By Emmanuel Akilan SJ –
When I pen down this article, thoughts about religion flood my mind. Religion is a very important aspect in the life of many. Religion has been in the world as long as humans in one form or the other. Religions have continually evolved throughout history. It brings people together as one community. It helps them to be united and bonded. For some, it is a set of rituals, for some it’s a set of beliefs, for some it’s a way to God and only for a very few it is an experience of the Divine. It depends on how we look at it.
In the past, in the name of religion many great things have happened but we can never forget the darker side. It has built up kingdoms and palaces and has been the reason for their ruin too. Karl Marx used to say, “Religion is the opium of the people”. It can make us or break us!
Today, religion has a very different understanding among people. Some are still bound by their own understanding which was passed down to them through generations which are still dogmatic, conservative and traditional. But, the understanding of many has undergone tremendous transformation. It should not be forgotten that many have become secular at the end of the day too.
According to Phil Zuckerman, professor of sociology and secular studies at Pitzer College in California, “There’s absolutely more atheists around today than ever before, both in sheer numbers and as a percentage of humanity.”
At this juncture, we need to look back and reflect and look forward and hope that religion may be glue that sticks people together and not divides. Religious understanding of the world is rapidly changing, some moving to atheism from faith, others to religion from secularism, and many still undecided.
Many say that religion does not have a future at all! If at all there is, it would be very grim and hopeless.
The future of religion depends on its followers. Every religion has its own highs and lows. The ways to the destination may be different, but the destination is the same. The destination is God and the ways used to reach Him are very diverse. Mahatma Gandhi had said, “God has no religion”.
Religion has to undergo a lot of changes and transformation if it wants to stand strong against the storms of the world. No wonder, many religions have been wiped out of the face of the earth in the process of evolution.
Catholicism is one of the oldest religions. It has stood strong against the test of times and still growing stronger. One of the best qualities of Catholicism is that it is an evolving religion. It adapts and updates its teaching according to the signs of time. It strikes a perfect balance between traditionalism and modernity. The teachings are up-to-date. It never compromises on faith but helps the people to reach the divine.
A very famous Jesuit, Karl Rahner once said, “It is more important to know God than to know about God”. The quote speaks volumes when we really think and reflect about it. We know about God, but do we really know Him? There is a vast difference between knowing about God and knowing God.
We may be faithful in all religious duties like attending mass, praying the rosary, visiting holy places but we may not even know a bit about God. All these must help us, lead us to reach the Divine and not just get stuck in it. All these spiritual activities are a very important part of our way to reach the Divine but we must never ever get stuck in those activities.
Catholicism offers many ways and means for its followers to know God, understand His plans and actively participate in the redemption. God is willing to make us a part of His redemptive salvation. It is left up to us to answer and respond to His call.
At this present juncture, we must really introspect about ourselves, our beliefs, our customs, traditions and the teaching we follow. Many of us follow all these things very blindly and never give a thought about it. It is high time that we really stand up for our faith because in this techno-driven world if we fail to be updated, we will soon be erased from the memory of the world.
Many religions have become extinct, some have very few followers and only a handful of religions have plenty of followers. The question that pricks me is, “What is more important, the quantity or the quality?”
The religions with huge number of followers can never feel proud if it does not preach peace, equality, honesty, harmony, and love.
Finally it is not important what we believe in but how we live and lead our lives on the basis of what we believe in!