Edward de Silva wrote on Goanet: >>ARE WE SAYING GOD SUCKS OR RELIGION SUCKS? >>My conclusion is that Samir and you have meant (sorry, assume to say) >>'Religion sucks'.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Response: To make my point clear, I shall cite an analogy. The direct projection of a headless Gandhi by M.F. Hussain in one of his canvas became the scope of a major discussion on another forum. Without trying to understand what message M.F. Hussain was trying to convey, the pioneer painter was subjected to a barrage of insult and abuse, and the context of his Art misinterpreted and seen as a vicious insult to Mahatma. The canvas I refer to is the following: http://www.hindujagruti.org/activities/campaigns/national/mfhussain-campaign/paintings/hitler_big.jpg When I saw the painting, I found nothing objectionable in it. Perhaps because I viewed it with positive eyes, whereas a few others chose to see it negatively. I then tried to decipher the painting positively, the way the Artist expected all of us to, from his perspective, rather than through orthodox or prejudiced perspectives. I deciphered the Canvas in this fashion: "The Painting is a fitting tribute to the human persona and the moral and spiritual character of the great Mahatma. In this Canvas, Hussain equates Gandhi to Buddha, someone who had attained Nirvana, the highest state of the human mind. Gandhi's human face has been removed to illustrate that being human his body may have perished but his thoughts are eternal and immortal. The human face has been substituted with the Dharma Wheel, the Buddhist symbol, signifying a State of Sainthood, or the State of Nirvana described by Buddha as "deathlessness: the highest spiritual attainment, the natural result that accrues to one who lives a life of virtuous conduct and practice in accordance with the Noble Eightfold Path." Here is a picture of the Dharma wheel (The Eight Fold Paths to attain Nirvana can be seen prominently displayed on the spokes of the wheel): http://ascensionreiki.com/A1-141.jpg " I am citing the above example simply to illustrate that a particular piece of work, whether a piece of art or an article can appear to be either good or bad depending on how we choose to perceive and interpret it. The above painting thus became stunning from my eyes, and disgusting from the eyes of a few others who did not make an attempt to understand what the artist was trying to convey. The same principle would apply to Samir's "God sucks" post. If we had applied the tests of reasonableness at the very first instance which you seem to have done now, it would have been clear to each one of us that Samir meant the "concept of God" and not God literally. And by logic and inference Religion too, since religion is based on the concept of God. For the records, "sucks' is not a word of abuse but is a commonly used American slang term, and when seen in the right context, would simply mean awful. (Other examples: Her singing sucks; This job sucks. Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/suck ) It was thus written without a deliberate or a malafide intent to insult God or to hurt the feelings of Christians on the eve of Christmas. In brief, what Samir simply meant was the "Concept of God" is awful, which from the atheism standpoint is a perfectly acceptable claim in a modern compatible society and not an intolerant one as Mario seems to claim. Samir has clarified the context of his usage and let us take his word for it. He has also been gracious enough to withdraw that word in the face of sensibilities being hurt and has initiated a new thread titled "Concept of God", where we could all contribute in a positive way, critiquing the concept of God and religion, and working together to make these concepts better in the larger interests of humanity. And let those who believe that the concepts of God and religion need to be discarded altogether too have their say. Cheers Sandeep
