Religion for dummies........

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

- Dalai Lama

Yesterday Madhu wanted to know what religion she belonged to. If she had been raised in India, it would have been a moot question. By her age, she would have been indoctrinated into the religion she was born into - the religious festivals, the rituals and customs of life back in India would make her no stranger to religion or faith. However she is here being raised by a mum who is in a perpetual crisis of faith and a dad who is a non-believer :)

I used to be teased by friends that as a family we had all major religious bases covered. My mother, is a devout Hindu and my father is more benevolent towards Muslim faith, given his 16 years in the Middle-east. As for myself, the Virgin Mary has been my security blanket ever since I was a kid :)

However, when I hit my late twenties, I had a crisis of faith that I never seemed to have gotten out of yet. I questioned the need for religion seeing the wars it fueled, the animosity it fostered among humanity, the divisions it brought into society. Besides it is hard to keep your faith when you see the pain and suffering around you - I am not merely talking of the wars, the famine, the tragedies, the slow but steady destruction of the universe happening beyond the realms of my immediate world, but of what takes place right around me. Everytime I hear/see relationships falling apart, a child abused, a life cut short, a hope squashed, a betrayal around me, people not caring enough, I question why? Perhaps our strength in handling these situations have been overestimated by Divinity.

I am a mere bystander of religion now. I want something beyond thou-shall-not-break commandments, beyond promises of eternal life, beyond narrow minded bigotry. I want something that works for the collective good of humanity and not against it. But despite my stand on religion, I am unable to give up on God Himself - like most people, I too need a support mechanism to fall back on when things go wrong in and around my life. Perhaps to answer miracles....and perhaps to bring the prodigal daughter home :(

When I doubt His presence, I see Him reflected in the deep compassion and forgiving spirit of Anna, in the innocence and unconditional love emanating from my children, in the belief and trust of my parents, in the goodness of my friends when they turn their other cheek to me, in random acts of kindness from total strangers, in the collective hope of like minded people around me that the world will turn into a better place. If it is true that He created us in His likeness, then I am here searching for Him not in religion, not in theology, not in the vast expanse of universe above me, but in the people around me.

So right now, it is my version of religion, built on kindness, selfless love, compassion and respect for human life that I am trying to instill in Madhu. Perhaps I might be a hypocrite still, in not practising totally what I preach, but someday I hope to get there.