Of Beliefs and Prophets
Swami Gulagulaananda said:
"Problems don't arise due to beliefs... Problems arise when you force it upon others"
Religion has been around for thousands of years and I am sure it is not going to go anywhere anytime soon. With the advent of Social Media, information can travel across the world rapidly. These are two facts.
There is nothing wrong with believing in something. We all go through life's ups and downs - and some times we are alone when we are down. Sometimes, we don't have anyone to fall back upon though we would have loved to have someone to reassure us. And when you feel all is lost, you find solace in God. You pray to God, pray that all your troubles go away. You derive strength from faith. Even if your problems don't all go away, you feel invigourated. Problems are given to you only because God knows you have the strength to solve it, they say... And even if you didn't, it works - perhaps a placebo effect. People do remarkable things because of faith...
People do remarkable things because of faith - A sentence that looks ordinary, but has both positive and negative connotations. Positive, I have already explained above.
The downside of faith is the urge to make others believe in what you believe in. It's okay to believe in something. But to force your beliefs upon others is absolute blasphemy! That's right, I intentionally used the word blasphemy because you are thinking you are doing God's work by spreading His words to others, but that itself is true sacrilege.
I have had innumerable conversations with some christians who have called me a lost soul who has tread away from the path of God, who have asked me to accept christ into my heart for he died for my sins and that he is the only path to heaven. I asked them - If I don't believe in christ, will I go to hell? And they gave a resounding yes.
Today I saw a photo in a Facebook page called Muslims and India, that I have attached below.
These kind of statements are absolutely unacceptable. If you are telling this as part of a generic scholarly discussion with no connotations, great, go for it. Unfortunately this is not what they are doing. Rather, they are trying to say something entirely different. Apparently there is another hotshot called Zakir Naik who's supposed to be a man who speaks with a really hypnotic twisted logic (I haven't personally read or listened to him, but I have heard a lot about him)
This photo had comments that said - In that case, we should respect the Vedas. What does this mean? So if the Vedas hadn't foretold the advent of prophet, you wouldn't respect it? Then what kind of secularism are we talking about?
Suggested Reading - If you believe this guy:
[1]Prophet in Hindu Scriptures – An analysis (Part 1)
[2] Bhavisya Purana and the Prophet Mohammed
Problems don't arise due to faith - It happens only when you say "You are wrong, I am right... So start accepting what I am saying" You can never be right, nor can I - That's why it's called belief. This is especially true for atheists who keep bringing in science all the time. Science is awesome, and I am a big fan - No doubt. But science also needs proof for everything. Just because something cannot be explained, it doesn't mean it's not true. There are still a lot of unexplained events that happen and until you can explain it all, there still is space for supernatural to exist. At the same time, it doesn't mean that you should stop researching something just because it could be supernatural. If you are not totally open to every possibility, you are not much of a science guy. You have to categorically disprove everything. Atheism is also a faith, and it's okay to be an atheist. Just don't go around mocking a believer. Likewise.
It might be sounding like a refrain by now, but I would like to reiterate the point I am making in this post - Problems don't arise due to beliefs... Problems arise when you force it upon others. Wars, terrorism, communal violence and misunderstandings - all stem up because you are comparing two faiths, when you start doing things in the name of faith, when you make it your life's goal to spread your faith. Don't do that! Why can't you let people be the way they are. Do what you want to do, don't hurt others.
Ha! Don't hurt others - Ahimsa paramo dharma - a belief of Hindus... Now am I forcing my beliefs on you? :-) Think about it.
"Problems don't arise due to beliefs... Problems arise when you force it upon others"
Religion has been around for thousands of years and I am sure it is not going to go anywhere anytime soon. With the advent of Social Media, information can travel across the world rapidly. These are two facts.
There is nothing wrong with believing in something. We all go through life's ups and downs - and some times we are alone when we are down. Sometimes, we don't have anyone to fall back upon though we would have loved to have someone to reassure us. And when you feel all is lost, you find solace in God. You pray to God, pray that all your troubles go away. You derive strength from faith. Even if your problems don't all go away, you feel invigourated. Problems are given to you only because God knows you have the strength to solve it, they say... And even if you didn't, it works - perhaps a placebo effect. People do remarkable things because of faith...
People do remarkable things because of faith - A sentence that looks ordinary, but has both positive and negative connotations. Positive, I have already explained above.
The downside of faith is the urge to make others believe in what you believe in. It's okay to believe in something. But to force your beliefs upon others is absolute blasphemy! That's right, I intentionally used the word blasphemy because you are thinking you are doing God's work by spreading His words to others, but that itself is true sacrilege.
I have had innumerable conversations with some christians who have called me a lost soul who has tread away from the path of God, who have asked me to accept christ into my heart for he died for my sins and that he is the only path to heaven. I asked them - If I don't believe in christ, will I go to hell? And they gave a resounding yes.
Today I saw a photo in a Facebook page called Muslims and India, that I have attached below.
These kind of statements are absolutely unacceptable. If you are telling this as part of a generic scholarly discussion with no connotations, great, go for it. Unfortunately this is not what they are doing. Rather, they are trying to say something entirely different. Apparently there is another hotshot called Zakir Naik who's supposed to be a man who speaks with a really hypnotic twisted logic (I haven't personally read or listened to him, but I have heard a lot about him)
This photo had comments that said - In that case, we should respect the Vedas. What does this mean? So if the Vedas hadn't foretold the advent of prophet, you wouldn't respect it? Then what kind of secularism are we talking about?
Suggested Reading - If you believe this guy:
[1]Prophet in Hindu Scriptures – An analysis (Part 1)
[2] Bhavisya Purana and the Prophet Mohammed
Problems don't arise due to faith - It happens only when you say "You are wrong, I am right... So start accepting what I am saying" You can never be right, nor can I - That's why it's called belief. This is especially true for atheists who keep bringing in science all the time. Science is awesome, and I am a big fan - No doubt. But science also needs proof for everything. Just because something cannot be explained, it doesn't mean it's not true. There are still a lot of unexplained events that happen and until you can explain it all, there still is space for supernatural to exist. At the same time, it doesn't mean that you should stop researching something just because it could be supernatural. If you are not totally open to every possibility, you are not much of a science guy. You have to categorically disprove everything. Atheism is also a faith, and it's okay to be an atheist. Just don't go around mocking a believer. Likewise.
It might be sounding like a refrain by now, but I would like to reiterate the point I am making in this post - Problems don't arise due to beliefs... Problems arise when you force it upon others. Wars, terrorism, communal violence and misunderstandings - all stem up because you are comparing two faiths, when you start doing things in the name of faith, when you make it your life's goal to spread your faith. Don't do that! Why can't you let people be the way they are. Do what you want to do, don't hurt others.
Ha! Don't hurt others - Ahimsa paramo dharma - a belief of Hindus... Now am I forcing my beliefs on you? :-) Think about it.
Comments
"ahimsa paramo dharmaH, dharmahimsa tathaiva ca" --- which means "Non violence is the best "virtue" and so is violence which is rooted in "virtue" "