In the name of God?

I'll be the first to admit that I am not the most religious of persons. I admit I do pray at temples and do all that befits a typical Straits Chinese Buddhist, especially when I have wish that I hope could be fulfilled with some divine intervention, such as doing well for my examinations. However, the teachings of various religions could not help but leave me scratching my head and wondering how such huge numbers of people can so unquestioningly believe in them.

For example, in my own religion, it was believed that we must offer fruits and other foods for the ghosts who have been allowed to wander the Human world during the seventh month of the lunar calender, especially to your departed loved ones. Some people do so in the hopes that their loved ones would not grow hungry when they come back among the living. While I think as a display of love even foe the departed, would it not have been better to treat the person better when the person was alive than when the person was dead? We would not even be sure if our loved ones are around to receive those offerings, since I have not yet seen any spirits. I am also sure that the loved ones would rather the living put their money to better use.

The above practice is not so bad since it is a display of filial piety and as a show remembrance for the deceased. However, the forbidding of certain religions to eat certain foods also left me thinking. I mean how would by not eating certain foods does one gain favour with one's god. Many people believe in different religions and how in one case the person is breaking a sacred rule and not in the other. If anything, I believe that rules like these only serve to divide people. From my experiences, the need to cater for everyone's religious makes it difficult for people to get along together.

The differences in religion has also brought about much bloodshed since people are intolerant of others' religions. Witness the crusades and the jihads wage in God's name. I can't help but wonder what God would want so much blood to be shed on their name. Most likely I believe the killing is done by people, and for that those people should be responsible for their foul deeds instead of using God as an excuse. All powerful God might be, but it should not be an all powerful excuse. Its the same as people using patriotism as the reason to conquer other countries... Witneess Napoleon.

That is not to say religion is all bad. After all, it is comforting to know something is looking over us and give us spiritual strength. It has been proven scientifically that we actually have a part of our brain that is looking for a religion to believe in. How else would explain why almost all cultures believe in one religion or another. Religious groups have also been at the forefront of charitable work, provding assistance to the needy.

I, though, believe that we do not need religion as a motivation for us to do good or have religious rules governing us such that we will behave in a certain respectable manner. As long as we know what we are doing and can ask our selves without doubt that we have not done anything wrong, however vague the concept of right and wrong might be. Since religion is as much a product of people as our own moral concepts, do we really need religion in order do guide us?

Yes, in many circumstances. What is right and wrong is too big a question for many of us to answer, and it seems that religion does provide socially acceptable answers, since it has been tested mostly through long periods of time. I shall humbly try to seek those answers though, since what I have learned of the various religions have not provide me with very satisfactory answers.

I do not know whether a God exist and by what name is God really called but I hope that should I meet him I can say, without any hesitation, that I truly have a clear conscious and have nothing to fear, though I may have made mistakes.

Quote of the day

"It is a fine thing to establish one's own religion in one's heart, not to be dependent on tradition and second-hand ideals. Life will seem to you, later, not a lesser, but a greater thing."

- D. H. Lawrence (1885 - 1930)