Calling God to the witness box - II

Note: This post is not related to Ayodhya verdict as the title may seem to suggest to some readers

Disclaimer: The comments and views expressed here are the author's own and not aimed at hurting anyone's beliefs and feelings. If you are offended, author seeks apology and wishes to inform that these are author's personal thoughts and he is free to so express. Content here is not endorsed/sponsored by any institution or group

Previous post on the subject:

• Calling God to the witness box - I

My views on God in my last post might have made me sound like an Atheist. Which is also true to some extent. I do not wish to out-rightly disregard the existence of deities and spiritual powers but the essence of my previous post is somewhat motivated by a long standing confusion. The confusion arising  from two contradictory facts. One, that God wishes no harm to anyone, means no hatred, is compassionate, forgiving and knows all. Second, that the one who worships him, kneels before him, prays in front of him for material objects, happiness and peace, only such person shall be blessed and granted her/his desires.

If  God knows the insides of the insides of our souls; if He knows what we think, wish and believe about Him and His creations; where does the need for communication of our desires, wishes, etc arise? What would be the significance of a prayer that in itself happens as a consequence of His will directing a mind to move to a temple and pray?

Since long, I see people pray. I see people kneel down and scribble on the floor with their noses, in a gesture to display the humility that they owe towards the greatest giver of all. To impress Him? I see people routinely donating to His places, in His name. I see them never miss a day when they have not visited His temple.

And...

I also see the very people badmouth about others. I hear about the acts of greed, hatred, jealousy of the same very people. I hear them quarrel over dimes, over supremacy. I see them flaunt the very gifts they have been demanding from Him in front of the less lucky ones. The same very people who have been playing the loyal servant of God are, in another role, now playing a reckless, greedy human being who would, at a moment's notice, harm a fellow human with words or actions to demonstrate their might and supremacy over rest of them as much as possible.

Isn't it so that the God also watches them playing this new role? Is it that it is only when inside the temple that their deeds are visible to Him? Is God so innocent that He is driven away by their prayers and their acts wrongdoings are all waived off?

In contrast to this, a person who perceives Him in all His creations; who respects all beings for they are also His creations. Whose expression of love for Him only lies in performing the duties that He has ordained for this devotee who humbly carries out all His commands and abides by all His actions that happen to test him and his devotion. Such a person is in continuous state of prayer, no matter what she/he is doing. His Karma is his devotion. Such a person needs not to walk up to a temple to pay his obeisance rather for such a being, the whole world is home to God and he is always worshiping. Such a person is always able to communicate his thoughts to Him no matter where she/he is.

But if it still holds that praying and wishing to Him is required in order to get all our Karma to be accounted for and that we have to bow and kneel in his temples, no matter how humble we are in our deeds and expectations from Him, I would say that is in contradiction with the very nature of God that we are taught since we were able to comprehend human expression, that God is forgiving, he expects nothing but only gives and gives.


In this manner does that also holds that a creature, no matter how he treats fellow beings, shall be forgiven for all his ill deeds in his temples? Even if it is a way of life for him to steal and ask for forgiveness the very next day? Which one is the true way to appease God? Or does one (true way) even exist?

All the above unanswered questions stem from my varying beliefs in the concept of God and how I have been trying to rationalize and reconstruct them over years as I experienced and observed others' experience of what is called the acts of God and His will (Bhana). Since childhood onwards, like everyone else, my understanding of God has been changing based on my own experiences and observations. I hope someone will relate to those when I discuss the same later.

Calling God to the witness box - I

Note: This post is not related to Ayodhya verdict as the title may seem to suggest to some readers

Disclaimer: The comments and views expressed here are the author's own and not aimed at hurting anyone's beliefs and feelings. If you are offended, author seeks apology and wishes to inform that these are author's personal thoughts and he is free to so express. Content here is not endorsed/sponsored by any institution or group.

Prelude: "If you shall not bow in front of me, you shall be condemned to suffering and pain of all sorts till you finally agree to bow"

Since I don't know when, the society around me have been working hard day and night to instill a fear of an unknown spiritual power that no one has as yet claimed to have witnessed in person and no one can either claim that it does or does not exist. Every now and then, someone will attribute some bad happening in our lives to this spiritual power and try to provide a cure for the ensuing feeling of envy, pain, remorse, hatred, jealousy etc. Of course this spirit gets all the credit for all the good that happens without fail.

Not only me but every single human being born on this planet is fed with this conundrum right from the day they are born. Aka God.

My mother has been telling me to thank Him for all that I am and all that I am not. Because all that I am, is because He has enabled it, and that all that I am not, is because He sees something better for me. I am told to pray for goodies and success and prosperity from Him. Because He, being so generous will grant me whatever I ask for.

Scriptures and holy books, saints and religious orators tell us that He is the most generous of all, forgives all and showers the one who prays for him with material wealth. The worshiper of Him is granted immunity from all the evil and such a person enjoys special privileges in the 'life beyond' - Another conundrum I must opine.

Over a period of all these years, the existence of this spirit has so much become a part of my belief system that I instinctively feel obliged to bow to him every now and then. I feel that if I do not bow enough, do not thank enough, do not worship enough the ultimate giver, I might not make it. I might not be granted the rightful reward of my efforts in this world and that I might be left alone to make it on my own, abandoned by Him for I was not worshiping him enough.

I assume that many among us believe that if we do not thank Him and worship him during the good times, bad times and misfortune will befall upon us and then we will be again subject to the mercy of His acts and forced to remember Him and seek Him for all the mercy we need to avert the unfortunate circumstance.

Scriptures say that one who does not worship Him, praise Him every morning and evening, or however someone's religious dictum dictate, he/she shall be subject to pain and sufferings throughout the life.

This may not go very well with most readers. I do not wish to propose the non-existence of any such spiritual power. Above prerequisite (to pray, worship, visit His shrines) sounds to me not quite based on the qualities that of a spiritual power that has no enmity, ego, pride, jealousy with any living organism in the universe. Rather, to me it sounds more like a dictator's order, "If you shall not bow in front of me, you shall be condemned to suffering and pain of all sorts till you finally agree to bow".

to be continued...