As Coronavirus Rages, Gods remain helpless, mute Spectators
Swapan Roy
When Coronavirus spreads its fangs, the Gods remain helpless mute spectators. In its rampaging march across the globe, Corona has not spared even the abodes of gods – the holy cities of the world. Prayers of millions of Hindus, Muslims and Christians have fallen on deaf ears of their powerless deities. Nearly 4,200 different religions are practiced in the world. But their believers now have no other choice but to depend not on faith but on medical care – a product of modern science.
Read: Coronavirus was created in an American Lab in 2015
In Jerusalem, where Jesus is said to have preached and healed lepers and given sight to the blind,Coronavirus has infected at least 1630 people till April 10. Prayers did not heal them and so they rushed to hospitals and are now praying not to Jesus but to doctors and other medical staff to save their lives.
In Vatican City itself, where Pope Francis rules and where all the state functionaries are clergymen, eight people have been infected by the man-made virus.
Coronavirus has forced the Pope to cancel the Easter mass – unprecedented in the history of papacy. He chose to preach his sermon online. While the pandemic raged outsideVatican’s locked gates, killing more than 109,000 people worldwide, the Pope live-streamed his speech to the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics from an empty, ghostly Saint Paul’s Cathedral attended by just a handful of priests. Corona forced the Pope to prostrate not before faith but to technology.
In Mecca, the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad, Corona infected 1050 people till April 14, Gulf News reported. Even Riyadh, more than thrice the size of Mecca, was more fortunate than the holy city and reported only 1422 Corona cases. Faith did not provide any immunity to the residents of Mecca and the holiest city of the Muslim proved to be fragile before the deadly disease. Of the 4934 coronavirus cases reported in Saudi Arabia,the largest number was reported from Mecca alone.
The Saudi government was forced to impose a 24 hour curfew in Mecca and Medina and is now planning to delay even the Hajj pilgrimage this July and August. No amount of prayer was able to prevent the spread of Corona there. Hajj Minister Mohammed Banten said that Hajj must be delayed because the kingdom was concerned about the safety of pilgrims. The lesser pilgrimage, the Umra, has already been suspended as a precaution to try to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Like their Muslim and Christian brethren, the Hindus, too, have gained zero immunity from their religion. Though ruled by a Hindu political party with a devout Hindu supreme leader at the helm, Coronavirus is killing Hindus like fleas in India.
In the holy city of Benaras, nine people have been infected and at least one has died. Though ruled by a self-proclaimed saffron-clad Yogi, Uttar Pradesh recorded eight deaths and 657 were infected. In Tirupati, where thousands assembled recently to offer prayers to Lord Venkateswara – a form of Lord Vishnu – three people have died so far and nine have been infected. The ‘Gou Mutra’ (cow urine) party thrown by the All India Hindu Mahasabha failed to give immunity to the people of Delhi.
Amritsar, the centre of Sikhism, has seen nine Corona infections and two deaths so far. In Gaya, the centre of Buddhism, one Corona case has been officially recorded.
It is true that lack of proper medical care and scientific education for the poor all over the world make them particularly vulnerable to influences of religious faith. While describing religion as ‘opium’ of the people, Karl Marx had also observed, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions.”
It is worthwhile to remember Lenin’s observation on Religion. In Socialism and Religion Lenin said, “No number of pamphlets and no amount of preaching (on religion) can enlighten the proletariat, if it is not enlightened by its own struggle against the dark forces of capitalism.Unity in this really revolutionary struggle of the oppressed class for the creation of a paradise on earth is more important to us than unity of proletarian opinion on paradise in heaven.”
