By Varghese Alengaden
Indore, Sept 13, 2020: Four decades ago as a student of philosophy I was shocked to learn the expression, “God is dead” by Friedrich Nietzsche, a 19th century German philosopher.
Seeing the addiction of people to religion and its innumerable rituals another German philosopher Karl Marx said, “Religion is the opium of the masses.” Despite being a student of philosophy I could not accept both Nietzsche-Marx because I was also addicted to religiosity and dogma in those days within the walls of the seminary.
After crisscrossing the whole country, learning the life of people from diverse backgrounds, reflecting on the religious practices of people of all faith over four decades, I started understanding things in a different perspective. The rat race of people of all religions to construct worship places, ashrams and organizing innumerable religious festivals to attract crowds convinced me of the power of religion as ‘opium of the masses.’
This religious industry has become a lucrative business in India. The nexus between politicians and god-men of all faith has succeeded to enslave the masses. In order to keep the masses enslaved in their addiction, the mafia of politicians and priests construct temples, churches, mosques and other worship places.
Many of these worship places were erected on the dead bodies of many innocent human beings. Because of this very reason God is not present in these magnificent structures. God is dead. He is murdered when priests, politicians and drugged masses shout slogans of hatred, prejudice and violence against those who don’t belong to them.
The most unfortunate aspect of this addiction is the involvement of the bureaucrats of high rank, judges and the so called educated elite section of society who never valued scientific temper. Many of them have no shame for selling their souls. Nageswara Rao, a former interim chief of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the latest to make headlines for wrong reason.
Rao’s disgusting remarks about Swami Agnivesh’s death show how the ‘drug of religion’ can cause ‘death of God.’ While the whole country was expressing grief over the passing of the 80-year-old social activist, Nageswara Rao remarked, “Good riddance Swami Agnivesh. You were an anti-Hindu donning saffron clothes. You did enormous damage to Hinduism. I am ashamed that you were born as a Telugu Brahmin. My grievance against Yamaraj is why did he wait so long”.
When religions are politicized and commercialized they become industry which thrives on the ‘opium of the masses.’ Then God who is the symbol of morals, ethics and scientific temper is murdered and cast out. However He is made a commodity for sale in numerous names. His statues with diverse faces and shapes are erected for marketing.
From all ages there were prophets who challenged this politician–priest mafia who were drugging the masses with opium of religion. All of them were silenced and murdered. Socrates, Jesus Christ, John Baptist, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln and many numerous prophets were murdered for speaking against murder of God and running drug industry of religion.
Seeing this opium industry of rituals in His time, Jesus gave a better alternative of worshiping God in truth and spirit. In fact Nietzsche declared the death of God whom religions were marketing after the age of Enlightenment when it was established that the universe was governed by laws of science and philosophy. He realized that man-made religions and gods were not required for the practice of morals and ethics. Many who don’t practice traditional rituals of religions are much more spiritual in their lives.
S Radhakrishan, India’s second president, was affirming what Jesus spoke of “worshiping God in truth and spirit” when he said, “This place would be much more religious if all religions go.” By abandoning the religion with priests and politicians people will be more spiritual. They will see and worship God in living human beings with equality, fraternity, justice and dignity of individual.
We all know the boon of all religions but we refused to recognize that. Instead, we tend to aggrandize our own and belittle others not ours. Until and unless we believe that there is one and only one Creator of the whole universe and no matter what, respect others faiths with sincerity and live as one humane society, then only we thrive on this Earth.
If a system is made with the purpose to do good, but if it is misused, would it be right to blame the system or to try and fix the problem instead. Since decades too, educational spaces in India have become hubs of political and anti-national activity, so does it mean that sending one’s kid to Indian educational space should be avoided ? Is every professor teaching and student passing out of those intensely active colleges an anti-national ? Should the institution be at all condemned and be brought down, because the management being complicit ? Why would we deny a future improvement and not be a part of it and restoration of the glory of the institution ? Similarly, depression amongst the youth is unfortunately becoming a common phenomena, but does that mean we give up on our hopes from them ? There’s a beautiful quote from the great Vedantic Master, Sw. Chinmayananda that ‘the youth are not useless, but used less’. So, let us expand our vision and not confine it to a personal, narrow perspective based on some personal experiences. There’s a world beyond that, and every great person has overcome that and contributed to the system and society. Of course, there are negative elements everywhere, and as people with a spiritual heart, it is then a necessity, our duty to expand out to protect the ‘holy system of religion’ meant for purification of oneself. Let’s end this what Napoleon, an anti-Christ had said that ‘The world suffers a lot. Not because the violence of bad people. But because of the silence of the good people’. So, let’s do our part and use the power of the pen to keep the lamps of knowledge lit, but not to put them out. It’s a sincere request, please withdraw your article and instead write one which talks upon the positive aspects of religion which is inspiring to all.
What if I believe in God without religious appliation for my moral life? I hate the organised religion. Hinduism withou caste would be better, but caste and Hinduism inseparable. The same Virus spread into the other religions too. So, mere spiritual and moral life can be found in philosophy. It’s eorth being lover of wisdom than religious adherent.
God is not fully understood in all religions except Islam. God could not be compared with anyone and anything. No human being shall become a God or equivalent to God. This concept should be well understood. So God is not murdered.
Religions murdered god. Or rather organised religion murdered god. What is this disease called conversion ? Why you need to convert anyone by fear, greed and coercion ? Why force people to convert to a religion by the sharp blade of the sword ? As long as you keep on saying – my religion is true , yours is false ! God definitely will be murdered again and again. Not god – but his image that is man.
The concept that God is dead itself is oxymoron. Just because we are not seeing billion stars , they can not be declared non existent. Or because one can not follow the principles it should be blamed as wrong. As our philosopher Radhakrishnan pointed the Lord Jesus Christ commanded to worship in truth and love. The problem with man is the evil inside of him tries to hoodwink God and leads to hypocrisy.Evil within few tries to destroy the truth. For a moment evil appears to have won on the cross, but in the end the Lord Jesus Christ was triumphant. Sufferings don’t nullify God rather vindicate. If at all human beings honestly analyse the Holy scriptures with common sense and intellect they can pursue truth and love rather than supporting vandalism and barbarism on innocent people.
Outright rejection or condemnation of religions does not take us anywhere. We cannot imagine doing away with Hinduism in India. Same is the case with Islam or Christianity or Buddhism etc. In all religions there may be certain aspects Which modernism may consider regressive. But every religion teaches many virtues, helping the needy, serving the poor ,defending the country, etc etc. Why we cannot concentrate on these aspects and bring genuinely interested people from all religions together and devise ways and means to implement them. If these cannot be done, what use finding fault with religions , day and night ?