jinyang

Some thoughts on faith and belief

Something’s been on my mind over the last few months – how we tiptoe around faith like it's taboo. Never got why. GV just seemed to be the right place to talk about this since I didn't want to get gaslighted elsewhere on social media and maybe we get more perspectives here.

I grew up in a religious household, but not the stuffy, orthodox kind. My parents found joy in their beliefs without forcing them on others. Mom still joins her hands when we pass a church - it's adorable, really. We'd go to the temple a couple of times a week, and it was just... normal.

Then college hit. Suddenly, faith was awkward af. Kept quiet about my beliefs, and it felt weird, like hiding part of me.

I noticed this went both ways. My atheist friends were equally hesitant to open up about their non-belief. It's like we were all tiptoeing around this massive aspect of our lives.

Now, after living in five countries, I've realized something big: faith isn't just personal, it's about community.

These days, I'm more open. Not preachy, just me. I'll join a puja or chat about atheism, no big deal.

Checking out local worship spots when I travel is eye-opening. When I was living in Thailand and felt homesick, there was this Gurudwara I used to visit - it was mind-blowing. People from everywhere, sharing a meal. No questions asked, just humans being bros.

That's faith at its best - bringing people together, inspiring kindness across boundaries.

Here's my take: Your faith (or lack of it) is your thing. But the community it creates? That's gold for everyone.

I'm done hiding, but not here to convert anyone. Being faithful doesn't make me less smart or scientific. It's just part of me, like loving cricket or needing chai to function.

Feeling weird about your beliefs? It's cool. No need to hide or apologize. Just don't be a jerk about it.

Also, have learnt 1 thing in this journey - faith >>> religion. Faith whispers truths; religion shouts instructions.

Btw the food at the langar was pretty bomb - here's a picture from 2018!

3mo ago21K views

FaintMammoth

Tata 1mg3mo

"Faith whispers truths; religion shouts instructions" - you just dropped some serious wisdom there. You just summed up years of spiritual debates in one crisp, powerful sentence.

This is going to stick!

Kintsugi

Stealth3mo

Interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing. I do agree that faith >>> religion.

Growing up, I used to religiously do an evening pooja everyday - and additionally did a morning one on weekends.
It’s not only because I’d learnt from my parents, it also gave me a sense of peace and happiness. We even used to also visit the local temple every week.

However, life experiences over time led me to question my faith. And I’m glad they did. Ultimately I stopped believing in God as presented in the traditional worldview.

I now believe that even if there really is an all-powerful being who created the universe, humans would be a very trivial concern for such an entity. We are insignificant little creatures on some random planet in some random galaxy, and we want to believe we are special - so we make up random rituals as acts of faith, and it helps to not face the scary abyss of a truly random and uncertain universe.

But even so, I can appreciate that faith gives people the strength to push through tough times. Religion too provide a sense of community and belonging, regardless of where you’re from. And in a really strange way, I still believe in a God - that being the apathetic randomness of the universe itself. So I don’t hate anyone else for finding their own path to spiritual, social or personal fulfilment.

Heck, even now when I visit my parents for Diwali or something, and mom asks me to light a diya or do a small pooja - I just do it, because I know it makes her happy.

Faith and community are indeed a vital part of the human experience. It’s just that faith can become fanaticism if you decide it can never be questioned. And religions are very notorious for breeding such a mindset - even more so when the people leading them see an opportunity to weaponise the masses for their interests.

Today I’m an atheist - and an agnostic one at that. And I firmly believe that faith and religion are best kept as personal/domestic practices. At societal scales, they will eventually fall victim to political weaponisation.

jinyang

Stealth3mo

@ChanduKeChacha wow, strongly relate to this - thanks for sharing man!

The sad part is that this is being used as an institutional political weapon. It's disheartening to see people I used to know very closely fall prey to it.

InnocentTenth

Innova solutions3mo

That last line is fire - "Faith whispers truths; religion shouts instructions."

Got me thinking... Is it possible to have one without the other? Like, can organized religion exist without drowning out personal faith? Or does faith always need some structure to thrive?

jinyang

Stealth3mo

@InnocentTenth absolutely agree - even I thought so until I got to travel.

Back in 2019, I was scooty-ing through a neighborhood in Bali when I noticed a man sitting on his porch, carefully making small leaf offerings - canang sari, as they're called. There wasn't a temple nearby, just his home.

This daily ritual, he explained, was deeply personal. Yet it drew neighbors to chat and help, weaving a subtle community fabric.

His individual faith wasn't isolated—it quietly enhanced local bonds. This blurred the line between personal spirituality and organized religion, showing how intimate beliefs can naturally foster connection.

It was a poignant glimpse of faith as both deeply personal and inherently communal :)

jinyang

Stealth3mo

Also, I am sometimes an aviation geek – Sam Chui recently put a video around his experience in a Hajj flight from Indonesia to Mecca

https://youtu.be/4dTwAbOJIJc

Most of these people have been saving money their whole lives for this - be it Hajj or Chardham or anything else they believe in. Just heart touching ❤️