Discriminatory Divinity, Schismatic Spirituality
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
31 January
2024
The Madras
high court on Tuesday (January 30) directed the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and
Charitable Endowments department to install boards in all Hindu temples stating
non-Hindus were not permitted beyond the kodimaram (flagpole) area in the
respective shrines and said Hindus also have fundamental right to profess and
practise their religion.
Now courts
have taken it upon themselves to divide the society! On the advanced forum of
NAI, a couple of readers recently opined that it's time for bidding adieu to
all man-made religions. See the debilitating impact of religion on humans that
even judges, supposed to be 'saner' individuals, are getting affected and
influenced by this bane of mankind.
Now, will
the temple authority ask people, visiting the said temple, whether they're
Hindus or non-Hindus? What rubbish! It seems, soon people will have to emblazon
their respective faiths on their foreheads or chests to find entry in a shrine!
We've seen churches for whites and coloured people, for Protestants and
Catholics, mosques for Ahmadiyyas, Shias, Sunnis, Bohras (a Shia sub-sect),
temples for Dalits and upper class, Gurudwaras for Dalit Sikhs and High-class
Sikhs and so on.
If at all,
there's a Supreme Power, is it not amused by the stupidity of the humans that
it created? To quote Abdul Hameed Adam, "Takhleeq-E-Kaainaat Ke
Dilchasp Jurm Par/ Hansta Toh Hoga Aap Bhi Yazdaan Kabhi-Kabhi" (The
Creator also laughs at the creation of its own world). They say, god has no
religion. If at all this entity exists, it certainly has no religion. All
religions are human constructs. We concocted them.
Agreed,
most of the humans are still not so evolved as to do away with the very idea of
god. Only a very few enlightened ones can live sans an imaginary god. But even
if you believe in a super power, at least try to understand that NO religion,
prophets, godmen, godwomen, Babas, swamis, scriptures, rituals and all that
utter garbage can ever help you realize that super consciousness, called
god-realization. Why do humans require a truckload of spurious 'spiritual'
agents to reach god? Demolish all shrines and their deities if they cannot
respect humans, the supreme manifestation of godhood on earth. Islam believes
that Lucifer or Satan was asked to bow before Adam and Eve. Satan refused.
Though it's a fairy tale, it's a metaphor for the power of humans. If a temple
or mosque cannot treat humans as humans, demolish it. We don't want
discriminatory divinity and schismatic spirituality.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul
is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He
has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several
languages including Persian.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism