By Kesava Krsna Dasa
With many cases of religious extremism tormenting or instilling fear into people we can hardly blame certain bright thinkers for their agnosticism: “Religion is a fashionable substitute for belief.” (Oscar Wilde) With all these quotes we can better understand the frustration of thinking people. If given a credible, intelligible presentation of genuine spirituality they may happily apply themselves. They want the truth just as much as spiritual seekers want it: “There’s something in every atheist itching to believe, and something in every believer itching to doubt.” (Mignan McClauglin) These itchy sentiments can manifest as almost religious feelings: “The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses or lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real estate, but friendship, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith.” (Bertrand Russell) While attempting to relieve their itch for truth the usual temptations for being a controller can impede the flow. Just as the atheist was made a ‘God’ by a Hindu, Mr Russell had a bigger chance at Godhood: “I was told that the Chinese said they would bury me by the Western Lake and build a memorial to my memory. I have some slight regret that this did not happen, as I might have become a God, which would have been very chic for an atheist.”