A POINT OF VIEW



       God made man or man made God? It seems that at the beginning

of human civilization, people were overwhelmed with fear during

natural calamities, such as, wild fire, earthquake, rainstorm, famine 

or an epidemic. They could not fathom what was causing these 

events. They imagined that some powerful entities were 

responsible to bring these misfortunes upon the earth. They started 

worshipping some forces of nature as Gods, such as, sun, water, 

wind, fire.  They attributed human traits, such as, anger 

and revenge to these Gods, and started to perform rituals to 

propitiate these Gods, such as, yagna (ceremony around fire) and 

sacrifice (throwing food, animals and occasionally human babies in 

fire). With time, there developed a concept of one supreme being

and formation of different religions (systems of worship and rules 

of life) in different parts of the world. Each religion built its own 

theology about the creation of universe and life in it.


        Today orthodox followers of each religion faithfully 

 follow their traditional practices passed down from generation 

to generation, without questioning. Of course, there were some 

thinkers, even in ancient times, who challenged the religious 

concepts of soul and God (e.g., Charvak in India and Epicurus in 

Greece). On a broad scale, it was in the17th and 18th century ad 

that there arrived several thinkers (Locke, Hume, Bacon and

others) who challenged old beliefs and said that knowledge should 

be acquired through observation through human senses 

(empiricism). Then experimental method of collecting data

was developed. This led to the development of sciences, such as, 

Physics, Chemistry and Biology.


        Today there is a sizable number of intellectuals who do not 

believe in the existence of some supernatural being who 

orchestrates events in the world. They believe in seeking  truth 

through experience and reason. They do not put any credence to 

miracle, black magic and rituals of redemption.

  


 















  


       

        




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