The question: "How on earth does one figure out the religion of infants dumped on the road, and sent to various orphanages?" is not easy to answer.
May be a literary device could be helpful. :"How on earth does one figure out the CITIZENSHIP of infants dumped on the road, and sent to various orphanages?". Instead of CITIZENSHIP we could use MOTHER TONGUE or other words as well. The absurdity of the question then stands out and points to various kinds of answers. One can infer that the relationship to parent defines these attributes. These are acquired attributes and not innate in anybody.
Religion of a person therefore is mere accident of birth and to read too much into it is meaningless. Whatever meaning that exists in a religion has been infused into it by thoughts, emotions and practice. This inference not only provides scope to change your religion, also change your religion itself. The latter stance is better and drives emancipation effort.
I don't think this topic is very new, and all of us will have something to blurt. So, here goes a little thought.
Humanity is divided. Period. The barriers are many ... religion is just one. Some other splitters are gender, wealth, education, ego. One could add many more. Ultimately, it boils down to ME & the rest (not even us & them).
When brothers fight for a piece of the cake, or son kills pop, or a man rapes his wife, or a father rapes his daughter ... Look around and you find the numbers would be very high ... at a global level, it's genocide.
Only spirituality-driven enlightenment can change attitudes. Live & let live.
Sir, The religions of west named Judaism, Christianity and Islam are definitely cyanides. However, Vedic Dharm is not cyanide. It gives one freedom of faith & right to property. In fact no one can survive without either government or Dharm. Yours etc, Apt
Eexcellent article. We need more of them to debate on religion's existence. Those who are saying religion teaches peace and love may have never followed it in their whole life. It is true that religion is main cause of conflicts all over the world leading to "us and them" and mentality. WORLD WILL BE MUCH PEACEFUL TO LIVE IN WITHOUT RELIGION.
An interesting article after a long time on rediff.
Agree with the point of view almost entirely, but would have liked a better ending. I was hoping to see the article taken to an end (atleast an attempt), but all we got was a view which had too many loose ends...
Mr.Sengupta has forgotten to mention the greatest genocide in the name of religion, what the various Muslim invaders have done to Hindus. (cf meaning of HINDUKUSH) May be one has to supress that to be "secular" Narayana Swamy
Actually it is mentality to conversert someone or to bring a person to its fold which has made a religion Cyanide. Most of us fail to understand this and thus cursing religion. For a moment if you give up your religion but you will still be sticking to some ethical rules. so why condemn religion . condemn menetallity which make you to fell that your set of practices/ rules are superior to other's and those who donot follow you are living in dark.
Yes it is, if people like you talk about it. How much time you or people who agree with you have spent or invested in religion? I can write better than you. What do you think about it? Have you ever met a person who has spent whole life in religion? If you have, how could you judge that person's capabilites? Religion is not something to talk about, it is what you practice. Jack Daniels or too much power does not give you automatic right to be authority on religion. You are not the worst person just because you have written such article, you just can not know evrything in life. And if you don't, why preach it? One has to be capable of being religious first and then follow the religion and the best one can follow is given by parents. Religion can only make a person more wise and contribute to the society.
RE:Religion is cynide
by vinamra on Dec 19, 2005 07:08 PM Permalink
"Religion is not something to talk about, it is what you practice"...are you practising and to what extent and what have u got?.. more illusions propably..
"One has to be capable of being religious first and then follow the religion and the best one can follow is given by parents.".. why parents? what abt individuality?.. what abt freedom of choice?...
"Religion can only make a person more wise and contribute to the society"... u couldn't able to understand the article...ut has never happenned in the history of mankind and u'll never happen...and yes religionhas contributed a lot to the society by class, violence, superstition, taking rights from the women ... in order religion to make a person more wise it has to be written by wise people.. and if people are wise then why to write..baby it is only there so that some people can dominant and dictate illerate people and deny them of any power..
When i saw the title of this column, i hoped it was a good article to read. However it is almost a crap! For telling a truth one needs to be bold!aND Mr Sengupta is not bold enough to come out with a factual article! Every major religion in this world teaches universal brotherhood except islam. The post islamic world has seen so much of bloodshed on the name of islam. It is not an allegation but a truth. Read the history by the then islamic historians like the one accompanying Md. Gazni. Basicalyy what we need today is a debate over religions and any religion which propogates hatred must be exposed!
Which part of india have you visited that you claim that cast system is practised? cast system cannot be practised as such, this is a system wherein people are diffrenctiated on the basis on what work they do. for e.g in any organisation there is one CEO few directored some managers and then executives, what is wrong in this system that you are crying foul? pls understand the fact, can you suggest any other way of system? hindu religion is the religion where people are differentiated on the basis of job they do and it is good for the socity also, what will happen if you put an executive on CEO's post? ofcourse in due course of time executive can become CEO, but there is nothing wrong in having different class of people so that they do what they can do best, an contribute towards a larger goal.
RE:Religion
by elizabeth varghese on Dec 19, 2005 06:17 PM Permalink
i would like to point out that you have not understood history in its wholesome nature. what about the inhuman caste system which was practised by upper caste hindus. what about the periodic genocide of palestinians indulged in by israel with the support of a christian country. i can quote any number of examples. my point is why select out islam only.
RE:Religion
by Arun on Dec 20, 2005 03:38 PM Permalink
Elizabeth! I don't know in which part of world u do live. However citing example of caste system shows ur grave ignorance about Hinduism. In this system though the condition of Shudras was not good, it was perhaps much better than those of slaves which other communities used. Anyway , caste system has no relevance in the present Hindu society except matrimony and vote bank politics. There were atrocities on human being by many of the religions but it is a past now. All the religions have now got reformed except ISLAM.This is the reason i pointed it out. Please refer www.faithfreedom.org and u will understand the real matter.
be impartial
by elizabeth varghese on Dec 21, 2005 06:00 PM Permalink
i was amused by the responses to my reply to Arun's opinion. in my message i have criticised all religions. but it has led to the fanatical self-defence of the evil practices in one's own religion. as if i selected out hinduism alone! caste system denied the basic fundamental human rights to most people. even now in many backward villages of india it is being practised.
caste system
by Vijaya Kumar on Dec 20, 2005 02:58 AM Permalink
Elizbeth, Caste system in one form or the other is practiced by all peoples of the world. There was nothing inhuman about it. It had its advantages. It was not slavery. It was never as horrible as sending Christians to fight the lions and tigers, or Christians burning witches and having hersays and inquisitions or Muslims ravaging lands. Every society has its faults, while you want all Hindus to be faultless, you are unknowingly justifying the ravages of others religions because some one else has also done. I live in a Christian country where slavery was followed and discrimination was legal. Hindus did more to rectify the past than any other culture did. The reliion is not going to go away. Among them, still with all its faults, Hindu and its offshoots Buddhist and Jains are the most tolerent and amending religions. Vijaya Kumar
