I
had faced a peculiar situation, on many occasions of my life. It usually
happens in the midst of a conversation with friends. My certain friends will
opine that ‘they believe in God very
well, but not in Ghost/Witch/Demon’. After presenting their view they
simply abandon that topic, refusing further discussion. Many a time, I had come
up with an explanation. But nobody heeded me.
The
doubt I try to raise in front of my friends was ‘If somebody can believe in the existence and activities of god, then,
why can’t he believe in the existence and activities of a ghost or demon?”
God
is a supernatural agency. He is not bound by the limitations that the Nature
presents to the common man. Instead He can do everything. His realm of
activities and thought is beyond human comprehension. He is said to be the controller
of nature. Thus there are many credits with him. Overwhelmed by these all, people
believe and worship him. They think that God can do miracles to save them in
their bad times… Ok. Let it be so. But…
The ethical angle of
the problem:-
In
every religion God is supposed to be utmost justful. He keeps high morality. He
sets the moral rules for the devotees. Devotees are obliged to follow them
rigidly. Those who deviate from the moral rules set forth by the god are
destined to suffer its consequences in this world or in after life. Such are
the common ethical concept. This in turn installs a duality in the religious
belief.
When
god guides the followers through the moral path, set forth by him, there automatically
arises its opposite view, i.e. immorality. If there is ‘I’, then ‘Non-I’ is
natural and both cannot be true at the same time, as per law of contradiction. When
ethics exists, then un-ethics also exist. In the same way, if there is a
supernatural agency which possess or imposes ethics exists, then there should
be a super natural agency which possess or imposes un-ethics also must exist. These
both ethical and unethical supernatural agencies usually exist at the same
level, beyond the reach of human intellect[1].
So
in every religion god, who imposes morality among his followers, accompanies a ‘villain
god’, commonly known as demon/ghost, who continuously tries to deflect god’s
followers from the ethical path. Whichever devotee follows the moral path set
up by the god must also fear the non-ethical villain god, demon. Both god and demon
can’t stand independently from each other[2].
It is the ethical part that clearly discerns the god from demon. Apart from the
ethical and compassion level, both are almost at same level in their
capabilities.
The
ethical god constantly keeps his followers in vigil against the un-ethical
tactics of his counterpart. What actually exists there is a kind of dualism; belief
in the existence of a god and also demon, both are not bound by the natural
limitations. Thus in monotheism there may be only a god, but not one and only
one supernatural agency. Instead there are two or multiple[3]
supernatural agencies. Among this multitude of supernatural agencies one is
supposed to be god, another demon and the rest angels or spirits etc. The
difference between them lies in the degree of power and quality attributed to
them by the worshipper.
In
a strict mono supernatural agency worship god - demon, ethic – unethic division
is impossible2. Existence
and belief in two or more entities, like god – demon, having super natural abilities
inherently carries dualistic or pluralistic notion. And during worship, a
devotee should believe in both. If either of them is absent, then the second
one losses its importance. If the world is full of ethics, which won’t lose in
anyway, then why should there be a god, who imposes ethics upon the people, is
needed? So a god - demon roles are complimentary, and nobody can believe solely
in one of them only.
Atheistic viewpoint:-
An
atheist considers monotheism and polytheism in the same level. Inclusion of
monotheism and polytheism in the same category is not at all a contradiction
for them. They usually ask “if somebody
believe in a single super natural agency, like god, then why can’t he believe
in multiple super natural agencies, like in polytheism?’ What is the core
difference between these two theisms? Further more if somebody believe that the
demon or demy-god like figures (which stand above the level of human experience
or the realm of senses) do exist along with a single god, then how can he blame
others for their multi-god worship?
Monotheism
and polytheism are in par level for an atheist. And as long as the ethical, un-ethical
duality exists, god - demon duality also exists and nobody can escape from this
dualistic idea.
Monism and Advaita
Vedanta:-
Advaita
Vedanta escapes from this dualistic notion, by proposing a single, non-dual Reality,
Brahman, and two levels of its existence. First is known as Paramartha Satya,
Ultimate truth[4]
and second is known as Vyavahara Satya or Relative truth.
Phenomenal
world is in relative truth level. God - asura, creation – destruction, sin –
virtue and such type dualities exist at this plane of reality. But care should
be taken for not to think this dualities as the ultimate. These dualities exist
only in the phenomenal world, which is in relative plane of reality. In
ultimate reality level there is no duality exists. Single non dual Brahman only
exists in the ultimate truth level[5].
[1] God cannot be the possessor of both ethics
and un-ethics. If god has both, then He will automatically become a non-god
being the possessor of two contradictory characters.
[2] If there is only ethic
all over the world, then we can’t define the term ‘ethic’ or recognize ethic as
ethic. A definition implies negation of the opposite views.
[3] Multiple super natural agencies may exist in
religious beliefs. Angels, spirit, demy -god etc and such type demy-gods are
also supernatural agencies. Their prominence with respect to god varies by
different degrees. Yet they don’t become a non – super natural agency.
[4] Ultimate truth/Absolute/infinite Being is a
philosophical term for the empirical God and God is a theological name for the
philosophical Absolute or ultimate truth.
[5] In Advaita Vedanta. The
abode of the gods is Nirguna Brahman. i.e. the gods which devotees worship daily,
are not in the highest reality level. They have importance only in phenomenal
world. When a devotee attains Brahma-vidya, he understood the relative nature
of the deities and world. He himself becomes one with Brahman then.
No comments:
Post a Comment