God Gave You Brains

As a Buddhist student of Christian theology, whose life has inevitably been blessed by Jains, Hindus and Wahabi Muslims, I’ve always been fascinated by the relationship between the Almighty and humanity. I’ve seen extremely Godly and Ungodly behavior from people of all faiths. So, while I may believe that we are more than just a sum of molecules, I believe that no religion has a monopoly on the Almighty just no religion has a monopoly on arseholes. Covid-19 has helped enforce this belief.

While much is not known about the “coronavirus,” it is clear that one of the fastest ways to spread the virus is at gatherings of people. We know for a fact that perfectly healthy people, showing none of the obvious signs of infection can be carriers. Put a carrier into a room with enough people and the virus will spread like wildfire. Hence, countries around the world are going into lockdown, banning travelers from elsewhere and getting people to stay at home despite the obvious economic damage and great gatherings like the Olympics and Wimbledon have been postponed or cancelled. Macau (for reading Americans – this is part of China, the land that gave us the virus), for example shut down its casinos, despite the fact that casinos are pretty much the only economic activity.

Sports and music events are, however, easier to deal with than religious ones, even if sporting events can trigger a religious fervor. You can cancel a sporting event and disappoint a fan. However, when the said fans realize that you’re doing it to keep them alive. It’s also easier in as much as the focus of the sporting event can be enlisted to support you (football players, runners etc). Religious events are different, especially when the believers are convinced that attending the event protects them from whatever ails the rest of society.

There are some religious organisations that deserve to be mentioned in a positive light. In Singapore, the Catholic Church and MUIS deserve credit for stopping Sunday Mass and Friday Prayers respectively. Both organizations argued that God was more interested in protecting his people than their ritual gathering. This happened prior to the government stepping in. Singapore, however, is predominantly a secular state and religious organisations have a habit of complying with laws of the land and as rule of thumb encourage people to follow secular leanings.

What was equally impressive was the fact that Saudi Arabia, a country that claims to be the heart of the Islamic Faith (or as the more cynical might quip, the great exporter of religious fundamentalism) took steps to cancel Umrah, the minor religious pilgrimage. Not only is religious tourism big business for Saudi Arabia (second only to oil), Saudi Arabia is a highly conservative society that claims the Quran as its constitution. It is big business for Saudi Arabia to act in this way.

So, in light of this, why are minor religious organisations not encouraging their followers to behave rationally? In nearby Malaysia and Indonesia, religious gatherings have gone ahead despite the obvious risk. Around 24 March 2020, it was estimated that 60 percent of Malaysia’s cases were linked to a religious gathering which took place from 27 February 2020 to 1 March 2020 that was attended to by 16,000 people. Not only did the event affect Malaysia, it also affected people from Bruni, Singapore and Cambodia. The rise in fatalities caused Malaysia to declare a national lockdown, which has since been extended.

Neighbouring Indonesia (largest country in Southeast Asia and world’s most populous Islamic Nation) saw a gathering of 8,600 people despite warnings from officials. One organizer reportedly said they were more afraid of God than of the virus (I’ve seen a Facebook clip of a woman holding up a sign saying “Fear Allah, not the virus”)

Such behavior is not limited to the “Third World” or the Islamic Faith. In America (read – the global leader in just about every form of human achievement), you have stories of how church gatherings have persisted despite official bans on gatherings. I’ve just seen a Facebook post from my cousin, who lives in Florida, who states that there are Federal and State mandates that Church is essential.

I’ve seen plenty of social media postings from my more religious friends who have talked about how there have been instances of “supernatural” healings and protection from such events. While I don’t want to disparage anyone’s faith, the evidence points the other way. Such have been the source of increased cases. America, which has, for generations been the byword for an advanced society is starting to sound like a war ravaged third world country because people simply don’t want to follow simple common sense.

I’m not saying that miracles cannot happen and I’m not even saying that God doesn’t exist. I am saying what a Malay taxi driver once said to me, “Didn’t God give you a brain.”

Many religious teachings place the emphasis on “faith.” However, as one Christian pastor once said, “It does not mean you are stupid.” While animals generally act on instinct, human beings are supposed to act on reason, for the simple reason that they are capable of it. You should, by all means believe, especially if it makes you a better person. However, faith should not be an excuse to shift the blame onto someone else (A young Saudi once told me that you need to say Insha Allah when setting up an appointment, otherwise, you’d actually be obliged to be there at time you said you would be).

The Dalai Lama once said that humans had been praying for centuries and nothing had happened. He said that if one met Buddha or Jesus Christ, they would tell you that the problem started with you and therefor the solution would have to come from you. It’s something that the so called “religious” people should bare in mind as they refuse to look at the evidence of what their actions can lead to.