Is God a Megalomaniac?...

Ok first things first…

Disclaimer:I am not trying to take my shot at sixty seconds of fame with the eye-ball arresting legend nor am I trying to pull some cheeky stunt to instigate mass hysteria. (for that all you need these days anyway is a shoe aimed at the right bigwig and before you know it you’re an overnight celebrity with the flashbulbs.. the paparazzi.. the fanclub-the works…but of course that is within the ambit of a whole new write-up altogether )…all I am trying to do here is voice concerns that have been nagging me ever since I have been familiarized with the concept of paradise and redemption.

I was born a Hindu...but we’re not discussing religion here…I might as well have been a muslim, a Christian, a zoroastran or an offshoot of any from the the crowd of religious floatsam claiming precedence on our planet..Of course,the initial years of my life were absolutely religiously uneventful…like little pigtailed tots all over the world I gullibly prayed everyday for insignificant(in the larger perspective) things like good grades in school to matters of global importance like world peace. I unwaveringly believed in the existence of an omnipotent superpower…or in my case should I rather say in the existence of an entire gamut of 33 crore superhroes and heroines.. who had the flair and resources to right all wrongs. I followed all sundry rituals by rote without the slightest hint of an argument. My alma mater ,being a missionary establishment,only assisted in drilling the ‘god –complex’ deeper within my psyche… that was until I started developing a mind of my own…not that I am an atheist now…I still can’t make up my mind on that so am not trying to be judgemental here or nullify all we’ve been brought up to believe …the point I am trying to establish is.. have you ever thought how the need to ‘appease’ the powers that be has always been the focal point of all our religious moorings?which brings us to the moot question’is god a megalomaniac?’On one hand we’re taught that he…or to be politically correct in our gender-sensitive times…SHE , is the ultimate pin-up of all encompassing kindness than why do we need to be constantly on our toes so as not to catch him/her on the wrong foot and incur his/her wrath?Does God indeed look down upon us from a moral high ground ,keeping a close watch, ready to penalize us for the slightest breach to his/her ego? Why have we built a ‘holier than thou’ aura about our gods? Why do we need to build monoliths or make sacrifices in his/her honour to be noticed? Why do we need to give in order to receive? In terms of god hours spent why is god supposed to be partial towards those with a better track record? Why are arduous pilgrimages and supreme human sacrifices considered more blessing-worthy ? why is being an atheist a mortal sin?why do we need to believe in him/her to deserve his/her blessing?which is the god we believe in-the one who is supposed to selflessly love all his/her progeny or the one who’s partial towards his/her sycophantic fan-club? Isn’t good karma reason enough to earn us a place in paradise(if it at all exists) irrespective of our spiritual leanings?

If god is indeed guilty of redoubtable human trappings is he or she worthy of being worshipped at all?...