BLIND FAITH IS DANGEROUS

A Patrayuni
Aug 31, 2018 · 4 min read
Blind faith

While faith and belief are important guides to help us not just on our path of spiritual progress but also in our day to day living, blind faith can lead to many pitfalls. I would like to share a deep insight into the dangers of following such illogical rituals and customs before applying logic to them.

Faith plays an important part in our everyday lives and in our interactions with people. Each day of our life we practice it either consciously or without realizing it. But whatever the case may be, we need to have faith in the system we follow, the school we send our kids to, as well as in a higher
power.

But what is faith? Is it blind belief ? Or does faith need to be based on reason and understanding?
There is a very thin line between faith and blind faith . The dividing line is thin, often blurred. …

Faith should be based on logic and rational thinking . The BHAGAVAD GITA enumerates three qualifications of a good student:

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā
upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ

The Pranipata — Surrender, Prashna — Questioning and Seva — Service.
1. Pranipata — Prostration, obeisance. When you prostrate, the head and heart are in line with the feet of the Guru. This signifies devotion and love. An acknowledgement of your willingness to submit to the teachings of the Guru.
2. Parirasna — Devotion does not imply blind following. Reflect upon the teachings carefully. Where you do not understand, ask freely. The intellect must be alert and active. You can only live your own convictions. You cannot follow someone else’s principles, however true they may be.
3. Seva — Service is a very important aspect of spiritual practice. Without service you tend to get arrogant. When you are grateful for what you have received you naturally develop the urge to serve, give back, contribute to the cause that the Guru has devoted his life to.

A judicious blend of these three qualities helps a student progress towards the goal of spiritual enlightment.

These days we hardly ask questions as to why a ritual is being followed the way it is mentioned. Rarely do we ask ourselves if there could be any reason when we say no to our elders about following a custom . This reminds me of a story I had heard as a teenager, which opened my eyes to the truth underlying this topic of blind faith. Let me share it with you.


Once upon a time there lived a wise Brahmin who was famous in the surrounding villages for his intelligence and quick wit. No pooja was performed without him. Once, while returning from such an invitation from a neighbouring village, he stumbled upon a puppy shivering with cold. He took pity on it and as his conscience wouldn’t allow him to leave the puppy to die in the cold night, he took it along with himself. The puppy too got attached to the priest and started following him everywhere. Because of the possibility that the pup might create a disturbance during a pooja, he used to tie it up outside the house before starting any pooja . Meanwhile, the priest’s young son who was being tutored by his father at home was observing this habit over a period of time, and assuming it to be an important ritual he never ever bothered to think about the reason behind it the puppy being tied up outside a house where the priest was conducting a pooja. After some time the priest and dog expired one after the other. His son now had to perform the pooja . He asked for a dog to be tied outside his host’s house as this was an important ritual according to the priest’s son.


The plain fact was that the need of the hour became a ritual and a practice that only strengthened the shackles of superstition. Our generation has unfortunately become more or less like the priest’s son, often following traditions blindly. This is what I meant when I said there is a very thin line between faith and blind faith.

Rituals of all religions aim at making human life happier and better, and science also is devoted to the same objective. The differences between the two do not lie in their objectives though they may differ in their respective approach. Though rituals (read religion) and science are outwardly antagonistic, inwardly they are complementary to each other.

The only antidote for these superstitious blind beliefs is education and social awareness. A judicious mix of religion and science is a guarantee for man’s spiritual and material upliftment. Each has a distinct role to play. There is no scope for conflict. However, enlightened religion should replace orthodox and out-dated dogmas.

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