Religion and The Changing Times

September 27, 2006

Religion and The Changing Times

by T.S.Khanna

Mark Twain once remarked that when he was 14, he could hardly stand his father around. At 21, he was amazed to note how much the old man had learned (changed) in seven years. Similarly, the societies with normal growth are amazed to note that Almighty God has changed so much since the religions were founded. The ivory tower religious followers faith in victory to the “truth and honesty” has been in conflict with actual experiences. Facts indicate that truth and honesty have little value in power circles.

The religious leaders, usually in pursuit of power with a pure facade of religion, also know that truth and honesty, as rare as they are, their supply is greater than their demand in the religious power circles. Yet, they are successfully able to prey upon the gullibility of the common man, who, in turn, in the name of piety, serves them as the power base.

Almighty God ( beyond the understanding of human beings, in spite of the religious claims) seems to grant victory to the strong and the cunning; imposes morality on the weak and humble; bestows wealth upon the intelligent and prudent; gifts the superior quality of life to the wise; gives courage without discretion to the foolish; assures hope without reason(false hope) to those in blind faith, and, promises an illusion of heaven to the “self-righteous, truthful and honest”. The illusion of imagined paradise promises to fulfill any wish of a self-righteous person for some assigned sacrifice. However, that promise is conditional to leaving this world so that the illusion may never be tested for its authenticity.

In the times of conflict, religion provides a great emotional unity and secularism causes reasoning differences in the society.

Keeping secular democracy independent of religion is a new challenge of the modern times.