Preface

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The great french Philosopher Voltaire once said "If God did not exist ,it would be necessary to invent him
".Understanding religion is one of the toughest tasks for penseurs ,philosophers and educationists.For those who believe in God or existence of a supreme power, religion is a solace and for those who don't,religion is an escape but Whether solace or escape ,Religion remains an inseperable part of mankind.The necessity and relevance of religion are subjects which are often discussed and are redefined but what remains untouched is the APPLICATION OF RELIGION.Being Theist or Atheist is an invidual choice but for proper functionning of this world there must be a Theos(god).To explain it further,I would like to quote Albert Camus ,again a great french philosopher "Ah, mon cher, for anyone who is alone, without God and without a master, the weight of days is dreadful". God is not only meant for worshipping but the idea of God is like an assistance which is likely to help you when you are in need of it.The idea of God provides something like the ultimate solution,an idea which keeps alive the possibility of turning the impossible in possible.The traits of hope and optimism are very much based on the existence of a power which is capable of turning the wish into reality. In this context,I would like to mention one of my conversations with Yves on the ghats of Banaras.When I asked him why he does't believe in God then he replied." If God exists,why there is poverty ,violence,wars and all the miseries.Why the world is not living happily?Why people are dying from hunger,being murdered for no reasons?It is not that I am an atheist by choice but I have no reasons to believe that He(God)exists.This conversation had a strong impact on my religious views.Religion without reason is useless.If you can't defend Your God before someone Who questions His(God) existence,there is nothing more disheartening than that.But I got to know one thing that even atheists want God to make this world free from atrocity.Being Hindu is not about applying Tilak,sindoor and bhasm and visiting temples,having 33 crores deities,worshipping Ram,Krishna,Shiv OR Ganpati and Ramayana,Geeta or Hanuman Chalisa but is about finding the solutions to the problems of mankind.The rules and norms of society are based on the interpretation of Dharma.Whether it is Hinduism,Islam or Christianity,the ultimate saviour and the ultimate fear is God.One Who is wrong ,fears the God and One who is right believes in God.Understanding Hinduism is understanding the idea of religion.It is about understanding the difference between being religious and practising religion.Being Hindu is about reinterpreting Hinduism . For World which has forgotten the message of "Vashudhaiv Kutumbkam" and "sarve bhavantu sukhinah",it is the hightime to rethink over the importance of religion and reinterpretating its definition for the prosperity of people.Religion which is not capable of defending the virtue,is worthless.The ultimate religion is humanity and in an era where religion is being used to rule,to divide and to fool people,it is very important to understand and study religion so that it can be useful in re-establishing the reign of virtue where God can be discovered ,need not to be invented.

Comments

  1. Gaurav AmitMay 26, 2014 at 9:49 AM

    Nicely written paragraph Nidhi!! I would like to comment especially about Yves's question and my defend for my being a theist. If we see the question in essence of spirituality, I would say the almighty God made us all equal at the time of birth. What matters is how we get adapted in this beautiful world. I would like to quote Voltaire who said "Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference." Men is equal only at the time of birth and death, because only these two things are true in this brittle and ever-changing world. Men get in return only that fruit what he sows. If we have done something bad for someone, we will also face the same on the order of the ultimate decision maker. The reason of poverty and many other social vices (as described by the Holy Bible) can be discussed in four types; oppression, misfortune, laziness and culture nature of it. God can make all men equal but then the question will raise who will decide who will do the labour work, and who will do the judgement.I only can say we should not be equal, only this thing is in good of us.
    Take care.

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  2. NidhiMay 26, 2014 at 10:15 AM

    @Gaurav Amit Thanks for the encouragent! I will try to discuss these facts in my next post .Hinduism has answers to all questions.The philosophy of Karma,punarjanm and a lot more.I am planning to present all these aspects under this title Being Hindu .I have tried to establish the question here and now will try to give an answer through my knowledge and comprehension of Hinduism.your suggestions and views are always welcome and appreciated.

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