Yash wrote:
“Another thing I realised that I overthink alot. Whenever I see people of different religions on YouTube talk about how their religion is true and everything else is false and if you don’t follow them, you will be burnt in hell forever. This is about abrahmic religions. These things kind of depress me and make me anxious and I feel like why do they say this? Whats the evidence for their such claims? Then on further research I found how every such religion has found a way to claim that their holy books contain all the scientific verses.”
“I understand that sir. But it happens automatically. That’s why I also tried to cultivate jhanas along with the dhamma to overcome such nonsense thoughts.”
Mind is a machine that runs on views. If you’re annoyed by the things that dogmatic people say, it is a reflection of your mental tendency (gati). Your views influence a subconscious algorithm that will automatically bring a reaction (output) when a corresponding input is provided. In your case, it sounds like your mind is attached with aversion (dosa). From my practice, I think that the only way of combating this issue is through the realization of right views.
Until the eradication of kama raga, we can only be tentative about the deep workings of the world. But we can do our best by carefully examining whatever worldview is presented to us. On the internet, you will find 100 different religion videos that say 100 different things that contradict each other. To list a few examples – “Accept Jesus or rot in hell”, “Believe Allah or die an eternal death”, “Chant Namo Amitabha to enter pure land”, “Hare Ram for good karma”, etc. They all claim that they’re speaking truth, but can they all be right? No, but they can certainly all be wrong. I remember getting into a heated fight with a few Muslims online when they praised the Islamic adultery punishment of 100 lashes. A girl (a minor!) was apprehended and lashed repeatedly and forcefully woken up even after she fainted to make sure that 100 painful lashes were delivered. Those idiots were not only praising such an inhumane action but insisting that they should be strictly enforced into all Islamic countries. I confronted them by asking who the hell are they to decide what a woman should do with her body. What rights do they have to impose their dogmatic beliefs onto others? They responded by trying to defend the authority of the Quran and one of the things that they told me was that it contains many “scientific verses” – one of which provides an accurate description of the human embryo formation. I decided to investigate it, only to end up laughing at their stupidity and mourning for those who have to put up with it.
“Man We did create from a quintessence of clay. Then we placed him as a drop of sperm in a place of rest, firmly fixed. Then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood. Then out of that clot We made a fetus lump. Then We made out of that lump bones, and clothed the bones with flesh. Then We developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the Best to create!” (23:12-14)
Religious people like to twist their interpretations to pretend that their holy books contain “scientific verses”. But do you think the above is even remotely similar to how embryogenesis actually works? Every single sentence above has an error.
“Man We did create from a quintessence of clay.”
A clay is primarily made up of inorganic compounds like silica and alumina, but a human body is primarily made up of organic compounds and water.
“Then we placed him as a drop of sperm in a place of rest, firmly fixed.”
A sperm cell continues to move until it fertilizes with the ovum, after which a zygote is formed and the sperm cell practically disappears. There is no “resting” for a “drop of sperm” and it is certainly not “firmly fixed”.
“Then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood.”
A zygote is formed by the coitus of the parents, during which the mother must be in season. In other words, there can’t be an embryo without the ovum but this crucial aspect is not even mentioned.
“Then out of that clot We made a fetus lump.”
A blood clot is a gel-like mass that is formed in the blood at the site of an injury, primarily to seal further blood loss. An embryo is not a “clot”. It is a multicellular organism that continually grows.
“Then We made out of that lump bones, and clothed the bones with flesh.”
The skeletal system forms gradually in 2 ways – Intramembranous ossification and Endochondral ossification. This process continues throughout the fetal life so it makes no sense to say that a lump of bones was created and stitched with the flesh.
“Then We developed out of it another creature.”
Embryogenesis shows that an embryo goes through 20 different stages within the first 23 days. Based on that, it is different at each stage, so what the hell does “another creature” mean?
“So blessed be Allah, the Best to create!”
Lol! Pregnancy is an utterly stressful process that puts the mother and the baby through insane risks and suffering. Even an accidental point mutation can have a devastating consequence. Some are even raped and forced into pregnancy (that includes children). And it is not just humans that get pregnant, animals do too and their suffering is even worse as they also need to bear with the risk of predators. So I DO NOT understand how anyone can be ignorant enough to think that this process is worthy of any praise.
This is just one example. The so-called holy books of the worldly religions are frequently littered with scientific errors like “earth being created before the stars and that they can fall from the heaven, disease caused due to demons, usage of geocentric model, implication of 6000 years old earth, etc.” (of course, I am talking about Abrahamic religions here but it’s not limited to that). A common excuse is asserting that they’re “metaphors” meant not to be taken literally. When the claims are factually false, they’re metaphors but when they’re somewhat right, they’re “scientific verses”. That is their hypocrisy.
I didn’t do the above analysis to waste anyone’s time but to attempt to provide some insights because I myself have gone through similar experience. I can’t control what other people do. But what frustrates me the most is that the mere existence of these people “blocks” the path of many others who could have the potential to comprehend the profound teachings of Buddha. A good example is the emerging studies of “Near Death Experiences” which is often discarded without a second thought by even the most well known scientists like Richard Dawkins and Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Any implication of the word “supernatural” can generate discomfort in many bright minds today because they are aware of how nonsensical the worldly religions are, and the last thing you’d wanna do is associate with zealots.
It is an absolute mess and I have personally given up on trying to fix any of it. I can’t change others but I can certainly work on changing myself. There is a very specific reason why a Bhikkhu gives up the lay life and fully embraces the monastic life. Detaching from the worldly mess is an important part of the process.
