The circle of Life!

Science and technology worked wonders in our lives, and we are indebted to the great geniuses who, through their inventions and innovations, made our lives more pleasant and comfortable.

But, advances in science and technology have made man arrogant, and assertive about his own strengths.

So much so, a time came when he began denying the Creator himself. Call it rationalism, liberalism, or materialism or atheism. Life began drifting away from religion and its great tenets and teachings. But, the wheel has turned full circle. Today, in the land of liberalism, religion is bouncing back. Forcefully. So forcefully that it helped a president win a second term!

What was the basis of rationalism, or denial of the power of God? Are things in our hands? We never know when we will be born, and when we will pass away from this life. When we're born, we do not know how we live; and it is in no one's hands other than the Supreme Being's to guide our destinies.

I know of a person in his 60s, who had a check-up done with the best doctors in the UK some time ago. He had insured his life for a huge sum, after getting the doctors' certificate. We all know how doctors in the Western world do their check-ups. They will not do a normal diagnosis. They will make sure that all advanced systems are brought into play, and minute observations done, aided by computer and scanning machines, so that nothing is left to chance, and the insurer does not lose his money. So, this man was subjected to all tests, spread over long hours, and then came the certificate that he is perfectly alright. But, sadly, he didn't live for many more days. One morning, in one stroke, he passed away. Tests couldn't help anyone know his fate.

Man is under the mercy of the Creator. Humanity has passed through an age of reasoning. It was an age of greater faith in reason and empirical observation; espoused as it was since the Renaissance; and bolstered by scientific discoveries. Rationalistic approach was modelled on geometry and introspection to discover "self-evident truth" as foundation of knowledge. They thought seeing is believing; and failed to note that what cannot be seen can also be real.

In the materialistic world, wealth turned men away from religion and God. Liberalism was the creed. But, wealthy societies didn't deny God, per se. They ignored many of the teachings of religion. In societies like America, for instance, abortion had at times become an issue and at times a non-issue.

Atheism and Communism advocated denial of God and religion. It was also a reaction to the dominant role played by the Church in political affairs in Europe. For a period, the denial worked at some levels. Karl Marx declared religion was the opium of the masses. It found takers in eastern Europe, Soviet Union, and parts of Asia, where people were poor, and were swayed by ideology that leaned to the left and swore by the poor and the disadvantaged. But, it lasted only for a period. People turned away from Communism and its anti-religion stands.

The intellectual class in Europe and elsewhere were at one time leaning to the anti-religion lobbies. Said Sigmund Freud, "When a man is freed of religion, he has a better chance to live a normal and wholesome life". But, there were also geniuses like Albert Einstein, the father of modern science, who linked religion and science. Said he, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind". That was the age of the real and the unreal; reason and fancy; hope and hopelessness.

It was religious persecution that brought many from Europe to the shores of America after Christopher Columbus discovered the land. The British colonies in North America attracted a mass immigration of religious dissenters and poor people throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, coming as they did from the British Isles, Germany, the Netherlands and other countries. In what is today described as the Land of Opportunities, they built their lives, and lived their lives. America has always been a liberal society, that gave importance to individual freedom. As materialistic culture caught up with the people's lives there, people began straying from religious teachings. That was understandable, though not appreciable.

Religion cannot be divorced from life. Religion is what gives strength to human life and its existence. Religion is what gives solace to millions and millions of us; it takes us nearer to God; it teaches us about good living, and guides us onto the right paths. After all, it doesn't harm anyone. So, why does anyone deny it? What is good is to be cherished, preserved and promoted.

It is, thus, good to note that America, the land of the liberal, is turning back to religion. Religious revivalism is the subject of discussion in the media there for the past few weeks, after George Bush won another term of Presidency by riding the crest of a pro-religion wave set in motion by the conservatives there. It is believed that the November election results hinged not on Iraq war, or on American economy, but more clearly on socio-religious issues like same-sex marriage, abortion, and the role of religion in American life, in all of which Bush's pro-religion stands helped him.

Those who watched the elections know that Bush was defensive on Iraq and economy as he entered the campaign trail, and even in the televised pre-election debates at the fag end of the campaigning. Democrats thought victory was at hand for them. The Republicans quietly and successfully worked up the voter minds the religious way. And religious conservative votes re-elected Bush.

The fact is that the American society is returning to religion and its teachings. The Republicans exploited the general mood in the society, and identified the right subject that would see Bush through into a second term. "Deep-rooted conservatism and puritanical (religious) beliefs swayed a majority of American voters", was how commentators put it. Democrats failed to fathom the under-currents, and kept harping on Iraq and Bush's foreign policy "blunders". Bush's victory is bound to give a fillip to the religious and moral revival movement in America. Those who advocate abortion rights and same-sex marriage will find the going tough.

It could be an age of moral revival and re-generation, after a period de-generation. But, more than that, it is a return of the age of faith; the faith in the Supreme Being, the Creator, who guides all our destiny. That is what makes it important.