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A letter to a Friend on Disagreements in Contemporary Nepali Thinking

Prakash Bom - 12/9/2007

I am sure there are many things regarding religion we disagree. But simply I do not practice religion of faith that is devoid of rational thinking (meaning superstition). The 87% of population of the world may, but I won't (forget about how much majority of Nepali may have been in this regard). I will try to keep my word until I take my last breath.

I simply disagree with such 'superstitious' or 'fear driven' religious practice because it prevents human rational thinking from approaching 'unknown'. I agree with the religion that is significantly evolved from human reasoning and logic (philosophical dissertations). Therefore, to me there are basically two different lines of religious practice that human minds have sought thus far in evolution.

1. Faith oriented religious practice that is driven by fear of unknown psyche

2. Philosophical religious practice that is based on human reasoning and logic

In my understanding Judeo-Christian religions - Judaism, Christians and Islam are purely faith oriented religion. They have no philosophical foundations for human reasoning. They oppose human rational and scientific thinking.

Hinduism from its beginning has evolved with philosophical dissertations (schools of thought). Its foundation is philosophy therefore it is religion of philosophies.

There is like Hinduism other religion of philosophy known Buddhism, Jainism, Confucius, and Taoism... For these religions "religion" means to seek truth (set premise), fact (collect evidence) and reality (see things as they are) through the philosophical dissertations. In this process the 'god' as human imagination of hope or fear is non-existence.

But by no means Judeo-Christian religions: Judaism, Christians and Islam religions can be philosophical because they arbitrarily under the threat of fear of unknown have accepted the myth of superstitions. They have not evolved from the human rational and logical thinking or schools of philosophies.

Similarly, the current Hindu religious practice that worships supernatural entities or persona is basically degenerated to the category of religion of faith or superstition.

Purana (mythologies), Ramayana (epic) and Mahabharata (Drama) as religious literary work of art that convey philosophical conceptions through stories did not originally intend to make people superstition. On the contrary, they help people think rationally for themselves as human beings.

Parochial school system exists in every religion either faith or philosophical such as Sanskrit school of Hindu, Madrases of Islam, Perish of Christian sects, Synagogue of Judaism. Parochial school basically started teaching grammar for the shake of teaching religious script and philosophy.

I think you and I will disagree in many aspect of religion. I think it is an honest thing to disagree as long as one is willing to discover about the fact of disagreement. It is disgraceful to human capability of rational thinking to take things for granted. The arbitrary assertions on "my god is the only great"; "my religion and tradition is the oldest"; and "my nationality at any cost even having people living under the poverty-line without fulfilling basic human living standard, on the verge of failed nation status must be glorified" must not be taken for granted. They must be questioned with human rationality and scientific thinking.

Perhaps this is where the difference fundamentally lies between you, your friend and me. I don't compromise with such propaganda. Human beings have just six thousands years ago started writing their thought in symbols like words. Hindu Vedas and other scripts in writings are no older than three to four thousands years. This is anthropological facts. Human brain has started thinking skillfully not before Neolithic age (8500 - 11000) years ago.

How ancient you mean by Hindus work of literature is basically arbitrary assumption. It is a question of how honest one is being a Hindu or how exaggerated one wishes oneself to be elevated Hindu from the rest of the mankind. As a matter of fact, humans in this technological age have evolved in a century with scientific and technological achievements equivalent of ten thousand years of humans who evolved in Neolithic age.

It could be suitable to the age if we all can be more realistic with our sentiments about our religion, tradition and nationalism. Otherwise we cannot be different from the Maoists of Nepal who by hook and crook wish to grab the power of the state – even by recalling the royalist-nationalists of palace. This is disgraceful to their insurgency of people's war. It seems as if fanatic Hindus and Maoists have themselves found in the same basket.