This is one of the topics in Speaktacular 2013, a debate competition organized by MS-TSEC. Being a part of the Club Team, a team mainly responsible for debates, literary events and quizzes(intellectual events), I was among the moderators. As I had to listen to them and take down notes, I decided to elaborate on some of the topics I personally liked.
I liked the debate on this for one reason. I was for this statement, but the opposition were convincing enough for me to question my stance.
The proposition started with how religion hold us back. We are so stubborn to the words written in our religion that we don't accept something new. Sexism is a major product of these preachings. Christians, Jews and Muslims believe that a man is supposed to protect his woman and the woman to serve him. They define the roles for both the sexes, hence leaving no freedom for us to decide our own fate. These religions are against homosexuality. Many gays and lesbians faced problems as severe as death for being that way. It was considered a sin. Premarital sex was another sin, so was masturbation, which is a seemingly harmless act. One can understand rape being a sin, but why the others? Nicolas Copernicus and Galelio Galeli faced death to go against religious facts. They were right on the astronomical discoveries yet termed as sinners. By the time we started accepting science, it was too late.
Following traditions blindly cause in a great waste of money. The same money can be put in charity instead. I know families that will spend lacks or even crores for their beloved daughter's wedding. I know that we all want to celebrate, but spending so much? In my family, during funerals, we feed a few Brahmins one time meal. Back then, Brahmins did service for free and this was like a way to repay them. But now they earn a fortune on human stupidity. Each one of them have a tummy of the size of a bear. They own such stylish bikes. Wouldn't you rather spend the money feeding the poor?
Religion is an obstruction to free will. We have to follow the so called word of God rather than write our own words. Religion is greatly unfair to women. In Saudi Arabia, we still have to hide under a burkha. The Kashmiri girls band was issued a Fatwa; they couldn't express their musical talents. Feminists were claimed to be witches and burnt to death. Sati and unfair treatment to widows is not justified. Polygamy was observed by men, but a lady doing the same is a disgrace.
We know that jihad is another ill effect of religion. Many Kasabs were picked on from the streets of Pakistan and Afghanistan. They were told to kill and sacrifice in the name of God. Which God would want such worthless sacrifices? How is this any different from diabolism? Kasab and many others could have grown to achieve great heights in life. With the loyalty to the cause they showed, they could have made Pakistan proud, if well educated. The country would have come out of the great mess it is in. But they rather increased the mess by indulging in terrorism. Brain washed that it is the right thing to do, they had no chance of living a life every human has the right to.
But one man's poison is another man's food. Again it's you who make the choices. The opposition started the argument by saying how religion increases our morality. Like everything else, religion has also evolved over time. Due to Raja Ram Mohan Roy's interference, Sati and other unjust laws were abolished when its evils were brought out.
Great men like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi were inspired by religion and dharma. Gandhi followed the path of non violence and truth because it was his morals which made him so. Morals imbibed by religion! He led the country to a free today. He even tried to unite both Hindus and Muslims. Martin Luther King also believed in the word of Jesus that one must love their neighbors and enemies. Hence he adapted the method of non-violence. Religion influenced them to avoid bloodshed and follow an alternate path.
We have been taught about the great emperor Ashoka in our schools. He was blinded by power to conquer places. His anger was fierce. He killed around 500 men because they were disloyal. He even tortured women by putting them in harem. He fought a war to add the kingdom of Kalinga to his. He won the war but lost to his own conscience. He saw the amount of blood shed and felt remorse. It was Buddism, a religion, that changed him. Gave him a fresh perspective in life. He gave up on all the worldly desires and went on to be one of the greatest emperors and human we have ever seen. He popularized it amongst his subjects.
Religion and mythology have given us great heroes to worship. Even female ones like Durga Maa. Durga Maa's legend taught us that of having a penis is not a reason to not fight evil. Her display of courage is an example to all those women who are subjected to torture on a daily basis, those who live under the fear of being tainted every moment. Jesus Christ taught us to be persistent and put others before oneself.
Coming to the point of terrorism, the opposition raised an excellent point. Terrorism is a result of bullying kids to follow falsely interpreted religious prophecy. Rumour has it that many like Kasab were threatened to embrace terrorism. Their families lived on a gun point. It was religion that gave them hope. Belief in Allah that makes them all believe that a better tomorrow will arrive.
Religion plays an important role in our lives, whether we like it or not. To take the best out of it is in our disposition.
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