Imagine There Is No Heaven

Salman Rushdie's “Imagine There Is No Heaven” is a letter to the six billionth child. The content of this letter makes no sense with regards to the reality that people live in this world. It can only make sense from an academic point of view, and that is why it has hit a raw nerve with me. The writer is intent on influencing the life of the six billionth inhabitant of the world first of all by encouraging that infant to reject and oppose religion to attain supposed freedom. The truth is, religion had played a significant role in the civilisation of humans and denying it is tantamount to going back to the barbaric days when there was no concern for life and neither was their civility in the interactions between people (Bernas 107). There is …show more content…
On the one hand, this appears to be very plausible, as any educated persons can deduce that the incidents and happenings that are accounted for in the religious books are unreal. However, one has also to consider the contexts in which the books were written. It is impossible for one to imagine that the persons who lived about two to three millennia ago could grasp the concept of evolution or the science of aerodynamics that makes it possible to fly planes that are far heavier that the air itself, which they float on. The writers of these religious books had to use imagery and metaphors that could be understood by people at that place and time. This could explain why it was difficult to reconcile religion concepts and the modern world. In fact, technology and science have progressed at such a fast pace that religion has not managed to keep up. Even if this is the case, it would be foolish to drop a concept that has served humankind for so long in so many positive aspects just because of the progress that has been made in knowledge in the recent …show more content…
Religion advocates for peace, charity and love. This is a universal concept that is found in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and other traditional religions. Religion can bring people together, and this is a beautiful thing (Alexander 65). The writer has not bothered to reflect on that. Rather, he has opted to shine a light on the aspects of religion that are less than perfect. The major one is the intolerance for outsiders or persons holding different beliefs. Religion has utterly failed on this one, and it rather difficult to defend it no matter how willing one might be. Despite this, it does teach the faithful to be selfless and seek to help others in need. This is the reason why most of the enduring and most successful humanitarian groups are based on religious groups. The Catholic church is one example, which has numerous mission hospitals and schools throughout the world, which are directed towards the provision of health services and education to the groups of people that have been left out or marginalised by the secular system that is prevalent in the world at