knowledge patent, a theist and an atheist

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130526723&sc=fb&cc=fp

"Journalist Christopher Hitchens is an atheist who says the world would be better off without religion. His brother, Peter, a conservative Anglican, says goodness is impossible without religious faith. Now that Christopher has been diagnosed with cancer, their theoretical argument is real."

Love is the heart of all religions; the theme of all classical works of art and literature; the song of all devotees. Scientists know only what love does, not what love is. Love is to human hearts what the sun is to flowers.~Swami Chinmayananda

Faith is the power that takes one to a glimpse of the soul - is that soul cancer ridden? its only the temporary body that is afflicted by all the ravages of age. the problem with the above article and those who "lose faith" in something is because they are looking at:

i) external results and

ii) joy from mantras

both are erroneous - joy is there every moment - either you are joy or you are not.

Glad tidings from mantras is something that the brahmins of the past resorted to as a money making methodology - thats why knowledge deserted them and we are today left with meaningless rituals and not the treasure trove of knowledge that was handed down to them from the times of Vyasa. the knowledge per se was much older and maybe vyasa was the first to "patent the same?"

The main argument put forth by atheists is about the violence unleashed by man in the name of religion (and still continues till date). what they forget is that religion was formed as a political tool to manage the masses of conquered lands (christianity, islam etc) and hence many of them sprouted up. whereas those religions that sprouted as a response to misuse of knowledge by the brahmins (mindless rituals) are those of the buddha(buddha), mahavira (jainism) etc.

Once a different sect/ religion is established it is all about numbers - the more followers we have the better for the kingdom of OUR god has to be the largest.

Frankly i believe the atheists would do good to read up the knowledge of vedanta which is areligious (if there is such a word) and the religious one would get out of the numbers game/rituals/practices etc and embrace the knowledge (which is what the atheists are after!!)

But the biggest truth is that each has to have FAITH in good measure that nature is only one and its preservation is the purpose of our existence which is the ultimate truth. LOVE is all there is in the end and that requires large doses of TRUST in the fellow human being.

OM