realization of what religion and god are and most importantly what humans and human values are . If at all I pray ,it would be for this .
4 comments:
disclaimer: A series of comments may come from me for this controversial post.
Religion in my opinion ( which changes a lot FYI ) is an ingenious thing invented by really smart yet poor ( may extend to unpopular or even someone who lacks charisma ) men ( women ? ) to control a huge number of totally barbaric people. From some religions I find that these men would like to convey some message, spread their ideologies and bring order to the current state. So they embed fear into the mass through religion.
Let me think through this topic tonight and come back with some strong response.
Kripa
If it is to control barbaric people it has definitely failed . Many barbaric acts in our country are due to religion only .
Three schools of Indian philosophy are termed Nastik or atheist- Jainism, Buddhism and carvaka.
Even Samkhya and purva-Mimansa rejects concept of God.
The Indian Nobel Prize-winner Amartya Sen, in an interview with Pranab Bardhan for the California Magazine published in the July-August 2006 edition by the University of California, Berkeley states:[4]
“ In some ways people had got used to the idea that India was spiritual and religion-oriented. That gave a leg up to the religious interpretation of India, despite the fact that Sanskrit had a larger atheistic literature than exists in any other classical language. Even within the Hindu tradition, there are many people who were atheist. Madhava Acharya, the remarkable 14th century philosopher, wrote this rather great book called Sarvadarshansamgraha, which discussed all the religious schools of thought within the Hindu structure. The first chapter is "Atheism" - a very strong presentation of the argument in favor of atheism and materialism."
Aberration are there in all systems of thought possible- communism which declare religion as opiate of masses(Marx) has shown its evil versions in different countries but makes sense when seen in its pure form as new religion of equality.
Its like blaming science for bombs, weapons and atom bombs!!
@rohitkaliya
I see ur comment as an extension of my post. What i have tried to convey is also that religion as such cant be blamed for the misdoings and atrocities . It is the people who use it for their profit and the helpless lot who think reigion gives them their only identity in this world.
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