Niraj v. Religion
Quite avowedly, I am an atheist. The way I came to this belief, or lack thereof, is fairly standard: I explored specific religions, couldn’t find one that was logical, fair, and brought me comfort, so I backed off and explored the nature of religion in general, and went through the same process. Eventually I decided that there was not only no ( Read more... )
Well, I've been raised in a family that's actually pretty religious. We have the mandir in our house, I know the Sanskrit prayers. Just the other day, I was having trouble writing a history paper and my mom told me to go light a candle in front of the gods and pray to them to help me with the paper. I did it. But it made me think...did that help at all? I still had trouble finishing the paper afterwards. The reason I finished was because I forced myself to concentrate. But I digress.
I've been debating back and forth with myself a lot lately if I really truly believe in Hinduism. Sure, I classify myself as Hindu, but I have been raised that way. Now that I'm older and can think for myself, I question it a lot more. Especially since I got into science, and I think in terms of reason a lot more now. Science and religion start to clash at so many places now. One thing I would like to bring up that you didn't mention is that all of the major religions blast homosexuals as defilers of God. Now science has shown that there is a possibility of homosexuality being genetic. Not something that you choose. I don't see how a "loving" God could turn away homosexuals if they cannot help what they are. There are too many contradictions in organized religion.
You also mentioned that you could not understand the "why" of it being important to have faith. I think that people turn to religion as a way to escape harsh realities. You used the example of a wonderful girl being killed in a car wreck. I think it's easier for people to believe that there was some higher purpose in her death and God needed her, than to believe that it was just a tragic accident that should not have occured. It's an escape from reality, in a way.
And thank you for mentioning that people should not force their beliefs on others. I think that those people are the most annoying of all people on this planet. You remember me telling you about the Chick Tracts, right? I'm not even kidding, two days later, some people stopped by our house and handed us pamphlets about Jesus Christ being the one true savior and there was one of those comics in there.
I don't know. Maybe I'm religious. Maybe I'm not. I just can't reconcile reason and religion in my mind yet.
Great post overall!
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