I wouldn’t call myself religious by any
measure. Usually religion brings to mind images of rituals, superstition, blind faith and even fear to some extent.
The need for religion among masses, seems
obvious however.
When life is fraught with uncertainties and
there is much strife, religion or simply the idea of a God offers comfort,
solace and hope.
Growing up in India, I have seen people
fast, discriminate, perpetuate injustices and even kill in the name of
religion. They seem convinced they are doing this in the name of God. Perhaps
the trouble arises when our interpretation of God becomes confounded with
religion. Fearing God is not just a trait popular in India but the rest of the world as well. The concept of "sin" comes to mind. Is is a tenuous concept - how do we disentangle religion from morality? Are these concepts overlapping? Is one the subset of another? And isn't morality a function of the zeitgeist? I am just a tad befuddled by the concept.
Sociologists state that if all religions were to be abolished one
day, the void remaining would still engender other institutions not very
different from the religions we know of. Such is human nature. Perhaps we do
need religion to define the scope of our lives. Even atheists define themselves
by claiming the non-existence of God, so the very concept exists in
juxtaposition to the concept of religion and consequently God.
Believing that God is something to
be feared is a thought I would rather not harbour. In my mind God does not instil fear or seek sacrifice. In my mind, God is ever kind, without judgment and ever
benevolent.
