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A large survey conducted by the Times
of India recently across 10 cities and involving more than a thousand
respondents has shown what most of us had always known about the people of
the country. Mainly, of course, that the majority of them are believers in
some form of religion with only less than 1% saying they were avowed
atheists, but also that some 90% visit places of worship, and 87% believe
that we are punished in this life (perhaps because 62% believe in
reincarnation). However, the survey has also thrown up three curious facts
and trends that were not really known earlier.
The first is that more than half people polled
said God answered prayers. This means that more than half of the people must
have their prayers answered --- at least in some kind of form that was
evidence veridical enough to them, and which may or may not necessarily hold
up in a court of law. This is significant because if the overwhelming
majority of believers had instead said that all their prayers are answered,
it would sound fishy since that would have constituted a resort to blind
faith than actual evidence, however personal. Also, even if these answers
are due to coincidence, misapprehension or self-fulfilling wishes, it
indicates a positive attitude towards a higher divinity.
The second is that almost 20%
said they did not think God always knew what we were going to do next (the
figure was over 50% for some cities like Kolkata). This shows a trend to
wards a deist attitude inasmuch that while the Creator might be omnipotent
and omniscient and may have created everything in existence, He or She is
not totally involved in the details of day to day life. It shows that for a
lot of people the burden of responsibility, therefore, shifts to their own
selves. Surely, a good sign.
The third and most important
point is that a whopping 65% either completely or mostly agreed with the
statement that one need not believe in the Almighty in order to be a good or
moral person. (Although 60% sort of immediately backtracked by saying God
punished non- believers for their lack of faith!) It boils down to the
question whether it's more essential to believe or to be good. The fact that
the majority consider a moral life more imperative than a religious one
speaks volumes for the country's spiritual commitment. |
