Religion follows me like a faithful shadow everywhere I dwell. Yet, today I am faithless, while different religions compete to transform me.
I grew up in a strange land where religions interbred and formed conglomerations of thoughts, ideas and philosophies. Yes, in India there are religions and then there are “sub-religions” . The different religions of India are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism , Sikhism and Buddhism. I grew up in a Hindu society as Hinduism is the most prominent religion. Within that I prayed to Godess 'Durga' and her four children 'Ganesh, Saraswati, Kartik and Laxmi.' I remember my grandmother spending hours praying to different idols. She made me pray to Saraswati (the Goddess of intellect) sometimes, so that my grades would improve.
When my family moved to Iran , I experienced Islamic culture and traditions. Every day I would see my mom cover herself with 'Barkha' (a black long cloak) because in Muslim countries women are expected to be conservative. Then I learnt about Allah and how Muslims pray five times a day. I was shocked the most when I found out about Ramazan (a season where Muslims can only eat between dusk and dawn).
I grew up in a strange land where religions interbred and formed conglomerations of thoughts, ideas and philosophies. Yes, in India there are religions and then there are “sub-religions” . The different religions of India are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism , Sikhism and Buddhism. I grew up in a Hindu society as Hinduism is the most prominent religion. Within that I prayed to Godess 'Durga' and her four children 'Ganesh, Saraswati, Kartik and Laxmi.' I remember my grandmother spending hours praying to different idols. She made me pray to Saraswati (the Goddess of intellect) sometimes, so that my grades would improve.
When my family moved to Iran , I experienced Islamic culture and traditions. Every day I would see my mom cover herself with 'Barkha' (a black long cloak) because in Muslim countries women are expected to be conservative. Then I learnt about Allah and how Muslims pray five times a day. I was shocked the most when I found out about Ramazan (a season where Muslims can only eat between dusk and dawn).
Allah or Jesus, Krishna or Buddha mean the same thing to me, nothing. Don't we all explain the unplained by calling it 'God?' What we don't know, the supernatural and the metaphysical, we strive to express through religion, through faith.
My parents would tell me that, “Religion doesn't mean anything, humanism is more important.” They shared the importance of being a good person, with a kind heart. I truly value their opinion and that is exactly how I look at the world today.
When I came to TCIS, I was fully exposed to Christianity for the first time. It was very interesting to meet people who shared a different perspective, it still is. If I could accept Jesus, I think that my life would be much easier, but I don't believe in the miracles he did. Truth is something that you need to believe, and that is why it is 'truth' to you. Actually, Muslims argue that Muhammad was the true Messiah of Allah (their God). History and is twisted, and everything history reveals may or may not be true.
After coming to TCIS, I have realized that most Christians are good people though. They really love God and serve him unconditionally, and I respect them for their beliefs. I hope I am treated the same way, because sometimes it is challenging to live in a community where everyone else has strong faith. I think that one of Bright Eyes' songs, reveal my view towards religion. The lyrics read:
“The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Koran's mute,
If you burn them all together you'd be closer to the truth”
When I came to TCIS, I was fully exposed to Christianity for the first time. It was very interesting to meet people who shared a different perspective, it still is. If I could accept Jesus, I think that my life would be much easier, but I don't believe in the miracles he did. Truth is something that you need to believe, and that is why it is 'truth' to you. Actually, Muslims argue that Muhammad was the true Messiah of Allah (their God). History and is twisted, and everything history reveals may or may not be true.
After coming to TCIS, I have realized that most Christians are good people though. They really love God and serve him unconditionally, and I respect them for their beliefs. I hope I am treated the same way, because sometimes it is challenging to live in a community where everyone else has strong faith. I think that one of Bright Eyes' songs, reveal my view towards religion. The lyrics read:
“The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Koran's mute,
If you burn them all together you'd be closer to the truth”
When people of every religion think that they are the truth, what is the point of having faith? What if today, I decide to accept God into my life and devote my life to him when there is no God. Sometimes I feel empty and scared inside, but I don't want to tell myself that everything is fine, and God will fill up my soul, when I am not sure of his existence. Besides, what if everything I start to believe in, is a lie?
I don't want to persuade people into what I believe in, or don't believe. It is just my perspective on life. I think that my faith is like a palette where different religions have left their imprints. But I wash away their marks and remain the blank palette I started with. If religious truth was black and white, I would know what to choose.
6 comments:
Pritha,
Wow. Your upbringing and the cultures you have lived in have impacted your world view in a major way. I can't imagine what it would be like to be so exposed to so many different religions. I appreciate your honesty within this post, and I appreciate the fact that you still respect others and their beliefs. I know many times it is easy to become cynical about others beliefs and to treat them badly. It is difficult on the other hand to be immersed in a culture like TCIS and be surrounded by Christianity and not be a believer. I'm sure that has been a struggle for you. I hope that everyone here has treated you well and approached you in a loving way, rather than a judgmental one.
As we read this book, I hope that you will stay open-minded and contribute to the conversation that we have in class. Thanks.
Pritha, thank you for being so frank about your faith. Being real to oneself is so important. I hope that you will never stop searching for truth. Your life is a masterpiece and as the palette gathers an array of colours, so too will your worldview evolve into one of experience and knowledge... God says in Proverbs (and numerous other scriptures)18:15 "The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." Keep searching and learning. Mrs.Mc.
Pritha-
It's so cool that you had a chance to get exposed to such a variety of culture and religions. I think it's a valuable and rare experience for people our age to have gotten. I also appreciate the way you were frank and honest in stating your thoughts and opinions while still being open-minded. I'd love to hear more about what you know about other religions in the next blogs and in class time, as well. good job*^^
Pritha! it was really nice reading your entry and seeing your religious world view. I really enjoyed reading your blog post as you write in a really interesting manner,very artistically. I can relate to a lot of your experiences since we grew up in the same place, India.I liked when you wrote "I don't want to persuade people into what I believe in, or don't believe. It is just my perspective on life." as i have the same view. I look forward to reading more of your blog posts.
It is very nice to hear about your background, I never knew these things about you. You have an astounding amount of knowledge about religion compared to me and I admire that you search for the truth. This post is laced with much knowledge, thank you for sharing.
Vrita~
Being multi-cultural is very interesting, and I hope you find that as your merit! It was very interesting to read about your faith...and I understand how difficult it is to be transformed. I'm looking forward to reading your next blog! ^0^
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