1113- A more evolved/ universal religion

An extract from the book ‘Ganesha on the dashboard’ by V. Raghunathan & M.A. Eswaran  (Penguin Books)
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‘Ganesha on the dashboard’ by V. Raghunathan & M.A. Eswaran  (Penguin Books) is a book which deals with “scientific temper” and how we Indians are lacking the same, outside the class room. Scientific temper is, accepting a hypothesis, after the hypothesis is put to meticulous tests. We approach many things with fatalistic view and are resigned to our destiny. The invisible hand of Karma makes us a little reactive.

Science has cut across human barriers. There is no such thing as ‘your science’ or ‘my science’. But this is not in case with religions. The individual truths in different religions have not come together to interact with each other to form a greater truth that could result in improved spiritual life and thinking of mankind. Religions have not found a common theme to work together for the greater good of humanity by assimilating within them some scientific temper.

Then what would be a more evolved/ universal religion?

Such a question is worthy of some speculation.

1] First and foremost, FAITH is considered central to any religion. The universal religion would repose 100% faith in human efforts as guiding principle- not passive and fatalistic faith in a power outside of us. It resonates with ‘god lies within us’. Our efforts shall be our 'presiding deity', then 'Work is Worship'. 

2] Second, the universal religion would be built on the realization that while the potential we are born with may be ‘god given’ or determined by random chance, it is entirely up to us to make the best of the potential taking charge of our own life and assuming responsibility for it. This is the only way to rise above fatalism.

3] The third most important characteristic the universal religion would be logical reasoning, systematic deduction and continuous learning gleaned from observing the nature of the universe. Nobody seriously believes that smallpox was eradicated because we gave the malady a godly status and managed to placate the god-in-charge. We eradicated smallpox, because we learn to reason logically, by making a set of systematic deductions through our power of observations of nature and so on until we arrived at a vaccine to prevent small pox.

4] Fourth, the universal religion would not resort to a ‘god of the gaps’, or the belief that the working of god can be seen in all those things that science cannot explain. In other words, there would be no room for the religion to explain random events s godly interventions. The religion will recognize, as does science, that at any point of time there could be questions that have no answers, or unanswerable, given the limitations of our intellect and knowledge at that point in time. The universal religion shall encourage humanity to keep its mind open and continue its search for answers to such questions.

The universal religion will recognize that there may be no answer as to why this particular baby should perish in tsunami, why this newborn calf in the savannah should be devoured by a predator, or why this particular mosquito should have bitten this noble judge rather than the villainous rogue. The universal religion will recognize the randomness of these events because the baby and the tsunami, the calf and the predator or the mosquito and the judge just happened to be in the same vicinity at the same time by chance. The universal religion will not accept some arbitrary sin from a previous life- an untestable karma hypothesis- as the basis for explanation of how universal affairs are conducted. At least, not until that hypothesis can stand up to the rigour of scientific methods of logical reasoning, systematic deductions, observation and proof.

5] Fifth, our universal religion would not revolve around a hypothetical punishment in the hereafter for transgressions committed in this life. Instead, religion and civic life will be interwoven such that behavior that maximizes the benefit for mankind would be encouraged through religious and civic education. Education in morality and ethics would not be based on arbitrary percepts but on logically reasoned conduct in the best interest of a society. Morals and ethics are not beyond the realm of scientific questioning and rigour.

6] Man seems to need a god as a child needs a mother. Religion is stress buster for large section of humanity. The universal religion may well provide for meditation on the ‘almighty’, with two provisos:

(i) The god of the universal religion will not be anthropomorphic, who will need to be propitiated with offerings. He will be an abstract one, and serve our purposes for meditation aimed at stress reduction.

(ii) Prayers and meditation are primarily aimed at calming the restless or fidgety mind. They should not be mechanism for escaping from the responsibility one has to improve one’s condition through one’s own efforts.

Thus the universal religion would be a religion with a scientific temper.

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