I have read some of the arguments raised by Atheists, I agree with some of them and there are perplexing questions regarding religion. I cannot reconcile the beliefs that there is a heaven and hell and yet our actions are guided by fate. Although at first look these do look unfair and even ridiculous, there could be a deeper meaning. How can there be heaven and hell and how can we be held responsible for our actions if what we are supposed to do, what we have done and what we are doing have already been decided? It may be because who and what we are ordained to meet are already determined, but how we react to these are under our own control and that makes a lot of difference. It is in decision making that we might have the freedom to do as we wish based on our morals or lack thereof, priorities and interests.
Just like I inherited property, genes and character from my parents, I also inherited religion. No one is blamed for being born in one country or for not declaring oneself to be free of the man-made notion of nationality. Similarly, I was born into one religion and unlike nationality, it does not confer on me any special rights or powers. It is a path, a way to handle crises and success, a way to reconcile with many of the contradictions in life. I am not proud of it or do not believe my religion to be the only true religion or in its superiority. If you ask me, religion is a far less harmful concept than nationality- after the crusades, Indo-Pak partition and sporadic but localised incidents of communal violence, the hysteria and arms race promoted by nations have quite evidently prioritised weapons over meeting urgent needs of health and hunger. Globalisation of weapons trade happened much before the idea entered the minds of multi-national corporations in search of monopolies. AK-47s are found in the US and Latin America, in Europe as well as in the Middle-east.
One could point to religion-encouraged terrorism, but we should also realise that the base of this was definitely exploitation of religion to further national aims- US funding of mujahideen during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, US support for Israel to maintain stability in the middle-east and intentional British suppression of Palestine immediately after WW2, US intervention that ousted democratic rule in Iran to set-up a puppet regime which was overthrown by a revolution that still runs the country, petro-dollars propping up a regime that uses hostile religious ideas to shore up support for itself in Saudi Arabia, divide and rule in India by the British are the obvious examples. The seeds of discord between religions were sown by nations with a vested interest in keeping the people busy fighting each other while they exploited resources. Therefore, intense patriotism by the powerful is what has lead to religious conflict across the world.
As to my religious beliefs, I believe in a god and since I inherited a religion, I give the same names, forms, methods and ideas to religion that my parents inherited. But just like I can sell of property and move to another place or build a new and better home in the same property or buy more property, I can change my beliefs, reinterpret them or have alternate beliefs. This is called humanism, a religion based on our own interpretation of ideas and one which does the follower good rather than restricting access to god or enforcing an idea of a god that is meant to punish and keep individuals from being free under the threat of punishments- an idea well exploited by India's caste system.
I believe in a god to make sense of factors like butterfly effect which I consider as another form of luck because science maybe able to explain how the flutter of a butterfly's wings can cause a tornado thousands of miles away, but it cannot explain the why. Similarly, many of the mysteries of quantum mechanics are observations, we do not know how it happens and why(like how an electron wave can exist on either side of a node without crossing the node). The seemingly impossible connection between various events and some inexplicable answers I have been able to come up with in quizzes all prompt me to believe in god which balances out good and evil in the world and makes sure that those who deserve and desire something actually get it. Religion and god is a provider of hope.
It does not matter to me whether god exists or not, all that matters is I believe and it is a comfort to believe. Atheism has a role to play so that this belief does not take us to violence, prevent us from being preyed on by unscrupulous elements claiming divine sanction and to prevent exploitation in the name of religion. It is a very personal concept and it should never matter in our dealings with the world and it is the duty of the atheists to remind us that too much of a good thing can be bad.
I was prompted to write this by the Supreme Court's ruling that interpreted our Right to Freedom Religion under article 25 and 26 to provide Dongria Kodh tribe in Orissa the power to decide, through constitutionally mandated Gram Sabhas, whether they want to allow an MNC to mine bauxite from Niyamgiri hill. Although the ostensible reason for such a decision is the fundamental right of the tribe to worship the Niyam Raja deity that resides on the Niyamgiri hills, the belief itself is rooted in the fact that this is ecologically important for the rivers that originate from the hills and for the livelihood of the tribe. Kerala has thousands of sacred groves where environment is preserved only because they are related to religion. This perhaps was not an unintentional consequence, the very purpose of divine sanction could have been to protect environment and livelihood, to preserve natural habitats essential for our survival and make sure they are not diverted for other purposes. Religion does have a purpose when used well and it is a force that can create a lot of good or destroy when not used carefully.
Just like I inherited property, genes and character from my parents, I also inherited religion. No one is blamed for being born in one country or for not declaring oneself to be free of the man-made notion of nationality. Similarly, I was born into one religion and unlike nationality, it does not confer on me any special rights or powers. It is a path, a way to handle crises and success, a way to reconcile with many of the contradictions in life. I am not proud of it or do not believe my religion to be the only true religion or in its superiority. If you ask me, religion is a far less harmful concept than nationality- after the crusades, Indo-Pak partition and sporadic but localised incidents of communal violence, the hysteria and arms race promoted by nations have quite evidently prioritised weapons over meeting urgent needs of health and hunger. Globalisation of weapons trade happened much before the idea entered the minds of multi-national corporations in search of monopolies. AK-47s are found in the US and Latin America, in Europe as well as in the Middle-east.
One could point to religion-encouraged terrorism, but we should also realise that the base of this was definitely exploitation of religion to further national aims- US funding of mujahideen during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, US support for Israel to maintain stability in the middle-east and intentional British suppression of Palestine immediately after WW2, US intervention that ousted democratic rule in Iran to set-up a puppet regime which was overthrown by a revolution that still runs the country, petro-dollars propping up a regime that uses hostile religious ideas to shore up support for itself in Saudi Arabia, divide and rule in India by the British are the obvious examples. The seeds of discord between religions were sown by nations with a vested interest in keeping the people busy fighting each other while they exploited resources. Therefore, intense patriotism by the powerful is what has lead to religious conflict across the world.
As to my religious beliefs, I believe in a god and since I inherited a religion, I give the same names, forms, methods and ideas to religion that my parents inherited. But just like I can sell of property and move to another place or build a new and better home in the same property or buy more property, I can change my beliefs, reinterpret them or have alternate beliefs. This is called humanism, a religion based on our own interpretation of ideas and one which does the follower good rather than restricting access to god or enforcing an idea of a god that is meant to punish and keep individuals from being free under the threat of punishments- an idea well exploited by India's caste system.
I believe in a god to make sense of factors like butterfly effect which I consider as another form of luck because science maybe able to explain how the flutter of a butterfly's wings can cause a tornado thousands of miles away, but it cannot explain the why. Similarly, many of the mysteries of quantum mechanics are observations, we do not know how it happens and why(like how an electron wave can exist on either side of a node without crossing the node). The seemingly impossible connection between various events and some inexplicable answers I have been able to come up with in quizzes all prompt me to believe in god which balances out good and evil in the world and makes sure that those who deserve and desire something actually get it. Religion and god is a provider of hope.
It does not matter to me whether god exists or not, all that matters is I believe and it is a comfort to believe. Atheism has a role to play so that this belief does not take us to violence, prevent us from being preyed on by unscrupulous elements claiming divine sanction and to prevent exploitation in the name of religion. It is a very personal concept and it should never matter in our dealings with the world and it is the duty of the atheists to remind us that too much of a good thing can be bad.
I was prompted to write this by the Supreme Court's ruling that interpreted our Right to Freedom Religion under article 25 and 26 to provide Dongria Kodh tribe in Orissa the power to decide, through constitutionally mandated Gram Sabhas, whether they want to allow an MNC to mine bauxite from Niyamgiri hill. Although the ostensible reason for such a decision is the fundamental right of the tribe to worship the Niyam Raja deity that resides on the Niyamgiri hills, the belief itself is rooted in the fact that this is ecologically important for the rivers that originate from the hills and for the livelihood of the tribe. Kerala has thousands of sacred groves where environment is preserved only because they are related to religion. This perhaps was not an unintentional consequence, the very purpose of divine sanction could have been to protect environment and livelihood, to preserve natural habitats essential for our survival and make sure they are not diverted for other purposes. Religion does have a purpose when used well and it is a force that can create a lot of good or destroy when not used carefully.
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