Have religions become opium of people?

By M L Satyan

Coimbatore, Nov 15, 2024: K J Yesudas has been a legend in the field of music. We can never forget his mesmerising voice.

One of his prophetic songs in Malayalam was titled: Manushyan Mathangale Srishtichu (Man created religions). He sang this song on various platforms. This song is thought-provoking and realistic. Here below is the English translation of the song.

“Man created religions.
Religions created gods.
Man, religions and gods together,
Divided the land, divided the hearts.
Man created religions…

We became Hindus, we became Muslims and we became Christians.
We have become unrecognisable.
World has become a lunatic asylum.
Thousands and thousands of human hearts became armories.
While God is dying on the streets,
Devil is having his last laugh.

Where is our truth? Where is our beauty? Where is our freedom?
Where are our blood relations?
Where are our eternal affections?
Where are the reincarnations that come once in thousand years?
While man is dying on the streets,
Religions are having their last laugh.
Man created religions…”

Many say the etymology of religion lies with the Latin word religare, which means “to tie, to bind.” This seems to be favored on the assumption that it helps explain the power religion has to bind a person to a community, culture, course of action, ideology, etc. Some argue that religion does not even exist in the first place – there is only culture, and religion is simply a significant aspect of human culture.

In 2011, J. Anderson Thomson and Clare Aukofer wrote in Los Angeles Times “In recent years scientists specializing in the mind have begun to unravel religion’s DNA. They have produced robust theories, backed by empirical evidence (including “imaging” studies of the brain at work), that support the conclusion that it was humans who created God, not the other way around. And the better we understand the science, the closer we can come to “no heaven … no hell … and no religion too.”

The authors further wrote, “The better we understand human psychology and neurology, the more we will uncover the underpinnings of religion. Some of them, like the attachment system, push us toward a belief in gods and make departing from it extraordinarily difficult. But it is possible.”

Yesudas says, “Human beings invented gods and religions.” Is it true or not? It is time for sincere introspection.

In India, we live in a multireligious context. Religious pluralism has long been a core value here, which has a large majority of Hindus and smaller shares of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and other groups. Is there a true harmony among these religions and those who follow these religions?

Yesudas says, “Religions and Gods together, divided the land, divided the hearts?” Is it true or not? It is time for sincere introspection.

Although Christianity is spread across the country, South India being home to about half of the Christians in the country, with a particularly vibrant Christian community in the southern states. In the more sparsely populated Northeast, Christians make up a relatively large share of the population, with the vast majority belonging to tribal communities.

However, the concentration of Christians varies from one region to another, depending on factors such as the prevailing rite and tradition and the length of time Christianity has existed in those regions. The ancient Thomas Christians of Kerala, for example, have a distinctive culture compared to Christians in other parts of the country.

While many Indian Christians identify as Catholic (37 percent), a variety of other denominations are present in India. For example, 13 percent of Indian Christians are Baptists, 7 percent identify with the Church of North India, and another 7 percent identify with the Church of South India.

Besides these major Christian groups there are innumerable smaller groups spread across the country. Once upon a time there was a mushroom growth of English medium nursery schools. Likewise, today there is a mushroom growth of new evangelists, groups and churches. This is very much witnessed in Tamil Nadu.

The bitter truth is that these fast-growing evangelists accuse and abuse one another during their preachings. These days social media is filled with messages and YouTube videos of abusive preachings and prayer meetings. Late D G Dinakaran, his son Paul Dinakaran and his family are being accused of amassing huge properties and leading a luxurious life. Another evangelist John Jebaraj has been accused of having illicit relationship with a woman ending up in divorcing his wife.

In fact, today no true Christianity exists. We find only “Churchianity.” The Hindu fundamentalist groups such as RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal never have any clue about the internal divisions among Christians. Any fault committed by any small Christian group or an individual evangelist is generalised and magnified by the Hindu fundamentalist groups.

It is in this scenario the song of KJ Yesudas poses questions like: Where is our truth? Where is our beauty? Where is our freedom? Where are our blood relations?

Where are our eternal affections? Where are the reincarnations that comes once in thousand years?

According to Marx, religion is an expression of material realities and economic injustice. Thus, problems in religion are ultimately problems in society. Religion is not the disease, but merely a symptom. It is used by oppressors to make people feel better about the distress they experience due to being poor and exploited. For this purpose, religious leaders propagate various types of devotions and pious activities.

Is it not true that when millions live in extreme poverty and affected by hunger, our so-called religious leaders are busy with feeding religious opium to the common people and leading royal life with all comforts and luxuries? The simple and ignorant people are made to “Pay, Pray and Obey.”

The great singer and prophet KJ Yesudas is true in saying: “While human beings are dying on the streets, religions and religious leaders are having their last laugh.”

Let us come out of the impact of the opium and realise that our life is filled with religious hypocrisy. The need of the hour is to lead a meaningful life.