I am not God ...... so what?

"Lets go to the temple today, pay our respects to the god"

Well i have come across this statement a lot of number of times. And everytime i have heard this i have been surrounded by a host of different questions - one of which i would like to discuss.

The basic axiom which i take for this discussion is that GOD - is a single entity - same for one and all. Not at all an unreasonable statement.

So when i say it is equal for all - that automatically means all the activities that we do in the place of worship have to be equal in their meaning. So to say - the joining of hands of the hindus, or kneeling down of the muslims or bowing of the christian are done to achieve the same ends i.e. to show respect to the god.

But since god is the same - so obviously the action that we perform to show respects cannot matter - because different people do different things to achieve the same effect. So in effect action is not the primary concern - if i want to show god i respect it.

The same can be thought about words - and so too about the rituals.

So now i ask - what is it that really matters in this context? Actions - words - rituals cannot be the absolute. And so i think there is something other which is common between all - which is actually the important part. And thinking about it 'FAITH' seems to be the answer.

So to say 'FAITH' that the action we do shows respect to god, is a more fundamental feeling.

So then if i take the next step - of separating 'FAITH' from the action, words, rituals etc and putting it in something else. The question comes to me - will i be doing something heretic?

Then what can i put faith in or rather what should i put faith in (to put faith or not is a question for another time but if we assume that it is needed to have faith then) - should it be a stone carved in shape of a mythological entity - should it be a tomb of a saint - should it be words in Sanskrit which i donot understand fully or should it be the pictures and photos of godly figures or should it be a cross on which the son of the god was supposedly crucified.

I find the best thing i can put faith - is something that helps me in all situations - is with me all the time - effects my life more than anything else - may not be magically powerfull - but its all that i have - MYSELF.

Yes i may not be magically powerful, may not move rivers, may not hold a mountain on one finger or create bread out of nothing. But between objects - that cant move and ME - who can think and move and act and feel - i prefer ME. You might say i am concieted and this is self important behaviour - but i am not asking anyone else to put 'FAITH' in me. They better put it in themselves is what i am saying.

Its the 'FAITH' that matters.