Religion: Is It Required At All?

I have no objection with people's belief. What I am expressing is a personal opinion of mine. If you don't agree with it, you are welcome.

In the modern era of advanced science and technology, it's indeed astonishing that some people still adhere to the age-old dogmas laid down by the middle men of religion! You can send a message to a person situated at 5000 km away from you in a second; various space organisations across the world have sent their space missions to the distant corners of the galaxy -- and you can see the pictures sent by them with awe. Scientists have been able to produce a baby from three parents in the UK, organ transplant has become as easy as drinking a glass of water. The list is endless, but still you want to worship an animal, viz, Gaumata! Ha ha!

I wonder when will man understand that religion is a bane and not a boon! The concept of God is a hoax created by the middle men of religion to befool people. No religion can be particularly chosen as guilty of violence. It's true that Islam has been defamed most due to their open advocacy of violence, but you should know that hands of all religions are bloody.

But I agree most of them have become pacifists except Islam. Some people advocate reforms from within, but I think that's not going to happen. As an object suffers from state of inertia, and external force has to be applied to change its state, external pressure has to be applied on Islam for its reformation. Hinduism suffered from some nasty customs, which many people don't like to discuss, such as human sacrifice, child marriage, burning of the widow alive with her dead husband etc. These customs were eventually abolished, and people within the Hinduism, such as Raja Rammohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar etc played a prominent part into it. But they would have surely failed if they didn't get the support of the British rulers.

We worship Gods, but little do we realize that British rulers were the real Gods, who advanced our Civilization, and rescued us from the hands of demons, that is very regressive Muslim rulers!

If you are Hindu, you must have read in the Hindu scriptures (mythologies) how on many occasions Gods saved humans from the tyranny of Demons! Lord Vishnu is said to have appeared on earth, in the form of Avatars, to save people of earth on multiple occasions. So, Gods visited earth to help the habitats of earth. There are archaeological evidences where name of Indra was inscribed in stone. If you think logically, you should come to the conclusion that the so-called Gods and Demons were nothing but humans, but of different races. Even the so-caled Vanaras described in Ramayana were not monkeys, but they belonged to a jungly tribe. Same were the cases for Yakshas, Vasus, Gandharvas etc. They were people of different races. The Gods had a very advanced civilization, and they possessed innovative technologies. For example, Gaduda! Was it a heavenly bird? No way, it was a plane. Yes, a plane! As it flew in the sky, native people who had never seen any aeroplane, thought it was a bird. Ravana's pushpak rath, which he stole from the Gods, was nothing but a helicopter.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, India and Britain were living in two completely different civilizations. While Britain had undergone industrial revolution, progressed enormously in science and technology, had a great democratic structure (thanks to the bloodless Glorious Revolution), despite having a King, India was under the dark rule of Muslim rulers. The wish of the Badshah or the Nabab was the rule. He could take the lives of people even if they hadn't done anything, he could take any woman, whom he considered as beautiful. Education in India meant religious education, that is, reading Koran for the Muslims and Vedas for the Hindus. There was no study of science. Yes, some beautiful structures were built during the Mughal rule, but the engineers and the labourers were brought from outside India. Even the majority rulers of Mansabs, that is, small provinces, were foreigners. There was no industry. Agricultural techniques were primitive, and lakhs of people died during famines. Medical system was primitive ( Hakims and Vaidyas) , infrastructure was primitive.

In such a grim scenario, the Britishers came like Gods, uplifted our Civilization by installing modern education, modern infrastructure and the rule of law. They defeated the tyrannical, regressive Muslim rulers. Yes, in the process they took a price. But so did the Gods. They too extracted hefty prices for their favour. Remember how Lord Indra attacked Vrindavan because Lord Krishna, who was in his avatar form and whom Indra could not recognise, refused to him offerings.

Yes some of the Britons were very cruel and sometimes they tortured native people. But so were the Gods. Indra was lecherous, who even had the gall of taking disguise of a Rishi, to have intercourse with the wife of the said Rishi. Indra's son Jayanta was no saint either. He cast his evil eyes on Sita and tried to rape her.

So, in my opinion, Britons were Gods who came to uplift our Civilization and rescue us from the cruel, tyrannical, oppressive and regressive Muslim rulers.

Not everything about religion is bad, though. They inculcate moral values, which in turn ensure a less violent and more altruistic society. I have no problems with that. But, I can not tolerate the middle men of religion who exploit common people in the name of God. How is it justifiable that you cannot communicate with the God without the help of Brahmins, and for that you have to pay a hefty sum to them? Why do you have to feed a bunch of Brahmins when something good or bad happens to you? If this is not cheating what it is?

True, priests and Imams also exploit people in the name of religion. However, Brahmins are a bit different due to the following reasons:
1. They monopolised education, and denied lower caste people any right to education for a very long time.
2. They stratified society on the basis of birth. They indulged in the worst form of crime in the history of mankind by making a section of their fellow humans untouchables.
3. They institutionalised their supremacy and made it hereditary.


Let us discuss how the concept of God evolved in the early parts of civilization across the world. Primitive men suffered a lot due to the vagaries of nature. Suddenly, a very shrude section among them, known as priests class, evolved, who claimed that these natural forces were being controlled by Gods, and if the Gods could be pleased, the forces could be controlled. They claimed to have a divine knowledge to communicate with the Gods, and to make their case full proof, they invented a lot of obscure rituals and mantras to please Gods. In the name of offerings to God, they made a fortune for themselves. As is the case even today, this was a win-win case. For example, if it worked, they claimed it was due to them. If if didn't work, they said the God was very angry, and blamed someone or something for that. They created such an atmosphere of fear that doubting them was beyond question.

As one should know that there is no God behind these natural forces -- nowadays even artificial rain can be created -- clearly those men were misleading people in the name of God for their personal gains. They were the middle men and their concept of God was a hoax.

 

That's okay! Think about this question, has belief in God helped in any of the advancement in our modern life? How does it matter if we stop visiting places of worship?

 

Right! Religion is a good tool for the ruling classes to control the masses.

 

I understand it's a very sensitive topic. That's why I started with the disclaimer that I have no intention to change people's faiths. True, some people attribute every success to the will of God. Strangely, they don't blame God for their failures. This is because they have been conditioned by the priestly class to think in that line. It suits them.

 

"You need to read the dark ages and beginnings of the industrial revolution...". Of course, I know. My question to you, why hasn't been any industrial revolution in India? One section of the historians vilified the British. But, if you read history without jaundiced eyes, you would realise that there wouldn't have been any India without them.

 

I understand. I like your respect for freedom of speech.

 

What you wrote makes sense, Hari ji. In the blog I also wrote that not everything about religion is bad. They inculcate moral values, which in turn ensure a less violent and more altruistic society. However, some of the religious rules are absolutely obsolete and regressive. For example, aren't the religious succession rules anti-women? What about the triple talaq issue? So, we no longer require religion for how to live. Instead, we have rule of laws.