My Simple Views On Religion

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The word ‘religion‘ originates from Latin religio or religare meaning ‘obligation’ or ‘bond’. Long ago, there was only one religion, the religion of humanity. But, with the advent of mankind and, with the growth and rise of civilisation, different religions emerged and, eventually, people were left with multiple options.

There is nothing wrong to have options as long as they are left aside to choose from. But, history holds the witness that religious gurus and fanatics have distracted common people in every age compelling them to compromise with their beliefs and religions. “Compromise” is rather an understatement. Many of the wars have been fought for the sake of religion, whereas, any sane person is well aware of the fact that the basic principles of all religions are same. They all preach the value of humanity, to ameliorate sin by doing good things, to be kind to others and to respect other religions’ dogmas and principles.

But why then they are so different? The difference actually lies in the way by which we show our respect and gratification to God, or Allah, or Ishwar. But we all, with the same zealousness, are praying to Him, the ultimate Creator. He may have different incarnations, but He is the One and Only and we all are same to Him.

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Thus, He created a ubiquitous sky for us all, and air in which we can all breathe. The Great Creator neither discriminates among his children nor He has any religion.
But does that mean that religion is unnecessary or an over-hyped thing? Well, the question is quite controversial but it’s difficult to think of one’s existence without any strings attached to religion. As I have mentioned already, it’s an obligation, a bond which we carry with us, knowingly or unknowingly. It’s like an invisible cloak. Find the one that fits you but it’s better if you don’t pursue others wear your cloak.

There’s no harm if we genuflect before the altar, but we shouldn’t disrespect the person who doesn’t. And above all,  a little act of kindness can make one more religious than the person who spends hours in a temple, church or a mosque. For we must remember,
“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” — Mahatma Gandhi

49 responses to “My Simple Views On Religion”

  1. many more simple ideas as yours, when applied to a larger scale become extremely complex .Hindusim i think is refined set of those & too complex to be stuffed inside the perimeter of religion . i hope people make that disticntion

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  3. I like this. Its nice to read. Religion has had negative blasts from society especially over more recent times. Being transparent, I`m an atheist… which to me really means I do not believe there is a God nor do I believe there is not one.. simply I don`t know because I don`t have evidence..being a scientist and just simply me.. I need evidence. What really irritates me is “atheists” bashing religion and jumping on a bandwagon. Yes there are bad people who call themselves religious, but we have to acknowledge all the good also it has done such as implementing aid and charities worldwide and that these people are a minority. A world of love and peace is a common interest and I think people who preach this are role models so yes thank you for quoting “There’s no harm if we genuflect before the altar, but we shouldn’t disrespect the person who doesn’t” … 🙂

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    • Thank you so much for expressing the views on this matter. As you said you neither believe nor disbelieve the existence of God and you need proof of anything to believe in it, I think the right term for this would be ‘agnostic’. 🙂 I’m not a great believer in God but I simply like to think that there is some Supreme Power.

      A society full of peace and love should be of common interest, as you’ve said. The world needs human beings at this moment, irrespective of their religions.

      Thanks again for stopping by…. 🙂

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  5. whyreligionblog Hi! Mani this is Harpreet Kaur I love your post this is same that I think that’s why I come to WordPress spread the good ideas and join the good idol people.Please read my blog to make the discussion ahead over we are agree or disagree to solve some conclusions of this big and sensitive issue. Thankyou

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  7. Religion is such a sensitive topic, and I love how you dealt with this topic in such a level-headed manner. Agree with you it is good to have options, and any religion is a choice. It is a belief as much as perspective. As per your comments before, it is sad how religion is used to turn on others and make someone feel bad about who they are. . ‘It’s like an invisible cloak.’ Each to their own religion at the end of the day. We will each feel what we feel and certain values will resonate with us more than others.

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  8. Religion is a powerful thing. It has the ability to divide or unite, to create love or hatred, peace or war. I like what Joshi Daniel says in these comments, that maybe if religion was kept as a personal thing, rather than outward (provocative?) displays of ones beliefs, we could all see the humanity in each other. Great piece Mani and I’m sure we could comment for hours on this topic, maybe over a shared meal 🙂 That would be fun 😀

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  9. Long time ago i had read “religion is the opium of the masses”…I was too young to understand either the term to its definition. Now I can say with conviction that definitions keep changing with times, people and gurus who claim to know more!! Then I read “religion has done more harm than good” and the truth is before us. Who considers humanity as a religion? Humanity is responsible for creating it and demonising it for their own ulterior motives!
    I love that last quote of Mahatma Gandhi.

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  11. Awesome. Well, I feel and believe there is only one religion and that is HUMANITY.

    You don’t need any other if you think about humanity.

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  13. I am so happy to read this post. You wrote an ecumenical message, for all faiths and every version of higher being.
    Those who pray on their knees, those who stand and face the East those who genuflect and those who don’t. . . . Respect and caring about each other is how faith may be expressed. In “Love thy neighbor as thyself” it encompasses so much. Although it is a particular religion’s words, it probably has many other versions.
    I love Mahatma Gandhi and his words of Peace 🕊 and Universal Love.❤

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  17. Maybe it’s the selfishness that drove us to worship places,to pray for self, to pray for family, relatives and so on…possible that religions and all originated from this self centered thoughts…

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  18. There is so much hatred around and having studied a paper on religion, I believe that there are rituals and Gurus interpret things for their own advantage. I have seen it quite close and no wonder there are ties between politics and religion. It deters our growth. You have put it so well where we can choose what works for us, bring us closer to humanity,

    Something that I wrote ages:

    In the name of God, losing my religion.

    Would love to get your feedback.

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  22. you are right, but unfortunately most of the people can’t understand this and they are brainwashed by the fanatics and so called saviour of religions.

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  24. Well written and open minded.

    One of the more compelling moments in the Christian Bible is when Jesus calls the Priests of the Temple in Jerusalem hypocrites for practicing the ‘form’ of their religion without the spirit.

    “Blind guides.”

    We see this everywhere: people bowing before their various alters even as they support tyrants and selfishly starve the sick and disabled.

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  25. I totally agree! Religion divides while kindness unites.Though all religions preach love, compassion and kindness but people have forgotten the teachings and have interpreted religion in their own way. Kindness should be the new religion.

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  26. It is basically upto us to use or misuse religion. But all religions are not same. There are differences in basic tenets. Religous conflicts could be avoided if religions reformed to be compatible with the latest scientific discoveries and people took interest to understand their own religion and other major religions

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  27. Not so simple thoughts yours are, Mani, because, had it been so, most people would have endorsed it, making the world a more harmonious place. There is an old movie song in Malayalam, which was rated as the best lyric among all language movies in the country in the year of its release. Translated, it reads as follows: Man created religions / Religions made gods / And man, religions and gods together contrived to divide lands and minds…”. The sooner humanity grows out of the fetish, the better.

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  31. Wonderful post, Maniparna. It comes at a time when fanaticism is showings its fangs, and people are castigating each other in the name of religion. Having said that, I would say that a world without religion might be too robotic and have its own set of problems. After all the creator or the force that initiates the creation has to be the same for all. Logically, your god cannot be different from mine, however, I may choose to address and worship him or her. Just like you, I also fail to understand why people have made it more complex than that and have fought against each other in the name of religion. Hope more and more people read this and see the logic in the argument.

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  33. If One , two, one hundred or even one million people posses such views on religion then nothing going to change until we all have such highly philosophical still easy philosophy about religion.
    Differences in thoughts exist and will exist forever…so in the name of religion everything will continue to happen as happening now and happened earlier.
    Nice read it was.Good to know about your thoughts.

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    • True that. I fail to understand how an otherwise sane human being is befooled so easily by religious gurus when it comes to religion. Religion in itself is not a bad thing, it’s the fanatics who make use of it in a wrong way for their vested interest. Marx has said it rightly, “religion is the opium of the masses” …..

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