Skip to content

The Sceptic and Seeker

Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • In Media
  • Contact
Menu

Religion, State, and Personal Choices

Posted on December 8, 2020March 17, 2024 by Unny
(Image Source: nbsnews.com)

Debates are now raging over a new controversial law that allows the State to interfere in a deeply individual choice like marriage (notwithstanding that in India, it is not such a deeply personal choice).

It doesn’t require much intelligence to see this as unconstitutional and State trying to exert power over individual liberties and freedom. But State has always been about power—be it a democratic, autocratic or totalitarian State. And religion has been the biggest tool for State to wield power over people. It works well. Because power is what religions and its leaders relish, too.

For, organised religions never encouraged personal choices. It made people believe that they need rules of their book to live a value-based, upright life. If not, they will sin and their lives will go astray. Conformity is what organised religions wanted and therein lies power. Blasphemy laws (luckily not in India) are blatant display of power in the name of defending the divine. That it needs State power to protect gods itself is an irony.

Perhaps, this is the best time (any time is best time!) to raise a new generation of children without religious beliefs. People who need not rely on a holy book or the label of a religion to grow with deep compassion and empathy for fellow beings. As people who could question everything without the fear of rejection. As people who will draw strengths from their relationships with others to face an uncertain world.

Before someone (i.e., people who know me personally) says that I should not talk about raising children because I don’t have kids, let me say this: yes, not having children is the first and better choice. Raising them without religion is the just the second best.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Is People Development only HR’s responsibility?
  • Musings on our sense of ‘time’, the past, and the future
  • Why I Write
  • Book: The Price of Time
  • A Walkable Mumbai

Recent Comments

No comments to show.

Archives

  • February 2025
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • May 2023
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • January 2022
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • August 2020
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • November 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • April 2010
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • January 2009
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007

Categories

  • Animals
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Brands
  • City Life
  • Consumers
  • Cricket
  • Culture
  • Development Sector
  • Digital Marketing
  • Economic Times
  • Economics & Finance
  • Fads
  • Growth
  • History
  • Humour
  • Impact Magazine
  • Interviews
  • Leadership
  • Malayalam Cinema
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Mint
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Musings
  • Organisations
  • People
  • Personal Stories
  • Podcasts
  • Published
  • Publishers
  • Reading
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Social Sector
  • Society
  • State
  • Technology
© 2025 The Sceptic and Seeker | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme