Often during one's lifetime, one goes thru thorough introspection about the meaning of life and one's place in it. While some of us take solace in the fact that a Supreme Being extinguishes those splinters of doubt that plague our minds, others stay content with seeking faith elsewhere. I won't delve into the merits and demerits of each school of thought, for that would no doubt be a pointless exercise. My motive, however, is to unearth and question some of society's prejudices towards these often contradictory paths of choice.
From time immemorial, people have faithfully paid Gods their tributes and followed elaborate traditions to please their form of a Supreme Being. While the origin of some of these traditions may well be bordering on superstition and myth, a major part of society preaches that we follow our ancestors' unwavering faith in these endeavours.
Society has increasingly become more accommodating of alterations to its ethos, as people have chosen to interpret it in various ways to suit their lives. Yet, society still retains its fastidious approach to counter-conventional views on the existence of a God. A recent court ruling in New Jersey denied adoption rights to a couple who declared themselves as atheists under the religion column in the application. Why are those that don't believe in a Supreme Being looked down upon as living without a faith?
An adult decides, without force or compulsion, that she doesn't feel the need to believe in the existence of a Supreme being. She conducts her life as anyone around her would, without any imposition on another's faith or a question on their beliefs. She partakes in festivals when they are an occasion of joy, and not for their religious meaning. Why should this person's civil and social rights be discriminated against?
As a society, we have nudged and shoved and created place for many philosophies that were earlier thought of as sacrilege. We have adopted homosexuality, polyamory and other social phenomena which were widely regarded as taboo, as hues of individualist expression. Yet we continue to regard atheism and its forms as blasphemous.
For many, a Supreme Being offers that pillar of hope and support only when all else fails. And perhaps society would still consider that a more significant virtue. Perhaps those that don't believe in the existence of this Supreme Being seek hope and support from within, or from society itself. The very society that blatantly continues to discriminate against them.
Society has increasingly become more accommodating of alterations to its ethos, as people have chosen to interpret it in various ways to suit their lives. Yet, society still retains its fastidious approach to counter-conventional views on the existence of a God. A recent court ruling in New Jersey denied adoption rights to a couple who declared themselves as atheists under the religion column in the application. Why are those that don't believe in a Supreme Being looked down upon as living without a faith?
An adult decides, without force or compulsion, that she doesn't feel the need to believe in the existence of a Supreme being. She conducts her life as anyone around her would, without any imposition on another's faith or a question on their beliefs. She partakes in festivals when they are an occasion of joy, and not for their religious meaning. Why should this person's civil and social rights be discriminated against?
As a society, we have nudged and shoved and created place for many philosophies that were earlier thought of as sacrilege. We have adopted homosexuality, polyamory and other social phenomena which were widely regarded as taboo, as hues of individualist expression. Yet we continue to regard atheism and its forms as blasphemous.
For many, a Supreme Being offers that pillar of hope and support only when all else fails. And perhaps society would still consider that a more significant virtue. Perhaps those that don't believe in the existence of this Supreme Being seek hope and support from within, or from society itself. The very society that blatantly continues to discriminate against them.
An atheist, when he says he does not have faith can only tell because he has faith on whom the words are being told from- himself. So, an atheist is no one but one having faith in oneself. As far as I see there is nothing wrong in it. Talking about festivals, I would like to give an example of "art of living". Festivals are celebrated mainly as an occasion of joy. I suggest it be of interest!
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