God and God-products in the marketplace - India Policy



God and God-products in the marketplace

Sanjeev Sabhlok 11 Dec 2004

No matter how I examine the evidence, there appears to be no Entity in this universe that one can, with certainty, label as God.

All the evidence presented by different streams of thought and belief is incomplete in essential fundamentals, and if not blatantly fraudulent - ie. designed to pull wool over one's eyes, is at the minimum a conscious attempt to exploit failures in human thinking or feeling. I will not enter into these arguments or examine the evidence here. Many people have already done so in different places, in different contexts. It is foolish to waste one's life debating these trivial arguments for and against the existence of God.

Equally as there is no conclusive evidence for the existence of God, constant pressure is applied by believers and potential fraudsters, as well as psychologists and other scientists, to prove that those who believe in a God are happier. This is possibly true, though spurious correlations of God-products with other "happiness" products have not been fully ruled out, scientifically, to the best of my knowledge, nor can I imagine that happiness levels are unique and constant in a person's lifetime. Four year old girls are happier than eighty year old women, in general. This implies that other causes of happiness could underpin these findings. Have these factors been controlled for in these studies?

It is worth noting that this type of evidence moves us completely away from the critical examination of the evidence for the existence of particular Gods and appeals simply to our desire for happiness. Other studies in this vein ask, "does more money make you happier"? Another one could ask, "does more health make you happier"? My point is that it is in the interest of promoting our happiness that God-products are endorsed by psychologists, not in the interest of determining if God exists. Is our happiness more important than finding out the truth? Maybe, maybe not. It is up to each of us to decide, or feel. That is purely our own decision.

After over 30 years of mulling over this issue, I have come to the conclusion that while there may not be a God, there exists, and will continue to exist, a huge demand for God. This demand is based on the frailty of human existence. It is a psychological demand. Just as we demand beauty products or good clothes in order to "feel good", we demand God. This is a plain and simple fact of life. Given that this demand arises from the nature and fragility of human existence, it is not likely to dissipate completely, even though it will ease over time as mankind conquers the uncertainties of nature including disease and ill-health (the per capita, per diem, demand for God has been definitely easing over the decades).

I have acted as my own supplier of God on those occasions when I need to talk to God (ie. I imagine a God of my own and happily converse with this "creation", just as a child talks to an imaginary doll). Therefore I have never demanded the services of the sellers of God-products (intermediaries). Not everyone can act as their own supplier, though, without feeling foolish and even awed. Consequently, external suppliers of this product will continue to exist. These suppliers make a significant pile of money out of God. Gold and gem laden churches, temples and mosques are successful multinational God-businesses that have evolved over the millennia. Of course, non-traditional ways of charging for the God-product services are used in this business. Instead of a menu that bluntly says, "God supplied at $10 an hour", these places say, "Contribute your labour and charity to the Great God [ie. his intermediaries who offer this vision of God]".

In the end I must simply note that God is a cultural matter, somewhat akin to art. We should leave it to individual consumers to decide what kind of God they want, and to choose from the various products on the marketplace, or not to choose one at all. So long as the sellers of God-products do not commit crimes such as murder, theft, or others, I am happy to leave them alone. It is when these suppliers trespass basic human decency, and encroach on other people's rights to similarly choose different God-products, or not to buy such products at all, that I get concerned. I have always been concerned with all religions, as they have almost always led to the pre-mature death of millions of people in the name of God. Alternatively these religions set up hierarchies that demean some people, like women or low-castes, and extoll others - without any basis whatsoever; definitely not on the basis of actual character or contributions of those extolled, to the society.

If you are unhappy with external God-suppliers, because of their businesses having caused havoc on mankind, I can show you how to supply one for yourself, and converse with your own God. It is simple, just like a child talks to a doll. And it is definitely cathartic. These dream-talks are called prayers. They do not hurt nor kill others. Away from the harsh reality of the laws of nature, these prayers may even come true. We are allowed to dream, indeed we must, every day of our life.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download