poliphilo: (Default)
poliphilo ([personal profile] poliphilo) wrote2004-06-18 10:26 am

Not Waiting for Godot

Thinking about religion.

I had a mania for it. Lay awake at night worrying about the existence of God. And then I just lost interest.

I think this is perhaps the oddest experience of my life.

Religion defined me. And then it ceased to define me. Simple as that.

God was there. I was crazy about him/her. God went. And I don't miss him in the least.

I was watching a film about Sai Baba last night. The man's an obvious phoney- a frog-faced little chap with a ridiculous afro, a repertoire of simple sleight of hand tricks which he passes off as "miracles" and a mouthful of platitudes. And yet millions world-wide have been persuaded to put their faith in him.

Persuaded? No. It's not as if there's been a huge sales campaign. The guy just popped up in his mid-teens and said, "Hi, I'm God; believe in me." And instead of laughing, people said, "Oh all right then."

The hunger for existential meaning is just so powerful.

The fools for love aren't half so foolish as the fools for God.

[identity profile] balirus.livejournal.com 2004-06-18 08:00 am (UTC)(link)
Your point is both exquisitely said and sad.

Sad no?

[identity profile] mtl.livejournal.com 2004-06-18 08:05 am (UTC)(link)
The fools for love aren't half so foolish as the fools for God.

But I feel it is true.

Re: Sad no?

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2004-06-18 08:20 am (UTC)(link)
How many wars have been waged for love? The Trojan war, perhaps.

How many wars have been waged in the name of God? Can you think of a single one that wasn't?

[identity profile] morrison-maiden.livejournal.com 2004-06-18 10:28 am (UTC)(link)
"The fools for love aren't half so foolish as the fools for God."

That's a very true point, unfortunately.

[identity profile] poliphilo.livejournal.com 2004-06-18 10:54 am (UTC)(link)
Foolish AND dangerous

[identity profile] archyena.livejournal.com 2004-06-18 12:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, same here. I've gone over it a hundred times, thought of thousands of reasons, but when it comes down to it, I really don't know why, but one day I just really stopped believing in God. I don't remember when it was or why it happened, I guess it is one of those things that sneaks up on you in the night.

[identity profile] balirus.livejournal.com 2004-06-18 01:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Missed the title on the first reading. Well done. Godot, that's funny.