On religion

Today, during a very boring lecture, a friend gave me his take on religion. Here it is, in my words.

When people were still hunting and lived in caves, they were shit scared of nature and there was nothing they could do - to control it or predict it. They didn't know what caused storms, earthquakes, and stuff and that scared them shitless. So they started praying, for lack of anything better to do. They prayed to the sun, the rain, the wind, the moon and the larger animals. That is how religion must have evolved. So basically religion was created out of fear of death and destruction by forces greater than people. So when and why did this concept of religion as "peaceful" and God as "kind" come about? And now that we know what caused natural disasters and we don't fear any animal anymore, atleast not to the point of thinking we'll be a snack soon, so why do we still have religion? What do we fear so much now that we need something bigger than us to protect us?

He didn't say it so well, the words are all mine, but that is what he meant.

What do you think?

Justification of life? Purpose of life? Meaning of life? Faith? Social conditioning? "You are what your childhood makes"? Guilt? Fear?

I am not debating the existence of God. Just the need for religion.

Did you see the news reports on the caricatures? Go here, here or here.

I don't know what to think. A part of me thinks, "What the hell were they thiking? They know people are very sensitive about religion. They are either stupid or suicidal." Another part of me thinks, "Take a joke. Yeah, a bad joke but seriously!." Death threats over cartoons? CLosing embassies? Buring the American flag when it was Denmark, Germany, France, Spain and Italy which carried the cartoons? Boycott of products?

Isn't it time for people to grow up?

Would I feel this offended if Krishna was made fun of? No. I'd probably laugh along. But yeah, I can see the BJP and the RSS and the VHP going up in arms the way they did for M.F.Hussein's Saraswati and the movie Fire. Can Christians take a joke about Jesus Christ? I didn't know, so I googled "Jesus Jokes" and this was the first link. What about Buddhists? They are the best of us all! There is actually a category called Buddhist Humor and nobody has gotten killed yet.

What do you think? I think it is ok to make fun of religions. Maybe humor is the first step toward acceptance? Maybe not but by killing the people who poke fun at you, what do you prove? That you are an over-sensitve buffoon who can't take a joke? Is it worth it?

Why are people who are so into religion so obsessed with it? What is it about religion that surgically removes some people's 'rational' bits? Do they think God does not have a sense of humor? Is that not insulting to God?