High and (al)mighty
Is worship your way of connecting to God or your way of feeling superior amongst fellow people? Let me tell you why this question rose in my mind.
Yesterday, my uncle who came to town offered to take me to the temple. I love visiting places of worship. Not because God resides there but because peace and serenity live there. It has a calming effect and makes you think clearly. It helps you dispense negative feeling and leaves you purified. I have never interacted with God. I have no reason to place my faith in Him. I would rather credit these wonderful effects to the overall goodness that often exists amongst people within places of worship. Anyway, I happily agreed to join him to the temple.
However, soon I got a call regarding an early morning assignment because of which I needed to cancel the plan. So when he called immediately after to give me directions, I politely tried to refuse. But his self-righteousness got the better of him. Foe some reason, he felt he had the right to overlook all other factors and assume an authoritative position.
He took it upon himself to be offended on God’s behalf. If God really existed and had He really been disappointed, one should leave it to Him to teach me a lesson. However people like my uncle think it best to save God the trouble and take it upon themselves to have the honour.
My uncle asked me, “Why? We are going to the temple…” If you read between the lines, what he really meant was, “What was that? Did you not hear me? I think I said we were going to the TEMPLE! Did you just dare to make excuses to avoid that?”
To which I replied, “I know but I just got a call from the photographer that I need to report at 7 am at Andheri…it’s already 9 pm. I was hoping to just hit the bed straight away”
He seemed to not hear what I said at all. He was temporarily possessed by the feeling of being a demigod. “uhm…you come anyway”. I was shocked to say the least. I am a grown, self-sustaining adult. My own parents stopped demanding things of me years ago. Otherwise, he is a nice uncle and usually takes me out to nice dinners and things when he is in town. So, I quietly obliged.
It’s interesting how a religious man/woman feels superior to anyone who does not appear to be as religious.
It happens everywhere amongst religious people. They love boasting about the amount of effort, time and money they put into worship. Those that don’t do as much also feel guilty and grant the other the right to be superior. This uncle is representative of such people. They take pride in relating to all and sundry, the number of temples they have visited in the country and the hills they have climbed for the purpose etc. They even look down upon people who don’t.
Very few really pray for themselves. But my point really is how do educated people still believe in religious rituals. How does one blend the theories of science with that of myth and religion in one’s mind? Are they just seeking security in following the herd?
Yesterday, my uncle who came to town offered to take me to the temple. I love visiting places of worship. Not because God resides there but because peace and serenity live there. It has a calming effect and makes you think clearly. It helps you dispense negative feeling and leaves you purified. I have never interacted with God. I have no reason to place my faith in Him. I would rather credit these wonderful effects to the overall goodness that often exists amongst people within places of worship. Anyway, I happily agreed to join him to the temple.
However, soon I got a call regarding an early morning assignment because of which I needed to cancel the plan. So when he called immediately after to give me directions, I politely tried to refuse. But his self-righteousness got the better of him. Foe some reason, he felt he had the right to overlook all other factors and assume an authoritative position.
He took it upon himself to be offended on God’s behalf. If God really existed and had He really been disappointed, one should leave it to Him to teach me a lesson. However people like my uncle think it best to save God the trouble and take it upon themselves to have the honour.
My uncle asked me, “Why? We are going to the temple…” If you read between the lines, what he really meant was, “What was that? Did you not hear me? I think I said we were going to the TEMPLE! Did you just dare to make excuses to avoid that?”
To which I replied, “I know but I just got a call from the photographer that I need to report at 7 am at Andheri…it’s already 9 pm. I was hoping to just hit the bed straight away”
He seemed to not hear what I said at all. He was temporarily possessed by the feeling of being a demigod. “uhm…you come anyway”. I was shocked to say the least. I am a grown, self-sustaining adult. My own parents stopped demanding things of me years ago. Otherwise, he is a nice uncle and usually takes me out to nice dinners and things when he is in town. So, I quietly obliged.
It’s interesting how a religious man/woman feels superior to anyone who does not appear to be as religious.
It happens everywhere amongst religious people. They love boasting about the amount of effort, time and money they put into worship. Those that don’t do as much also feel guilty and grant the other the right to be superior. This uncle is representative of such people. They take pride in relating to all and sundry, the number of temples they have visited in the country and the hills they have climbed for the purpose etc. They even look down upon people who don’t.
Very few really pray for themselves. But my point really is how do educated people still believe in religious rituals. How does one blend the theories of science with that of myth and religion in one’s mind? Are they just seeking security in following the herd?
Comments
Being righteous (read feeling superior than others) about adhering to a certain philosophy is an unenlightened approach and is regularly reflected in a traditional / mass society like India. I can name it as 'Community mindset of the Theomaniacs'.
Why would God help scientists be successful in disproving the presence of God.
You seem very religious....ever wondered why you are not a scientist?
I was going through your blog and i realised that your idea of faith in God actually translates into keeping alive hope and generally trusting that everything will be alright.
I apreciate that. That kind of faith is good.
But we must have the strength and fearlessness to accept what scientists reveal. There is no such thing as a God.
All the happenings in the world can be explained with believeble reasons instead of simply saying that it is the work of a 'super power'.
The concept of God was created centuries ago to explain things we could not explain. what casues earthquakes? why do people die? what casues disease? why do some people halucinate? what causes fires? etc
Today we know the reasons for all these and more. We no longer need to rely on something as inconvincing as the presence of a superpower that does all this magic.
We can not blame God or our lack of faith in Him for our failures. It is also unfair to credit God for our successes.
Anyway, these our my views. i hope you see the light too. i enjoyed your entry about laughter and happiness.
Again no offence , these are just my thoughts not trying say you are right or wrong . Good luck
Great to meet somebody who would take "God or Gawd", sportingly.
I for one can't decide what. Zarathustra sounds great once the next movement 'Harun Yahya' sounds right.
All things aside , Nice blog.
Abdulla syed.
Recently, I was watching the 2007 Golf Masters and Zach Johnson won it just ahead of Tiger Woods. Zach, during the presentation ceremony, mentioned something to the effect, "I won because Jesus was with me, I could feel him with me during the entire match".
Ok, If Jesus (or in general God) does exist, would be really care if Zach Johnson won or Tiger Woods won? Come on, if at all God is deterministic and can influence outcomes, I am sure there are a million things more important than a golf open. Zach winning the tournament was a random event, which was satistically bound to happen, as Tiger isn't going to be winning every major.
Our human brain is not designed to discover randomness. We try to find, cause and effect, in cases when none exist. If only every, theologist and pseudo philosophers learn statistics, (and random events), the world will be in a much better place and probably we wouldn't be ascribing random events to the handiwork of a supernatural being.. ergo GOD.
true about most human beings (as a result of high levels of intelligence than other species) wanting explanations for all things around him...god being the easiest one.
I do hate being in a crowded combine in the temple chanting prayers loudly, but I do like to visit occassionally , and not forced to be there.
As you have said, all of us not go to temples for praying for others,actually we go with our own problems. The other way of looking at it , is as you said to prove that I have seen many temples.
My mum hates my excuses for not being in the temple too. Often , I say my temple is my mind, which helps to sort my problems. But that way of looking at devotion is also narrow.
There need not be any particular reason as for devotion as there need not be in love.
But It helps me to be humble, by nature.. It gives me the understanding that I am one among the multitude of people I meet. It makes me feel sometimes I am helpless to change mindsets of multitude and convince them to my idea.
" Sometimes a conscious emptiness in mind, with a focused devotion for a noble cause" is good for helping me to unlearn, to become a different person from my self, to judge myself and others.
" sometimes it gives contentment" that there is no need to possess but " believe that I am one with life and embrace it with love"..
I feel i am not conveying the meaning ( as feeling superior_)....
I am just saying that
If we bend a little bit..it helps to understand with humility i am one among the numerous happenings in the world history " be happy with my being"
Enjoyed reading your reflections on god in "seeing things clearly". Candid and interesting style of writing. Keep writing and may all your dreams come true.
- Sudha from Calgary
Your blog makes for good reading
But I really want to say is this: I could have daaanced all night! And also, Without you, today's emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's.
And lastly, No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky
we are still very much in pursuit of a clear picture. but personally, i'm in sync with those who may or may not believe in existence of some entity called GOD or any superpower (which are actually too many, thanks to the variety of faiths) but are wise enough to not to use his/her name for every single individual's responsibilities.