As Satan perverts religion, atheists on a roll
God willing, India may soon have yet another religion — “Lingayatism”. On July 19, at a mammoth rally in Bidar, Lingayats from northern Karnakata, Andhra, Telengana and Maharastra announced the community’s decision to form a religion independent of Hinduism. (Lingayata was founded in the 12th century by Guru Basaveshwara, a Brahmin by birth, who fought caste system within the Hindu society). The rally exhorted Lingayats to dissociate themselves from being identified as Hindus. Community leaders addressed a memorandum to Karnataka chief minister urging him to take up their demand for a separate religion with the Centre.
If Lingayatism is accorded the status of a religion, the world will have one more religion to boast of in the crowded market place of religions led by Christianity (roughly 32 per cent) Islam (24), Hinduism (16), Buddhism (8) and the rest represented by Sikhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Judaism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Druidism, Shinto, Wicca and some other pagan religions. As religions multiply and “religiosity” or public display of it increases especially in countries like India and Africa and Middle East, Atheism has been surging rapidly in the developed world.
Religion has ceased to serve mankind’s deep needs of peace, harmony, order, spiritual solace and transcendental meaning. It seems Satan always had some control over religions and that explains why religious fundamentalists behave as though they are possessed by demonic hatred against fellow human beings. The Islamic State is the latest villain in this cyclical faith-induced carnage. As a corollary, the young, educated and liberal sections are getting increasingly sick of religion that divides, spread hatred and shed blood in its mindless pursuit for supremacy and lucre.
A whopping 61 per cent of China’s population is non-believers and Japan has 31 per cent of them. Hack Spirit website reported that (based on a global survey by National Geographic) atheism is now the fastest growing religion in the world; second largest religious affiliation in North America and the majority of Europe. In the US alone approximately 22.8 per cent of the population now identifies as atheist, up 6.7 per cent 2007. The study found that France, New Zealand, UK, Australia and the Netherlands will soon have a higher population of atheists than any other religious affiliation. “Australia and the UK are already on the brink of losing their Christian majorities,” the report said adding “the millennial generation is leading the charge towards atheism.” Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Czechoslovakia also have large populations of non-believers.
While these are highly developed liberal societies, on the other side of the divide are 13 illiberal countries, some at the bottom rung of human development indices (such as Afghanistan, Nigeria, Qatar, Malaysia, Pakistan, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Mauritiania, Yeman, Maldives Saudi Arabia and UAE) where apostasy mandates death penalty. Last Tuesday a Malaysian minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim went to the extent of saying that atheists in his country should be “hunted down” by authorities. “I suggest that we hunt them down vehemently and we ask for help to identify these groups,” he told the local media.
India, of late, has been witnessing a spurt in mislaced religiosity and an overt display of religiousness. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was recently quoted as having said that: “As long as even an iota of religion is surviving in India, no power on earth can harm India. But unfortunately, if religion vanishes from India completely, then no power would be able to save India”. It is a different matter that religion is responsible for most of the conflict in the world and when it comes to violence no religion is inherently peaceful. Undistorted, Hinduism is a profound way of life, not a religion per se. It believes that God is in “everyone” and “everything”.
Unfortunately, a great religion is being perverted to further partisan political and ideological agendas. The recent phenomenon of lynching beef eaters in some parts of India is a milder version of modern-day religious fanaticism being witnessed globally, especially in the Middle East. History is replete with stories of Muslim invaders and conquerors ruthlessly annihilating Infidels across continents. Early Christian Church had had its hands soaked in the blood of lakhs of heretics. According to a Biblical account Jesus Christ exhorted his followers to live in other societies like a “leaven, light and salt”. In other words, assimilate without disturbing the basic features. And yet, his followers, especially medieval Catholic Church, meted out cruel, torturous punishment to heretics. In March 2000, late Pope John Paul II regretted the Church brutality as he begged “God’s forgiveness for the sins committed or condoned by Roman Catholics over the last 2000 years.” Reigning Pope Francis has also apologized for the “many grave sins” committed by Christians over the centuries.
It is shocking that even a religion like Buddhism, whose leitmotif is peace and transcendence, has not escaped the cult of violence. The Buddhist rulers in 16th century Japan tortured and beheaded scores of Catholic missionaries, while in recent times Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka fought a bloody civil war against the Hindus and in Myanmar Muslims were vandalised. Prof. John Wolffe, who teaches Religious History at the London Open University, in a paper titled “Religion, Security and Global Uncertainties” has argued that “a deliberately crafted religious uniformity in the name of security and stability might suit the needs or ‘conclusions’ of a State, but it proves fragile in the long run”. “Nationalism”, he said, when mixed with religion, as was seen in the 19th century Europe or witnessed in the present-day Middle East, can potentially create conflict both within and between nations.
It is time the celestial authorities went for course correction and reinvent faith in sync with the modern world, lest, the rank of the ungodly will only swell. Nigel Barber, Irish author and biopsychologist, has warned that by 2038 most countries will have less than 50 per cent believers.
The author is an independent journalist
IT IS SHOCKING that even a religion like Buddhism,whose leitmotif is peace and transcendence, has not escaped the cult of violence. Buddhist rulers in 16th century Japan tortured and beheaded scores of Catholic mission aries, while in recent times Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka fought a bloody civil war against Hindus and in Myanmar Muslims were vandalised