‘Gods’ so weak now that they are the ones who need to be protected by devotees

According to Freud, an individual’s psyche is a battle ground for the id, ego, and super ego. The id is unbridled desire and gratification, the ego is the restraint born of acknowledging reality and the super ego is the conscience-keeper.

One can immediately recognise that children operate through the id. As one grows to adulthood the ego and the super ego become stronger and finally reach a point where the ego becomes the adjudicator between the id and super ego.

Religion, as a concept, aids the super ego as it provides another layer of conscience and morality. In early history, religion provided social and organisational structure. It was a common cause that people could rally around. Survival, which was linked to supremacy, necessitated the collaboration between the super ego and the id.

Religions, and their gods, gave meaning to the ups and downs of life and were the wind beneath the wings of the believers. Through them everything was explainable, with them there was always a promise of a better day. In other words, religion and their gods were the rock on which people built their lives. Further, as no mortal could oppose the divine or their representatives it became easy to control populations.

To protect and spread their beliefs, conquests were planned, and people converted.

However, conquests also opened the door to new thoughts as did trade and exploration. Over time, societies became more accommodating because realities other than one’s own were recognised. This inevitably re-oriented prevalent realities and as a result the ego became the moderator between the id and super ego. Consequently, our lives began to be regulated by social structures other than religious beliefs and religions no longer were the only norms that defined individuals.

A natural progression of human development was the growing acceptance of other views and religion’s diminishing role in regulating life. It also led to the rise of cosmopolitanism.

One fallout of this progress was that religion once again became linked with identity. However, this time around it was a potent and unstable concoction created by the mix of religion’s loss of social value and its search for relevance.

Thus, the fear of many Christians that their Christmas is being subverted by the greeting of ‘Happy Holiday’s and ‘Happy Xmas’; the reactions of the Muslims to the Charlie Hebdo cartoons of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), and many Hindus believing that calls to protect the environment by not bursting crackers on Diwali is an attempt to undermine and disrespect Hindu sentiments. In other words, humanity has returned to the state where the id and super ego have a field day because the ego has been subdued.

It is impossible to ignore that though there are a variety of gods and religions, the impact on their believers are the same. It also begs the question - are our gods weakening us or are we weakening our gods?

Our gods are gods for several reasons - they either represent our maker or are conduits through whom the heavens speak to us. They are gods because they have found a way out of lives’ tribulations or are avataars of gods. This means that they either do not have the frailties that humans suffer or have conquered them. Therefore, their lives are inspirational and aspirational. More importantly they have the power to fulfil the prayers of the believer. In other words, gods deliver on the demands of the id.

One could argue that by praying to gods, humans are acknowledging their weakness, propensity to be buffeted and lose their moorings. In a way, humans condemn themselves to be perpetual underachievers as they undermine their aspirations to be like god-like by being dependent on them. In answering prayers, gods are inadvertently reemphasising the narrative that humans are weak.

Today, by linking identity to religion, human beings have become delusional and hypocrites. They not only assume that they have the wherewithal to protect the honour of their gods and religions but have taken the onus of doing so. In the process human beings have reduced the stature of their gods to that of mere mortals.

They who are avaatars of The One or have realised the Truth or have been chosen or are always victorious or have been sent down from heaven to answer the believer’s prayers are suddenly transformed into weaklings who need human intercession and protection. Protection not from life threatening weapons but from words and acts of mortals.

It must be difficult being a god these days given the diametrically opposite requirements of the devotees – omnipotence and then displaying human frailties. One wonders if gods have begun suffering from Multiple Personality Disorders.

Shouldn’t human beings ponder on the fact that they have not progressed towards godliness even though they have been in relationship with their gods for many millennia.

In fact, things have gotten worse as human beings are now capable of cutting their gods to size. One is not sure whether human beings should be proud of this ability. Though this is done in the name of god, the truth is it nothing but a benediction to themselves.