Before you start pointing out the hypocrisy, let me tell you what I think. Am I stupid enough to believe in the existence of a magical land consisting of all-powerful creatures? No. Am I narcissistic enough to think we are the best creation the universe has to offer and there lies no greater power? No. In other words, I’m an agnostic.
Let’s go back to the beginning. When we first came, we were clueless as to what the hell was going around us. The world and its endless mysteries confused us, scared us. We started asking questions: “Why do I exist and what is my purpose?”, “Why is everything the way it is?” We needed answers, and we needed meaning. Hence was born the idea of God, an explanation to everything that was going on. ‘The God of the Gaps’, as Friedrich Nietzsche's said, "into every gap they put their delusion, their stopgap, which they called God."
When we saw Thunder, it was Zeus (/Jupiter/Indra). When we saw waves, it was Poseidon(/Neptune/Varun). Every phenomenon from our creation (Cronos/Saturn/Brahma) to death (Hades/Pluto/Yama) to every thing- the Sun, the moon, the sky; had a god assigned. Whether we were right or wrong, believing what gave us comfort worked out for us in the end.
Simply put, it made it easy to understand the overwhelming mystery the universe is. As mankind progressed, we came up with a different tool to make sense of the world, science. It replaced religion, very literally. Think about it, everything is based on estimates and predictions. Just like no one has seen god, no one has seen the structure of an atom. Who is to say that we are not living in a simulation? A day might come when a whole new system of thinking proves that everything science found was actually false, just the way science showed us that the beliefs of religion were false. Science has become what religion was to us back then. It was never war, it was succession.
Now, how cheerfully will you get up everyday knowing that you are an infinitesimal part of a cosmic accident and your existence hardly matters? It’s nice to believe you serve a purpose, that your life has meaning, that it’s all been written out in the book of destiny and everything’s going to go the way it’s supposed to, that there is someone out there looking out for you. Whoever says god doesn’t exist, how do you really define ‘existence’? Can we say that an idea that has not been physically present but made such a huge impact on the course of humanity as well as the life of every single human being, more than anyone that ever ‘existed’, is non-existent?
J. Oppenheimer said, “I am become death, destroyer of worlds.” Everything, used in the wrong way, has its flaws. When you use nuclear technology to build an atom bomb rather than in power plants, it makes you wrong, and not the science. Similarly, when you kill people and demolish a mosque to build a temple to feed your own ego or commit jihad in the name of Allah; your interpretation of the faith is wrong, not the faith. Pray, not hoping you will succeed without struggle but to keep yourself struggling when things seem bleak. Logically, religion is the only thing that has held its ground and survived the test of time, from the beginning till date. 84% of all humans associate with a religion.
What would you do, if you knew there would be no consequences? What tells you right from wrong? A code of ethics, a discipline to live by. This was religion. The fear of going to hell kept us on the path of goodness and the notion that someone was watching us always prevented us from committing ‘sins’. ‘The Purge’ would not be a favourable scenario. That code of ethics for us now is the law. The fear of jail has replaced the fear of hell. At a time when there was no judiciary, this was the only thing that kept society in check. A large amount of people still hold on to their generosity and perform charitable tasks in the name of god.
To conclude, let’s think of it this way. Your religion can be anything you’re passionate about, whatever keeps you on your feet through every feat. Personally, I want to be make millions and travel the world and that image, that thought pushes me and motivates me. My religion is that penthouse I want in New York. Make life worth living, go find your religion.
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