Discriminatory Divinity, Schismatic Spirituality

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 31 January 2024 The Madras high court on Tuesday (January 30) directed the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department to install boards in all Hindu temples stating non-Hindus were not permitted beyond the kodimaram (flagpole) area in the respective shrines and said Hindus also have fundamental right to profess and practise their religion. Now courts have taken it upon themselves to divide the society! On the advanced forum of NAI, a couple of readers recently opined that it's time for bidding adieu to all man-made religions. See the debilitating impact of religion on humans that even judges, supposed to be 'saner' individuals, are getting affected and influenced by this bane of mankind. Now, will the temple authority ask people, visiting the said temple, whether they're Hindus or non-Hindus? What rubbish! It seems, soon people will have to emblazon their respective faiths on their foreheads or chests to find entry in a shrine! We've seen churches for whites and coloured people, for Protestants and Catholics, mosques for Ahmadiyyas, Shias, Sunnis, Bohras (a Shia sub-sect), temples for Dalits and upper class, Gurudwaras for Dalit Sikhs and High-class Sikhs and so on. If at all, there's a Supreme Power, is it not amused by the stupidity of the humans that it created? To quote Abdul Hameed Adam, "Takhleeq-E-Kaainaat Ke Dilchasp Jurm Par/ Hansta Toh Hoga Aap Bhi Yazdaan Kabhi-Kabhi" (The Creator also laughs at the creation of its own world). They say, god has no religion. If at all this entity exists, it certainly has no religion. All religions are human constructs. We concocted them. Agreed, most of the humans are still not so evolved as to do away with the very idea of god. Only a very few enlightened ones can live sans an imaginary god. But even if you believe in a super power, at least try to understand that NO religion, prophets, godmen, godwomen, Babas, swamis, scriptures, rituals and all that utter garbage can ever help you realize that super consciousness, called god-realization. Why do humans require a truckload of spurious 'spiritual' agents to reach god? Demolish all shrines and their deities if they cannot respect humans, the supreme manifestation of godhood on earth. Islam believes that Lucifer or Satan was asked to bow before Adam and Eve. Satan refused. Though it's a fairy tale, it's a metaphor for the power of humans. If a temple or mosque cannot treat humans as humans, demolish it. We don't want discriminatory divinity and schismatic spirituality. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/discriminatory-divinity-schismatic-spirituality-/d/131625 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism