Prayers and Worship; Churches and Temples; Reverence and Devotion; Respect and Admiration; Awe and Appreciation; Fidelity and Affection;
These are nice words to talk about and absolutely pleasant to mention in a blog! Well, I have been pondering over these terms for quite sometime and planning to pen down a few lines – I’m sure some of the readers might or might not agree with my thoughts...appreciate your comments!!!
First and foremost, we all do believe that there is GOD or some superpower which is motivating our lives; giving us strength and making us strive for better things in life! We also know that these ‘super powers’ were human beings at some point of time and it is WE who have given them the stature of GOD…why? ‘Coz we believe in there thoughts, viewpoint, values and the same helps all of us in moving forward specially in times of stress and distress. Every culture has had its gods. The ancient agrarian cultures had their fertility gods; the Greeks and Romans had their pantheon; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have their one god of all. At all times and in all places people have thought that there is more to life than the material world around us.
As a preface to the arguments, it is worth noting an argument that the claim that God exists is made more plausible by the fact of wide-spread religious belief. This argument is called the “argument from desire”. It begins with the observation that our natural instincts generally serve us well; every creature is born with an instinct for food because food sustains us, and each of us longs for meaningful relationships because community and friendship allow us to flourish. Generally speaking, if we have an innate desire for a thing then that thing both exists and is good for us. The natural instinct to look to the transcendent, therefore, which is made evident by the fact remarked upon above that every culture of every time has had some form of religion, suggests that there might well be something transcendent out there to be found. This instinct, according to the argument from desire, hints at the existence of God.
Now the question is how and where and in what way should we worship? All of us have our own ways to worship to thank GOD or ask for something from HIM. We have also learned over the years that ‘GOD helps those who help others’. Then,
· Could we feed the populace who require food, rather than feeding the ones who consume food everyday?
· Could we have a quiet time (pondering over our past, planning the future & thanking our achievements) with HIM, rather than religiously saying prayers every day?
· Could we take care of our precious moments sometimes (which I believe are defined and derived by HIM) instead of saying prayers at the cost of such moments?
· Could we be polite, courteous, respectful and reverent after our prayers, since this is what we are looking for from the fraction of the time spent with HIM?
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4 comments:
Anshul
Very well written and well thought out piece. I liked the reasoning that you have put forth, but I would like to point out the fallacies in some of these statements. All races having God is not entirely true. The neanderthals and our pre-historic anscestors did not have God. They lived by a simple dictate, live for the day. No wonder they were extinct soon, definately not because of the lack of religion or their belief in God. About 99.9% of the species since the inception of our lil planet have become extinct. Statistics mandate that our race will suffer a fate no different from the others, albeit a few million years from now.
Well God and the existance of God, how did that come about ? A few thousand years ago when societies and civilization like the Roman, Egyptians, Greeks were being formed, some very wise men needed these societies to conform to certain standards of living. Thus was invented the concept of God, to put the fear of unknown in man. God is an icon, the concept of which is plagarised to the hilt by man to sustain his own means and end. Also it a burgeoning multi billion dollar industry which provides livelihoods for millions. And besides it helps us identify with each other, no different that member of local Rotary clubs or Counry Clubs.
What still surprises me is that religion and God still holds a sway over our day to day life and controls a large aspect of our thought process and actions. You talk about perceiving God or feeling God around us. This merely is our social condtioning which preempts us to think for ourselves and question what sheperds or witch doctors or arcane clergyman preached to us a few thousand years ago. We are 1 out of 130 billion galaxies in the entire universe. God, at least in my humble opinion, has not shown his/her benovelent shape or form in any of these universes. Or at least personally, I am not aware. If I have to believe in God, then the same argument can be made for existance of ghosts, goblins, pixies, tooth fairies and Santa Clause. Ergo, in myself I trust.
Billions of people, who represent diverse sociological, intellectual, emotional, educational makeups...believe that there is a Creator, a God to be worshipped. Now, the fact that so many people believe something certainly doesn't make it true. But when so many people through the ages are so personally convinced that God exists, can one say with absolute confidence that they are all mistaken?
"Anthropological research has indicated that among the farthest and most remote primitive people today, there is a universal belief in God. And in the earliest histories and legends of people all around the world, the original concept was of one God, who was the Creator."
Many examples showing God's design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:
The Earth...its size is perfect. The Earth's size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth's surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.4 Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.
The Earth...is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth's position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.
And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet it restrains our massive oceans from spilling over across the continents.
Water...colorless, odorless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water).
You'll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:
1. It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. 2. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies a steady 98.6 degrees.
3. Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.
4. Water is also chemically inert. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.
5. Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.
6. Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.
Dear Sourin,
I do agree that we have not seen GOD and in the same context, we have also not seen "AIR", "SMELL", "ODOUR" and so on! But, we feel them, relish the existence and enjoy the presence of it and in the same way, WE ALL BELIEVE IN A GOD/CREATOR.
Thanks,
Anshul
Anshul
Just because billions believe in a certain way does not warrant us to change our thinking or ideologies. There were times when the same billions believed that the earth was flat and that ghosts had taken over someone suffering from epiliepsy.
Please do not get me wrong. I do not profess with absolute conviction that God does not existence. I am merely stressing on the fact that if a theory cannot be proven, then the converse is not necessarily true.
Look around us in this day and age. The strife that takes utmost precedence is on account of religious disagreements. Most of us are involved in making others believe that our God is the only God and that my way of living is the only way of living. The facts that you have very well documented are because of millions of years of evolution. There could or could not be a grand design or creator behind any of these magnificient munificience bestowed upon us. The chances of this creator existing are 50-50, if I am correct, and I will choose to believe the other 50%, whereby if I dont see and experience this phenomenon called God, then I am not going to believe in it. Actually there is a theory of 'Intelligent Design' being propogated by a biochemist Michael
Behe which professes the thoery of a creator or creators for this complex design of living organisms. Check out the article 'Issac Newton and Intelligient Design' in Amandeep Singh's excellent blog and this post here http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/archive/2005_05_01_archive.html
As far as feeling goes I will believe whatever my senses of sight, smell, hear, touch and taste percieve. As far as God and religion goes, we have been condition by society as to not even question these assertions. Whereas I feel the least I can do is question the designs that are being thrust upon me. But I completely understand and respect your faith and beliefs and do not believe them to be wrong or untrue. Its something that I personally do not believe in, and about that we shall have to agree to disagree.
Amit Varma has a tongue in cheek atricle about faith based rituals on his blog. Check out the article
http://indiauncut.blogspot.com/2005/06/marriage-of-toads.html
Dear Sourin,
The existence of God cannot be proven or disproved. That does not mean, however, that there is not evidence of God’s existence.Looking at the stars, understanding the vastness of the universe, observing the wonders of nature, seeing the beauty of a sunset – all of these things point to a Creator God.
In addition to the Biblical arguments for God’s existence, there are logical arguments as well.
First, there is the ontological argument. This argument basically says that since over 98% of people throughout history, in all cultures, in all civilizations, on all continents believe in the existence of God – there must be something (or someone) causing this belief.
A second is the teleological argument. The teleological argument is that since the universe displays such an amazing design, there must have been a Divine designer. For example, if earth were even a few hundred miles closer or further away from the sun, it would not be capable of supporting much of the life it currently does. If the elements in our atmosphere were even a few percentage points different, every living thing on earth would die.
A third logical argument for God’s existence is called the cosmological argument. Every effect must have a cause. This universe and everything in it is an effect. There must be something that caused everything to come into existence. Ultimately, there must be something “un-caused” in order to cause everything else to come into existence. That “un-caused” something is God.
A fourth argument is known as the moral argument. Every culture throughout history has had some form of law. Everyone has a sense of right and wrong. Murder, lying, stealing, and immorality are almost universally rejected. Where did this sense of right and wrong come from if not from a holy God?
People claim to not believe in God because it is “not scientific” or “because there is no proof.” The true reason is because once people admit that there is a God, they also must realize that they are responsible to God and in need of forgiveness from God.If God exists, then we are accountable for our actions to Him. If God does not exist, then we can do whatever we want without having to worry about God judging us. I believe that is why evolution is so strongly clung to by many in our society - to give people an alternative to believing in a Creator God.
God exists and ultimately everyone knows that He exists. The very fact that some attempt so aggressively to disprove His existence is in fact an argument for His existence.
:)
Anshul
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