On Religion

Sitting in an uncomfortable chair. Trying to chant verses and hymns that I don't know. Mostly old people. Some very attentive. Some nodding off. The lighting of the place is conducive to dozing off. I love Vaishnava bhajans. Very melodic and classically in tune. Bhagwat Katha. Story of the life of Shri Krishna. In this Kaliyuga people strive to maintain ideals that Lord Krishna set forth in his exemplary life. Photos of God everywhere. My mind is roaming. Unable to focus. Om. Religion is justice. It is not just and fair that a distant relative is dying from leukemia meanwhile you feign devotion and chant hymns of lord's glory. Lord Vishnu reincarnated time and time over to rid this world of injustice. Adharma. So should we just sit around and wait for his rebirth. HIV/AIDS. Genocide. Children orphaned. Soldiers dying. Civilians dying. Hungry people STARVING. Many kinds of injustice. If God is really omnipresent, where is he now? You know, Batman has many possible applications . Gotham City= today's world. Do we need complete, irreparable demolition and renewal or should a caped crusader save us? Even Bruce Wayne was urged on by Rachel Dawes to fight for Justice rather than seek revenge.
What about this multiple path business? Why does one care what path one takes? I can believe in Goddess Shakti or all 3 million Gods or just the indestructible soul, Atman. What I will not believe in is this inherent injustice that some people claim God himselft created (read Caste, class distinctions etc) If one's claim to fame and glory is the creation of class distinctions that haunt civilizations for millions of years, than that is not the God I believe in.
I don't believe that devotees should worship a God clad in the most elaborate clothing worth Rs. 1 Crore. If that is the only thing that invokes piety then forgive me, they're not true Bhaktas. Krishna was just a simple cowherder whose sole adornment was a peacock feather. Lord Swaminarayan renounced the world and then gained the status of divinity. God Shiva is first and foremost an eternal ascetic who associates with everything that humans normally wouldn't: Ash, the Crescent Moon, Ghosts and Ghouls, Poison, Dreadlocks, Cold, deserted places etc
Call me a sinner. But I'm a fervent advocate of the message and the lifestyle he imparts and not the blind devotion that bhaktas practice. That 1 Crore Rupee outfit could have gone to some charity or some sort of research. Let's practice conscious devotion. Karma will catch up afterall.