Sacred Love or Savage Hatred? - The Contradiction of Faith

NewsBharati    16-Dec-2024 10:37:21 AM   
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If God exists as the supreme force behind this amazing creation, why do humans try to confine the infinite within the walls of bigotry and animosity? Our history is littered with the rubble of temples burned, mosques desecrated, and churches, Gurudwaras, and Stupas demolished in the name of God. Recent acts of mindless violence in Bangladesh, including the destruction of countless temples and the heartless killing of innocent Hindus, are a pointer to this reality. This is how some extremists exploit the divine as an excuse to unleash brutality upon those who simply approach God in slightly different ways. Is this not, at its core, a rejection of the very concept of God and His all-encompassing nature?
 

sacred faith 

A troubling question arises: Why is devotion to " my God " so commonly linked to hatred of " your Gods”? The irony is painfully evident. If God—by whatever name or form of worship—is the ultimate source of all life, how can anyone justify dividing His creation into warring factions? This obsession with differences in names, rituals, and customs has only led to bloodshed, trauma, and suffering—things no deity would ever condone. Hatred in the name of “love for God” is not faith at all; killing in the name of protecting religion is utterly ungodly.

Driven by excessive hatred, some have convinced themselves that loving God grants them the right to hate others' deities or ridicule the paths they follow. This mindset stems from sheer ignorance—particularly the assumption that different faiths worship entirely different gods or creators. If this were true, wouldn’t our very biology vary based on religion? Should a Muslim’s blood flow differently than a Hindu’s? Should a Christian’s heart beat to a rhythm entirely distinct from a Buddhist’s?

If the universe operates under one set of natural laws—universal, consistent, and impartial—why do we insist on claiming, “My God is the most powerful,” while dismissing others’ gods as inferior—or worse, as Satan?
Let’s consider this: gravity doesn’t ask about your beliefs before pulling you to the ground. Air doesn’t question your faith before entering your lungs to sustain and nourish your life. The sun doesn’t shine only for Hindus, nor do the rains fall exclusively for Muslims or Buddhists. What if the speed of light changed depending on whether one was Jewish or Muslim?

It is utterly absurd to believe that the same God who masterfully designed endless galaxies, black holes, and the laws of motion would occupy Himself with petty favoritism or trivial divisions among humanity. The universe intrinsically operates with perfect consistency, impartiality, and awe-inspiring generosity. Shouldn’t our concept of God reflect this same boundless benevolence—encouraging us to cherish the world around us and live in harmony with one another?

At the heart of every religion lies a “call to compassion”. God, in any form and energy, is usually approached through the act of feeding the hungry, serving the needy, spreading the virtue of compassion than in building walls of division. The divine, if it exists, is surely too vast to be confined by the smallness of human ego and narrow dogmas.

The greatest irony of all is that we claim to worship God, yet our actions so completely go against the very essence of what God represents and His expectations. We seem to miss the serene forest for the trees, focusing literally on petty trivialities while overlooking the vast shared essence of humanity.

I sometimes feel, if God were to descend today in flesh, perhaps His first question to us would be: "Why do you spend so much time defending Me and so little time embodying the love, compassion, and unity I have woven into every fiber of creation?" Perhaps God would go on to say further: " Bury your divisions, bury your dogmas, and abandon your bloody battles over who knows Me best. Love one another, serve one another, and I promise you eternal peace and eternal life in the hereafter."





Salil Gewali

A Shillong-based writer and researcher Salil Gewali is a member of the International Organization of Journalists (IOJ), and has written 17 books including school textbooks. His books have also been recommended as textbooks by the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) besides the front-ranking private schools in the Northeast. Gewali is best known for his excellent publication of his research-based work of over twenty-four years entitled ‘Great Minds on India’. This book on Indian wisdom has been edited by a former NASA scientist Dr. A V Murali, Houston, USA, and translated into twelve languages including German.  

Apart from being appreciated worldwide, ‘Great Minds on India’ was formally launched by the Governors and the Education Ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat; Governors of Meghalaya and West Bengal and the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh.

Gewali’s ‘GREAT MINDS ON INDIA’ will be instrumental in raising the PRIDE and DIGNITY of the nation from a global perspective. It immensely contributes to create the right awareness about the “higher truths” about the literary wisdom and scientific knowledge of ancient India which never failed to mesmerize the top intellectuals of the WEST such as -- Voltaire, Fredrich Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, Ralph Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Albert Einstein, Julius Robert Oppenheimer (father of atomic bomb), Werner Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, TS Eliot, Mark Twain, to name a few.