Humanity has made a lot of mistakes and believed in a lot of superstitions over the ages of its existence.Now, due to the advent of technology and science, we have demystified most mythical beliefs and reconstructed society many times over . However, it surprises me that the faith in god has existed since the beginning and is still in practice today. The existence of a being that has no proof in a society where experimental verification of every statement holds utmost importance leads me to believe that there is more to it than merely the question of existence and that it reveals an inherent part of the human psyche.
The question of theology, for me, is based less on God's existence but more on the need of an omniscient, omnipotent entity who looks after us at all moments and would prevent us from any sort of harm.
It is astonishing that even when different civilisations were isolated, each of them believed in some form of a god. The people of the Indus Valley Civilisation worshiped different gods and deities in different ways like Mother Goddess who represented motherhood or mother Earth and 'Pashupati' , who was the “lord of animals” responsible for the safety of the domesticated animals belonging to the people.
When times were tough, people looked for an outward source of protection, which culminated in the belief of gods and deities. For example, if there was a heavy storm which destroyed the harvest of the people, they would look to the god of the sky to come to their rescue. It was this need to control the uncontrollable and solve the unsolvable through the medium of ‘god’ which solidified human beliefs in a creator.
Humans hate doubt of any sort. Belief gives us a reason to eliminate all doubts about the creation of the world with its glorious wonders and unfathomable exemptions. The need for someone to be constantly looking after us brings reassurance and safety.
Although the presence of God offers us hope and a sense of security, religion is more complex. Religion is essentially the collection of beliefs followed by a set of people who believe in the same form of ‘god’.Different religions have different ways of praising and worshiping their respective gods. Religion provides us with a sense of belonging to people who have the same beliefs as us. This may not always work out for the best. This feeling of belonging to one particular group creates a divide between people following different religions, much as patriotism works its way to divide people from different countries as seen many times in the past. This feeling of inclusion and belongingness to a group can be harnessed by ambitious people to a feeling of hatred and a sense of threat towards people of a different kind.
The thing worth noting is that religion is connected to god– an institution that is considered of the utmost importance, sanctity and respect in the hearts of believers. It is connected to every believers’ honour and the slightest blob of disrespect causes a huge wave of protest and indignation in the hearts of the people because it challenges the primal insecurity of human beings- seclusion. This is because it provides a solution to our innate fear of loneliness and provides a safe harbour from the fear of the unknown that this faith has been anchored to us.
Religion also creates a system of checks and balances on the morality of individuals. Believers in god are required to be morally upright. They are required to be working for the good of others and be clean of heart. However, religion has evolved and with it some of the moral obligations assumed by believers have been lost in time and the focus has shifted more to the worship and praise of god and “protecting” one’s own religion from indignity by other religions. The Taliban in Afghanistan carry out the bold extermination of 'Hazaras', an ethnic minority in Afghanistan, while seeming to forget the valuable lessons of equality that the Quran teaches.
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