So... As i come to the end of my rather long post, i want to say that these are my views alone, and people are welcome to criticize/accept them.. Moreover, I am not a fanatic about my beliefs, and anyone wishing to discuss with me any aspect of my comments is welcome to do so, and let me assure you, given the right ideas, i am very open to a change of my viewpoint...
I sincerely hope this post gives a new dimension of thought to this notice board, and encourages more healthy discussion and interflow of ideas. These, I think, would be more fruitful than what these politicians and religious societies seem to be doing. Friends, a movie or a book is going to affect neither faith nor the fate of mankind. What will, however, is the free and impartial flow and acceptance of other peoples' ideas and willingness to accept people as they are. Imposition of one's ideas on to others, either through lure or force, is not the way to go, if we wish to look forward to a world that is a paradise to live in.
Please be assured, God may be omnipotent, but we have to play our part in making the world that he sought to create.
(continuing) 5.Now coming to a sensitive issue.Hardly is there a religion in whose name a war hasnt been waged.And invariably,these wars have been sanctioned by the very people who uphold the faith.And this is true of most religions,and the principal reason behind these has been an irrational fear/intolerance of other religions.So my question is,if the very keepers of the faith sanction atrocities against other men(totally avoiding the point whether it was valid or not.To me, any act of aggression is uncalled for),why do we need such guides at all?Wouldnt we be better off listening to our hearts,which we so often ignore after we grow up?Isn't our heart inherently pure and free of malice?I have yet to see a 3-year-old speak of violence against another.Why can't we follow the paths of great men(no offence to sexists)like Muhammad,Jesus,Buddha,Mahavira,Rama,Krishna,Moses,Mother Teresa,etc without the interference of other people?Why can't we interpret their thoughts and interact with them ourselves,and not through middlemen.How many of us hate "agents" when we go for a deal?Arent these "priests" the agents of faith?Shouldn't we have personal faith,rather than imposed societal faith?
3. Coming to the particular case of the Holy Bible(reiterating that i do not wish to malign any faith), since it is established fact that The Book was compiled by a handful of people, is it not reasonable to assume that, even if slight, there would have been at least a smear of their own thoughts in it apart from the original Christ's message, even if it was inadverdant? After all, any message from the Saviour was open to interpretation, at least at that time.
4. Coming to Mr. Dan Brown, even though his book claims that everything in it, including locations, is fact, it has been well proven that many of the depicted places/events are incorrect. But this does not mean that everything in it is wrong. The point is, while it is easy to classify present facts as correct/incorrect, it is not easy to classify the events of two millennia ago. We should be keeping in mind that the every people who compiled the Bible didnt even EXIST when Jesus Christ was present. So what's being transmitted to us was just what they "THOUGHT" Jesus was.
Someone please explain
by Siddharth on May 26, 2006 10:38 PM
Someone please explain to me some things i have not been able to understand.And before u read further,please understand that i represent no community,and i am neither against nor for God in general.i just want to rationalize a few things in my mind and anyone else who cares to give a thought to this:
1.Why aren't we able to even accept that a man who is married and has kids can be great or divine?Is divinity or goodness the monopoly of celebates?Again,im not with any side here,but come to think of it,the book or the movie does not depict Jesus in any bad way whatsoever,apart from the claim that he had a kid.is that such a big deal?nowhere in the bible does it say you cant reach God if you have a kid.
2.Why aren't we able to realize that EVERY single piece of religious text has been written by a "human"?That NEVER,in any religion, has the perpetrator of the faith ever written down his teachings.And in most cases,a written form of passing down ideas never existed at that time.And i think everyone will agree with me on the fact that any piece of information travelling through generations in bound to be altered,even if unconsciously (ever heard of "chinese whisper"?)
