Keep God out of Religion

Today I chose to pen down the second most sensitive topic of our Country after Politics.

- Religion 

Let me clarify that these are merely my thoughts and experiences. I do not claim to possess any great spiritual wisdom. I am simply sharing how I have come to view faith, religion and God through my journey in life.

One thing I truly believe is that we Indians are among the luckiest people in the world.

We are blessed with a rainbow of festivals, traditions, languages, customs, stories and beliefs. Every few weeks there is a reason to celebrate something. Every religion brings with it beautiful values, unique practices and fascinating stories that have been passed down through generations.

If someone were to ask us to imagine God, most of us would probably picture an Almighty King seated somewhere above the clouds, watching over His creation.

The interesting part is that while the idea may be similar, the face of that King would look different to every person.

His clothes would be different.

His name would be different.

His stories would be different.

The religion through which we know Him would be different.

Yet somehow, the role He plays in our lives remains remarkably similar.

At different stages of life, God becomes different things to us.

Sometimes He is our closest friend when we need someone to listen.

Sometimes He becomes a Secret Santa when we have a long list of wishes.

Sometimes He is a counsellor who gives us hope when everything seems bleak.

At times He resembles a strict police commissioner holding a baton, preventing our conscience from wandering down the wrong path.

And perhaps most importantly, He becomes a therapist who brings peace to an anxious mind.

The world has countless religions. And within those religions are countless sects. Each carrying its own beliefs, traditions and interpretations. What fascinates me is how strongly most believers hold on to their faith. Unfortunately, along the way, many also begin believing that everyone else's faith must therefore be wrong.

And that is where things become complicated.

In all this drama slowly we humans did not realise that we have forgotten the God and made the religion itself as our God. And the true values, teachings and morals of God which were the base of every religion does not matter to us any more. We don't tend to understand a mere fact that technically God can exist without religion but religion cannot exist without God. 

Some years ago, I came across a quote by Reggy Adam Herbert that beautifully captures this thought:

"If you search for your God in religion, then religion will become your god. But if you search for God as He is, then God will become your religion."

That line stayed with me.

If being religious means believing that only my religion possesses the complete truth and everyone else's faith is flawed, then I suppose I am not very religious.

And if believing in God requires me to think that way, then perhaps I don't fit neatly into that definition either.

Because that is not how I experience God. For me, faith is the belief that there is a purpose behind our existence. 

A truth far greater than our daily worries, desires, successes and failures.

A truth that our limited human minds may never fully understand. 

Trying to understand the Almighty power would be like a child trying to empty the ocean. He fills his little bucket with seawater again and again, pouring it into a tiny pit in the sand, unaware that no matter how many trips he makes, the ocean will always remain far greater than what his bucket can hold.

And perhaps that is perfectly alright.

Maybe we are not meant to understand everything.

Maybe we are simply meant to be good human and respect all the other humans who are the creation of same common God.

This doesn't mean that religion is not important or is not correct thing to follow. Religion enhances the practices and beliefs in faith. It brings in morals, values and principles. And most importantly it disciplines us. It brings in unity among our family and relatives.  Religion is the reason for festivals, rituals, ceremonies, fun, excitement, something to look forward to in the year. It also brings friends and neighbors  of same and different religions close to one another if practiced and viewed in the right way. But if religion is taken too seriously, it can give an excuse to us people to be selfish and greedy. 

To just prove and justify our behavior and belief which we would have chosen anyway, we conveniently put upon and take support of the "religion".  Where the cause and effect in this scenario is purely individualistic and religion has nothing to play here. We human have sadly turned religion to be so dauntingly enigmatic.

I shall conclude with a line I once came across in an article written by my college classmate, Shirley Coses.

It made me smile.

And if we're being completely honest, it probably reflects a tiny secret wish that most of us have tucked away somewhere deep inside our hearts.

A wish we may never openly admit.

But one we quietly hope is true.

"Heaven better be there...

and a God in it."

- Sharon.