Cat and cage’ Theology

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use." Galileo Galilei A sanyasi lived alone in his Ashram. One day, while returning home after his bath in the nearby river, he saw a small kitten lost and helpless. He brought it home to his Ashram. The kitten was very playful. Whenever the sanyasi sat for his meditation, the kitten would play around with his shawl and long beard. Hence, he made a cage for the kitten under a nearby tree and closed the kitten in it, whenever he sat for meditation. In course of time a few disciples came to live with him. They watched their Guru putting a white cat in a wooden box under a banyan tree, on the left side of the Ashram. Few years later the Guru died. The disciples were very sad. Soon after the funeral there was a mad race. The disciples ran towards the Ashram. The one who reached first, took possession of the cat and the cage. As the disciples were non-violent and peace loving, they did not fight over the issue. After all, what was required was only a white cat and a wooden cage; they used their reasoning power. The rest of them went about to acquire similar cats and cages as the one their Guru had. They believed that their Guru's spiritual powers had something to do with the cat and the cage. In course of time they developed a science and form of meditation around various types of cats and cages, which blossomed into a theology and religion in later years. Most world religions today promote such 'cat and cage' theologies and rituals. They have lost sight of the mystical and transcendent dimensions of their religions that were fruits of the original God experience. Long ago, there lived a nasty lady who owned the only cock in the village. She threatened the villagers that unless they keep her pleased, she would run away with the cock. The villagers believed that it would put the whole world in total darkness. They thought that the sunrise was because of the cock's crowing. Today, many religions, especially those religions with priestly classes, are like the nasty old lady. They sell their poojas, sacraments etc. to the followers as means of getting special favours from God. People can also reserve their places in heaven. Religion is meant to unite people and motivate them to uphold values and lead righteous lives. Religious leaders and priests have only one function that is to help, guide and serve people in their quest after truth and Grace.