The Role Of Religions In Our Frenzied Behaviour

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 25 December 2024 "Is it possible that while religions claim to promote harmony and brotherhood, in reality, they are the cause of much of our hatred and violence? It is easy to blame humans for our intolerance and division, but no one wonders about the role of religions in this frenzied behaviour." By Ghulam Mohiyuddin 25/12/2024 01:59:23 You said it, Dr Ghulam! Now if I condemn all man-made religions, one particular polymath (ironical, of course) and the Quran-fixated reader in this forum will jeer at my idée fixe and fill the forum with his sarcastic comments. But let me repeat along with Dr Ghulam that the role of man-made religions in all sorts of discriminations, divisions, and disagreements is conveniently ignored by looking askance. Jonathan Swift, a brilliant writer who himself was a clergyman (he was a member of the Anglican Church), aptly said, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) wrote nearly 200 years ago in 'The horrors and absurdities of religion ' that, “Mankind is growing out of religion as out of its childhood clothes." But have we been able to grow out of it (faith)? Alas, we're still carrying it like Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Dead Albatross around our necks and have become Gogol's Dead Souls. Christopher Hitchens sharply asked, "To terrify children with the image of hell, to consider women an inferior creation—is that good for the world? ” Believers will as usual throw a challenge before the non-believers to prove that there's no god but they forget the simple logic that which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence. We've been killing our fellow humans in the name of religion and a gargantuan fabrication, called god. Upper caste Hindus suppressed Dalits for centuries because it's written in their Manu Smriti that Dalits are sub-humans. Such indecency! Such indecorum! Remember, human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it. Sunnis have been killing Shias right from the beginning of Islam nearly 1500 years ago. Yet, we don't openly criticize and condemn all bogus faiths and their innumerable concocted gods. Religion has always been the root cause for all the unrest and bloodshed in the world. Agreed, territorial usurpation is a potent factor but much more than that is the religious hegemony that has vitiated mankind. But humans dare not condemn faiths and scriptures for all the machinations that have plagued humanity. We keep on being told that religion, whatever its imperfections, at least instils morality. On every side, there is conclusive evidence that the contrary is the case and that faith causes people to be more mean, more selfish, and perhaps above all, more stupid. This Urdu couplet, written by an unknown poet, sums up what Dr Mohiyuddin said at the outset, "Deen Ne Kya-Kya Zulm Dhaye, Kisi Ne Kuchh Na Kaha/ Insaan Ne Bas Insaan Ko Iss Ka Zimmedaar Tharaya" (No one said anything about the excesses of religions/ Humans only held humans responsible for their ill-fate). ---- 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://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/role-religions-frenzied-behaviour/d/134129 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