Religious Diversity is the Proof of the Absurdity and Arbitrariness of Religions

In India since childhood, we are taught, to the extent that it borders on indoctrination, that India is a country that exemplifies unity in diversity, especially religious diversity. India is a nation of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Parsis, Buddhists and other religions, we are told. But in reality, though these religions live in India they dislike each other, and naturally. The Pew Research Survey rightly puts it- ‘Indians value religious tolerance, though they also live religiously segregated lives’. Many have claimed that India accepts other religions and not just tolerates them. This claim is absolutely untrue given the fundamental nature of religions. All religions are exclusionary, not inclusive. 

Christians pray to Jesus, Muslims pray to Allah. Hinduism on the other hand is so fragmented that there is no way to pinpoint one principle that applies to all factions of Hindus, except the caste system. Jews, Buddhists and Jains also have their own beliefs. The diversity of religions we celebrate has an unseen or ignored undertone. If all religions are so diverse to the point that they are contradictory, then not all of them can be right. The mere fact that there are religions with opposing viewpoints and contradictory practices means that only one is right. 

If India is a society that accommodates these diverse religions, then it is only sustaining on tolerance of the different religious groups. Tolerance of other religions means that you know your religion is right and the other’s religion is wrong. But you keep this to yourself. Acceptance is when a person accepts that the other person’s religion has truth and your religion also has truth, but you stick with the truth of your religion. Acceptance is only possible in a scenario where the religions are compatible with each other. But they are not. They are patently not. In a society where religions are contradictory, acceptance of all religions is essentially fooling oneself and avoiding rational conclusions; how can one accept two contradictory views? If you believe that there are multiple gods then how can you also accept that there might be just one? How can you accept that it is alright to slaughter cows and also accept that it is not alright to slaughter cows? Further, among Hindus there are different rituals for different groups, some shave off their hair upon the death of a relative, while some don’t. Who is right? 

If you are Hindu and you see a Muslim burying the deceased, even though you don’t say it out loud, deep down you know that the dead person’s soul is not going to heaven because if it were then you would be burying dead bodies too instead of burning them. And vice versa is true for Muslims. 

If you accept one practice, you cannot accept the other. And if you accept both, then there is no stop to accepting anything and everything. If there is a religion that feeds the dead bodies to vultures and wild animals with the hope that the deceased’s soul will go to heaven, then you ought to accept that too. Accepting everything is accepting nothing. 

Therefore, acceptance is really tolerance. And of course, tolerance is required for the sustenance of society. But what if we can do away with this quandary of tolerance entirely? 

Either one of these religions is right or all of them are wrong. The answer will depend on whom you ask. But as Christopher Hitchens said-  “that it matters not what you think but how you think”. Whatever may be your answer, what matters more is how you arrived at your answer. Is it merely a claim- it is my faith? Or is it a rational and logical conclusion based on available evidence? 

This is a question worth asking. The diversity of religions we are proud of as Indias is merely a charade of acceptance under the guise of tolerance. The PEW survey has shown that explicitly. We do not hate people of other religions, but we don’t like them either. Why? Because their beliefs are incompatible with each other. They are different people because they hold different beliefs; contradictory beliefs more often than not. And these contradictions are inevitable. 

Religious diversity that is extolled across the world is a fundamental proof that religion is man-made, it has no divine existence. Religions are contradictory to each other. The more the diversity, the more contradictory they are. Choose your religion carefully, definitely not all of them are right. But keep in mind- more wars are fought over proving which God is the true God than whether God exists at all. 

Endnote: 

To quote Hitchens again- religion poisons everything. 

But, you may ask, what about the good things religious people have done (in the name of religion)? 

Sam Harris replies to this claim befittingly. He says “religion gives good people bad reasons to be good, while I believe there are good reasons available”. 

And ‘bad reason’ is the poison. It is the poison that along with compelling people to give to religious charity (compelling because people make religious donations often to book their slot in heaven) also corrupts reason and logic. It is that makes people bomb metros and fly planes into buildings. It is that divides people on basis of caste. It is that makes women second class citizens.

I’ll quote Sam Harris again- “Either God can do nothing to stop catastrophes like this, or he doesn't care to, or he doesn’t exist. God is either impotent, evil, or imaginary. Take your pick, and choose wisely”.