Saturday, February 26, 2011

immoral religion

It goes without saying that morality essentially implies adherence to certain values and life style that is consistent with good of all human beings. Various religions proclaim themselves as champion of ethics and morality. How true is their claim?

Religion teaches the disciples to abstain from material objects, be unselfish and pray to God. Spirituality as against materialism is professed. It is funny how people are motivated. They are lured with seat in paradise that is rich with all pleasures of life- milk, honey, damsels, wine etc. Is it not a paradox that people are asked to abstain in this life from material pleasures that they are promised in afterlife. Secondly, people are threatened with torture in hell if they do not conform to religious sermons. Thus greed and fear are the basis of religious sermons. Anything based on greed and fear cannot be everlasting.

It is not surprising that modern generation is turning against religious discipline based on greed and fear. Is it not a paradox that religion sermons against greed and fear ? The concept of God has been created with a view to frighten people. God gas been devised as an instrument of fear as well as a divine judicial authority who will reward the believers and punish the non believers. Religion being based on untruth, greed and fear cannot bring in moral values and discipline in human life.

We need to free ourselves from bondage of religion and independently work out the norms of behavior and ethics based on common good of the entire humanity. Man is social. Human activities are collective. The entire human race is one team functioning for common goal of happiness, prosperity and peace. It is just understanding this fact that will form basis for morality based on truth, pragmatism and love for entire human race. As we act as a team consisting of the entire human race, individualism is disastrous. Individualism is responsible for corruption, fraud, decay in moral standards. We need to redefine individual freedom and social responsibility. No doubt, every individual has some liberty of his own but this is not unrestrained. He is bound by family, social, national and global ties. It is necessary to strike a balance between individual liberties and social liabilities. Here lies the basis for morality. This is morality based on love for entire mankind and mother Earth. This is morality based on truth, and love for entire mankind. This is true and real morality as against religious one based on untruth, fear and greed.

3 comments:

  1. This view is correct in the case of SEMITIC religion.But for Hinduism which is formerly based on freethought the ideas in the article proves to be wrong.Of course there are superstitious belief existing all over, but the core ideas is never based on belief.
    One question.If spirituality is against materialism they how will you explain the emergence of Kamasutra in Hinduism?

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  2. Is kamasutra spiritual. This is very much physical and materialist. My article is not about any particular religion as such. Hinduism consists of many sub beliefs. Hinduism also speaks of Moksha and Swarg (paradise) and conceptualizes many types of hells where sinners will be punished. Paradise as reward and hell as punishment is in Hindu religion like others.

    Thanks for offering comments.

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