Just like every teenager out there, I refused to believe in God. It just didn’t strike for me at that time. Why? The classic one, I asked, “where’s the evidence?”. Now that I look back, at that time I was not a big fan of God not because there wasn’t enough evidence to convince me, but worshipping was an obligation. Typical Indian family, you know? (if your family isn’t like that, then kudos). I didn’t have a choice to not do it. The fact that I didn’t have a choice made me hate it more. My initial equation was just Humanity = life. Religion and God were not a part of it.
I was the same for some years until my late teens, but I slowly started to incline towards the existence of God. I mean I spent years not believing in it, but why the sudden change? Because I developed a new theory about the existence of God. In those years I came across many news pieces about religious violence all around the world which I wasn’t able to tolerate. I was constantly pondering the question, why would anyone use God’s name for violence? It was bothering me a lot. Until I found a way out of that question (yes, I treat it like a maze rather than an answer) by forming an interesting theory.
Let me tell you quickly why I love Greek mythology because that’s what I based my theory on. I loved Greek mythology because their Gods are just beings with powers. Duh, aren’t they all? Yes every single God is a being with power, but here God makes mistakes. Greek Gods did stupid things, they were assholes (just read about Zeus), and they were imperfect. In many major religions (Nope, I’m not gonna name any. I want to be alive), Gods are all-knowing super beings. Every single act of theirs was a teaching to humanity (Just like how our teachers say they were testing us when we caught their mistakes). Even the ones which seem like a mistake were said to be a demonstration of how not to lead your life, that God did it voluntarily to show what will happen. And honestly, I thought it was bullshit. Seriously? An almighty, all-knowing, and always righteous being? I simply couldn’t accept it.
Now that you have read that stupid reason, I loved Greek mythology because just like us humans, even those Gods only learn from their mistakes. They had their own flaws, and the only reason why they became worthy was that they reflected upon their actions, accepted the consequences, and learned from them (not all though). So I formed a new equation. Religion is bullshit because they do nothing but fight in the name of God, nothing good came out of them. So my equation was God + Humans = Life, Here Gods are not all-knowing and always right beings. I loved this theory because I was able to explain many real-life aspects using this. I felt like a genius (which I’m clearly not).
I followed this equation for a good amount of time because it made so much sense! The fact that Gods are as vulnerable as humans made it so satisfying. Even then I constantly continued to question religious violence. I had the answer, but I still wondered why would people fight over this stupid thing. So I wanted to explore the reason for the existence of religion. Why was it even started? I started reading the origins of many religions around the world and how they turned out.
One day when I was just lying simply because my wifi was out, I had a eureka moment (not as marvelous as Archimedes’ eureka). A constant theme that was present in every single religion was how to lead a good and fruitful life, such a life that it gives satisfaction not only to us but also to the society we live. Why bring in the society? Because humans are interdependent, our actions have consequences on the lives of others, so our existence should not displease others (if they are assholes, then no problem). Religion was more like a guideline to live this fruitful life rather than worshipping a being. But where did it all go wrong? Simple. As stories were passed on between generations, a bit of exaggeration was added to it. At one point we started worshipping the one who suggested the guidelines rather than following those guidelines (I’m using suggested because any other word would make that person a supreme leader).
Our whole fight for religion has been misinterpreted. To be frank, all religions almost say the same things, don’t they? Be kind, help others, and don’t be an idiot. This is a common theme in all the religions, which we chose to ignore and started worshipping the person who made those guidelines. This was a revelation for me, why a revelation? Because I didn’t associate religion with Gods at all. Religion alone made much more sense rather than adding God to the equation. So I had to change the equation. Religion + Humanity = Life, here religion doesn’t mean worshipping something or someone, but following the basic guidelines to lead a satisfying life. I simply chose to ignore the existence of an almighty being, because it didn’t really matter.
So will I stand by this equation forever? If you have read the whole write-up, you will have two questions: “Why is it so lengthy, good lord”, and “Why is he writing like a 40-year-old when he is actually 20?!”. I’m simply too young to fixate myself on this equation, especially in this aspect, for the rest of my life. I’m sure my interpretation and views will change as I gain more knowledge and experience, just like the Greek Gods.
