It is becoming quite clear that
religion is a threat to humanity. Climate change, pandemic, war, extinction of
species, biodiversity loss, ocean degradation, air water soil pollution, land
degradation, food insecurity, malnutrition, human wildlife conflict, market
capitalism, wanton consumption…the list is long, are all serious and imminent
threat to survival of human on earth as also other species. However, all these
critical issues are subsided by threat of religion as it makes humans incapable
and incapacitated to respond to changing reality. Religion undermines
existential threat by offering fantastical fictions as option. It offers
otherworldly explanation and god’s will -fatalism, as solution. Now, few
centuries back when the awareness of reality was limited, and threat were not
global and did not have ramification beyond limited region, these did make
sense. It assuaged human insecurities and frailties. It helped in creating some
peace through cooperation among its followers hence civilizations to take root.
With increase in awareness and knowledge it was expected that the compassionate
system coopted these new understandings to help humans grow into better but that
didn’t happen. The system was too ossified -a byproduct of darker and simpler
age, and concerned with self-perpetuation of controllers. Religion is simply
incapable to handle the intricate challenges that onslaught of new ideas and
thoughts brought. It has become too glaring in recent times and is woefully, in most case embarrassingly, inconsistent with growing knowledge. It is acceptable
when religion creates space for spiritual yearnings in uncertain times and provides
in ephemeral nature of life, for common people to share and value their feelings. But the nature of religion doesn’t really allow these benign spaces. It hinges on
prescriptions and adherence, working in a context increasingly alien to contemporary
world. There are nefarious forces controlling the system that seeks to establish
its authority over hapless people trapped in their insecurities and miseries. It
is quite saddening the way things have turned out to be. It is deeply disturbing
the way religions are severely degrading democratic institutions while narrowing
space for humanity to thrive.
It will be wrong to put every religion
in the same context. Every religion has gone through tribulation within the
context of its functioning. They have all contributed to the growth of humanity
in their own way. Every religion had its obscurantist force as also empathy
driven enlightening presence. This has been the constant struggle throughout
the history. In the contemporary world despite the best efforts, it is really
impossible for religion to play positive role. The world has progressed too far
from the realities that these religions made sense. World has become a small
place with latest technologies and understandings hence religion becomes segregatory,
exclusionist, seeding ideas that are increasingly fanciful and dangerous. It therefore
becomes easy for charlatans to tap into these systems to further degrade discourse
and possibilities of better world. Religions therefore cannot be allowed carte blanche
as representing some innate truth or divine intervention. It cannot appropriate
sacred space. It will have to face the contemporary world and its challenges. These
fantastical fictions cannot be allowed to define identity hence sneak in as diversity.
It’s a degradation. This must be understood in clear terms. It is a threat to
hard won values of liberty and freedom. It is a persistent threat to all the
values that humanity cherish.
I have been watching Star Trek
series again after so many decades. I vaguely remember some but what I recall
the most is the wonder it created in young mind. They created interesting premise to probe. Now as I watch I have come
to appreciate and value the subtle world they created and the attempts they made
to evolve human minds through these stories and entertainment. It also shows
how much effort it must have been to nurture such minds. The other day was
watching wherein humanoid realizes the importance of diversity. The creation
values infinite diversity. For which Mr. Spock (iconic character -part human
part Vulcan, played by amiable brilliant Leonard Nimoy) replies “…and the way
our differences combines to create meaning and beauty”. Diversity is something
to be cherished. Nature favors diversity. It creates resilience as also opportunities
to evolve to deal with reality optimally. The reason why biodiversity is
critical for survival of life. Similarly, diversity of ideas and understanding adds
to “meaning and beauty” of life. Religion doesn’t add to any diversity. It’s a degradation,
and is usurping the space for diversity. There are some sinister feudal forces
who are promoting religion in these benign garbs to play savior.
Religion is a human created aberration
on earth system. It is a virus that converts decent sentient humans into herds incapable
to value life or estimate the significance of reality. It must be resisted. As societies
evolved and people became aware they start to question the authority of religion.
They created space for banter as also derision on this ridiculous faith in fantastical fiction
that contradicted directly to easy evaluations and basic logic. This helped religion
to evolve too into spiritual spaces shedding its anachronistic narrations. Things
though have degraded at an alarming rate in recent times. Cunning conniving
herd controllers are competing with each other for control. The failure of education,
its immense possibilities confined to narrow ‘use’. Sense of insecurities
pervading despite the best of possibilities for humans that could ever be imagined.
Market media and capitalism hinged on wanton consumption too have contributed
to discontent and apathy. Transactional relations and loneliness added to the
disquiet. For unexamined minds the semantics of dealing was already trapped in
alphabets of superstition and faith. It was easy for the subconscious to associate
with centuries of well-entrenched traps of instincts of religion. It is heart
wrenching as humans get entrapped in cesspool that denies their core being.
Life is sacrosanct. There is nothing
more precious than life. So, when pernicious religion claims sanctity over
human life then sane forces must realize the danger it poses to humanity. A civilized
society must nurture space to ridicule religion, it must encourage blasphemy. It
must encourage inquisitive minds and free souls. Survival of humanity is hinged
on these. Shackles of religion holds everything that is detrimental to human
progress. Ridicule is not one way process. It is not a claim that my way is
better than yours. My way is very much open to ridicule, and correction. The only
thing that matters here is aesthetics. Aesthetics of life that connects to
nature.
