Religion and Secularism PART I

1.Religion-World viewThe term ‘religion’ seems the funniest term approved by the entire world (by humans, of course). But, however funny it may be, it has brought the world to face a grave situation.What do we mean by ‘religion’? Simply, it means a belief in, or the worship of a god or gods. Now, almost all of the well-educated community around the world agree on one point-the existence of one Almighty Power, what we have termed as God. Still, they continue to recognize different ‘religious sects’. This is indeed the funniest thing occurring in the whole world today. The word ‘religion’ is a bluff in itself.Let me now ask a funny little question. What was the religion of the first human beings on earth? Please think scientifically and answer. Still do we quite foolishly ‘mark’ a newborn child of his or her ‘religion’? What ‘religion’ can a newborn child have? Let me make the question a little clearer. Suppose a child is born of a so-called ‘Hindu’ couple, but is orphaned or abandoned, and is brought up by so-called ‘Muslims’? What would you conclude of his or her ‘religion’? How do you find out his or her ‘original religion’?Here are some confessions for all of you to make. Were you born with any awareness about your religious entity? Which was the first realization about your identity in life: being a human being or being a ‘Hindu’ or a ‘Muslim’ or a ‘Christian’ or a ‘Buddhist’ or ……?Think, man, think. Use your reason and answer. Be honest and clear with yourself. The answer to the first question will always be ‘No’. The answer to the second question will always be: ‘Being a human being’. So what can we infer? These religious labels are thoroughly baseless, as they do not occur even in your genes.You may say- then why the whole world is recognizing the ‘religious divisions’? I would like to say that there are quite a few people around, who are termed as fools, who don’t. It is for people unlike these ‘fools’ that it is difficult to make the world realize and believe the greatest truth - a human being is a human being and he or she cannot have any bigger identity than being a human being. Shame on the people who are dead set on dividing mankind on such a foolish basis! Even the dogs don’t discriminate among themselves like this. But, alas human beings do!And amid all this childish chaos, the pious ness and virtue of mankind is fast vaporizing. The great persons, whom we regard as ‘religious preachers’, had no objective of creating new ‘religious sects’, but only have tried to open the eyes of the common people to the truth, using their own different methods and principles. They had always emphasized on the morality in life as the main tenet of their teachings. This morality is largely lacking in modern life. How can then people identify themselves with different ‘religious sects’ when the preachers have themselves damned the theory of ‘religious divisions’? A ‘religious’ fanatic holds people of other ‘religious beliefs’ as ‘sinners’. Has he or she ever thought that he/she himself/herself is a sinner? Every person who believes in the theory of ‘religious differences’ is a sinner. This kind of people never follow the teachings of those great philosophers and thinkers. Their teachings have often been misinterpreted over the ages. The essence of their teachings has never been truly exposed to all and sundry. These misinterpretations have, both intentionally and unintentionally, encouraged communalism and sectarian radicalism. Imagine! To think of the whole world in strife on grounds those never really exist!Many a time I have heard a question-“Why then they call different ‘gods’?” The answer to this question is-“Why do you call ‘water’ differently in different languages?” It is as simple as that. What’s the problem in accepting that ‘God’, ‘Allah’, ‘Ishwar’ are different names given to the same Almighty Power in different languages? Consequently, the theory that different religions have evolved out of and due to different racial cultures also becomes hugely believable.It’s just a question of different faiths and beliefs, which rose out of different countries in different times according to the need of the hour. Under this principle, we may even consider philosophies as Stoicism, Marxism and Gandhism as religious beliefs. We don’t. We don’t because these were all developed in the very recent past, after the world had started to bath in the light of rationalism.These are thoughts that all are expected to know, but few people understand and even fewer people do realize. Hope continues for a universally enlightened international society… Spare a thought. Dedicate a life. It’ll be enough.