Is Religion Necessary?
It is often claimed by many 'pragmatic' people that man cannot do without some kind of religion and that he is too weak intrinsically to manage his affairs without taking recourse to some imaginary deities. Life, it is contended, is full of loneliness, burdened with problems, failures and disasters, to let man survive on his own. Many are willing to admit that the basic premises of most of the religions are unconvincing. But they are equally convinced that religion exercises a beneficial role in enabling man to lead a happy life. Religion is akin to childhood neurosis, so said Freud. But his statement was only partly right. What actually happens is that when we are pressed by circumstances, we appeal to a protective 'father-figure' in the shape of God to assure ourselves and to get some freedom from fear, from doubt and from the dread of death. We mortals are susceptible to physical and mental pain. We are vulnerable organisms and our realisation of our insignificance and fragility can trigger off deep feelings. This is because of the realisation that we can any day die and after that we would not be in a position to see or feel our loved ones again.
In the Koran, it is written: "Give tidings, O Mohammed, of painful doom to those who disbelieve.... Slay the idolators wherever ye find them ... And fight them until persecution shall be no more, and religion is all for Allah" In the Manusmriti, it is stated that if an untouchable shows any keeness to pursue Vedic studies, molten lead ought to be poured into his ears. In the Koran (xxii) it is clearly stated: "They who believe not shall have garments of fire fitted unto them; boiling water shall be poured on their heads, their bodies shall be dissolved thereby, and also their skins, and they shall be beaten with maces of iron." The hostility of each religion to others can be easily illustrated. I do not in any way imply that this is all that these religions have to offer us; I only wish to pint out that if indeed there is one God, He certainly would not have allowed such malevolent words to enter into His divine message. These considerations are in no way unnatural. Everyone of us is bound to think about these rude facts of life, sometime or the other.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Harijans Manusmriti, , Joan Arc, Brahmins Indeed, Fear Mortality, William James, Mountain Gold, Claim Originality, Buddhist Hindu, Allah Koran, mountain gold, caste system, childhood neurosis, akin childhood neurosis, akin childhood, religion akin, word god, breath breath, god nor, thou shalt, jalal-uddin rumi, religion akin childhood,
Approximate Word count = 1791
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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