Be Spiritual Not Religious

Hi,

 

Hope you all enjoyed reading my previous blogs on my travel to Cornwall and the Reservation System. Today I am writing about something that is very close to majority of us, God & Religion.

I am a Hindu and come from a religious family where we have an altar at home, frequently visit temples and perform rituals. Growing up in that environment, I was introduced to all that from a very young age and have followed it all my life. Though I have heard speeches or odd movie dialogues taking a dig at God & religions, two Bollywood movies PK & Oh My God inspired me a lot. These movies have not turned me into an atheist, instead have given me a completely different perspective to how I view religion.

 

Having studied in a Christian school, I had the privilege of learning about Bible, was taught about Bhagwat Gita at home and was lucky enough to learn about Quran from my Muslim friends. All the religions talk about good & evil and more importantly about peace & humanity. Somehow the key message had been forgotten / ignored over the years and we are left with ideologies of fear and supremacy.

Generations of religious leaders have failed to teach us the true meaning of Religion or God. Instead have instilled us with a notion of fear. Places of worship being ranked on their wealth truly epitomises how the concept has been capitalised and turned into successful businesses. Engulfed in this fear we spend our resources on ceremonies and rituals ignoring the needy who is wondering where his next meal is going to come from. If God is indeed the all loving, forgiving person that we make out to be, why and what are we afraid of?

All the religions teach us to love one another, help each other, be compassionate and live together in peace. That is the ultimate goal. Just because we have different paths to the same destination does not make one superior than the other or create a need to condemn people in that path.

The trust in God fills us with hope when the chips are down. Gives us the feeling that something good will turn out and the supreme power will guide us through the difficult times. This is true to each and every one of us regardless of which religion we practice. As I’ve said before I still very much believe in God. However my approach to that belief has now changed.  

For me, it is now about focussing on the true message of religion. Being able to relate to the human spirit, focus on the welfare of fellow humans and truly help each other. I was taught to take a small portion of my salary and put it aside every month. When a substantial amount had accumulated it was spent on visiting the temples and the rituals. I will continue to put aside the amount from my salary only now it will not be spent on the rituals and be spent on helping the needy.

It is my humble request to all of you to stop building the coffers of these religious institutions and focus on the welfare of the humanity. God will be more appreciative of you feeding the hungry or educating the poor than dropping a tenner in a fund box in the place of worship.

Let’s stop being “God Fearing” and start being “God Loving” people. Be more Spiritual than Religious.