Are You Less Religious Than Your Parents?

Are You Less Religious Than Your Parents?

I’m an atheist. My parents are religious hindus. So I’d say that I’m definitely a heck of a lot less religious than them. By far. Here is the deal – if I ask them questions about their religion and what the gods have done and why they have done it, after a few minutes they admit that they have no clue as to why or how and they readily admit that they do not understand most of it but that they don’t question it.

I have also noted that as they have grown older they have become more religious to the point where they feel like it is expected of them. Mum started reading scriptures every morning at sunrise and at sunset – because that is what she feels she is expected to do. She didn’t do that a few years ago. She reads then aloud (not too loud) and she cries in between. She used to only light the lamps at the pooja section of the house (and now apartment) in the morning and the evening and that was it.

Dad too will watch any shitty tv program as long as there is a hindu god element to it. It doesn’t matter if it’s really, really bad. He will watch that shit. He goes for readings of Ramayana or Gita and listen to them many times – but if you ask him a few questions he won’t really know what to say. And that’s ok! Just not enough to convince anyone else. Or me.

Prompt from The Learning Network at The New York Times

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