Sunday, August 14, 2005

Not Afraid

"He was a God-fearing man". I don't know how many times I have read this phrase used to describe people in their eulogies and epitaphs. And yet, every time without fail, it evokes laughter from me. "God-fearing". What the Hell is that supposed to mean? That he was scared of God? Apparently yes, that is what it is supposed to convey and according to the fools that most people choose to follow the teachings of, it is a good quality. A quality that makes a man great and humble. According to me, it is a joke.....and a poor one at that.

Let's look at things objectively here. Most people think I am totally wrong in my views when I say that religions and the concept of God that they preach are the biggest pile of bulls*it that was ever gifted to this world. But even a cursory glance at religion and what it has given the world reveals that it has yielded little other than bloodshed, war, hatred, riots and terrorism. In addition of course, to creating the deepest divides that you will ever see between people who for all practical purposes should not really have any reason for not co-existing.

Fear God, religion says. Well, pardon me for saying this, but if "God" was such a nice, forgiving and peace-loving guy, he'd hardly want me to fear him, would he? Even my father doesn't want me to fear him....and you want me to believe that this "God" of yours (whom I refuse to believe in) wants me to fear him? Get a life...and a brain as well, while you are at it......would do wonders for your blinkered and jaundiced vision.

God loves us all, religion says. Hmmm....interesting thought there, because this makes me want to question how it then happens that only the "true believers" of a religion will go to "Heaven", as per every religion that I have read up on. This also leads to an intriguing thought process. What if there are two people, who are both "true believers" but of different religions? As per the religion of each of these two Johnnies, he will go to Heaven for being a true believer, but the other will be condemned forever to Hell, for not being one......Hmmm......parallel Universes I have read about....but I must admit that Parallel Heavens and Hells is a new concept......perhaps the religious preachers would like to explore this one.......oh wait, they're too bigoted to do that, aren't they? Well, either way, it just makes me ask the question, "If your God loves everyone, why does he discriminate on the basis of religion? What if an atheist lives a very pure and good life and a 'believer' is a damned terrorist? Who goes to Heaven then?"

There is only one God, religion says, and all paths lead to him. Well, in that case, why proselytize? You have faith in God and in the way of life you believe in, Mr. Smith has faith in another way of life.....why must you make him believe in yours? Bullcrap, when you think of it that way, isn't it? A small example of this at work. After the tsunami, there were some Christian "relief" organisations (from the "oh-so-liberal" USA) that were caught on camera telling the victims that they had food, water, medicines and other aid with them, but they would only give it to them if they first converted to Christianity. Oh yes, we believe in your secularism and one-God concept now......

Another hilarious incident was when I was accosted by a nun who told me that she wanted to tell me about God. I love playing around with total losers like these, so I just decided to have a little fun. I already know what you want to say, I told her. I have my own faith and beliefs and do not need you to tell me about anything. "No. I am here to tell you about the true God" was her response. Huh? "There is no God. And even if there were to be one, with an attitude like yours, you are the last person that is likely to know anything about him, bi*ch".

One must respect other faiths and allow people religious freedom, is what the religious preachers say in public. One wonders then why even the silly Pope opposed the move by a particular state government to ban "forcible conversion". One also wonders why people like Osama bin Laden and co. are openly supported by religious clerics.....it is indeed astounding to think of the magnitude of hatred and destruction that has been wrought by this diabolic contraption called religion, which was created by the minds of power-craving sadists, but it is even more mystifying to see the supposedly educated and modern people of today blindly following the same diktats with conviction that is so horribly misplaced.

Why should I believe in your silly concept of God? People go to their places of worship and listen to some stupid priest say some crap about what "God" wants them to do. Well, who told him that anyway? He's just a stupid self-serving prick who loves the idea of the power he feels when he can stand there and address all those people from his pulpit and feel good about the number of morons that actually listen to him spew nonsense into the atmosphere around him.....who ever gave him the right to preach? And by inference, why should I believe in anything the bloody loser has to say?

There has been absolutely nothing positive that has resulted from these religious missionaries. And that is quite simply because they have nothing to offer. I too could stand up and make an impassioned speech about how "God" wants the lot of losers in front of me to be "good people" and "(make ;-) ) love to their neighbours". I too could write books about how I am the Messenger or the Son or the nephew or excreta of God and how everyone should pray, what postures they should sit in, what position to squat in how their duty is to endeavour to impose the faith I preach onto the rest of the world. I could do these quite easily and so could a lot of other people....in fact, just about any Tom or Dick or for that matter, Harry, could quite conceivably do all these tasks and more within the space of a couple of days, without having broken a sweat.

Now let's have a short look at what religion is giving the world today.

1. Terrorism across the freaking world (Osama and co.).
2. Territorial disputes across the world...which then result in terrorism (Chechnya, Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Xinjiang etc.).
3. Gay paedophilia.
4. Motherwhore Teresa. (I have more data on this bi*ch than you will be able to digest, so please refrain from trying to defend her.)
5. The "Save an Indian Soul" campaign sponsored by the American Catholic Church and supported by the Bush family among others. (Thanks, but I really think my soul can do without being saved by you....)
6. Rioting all over the freaking place.

I could go on forever. The hypocrisy of religious organisations, the sheer hatred they spread and the lies that they try to make people believe in are despicable.

Why do people then believe in God and religion? Simple. Because most people are just too damn weak, too inept and just too stupid to accept life as it is and to accept themselves, their shortcoming and weaknesses, without having a crutch called God, on which to blame all the "misfortune" and on whom to rely for support when they see how useless they are.....and miserably they have failed......so "God" bless your souls.....Fat chance.... All said and done, I am not afraid of your "God".....and let's see what retribution he takes for this.......Bring it on!!!!

10 comments:

Snowbear said...

The Biblical reverence of "Fearing" God meant, Respecting or reverance of Deity.

Snowbear said...

Years ago I went through some trying times that left me just as embittered as you are now. Continuing to working through my personal issuse I now view life much differently, and am more likily to continue growing viewing GOD differently than the main stream. I "believe" in GOD, but don't limit "HIM" to a religious tag. Deity is far beyond my small minded dirt speck of a life to scratch the sruface of any reasonable understanding. I totally agree with you that Religions are a 'racket and a snare' of the weak minded; yet we are all weak minded and need of crouches at various times in our lives.

Personal resopncibility and accountability is what's important; the higher archy of religious sects for this and we all see it when they fall to being mere humans again. Thus like you and I they struggle along the walk as well...

Namaste!

hUmDiNgEr said...

Nice one Mukund. U r bang on when you talked about those missonaries and so called "mother". I too have heard some amazing stories about her. Many of frns called me names when I told them those stories. Heck...they never get it.

But, dont u see any difference b/w Abrahamic Faiths and Oriental religions.
I think the issue is with confusing b/w faith and religion.

You look at any Oriental religions...they are compltely filled with Philosophies rather than mythologies.

I read vEdanta philosophy and always wonder how true those ppl that pronounced them. They never talk about personal God or any such crap. I found it very interesting and laden with lot of rational thoughts when compared to other religious philosophies.

But onething is always true...religion is personal. Whoever tries to force someone or "enlighten" someone else is a filthy pimp trying to sell a gals' body.

Jonas said...

hmm....any links to your 'data' on Mother Teresa? You got me interested.....

Darth Midnightmare said...

Falconmyst: Spot on! As long as you have a set of bekliefs that you choose to live by and as long as you keep them personal, I have no objection to what you believe in. Yet, when people begin to project these beliefs as the "only true faith" and when they endeavour to force them upon those around them, things get ugly.

Surya: One thing you have wrong mate. I have read some stuff on the ancient philosophy of India, yet nowhere did I find reference to "God", nor the concepts of Heaven and Hell, which I may dwell on later. They do not lay down any sort of rules and do not command anyone to do anything. If anything, they stress the point that as long as you do what you really believe in, you're on the right path....they do however advocate serious introspection and have a phenomenal depth in philosophy. As such, to call these "Oriental religion" would, I believe be incorrect. They do not clain to be a religion, set no clannish order and have no concept of God and Devil, Heaven and Hell etc......

Jonas: There are several sources you can dig out for data on the real face of Teresa. One small instance. In a speech (at the vatican I think it was), she said and I quote, "We are not social workers, we are harvesters of souls". A sickening statement if there ever was one. You can read a piece on her at the URL below.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2090083/

It may also interest you to read Germaine Greer's comments on Teresa. I know.....the rabid will say that Greer was crazy and a Teresa-hater etc...but please, are you telling me she's a Christian anti-Christian fundamentalist? Defies logic really.... She had by the way referred to Teresa as a "religious Imperialist".

Anonymous said...

those were some strong comments/obervations...for once i felt,people are misguided about the damn religion thing...though i am believer in god's existance limited to be with me.that's all.conversion of religions really piss me off...its like u mind urs and i mind mine.what the hell is religion,something noexistant but still our source of survival...

hUmDiNgEr said...

"As such, to call these "Oriental religion" would, I believe be incorrect. They do not clain to be a religion, set no clannish order and have no concept of God and Devil, Heaven and Hell etc......
"

exactly my point. We can not call these religion in the same sense as we call Abrahamic Faiths. This is because of our conditioning. We always relate religion to a God and other such supernatural things. Whereas this "religion" is a "way of life" rather than a "faith". If we fix the word "faith" to the "cannonic" religions , I dont think there would be any issue.

Darth Midnightmare said...

@Suraj: Read what religious philosophy (if that exists) tells you. It (religion) basically tells you about how God sees your every deed, rewards the good ones and punishes the bad ones. He will forgive you if you follow the true faiths and if you do penance i.e. turn to him for mercy. In my opinion, this sounds horribly like some egotistical law-enforcement agency.

Then religion tells you to look upon god as a friend and helper. Fair enough. But somehow this god only helps you when you are a true believer and when you pray to him to help you. Then they say that ALL the people on Earth are god's children and god loves them all. huh? Sounds suspiciously close to apartheid if you ask me, when they describe the criteria god sets for helping people or forgiving them.

Mind you, if you believe in god, you are free to do so. My main intent was to state why I detest religions. I think religions with their - at the very least highly twisted and distorted and the most a totally wrong - concept of faith and god have caused more damage to the world than any other cause. Nothing, NOTHING has ever caused nor will ever cause the sheer caarnage that religion has wreaked down the ages.

Darth Midnightmare said...

Red: Totally agree with you. As long as you keep things personal, things are ok....but there are too many people, who down the ages have devoted their entire lives to "spreading the light" and "enlightening others" and "preaching". Inevitably therefore, religions spill over into public life. It doesn't help that some religions are setup more in a manner like clubs!

Anonymous said...

Hi Mukund..

Well I would like to say that "God Fearing" maynot be the correct version of what was actually intended..

It is:

Paapa Bhayam : Fear of Sin
Daiva Preethi: Love for God
Sangha Neethi: Community Consciousness/Morality