I must have had a dram or three one night when I posted some hot-headed remark – all exclamation marks and frothing at the mouth, no doubt – proposing to neutralise institutional religions by my arguments in a forthcoming piece of writing. Of course the mere assumption was arrogant on my part in the extreme and I never got around to even attempting it. In the comments bellow my post Taheer wrote dryly, and not so tongue in cheek, something along the lines to say that he looked forward to reading my taking the major world religions by the horns and giving them a real ticking off… in a brief text…online. In the cold light of dawn, despite my throbbing head, his comment made me laugh.

José Saramago once said that to try to convince another person of the self-evident greater merits of one’s own opinion (read beliefs, in this case) is nothing short of an attempt at intelectual colonisation of the other’s mind. I believe he was right in this regard and herein lies my point. Let us ignore the centuries upon centuries of lies, of hypocrisy, of manipulation, deceit, deliberate obscurantism, political manoeuvring ,violence and terror that institutional religions have inflicted – and continue to inflict – on humanity; a documented history of mind-boggling events that ought to be repellent to any sentient, educated and balanced human being. Let us also forget how their princes have tended to side with power and wealth whilst professing to protect the needy and the vulnerable. Let us not examine too closely why they profess to stand for peace and for brotherly love when they have instigated, and still continue do so, intolerance and violence towards others of different persuasions. Let us just focus, for now, on the arrogance of their discourse; that only theirs is the true faith, that only their scriptures are the true words of their God and their prophets and that only their God offers the path to salvation. It is the religious, ideological and intelectual fascism of their posture that I vehemently object to.

True spirituality, in my view, cannot be served or represented by organisations that actively promote ignorance and fear and that discourage knowledge and truth. I don’t believe spirituality can be served by any form of institution as it is to be found nowhere other than within oneself. Those who would have you believe otherwise are charlatans and sellers of snake-oil… in my view.

It was a moment of enlightened brilliance when the French enshrined in law the divorce between religion and the state and I am convinced they are right to enforce it now. Your beliefs are none of my concern and I demand the same consideration for mine. It can only be in all our interests that our spiritual beliefs be practised quietly, discretely and in utter privacy.