If you
have been a regular reader ‘The Sangai Express, you would be
familiar with columnist Dr. Irengbam
Mohendro Singh. I came to know him while I was in my Senior Secondary
School. One morning he made my mood off after reading his article equating Christ and Krishna, the Hindu god. He wrote a long article, which was really a
bad theology. I wondered where he learned that. I remember myself shouting in my
hostel, “What a blasphemy!” I wished
I had the courage, wits and opportunity to write him back and was disturbed
wanting for any Christian rejoinder. After a week, a guy from Churachandpur
wrote in the ‘letters to editor’ column that the Doctor was misusing and
diluting Christianity, which I agreed heartily. The next day, another person
wrote against him. Wow! The debate was on!
Supporters
of Irengbam started pelting articles in praise of the good Doctor
(in their words), saying he authored a lot of books. Moreover, Irengbam further
wrote in the next article that he believed in God while he was a kid but after
becoming a Successful Doctor, he found unreasonable to believe in the existence
of God. Many people wished and thought only the death of his patients will
humble him to realize that he is not smart and wise as he thought of himself
and to drive him back to believe in the existence of God.
Even in
Delhi, on 22nd September 2013, I found an article by Prof. Vasant Natarajan “Let’s
aim for a post-theistic society” (Open Page, The Hindu newspaper). The main premise of the
article is “religion is founded on fear, the fear of an unknown.” He argued
that religion is a villain. Most wars have been fought because of religion. He
has also argued that modern science has been able to explain almost all natural
phenomena. By the way, according to NASA, “More
Is Unknown Than Known.” Perhaps, he wrote that article because of the
dastardly killing of rationalist Dr.
Narendra Dabholkar, who attacked the beliefs and practices of superstition.
It had been the headlines of major Indian newspapers. Many readers argued that ‘religion
starts where science ends,’ and evoked a lot of reactions. The Hindu on 13th Oct 2013 open page “WHY BLAME RELIGION” with many writers
gave interesting responses to the Professor’s article which I am going to share
an excerpt from the article of Oscar
Priyanand entitled “Science tells us
what is, and not what ought to be:”
Man has not invented God but He is the logical deduction of a
rational mind. Science has no equation to prove that God does not exist. How
come some scientists believe in something they cannot prove and call themselves
more rational? By the way, science is discovering how the universe works, it is
not inventing it. Who or what invented in the first place is still a profound
mystery. Scientist would be jobless if it were not for the remarkable
consistency and stability of the laws and forces of physics – a baffling
property of the universe which makes all technology possible. Imagine the chaos
when gravity is there on Mondays and not on Fridays. . . . More important,
science is not a finished business. There is not even one field of science that
has finished its work conclusively. . . .
Let us remember half-knowledge is dangerous. . . . The two World Wars
had nothing to do with religion, yet together they have brought more suffering
than all the history of mankind. You cannot blame religion because of a few
misguided individuals and do away with it. It is like removing road rules
because a few idiots have gone on the wrong side of the road. . . . Science tells us what is, and NOT what ought
to be. That is the province of religion.
The
debate-questions about the existence of God and the debate-doubts about the
goodness of God will continue to be. Many believe there is God, but wish that
there is no God. They hate God. On the other hand, others believe there is God,
but live like there is no God. A cursory study of history reveals an
exponential increase in the scale of violence in modern times, which began with
the so-called “enlightened” Europeans, corresponding with the rapid decline of
religion in the West. With the rise of secularism, many Christians have become
more liberal, because they wanted to be found acceptable in the pools of
intellectuals. Are we to compromise the Truth just because we do not understand
completely? No, but we must also know why we believe what we believe.
As I ponder
and wonder the awesomeness of God, I find myself agreeing, more and more with
the Psalmist that says, “Fool says in his heart that there is no God.”
Atheism, most of the time is the best way – only to demonstrate angriness, and
protest against God. However, Job told his wife that she spoke foolishly when
she advised him to curse God and die. The Bible tells us to show gentleness and
mercy to them that doubt and we, be readying in season and out of season. May
we be equipped to face the doubts and questions of the world not only for
contending our faith but to help people find answers in the Person, whom they
ignorantly and arrogantly talk against, who forgives and gives wisdom
exceedingly, through whom and by whom we live, the Lord Jesus Christ!