It’s almost impossible to raise an issue about the existence and authority of God. Whole world is immersed in the divine colours of God.
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B D Agarwal
It’s almost impossible to raise an issue about the existence and authority of God. Whole world is immersed in the divine colours of God. No one would be prepared to hear a single word challenging the very existence of almighty. However, I have mustered courage to take on this challenge after confirming from Wikipedia that nearly 7% of the world population identifies themselves as atheist or agnostic.
At the outset, I make it clear that I do not possess the requisite grounds to challenge the divine power that rules the universe. My write-up is confined to the different holy characters and revered versions of Gods and Goddesses. The world is broadly divided in three religions, viz Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Followers of other religions and sects fall into similar patterns of belief.
Divinity refers to the sacred and ultimate truth, whereas religion is the structured system to attain divinity or to reach the heaven of Gods. In the present age, religion has taken upper hand than spirituality.
Hinduism is claimed to be the oldest surviving religion in the world. Hinduism has no definite starting point. However, the traditions which flow into Hinduism may go back several thousand years and some practitioners claim that the Hindu revelation is eternal. The history of Hindusim can be traced from a number of epics, viz Puran, Vedas, Ramayan, Bhagavad Geeta etc. Dharma—meaning law, duty, and truth—is the soul of Hinduism. According to Hindu mythology the universe transcends through four phases/ages, namely Satyug, Tretayug, Dwaparyug and Kalyug (current era) and each era consisted of millions of years. The origin of the Hindu year isn't a single point but a system rooted in ancient Vedic astronomy, primarily using lunar phases and solar years.
People professing faith in Christianity believe that God, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of a virgin named Mary, performed miracles, founded the Christian Church, died by crucifixion as a sacrifice to achieve atonement for sin, rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven from where he will return. Commonly, Christians believe Jesus enables people to be reconciled to God. The great majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son. The Christian era (AD) is counted from the traditionally accepted time of Jesus’ birth.
Followers of Prophet Muhammad call their religion as Islam. Prophet Muhammad was born around 570 A.D. The history of Islam is believed, by most historians, to have originated with Muhammad's mission in Mecca and Medina at the start of the 7th century. Muhammad was born into the most powerful tribe in Mecca, the Quraish. It is believed that when Prophet Muhammad was meditating at Mount Hira, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him and instructed him to recite the name of his lord. This was the first of many revelations that became the basis of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. The Quran is the central religious text of Islam. In 622, Prophet Muhammad headed to Medina. The move from Mecca to Medina is known as the hijra, marking the hijri calendar.
Apparently, universe was created by a supreme power much before Gods of different religions came into existence. In this way, people are living in a misconception that the earth was created and is run by their Gods. Had the self proclaimed Gods were/are really powerful no massacre of human beings should have taken place in any part of the world. On the contrary, mass killings are taking place in the name of religion. These supreme powers could not prevent 26/11 massacre in Mumbai, 9/11 twin tower carnage in USA, 2014- killing of 150 students in a school in Peshawar (Pakistan), 2007- Mecca Masjid bombing in Hyderabad (India), 2019- Christchurch massacre, killing 51 worshippers in a mosque, 2011- mass shooting in Norway and bloodbath in Israel in 2023, Baga massacre in Nigeria in 2015 (to name a few massacres) besides destruction of humanity during wars between the countries. Losses of human lives and every living creature in natural disasters are regular phenomena. These acts of destruction are unfolding right before the eyes of the Almighty. Even crimes occur in holy places, while God remains silent.
Not only that, it is very frequently seen that people either on way to churches, mosques and mandirs (temples) or returning from these religious places, after taking blessings of Gods, meet un-natural and painful deaths during pilgrimages. In most of these journeys only pious and religious people visit temples of different faiths to seek blessings. However, the outcomes often fall short of blessings and expectations.
The super powers of the present day are nowhere in the sight to avert these happenings. Despite utter failure of promises, assurances and blessings of Gods to their devotees everyday utterly religious people still continue to believe the existence of incarnated Gods. The reason is simple; faith on the contrary requires belief without evidence.
There is no harm in believing any entity as a God. The real threat lies in attempts to establish a particular religion above another. In the pursuit of establishing the supremacy of a particular religion over others a medley run is ongoing and numerous terrorist organisations have also emerged to complete the run. These organisations are involved in fratricide at random, killing brothers and sisters of the same universe, being run by the same divine power, to establish and impose their faith over other religion. Here again, all divine authorities appear helpless.
Despite there being no established proof, logic or evidence that man-made Gods are direct descendents of the supreme power, a tussle is ongoing to establish the supremacy of religions. The slogan of the day is ‘religion first, humanity last’. Humanity remains locked in conflict over religious superiority. Is there any way to arrest the spread of religious propaganda and activities in the name of God sans any proof of being the original creator of the universe? This will save human casualties, human resources for productive works and prevent money draining out, human to human hatred and much more. Expect the society will wake-up.
Disclaimer: With malice to none, especially to Gods and Religions.
(The writer is Former Judge, Gauhati High Court)