It is amusing how similar an aethist like Bhubha and a firm believer like me think, even when it comes to God. No, ethics are not dependent on God. Yes, religion is more of a way of life. Yes, religion needs ammendment just like constitution of a country. And yes, God is Also the Evil.
Because for me, God is everything. Sunshine and blossoms are the Grace of God, a narrow escape is the Mercy of God, and floods and earthquakes are the wrath of God.
But what is God at the first place? Is it something outside of us? Is it a superpower that governs the universe, gets delighted when we pray and gets upset when we dont? Is it an entity that tells us to kill the unbelievers, sacrifice a goat's blood, rape women of other religion? Who is he? Or she? Or whatever it is?
The fact of the matter is that nobody knows. Nobody saw or heard the God. They only read about God, and were told by other who were in turn told by someone else what God likes and what he doesn't like. But did God say that, really? We have no way to find out.
A lot of scriptures claim to be the words of God. A lot of people claim to be the sons and daughters and messengers of God. They lure people into doing things that they want done, and in return assure people that the God will reward you in the end for your conduct. But that is not all. This modus operandus basically aims for the weak spot- the Achille's heel that almost all of us are victims of: feeling of guilt. The intermediary- the person between you and God tells you that God will forgive all your sins, if you return to the right path. They can do this, because they know that we all percieve ourselves as sinners in some deep corner of our minds, and long for forgiveness. And if pleasing god is the undoing of all the crimes, then why would one not please God? It's the people with an aching conscience that are the staunchest followers of God's words.
But the fact of the matter is- as I believe it, of course- is that the God can't forgive you or grant your wishes, if you do not do so at the first place. A person asking for forgiveness from God, is essentially asking for forgiveness from himself, and until he makes up for the wrongs that he has done- he will not feel redeemed. For God is nothing outside a person- but the very essense of their being.
So you see- the concept of God has to do with everything- with ethics and society, actions and emotions, science and religion. There is a reason why the biggest crimes as well as the most glorious deeds are performed under the name of God. There is a reason why holy wars are fought even in this century of knowledge and information explosion. There is a reason why the concept of God exists till date.
Haven't we- at least the modern, educated communities, done away with a lot of old customs that are no longer valid? Then why have we not thrown out of the window the notion of God? Why do we still 'Thank God' when things work out? Why did Einstein believe in God? Why did Mother Teresa?
Once a man asked an aethist, "Do you believe in God?" "No", the aethist replied. "In heaven, or hell?" asked the man. "No", said the aethist firmly. "Oh. Where would you go then, after death?" Is it not the questions like these, the dark night beyond realms of life, the coincidences and occurances beyond the scope of science, inexplicable behaviours of people, animals, plants and planets- things beyond our knowledge or control, that make us believe that it is not us, but something superior that governs this universe, and we call it God?
The fact that we exist, the fact that flowers bloom and birds sing and planets revolve, the fact that animals breed and clouds pour and seas ebb and flow- is proof enough for God's existance. God speaks in our voices, God beats in our hearts. It is the flame of life that burns in our bodies that we call God. And so, as long as we exist, we can't really do away with the concept of God.
