Religion
has been a part of every ancient and modern culture. So living ones
culture also means living the religion it follows. Man began nature worship to thank and acknowledge the Might of Mother Nature. Soon
the worshiping transformed into more complex forms, shapes, rules and
restrictions. What started as groups for the common good of the society has eventually transformed into institutions which wage wars to defend their faith. What
has caused this mutation? Is religion any more for the good of its
members? How have the religious beliefs changed over time? Are we
teaching our kids the right thing?
In my
opinion, religion is the most intimate relationship between man and God.
It is a feeling of oneness with a Supreme Being. It is not a public
display of power and dominance. God, if he exists is a public property
everybody can enjoy but none can own. He is not God if he bestows his
blessing on a reservation basis. If God is does not discriminate, why
does Religion? Are our values misguiding us? How are we USING God?
As
children, we tend to follow beliefs that their parents hold. With age
come maturity in individual religious feelings and we start developing
our own ideas of God and religion. Unfortunately,
many think of God as a mere Provider, a Santa Claus granting wishes.
Some indulge in bribing God for good fortunes. In many instances, those
people tend to be more religious who have the most fears about their
future. The only things that attract them towards the Provider is fear
of their impending failures, misfortunes and death. What seems
comfortable to overcome these feelings is something socially acceptable
to cling on ie. GOD.
In other cases, people
believe worshiping is religiously holding onto their rituals fearing
Dhosha of non-conformity. Here what parents pass on to their future
generations is a bunch of fears, negativism and rituals sans their
reasons. What is lost in this
seemingly ardent faith in God is the ability to see oneself in oneness
with God. All those practices and faiths that should draw one towards
Him have only divided men and distanced man from Him. God is merely a
ritual in this ever-busy life.
How many of us
would have given one moment to just sit there, close our eyes , and
enjoy the amalgamation with nothing but a formless tranquility?
We
tag those people as atheists who do not see God as predefined entity.
We tag those as atheist who can not see God as Christ or Krishna. We tag
those as atheists who do not fight to defend their faiths with their
religious counterparts. We tag those as atheist who believe living this
life fully for the benefit of self and others is of utmost importance,
than worrying constantly about previous and after lives.
Life
is about co-existence and at the end of the day, the one who succeeds
is the one who can truly utilize his religious values to achieve self
and social harmony. A religion
which does not inculcate these values has merely defeated its purpose.
Children who are taught that religion is a set of rituals and blind
faiths tend to become religious fanatics, who would even justify killing
people to keep up their faith. Children who are taught that God is a
magician who performs miracles whenever sought tend to become atheists
for they are so aware of the imperfections in the worlds around them.
Thus they end up distancing themselves from Him.
Hence
the importance of the parents’ role in driving their young ones’ minds
into positive viewpoints about God and Religion is vital. Let us teach
children to respect themselves, think positively, have good faith and
work for a better life. Let us not fill up their inquisitive minds with
our fears and blind faiths. Let us reason out God with them. Let them
understand that God is not some fearful invisible watchdog, but he is
like a pen friend who loves being in touch. Let us transcend our
cultural and religious legacy not by passing on mere rituals but also
the rich wisdom they stand for!
