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SELF, GOD and RELIGION
Men have always wondered about the creation ofuniverse, place of human in the scheme of things and the purpose of his life. He usually finds some aspects of life as painful, sorrowful and confusing about how best to respond to a given situation. In his search for guidance, religion propagated by sages, thinkers and leaders, was a convenient tool. Unfortunately religion, instead being a means to understanding the self and its relationship with other human and living beings, became just an escape route to defining good and bad actions through rituals and superficial faith.
The concept of God became a part of linkage to specific religion which he has chosen either willingly or through force. The good and bad got defined by the religion in the name of God. This belief in God through religion made it easier for him to define a creator who approved or disapproved his actions and also provided appropriate rewards, punishments and pardons.
The self is defined in scriptures either as God itself or godlike soul (atma) with God being the supreme (parmatma). The soul resides in the human from birth to death. It has all the qualities of God in respect of the person to which it belongs. One has only to follow the guidance provided by the soul for less painful and purposeful journey of life. Unfortunately affected by desires the human overrides the guidance and consequently suffers. All the actions, interactions and relationships in life get artificially coloured by the religion to which we belong. These are commonly in the name of God. Stronger the dogmas related to our belief, the more we get involved in rituals and compulsions that bind us and separates us from each other. Thus God is reduced to a religiously defined ‘Boss’ whom we should fear and who will punish us unless we follow the dogmas of the reliogion concerned. Instead, HE should have been our friend residing within us whom we love, respect and follow. We have made religion an organiser for our belief in God rather than listen to the God within who is the real source of guidance for our life.
© jayitaliyad.blogspot.com
The concept of God became a part of linkage to specific religion which he has chosen either willingly or through force. The good and bad got defined by the religion in the name of God. This belief in God through religion made it easier for him to define a creator who approved or disapproved his actions and also provided appropriate rewards, punishments and pardons.
The self is defined in scriptures either as God itself or godlike soul (atma) with God being the supreme (parmatma). The soul resides in the human from birth to death. It has all the qualities of God in respect of the person to which it belongs. One has only to follow the guidance provided by the soul for less painful and purposeful journey of life. Unfortunately affected by desires the human overrides the guidance and consequently suffers. All the actions, interactions and relationships in life get artificially coloured by the religion to which we belong. These are commonly in the name of God. Stronger the dogmas related to our belief, the more we get involved in rituals and compulsions that bind us and separates us from each other. Thus God is reduced to a religiously defined ‘Boss’ whom we should fear and who will punish us unless we follow the dogmas of the reliogion concerned. Instead, HE should have been our friend residing within us whom we love, respect and follow. We have made religion an organiser for our belief in God rather than listen to the God within who is the real source of guidance for our life.
© jayitaliyad.blogspot.com
