Some stray observations and thoughts on popular religion

• One of the differences between mainstream cinema and popular religion is that while the former requires only a transient suspension of disbelief, the latter inspires and retains an eternal suspension of disbelief in its adherents.

• Just as the Pope and his clergy represent the buffoonery of Christian religion, and Rabbis that of Judaism, Prophets and Maulas that of Islam, so do Indian Godmen, Sadhus and spiritual soothsayers represent the buffoonery and clown-hood of Hindu religious practice

• It is plausible to suppose or infer that most religious precepts and practices commenced with the aim of inculcating fortitude against grief and suffering proceeding from the ravages and calamities of nature and human subsistence. But as human progress and civilization gradually mitigated these natural dangers and depredations, aspiration and ambition are being perceived to relentlessly prevail over the primeval instinct of survival and preservation. Modern religion appears to be striving to catch up with that evolution in human aspiration.

• Religion is perhaps that bluff which is yet to be called.

• The beauty of religion lies in the mind of a believer.

• Religion apparently grows and prospers in this world as its believers always vastly outnumber disbelievers.

• Religious scriptures in some places strive to propose that divinity is inherently benign and benevolent, while elsewhere asserts that god’s benevolence and grace can be obtained by only devotion and propitiation. Regardless of the conviction in god’s benevolence and grace that religion seeks to portray and indoctrinate, recurrence of calamities both natural and man-made have almost always served to disturb the fragility of this faith and belief.

• It is the staple of popular religion, myth or belief to preach or indoctrinate with respect to action or deeds that actions not only beget actions and consequences, but also frequent births and re-births. This has been popularized as the ‘law of action’ or ‘doctrine of karma’ or ‘karmic law’ by the prevailing fashions of religious and spiritual discourse. Hindu scriptural philosophy or the Vedanta is often cited in support of the belief that one’s present life or condition is the result of actions done in both this life and many past lives. As is only to be expected, these scriptures are bereft of details of the method or reasoning for the causal connection between actions and its resulting re-births of creatures. So it is left to the task of myth, legend, testimonials of sages and prophets, hearsay, superstition and obdurate belief in the dictates of religious revelation to fill this void of scriptural ambiguity. But if one were to perceive the causal connection between action and its consequences through the lens of experience, reason, understanding, study of history, observation of human affairs and the application of the principles of empirical philosophy, it would be reasonable to suppose that ‘The consequences of the actions and deeds of men last much longer than the lives that they spend in this world. The outcomes of the deeds of men can have the ability to influence the world of today as well as that of tomorrow’. It is said that what man sows, man reaps. Though man often may not reap what he sows, it may many times be left to his successors or progeny to reap the rewards or pains of what he sowed.

• As with many other things in life, religion also greatly flatters, but only to eventually deceive its believers. But yet it differs from others in how artfully both its flattery and deception are disguised and concealed.