Last updated on 6 Dec 2008

You may well be aware that there is no big fat man in a red suit flying around the world on a reindeer sleigh during Christmas, delivering presents to all the nice children. But believe you me, Santa Claus does exist.

You may have seen him today. You may have talked to him and yet not realised it. He could even be right there beside you at this exact moment. So, who is this secret Santa?

He is actually your mum and dad. Your best friend. Your work colleague. Even that stranger you passed on the street yesterday. Come to think of it, you’re him. Santa Claus is simply a physical manifestation of the spirit of giving and sharing, which is in each and every one of us.

For many years, I blindly accepted all the things that I was taught. Some things make sense, others didn’t. I never questioned them. The fact that they came from my parents and teachers seemed a good enough reason for me to accept them. All this started to change when I learnt that it is perfectly okay to question things. In fact, that is the only way to learn. It is how this series came about.

One topic in particular that grabbed my interest is religion. It never sat very comfortably with me. A lot of things about religion didn’t make sense. When I start to question them, they start to fall apart. Things doesn’t fit and the answer religion provides is faith. What is faith? Faith is believing in something without any logical proof. If one can have faith in religion, what’s there to stop another from believing otherwise? Absolutely nothing. What is even more perplexing is that millions of people seems perfectly happy with it.

Ultimately, it doesn’t bother me too much whether you believe in religion or not. If you’re happy believing in whatever you believe, there isn’t much point in bursting your bubble. I could definitely see why religion is such an important part of people’s life. In fact, the world will be very different if there is no religion. However, for those having the same dilemma that I was, here is my take on religion.

I was born and raised a Catholic. Today, my view on Catholicism is vastly different than it was a few years ago. So much so, that I’m practically a non-believer. I believe in God the same way I do in Santa Claus, which is not what most people’s idea of God is. It is nicely summed up by the following quote from the movie, Stigmata. Though not a direct quote from the Bible, there is something similar. What does this mean to you?

The kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you;
Not in buildings of wood and stone.
Split a piece of wood and I am there,
Lift a stone and you will find me.

The following are the fundamental issues that killed religion for me.

• Certain religions, such as Christianity and Islam, believe that they are worshiping the one and only true God. Does Christians think that the Muslims are worshiping a false God, and vice versa? That is for the Christians and Muslims to answer, as I truly don’t know. To me, God and Allah are one in the same. They are just physical manifestation of all things good. Ignoring that, all religions are practically the same. They promote good over evil; peace and happiness. I once heard that religion divides, spirituality unites. I couldn’t agree more.
• Different people interprets the sacred texts, such as the Bible and the Qur’an, differently. Some choose to take the content literally, others figuratively. This leads to multiple interpretations that can be wildly different at times. I myself take the Bible figuratively. That is part of the beauty of it. It’s like poetry.
• The source and history of religion is by far my biggest issue. Who created the sacred texts? Correct me if I’m wrong but weren’t they written by humans. People seems to simply accept it without questioning the whole process of how these sacred texts came into existence. For me, unless the whole process is well understood and transparent, the content of these texts are nothing more than the work of a genius.

I used to believe that being a Catholic made me a better person. What I have come to realise is that religion doesn’t make a person better or worse. Whether someone is good or bad has nothing to do with their believes. It is all in the choices you make in life—how you treat others. This is what saddens me about the Jihadist. It reminds me of the Crusades.