Religion..?

Religion- a "mixture of opposites", it has become. Religion has always been an age-old problem; right from early civilizations to the pre-Renaissance and Dark Age era, through to this very day. It is high time we become rationalised in our thoughts and look to religion for enlightenment. I welcome any sane discussion on this...

God- the omnipresent One. "God"- what does this word bring to your mind? A mélange, shall we say- compassion and love to fear and power, to force, magic and sacrifice? What relevance does "God" have in the world of today. A world where corruption and materialism vie for the lions share. From a time of "My God is more powerful than your God!", to "There is no God; it is all Science."; we were and still are- skeptics. Earlier, we doubted the 'other' Gods powers and now, we are skeptic about the very word "God". Have we changed? I leave it to you...

Now before you start thinking, let me make some 'disclaimers'- This is no homily on atheism. And neither am I trying to preach the 'prophecised faith'. This is just a rant of an Earthling [read- human being] who is pretty much bewildered by all that he has observed in his life thus far. That said, and if you are still interested, read on.

Most (if not all!) religions speak of love, the path of righteousness and tolerance. Religions, therefore, have a common goal- to unite people in the quest for what is right. A classic example would be how Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa [is said to have] practiced the major faiths and realized that all of them lead to the same goal. May be some faiths do speak of 'honor' killings... May be the over-zealous follower in you wants to be glorified by beheading a heretic? Think- May be you have made some serious misinterpretation of sacred text? Now I ask- does this religion you claim to follow also say that you are bestowed with all powers to be the 'Overseer' of this planet? Since when did your 'God' require an agent? Nonsense...

Hypocrisy- thy name is mankind. Sadly, that is what the human race is about. Did that last line p*ss you off..? "How the hell can you make that statement? What makes you think I am a hypocrite? May be you are, but not me!" Oh yeah... May be you are not... But you are not the majority for sure! That reminds me... When you pray, do you close your eyes and strike a deal with Him? And try make a bargain out of it? What would you call that, friend?

I am not here to teach you the art of praying... I wish to make one more statement- the needs of the hour. Rational thinking and humanism. The clever crow of today will not drop stones to raise water; it will use a straw. And here's another tithing- l'eau, Jal, Paani, Water... Don't they look, feel and taste the same? The same substance is being called by different names. It is pretty much identical to how God is addressed by different names. Be not a fanatical follower of your religion. Religion should bring peace to your soul; not rabid anguish that, there is this live heretic near you nor that there is this 'new' God who can send yours to Kingdom Come! Please, be human. That is how you have been born. And it is time you grow up and live your life as one too.

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An afterthought from yours truly;
"You can think of God in which ever way you like. After all, you have created Him for a point of reference in your existence. You secretly like to have someone on your side always. So, you have God. You always want His help. Good. When you want His help, you even bribe Him. You haven't ever asked Him what He wants. Is He happy with you? Does He enjoy your company? Doesn't He find your constant demands for this and that boring? After all, He has given you the whole world to play in and the whole mankind to play with. Then why aren't you satisfied?"

And here's some more food for thought;

You certainly have the right for prescribed activities but never at anytime in their results.- The Gita

Kindness to His creatures reaches His mighty throne sooner than anything else in the world.- Leo Tolstoy

I had to practise each religion for a time — Hinduism, Islām, Christianity. Furthermore, I followed the paths of the Śāktas, Vaishnavas, and Vedāntists. I realized that there is only one God toward whom all are travelling; but the paths are different.Truth is one; only It is called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the variance is due to climate, temperament, and name. But this very thing is at the root of the friction among sects, their misunderstandings and quarrels. This is why people injure and kill one another, and shed blood, in the name of religion. But this is not good. Everyone is going toward God. They will all realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart.- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa