What is religion? A set of rules that its followers
swear by? Beliefs that they want to thrust down unwilling throats using any
means they can? Or does it stem from an insecurity deep inside them that makes
them want to control and dominate? Or better still, is it a tit for tat game
pitting one’s God against the other?
How can we deceive ourselves into thinking that God really
cares about our dietary preferences? Or about what we wear and how and where we
worship? But have these become the parameters that measure virtue today?
Whatever happened to reason, common sense and most of all compassion? Have our
respective Gods too decided to do away with these “frivolous” values in pursuit
of the more “important causes” that our respective religions staunchly espouse?
The crossroads that my country stands at today frightens me.
On the one hand we are the world’s fastest growing economy but we are
also heading towards becoming the world’s most mislead minds by mimicking
radical sects that spew intolerance and hatred. Why are we as a society seeking
to safeguard our culture by trying to efface others? Whether it is dictating
what foods our neighbours stock in their refrigerators, whether it is allowing
the caste of a person to determine who can and cannot enter a temple or
controlling personal choice in matters of love and marriage – are these today
the causes that are driving us as a society? Is this truly the focus of our
life and the reason for our existence?
It’s a pathetically pitiable condition to be in – an
insult to human intelligence not to mention the wisdom of our ancient
philosophy that we pretend to take so much pride in. If religion unleashes the
beast in us it is best left alone. As long as we think of religion as an
identity to cling on to rather than a way to live and let live, we will never
rise above all that is base and lowly – a far cry from what religion actually
meant us to be – humane and magnanimous.
