While humans
were barbarian hunters God wasn’t known to them and there was no religion as
such in existence. Only when they settled in a place and opted agriculture as
their main means of livelihood, religions came into existence. Jericho in Israel
is one such place where early humans settled for agriculture and this place is
one of the early centres of civilization. This place may be called as the
cradle of one of the earliest religions, Judaism. Another team of hunters from Middle East Asia
travelled to the Southern Asia and settled on the banks of Sindhu River. They
were known as Aryans and their religion was subsequently came to be known as
Hinduism. Other religions like Jainism, Budhism etc. were the offshoots of
Hinduism just like Semitic monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam
are the products of Judaism.
During the evolution of homosapiens, religion had its own utility in the conversion
of humans from barbarism to civilization. But after passage of many centuries
religion became a liability rather than an asset to the human race. Religion
became a force that retarded the progress and scientific quest of humanity. Any
impartial observer can convince himself of this fact if he goes through the
history of the Dark Ages in Europe.
Christian religion, especially its Catholic sect, was the most
reactionary force that blocked all scientific discoveries of early scientists.
Semitic religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam are the most intolerant
religions in the world where as the Hindu religion and its daughter religions
are more tolerant than the former. As
far as Semitic religions are concerned they believe their God is the only true
God and their religion is the only path for salvation or the passport for entry
into heaven. They also believe that their holy books are the words of God that
cannot be questioned or challenged. A
Hindu is free not to believe in any God and still he will be considered a
Hindu. He may observe or not observe Hindu rites and still he will be
considered a Hindu. There is no question of ex-communication as in Semitic
religions. Hindu religion is broad enough to accommodate other beliefs also.
But the story of Semitic religions is just the opposite and they brand other
religionists as non-believers or khafirs.
I am a person who believes all religions have
outlived their utility. If we study the past history of the world, you will be
convinced that more millions of people had been killed in religious wars
than in political wars like 1st and 2nd World Wars.
Everybody is born into a religion if we like it or not. There is no
option. I am born of Christian parents
and I became a Christian at least in name. Nobody asked me whether I wanted to
be a Christian, Muslim or Hindu. All the prejudices and false beliefs of the
respective religion are injected into a human being from early childhood. Even
though I am not a believer or admirer of any religion, if I have an iota of
respect towards any religion, it is the Hindu religion. But I feel sorry to see
that the new face of the most tolerant religion in the world now is the Sangh
Parivar, Viswa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal and not philosophers like Sri
Narayana Guru.
The ignorance of the faithful is being
exploited by religions and their clergy. So far in India religious
organizations were satisfied with protection of their vested interests by their
proximity to the political parties and their leaders. But the situation has
changed drastically and now the political authorities are being determined and
controlled by the religious leaders, brandishing the true or assumed strength
of their vote bank. As long as various
political parties and their leaders do not come together and show the religious
leaders their respective place in public life, India’s future is doomed to be
bleak.
I have to openly tell you this. Like Martin
Luther King Jr. I too have a dream, a dream of a society where there is no
tyranny of religion, where there is no exploitation of the common people by
their clergy, where there is no distinction between man and man on the basis of
religion and where there is no slavery of the mind perpetrated by the so-called
religious leaders.
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