Religion's Comments

Theoretically, both of you are right. Religion, after all, is an institution invented by man to 'achieve God'. So how can it impede its own purpose?

Every time a new religion is established (like so many have been , in the last 2500 years), it stands as a true testimony to the fact that the existing options have become too restrictive, regressive and elitist! Otherwise, why do you need a new religion? Who will follow it, just for the novelty factor? A new messiah, including Buddha, Christ and Muhammad, gives a 'new way' to the world because the old way is perceived 'redundant'. The new religion too eventually falls into the same traps, because the institution of 'religion' demands rules, organization and propogation! And these very factors defeat the purpose of all religions.

If you ask what stops an individual from crossing over to explore other religions, you are being too naive! True tolerance exists only in the drawing rooms of the intelligentsia. Religion breeds and actively supports prejudice, discrimination and defence. And it isn't always upto a follower to follow. It is the institution that dictates. Are you saying that a muslim woman practices pardah willingly? Or caste discrimination in hinduism is a myth? Christian intolerance is imaginary? Why do almost all people you know, yourself included, look to marry people within your own 'caste' and 'religion', if you claim to be a religions liberal? Is it 'individual choice' that 99% of marriages in the world happen within the same religion?

I'm saying that man has experimented too much with religion. And people are slowly realizing that it is a failed institution. Including Islam, the fastest growing religion in the world, all religions are seeing a steady decrease in believers.

And I think 'Religion', in its 4-5 thousand years of existence, failed to be a uniting force, failed to bring together humanity, failed to eliminate the barriers of race, language and culture. So we need something drastically different! One might say, is it religion's duty to unite the world? I would say yes, going by the claims of each religion. What kind of 'path to God' is it, if it isn't universal and discriminates based on color, race and IQ quotients?

I will go further to say that all the philosophers who gave their message to the world too were restricted at some level, by their birth/adopted/invented religions. The biggest evidence to that is that no single messiah, guru or philosopher has been able to unite the human efforts for achieving God. If anything, most of them succeeded in dividing them further! No one is expecting an instant answer from them. But a path to the answer. Christ's message of Love promised to be universal enough! But what kind of Love for humanity is it, that excluded the Jewish moneychangers during Jesus' life time and excludes pagans even today?

I'm not criticizing anyone who tried. All I'm saying is I feel the approach taken so far, Religion, has been a failure. Someone's got to say that aloud!

@Vrunda

"Understanding other religions will not make you any less a believer in your own religion." Well, we should tell that to Islam and Christian religions whose foundations (among other things) are the concepts of 'kafir' and 'non-believer'. Wars have been raging for centuries and millions have been killed over these two terms. 60% of world population is covered under these two religions or their offshoots. The rest of the world follows its own ways to deal with outcasting non-believers. How can we deny that religion restricts?

Individual freedom is a sham. Forget practising Islam, my mom will lose her wits if I tell her that I'm eating beef while remaining a Hindu! Try going to any temple in India in a burqa and you'll know whether individual choice truly exists! Buddhism, the most liberal religion in our knowledge didn't allow women, almost 50% of the world, into its most sacred moansteries for 2 millenia!!

Understanding other religions shouldn't be restricted to english language books in philosophy. If a religion can't be universal enough to be accessible to everyone, it failed in its basic purpose! In that sense, all religions failed so far. That, I feel, is the strongest argument to abandon the institution of religion to move forward!