Let’s read a story today. Pause for a moment, spare some time and think. Have you heard it before? Do you know it and pretend to never heard of it? Let’s begin.
There was a desert God; let’s say desert God of planet Earth. We will call him just desert God hereafter. Desert God claimed that he was the most powerful and the most merciful who had created earth and heaven in few days. That desert God sent so many messengers to the world who came and preached about the God. But the desert God was not happy with the performance report of all those messengers and decided to send one last messenger to the earth. Desert God was so sure about this last messenger that he announced: “This messenger would be the last messenger I am sending to the world who would exactly teach what I want to teach. After this, there will be no any messenger. Amen!”.
That messenger was sent on the earth in some remote desert location. And desert God told that Man, the last messenger; “You are my messenger; go and tell the people of this earth that I am the only God”. And within a short span of time, desert God kept dictating him all that he wished to be done for him. The messenger kept noting everything dictated by the desert God. And the entire dictation was compiled and converted into a book which was called as the “God’s Commandments”.
The messenger claimed that whatever had been compiled in the “God’s Commandments” were the words of desert God himself and had to be obeyed in letter and spirit. The last messenger further claimed that anyone who didn’t adhere to the commandments and refused to believe in desert God would be declared a disbeliever and killed. And then the last messenger further proclaimed that anyone who killed the disbelievers would get a confirm seat in the heaven.
People get offended very soon, but the same set of people don’t get offended by the fact that it is written in the “God’s Commandments” that those who would kill disbelievers would get a confirm seat in the heaven. OK, leave it here and hear further.
Desert God who created earth and heaven in few days had to depend upon this last messenger to spread the word that he was the only God to be praised and worshipped. Desert God could not do it on his own. The last messenger started to preach about that desert God. He started with his own clan who till now were worshipping some other God, in the form of idols. The desert God was extremely furious with the Idol God and ordered in his commandments that all idols must be razed and obliterated; and anyone who worshipped Idol God to be killed.
One God giving a license to kill human beings who believe in Idol God. One God giving a license to break the idols and destroy the temples where Idol god was being worshipped. This desert God seemed to have immense hatred towards Idol God.
So when someone recites, “Sab boot tore jaenge (All idols would be broken )”, you know it well from where such ghastly ideas originate.
The last messenger was extremely trustworthy. The last messenger proclaimed that Desert God had chosen him for the task and had commanded that all disbelievers be forced to bow before him. The last messenger gathered men, armed them with swords and spears, and started fighting battles. In one such battle, he defeated those who worshipped Idol god and broke the temple of Idol God. It was a victory over the disbelievers. Desert God was very happy and ordered to destroy every Idol God.
The last messenger of the desert, chosen by the desert God himself had started the mission of the desert God; to establish the supremacy of the Desert God. So, people of other continents viz. South America, North America, Europe, Australia and other Asian nations had to rely on these desert mercenaries sent by the last messenger to know about the Desert God. These mercenaries came armed with swords and spears to tell that Desert God was the only god, the most powerful and the most merciful.
And Desert God told this fact to desert men only because he could not rely on a Chilean or Peruvian or Colombian or an Australian to convey the message of his godly supremacy.
Did Desert God really tell these desert men to go to different parts of the world and tell people that he was the only God?? And to add upon it, to kill those who deny the existence of desert God and refuse to believe in him. Did desert God really coin the term “disbeliever” for those who don’t believe in him and commanded them to be killed? Whether he said it or not, no one would ever come to know. All such diktats and sermons which exist in that book do not seem to be the words of God, but the handiwork of mortal men who one day decided to prove their superiority over other races, ethnicity, nationality etc.
And if you go by what is written in the same book, even Desert God knew that people of other faiths existed, those who didn’t believe in him. Some of them were the followers of his own messengers. But one fine day desert God decided that his messenger of the desert would be the last messenger and those who were following his previous messengers must start following the last messenger of the desert. And if they refuse to do so, the followers of the last messenger must kill and destroy followers of the previous messengers. Did desert God tell the last messenger that all previous messengers and their followers were disbelievers?
The last messenger claimed that he was sent by the desert God because earlier messengers sent before him did not teach the right thing. If that was the case, why did desert God not punish those messengers then and there itself? Why did desert God waited for another hundreds of years to teach the world what he had to say? And this time desert God chose desert men to go and tell the world that he was the only God. And then desert God also proclaimed that he had stopped sending future messengers. If other messengers could commit a mistake, how could there not be not a mistake this time?
The world is still seeking answers from the believers of the desert God. If believers say that whatever is written in “God’s commandments” is prophetic, word of God himself, then that would mean that desert God coined the term disbeliever and ordered them to be killed. And disbelievers are those who deny his existence, negate his presence or believe in some other God or do idolatry. It means that Desert God was aware that idolatry exists. So, if he was aware and if he was so powerful; in one stroke he could have changed the perception of entire human race to believe in him. Why this branding of disbelievers and armed battles, killing people to make them believe that desert God is the supreme.
A god who decides the fate of every individual whether he would get hell or heaven, could not even tell people of the earth himself that he is the only god. And to make them believe in him, he had to take the help of humans who kept roaming here and there armed with swords, spears and guns proclaiming that believe in my desert god; else get killed.
Desert god said that non-believers would go to hell and believers would go to heaven. That means anyone who is a believer has an automatic ticket to heaven and they needn’t worry about anything else. Believers need not help the poor, feed the hungry, medicate the injured and do other philanthropic activities because their ticket to heaven is confirmed; just because they are believers. So, why do some believers do it then; to get more facilities in heaven? Anyway, there is a shortcut to heaven; kill the disbelievers.
And what if believers commit sin, kill innocents, rape girls; would they still go to heaven because they are believers? What if a non-believer does good acts, help people, feed the hungry, medicate the injured etc.? would he go to heaven? No! why? because he is a non-believer; Period! Non-believer would go to hell.
And just imagine whom he would meet in that same hell; the believers, who believed in desert God. Or is there a separate hell for believers and non-believers – believers hell, non-believers hell. And if someone does not believe in desert God but in some Idol God, can desert God still decide the fate of that non-believer? Going by what the last messenger claims, that seems to be the case.
These questions may seem funny and off the mark but requires introspection. Think and act before it’s too late.
