Christmas Dinner !
Faith is integral to religion although it can thrive without it as well. Agnosticism - absence of all faith is actually another faith. We all believe in something or the other. Problem only arises when faith plays second fiddle to organized religion, because then rituals take precedence and everyone believes they have a patent on the correct path. That has always generated conflict and always will.
Soviets tried to get rid of faith by banning religion but only managed to replace God by State. Kind of why pray to God when you can pray to the State! Long time ago I was in Soviet Russia and was surprised to see a very well attended church Sunday service despite the obvious KGB types taking pictures and noting down details of the attendees. Not all of them were old babushka's either! It was Clear that soviet war on faith was not going very well.
It is safe to assume that faith makes one mentally strong, gives one a purpose and a focus. It ought to make one a better human and it does too ; except when religion interferes ! According to genetic studies Jews and Palestinians are closer to each other than the Jews are to their host countries. I know I am oversimplifying a complex, multifaceted issue but there should be no reason for them to be anything but friends! You do not need me to tell you that Jews are facing a running war of extinction and dishing out more grief than they are getting in return. Religion is a huge factor in that violent imbroglio and according to some analysts it is the only factor .
Even within the Islamic nations there is a clear Shia / Sunni divide. Saudi Arabia and Iran have not seen eye to eye for about 1000 years. First gulf war between Iraq and Iran raged on for eight years from 1980 to1988. In comparison Second world war between the years 1939 to1945 was shorter. About one million Roma and six million Jews were massacred during the second world war by a misplaced sense of false Nazi superiority that had a large dollop of religious element embedded in.
Nobody likes to talk about it any more but a communist china occupied by force a Buddhist Tibet on very flimsy grounds in 1950's. Just because some ancient Chinese dynasty had ruled over it. Weird logic indeed! By the same logic Britain can claim entire USA/ Canada and half of the rest of the world! Unkindest cut is that the Chinese occupation of Tibet has been normalized by an acquiescing world. It is another matter that the same Communist regime is now brutalizing Uighur a Muslim group for being Muslim !
Ireland's division into a protestant north and a catholic south with the violence it precipitated is rather well documented. A semblance of peace and acceptance of status quo was only achieved in late nineties after decades of serious disturbances.The rumblings for reunification are still simmering under the surface.
Pakistani's and Indians are exactly the same people. With exactly the same DNA, ancestors, history and family names. You would not know it though If I did not tell you. First the country got divided on religious grounds and then they promptly went to war. Several times in fact; over the region of Kashmir. All because Kashmir has more Muslims !
Al Qaeda terrorists that flew a plane full of passengers into the world trade centre NYC, killing thousands of innocents 23 years ago actually changed the entire world for ever. There were pointers before that eventful day 39 years ago when khalistani terrorists detonated a bomb mid flight killing 329 mostly Canadian passengers onboard the aircraft. Poor victims that had absolutely nothing to do with whatever grievance these vile perpetrators had. Religious frenzy and fanaticism has nothing to do with piety and faith.
Of course there are wars that have reasons other than religion, like the Russian - Ukrainian war. According to a census 17% of the entire population of Ukraine is Russian and nearly 2 million Russian residents identify themselves as Ukrainian. The data does predate the current war but you can imagine how absurdly silly and mindless these wars are.
There is this concept of six degrees of separation, meaning all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other and we are all related! Then there is an ancient Indian philosophy Of "Vasudev Kutumbakam"; meaning "All world is one family".
Talking about family think of a Christmas dinner where the entire clan gets together. Does every body agree with everybody else? Are there no tantrums , no drama , no arguments? Are there no imagined or real past hurts that come to fore? All of the above happens but really how achingly beautiful it is when everyone does sit down and enjoy together whatever the table has on offer! Think about it!
Karl Marx did say that religion is the opium of the people. Soviets were off the mark about many things but they were spot on about religion being 'poison'. Faith on the other hand is completely another matter altogether. Let us never confuse the two!
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