Organized Religions -- Service Providers Only?

During my recent visit to the GITAM Institue of International Business, I stayed in their Guest House for about five days. Near the eastern entrance to the huge sprwaling campus they have a nice shrine with a huge idol of Dancing Ganesha (Narthana Ganapathi). As anywhere else in AP, the priest was sincere and orthodox. I made it a daily practice to visit the shrine. I spent relaxed moments after the ritual Aarthi sitting on the polished granite flooring of the raised platform on which the shrine was built. I developed a devotion to that particular Ganapathi idol. This is something unique about Hinduism which is essentially non-dogmatic.

The communion between God and anyone is so personal, unique and sacred. Organized religions can, at best, facilitate this link or try to provide a framework in the same way that an Internet Service Provider gives the necessary bandwidth. Attempting to prescribe or control belief is futile.

There as many belief systems or religions in this world as there are sentient beings…


I sometimes, get an atheist in my programmes.As I, sometimes, include philosophical and religious quotations or references, I do enquire if there are atheists. This is more for information than for bias. I sometimes ask them whether they believe that there is no God. If they answer yes, I request them to hold on steadfastly to their belief that there is no God! After all religion is all about the strength of beliefs.

Ancient Indian wisdom accepts denial of the existence of God as a belief system or Dharshana. Buddhism denies the concept of a creator/protector/destroyer God! Charvaka also denies God in his materialistic view of life!