by V. Kumar

Created on: July 10, 2008   Last Updated: July 15, 2008

"Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains," these words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau were not used to refer to the impact of religion, but they can still be used to refer to one of these 'chains' that man has voluntary placed on himself in the form of religion.

Independence revolves around free choice. On the contrary, religion begins with submitting oneself to a greater supernatural phenomenon and a host of people and practices in the name of that almighty, supernatural power. Human beings may not be a master of their destiny, but they are the masters of their own free will, called 'independence', which they greatly value.

This valuable asset called independence is attacked by many factors from all sides, and in many ways. Sometimes it becomes a casualty to our own circumstances. At other times it is forcefully taken away by forces that are far beyond our control. Religion is one factor that overshadows the mind and psyche of people in such a way, that they submit their independence to it while using that very free will, which they value as one of their most precious assets.

Thus of all hindrances imposed on independence, the one imposed by religion is unique in the sense that it is imposed using that very independence. One may argue that such voluntary acceptance of religion amounts to the very exercise of independence, and hence should not be treated as a hindrance. However, the reason why acceptance of religion is not an expression of free will is the fact that irrespective of the theories and the law, in practice, it is not open for a person to change religion without paying a cost, sometimes huge, in terms of social repercussions.

Thus, it is rare for children not to continue with the religion practiced by their parents and ancestors. Most of the time, factors like family, friends and familiarity restrict this freedom by taking away the free choice of changing one's religion. In fact, changing a spouse is far easier than changing religion... a fact that may highlight how strong are the chains imposed by religion.

The reason we are discussing this topic today is that the hindrance imposed by religious affinity on independent decision making has become one of the important sources of imperfection in our social institutions. What is worse, it can even prevent rational human beings from independently asserting their opinions and views on issues that are related to religion, and thus often allow some fanatic groups to hold sway over societies, communities

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