Human Weakness and the Concept of God
Both the concept of God and its associated creation myths have been
protected and defended by believers who need these ideas to justify
their existence and usefulness to human society. All the believers
claim to have received their respective scriptures as Revelation;
in other words, they all profess to come directly from the one God.
Each God-religion claims that it stands for Universal Peace and
Universal Brotherhood and other such high ideals.
However great the ideals of the religious might be, the history of
the world shows that the religions up to the present day have also
helped in spreading superstitions. Some have stood against science
and the advancement of knowledge, leading to ill-feelings, murders
and wars. In this respect, the God-religions have failed in their
attempt to enlighten mankind. For example, in certain countries
when people pray for mercy, their hands are stained with the blood
of the morbid sacrifices of innocent animals and sometimes, even
fellow human beings. These poor and helpless creatures were
slaughtered at the desecrated altars of imaginary and imperceptible
gods. It has taken a long time for people to understand the
futility of such cruel practices in the name of religion. The time
has come for them to realize that the path of real purification is
through love and understanding.
Dr. G. Dharmasiri in his book 'Buddhist critique of the Christian
Concept of God' has mentioned, 'I see that though the notion of God
contains sublime moral strands, it also has certain implications
that are extremely dangerous to the humans as well as to the other
beings on this planet.
'One major threat to humanity is the blindfold called 'authority'
imposed on the humans by the concept of God. All theistic religions
consider authority as ultimate and sacred. It was this danger that
the Buddha was pointing at in the Kalama Sutta. At the moment,
human individuality and freedom are seriously threatened by various
forms of authorities. Various 'authorities' have been trying to
make 'you' a follower. On top of all our 'traditional' authorities,
a new form of authority has emerged in the name of 'science'. And
lately, the mushrooming new religions and the menace of the
Gurus(as typified by Jim Jones), have become live threats to the
individual's human freedom and dignity. The Buddha's eternal plea
is for you to become a Buddha, and He showed, in a clearly rational
way, that each and every one of us has the perfect potentiality and
capacity to attain that ideal.'
God-religions offer no salvation without God. Thus a man might
conceivably have climbed to the highest pinnacle of virtue, and he
might have led a righteous way of life, and he might even have
climbed to the highest level of holiness, yet he is to be condemned
to eternal hell just because he did not believe in the existence of
God. On the other hand, a man might have sinned deeply and yet,
having made a late repentance, he can be forgiven and therefore
'saved'. From the Buddhist point of view, there is no justification
in this kind of doctrine.
Despite the apparent contradictions of the God-religions, it is not
deemed advisable to preach a Godless doctrine since the belief in
god has also done a tremendous service to mankind, especially in
places where the god concept is desirable. This belief in god has
helped mankind to control his animal nature. And much help has been
granted to others in the name of god. At the same time, man feels
insecure without the belief in god. He finds protection and
inspiration when that belief is in his mind. The reality or
validity of such a belief is based on man's understanding capacity
and spiritual maturity.
However, religion should also concern our practical life. It is to
be used as a guide to regulate our conduct in the world. Religion
tells us what to do and what not to do. If we do not follow a
religion sincerely, mere religious labels or belief in god do not
serve us in our daily life.
On the other hand, if the followers of various religions are going
to quarrel and to condemn other beliefs and practices?especially to
prove or disprove the existence of God?and if they are going to
harbor anger towards other religions because of their different
religious views, then they are creating enormous disharmony amongst
the various religious communities. Whatever religious difference we
have, it is our duty to practise tolerance, patience and
understanding. It is our duty to respect the other man's religious
belief even if we cannot accommodate it; tolerance is necessary for
the sake of harmonious and peaceful living.
However, it does not serve any purpose to introduce this concept of
god to those who are not ready to appreciate it. To some people
this belief is not important to lead a righteous life. There are
many who lead a noble life without such belief while amongst
believers there are many who violate the peace and happiness of
innocent people.
Buddhists can also co-operate with those who hold this concept of
god, if they use this concept for the peace, happiness and welfare
of mankind but not with those who abuse this concept by threatening
people in order to introduce this belief just for their own benefit
and with ulterior motives.
For more than 2,500 years, all over the world, Buddhists have
practised and introduced Buddhism very peacefully without the
necessity of sustaining the concept of a creator of God. And they
will continue to sustain this religion in the same manner without
disturbing the followers of other religions.
Therefore, with due respect to other religionists, it must be
mentioned that any attempt to introduce this concept into Buddhism
is unnecessary. Let Buddhists maintain their belief since it is
harmless to others and, let the basic Teachings of the Buddha
remain.
From time immemorial, Buddhists have led a peaceful religious life
without incorporating the particular concept of God. They should be
capable of sustaining their particular religion without the
necessity, at this juncture, of someone trying to force something
down their throats against their will. Having full confidence in
their Buddha Dhamma, Buddhists should be permitted to work and seek
their own salvation without any undue interference from other
sources. Others can uphold their beliefs and concepts, Buddhist
will uphold theirs, without any rancor. We do not challenge others
in regard to their religious persuasions, we expect reciprocal
treatment in regard to our own beliefs and practices.
